Khalid

by Celeste Granger

  Khalid

  Book 3

  In

  The Brothers Ali

  By

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  Celeste Granger

  Note from the Publisher: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead or references to locations, persons, events, or locations is purely coincidental. The characters, circumstances, and events are imaginative and not intended to reflect real events.

  Khalid – The Brothers Ali Book 3

  Copyright 2020 Celeste Granger

  All Rights Reserved and Proprietary.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or format without written permission from Publisher. Send all requests via email to thecelestegranger@yahoo.com

  Printed in the United States of America

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  Acknowledgment

  I am loving the Ali Brothers! This has been a lot of fun, writing more from the hero’s perspective. However, my girls, my heroines, refused to be outshined. I appreciate how much you all have supported this series. It makes this writer’s heart smile to see you pre-ordering, downloading, reading, and one-clicking. I can tell you are enjoying the brothers as much as I am. So, thank you.

  I also want to thank my literary support team. My alpha and beta readers, graphic designers, promotors, editors, ARC team, and proofreaders continue to be amazing. You guys have been so incredible in helping to support the vision I have for Celeste Granger, who just happened to earn USA Today Bestselling Author designation not too long ago. It’s because of my literary team, my boxset mates, and of course, my reading family that it was even possible. So, thank you guys so much!! And, I hope you enjoy Khalid <3

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to all those who understand that love, true love, can conquer anything, including enemies.

  Chapter One

  “Dammit!”

  “I cannot believe this.”

  Racquel Anderson sat on the side of Interstate 85, stranded in the middle of an unexpected downpour. Her BMW 750 had a flat tire, and she wasn’t prepared to change it. The storm was so intense, Racquel struggled to connect with her insurance company for help. The line kept dropping. Even the SIRI line in her car was acting up, and Racquel was not happy.

  “Uh!” She jumped as a blaring strike of lightning lit up the downtown Atlanta sky. She didn’t settle immediately as boisterous thunder followed behind it. Racquel never liked storms. She avoided being out in them as much as possible. But this one? It came out of nowhere.

  The heels of Khalid’s custom Berluti Scritto’s leather slip-on clicked rhythmically against the ground of the underground garage where his gray on gray Aston Martin One-77 was parked. Khalid hit the button on his key fob, and the headlights of the luxury sports car flickered twice, indicating the doors were unlocked. His long strides quickly carried him to the vehicle. Khalid opened the door and slid his six-foot four-inch frame inside. The Italian leather seats hugged his frame like an expensive warm blanket. Closing the door, Khalid pushed the start button, and the Aston Martin purred to life. He never grew tired of the sound of the engine revving. Putting the car in gear, Khalid pulled out of his reserved parking spot as the Director of Financial Affairs for Ali International, and eased the vehicle up the ramp, seeing outside for the first time in hours. It wasn’t uncommon for Khalid to work late. Being responsible for his family’s company’s finances was more than a full-time job. Ali International conducted business in nearly every developed country around the globe, and with his brother’s finding new territories for the company to enter in, new markets emerged at lightning speed. Khalid was responsible for all of it. His position as Director of Finances was natural. Like his mother, Aziza, Khalid double majored in mathematics and business. Khalid took his assignment seriously, as did the other family members. And although he’d worked a twelve-hour day, Khalid pulled out of the garage feeling content.

  There was another lightning bolt that flashed across the sky. The brilliance of the light was temporarily blinding, and the roar of thunder that boomed behind it was enough to drown out the R&B Khalid was playing in the car. Reaching up, Khalid activated the windshield wipers as he pulled the Aston Martin onto the street. The rain came down in sheets, making it increasingly difficult to see. Khalid sped up the pace of the wipers so that he could try and get a clear visual. He thought about pulling over on the side of the road before getting on the on-ramp to the interstate. But the day had been incredibly long. And although satisfying, all Khalid wanted to do was take off his suit, take a hot shower, grab a bite to eat, and then have a stiff drink before bed.

  Khalid decided to take his chances. He put on his blinker and maneuvered the car onto the on-ramp. Although the Aston had the power of great speed, Khalid refused to press his luck, deciding instead to drive below the speed limit.

  Racquel was sick of waiting, sick of waiting for SIRI to work, sick of waiting for her cell phone to work, sick of the rain, and definitely sick of sitting on the side of the road. It’s not like she couldn’t change her own tire. Her father made sure she could, along with changing her own, filter, and other minor tweaks most cars needed. Reaching in the back seat, Racquel picked up her umbrella. She wanted to see just how bad the damage was, and if it was too bad to try and fix herself, maybe stepping out of the vehicle would give her better access to the cell phone tower so at least she could get a damn call through.

  Glad she was dressed in her work clothes, Racquel dared to open the car door. She tried desperately to wedge the umbrella in the crack and open it without getting wet. But the way the rain was falling, that was nearly impossible.

  “Ughera!” She groaned, pulling her legs back and wedging the closed umbrella through the opening and then striking the button to hoist the shield into the air. Instantly, the umbrella was pummeled with hard drops of rain.

  “Ughera again,” Racquel moaned. For a moment, she thought about giving up and retreating to the safety of her vehicle. But her father didn’t raise a quitter. She had to do something, or she might be stuck on the side of the road all night. And that idea did not sit well with Racquel. She dared to take a step back and close her car door. There were plenty of vehicles on the road, moving at speeds that splashed water onto the side of the road. In addition to being mindful of on-coming vehicles, Racquel had to be careful not to be drowned by a wave of water kicked off from a car moving too fast.

  Carefully, Racquel moved down the length of her car to see what her front left tire looked like. It was absolutely flat.

  “Dammit to hell,” she scoffed, seeing that changing the tire, currently sitting in a puddle of water, would be nearly impossible under the current circumstances. The whole situation was incredibly frustrating and did not bode well for Racquel’s already soured mood. She’d had a hell of a day. The new location she was scouting to expand her business had been circumvented by another company with a bid that tempted the landholder more than Racquel’s original plan did. She had to determine if the site was worth putting up the extra money to try and outbid the weasel who slipped a bid in nearly at the last moment. She had things to do, important things to do, and being stranded on the side of the road wasn’t one of them.

  Khalid was ultra-careful. He kept his Aston Martin in the slow lane to avoid those Atlanta drivers who acted like no rain was falling, and the roads weren’t the least bit slick. And if they knew anyt
hing about driving downtown, they knew that because of inadequate drainage systems, the lane near the fast lane would flood first. Just as Khalid navigated his vehicle around a curve, he saw a disabled car with blinking lights. From the glow of his headlights, he could see it was a woman standing beside the broken-down vehicle.

  Khalid put on his blinker. Being the gentleman he was, Khalid couldn’t just pass this woman by. He slowed the car down and then eased it onto the side of the road, pulling up behind the stopped car. Khalid put the car in park. He picked up his umbrella from the floorboard on the passenger side, and exited the vehicle, making sure to lift the umbrella before stepping out.

  He didn’t want to frighten the woman. A man over six feet tall approaching her in an already compromised position wouldn’t bode well for his chivalrous intentions.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” Khalid called out, standing by the driver’s side door.

  The woman had already turned on an angle when Khalid pulled up, which was smart.

  “Do you need some help?”

  “I’ve got a flat tire,” she called back, speaking loud enough to be heard over the raging rain. “And my phone isn’t working.”

  “I’m going to come closer to you if that’s okay,” Khalid suggested.

  “That’s fine,” she answered.

  Even though she agreed, Khalid still waited for a beat before moving in her direction. He wanted to make sure she felt okay with his approach, and so he did it cautiously. She turned to fully face him as she neared. And then she leaned forward as he came into full view. Racquel blinked and then blinked again, and so did Khalid.

  “Rocky?”

  “Khalid?”

  Although she was grateful for the assist, old habits die hard. Racquel rolled her eyes upon recognizing her old high school nemesis. Interestingly, Khalid had a similar reaction. He didn’t roll his eyes. That wouldn’t have been masculine enough for such an Alpha male. He did, however, blow air out slowly through his flared nose in response to recognizing her. Still, she was in trouble, and despite their history, he would help Rocky, if she would let him.

  “Long time,” Khalid said, looking over his shoulder before moving closer to the edge of the road to get a look at the car’s damage.

  “Not long enough,” Racquel mumbled under her breath. “It’s flat, very flat,” Racquel huffed.

  The rain wasn’t letting up. There was another loud strike of lightning.

  “Yeah, I can see that. It might be best if I take you somewhere safe and maybe deal with the car when the rain lets up.”

  “What?” Racquel scoffed. Just like in school, Khalid thought he knew what was best.

  Khalid rephrased. “Forgive me,” he restarted. “Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe since your phone isn’t working, maybe you can use mine to get some help?”

  Racquel hesitated. She didn’t want to be behooving to Khalid in any kind of way, even if she never saw him again. The idea that he did her a favor and that she owed him was something Racquel could barely stomach. Yet, desperate times called for desperate measures, and at this point, Racquel was beyond desperate.

  “I would appreciate that,” she uttered through slightly clenched teeth.

  Khalid reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He unlocked it and then handed the phone to her.

  “It might be easier from the car,” Khalid hesitantly suggested. If Rocky was anything like she used to be, she was rough around the edges and wasn’t a fan of assistance from anyone, especially him. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was one of those times.

  “You don’t mind?” Racquel taunted as the rain began to ease just a little. Khalid was tall, dark, and handsome in high school, and the girls fawned all over him, most of the girls. “I wouldn’t want your wife to call while I’m using your phone.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, Racquel,” Khalid crooned. “Take your time.” He was already wet. It didn’t matter much anymore.

  “Thank you,” Racquel mumbled, accepting the phone from Khalid while making sure not to touch his fingers. He backed up enough so that she could get in her car without stepping into the road.

  I can’t believe this, Racquel groaned internally as she placed a call to roadside assistance.

  “How long did you say it would be?” She questioned.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” the dispatcher replied. “We have several accidents all over the city. It would be at least an hour and a half before we could send someone your way.”

  Racquel slammed her fist against the steering wheel.

  “That is too long,” she hissed. “I have already been sitting out here forever, and you’re saying it will be another two hours before someone could come?”

  Racquel didn’t wait for a response.

  “Thanks for nothing,” she dismissed, immediately ending the call.

  “Not now,” Racquel moaned as she felt the press of her bladder for the first time. All the water dripping down her windshield didn’t help either. She made another call to HERO, the city’s roadside assistance, and squeezed her thighs together to try and quell nature’s press.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but all of our operators are busy at the moment. Is there a number we can call you back on to let you know when someone is available?”

  “No, there’s not,” Racquel groaned. Her bladder screamed again. She had one or two choices, and neither of them was pleasant.

  Khalid waited patiently, watching the cars go by while Rocky used his phone. Out of all the people in the world to run into, he thought to himself. And from the way she responded to him, she wasn’t too happy to see him either. But he would do the noble thing, help a sista out, and then forget about running into her as fast as possible.

  “Any luck,” Khalid asked after Racquel rolled down her window and handed him the phone.

  “No,” she huffed, rolling her eyes again. This time, it wasn’t about Khalid, though.

  “Racquel, I can drop you off somewhere,” Khalid offered again. The wind was starting to pick up, and the rain responded in kind, blowing damn near sideways instead of falling straight down.

  It was the worst possible scenario. Stay where she was, and risk wetting her clothes, or get in the car with Khalid and risk wetting his seat while he helped her. But as her bladder screamed louder, Racquel made a choice.

  Chapter Two

  “Just let me lock up,” she mumbled, rolling the window up and reaching for her purse and keys. Grabbing her umbrella, Racquel turned to open the car door, but Khalid beat her to it. Shaded by his umbrella, Racquel lifted her eyes to him. She didn’t allow her gaze to linger as she scooted to the edge of her seat to stand up. Khalid extended a hand to assist her, but Rocky was hell-bent on doing it on her own. With her hands full, she nearly teetered back after trying to stand, which made the press of her bladder increase again. Her eyes widened in response, and she reluctantly accepted Khalid’s outstretched hand. When their hands touched, there was an undeniable collision of energies, enough so that Racquel nearly pulled her hand away before Khalid closed his fingers around hers, locking her in place. No sooner than she was on her feet, Racquel pulled her hand from his, unceremoniously. That shock of energy immediately subsided.

  Stubbornly, Racquel tried to lift her umbrella to cover herself.

  “I’ve got you,” Khalid hummed, the stretch of his umbrella already protecting her.

  She didn’t like the way that sounded, not at all. Racquel stood to the edge of the covering. She didn’t want to bump into Khalid, lean on him, inadvertently touch him. The idea was repulsive. Khalid positioned himself slightly behind her as he escorted Rocky to the passenger side of his car. He noticed her avoidance and did nothing to make Racquel work even harder. He had no desire to bump into her, either.

  She reached for his door handle. That’s not how Khalid did things. He was taught to be a gentleman to all women, period, even if they despised him.

  “I got it, Racqu
el,” He mentioned, waiting until she lifted her hand before placing his hand there and opening the door for her. She turned utterly sideways to ease past him and slide into the car. He waited until she was sitting down before closing the door behind her. Khalid caught himself rolling his eyes as he rounded the back of the Aston Martin. He shook his head and chuckled. Only Rocky Alexander could make him do something like that.

  He shrugged his shoulders as he climbed into the driver’s seat. This was either going to be an interesting ride or a super quiet and awkward one. Khalid didn’t have any hopes for either.

  “Excuse me,” he uttered as he did his best to slide the wet umbrella between them without getting rainwater on Rocky. She leaned so far towards the passenger side door; Khalid would have had to shake the umbrella in her direction to touch her. He chuckled and then shook his head again.

  “What’s that about,” Racquel scoffed as she remained as far away from him as possible.

  “I don’t bite, Racquel, neither does my umbrella,” Khalid chortled.

  “Whatever,” she groaned, realizing how silly she must have looked but refusing to move any faster in centering herself in the seat. She turned her face away from him as she slid the seatbelt across her ample chest and clicked it into the locking mechanism.

  “Where am I dropping you off,” Khalid asked.

  Racquel really hadn’t thought about where. All she knew is that she needed a restroom and quick. What was the fastest place she could go at this time of evening that wasn’t her home? Her bladder squalled again. She couldn’t think of any place close, and the need to relieve herself overpowered conscious thought. She hated every second of what she said next.

  “Do you mind making a pit stop? I need to use the ladies’ room.”