by Holly Rayner
Rather unsafe, you might think, Jenna thought, but she set to work, her jaw set. She had the screws loosened in less than a minute.
“Great job,” Balal whispered as Jenna slowly, quietly, pulled the cover from the vent.
Balal took it from her and, after setting it on the ground, helped her up into the vent with another push of her legs.
Jenna hoisted herself into the stuffy metal tube. Balal lifted the cover to her so she could set it in place, but would be able to shove it away if she needed to make a quick escape.
“I’ll be back out here in half an hour, all right?” Balal told her. “If you get what you need before then, meet me back over the dune, and stay in the car. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Jenna only nodded. She didn't think she could speak, afraid someone was going to catch them at any moment. Balal nodded as well and, after a long look at her, turned to circle around to the front of the mansion.
Jenna turned around, testing her weight on the air vents. Thankfully, they didn't seem to bow very much beneath her, but even the slightest move in the wrong direction made the vent creak, so loud that it sounded like thunder. She clenched her jaw, and moved slowly and deliberately.
She and Balal had studied the sketches of the mansion that he and the other Collectors had compiled over the last few weeks. One of the Collectors had done a little investigation of the air vents, and had given them a general layout of where they went and which rooms were connected where. Before Jenna had joined the team, there had been no one small enough to fit inside. Most of the Collectors were men, and those who weren't were people like Adina, who didn’t serve on the front lines.
Jenna knew she had to take three lefts and a right. The main office that she was looking for—where the kidnappers all met upon arriving at the mansion—would be the third grate she passed.
She was sure that someone was going to hear her. She had just made her first turn left when she saw the shadow of a person through one of the grates she passed. She laid very flat, very still, and tried as hard as she could not to burst into tears from fright. When a few minutes had passed and nothing happened, she chanced a look out of the grate, and saw nothing and no one.
She hurried on as fast as she dared.
Thankfully, Jenna reached the vent she was looking for without any other issues. She was breathing in shallow breaths, the air inside the vents hot and thick. She settled her down on her stomach beside the grate, and pulled out a tiny notebook and pen from the pocket of her jacket.
There were mumbling voices down in the room below her, and she tried to steady her breathing as she listened. There were at least three different men down below. Exhilaration and adrenaline flooded Jenna’s veins as she put an unsteady hand to her notebook.
They were all speaking Arabic, and she forced herself to think of nothing aside from their words. She had to figure out what they were saying. She couldn't allow her own thoughts to cloud her mind. She had to focus.
Jenna caught the words boss and sanctuary almost immediately. She scribbled the words down. It appeared that the men were talking amongst themselves rather than answering to anyone in particular, and she wondered why that was. Wasn't this where the mob boss was supposed to be? Wouldn't he be the one giving orders?
She heard low, growling laughter and caught the words women and well formed. She ground her teeth, and her fingers tightened on the pen.
“Headquarters…” she translated in her mind, furiously scribbling everything she heard. “Where?”
Another man spoke. “Yordan center. Big green space.”
Jenna wasn't sure if she was translating the words correctly, and she scratched the pen on her nose, looking at her notes. It was barely anything to go off.
Once again she was frustrated that her Arabic was so limited. She was sure she’d have been able to understand more if she had just had more time to brush up on it before her trip. She heard something that either meant ‘round’ or ‘square.’ She jotted the word down as she heard it, hoping it would help.
So, these guys were just the cronies who worked for the boss. Maybe one of them had been involved in her kidnapping. It was hard to believe that it had only happened the previous day.
She shifted her arm, looking behind her, wondering how she was going to turn around in such a small space, but just as she did, the movement created a cloud of dust that rose in her face. Her eyes grew wide, and she slapped a hand over her nose and mouth.
“So, boss’s place is…”
Despite holding her entire face behind her hands, Jenna sneezed.
Three terrifyingly long seconds passed, and nothing existed in the entire world aside from the silence that echoed in her ears.
Chapter Ten
“Who’s there?”
Jenna could have died of fear right there. Both hands clamped over her mouth, she lay flat on her stomach, her forehead pressed against the bottom of the grate. She felt tears well up in her eyes, and her shoulders trembled.
“Search the building!” she heard one of the voices down below say. “Make sure the—” and then, she didn't understand the rest of the sentence. She heard footsteps and shouts down the hall.
She had to move, fast.
Stuffing the notebook in her pocket, Jenna curled herself up, rolled over, and straightened out as quietly, and as quickly, as she could. When she was facing the other way, she started to shuffle on her hands and knees back through the vent.
She almost cried out when she heard someone banging on the vent where she just had been. Angry voices carried through the vents, and Jenna felt her heart hammer against her chest.
There was a sharp grinding from the grate, and she realized as she turned around the corner of the vent that they were trying to pry it open.
They know I’m in here!
Continuing on her frantic, shuffling escape, she heard voices shouting to each other down below, most likely trying to search other sections of the vents. She didn't care so much about making sound now, because her only concern was making it out alive.
She could see the light at the end of the grate—she was nearly outside!
Jenna crawled as fast as she could, gasping for air, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, when suddenly, a huge crash sounded behind her, knocking her sideways against the vent.
When she pulled herself back up onto all fours, she saw that one of the grates along the vent had been shoved inward, and a thick, hairy arm was reaching around inside.
Jenna couldn't help it; she screamed. As soon as she did, she silenced herself, and turned back toward the grate. She rammed her shoulder against it, thankful that they hadn't screwed it back in and locked her inside. It didn't take more than two shoves against it before it tumbled to the ground.
She looked outside, and saw Balal standing there, a slender, scared-looking blonde woman dressed in blue beside him, her cheeks burning red.
“Jenna! Hurry!” Balal hissed as he ran to stand below the window.
“Balal, they know!”
“I know!” he replied, and he opened his arms, waving them up at her.
“Come on. Just let go; I’ll catch you!”
Jenna didn't hesitate. She tumbled through the air and landed safe in his strong arms. He set her on her feet, and then grabbed her hand.
“Let’s go!” he cried, and he reached for the other woman's hand, pulling them both away from the mansion, back over the dune.
There were shouts coming from there now, and Jenna shrieked when she heard a gunshot ring through the air.
Balal hoisted the blonde up and almost shoved her inside the Jeep before he reached behind him and scooped Jenna up in his arms. He swung into the back of the Jeep and then shouted at his drivers to get out of there, fast.
They took off through the pitch black desert, and with trembling hands, Jenna clicked her seatbelt in. Balal situated himself in the trunk, facing the rear of the Jeep, holding a small pistol out and scanning the horizon, bumping along with the SUV as
if he did this every day.
The blonde woman, seated beside Jenna, was sobbing uncontrollably. Her hair had come out of its pretty pin and was flying wildly all over her face.
Jenna yanked the mask from her head and reached over to her, taking her hands in her own. The woman tried to pull away until she looked up and saw Jenna without the mask. Fear and hopelessness were evident on the blonde’s pretty face, and Jenna's heart ached for her.
“Don't worry,” Jenna shouted over the din of the Jeep's engine. “You're safe now. We came to rescue you!”
The woman's bottom lip trembled, and she threw herself into Jenna's arms and began to cry again. Jenna held her close, and let her cry. She understood how she was feeling—she had been in the exact same position only a few days ago.
“Okay,” Balal said, sliding back into his seat and pulling the mask off of his face. “I think we lost them. Good work, Hanan.”
The man driving acknowledged him with a wave of his hand and started to slow down, ever so slightly, before pulling onto a road.
As Balal gently explained everything to the blonde, Jenna felt like she was looking at a reflection of herself just the other day. The woman's eyes were bulging and red, and her face was streaked with tear stains. She kept looking over at Jenna, as if to verify what Balal was saying.
Then, the woman reacted in fear to all of them, saying, not without reason, that she had no idea if what they were telling her was the truth.
“How do I know that you aren't lying to me?”
Jenna reached over and took the woman's hand in hers.
“Because I was in your place just yesterday,” she said softly.
The woman's eyes grew wide, and she searched Jenna’s face.
“I’m not being forced to tell you any of this. I teamed up with your rescuers here to help save women like us who’ve been kidnapped and sent to auction.”
Color came back to the woman’s face little by little, and she looked back at Balal.
“Where are you taking me?”
Balal gestured to a sign along the road, just as he had done with Jenna.
Jenna grinned to herself. Well, he certainly has good timing, doesn't he?
The first sign for the airport appeared, and the woman shook her head.
“You're letting me go?”
“Of course,” Balal said. “That’s our job, after all.”
The woman sat back in stunned silence.
“I…” She hesitated, and looked at Jenna. “I thought I was going to die there.”
Jenna's heart constricted in her chest. “I know exactly what you mean,” she replied quietly. “I had almost given up, too.”
The woman looked up at Balal, her eyes shining with tears. “Thank you. I don't know how I could ever repay you.”
Balal shook his head. “When you tell your family what happened, then just tell them that a group who believes in justice, above all, set things right.”
The woman studied his face, and Jenna felt a twinge of jealousy. It was brief, but Jenna noticed it. And it surprised her. She could see the same admiration in the blonde's eyes that she felt toward Balal. How could she not? He was her savior, her rescuer. She would never forget the handsome sheikh who had spoken to her with gentle words and admirable principles.
Jenna felt ashamed, suddenly. Was she acting like a little girl, swooning over a man who a dozen others had swooned over? Did she think that she was somehow special, that she was different?
They pulled into the airport, and Balal walked the blonde inside, just as he would have done if Jenna hadn’t chosen to stay. Part of her realized that it wasn’t too late; she could get out right now and choose to go home. Balal would understood, she knew, and not stand in her way.
Was that what she wanted, though?
No. She knew it almost immediately. She knew she would regret it as soon as her plane left the ground.
Chapter Eleven
“Let's head back to the penthouse,” Balal told Hanan when he returned, and the driver nodded, pulling away from the curb.
The Sheikh turned to Jenna, then.
“You were amazing tonight; do you know that?”
“I didn't really do much,” she answered. “All I did was crawl through some vents.”
“And got out alive,” he added. “Not that I thought you wouldn't, but they caught onto us a little too soon.”
Jenna tensed. She was ashamed.
“What?” Balal encouraged her.
She rolled her eyes. “I sneezed when I was inside of the vent. And they heard it.”
Balal was taken aback. “Well, you made a fantastic escape! I'm so glad you’re safe.”
Jenna felt herself shiver. His tone was caring and protective, and she felt flattered, and something else she couldn’t quite pinpoint.
They returned to the penthouse, and Jenna was again amazed when they walked in the front door. The view was still spectacular, even though she could see dark clouds forming in the distance. A thunderstorm was on its way.
“All right,” Balal said, wandering into the kitchen. He pulled a bottle of dark amber liquid from a glass shelf, which was backlit with blue LED lights. “I think we deserve a drink.”
Jenna sat down at the bar stool, but cautiously.
“What's the matter?” Balal asked. He had noticed her hesitation.
“I'm sort of disgusting right now,” she said, noting the smudges of dirt and grease on her black track jacket.
Balal shook his head. “No big deal.”
“But Adina is going to have to clean all of this mess I leave behind me.”
“Here,” he said as he pulled a towel down from the top shelf of a cupboard. He laid it down on the stool and gestured for her to sit, smiling at her. “Is that better?”
“Much,” Jenna replied, and then sat down.
He grabbed two small tumbler glasses and filled them with ice.
“Is that bourbon?” Jenna asked.
Balal nodded. “A woman who knows her drinks.”
Jenna shook her head. “I guessed. It smells like the bourbon my dad would drink for celebrations when I was a kid.”
Balal smiled. “Would you like some?”
Jenna looked at the glass. “Maybe just a little.”
He poured some of the liquid into both of their glasses—only a shot’s worth—and then knocked his glass against hers, ever so gently.
“Cheers,” he said, and took a small sip.
The liquid burned Jenna's throat as it went down, but it warmed her a little, and she sighed at the sensation. It was odd how the penthouse had started to feel sort of like home. She had been there for little more than a day, and she already felt comfortable enough to sit at the kitchen island and share a drink with Balal.
How could her life have changed so much in the past forty-eight hours?
“So, you aren't hurt?” Balal asked, setting his glass down. “I should have asked you earlier. My apologies.”
Jenna shook her head. “No, I'm fine. Not a scratch,” she promised.
He seemed to relax. “I’m glad to hear it. And how are you feeling?”
She considered for a few moments. “I'm…all right,” she murmured. She wasn't sure she would be able to encompass all of the things that she had felt at the mansion, or if she was truly done processing it all. “Maybe a little shaken. It was a high stress situation. I just…” She sighed. “I don't know.”
“I admire you, you know,” Balal said, staring at her with that smoldering gaze. “You were so brave. You put yourself in harm’s way, and did so without complaint. That is admirable, indeed.”
He reached across the space between them and placed his hand over hers, squeezing it gently. Jenna felt her heart leap up into her throat; it was like a spark of lightning shot through his fingers into hers. She had never experienced that sort of reaction to a man's touch. Her face colored, and she looked down at the glass in her other hand.
Am I… she thought to herself. Am I starting
to fall for this guy?
She looked back up at his face, into his eyes. They were so dark and dreamy, almost the same color as the bourbon in the bottle, but even more intoxicating.
I am starting to fall in love him, she realized. It was like a key had been turned in a lock somewhere deep down inside herself as she admitted it to herself. I don't understand it! I’ve known him for barely twenty-four hours! How is that even possible?
Love was an impossible thing, she had always been told. Her grandmother had told her that love would sneak up on her one day when she least expected it, but it would be the most beautiful thing when it did.
Jenna felt a warm glow bloom in her heart.
Yes, I might be falling in love with him, and that's okay.
She smiled at him. “Well, thank you,” she cooed.
“So,” he continued, after taking another small sip of bourbon. He opened the bottle and poured another small splash into his glass, swirling it around with the ice. “Were you able to hear anything when you were in the air vents?”
Jenna remembered her notebook, and slid it out of her pocket. It was amazing she hadn’t lost it when she’d been scrambling back through the vents. She opened it up and scanned her sparse notes. Her heart sank.
“Well, for one, I don't think the boss was there,” she said. “They were talking about him, not to him.”
“Ah,” Balal said, looking down at the marble counter. “Okay. There was always the chance that he wouldn't be there.”
He looked closely at her.
“What?” she asked, wondering if something was on her face, and rubbing her nose just in case.
“I’m still amazed that you know how to speak some Arabic. Who knows if we’d have been able to get anything with a voice recorder.”
She shrugged. “I don't know how much help I was. I only understood a little of what they were saying.”
“You already told me more than I have been able to know in the past,” he said. “What else?”
She scanned the words with her fingertip. “I think they were saying something about a new place,” she said. “I caught the words sanctuary and boss? And something about the city center.”
