by Kalia Lewis
Selina gave Amira a scathing look. "Amira, please be gentle with Miriam."
Amira jumped off the sofa and went to the door. "She's still not coming. I'm not exactly thrilled about dropping Katie off either, but Tariq wants it, so I’ll be waiting outside in the car by eight-thirty." Then she left, shutting the door hard behind her.
"Is she always like this?" Katie asked.
Both Miriam and Selina nodded their heads.
A thoughtful look crossed over Selina’s features. "Although when she was younger, she was such a sweet thing. I think she’d always felt that she and Tariq were destined to be together, but when he rebuffed her, she never got over it."
Katie couldn't imagine Amira as ever being sweet. "Do you think she’s angry enough to want revenge?"
Selina sighed heavily. "I honestly don’t know. I have a feeling that she married Hassan out of spite. Since their wedding five years ago, he has changed greatly from an outgoing athletic man into a cold shadow of his former self."
Miriam was now handing Katie her lemon linens back. "She can be really mean. One time a cobra was found in Tariq’s room and another time he was poisoned from something in his food? I still say it was Amira’s doing."
Selina visibly shivered. "Quiet Miriam, we don’t know how any of those things happened. Let’s not make Katie think badly of Amira for no reason."
Miriam hung her head. "Sorry Mama."
Both Katie and Selina moved to hug her.
"Anyway," Selina piped up. "What’s with all the sadness? We have a wedding to plan!" She moved to pick up some files she’d brought in with her. "Right, now all we need are the accessories and decorations for the reception."
Chapter Ten
They’d spent a few hours poring over designs and colour swatches before they’d settled on the perfect idea. Now alone, Katie had chosen to have a light dinner in her room before packing to go and meet Tariq. At the bottom of her wardrobe she'd found a little case on wheels, so she'd flung in a few tops and pairs of pants. Now she was debating whether to pack her pyjamas, but in the end, she decided to take the risk and leave them behind. Smiling to herself at the thought of getting Tariq naked, she knew that packing them would be a waste of time. Underwear was a different matter though. Pulling open her knickers drawer she collected up a handful and was just about to toss them in the case when something caught her eye. Dropping them all on the bed, she picked up a pair and held them up to the light. They'd been slashed.
Amira!
One-by-one she checked them out. Not one pair had survived the snip of her scissors. Not even the cute violet pair with the white bunnies on.
"What the -"
Katie was puzzled. What made a woman sneak into another woman's knickers drawer and cut up her underwear? She sat on the edge of her bed to think this through. Would any sane person get in the car with an obvious scissor-wielding mad woman? The answer was a definite 'no!' so why was she still contemplating walking down those stairs and going with Amira? Sighing, she knew why. This could be her one opportunity of getting those pictures and being one step closer to seeing her father again. Mulling it over some more, she realised that when Amira had mentioned taking her to Tariq, neither Selina nor Miriam had made any remark about it being odd, so perhaps she wouldn't be in danger. After all, they knew where she was going, right?
Going over to her camera, she checked its battery - all good. Okay, Amira, bring it on, she thought to herself.
At eight-thirty, she made her way downstairs to where Thebes was waiting.
"Good evening, Sheikha el-Tayeb," he said cheerily.
"Thebes, can’t you call me Katie?"
"No, Sheikha el-Tayeb," he replied cheekily.
She smiled. "I thought not."
Thebes opened the boot and deposited her small case. Her camera was packed in her satchel just in case she needed it quickly. Climbing into the limo, she found Amira waiting for her inside.
"You're two minutes late," she retorted.
"Erm, I am? Sorry, I had a lingerie emergency to attend to." Katie noticed that Amira didn't even bat an eyelid. If she'd cut up someone's set of smalls and the person made a reference to it, she'd be hyperventilating by now.
The car left the gates and sped along the road. Dusk was descending, so Katie couldn’t make out much from the scenery through the tinted windows. "It's been a beautiful day," she remarked, although it hadn't exactly been perfect. What, with a bedroom snooper, a pant sniffer, ripped knickers plus a missing husband, it wasn't what she'd call normal. She really had felt Tariq's absence throughout the day though, but she wasn't about to admit that to Mrs Obsessive sitting opposite.
"Hmmm," Amira replied in disinterest.
Okay, thought Katie, obviously small talk was off the menu. "Have you heard any new information about the hijack of the ship?" she asked casually.
"No, other than the fact that Tariq is getting a bad reputation for not being able to supply," she replied smartly.
Katie was shocked. "But it's not Tariq's fault that his ships keep being targeted. It's the people behind the pirates that need to be dealt with." Meaning you, she wanted to add, but thought better of it.
Amira snorted. "Tariq won’t uncover who’s really playing those pirates behind the scenes. To do that he'd have to communicate with them and I can't see that happening, so all he'll have is suspicion without proof."
Not if I can help it, she thought, while tapping her camera through the material of her satchel. "You sound so sure? I was under the impression that Tariq was near to uncovering the perpetrators." She didn’t know whether she’d pushed too far, but she wanted to see what provoked Amira into reacting.
Amira answered her from the other side of the car. "Tariq is blind. I told him to give Hassan the shipping side of the business two years ago as Hassan knows how to deal with the pirates, but he refused. Too much of a risk on his reputation is what he said. Well, I guess his reputation is now taking a blow."
"Do you think that the people behind the pirates are out to ruin Tariq's reputation and this is what it's all been about?" Katie couldn't believe men were dying just so Tariq would be publicly humiliated.
Amira shrugged. "Who knows, but what's obvious is that the only way to turn it around is to give Hassan the reins and let him deal with the pirates. This alone will bring back the confidence from the buyers."
Katie was beginning to get the picture. There's nothing worse than a woman scorned who is also obsessed with the very thing that rejected her. "I'm not sure Hassan has the inner magnitude of power that Tariq has to handle the business," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Amira's face contorted in anger. "How dare you! I myself come from generations of power and prestige. With me by his side, Hassan will prove himself to be more than just the second son. When I was discarded by Tariq, I was left humiliated in front of my family..." Amira trailed off as if sensing she'd said too much.
Oops, she'd just stood on the snake's tail. Any time now, she'd bet those scissors would come creeping out of Amira's handbag. "Is that what this is all about Amira? Some form of revenge?" Katie didn't know whether to clamp her mouth shut and act all innocent. All she had to do was take the pictures. Tariq would get to the truth of the matter.
"Ha!" cackled Amira. "You have no idea what you’re talking about."
Oh, but she did, yet she also knew when to rein in her probing. "What's really sad in all this is the unnecessary loss of lives."
Amira gave her a taut smile. "That's why Hassan is the only one who can salvage the situation. Tariq is no longer safe to work for, but Hassan has the connections through me to rebuild that trust."
Katie wasn't buying it. "What if Tariq doesn't give Hassan control and it all goes pear-shaped?"
A waft of evil filled the car, knocking Katie back in her seat. She couldn't breathe. Lowering the window, she drank in the fresh air.
Amira reached over and patted her knee. "That's why it’s always important to have some sort of insuran
ce should anything go wrong."
A shiver snaked its way down Katie’s spine. "What kind of insurance are we talking about?"
"In business they call it the 'get out clause'. I'm sure Tariq will choose wisely when the time comes to make a decision," she replied smugly. The evil had settled like a blanket of energy around them, waiting in glee within the confinement of the car for something horrendous to happen.
Racking her brain for possible scenarios once they got to the port, she realised that she might have to be ready to make a quick exit from the car. She couldn't wait to speak to Tariq about it all. Right now though, she just needed to be alert. She was in a foreign country without any knowledge of her surroundings. If Amira was cold enough to stand by and allow innocent men to be killed, then she was cold enough to bring Tariq to his knees. It was probably best to get a sense of direction and know exactly where they were going.
"How far away is the port from here?" she asked calmly, not giving away her inner conclusions.
"About fifteen more minutes," Amira replied. "But Tariq is expecting us on board one of the ships, where he’s meeting with his newly selected team. Malik and Hassan will be there too."
Katie inwardly felt relief. Perhaps she was making mountains out of molehills. Yes, Amira was obsessed with Tariq and yes, she seemed to be power mad, but would she risk having her killed? Surely, that would be too obvious. Not really knowing what to say next, as every subject seemed to be taboo, she remained quiet and let the minutes tick painfully by.
The first signs of arriving in the port area were the lights. The limo brought them alongside the docks and she could make out huge ships. Some were moored and others were further out. Even at nine o’clock in the evening, it was bustling with the activity of refuelling, unloading and loading.
"Which ships belong to Tariq?" she asked in awe.
"Nearly all of them, but they don’t just belong to Tariq, Hassan has twenty percent of the business."
Katie was confused. "So, does Tariq have the remaining eighty percent?"
Amira looked closely at Katie and blinked several times as the limo began to slow down. "Tariq owns fifty-one percent and Malik owns twenty-nine percent. If anything happens to Tariq or Malik, Hassan automatically gets their share."
Katie turned this information over in her mind. "So basically, Tariq holds all the power for making major decisions?"
Amira smiled in sickly sweetness. "Yes, even with Malik’s share, Hassan will own forty-nine percent, not quite making them equal."
"But with Tariq’s share, he owns seventy-one percent," she whispered.
Amira gave Katie a friendly, yet superficial smile. "All this is common knowledge. The el-Tayeb brothers have agreed on fifty-fifty shares when the time comes for Malik to depart this world."
"Of course," Katie nodded in agreement, but something was way off centre. A whole jigsaw was building itself in her mind. She wished she had her mobile phone, but even if she did, she didn't know Tariq's number. Weighing up her options, there were two choices. Open the door and make a run for it and find Tariq by herself or go with Amira to the ship, where supposedly Tariq was waiting? If Amira got difficult, she was sure she could take her down, but she wasn’t sure how safe the area was for a blonde woman to be roaming about asking questions.
The car came to a standstill facing a looming ship, with el-Tayeb written down its flanks. Seeing his name gave Katie a sense of confidence and she decided to follow Amira. After all, why would she lie? So far, they’d come to the port as she had said they would and in Tariq’s note he did say he would send for her, so all this worry was perhaps for nothing.
Grabbing her satchel, she put it over her head and draped it across one shoulder, just in case she needed to run. The door was opened on her side and she stepped out to face the ship. Katie had absolutely zero knowledge of oil ships. This one looked like someone had stuck a big white house on the front and left the back completely flat. The 'house' had four floors, with a room at the top which was full of windows. She guessed that this was probably the control room. Was Tariq up there in that building? Taking out her camera, she took a few shots for her own private collection. It was quite exhilarating to see what her new surname meant to her husband's business.
Amira came to stand next to her. "They’re not exactly pretty yachts are they?"
Katie couldn’t agree more. "What’s with the white building?"
Amira sniggered. "And you’ve just married a billionaire oil baron with no understanding of what he does."
Amira took off walking in front of Katie towards the ship with her high heels click-clacking on the hard ground. Well, if there were anything afoot, surely Amira wouldn’t have just left her there standing? Taking her roller case from the driver, she set off after her.
Crossing over the walkway between the port and the ship, Amira stopped to talk to a rugged looking man who glanced over at her.
Amira called to her. "Come on Katie, we’re to wait upstairs in his quarters."
As she passed the rugged looking man, he sneered at her. Obviously, her oil ship virginity was showing. Moving through the door of the white building that Amira had opened for her, they climbed the metal stairs four floors before opening the fire door at the top onto a long corridor.
"Tariq’s quarters are on this side," Amira said quietly, before opening the door marked ‘Captain’.
Inside, there was a small office area and through an archway, Katie could make out a bedroom with a double bed. Where was Tariq? Katie felt the hairs on her neck stand up. There was a funny smell in the room, which did not have Tariq’s energy stamped all over it. "Are you sure we’re to meet him here?"
Amira nodded. "Yes, these were his instructions, but I'll just double check," she replied in feigned kindness as she moved towards the phone on the desk. But before she could pick it up, the sound of a ringing mobile filled the air.
Katie watched Amira fish it out of her pocket and turn away from her slightly to speak into it.
"Yes? Hassan darling, we’re here," she cooed.
Katie listened in to the conversation.
"Where's Tariq? Uh huh, yes...No, I didn’t have to use it."
Use what?
"Okay, see you soon." Amira put the phone back in her pocket and turned to where Katie was standing. "Stay here, I have to go and get Tariq," she said all too breezily.
Warning bells went off in Katie’s head. "I’ll come with you."
"No, that’s not necessary. I won’t be long and before you know it, you’ll be in each other’s arms again."
Was that sarcasm she’d just heard? "No, I insist."
Amira shrugged, turned her back on her and walked slowly towards the door.
Katie followed her closely, but just as she reached the door, Amira turned and shoved her hard with one hand and then leapt for the door handle.
Katie bounced back quickly and grabbed at Amira’s hair, pulling her backwards. The door flew open, but Amira twisted round and kneed her in the gut. Grunting from the impact, she brought her fist up tight and caught Amira on the chin. Amira had obviously had some training, as she grabbed Katie’s jaw, pushed it back and tried to put her two fingers in her eyes. Katie slammed down hard on Amira’s forearm, bending it and breaking the hold, but before she could do anything else, she felt a prick on her other arm. Amira had stabbed her with a needle and it was protruding out of the muscle, joined to a syringe.
"What have you done?" she gasped, pulling at the syringe to remove the needle and throwing it on the floor. Amira must have taken it from her handbag as she'd initially moved towards the door.
"If you’d just stayed here and waited like I told you to, we could have avoided this," she replied breathlessly.
Katie staggered backwards and fell to her knees. The room was spinning and she was seeing several sickly smiling Amiras. "Why?" she managed to choke out. Blackness was closing in.
"Nobody turns down Princess Amira Saud in favour of a nobody like you! Tariq wi
ll always be mine. When he has nothing, he will come crawling back to me for help. Of course, I shall have to reject him once he has exceeded his usefulness. Hassan is my little pawn in a very big game, but with me by his side, well, we'll even have the power to crush my family if I should choose to do so."
"A Princess?" she whispered.
Amira hooted in glee. "Welcome to Socotra, Katie. In one hour you’ll be gone and once you land in Somalia, Tariq will never find you."
Katie’s last conscious thought was of Tariq’s face and the feel of him in her arms. What a waste. They no longer had all the time in the world to share and discover each other.
Chapter Eleven
Tariq paced the floor of his office that overlooked the port. The ship had been ambushed and stripped of its containers, which had been loaded onto the pirate ships. This time the pirates hadn’t killed his men, but they'd bound them and left them in the bowels of the ship; some had been severely injured. The engine and radio had also taken a beating, leaving them adrift for days.
Tension in his body had made Tariq tetchy. The jetlag from Texas and his lack of sleep in the last forty-eight hours was beginning to show. His thoughts darted back to Katie. It seemed like a lifetime ago since he’d held all that fire in his arms. What if they hadn’t been disturbed? Would he have taken her against the wall like a hungry animal? His craving for her was causing him to do things he wouldn't normally do. When he'd initially seen that thumbnail picture of her he'd thought then that she was beautiful, but that was nothing compared to the real thing. Since he’d first laid eyes on her, he knew there was something compelling about her. Perhaps, if he could just hear her voice it would soothe him until he could get this sorted out. Picking up the phone, he dialled the house. Just then, his office door opened and Malik and Hassan entered.
Tariq put down the phone and turned off its ringer. It was time to execute his plan and set the ball rolling. He would phone Katie in the morning and get her to come to the port. Not only did he need her photographic skills, but also he just needed to be with her again.
