by Alta Hensley
“On behalf of the crew, I’d like to congratulate you on your degree, Miss Nazar.”
“Thank you,” Adira said, recognizing the man as the Chief Steward who had served on the Adira for years. “I appreciate all the work you and the others have done. The boat looks even more beautiful than ever.”
He smiled and nodded. “It was our pleasure, and very thoughtful of your father to provide not only flowers below deck but a case of champagne and a feast for the crew as well. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you, you too,” Adira said, stepping through the door, Farrah following. When the cool ocean air hit Adira’s face, she gave a sigh of relief. Her stomach was still uneasy, but she already felt so much better.
The sea had very few waves, thank goodness, and the weather was perfect for a night out on the yacht. Once the glass slid closed behind them, she could barely hear the orchestra music playing. There were large arrangements of flowers outside the door and along the railing. The scent, stirred by the moving breeze, overcame the briny aroma of the salty air. Looking over her shoulder, she pulled Farrah around the corner and bent down and removed her shoes.
“Ahh, so much better,” she moaned in pleasure, slipping the straps over her hand. Good thing her aunt couldn’t see her now but Adira meant the gesture to both keep from damaging the wooden decks and, well, she enjoyed the freedom of going barefoot while dressed to the nines. With a soft giggle, Farrah followed suit and with matching smiles, the two climbed one set of stairs, waving at a few people milling about before ascending yet another set to a smaller upper level.
Skirting around a spa, they moved towards the bow of the boat. Thick navy blue cushions lined a small seating area, gold-tone throw pillows and a Persian rug giving the illusion that they were in a formal parlor instead of on a yacht’s sundeck. Even here there was a stand holding a bottle of champagne chilling in a crystal bucket of ice between two additional urns of flowers. After taking a moment to refill their glasses, they walked closer to the rail.
Farrah moved over to a lounger and sat down, extending her long legs before her. She took a sip of her champagne and lifted her eyes for a moment, looking up at the evening sky as the stars began to appear. “So pretty,” she murmured. “I really love the sea.”
“I do as well. One day soon, we’ll have a girls’ day and actually use the spa,” Adira said, walking over to the railing and resting her arm on it, preferring to stand and stabilize her inner core in hopes of fighting off the sickness. She looked down and watched people mingle on the lower decks, nibbling on food, continuing to drink, and enjoying the luxuries of life. She looked forward, watching the ship cut through the crystal clear waters like a knife. Foam roiled on either side of the bow, and she smiled at the sight of a pair of dolphins racing alongside the yacht as the captain maneuvered them out into the gulf. Seagulls squawked up above as they flew to refuge as the night took over the sky. She loved the way the stars looked on the open sea, and knew they would look even brighter as there was no moon to steal the brilliance of their full display. As the sun finally dipped beneath the flat line of the sea, the daylight slowly conquered, the yacht began to slow and then stopped. Adira knew that crew members were unobtrusively lowering the anchor before slipping out of sight below deck. She smiled, hoping the crew would enjoy the evening as much as she was.
“It would be fun,” Farrah agreed. “I saw Husna here before you arrived. I’m sure she’d love to come.”
Adira perked up at hearing another one of her favorite cousins was also on the boat. Turning back, she asked, “Where is she?”
Farrah shrugged. “You know Husna. She has been on the hunt for a wealthy man for a while now. Tonight is prime real estate for her. I’m sure she at least was quite pleased to see that your father invited a few business associates as well as family.”
“Ah yes. Well, my dear cousin, we are becoming old maids in the eyes of our family after all. Aunt Durar has already hinted that the next invitation she better receive is to attend a wedding. Let’s hope Husna catches her man,” Adira teased as she raised the glass to her lips to conceal her smirk. “Or perhaps you’ve got your eyes on someone?”
“Hardly,” Farrah huffed. “My father actually wants me to marry the son of his financial advisor. The man is short, and he has really hairy knuckles.”
Adira laughed loudly. “What kind of good Arab girl are you? Not prepared to sacrifice to please our dear Auntie Durar? You could always wax the knuckles.”
Farrah rolled her eyes. “Sounds like heavenly bliss. A marriage every girl dreams of.”
Adira chuckled, turned her back to Farrah, and stared out at the sea, resting her forearms on the cool railing. “I have to admit, Farrah. I feel a bit lost. I’m not sure what my next step is.”
“Horse breeding? You love the horses,” Farrah suggested behind her.
She shrugged, still not taking her eyes off the dark water below. “Possibly. I mean, I do like horses, but do I stay here forever? Always hosting by my father’s side? Always pretending I don’t know what truly is going on?”
“What do you mean? What is truly going on?” Farrah asked.
Adira’s heart skipped when she realized what she’d just nearly divulged. Although Farrah’s father was just as guilty of the dubious enterprises her father and grandfather were involved in, Farrah’s parents obviously did a much better job shielding her from the harsh realities that indeed the entire family walked in the depths of the underground. Not only walked in it, but damn near ruled it.
“Nothing,” she said casually. “I simply am tired of the unknown.”
“Well,” Farrah said, starting to giggle. “The short man with hairy knuckles is always available if you want.” Both women laughed hard, blocking out all the sounds of celebration from inside. “Seriously though, Dr. Adira Nazar, you’ve accomplished a great thing. You can use your education in so many ways. As our country changes, there will be many who can use your skills… even if you are a female.”
Though both young women laughed, both knew that no matter how educated, how privileged, how wealthy, their very sex often was a strike against them. Before she could respond, an odd noise came from down below that pulled Adira’s attention, and stopped her mid laugh. It was the movement, along with the sound of a motor, that pulled her vision to a small boat driving away from the yacht at high speed. Adira tried to make out who was in it, wondering why it was running without lights and which of her guests was being rushed to shore… the boat’s speed seemed excessive, the bow out of the water and she hoped no one had become ill.
“What are you looking at?” Farrah asked.
“Someone is leaving the yacht in a hurry,” she answered. “I hope everything is all right.”
“I’m sure everything is fine. Let’s go back in and get something to eat. I plan on drinking a great deal of this lovely champagne but need to keep my wits about me. Remember, I need to find a man soon, or who knows what hairy beast my father will come up with next.” Farrah stood and then stumbled a bit. “Maybe I don’t need any more champagne… whoa, look at the spa!”
Adira turned to look towards the spa, watching as the surface moved, waves slapping against the sides and spilling over. “What on earth?” And then…
A sound so loud the deck beneath her shook.
Flashes of light so bright they seemed to sear her eyes.
Glass shattering.
Fire. Intense heat.
A force so strong her body flew back over the railing to the deadly sea below.
The air knocked from her body.
Sharp ringing in her ears.
A watery embrace as she disappeared beneath the surface.
Darkness.
Chapter 5
“She’s moving,” Maddox announced as he watched the Adira slipping its berth. He’d been repeatedly scanning the yacht ever since vans had begun to arrive early that morning. He’d seen food being delivered and shaken his head over the two large trucks from which, one aft
er another, huge arrangements had been carried aboard. Where in the hell did one get so many flowers in a city surrounded by desert? He had no idea. When the paparazzi began to arrive, he’d known the guests would soon begin boarding. As they did, he’d swept the binoculars, watching as the guests posed for photographs. Maddox didn’t lower them until he’d seen the guest of honor being escorted on board. Adira was stunning in a sleek red dress, pausing beside her father several times to pose for the reporters until finally she and Fadil, as well as a large security detail, at last stepped aboard.
Drake started forward. “We’ll cross her bow and run on her starboard side. It’s my understanding they won’t be going far but better to be away from the city lights.”
Their small fishing boat was running dark as they’d not turned on a single source of light when twilight had begun to fall. Drake quickly maneuvered the boat to a position that would take them in front of the slower moving yacht, throttling back once they were past it in order to stay as invisible as possible. A fishing boat was not given any notice during the day, but the night belonged to the lavish party yachts who claimed the gulf, while anyone who truly depended upon the daily catch to make a living had returned to the harbor hours earlier.
They didn’t have to worry about losing sight of the yacht that towered several stories above the water, every deck blazing with light. It truly was a magnificent vessel and yet Maddox felt not an ounce of envy. An afternoon fishing from a pontoon boat with a small group of friends, or a speedboat to run across a lake, pulling one of his brothers on skis behind him, or even a fat inner tube to sit in, sipping a beer and floating down one of the many rivers throughout Texas, suited him much better.
After the yacht slowed and the anchor dropped, Maddox set their own anchor as Drake cut the ignition off. They waited, scanning the decks, watching guests mill about for about an hour. Lifting the binoculars at the sight of something red, he saw the dress fluttering against a set of gorgeous legs as it caught the breeze. Adira and another young woman climbed the stairs and stepped onto the top deck of the boat. He saw both holding a champagne flute in one hand, and as Adira lifted her hand to push back a strand of hair, he saw a pair of shoes, hanging from her wrist like a piece of jewelry. He grinned at the incongruity of bare feet beneath such lavish, designer clothing. While Adira’s hair was unfettered, her companion was wearing a floral scarf to hide her own locks. The woman’s green dress wasn’t as short as Adira’s but she was lovely. The two were laughing as Adira went to the railing to look down into the sea, the other girl disappearing, presumably having taken a seat. Finally, setting aside the binoculars, Maddox stood and dropped down into the cabin. Sitting on the edge of a small berth, he pulled off his cowboy boots, not yet sliding his feet into the sandals that awaited. He had to agree that if one had to disguise his appearance, the long, loose white robe made it extremely easy to cover his jeans and t-shirt. Reaching for the bundle, he stood and pulled the dishdash on, again wondering who had come up with that name. Grabbing the ghoutra, he returned to the deck. “Hey, Pops, you’re gonna have to help me…” Maddox paused when he realized his father was no longer sitting on the bench but was standing, a pair of binoculars pressed to his eyes, looking out to sea. His absolute concentration had Maddox turning to follow his gaze.
At first, he didn’t see anything and then realized that he could hear the sound of a motor. Moving closer to his father, he said, “I thought the plan was for you to take me in?”
“It was. You were going to board on the dive platform,” Drake said, never lowering the binoculars, but he gave a shrug.
“Fadil doesn’t strike me as the type of man who’d leave his own party to pick me up, and this is supposed to be played as close to the chest as possible,” Maddox said, lifting the headdress. “Hence the clothes?”
“Maybe Fadil needs to give us more information…”
“When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“Early this morning,” Drake answered. “He said that though he believes Hadi is exaggerating any danger, he’d agreed to gather the heads of household during the party and discuss the situation. He felt the meeting needed to be on the yacht to avoid causing his newest associates to become nervous about their upcoming business agreement if they caught notice of you on the guest list.”
“Maybe,” Maddox said, “but what do you think Fadil’s change of plans means?”
His father shrugged. “As long as Hadi is alive, it doesn’t really matter what Fadil believes. We’re following Hadi’s wishes. As for me, I have no doubt that there is a real danger, as Hadi is not a man who scares lightly.”
Maddox nodded, understanding full well the hierarchy of a family… especially one whose members walked on the razor’s edge. Still, he snorted. “If you ask me, all this is just a too bit James Bondish.” Ducking into the cabin again, he grabbed another pair of long range binoculars with an embedded camera. Flipping the switch to set the camera to snap photos every few seconds, he stood beside his dad again, training them on the other boat. “Why is he running dark and why so fast? At the rate he’s going, he’ll rip right past us…” A moment later, he added, “And how in the hell does he even know where we are?”
Drake turned to look at his son. “He wouldn’t. Shit, I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either,” Maddox said, keeping the binoculars focused on the rapidly approaching boat. “Whoever it is, they’re not coming towards us… they’re going straight for the harbor.” Tracking the movement, he saw a flutter of white and a hand unsuccessfully grabbing for the cloth. Maddox suddenly stiffened… not only was the hand pale, a head of blond hair was revealed as the headscarf was lost. Two other men became visible for a moment as the boat swept past them. “What the hell…” Maddox muttered, looking at two men standing in the stern of the boat, both in wet suits, both still wearing twin scuba tanks on their backs. Depending on their skill level, they could have easily remained beneath the surface for well over two hours. The question was why? Recreational divers would not be getting their kicks in the middle of a waterway. Seeing three hands lifting, each holding a black box, aimed at the yacht, understanding bloomed.
“Fuck, no!” he shouted, whipping his head back towards the Adira. “Bomb!”
The word hadn’t left his mouth before the night was splintered with one roar after another, flames shooting eighty feet into the air as what had once been the Adira was obliterated right before his eyes. The utter destruction told Maddox that several bombs had detonated, destroying every deck, killing without discrimination.
The force of the continuing explosions ripped across the gulf, water surging beneath their boat, causing both men to have to grab for something to stay on their feet. Even from where he stood, Maddox could feel the heat. The chance of anyone surviving the inferno seemed impossible as bits and pieces of the yacht became nothing more than flotsam splashing down all around him. “Sweet Jesus,” he said. Having seen a body flying through the air and tracking it with as much accuracy as he could, he raced to the back of the fishing boat and began hauling up the anchor, Drake right behind him. The moment it cleared the water, Maddox shouted, “Go!”
Their boat sped towards the yacht. Secondary explosions continued to rip through the night. When a flaming object landed on their deck, Maddox grabbed the burning cushion and flung it overboard. The air reeked of diesel, a film already forming on the surface of the sea. “Starboard, go right,” Maddox ordered, pointing to the last location he’d seen the body, knowing the chances of anyone surviving such a horrific explosion were slim and yet refusing to give up all hope.
They slowed as they reached the debris field, pushing through jagged teak decking, burned cushions, and to his utter dismay, bloody and charred body parts. A different sound drew his attention… one not caused by anything mechanical. No, the keening definitely came from a human… a survivor. “There!” Maddox said, pointing again. Despite the intense light of the flames only moments before, the sea was dark. The br
ight lights of the yacht had extinguished within the first blast, and the sea was quickly taking care of the flames as the Adira began to sink to its watery grave.
“Where are you?” he called, his throat burning with the fumes surrounding him. No one answered, and he silently swore. Other noises began to make themselves known and he looked back towards the shore to see the lights of approaching vessels. He didn’t know if they were the authorities or just citizens rushing to aid, but he did know that this had been no accident. Hadi had been right… someone had tried to take out his entire family. Maddox also knew that this would be his one and only chance to fulfill their debt, even if on an extremely small scale. Even so, he only had a few moments to find any survivors and get out of the area. It would be the sole opportunity to get them to safety… for them to be assumed to have perished. But first, he fucking had to find them.
“Cut the motor,” he instructed. Once the boat was silent, he leaned over the railing as if the few added inches would allow the sound to reach him better. Instead, he had to force himself not to rear back as a body bobbed to the surface, the young woman obviously dead, her face burned beyond recognition, an arm missing. “Goddamn it,” he growled.
“Fuck,” Drake said, joining him at the rail.
Another cry was cut off by a racking cough, giving them a direction. Within moments, he saw her, clinging to a cushion, her hold slipping before her fingers grabbed again at the charred cloth. Ripping off the robe, Maddox shucked his jeans and t-shirt and dove into the water, stroking strongly towards her. When he reached for an arm, the cough became a scream, the woman attempting to jerk from his hold. Tightening his grip, he said, “Shhh, I’m here to help.” When she continued to struggle, releasing the cushion to strike out at him, he pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Quiet!” She flung her head back, her mouth opening to scream again. “I’m not going to hurt you but if you don’t shut up, you’re going to get us both killed!”
