Tempting Navid

by Victoria Pinder

  Gabe waved off Navid's comments. "Olivia's the sweet one—easy to get along with and best friends with Elle."

  Elle was the last person they should speak of here. What if Paul could hear them? The man needed no new intel on Navid or what he truly cared about, including a curvy blonde American. At the factory door, Navid reached for the handle. "Okay, let's do this."

  Gabe followed right behind him. Navid's heart pounded. If something happened to Leila it was all on him.

  He took a deep breath and continued forward into the dark factory. Papers flew around from when he'd opened the door a moment ago. His footsteps were light; Gabe walked with a slightly heavier step.

  Navid peered into the darkness and saw something flap near the light of the window. He walked toward the movement and as he neared the glass, he saw Leila tied with her hands in the air, hanging from a rope in the ceiling, and her high heels barely touched the ground. To her right, Paul sat at a small desk with an open iPad. Navid took a step closer and said, "Paul."

  "Stop where you are, Navid." Paul ordered and showed his gun that he had pointed right at Leila. "You brought your brother as backup."

  "He made the virus for you," Navid explained and met Leila’s terrified gaze. Her lips were sealed with duct tape. He held up the USB. "I told you I didn't have the capabilities. Now let her go."

  "The woman you love is very Americanized." Paul made a tsk sound in his voice and then said, "I'll untie her once the money has been transferred. Slide me the USB."

  Navid met Gabe's gaze for a brief second. He took a deep breath and then leaned forward and placed the USB on the desk. Paul snatched it up and put it in his attachment for his iPad. Navid then took a step closer to Leila. She was the goal right now. The FBI wanted to give Paul rope to hang himself, but Navid only cared about getting her away from Paul before she was hurt anymore.

  Paul typed and loaded something on the screen. Navid took another step toward Leila.

  Paul jumped from his seat. "What are you doing?"

  He had his iPad in one hand and a knife in the other. Leila tensed, on the verge of a scream as Paul came behind her and held the knife to her throat. "If I don't get the money, your girlfriend's neck gets cut."

  What was taking so long for the transfer? Leila had sweat pouring down her temple as Gabe yelled, "Don’t do it Paul—she’s an innocent woman."

  The sounds of Leila’s muffled scream rang in the air while they waited. Navid inched toward Leila, but Paul pushed the knife closer. He stopped. Finally Paul smiled and the beep indicated whatever he’d done had finished. He kept the knife at her throat but hit another button, one-handed. A second ring echoed in his ears as Paul said, "One point five billion is now showing in the computer. Let me call and confirm."

  Gabe said encouragingly to Leila, "Don’t move." Paul spoke in codes to a machine as Gabe told her, "We're going to get you out of this."

  Then Paul tossed the device to the table and cut the rope over Leila's head. Navid shifted closer. If he could grab her and pull her to safety he could breathe. Paul held her in his grip while Leila tried to elbow him. "Navid, I have to tell you that your girlfriend here is rather needy and whiny. I don't know how you stand her."

  Navid took a step toward them and he could smell the spicy aftershave Paul wore. "Hold on, Leila. You have the money, Paul, now release her."

  "Right, here you go." Paul trailed her neck with the top of the blade and cut her as he threw her.

  Navid grabbed her. "No!"

  Gabe pulled the duct tape off her lips and she took a deep breath. "I'm okay."

  "He cut you." Gabe jumped up to follow Paul, but Paul had run off in the commotion.

  Leila grabbed his collar and tried to get to her feet, which were still tied at the ankle. "He said he'd kill me." Her hands shook as she reached for the rope that held her ankles. "Get me out of here."

  Navid reached down and untied her legs. She used his strength to stand. Gabe joined them and Navid helped her walk out the door. In silence, the three of them continued cautiously, and they finally made it to the van. Leila clutched his neck tighter as she saw the other three men. "Who…"

  "Leila, these are FBI agents." She let go of him and nodded. He continued, "They will get you to the hospital to be checked out and want to ask you everything you saw with Paul. Have them call your parents to join you. I'll stop by tomorrow to check on you."

  "Thank you." She climbed into the van and took a seat, resting her head back. Leila refused to look at him. "He didn’t believe me when I told him I wasn’t your girlfriend." The door closed and the van drove off.

  Gabe walked with him toward his black Mercedes SUV. Once Navid hit the button to unlock it, Gabe asked, "How long do you think the FBI will let him use that virus? I'll have to update my systems in 24 hours to block the updates I just did."

  Once they arrested Paul as promised then his daughter was safe. He recalled the meeting and said, "They will replace any money stolen in order to get him. Let's go home."

  Navid took the driver's seat and Gabe the passenger. Once Navid started the car, Gabe said, "You and Elle seem tight."

  "She's sweet." Navid hoped to change the subject. In less than two days, Elle had transformed his daughter and him into a family unit again. She made him and Margo light up and brought a sense of happiness.

  Gabe laughed. "You know, if you’d come home to meet our father years ago, she'd have likely been in the house. Elle and Olivia were tight, especially in high school."

  Navid's normal state of anger created a defense mechanism. Yes, Gabe had forgiven Navid, but could Navid forgive his father? "Our father paid my mother to never contact him again."

  Gabe took an audible breath and stared at his profile. Navid kept his gaze on the road. "Do you think so? That doesn’t make sense. Dad could’ve broken it off with her without the hush money. He must have cared."

  "I don't know about that, and it is too late to ask her." None of this was his half-brother’s fault and it wasn't good to second guess. His own mother, Jasmine, had always said that his father was a good, kind man—and she had loved him. He gripped the steering wheel and drove to the condo. "My mother loved me and raised me in the Iranian traditions." He glanced at Gabe then turned toward the road. "When you and I first met I was a teenage brat who had training but no sense."

  His thoughts returned to how his mother always encouraged schoolwork and not fighting. When she’d discovered how deep into his fighting classes he’d gone, his mother had cried for weeks. "As I got older, I realized how lucky I’d been so it's hard for me when I'm near your mother, even though she’s been nothing but kind to Margo. It feels like a betrayal to my mother’s memory."

  "I think there is room for everyone when it comes to family. My father didn't know you were born." Gabe repeated his father's tone almost exactly. "He'd have insisted you knew all of us."

  This was a topic for another day, or maybe never. He shook his head. After meeting and helping Scarlett, he’d come to meet his father and find out the truth. "He's been accepting of me and more importantly, Margo. She deserves a family."

  As he neared the condo on the beach, his pulse raced with anticipation. Elle waited for him, had kissed him with emotion he wasn’t sure he deserved.

  Gabe asked, "Is Margo why you helped Scarlett and finally came to meet us for Christmas?"

  "Yes. Margo is my world. And… Scarlett insisted," Navid answered, which was true. He and his daughter had been a team for three years with no one else in their lives, but near Elle and the Hawke family she became happier.

  Navid drove his SUV to the front of the building where one of his staff came out to park it for him. Gabe quickly said, "Well, don't close yourself off to us. We're all here, to be with you and Margo. It seems Elle Bentley found a home with you—thanks for giving her a job until things are sorted out with her family."

  Navid waved off the staff and locked the door so he could question Gabe. He glanced at his brother. "What do you know a
bout Elle’s family? She insists they are innocent."

  "Her parents were our parent’s friends before any of us were born. Dad’s looking into it but he’s not getting anywhere—which means something strange is going on."

  So, Elle might be right in her defense of them. Navid unlocked the door but didn’t move. "Elle thinks they were set up."

  Gabe reached for his door. "I think so to but I don’t know by who. Elle’s like a sister to me, so seeing that smile on her face near you is good. She’s been through a lot lately."

  They both left the vehicle. Navid handed the security guard his keys and then he and Gabe walked inside. "She deserves better."

  "Her family is in trouble—family means a lot to all of us." Gabe then changed the topic and said, "She deserves to be happy. You make her smile."

  Navid felt his cheeks warm as he hit the elevator button. "I don't know what to say."

  "A piece of brotherly advice? Make sure she knows that it's not Leila you care about."

  Elle was everything he shouldn't want in theory, but she filled in a void he hadn't known existed. As the elevators opened and he stepped inside, all he could think about was that she was waiting for him. It was enough. He needed to see her and touch her and feel her. But he hadn’t been lying to Gabe. Elle deserved far more and far better than him. She deserved the world.

  Elle's stomach was in knots as she worried over Navid and Gabe. Would they save Leila? The elevator dinged and something inside her immediately knew it was Navid. The basil in her mouth began to have taste again. Her pulse raced and her body accepted that he was close. She turned to Margo. "We've eaten the salad while we wait for your dad. What's next?"

  Margo pointed to the tray of fish and rice, next to the meat strips and the sumac. "Now we eat the fish and then we get the kabobs. This is the best we've found in the area."

  The door finally opened and they saw Navid and Gabe slip off their shoes on the mat. Elle rose in one motion. "Your dad is home."

  "Pedar!" Margo stood and ran to her father.

  "Margo." He hugged her to his side. Elle stayed near the guests. Her heart grew lighter when Navid looked straight into her eyes and nodded. "Elle, what's going on?"

  Margo walked with him and swung his hand. "I'm teaching Grandma and everyone about New Year’s." He came and stood right behind her as Margo continued, "We’re about to start on the Sabzi Polow Mahi, and then we do the kabob."

  "Good. I can skip the salad." He scooted her so she'd go back to her seat. "You haven’t eaten the Sabzi Polow Mahi? We've been gone a while."

  Elle said softly, "Your daughter wanted to celebrate with you here."

  Margo unattached herself. "Grandma said we could keep the food warm and open my presents first."

  "I see." Gabe sat next to his fiancée on the floor, cross-legged. "Well, Gabe and I will cut the fish. The sofreh here looks delicious."

  Elle swallowed though the smell of Navid mixed with the savory food made her hands tremble so she put them behind her back. "I’m confused. I thought that the sofreh was what Margo and I worked on all day."

  Navid made a no sound with his throat. "That's the sofreh norooz. You’re sitting at a sofreh to eat right now."

  Margo pointed to the empty plate. "Sit beside Elle, Pedar, and start your dinner. It’s late."

  He nodded and then took Elle's hand in his as they both sat. Margo spoke to her grandmother and Navid traced the back of her hand. The trembling stilled. "You look happy."

  He searched for her reaction. She felt her face heat and hoped she wasn't bright red. "I'm glad you're home safe. I was worried about you."

  He whispered in her ear. "Don't tremble. Gabe and I are fine. Leila's home with her family."

  The warm breath on her skin made her wish for a kiss, but she knew he wouldn't, not here, not now. She reached for her spoon the moment he let her go. "Now that is good to hear."

  Navid then turned toward Tom Hawke and said the word that still felt awkward for him. "Father?"

  "Yes, son?" Tom's lined face brightened.

  Navid lowered his gaze. "Thank you for accepting us into your family. Margo and I are happy to celebrate our New Year with you all."

  "We'd not be anywhere else," Tom answered.

  Navid cleared his throat. "Enjoy your food."

  They ate in silence for a few minutes, but as Navid finished his last bite of fish and reached for a kabob that he covered in sumac, Scarlett asked Gabe, "Did the FBI put Paul in jail?"

  "No."

  Gabe’s answer rang in Navid’s ear. He turned and his blue eyes blazed as he touched her knee. "You and Margo need to stay indoors until he's out of our lives, forever."

  She nodded. There was no place she'd rather be anyhow. "What happened exactly?"

  He seemed to withdraw. "I don't want to talk about it here. Let me finish eating and I'll go brew the tea."

  "I can have Prudence start." She scooted to stand, but his hand brushed her thigh so she stayed still.

  He shook his head. "Prudence isn't Iranian. I don't trust her to make the tea properly. Last time she set plain water and sprinkled in the tea. It needs to be served with dessert."

  Andrada Hawke, Tom's wife, asked, "Would you mind if we opened a bottle of wine, Navid?"

  "Not at all. We're in the US." He met the gaze of Prudence and nodded at her to bring a bottle.

  Within seconds, guests had wine glasses and Prudence poured. Navid finished his meal.

  Elle waited patiently, content to watch everyone. Tom asked, "Navid, Gabe tells us you're an excellent fighter and you helped save Scarlett's life. She said you practically jumped off the building. Growing up in Iran, did you need these skills? You have the physique of an athlete or soldier."

  She had never seen such a sad expression on Tom Hawke’s face, as if he’d failed his son. He must regret not being there. She swallowed a glass of water and pressed her hand next to Navid's.

  "Yes and no. My mother encouraged me to do my school work and focus on my studies."

  "Good." Tom looked up. "Jasmine was a good woman."

  Elle quickly glanced at Andrada, who didn't flinch. She had to know that Tom was conflicted and curious about this son he hadn’t raised.

  "Yes, thank you." Navid continued, "I always wanted to be strong to protect her. Staying in shape now helps me think. Focus."

  Tom held his glass of wine tight. "I hate to think any child of mine lacked anything I might have been able to offer."

  Elle glanced at Navid who stared at Margo for a second, and then they both looked at the rest of his family.

  "When I finished college, my mother gave me your two million dollars. I used that to start my own company." Navid shifted in his seat and stared at his father. "I wouldn't have made billions without the initial investment. I understand now that you'd have done more than that, because Margo is why I want to earn more. Be more. She needs whatever I can provide."

  Tom gulped his wine and gave an apologetic look to Andrada, who Elle thought seemed understanding—she even comforted Tom with a pat on his hand. Andrada then said, "I'm glad we had this dinner. We should get going, though. Tom needs to take his medication and eight hours of sleep if he’s to work in the morning like he planned."

  Elle wondered if somehow this conversation bothered Andrada. Her husband had cheated on her years ago and here she was, accepting Navid and Margo, the byproducts of what happened. The mood of the party had changed—and everyone, though still polite and cordial, got ready to go.

  Navid was gracious and kissed everyone's cheek as they passed him. She stayed next to him and Margo, who also kissed everyone goodbye.

  Olivia whispered as she passed, "I'll text you. We didn’t get to talk at all about you and Navid and I have eyes."

  Elle’s face heated.

  A few minutes later the three of them were alone. Margo ran to her stack of new toys and Elle said, "You never served the tea!"

  Navid shrugged. "They wanted to go home. I cannot keep them here.
"

  Elle shook her head and wondered if she should have told Olivia to have the family stay through dessert. "Isn't it considered rude in your culture?"

  "They don't know." He kissed her cheek. "Just relax."

  She followed him back to the dining carpet where the staff was now picking up the dishes. "I should have told them."

  Navid took a honey and powder sugar twist cookie and her hand. Once he swallowed his sugary treat, he smiled at her. "I'm glad to spend the rest of the evening with you."

  "You are?" The look in his eyes was magnetic. Her pulse quickened to be with him and to follow him into the bedroom.

  Margo called out, "Pedar, can you help me get my toys into my room?"

  "Absolutely." The spell was broken as he walked away.

  Elle called out, "I'll talk to Prudence and be right behind the two of you." She had an idea for leftovers.

  Her phone vibrated. She picked it up and read the message. Elle, if you marry Navid then you're my sister for real.

  That's a little fast. Elle’s mind conjured the pretty picture of her standing in a white dress at an altar next to Navid.

  The screen showed that Olivia was typing a reply. Elle held it as she directed Prudence where to wash the dishes and place them once they were done. Her phone dinged and Elle read the message. I saw how you looked at him.

  You didn't see anything. The last thing Navid would want was gossip in his family.

  Again Olivia typed fast. Elle held the phone close and lingered in the kitchen. Finally, the message popped up. Well goodnight. Have fun with my half-brother. I'm sure you'll enjoy alone time.

  Olivia was too much—and she was already a sister. Elle walked into the living area but Navid and Margo were carrying the last of the gifts down the hall. She began to follow them, but then her phone rang, again. She looked at the screen and the prison her brothers were at flashed on screen. Her pulse zipped. One of her brothers had a chance to talk to her, finally. Her heart beat faster—she feared more bad news. "Hello?"