Desert Secrets

by Lisa Harris

  Just like he was.

  The imprint of shock never simply vanished just because the situation was over. Even for someone like himself who’d been trained to deal with trauma. Because no training completely prepared you for the consequences of war. For what happens on a subconscious level when you pull the trigger on the enemy. Or for how you would respond in a situation that left you feeling out of control and completely vulnerable. He had his own memories of returning to the US after a call of duty in the Middle East when he’d been treated for symptoms of PTSD.

  Lexi was going to experience a lot of the same signs in the coming days and weeks and he felt this pull to help her through it. Between being kidnapped and shot at, she’d experienced as much as many of the soldiers he knew. Living in a constant state of fear always left a heavy mark psychologically. Which worried him. He knew what trauma could do to a person. Knew she needed to talk extensively to a counselor. But he’d also seen her reach for that inner measure of strength that was often hard to find. But she’d found it. She’d reacted amazingly well under the pressure she’d faced.

  And she’d survived. They’d both survived. Making him want to extend their time together beyond Rabat. But instead, she was going to board a plane for Ireland, as he was boarding one for the US. Even if she returned to Mali to continue her work, the chance that they’d see each other again, or even every once in a while, was slim.

  But was that even what he really wanted?

  She brushed a loose strand of hair across her cheek as she stared out across the rambling neighborhood. Yes. Crazy as it seemed, that was exactly what he wanted. He felt as if he’d just scratched the surface of who she was and that in turn had left him wanting to dig deeper. She’d managed to stir something inside him that he’d tried to shut down since Maggie. Something he’d never expected to feel again. At least not anytime soon.

  “Are you still planning to stop in Ireland on your way home?” he asked, breaking the temporary silence between them.

  “I know my family is going to want to see me right away, but I can’t imagine missing Micah’s wedding. So yes. I’m hoping to take the earliest flight I can.”

  “I’m sure your family will understand. Just knowing you’re safe is going to be enough for them until they see you.”

  “I hope so.” She turned to him. This time he could see the worry marked across her forehead. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Does the fear ever completely fade? Because while my head tells me that we’re going to be okay, my heart is still terrified. And even if it is all over, and I can really go home and live a normal life again, I don’t think I’m every going to be able to look at the world again the way I used to.”

  He hesitated with his answer, knowing she didn’t need him throwing some pat answer at her, by telling her that yes, everything was going to be fine.

  “You’re right,” he said. “You’ll never look at things exactly the same, but that’s okay. And neither is there a right way to respond to a situation like this. There never is with things like fear and grief.”

  She ran her fingers across the fabric of her dress. “I knew life was going to be hard when I got here, and over the past few months I’ve seen things I couldn’t even imagine seeing before. But this feeling of being violated. Of fearing that something else is going to happen. I don’t know how to deal with the flashbacks and the panic. Or if they’re ever going to go away.”

  Colton resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her. Dealing with trauma was different for everyone. He’d watched soldiers lose everything after coming home, and others walk away without the experience seeming to affect them at all. But the reality was that no one who went through something like she had was going to walk away unscathed. Her entire sense of security had been shattered. Because this wasn’t just an episode of some crime drama on TV. Her life had been threatened, her entire world upset, and those feelings weren’t going to simply disappear overnight.

  “What I do know is that you’re going to need to make sure you take care of yourself and even more importantly give yourself time to heal. You’re going to need the support of friends and family.”

  And he wanted to be part of that group that would be there for her.

  I’m just not sure how to make this work, God.

  “My stepfather’s going to insist I see a counselor.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “I know, but they’re going to want to know details of what happened, and all I want to do is shove this entire situation behind me. Is it wrong to feel that way?”

  “Like I said, there’s no right or wrong about how you feel.”

  She looked up at him, and for a moment, he almost forgot Bret was sitting across the room. All he could see was the woman standing in front of him. And that he desperately wanted to kiss her.

  “I’m sorry for the delay. I had some business.”

  Colton turned around, the sound of Karim’s voice breaking into his thoughts. “My employer—and the owner of this house—would like to meet you,” Karim continued. “He’ll be up here in a minute. And in the meantime continue to make yourself at home.”

  “We appreciate everything you’ve done,” Colton said, taking a step back from Lexi. “Though I thought you were employed by the US Embassy.”

  “I am. But only part-time as a consultant.”

  Another man stepped onto the terrace, wearing an expensive gray suit with a purple dress shirt.

  “This is Adam Tazi,” Karim said, making the introductions. “My employer and the owner of this home.”

  “I hope Karim has made you feel welcomed,” Adam said.

  “He has, thank you,” Colton said. “The three of us are grateful for his help.”

  “Karim has kept me updated on your situation, and I understand you are all anxious to get to the capital.” Adam stopped next to the table, picked up one of the small sweet cakes, then slowly popped it into his mouth. “Though there is one slight problem we need to deal with before we go.”

  Colton glanced at Lexi. “What kind of problem?”

  “I understand that the three of you are acquainted with Salif.”

  “Salif… You know him?” Colton asked.

  Adam smiled. “Quite well. In fact, I’m the one who hired him to kidnap your girlfriend here. Though the ransom demands for your brother-in-law were all his doing.” He glanced at Bret. “I typically don’t involve myself in things like that.”

  Colton heard Lexi’s sharp intake of breath and took another step forward, trying to get his mind to wrap around what the man was saying. “Wait a minute. You’re connected to Salif.”

  Adam frowned. “You can ask any of my friends, but I rarely joke. And never about something as serious as this.”

  Two more men carrying AK-47s stepped onto the roof and blocked the exit. Karim’s friendly demeanor faded, as well, as he pulled out a 9mm handgun. Colton swallowed hard. How had he been so blind?

  “I heard from Salif that the three of you have been quite innovative,” Adam continued. “But please understand that things have changed. No one knows you’re here. And no one is coming to your rescue.”

  “So your help at the border?” Lexi asked. “It was all a setup?”

  Karim nodded. “It doesn’t take much to bribe the officials. Sit down, both of you.”

  Colton hesitated, then grabbed Lexi’s elbow and walked her to where Bret was waiting. They sat down on the cushioned bench, his mind already focused on finding an exit plan. But with three armed men plus Adam, the odds were once again against them at this point.

  “Unfortunately for you, we’re going to start again at the beginning.” Adam stopped in front of Lexi and lifted up her chin with the butt of his gun. “Where is your brother?”

  FOURTEEN

  As Adam stared down at her, Lexi drew in a sharp breath, desperately wanting to wake up, once again, from the nightmare. The waves of panic were sucking her un
der. Adrenaline pulsed through her. Adam might not be Salif, but he’d already made it abundantly clear as far as she was concerned that he was far more dangerous.

  “I asked you a question,” Adam said. “Where is your brother?”

  Her fingers gripped the edge of the bench beside him. “I told them earlier that I don’t know where he is.”

  “That’s too bad. Because if you want to live, then I will strongly suggest it’s time for you—for all of you—to cooperate.”

  She glanced at Karim’s weapon still pointed at them. How were they back where they’d started? And this time they’d walked right into the danger?

  But regretting what they hadn’t noticed wasn’t going to change the situation. They needed a plan. A way to get out of this. Issa was hundreds of miles away, and they were still a day’s drive from the embassy. They had no phone access. No GPS tracking device. Adam was right. No one knew where they were, nor did they have any way to communicate to let someone know they were in trouble. But that didn’t mean she was ready to give up.

  She looked briefly at Colton, knowing he’d do anything in his power to save her. But she couldn’t simply rely on him. He and Bret were here because of her and what Trent had done. Which meant she had to help find a way out of this. And the only place she knew where to start was discovering what the man’s next move was going to be.

  “So this whole…kidnapping scenario,” she began. “It’s all about Trent and the money he embezzled?”

  “You really are a smart girl.”

  She caught the sarcasm in his voice and wondered if she should shut up or continue to press for more information. Staying silent, though, wasn’t going to give her the answers she wanted. “No one has told me exactly what Trent did.”

  Adam sat down across from them, his demeanor completely relaxed, as he grabbed another one of the tiny cakes off the platter. “These are delicious, aren’t they? They make them fresh every day at a little bakery just down the road from us. Not quite as good as the Parisian bakeries, I suppose, or even the ones I’ve visited in New York. I discovered Italian doughnuts there.”

  Lexi frowned. It was as if they were sitting down for afternoon tea together. But she didn’t miss what he was implying. He was telling her just how far his arm could reach.

  “But I’m sorry. Where are my manners?” Adam said, brushing off his hands. “You were asking me about your brother. I’m surprised Salif didn’t tell you.”

  “All he told me was that my brother had embezzled money from a business partner and that Salif had been hired to ensure he got it back.”

  “That business partner would be me.” Any jollity in his voice had completely vanished. This was no game. “I’m assuming, then, as his sister, you know that Trent is a genius with numbers and computers. I was searching for someone I trusted who could set up a number of legally incorporated offshore corporations and then move my companies’ profits around discreetly.”

  “You mean launder your profits?” Lexi asked.

  Adam frowned at the comment, then apparently decided to ignore it. “What I didn’t realize is that he’s also a master manipulator. For the past couple of years, on top of moving my money to offshore accounts, he managed to create several bogus corporations through which he funneled funds—money stolen from my companies—into his own pocket.”

  “And the money he stole?” Lexi asked. “Where is it?”

  “That is the million-dollar question, now, isn’t it? I’ve got my best men on it and your brother didn’t make it easy. He set up his personal accounts all over the world, too. Which is why I need him. He’s the only one who can access them.”

  Assuming he still had the money.

  A year ago he’d bought a new house in a pricey neighborhood north of LA. Six months ago it had been a new car. She’d never thought he was flashy with what he was earning, but he was spending. Now she knew how.

  “I’m assuming that the phone lines aren’t really down?” Colton asked.

  “I couldn’t exactly have you calling in the cavalry, now, could I?”

  Lexi flicked a moth, attracted by the light above them, off her sleeve. “If that’s true, then give me a phone, and I’ll see what I can do to find him.”

  “I thought you didn’t know where he was,” Adam said.

  “I don’t. Not yet. But Salif never gave me the chance. If I can get some of his friends’ numbers from my father, maybe I can track him down.”

  She glanced at Colton. She knew he was working to formulate an escape plan as they spoke, but if she could talk to her father and figure out a way to let him know where they were, there might be a way for the embassy to locate them and come up with a rescue plan.

  “And then what?” Adam said. “You tip off the authorities as to where you are?”

  “You’re the one who needs to find my brother,” she said. “If Trent hasn’t responded to the video, he might this way.”

  “I don’t know.” Adam rested his hands against his thighs and leaned forward. “I’m beginning to believe the three of you are more trouble than you’re worth. I’m half tempted to simply kill all of you and do this myself.”

  She felt a shiver race up her spine and knew she needed to choose her words carefully. “Except you can’t do this yourself. You still need me.”

  Adam tossed a set of keys from his pocket at Karim. “Take them in the Jeep. And in the meantime, I’ll give Trent forty-eight more hours to respond to the video.”

  “And after forty-eight hours?” Bret asked.

  “You all will have proven to me that you have no value left.”

  *

  Lexi felt the sharp jolt of the vehicle slam against her hip and winced at the pain.

  Karim and his men weren’t taking any chances this time. They’d secured their hands behind them and already she could feel the numbness in her thumbs spreading from the tight cord wrapped around her wrists.

  She’d tried to pay close attention to where they were going, but keeping track of the turns had become impossible. And beyond the cracks of light coming from the edges of the blindfold they’d pulled tightly around her eyes, she couldn’t see anything.

  She felt the driver shift the vehicle into four-wheel drive and turn off the paved road onto a dirt one.

  She also hadn’t been unable to gauge how much time had passed. Which was disconcerting. She’d always a strong sense of time. Yet over the past few days, time had seemed to move in a completely different rhythm. And it was the same with details. Things she normally would have remembered, she suddenly couldn’t.

  Micah was a psychologist and had once spoken to her about the fallibility of witnesses’ memories. Witnesses of the same crime often had a number of completely different testimonies with victims and bystanders remembering not only details that hadn’t really occurred but also remembering things incorrectly. It was fascinating how human minds often filled in the gaps in what they remembered and interpreted due to fear, and the rush of adrenaline.

  Lexi could relate. This situation had put her mind in a deep fog she didn’t know how to escape.

  She could feel the warmth of Colton’s arm as he bumped against her. Guilt mingled with fear. If it wasn’t for her, Colton and his brother-in-law would be free. Bret would be back with his wife and son. Instead, their lives were again in danger.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, barely above a whisper.

  “For what?” Colton asked.”

  “For all of this. This is my fault. The only reason we’re here is because I didn’t have my passport and we had to ask for help at the border. If we hadn’t had to do that—”

  “This isn’t your fault, Lexi.” He pressed his shoulder against her. “And you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut beneath the blindfold. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. That this was her fault, but there was nothing she could do anymore to try to fix things. Nothing she could do to make them all safe again.

  The Jeep slowed dow
n and came to a stop. The door next to her opened, and she could feel the butt of a gun press against her shoulder as she stepped out of the vehicle and into the darkness.

  *

  Colton opened his eyes and caught the yellow rays of light filtering through the one small window near the ceiling. Bret and Lexi were sleeping on thin mats beside him on the floor of the darkened room. He went to tug on the binding around his wrists, then remembered they’d taken them off when they’d left them here. There were no guards in the room, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any outside the thick wooden door in the far corner of the room. Apparently Adam was convinced there was no way to escape.

  He was going to need to prove him wrong.

  Colton got up off the mat, crossed the dusty cement floor, then pressed his hands against the door. It was solid and appeared to be bolted from the outside. Next, he moved around the inside perimeter of the room inch by inch. The walls appeared to be at least a foot thick, which meant while the construction seemed old, the structure was solid.

  He stepped into the center of the room that held a few miscellaneous items like water jugs, a pile of discarded tires and a couple cardboard boxes, the room was empty. He looked at the window again, which seemed to be the only possible means of escape. It was too small for him, but if they could remove the bars, Lexi might be able to make it through. Shoving two of the tires next to the wall, he climbed up on the precarious ladder that made him just tall enough to look through the levers of semifrosted glass panes that were secured with rusty metal bars on the outside.

  He shook his head and listened to the wind howling across the edges of the building, wondering what Adam was planning. Would he really kill them after the forty-eight hour deadline had passed? His gut told him yes.

  “What can you see out there?”

  Colton turned his head at the sound of Bret’s voice. His brother-in-law was sitting up in the dim light, stretching his back.