by Maggie Ryan
“I know most of the world thinks Arabian fashion is from the Stone Age, but I assure you, even when wearing an abaya, women like to feel feminine… pretty,” the clerk said.
“These are definitely pretty,” Maddox said, giving her an appreciative grin when she found the matching bra. It had half-moon shaped cups and his throat constricted a bit imagining how they would present Adira’s breasts, enhancing her natural curves that he couldn’t help but notice the evening before. While he instinctively knew she’d look gorgeous in any color, he added another set to his purchases. He had a propensity for white… the dichotomy of purity versus sensuality had always drawn him.
“Your lady will be very pleased,” the clerk said as she wrapped each item in tissue before placing them in the bag.
“Shukraan,” Drake said, thanking the clerk and accepting the black and gold bag she held out.
He made one last stop to purchase a pair of black flats and a pair of sandals… the total costing more than a pair of custom made cowboy boots back home. Still, he didn’t begrudge a single dime.
With purchases in hand, he returned to their suite for the last time. He checked every surface, drawer, shelf, and underneath the beds to ensure there would be no trace of the Steeles left behind. Pulling the suitcases behind him, he joined the line in front of the desk, noticing that the normal smiles and cheerful voices of everyone he saw were missing or at least very subdued. It was obvious that the news of the loss of the lives of the Nazar family, a dynasty within Dubai, was taking its toll on the city’s citizens. He paid the bill, thanked the clerk for the wonderful hospitality of the JBR, expressed his sympathy at the country’s loss, and tucking the English versions of the Khaleej Times and The Gulf Today newspapers under his arm, he climbed into the taxi in front of the hotel, giving the address of the coffee shop where he’d arranged to meet Keith.
Maddox entered the safe house, his eyes automatically drawn to the table where his father and Adira were sitting. Well, in actuality, Adira was more like hunching in her chair. Her knees were drawn up, the soles of her feet on the chair seat, her arms wrapped around her legs, her cheek resting on top of her knees. As he dropped his backpack and the bags from the mall on the couch, he heard his father speaking.
“Adira, you need to eat something,” Drake said, pushing a plate containing two slices of toast towards her.
“I can’t.”
“I know it’s hard but—”
“I can’t.”
Maddox took in the scene, seeing Adira’s tears that she was making no effort to wipe away. He watched as his father stood, gave a small shake of his head and picked up the chipped mug, moving to the sink, pouring the now cold tea down the sink. Filling it with hot water from a pot on the hotplate, he added a teabag and a spoon of honey before returning to the table. Setting it down, he said, “At least drink the tea. You need something, and I can’t guarantee when you’ll get another chance.”
“Another chance?” her voice was soft, “I don’t want another chance. My fam… family doesn’t get another chance. I just want to be left alone, to…”
Maddox wasn’t about to let her voice her wish to join her family in death. He moved to crouch down beside her chair. “Adira, I could tell you that your family would want you to have another chance. I could tell you that they’d want you to go on but you’d not hear me. Your pain is too raw, too deep to allow you to hear.” He forced his tone to harden. “Look at me.” When her cheek didn’t move from her knees, he spoke more sharply. “I said, look at me.” Her head lifted but only to turn to face him, her cheek lowering to her knees again.
“Hear this. As much as I wish you had the time to grieve, to heal, to simply process what has happened, the truth is you don’t. Every minute we aren’t moving, every second we remain in Dubai, those men who did this… those monsters who took your family from you might discover that their plan wasn’t totally successful.” He knew his words weren’t offering comfort but at least her tears ended and her eyes seemed to focus a bit more. “You might be prepared to give up, but I’ll be damned if I or my father will allow you to do so. Your father wouldn’t allow you to give up.”
Maddox reached across the table and pulled Adira’s arm from where it was wrapped around her legs, moving her hand to the mug. “Drink.” Though she didn’t lift the cup, she did wrap her hand around it.
It wasn’t until he stood that Adira seemed to become aware that he was actually there. Her legs came down and she released the coffee mug only to reach towards him. Thinking she was about to hug him, it took Maddox a moment to realize she wasn’t reaching for him… she was reaching for the newspapers he’d brought. Stepping back quickly, he wasn’t prepared for her to jump up.
“Give it to me!”
“I don’t think—” Maddox began, only to be interrupted.
“Give it to me! I need to see!” she practically screamed.
“You need to eat,” Maddox said, using the folded paper to point at the table. “Eat and then…” He didn’t need to continue as Adira reached for a slice of toast, tearing off chunks of the now cold bread until the entire piece was in her mouth. It wasn’t exactly how Maddox had envisioned her eating but, well, she was chewing. “Drink,” he said and watched as she grabbed for the mug with both hands, bringing it to her lips and taking a huge gulp. “Careful, it’s hot…”
Adira ignored the warning, swallowing the sodden toast as well as the entire contents of the mug and then slamming it down on the table top. Swiping her arm over her mouth, using her sleeve as a napkin, she turned her face up to Maddox’s. “Happy now? Give me the damn paper!”
Maddox didn’t think admitting he was quite happy to see some sign of life in her eyes would be appropriate, and also knew that no matter what she saw in the paper, it couldn’t be as horrid as what she’d personally experienced. He nodded and held out one of the papers. Adira snatched it from his hand and turned to run into the bedroom, the slamming of the door causing the empty mug to vibrate against the table’s surface.
Without a word, Maddox took a chair, handing the remaining paper to Drake. He’d looked at the paper in the taxi, his gut twisting at the sight of faces… happy, smiling faces. The faces of Adira’s family… her loved ones. The headline read; Tragedy at Sea… All Feared Lost. His eyes had scanned down the page, pausing for a moment on a photo of a beautiful young woman standing between two older people. Reading the names beneath the picture, he’d murmured softly, “Farrah.” The green dress was now in the bag, the floral scarf returned to the sea. But at least now he had a face to go with the name Adira had cried over the night before… a face and name he’d never forget. He’d looked at the largest photo, thinking it was truly a miracle that the beautiful young woman pictured standing beside her father was still alive.
“It’s all anyone is talking about,” Maddox said, accepting the cup of coffee Keith handed him. “I knew the Nazars were powerful, but everyone from the maids to the concierge, to the clerks in the store and the taxi driver had tears in their eyes.”
“Sounds like the reaction I witnessed when John Kennedy was assassinated, or when Princess Diana died,” Drake said, looking up from the paper.
“It’s different actually seeing in in print versus hearing snatches on the radio. Shit, how many?” Keith asked, looking over Drake’s shoulder.
“One hundred and twenty-three,” Maddox said, “that includes crew and security. Adira lost ninety-six members of her family, including her father and grandfather…”
“No.”
The three men looked up to see that Adira stood in the bedroom doorway. Maddox immediately noticed the difference in her stance. Though she was petite, she seemed to have grown a few inches, her shoulders were back, her spine ramrod straight. She walked to the table and slapped the paper she was holding down.
“What do you mean, no?” Maddox asked.
She turned the paper around so that the three men could see it. Tapping a fingernail against one of the photos, sh
e said, “This is wrong… the paper is wrong.”
Drake looked up and shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“This is a photo of my grandfather,” Adira said, though all three men could see that for themselves. As Drake began to nod, Maddox reached for the paper, looking at the picture. He looked up to see Adira staring at him.
“She’s right. This wasn’t taken last night, was it?” Maddox asked, dropping the paper again.
“No, it couldn’t have been because my grandfather was not there,” Adira said, finally sinking down into a chair. “I-I’d not thought… why didn’t I remember…”
“Because your entire world exploded,” Maddox said, reaching over to place his hand on top of hers. “If Hadi wasn’t on the yacht, where is he?”
Instead of answering, she turned her eyes up to him, the tears gone, replaced by a look of determination. “Give me a phone and I’ll tell you.”
Maddox shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Calls can be intercepted—”
“Not this one,” Adira countered. “My grandfather has a special phone… one whose number only family knows.”
“All right, give it to me and—”
This time is was Adira’s head doing the shaking. “You ask me to trust you and yet… I don’t really know a thing about you. How can I be sure you are who you say you are? How do I know you aren’t just planning on using me to entrap my grandfather?”
“We weren’t even aware he wasn’t on the yacht,” Maddox said. “I swear to you that our intentions are exactly as I’ve already explained. Your grandfather hired us…”
“I don’t care… I’ll not give you the number. Now give me a phone!”
Maddox was about to shake his head, to tell her that it wasn’t smart to allow her to call, and yet he’d seen Adira go from almost catatonic to animated. He didn’t wish to see her go into hysteria, which he had absolutely no doubt would be her next destination if denied the chance to speak to Hadi. Rising, he went to his backpack and dug through it, returning to the table with a phone. Adira was reaching for it before he sat down but he held it out of her way. “Though this is a burner phone, you need to keep the call short. Do not say your name, anything about the explosion or where you are—”
“I’m not stupid,” Adira snapped, again reaching for the phone before continuing. “I don’t even know where I am but I promise, if you don’t give me that phone, I’m not moving a single inch from this spot!”
The two stared at each other for several moments, neither willing to back down. Finally, Maddox lowered the phone and held it out. “Just remember, both of your lives depend on no one knowing you are still alive.” She gave a single nod and he allowed her to take the phone, pleased when she began to rise as if to return to the bedroom and then slowly sat back down. It wasn’t much but it was the first sign of acceptance that perhaps she was beginning to understand that though her world was no longer the same one it had been yesterday morning, she could trust him.
“Hadi?”
Even from two feet away, Maddox could hear Hadi’s gasp, followed by a strangled sob as Adira quickly went on.
“I just wanted to say that I am so very sorry. I wish I could be there with you but…” Her voice broke and Maddox could see her hand trembling as she stopped speaking to nod, listening, Hadi’s words now blurred from the phone’s position against her ear. “I… I will. I promise. Ana ah-hib ek.”
When she extended the phone, Drake took it, pressing the speaker button. He didn’t speak either as Hadi Nazar spoke quickly, “I know you need to go but please… you have the only thing left in this world that means anything to me. Promise me that you will…”
“I do; we do,” Drake said instantly. “We will contact you soon, my friend.”
The moment he ended the call, Adira wiped her cheeks free of the tears Maddox knew were caused by the all-encompassing relief at hearing Hadi’s voice, at being able to let him know that she was alive, that she loved him. She turned her gaze to him.
“You promised to find out who murdered my family. How good are your promises, cowboy?”
Despite the address, Maddox didn’t hesitate. “Haven’t broken one yet.”
“Swear to me you won’t break one now,” she said. At his nod, she looked around at each of the men seated at the table.
“Then let’s not waste any more time. What exactly is the plan?”
An hour later, Adira came out of the bathroom. She’d stripped out of the robe and peeled off her underwear, the items crusty with salt, the lace torn in several places. Dropping the lingerie in the stained sink, she ran water over it, using the sliver of soap to wash the bra and panties, rinsing them repeatedly until finally wringing them out. About to hang them over the shower rod, she froze as she caught a glimpse of herself in the cracked mirror on the back of the door. She almost did not recognize the woman staring back. Turning to face it fully, she took account of her appearance. Her hair was tangled, bruises covering a great deal of her body had already begun to turn various shades of green and yellow. Her arms and legs bore several cuts, a few more like punctures. She winced, vaguely remembering crying out with the pain as Maddox removed glass and wooden splinters the night before. Heat rose from her chest to color her face, not quite concealing the bruise along her cheek as she thought about his hands, his fingers, roaming all over her skin. Forcing her thoughts away from the embarrassing fact that the first time a man had touched her bare flesh had gone practically unnoticed by her, she turned on the water in the shower. It wasn’t comparable to the luxury her own bathroom provided, but the water was hot and would do the job. Still, her heart began to pound, memories of the last time she’d been surrounded by water threatening to paralyze her. Remembering her promise to her grandfather, to do whatever she was asked by the Steeles, to be strong, to survive, to trust that she wasn’t alone, she took a few deep breaths and then stepped beneath the spray. She washed her hair, again wincing as her fingertips found the goose egg on the back of her head.
Toweling off, she wrapped the damp towel around her body and stepped out of the bathroom. Maddox had given her the bag from the boutique and it wasn’t until she reached for it that she remembered her underwear. She hadn’t considered the fact that it was all she had and now it was wet. Sighing, she pulled on the white robe again and opened the door.
Maddox looked up from handing a glass tube to Keith, who placed it in a tray. “Did the clothes not fit?”
“Oh, I haven’t tried them yet,” Adira said, stepping closer to the table. Dozens of empty glass vials sat in a box, dishes of different colored rubber stoppers beside them. A pot of something with a white tinge sat before Maddox, who was carefully spooning the slimy looking mixture into a tube. He sealed it with a blue stopper and then swirled to coat the glass before passing the vial to Keith who slapped a sticker on it, scrawled a number on the label, and then placed it beside several others. Drake was repeating the work but filling his tubes with some yellowish liquid that smelled… well, like urine. These tubes were sealed with a red stopper.
Seeing a box of cornstarch, a carton of eggs, and a container of yogurt sitting at one end of the table, she said, “What are you doing?”
“Creating an illusion,” Maddox said. “You need to get dressed, we’ll be leaving as soon as we’re done here.”
His words had her remembering her mission. “I was hoping… um, do you happen to have a hair dryer?”
Maddox handed another tube to Keith. “I’m afraid not. Don’t worry, your hair should dry by the time we get to the plane.”
“It’s not for my hair. It’s for these.” The moment he looked up, his eyes locking onto the bra and panties she held up, her face began to burn. “Um… I-I…”
“You could try the hotplate,” Keith suggested. “Just don’t put it on high. I’m not sure how that pretty lace will hold up to heat.”
“Or you could check the bag,” Maddox countered. “You’ll find everything you n
eed inside… including a dry pair of panties and a bra.”
He’d bought her underwear! Adira couldn’t speak, suddenly extremely aware of her nakedness beneath the khandoura. Turning on her heel, forgetting all about the hotplate, she retreated to her room.
Adira was still in the bedroom by the time the last tube had been placed in the tray.
“Looks great,” Keith said. “All we need is to fill the pouches, and we’re good to go.”
“We can’t do that until we are at the oasis,” Drake said. “Are you still okay with being our hired hand?”
“Sure,” Keith said and then chuckled. “Of course, I’m gonna have to charge you a bit more for the job.”
“Of course you are,” Maddox said, standing as well and slapping his friend on the back. “And believe me, you won’t hear either Pops or me bitching about that bill.”
The door to the bedroom opened and Adira stepped out again. “Thank you, Mr. Steele, um… everything… I mean, the clothes fit perfectly.”
Maddox gave her a smile and had to agree with Adira… though she still appeared exhausted and battered, the clothes not only fit, the blouse and skirt enhanced her beauty. She’d braided her hair to hang down her back. “I’m glad, and call me Maddox.” He grabbed one of the handles on the side of the large trunk as Keith took the other. It was the last item to be loaded into the van Keith had exchanged for the sedan used the night before.
“I’ll cut off the generator,” Drake said once his son returned.
“We’ll be leaving in about five minutes,” Maddox informed Adira as he began to do a sweep of each room. He removed the towel and cloth Adira had used to bathe, rucked the sheet and blankets from where she’d neatly made the bed, grabbed the dishdash from where she’d folded it and placed the items in a bag. He remade the bed with a set of sheets that had seen better days, adding a blanket, then mussing everything up because men who normally used the shack weren’t particular about hospital corners. When he returned to the living area, Adira was sitting at the table, holding the phone between her palms. Fuck, he shouldn’t have just left it on the table. If she’d decided to make a call…
