by Kishan Paul
Emotion streamed her face, flowing down her neck, and on to her shirt. “Where are you?” she asked, knowing he’d never answer. A soft breeze caressed her cheeks. She lifted her face, letting it cool the pain burning her skin.
The distant sound of Aadam’s voice floated to her ears. She looked at the far end of the yard to see him disappear into the forest of trees. He wasn’t alone. Walking beside him, holding his hand, was Parsa.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
GUEST OF HONOR
Ally stood ready before Shariff ever knocked. She’d heard the footsteps approach and knew they were coming for her.
The knock on her door was soft. She removed the padlock and dropped it and the key on the table next to her bed. It wouldn’t be needed anymore. She rolled her shoulders back and opened the door, ready for whatever awaited.
Raaza stood in the hallway. He didn’t say a word, just stared at her. From the balcony, she hadn’t been able to see his features as clear as she could now. A fresh gash ran across his cheek, and his lip was cut and swollen red. Different shades of purple and green colored his right eye, the lid so swollen, he could barely open it. “Razaa?” She brushed her hand along the side of his face. “What happened to you?”
“You happened, dear Bhaabi.” The anger in Shariff’s voice made her jump. He stood in the hall, a few feet away, his arms crossed. His lips formed a thin line.
Goosebumps rose along her skin as he approached. When she took a step back, his lips curled. “No, Bhaabi, don’t run. You’re the main attraction today.”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. Pain shot through her fingers and up her shoulder. When she tried to pull away, he squeezed harder.
“Shariff, please.” She winced.
“Please what? Let you go?” He eased his grip, but his fingers stayed wrapped around her. Shariff moved close and pressed his mouth to her ear. “You’ve been busy,” he hissed.
Ally remained still, staring at Razaa. His face was hard to read, but it was clear he wasn’t going to help.
“Who did you find to help you?”
She didn’t respond.
“Did you spread your legs for him? Is that how you paid him for his services?” He twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her body against the wall in front of her. “Who the fuck is he?” he growled.
Her cheek scraped against the cold surface as her heart pounded erratically. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She kept her voice low, hoping it would calm him.
“Did you hear what she said? She doesn’t know which man she sent after you.” He yanked her away from the wall, dragging her to Razaa. “Whichever one it was, he does excellent work.” He cupped her chin, forcing her to be face to face with the young man in front of her.
“Let her go,” Razaa said, his unblinking gaze fixed on her.
It was when their eyes locked that the pieces fell into place. Eddie had found Farah and the baby. She scanned his face for confirmation. Although he showed no emotion, she knew.
“No, I will not. And you want to know why?” His fingers dug into her cheeks. “Only yesterday, she professed her love for you.” Ally gasped when he twisted her arm tighter. “Look at his face, Bhaabi. Is this how you show your love?”
Sweat beaded her skin. She was breathless and it had nothing to do with Shariff. “Are they okay?”
Razaa nodded.
Shariff laughed and pulled her away from him. “You’re very good. Better than I even realized. Here I was feeling sorry for you, and all the while you were lying to me.”
A smile tugged at her lips. Eddie had gotten them out. Yes, Razaa was injured but he was alive, too. “They’re safe,” she whispered.
Shariff twisted her face to his, digging his fingers into her skin. “But you’re fucking not.”
He turned her around and shoved her toward the steps. “My father is waiting to talk to you.”
Shariff stayed glued to her back the entire time. She scanned the two floors below. Although empty, the muffled voices of men could be heard from somewhere on the bottom.
At the last step, Ally stopped and scanned the space. Shariff put a hand on her back and shoved her forward. “There are no heroes waiting for you down here, Bhaabi. And I sure as hell have no intention of saving you.”
The voices grew louder as they walked down the back hallway. She surveyed the kitchen when they passed. It was empty. Another shove to her back kept her moving.
At the end of the hall, Wassim’s men stood outside the door, conversing with one another. She gazed at their faces, hoping to find Eddie, knowing she wouldn’t. Shariff was right. There would be no heroes for her this time. She ignored the disappointment gnawing at her. His goal had been to save his sister and niece. He’d achieved that. She had even told him not to come back for her. Everything was going according to plan.
The three guards stopped talking and watched her. One flashed her a victorious grin as she passed through the door he held open. Through it all, Shariff’s hand remained glued to her back, pushing her along.
The sitting room was large and ornately furnished. A set of sliding doors stretched across the middle of the farthest wall. Thick golden drapes hung over its glass, darkening the space. From the ceiling above them, a crystal chandelier hung, casting the room in a yellow hue.
In front of the draped glass doors, sat a red sofa trimmed with gold and dark wood. Shariff pointed to it as he closed the door they’d entered. “Go sit down.”
Ally nodded and looked around as she took her seat. Shariff leaned against the entrance, his arms crossed, his body rigid with anger. Razaa walked toward her. She watched him, hungry to meet his eyes, to tell him she was sorry for everything that had happened to him, but he avoided her gaze. He walked past her and stood in the corner behind the sofa.
She surveyed the space and the other occupants. Rizwan sat across from her in an oversized armchair. His guard stood to at his side. Behind him, against the farthest wall, was a creamy white couch on which Wassim lounged, glaring at her.
Five sets of eyes were fixed on her. There was nothing more she could do for anyone, much less herself. Ally leaned back on the couch and rested her hands in her lap, bracing herself.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
QUESTIONS
A thick silence fell across the room, almost as thick as the heat pouring down on Ally from the crystal bulbs in the chandelier. Rizwan looked over his shoulder at no one in particular. “Where is the English translator I sent?”
Wassim shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “He did not come today.”
“Your wife and handsome translator both disappear on the same day,” Shariff smirked. “What an interesting coincidence.”
Wassim’s face turned multiple shades of red. “What are you trying to say, Shariff?”
Rizwan raised up his hand, silencing them both. “So you do not speak our language?” he asked her in Urdu.
A thin line of sweat formed along Ally’s lip. She stared at him blankly. He nodded and cleared his throat. “Do you know who I am?” He spoke his words slow and in English.
She nodded.
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “You are my bahu, my daughter-in-law.”
She wiped away the moisture on her lip with the back of her hand. “Yes.”
“Your husband was my son.” Although he smiled, his gaze on her was anything but kind. He planted a hand to his chest. “He was my soul. My heart. My everything.”
Shariff’s scowl deepened.
“When I heard he died, it broke my heart.”
Nauseating heat blanketed her, making her head throb.
“Until a few months ago, we all thought you were dead too. And now I see with my own eyes, you are not.”
Her neck turned slick with perspiration. She fought the urge to wipe it away and focused her attention on the man in front of her.
“I can’t help but hope that you being alive means he lives as well.”
Her veins
turned to ice at his words. She cleared her throat. “He was killed at the compound.”
“Can I open the window?” So fixated on the interrogation, Razaa’s question made Ally jump.
Rizwan waved his consent and continued. “I have heard a version of the story. Maybe you can tell me if this is accurate.”
The morning sun spread across the room the instant the drapes behind her pulled apart.
“Razaa,” he said. “You were there when my son died. No?”
When the door slid open, a much-needed breeze wound through the room, cooling them off. “Yes, sir.”
He nodded at the man behind Ally. “Wassim tells me you heard her confess to killing him.”
Ally’s body stilled as she braced herself.
Since the conversation was in English, Wassim sat rigid watching the interaction. At the mention of his name, he rose to his feet. “She is a liar. Don’t believe anything she says.”
Rizwan rolled his eyes and put a hand up, silencing him.
“Father, if I may,” Shariff said.
“No, you may not,” he snapped back in Urdu. “Wassim told me how busy you have been with your bhaabi.” He looked over his shoulder at his now scowling son. “How thoughtful of you to get to know your brother's wife so well.”
“It would be in Wassim’s best interest to do some work instead of gossiping,” Shariff snapped back.
Rizwan shook his head and eyed Ally. “He sees things you are not able to see. Like how she manipulates you.”
Wassim nodded his agreement. “Yes, I do. I know her better than anyone else here. She is a liar and a killer. I stake my life on it.”
Rizwan rubbed the temples of his head. “Wassim.”
“She killed Sayeed Babba. She killed my guard, and now my wife is missing.”
“Wassim,” the old man snapped. “If you do not sit down and shut up, I will do it for you.”
Wassim talked over his order and continued, “She has had sex with your son. Ask any of the guards. They will all tell you.”
“I accepted long ago that I have no control over my son’s actions, but I do have control over yours.” Rizwan tapped his hand on the man standing beside him. “Either kill him or make him leave.”
Wordlessly, the guard pulled his gun out and pointed it at Wassim. Shariff opened the door and smirked at him. Wassim’s body shook with rage as he stared at Rizwan and stormed out of the room.
Shariff slammed the door shut after him and laughed.
The old man rose to his feet and stared at his son. “You are not allowed to speak. Do you understand me?”
Ally scanned the space while father and son participated in a staring match. The only way out was the open doors behind her. Doors Razaa currently stood guard by. It wasn’t until Shariff sat on the white couch Wassim occupied minutes ago, that the older man nodded and focused his attention on Ally. He walked toward her until his feet were directly in front of hers. “Look at me.”
She stared up at the man and at the taller shadow that stood behind him.
Rizwan waved his hand at the guard. The gun the man held to his side rose until it pointed at Ally. “The boy behind you tells me you confessed to killing my son. I would like to believe he is lying and to believe my son lives. So tell me, did you kill Sayeed?”
Ally’s mouth went dry. If she said no, then he would accuse Razaa of lying and shoot him dead a minute later. “It’s true. I killed your son.” Her voice was a whisper, but everyone in the room heard it.
The old man’s brows rose. His face turned red as he stayed rigid, staring at her. “He is dead? You are sure?”
Terror rocked through her. Not because of Rizwan’s anger but because he looked exactly like Sayeed. The way his eyes seemed to shrink in size, and how his brows lowered to create almost one straight line across his forehead. Ally nodded.
He put his palm out. “You killed my Sayeed?”
Unable to speak, she nodded a second time.
The guard behind him handed Rizwan his gun.
She leaned back on the sofa and waited. A gust of wind sped over her head. A second later, a red hole appeared on Rizwan’s forehead. His eyes widened, and he reached forward as he fell back onto his guard behind him. The pair landed on the floor. The only sound she heard was her own breathing as she waited for them to move. Blood trickled from them, creating a puddle on the ground.
In stunned silence, she watched the red pool of liquid widen. Someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the floor. When she tried to yank her arm away, Razaa sandwiched her hand between his two palms. “Please, Sara Mommy. Trust me,” he mouthed. Before he was done, the room erupted in screams.
Shariff was on his feet, his hand on his head. His body shook as he called for the men to come.
While she and Razaa crouched in the corner where the sliding glass and wall met, he ran to the hallway door. The same gust of air sliced through the room a second time. Shariff fell forward. His body slammed against the door in front of him. A line of red followed him down the door as he slid and crumpled to the floor.
Razaa tugged at her to follow him to the open glass door. “We have to go now.”
CHAPTER FORTY
THE ESCAPE
Ally climbed to her feet and let Razaa guide her out of the sitting room. Once on pebbled ground, he broke into a run, dragging her with him. From over her shoulder, she watched things play out in the room they exited. Two guards shoved the door open, pushing Shariff’s body aside and stood at the entrance of the room staring at the carnage. One of them looked out the patio and locked eyes with her. The world became silent as realization flooded his face. This wasn’t over. They’d come after her.
It was only then she saw Eddie. He stood hiding with his back to a tree they’d run past. In dark pants and a dark shirt, he gripped his gun with both hands and pointed it at the ground. His focus was fixed on the house. A second later, he sprinted toward the room they’d fled.
Ally turned her attention to the path Razaa took her. Despite the gunshots and the angry voices of men erupting behind them, relief blanketed her. He ran a few paces in front of her, his hand gripping hers. A smile spread across her face as a wave of adrenaline shot through her. Farah and Amirah were safe, Eddie had come back, and Razaa was by her side. For the first time since she boarded the plane, she knew everything would be okay.
They passed the walking trail to the gardens. The sight of the path made her trip on her shoes. Ally pulled her hand away from Razaa and slowed down. Somewhere in the garden was a little boy. A little boy who had just lost all his family.
Out of breath and his face bright red, he grabbed her hand and tugged harder toward the drive. “Hurry, Sara Mommy. We have to get out of here.”
She backed away. “I have to find Aadam.”
Razaa’s excitement turned to fear. He moved in front of her, his palms pressed out in an attempt to stop her. “My job is to get you in the car and save your life.”
She sidestepped him and continued toward the garden. “Leaving you and the boys is something I’ve never forgiven myself for.”
He shook his head as he walked beside her. “It wasn’t your fault. Farah Baji told me everything. You had no choice.”
“But this time I do.” Ally looked into his eyes. “If I get in the car with you, it will be because I decided not to help him.”
His face fell. “Then I am coming with you.”
An idea took root in her mind. “No. Bring the car to the front gate. He’s alone with an older woman. I’ll get him and meet you there.”
He looked over at the vehicle and the trail behind him, as if considering his options.
Ally stopped walking and crossed her arms. “I will not leave him behind.”
He nodded and pulled out something from his pocket. Razaa grabbed her hand and slipped it on her finger. “Keep this so I can find you in case I lose you again.”
She stared at the silver ring she’d given Farah and smiled. Ally pulled him into a hug and
kissed his cheek. “I won’t let you lose me again.”
“Two minutes,” he said, and then sped to the car.
Ally’s heart raced as she moved down the twisted road. She didn’t know what she was going to say but needed to come up with something soon. She looked on either side as she ran, but there was no sign of them. The trail curved and she followed. When she remembered where it led, she picked up her pace. They were at the well.
As soon as Alisha and Razaa were out of the building, Eddie ran in. The two men by the gate were already dealt with. There were seven inside he needed to account for. Three who were now dead and another two who currently stood in the center of the room, their guns cocked in his direction. Their eyes widened when they saw him. The confusion on their faces and their hesitation to shoot was the best gift they could give him. While they tried to decide if he was there to help or hurt, he put a bullet through their heads. He had no choice. They would have figured out he wasn’t on their side, and they’d have come after him.
Eddie poked his weapon out the door into the hallway before he stuck his head out. He surveyed the room before entering. Five now lay dead behind him. Two were left: Wassim and a guard.
Senses on high alert, he kept his back to the wall and slid down the empty passage, clearing each room before he moved to the next. Somewhere a clock ticked, a dog barked. But those weren’t the sounds he listened for. And then he heard it. Something creaked directly above. At least one of the two targets was on the second floor. That left another unaccounted for.
He entered the living room and cleared the space, his gaze following his gun. At the base of the stairs, he surveyed the floors above him for potential dangers before climbing the steps. It creaked again. His guess was Wassim was grabbing some essentials from his bedroom before he ran.
