“Natalie, I hope you’re right. That’s not the doom scenario your guys have been painting. They had all of us—me especially—in a fucking panic.”
“I’m going to conference-call my staff right now, Barney. Give them instructions. Trust me here. And I’m truly sorry for not checking in—”
“Get your plan in action. And call me—and get your sister’s kid back. Good-bye.”
As soon as she hung up with Barney, she called her secretary, had her assemble her team in the conference room with the speakerphone. She laid out to the team her tentative strategy—she still must look at the actual data—and spelled out to the team a specific assignment for each area of responsibility.
What would Mom do? The question haunted her as she worked to get her subordinates’ diverse points of view to converge in her chosen direction. She hoped to God she was right.
The call took up more time than she’d intended, removed her for too long from Nicole’s torment. Wrapping up, she requested her team drop off at her home immediately the study data package, along with any new tabulations. Lastly, Natalie instructed them to refocus the data to support the constipation/opioid treatment warning strategy—and tomorrow morning, to send her an updated data package.
Asked whether she’d be in the office, she answered that she didn’t know, but that an FDA submission supporting the new strategy had to be filed no later than tomorrow, by the end of the day.
She’d be up all night. Now she needed to join her sister.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ROB OBSERVED NATALIE’S twin sister as she prepared to make what had to be the most difficult phone call of her life. Nicole always presented a public image of sophistication—expensively dressed in the latest fashion, hair styled with her natural curls tamed in a sleek look. Both twins had their mother’s honey-blond hair, but Nicole recently had added highlights, at least that’s what Natalie had claimed. Rob couldn’t really tell. The same aquamarine-colored eyes. But now Nicole was hardly recognizable. Her hair a mess, her blouse unevenly buttoned, her skirt askew, wearing scuffed off-white Oxfords. She looked—“a fright”—the only description that came to mind.
“Take it over here,” Mike was saying. “Put it on speaker so we can—”
“No speaker,” Nicole said as she followed Mike to the small desk in the corner of the room. “Ahmed’s family has always been suspicious, and I want them to think that I’m alone.”
“We’ll all remain quiet. There’s just the four of us besides you,” Mike said. Glancing around the room, he said, “Where’s Natalie?”
“She stepped out,” Rob said. “Had to make a call.”
Nicole looked up as if to ask whether she should wait for Natalie to return.
“Why don’t you go ahead, Nicole,” Rob said, not predicting the length of Natalie’s call. She seemed quite concerned about what was going on at work.
“What should I say?” Nicole looked—lost.
“It’s midnight there,” Mike said. “Who will answer the phone?”
“Don’t they have servants?” Kevin asked.
Nicole nodded. “Whom should I ask for? His mother or father? What exactly should I say?”
Here’s where Natalie could have helped her sister. Natalie always knew the right thing to say under any circumstance, no matter what.
A long silence, till Mike said, “Just ask if they know where Ahmed is? And Alex?”
“They call him ‘Wati’ there,” she said, “and what if they say they don’t know? Should I tell them what we do know?” Nicole had picked up the phone to dial and then set it down again. Lowering her head into her hands, she started to tear up. Don’t cry. Rob could not tolerate crying women—or men. He couldn’t explain it, but a desperate emptiness washed over him, a sensation of hopelessness.
When no one responded to Nicole’s question, she straightened up, dabbed at her eyes, and reached for the phone again. This time she dialed the Cairo exchange, the string of numbers that would connect her to the Masud compound, and hit the speaker button. Rob hoped Natalie would not come barging into the conference room, interrupting the ambient silence.
“Ahlan wa sahlan.” A male voice, loud, boomed into the room. If meant to intimidate, Rob thought—the effect succeeded.
Nicole spoke in a remarkably even voice. “This is Nicole Masud,” she said. Using her married name, not Nelson, her legal name. Rob remembered the testy discussion he’d had with Ahmed over both Nelson twins keeping their maiden name. That’d been eight years ago—just before Nicole and Ahmed’s wedding. The only time he’d seen his Arabic brother-in-law angry. But Nicole had not relented, and now …
He tuned back into Nicole’s call. She’d asked to speak to Umi Masud, her father-in-law. Rob had a feeling that Natalie would have recommended asking for Ahmed’s mother. Wouldn’t one mother be more sympathetic to another? Well, maybe not. Certainly, Nicole understood her in-laws’ culture better than he did.
Rob sat closest to the door, hoping to intercept Natalie should she return to the room. Mike and Kevin stood on either side of Nicole, like bodyguards. Rob agonized with her when he noticed how her body quivered as she stared at the phone in front of her, waiting. The male voice had reminded her that it was past midnight in Egypt, asking if she truly wanted him to awaken Mr. Masud. She assured him that she did. And now they waited.
After a full five minutes, another male voice, speaking in heavily accented English, said, “Nicole? Is that you? Are you calling from America?”
“Yes, Father.” Rob remembered Nicole telling them that her in-laws insisted on being called father and mother, sister and brother. Something about their religious law? Was it because over there she legally belonged to them? Rob couldn’t fathom his headstrong sister-in-law belonging to anyone, but back then Nicole and Ahmed had been madly in love. Nothing mattered as long as they were together. So what had gone so terribly wrong?
A momentary pause before Nicole continued, “Father, I’m trying to find Ahmed. I think he’s on his way to Egypt. And … he has Alex—I mean, Wati—with him. Do you know anything about this?”
“Ah, my daughter, ah.”
Rob saw Mike and Kevin exchange a glance. Their hands had become fists and when he looked at his own, his hands, too, were clenched.
Nicole had grabbed the edge of the desk to steady herself.
Rob could imagine her yelling, “Ah? Ah, what, old man? Spit it out!” But she didn’t.
She waited, as if she were a psychiatrist, waiting out a patient.
“My daughter, Ahmed has not been happy in your country. He asked to come home and—”
“He has Alex with him!” Nicole’s control evaporated. “He has my son!”
“Look, Nicole.” No more daughter, Rob noted. “Wati is Ahmed’s son. He is returning to Egypt to grow up to be an Egyptian man, as it should be. Ahmed should never have stayed in America. He now realizes that. He’s made his decision. He’s coming home. It’s late here—”
“Where is Ahmed now?” Nicole interrupted. Hysteria tinged her voice. “Where is my husband? And my son? I need to speak to them. Now.”
Nicole must know that they were somewhere over the Atlantic or Mediterranean, this demand a sign that she was losing touch with reality.
“Impossible,” Umi Masud said. “I am not well. I need my rest.” The call ended.
That didn’t go so well, Rob thought, watching as Nicole’s body went slack and she slumped in her chair. He saw panic flash in her eyes.
The room remained deathly quiet. Mike reached over to hit the speaker button, turning off the phone. Again, Rob wished Natalie were with them. She’d know what to say. He and Mike and Kevin were men. Men are not good at emotions.
“That bastard,” Nicole finally said, straightening out, looking around to engage her brothers and Rob. “That whole bastard family was in on this. Who do they think they are?” She stood, slammed her fist on the desk, dislodging the phone. “Nobody’s taking my son from me. Those bastards
—the whole fucking Masud family.”
“We’ll get Alex back,” Mike said, but Rob couldn’t hear much conviction. Mike had researched the law on this. Once Alex was in Egypt, Nicole would have little recourse. If any.
“The old man hung up on me? Damn him!” Nicole again slammed the desk; this time the phone went crashing to the floor. “Did you hear him? I don’t think he’s going to help me one bit. But if he thinks they can have Alex—”
The door opened and Natalie walked in. She looked pale, more anxious than before. Had she been able to hear the call somehow?
When she saw her sister, all of Nicole’s bravado dissipated. She ran to Natalie, threw her arms around her, and sobbed. “The Masuds know,” she said. “This whole thing was planned. That Ahmed take Alex to Egypt. Maybe Ahmed is not going to come back. But we’ve got to get Alex out of there!”
Rob let the sisters’ embrace endure despite his intense discomfort amid Nicole’s tears. Then he suggested to all, “Natalie and I will stay with you at your house tonight, Nicole. Let’s go there now. Patrick can meet us there. Mike? Kevin? That sound like a plan?”
Both brothers agreed. For a moment, Rob was taken aback. He’d always felt like an outsider in the tight Nelson family clique, but here he was, making their plans, issuing “orders.” And from a selfish perspective, the day had a plus. Since he’d got Natalie’s call about Ahmed flying out of Atlantic Aviation, he’d not had a thought about his dismal situation; bankruptcy proceedings seemed a low priority now.
“Come, Nicole, we’ll take you home,” Rob said.
As Nicole went to fetch her purse, Natalie whispered to Rob, “I have a huge problem to deal with at Keystone. Zomera’s in trouble. Tell you about it when we get a free moment. Couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Keystone’s going to dump a ton of data on me today. I’ll be up all night—”
Rob thought fast. “Change of plans, everybody.” He turned to face his assembled in-laws, again feeling strangely empowered among the Nelson sibling clan. “I think it’s best if we all stay at our place tonight. Way more space. You all can come and go. We’ll set up a war room. Hunker down until this is over. All of us.”
That way Natalie could do what she had to do. Rob had never seen her so distressed about her work. Natalie sent him a look of gratitude, and Nicole simply nodded. “Okay.”
The brothers offered no protest.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NICOLE DOUBTED SHE could face her home without Alex in it. She was relieved to go to Rob and Natalie’s place. Her entire existence in the house she shared with her husband and son had been about family. Ahmed—Archy—and Alex. And now it was empty—she’d be stepping into a void.
How dare Ahmed take their son. How dare he! He knows how much I love Alex, more than life. Could that be the problem? Ahmed grew up the middle child of five and Nicole knew he appreciated the one-on-one relationship they’d had—until Alex. Had he grown to resent having to share her with Alex? Was he taking Alex away to punish her? Could he be that vindictive? Or was she being presumptuous to think this was all about her? Could it be the humiliation of the lawsuits filed against him? Or did it trace back to some sudden ethnic identification? How could it? Archy—she’d slipped again—loved the United States. And he loves me! He does!
She was riding with Rob in his big Ford F-150 pickup. She, sobbing softly, not wanting conversation, no matter how consoling, how well intended. Rob seemed to understand.
“Here we are,” were his only words as they pulled into the long, winding driveway that led to their spacious suburban home set well back from the road and surrounded by trees, now leafless.
“Thanks, Rob, for bringing me here.”
“No problem. We have enough room for the whole family.” He seemed to hesitate before asking, “When will you tell your mother?”
“I have to tell her soon.” Nicole dreaded telling her mother how she’d failed. “New Zealand is so far away … and what could she do?”
“She and Tim would want to know,” Rob said. “We can call her when we get organized.”
Nicole had always prided herself on her independence. Her mother and stepfather, Tim, were often the last to know any wrinkle in her life. But this wasn’t a wrinkle, this was a rent in the entire fabric.
Nicole felt the early evening chill when she stepped out of the truck and waited by the side door while Rob let them in. Such a big house for just Rob and Natalie. But there was something to be said for marrying a builder.
“Make yourself at home in the guest suite, Nicole,” Rob said. “Just go into Natalie’s closet and bathroom and take whatever you need. She’s compulsive about having backup supplies, but you already know that …”
“I’ve been borrowing her stuff since day one.”
From upstairs, Nicole heard the arrival of Mike and Kevin as Rob ushered them into the library.
A moment later, the doorbell rang. She thought it might be Patrick, so she rushed toward the stairs. By the time she got there, Rob was at the door.
“Boxes for Dr. Nelson,” a male voice announced.
What? How could they know I’m here? Nicole felt a stab of paranoia. Why, exactly, did she feel like the whole world was conspiring to destroy her?
“She’s expecting them,” Rob said, opening the door wide to accommodate several cardboard boxes.
Oh, that Dr. Nelson. Nicole wondered if her sister routinely got late afternoon delivery of what must be documents.
Already downstairs, Nicole passed the boxes on her way to join her brothers in the library. The packages were clearly marked: URGENT.
Natalie arrived home shortly with groceries, and the men carried in the numerous bags. “I felt like Mom when we were kids,” she said. “Shopping for all five of us hungry teenagers. With just Rob and me, we don’t keep much food in the house.”
“Speaking of Mom, help me call her, please?”
Natalie finished loading ice cream cartons into the freezer, then took Nicole’s hand. “Let’s go into my study. It’s already tomorrow in New Zealand. And when you’re done, Nicole, I need to talk to Mom about something.”
Nicole felt a tinge of resentment. What could be more important than Alex being taken?
Natalie dialed. As Nicole started to speak, from nine thousand miles away, Tim, their stepfather, detected disaster. “Laura, come quickly,” Nicole heard him say.
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Nicole dissolved in tears, managing to tell her that Alex had been taken to Egypt by Ahmed. Natalie held her hand the whole time as her mother tried to console her, to reassure her that everything would work out. But her mother had never endured this kind of raw pain—or had she, that summer thirty-three years ago when their biological dad had died? Well, now Nicole had to focus on rescuing Alex. From downstairs, she heard the arrival of Patrick. Her younger brother. Patrick may have been the baby in her family, but having married the world’s most celebrated female vocalist—he was at least a billionaire. Could some of that money rescue Alex?
Hoping not to sound abrupt, she said good-bye and handed the phone to Natalie. Right this minute, Nicole’s priority was Patrick.
As she left the room, Nicole heard her sister say, “Mom, I really need your help …” What was that about?
“Patrick, thank God you’re here.” Nicole ran to meet her kid brother—younger than she by two years—as he stood at the front door, introducing his travel companion. She heard, “Glad to meet you, Berk,” from Mike and Kevin and Rob. Patrick removed his cashmere coat but let it fall to the floor and threw both arms around Nicole. “Ahh—so sorry, I—” he said, hugging her tightly. “Nicole, I’m so sorry.”
Nicole wiped away a stray tear and turned to the six foot two solid hunk standing next to Patrick.
“Meet Berk,” Patrick said. “He’s in charge of our security, Nicole”
“Thank you for being here, Mr. Berk.” Nicole extended her hand.
“Just ‘Berk’. Glad to be of service.” He took h
er hand in both of his big ones and pumped her arm with a powerful strength. This was an intense man. Nicole could feel it in his touch and see it in his wide hazel eyes. His skin was leather-brown, his dark haircut military-style. She detected a faint accent, maybe British, maybe not.
When they’d all gathered in the family room, Rob suggested, “I’ve got my computer set up. Speakerphones, a couple of flip charts. I know you have a lot of high-tech stuff. But first, Patrick and Berk, how about something to eat. Natalie picked up some food—”
“Where is Natalie?” Patrick asked as he followed Rob inside, still holding Nicole’s hand. “I haven’t seen either of my sisters since my fortieth birthday party. All of you doing the surprise number in Vegas and Monica bringing me onstage during her show … No food, thanks—we ate on the plane.”
“Natalie’s got a work issue,” Rob said. “She’s talking to your mom. She’ll be here in a minute. Meantime I’ll get us coffee, Cokes.”
“Sounds like our life growing up with Mom. Right, guys? Always something going wrong, always at the wrong time.” Patrick settled Nicole on the sofa between Mike and Kevin. “Berk and I have some stuff to tell you. Then we have lots of questions, Nicole. We intend to get Alex back to you. Safely and soon.
“Berk, tell them what we’ve been thinking.”
Nicole watched the security guru stand and slip off his sweater. Beneath he wore a yellow short-sleeve shirt. She couldn’t help but stare at the bulging muscles in his arms and at the scrolling tattoos that covered both his arms.
A lively fire burned, and when Rob returned with a tray of drinks, he asked if it was too hot in the room.
“Berk likes cold climates,” Patrick said.
“Ever since my rugby days,” Berk said.
“Rugby,” Patrick repeated. “Fly-half for the All Blacks, New Zealand. Played in the World Cup.”
“Patrick, let’s not get you going with sports,” Natalie said as she walked into the room, cell phone still in hand. Nicole’s thought, precisely. Patrick was ESPN’s lead sports announcer. He specialized in baseball, but could hold his own with any sport.
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