“You left my son in one of the most dangerous places in the world.” Ahmed pushed back his chair and stood again, raging. “How can you—”
“Be afraid.” Mohamed might be tethered to the floor but he loomed over everyone in the room except Yusef. He kept his fierce gaze fixed on Ahmed. “Seth Masud—your brother—has plans. All the Masud power will be his. I suspect him before. I am sure now. And he is with your parents—and Neema. If she has your son—”
“Mohamed, what do you mean?” Nicole asked. “What does Seth have to do—”
“No one must threaten his plan to take over Masud family business. He will kill your husband—and your son.”
Ahmed moved closer to Nicole. “What are you saying?”
“Maybe if you give up Egypt, go back to America …”
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Natalie remembered that Nicole’s father-in-law had cancer. Was it pancreatic? She thought of Zomera. The FDA problems—would Zomera help Ahmed’s father? She and Nicole had never discussed the possibility. If there was a chance—
Stop. Listen to what Nicole is saying.
“If this is true, Ahmed, is Alex in danger in Giza, at your family’s home? That’s where Neema would have taken him, right?”
Mohamed spoke before Ahmed. “I think yes.”
“I can have a military plane take you to Cairo,” Yusef said. “But there is growing unrest there. Big protests. Many Egyptians want Mubarak out. And the Masud family is closely allied with the Mubaraks—”
“Ahmed.” Nicole had jumped up, tugging at Ahmed. “Let’s go now. Alex may be—”
“I think that’s a good idea,” said Rob. “Yusef, we’ll take you up on that flight offer, assuming that your aircraft can get there faster than the Falcon.”
“Six hours,” Yusef said.
“Time difference is two hours,” Ahmed added. He disengaged his hand from Nicole’s, checked his watch. “Four o’clock here. That’s six p.m. in Cairo. Earliest we can get there is midnight.”
“We will be in time for Jafari’s funeral,” Mohamed said, trying to stand, his leg irons jangling.
“You are staying with us, until Ahmed Masud tells us to release you,” Yusef said. “You okay with that, Rob?”
Mohamed was undeterred. “You will need me, protection.”
“Like the way you protected Alex when your man Dennu tore him away from me.” Ahmed reached again for Nicole’s hand. “And, General,” Ahmed called, “keep him locked up here.”
Rob stood at Natalie’s side and bent to kiss her cheek. “I’ve missed you more than you can imagine,” he said. “And when you left with Ahmed, I was petrified, Natalie. What—”
“Mister Rob,” they heard Mohamed call. “You must take me. I protect from Seth—”
“Do you think we should—”
Natalie’s question went unanswered. The door closed behind them, and they followed the others out to the tarmac. Mohamed’s appeal had spooked her—she almost asked Rob to reconsider—but she continued walking with him, Rob’s arm snug around her waist.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
BEFORE TAKEOFF, ROB couldn’t help but stare at his sophisticated plastic surgeon brother-in-law. Ahmed was a wreck. Disheveled. Disoriented. Clinging to Nicole for dear life. Nicole was not much better. Rob was encouraged when she took Ahmed’s hand, murmuring to him, seeming to want to console him. And the poor man needed consolation.
“Thank God Nicole’s talking to him.” Natalie spoke in a low tone as they settled into the seats of the well-appointed government jet. “Rob, do you think that they can ever—well—be together again?”
Family dynamics had never been Rob’s strong suit. He’d been an only child and himself, had only one child. The huge Nelson clan still intimidated him, but right now, he felt he’d taken on an important role in the family. Even more so, having used a connection from his experience at Valley Forge Military.
Yusef had arranged for a modern Liberian jet with a flight crew, but the general had not come with them. Before leaving he briefed them on the “situation” in Cairo. Apparently, all hell was breaking loose there. Thousands of demonstrators pouring into a central gathering area he called Tahrir Square. No violence. Yet, Yusef had emphasized. But in his professional opinion, riots were likely to follow the so-called peaceful demonstrations. Not a good time to be flying into Egypt. But, of course, they’d go anywhere to get Alex back.
Ahmed and Natalie sat across from Rob and Natalie, and Berk sat directly in back of them. Berk had left one of his men in Liberia to attend to Mohamed. Rob hoped that attend to did not imply use of torture. During the trip from Montevideo, when Rob had spoken to the Masud head of security, he’d sensed an honest and loyal man. A man who had inferred that Seth, Ahmed’s younger brother, had killed Jafari, the eldest brother. Rob ran that conversation through his mind. He must have heard wrong; Mohamed did have a foreign accent.
“Rob,” Natalie was saying, “you can’t believe how shocked I was to run into Ahmed at the airport—and then to find that Alex wasn’t with him. He had no money, nothing other than his passport. All he cared about was getting on the plane to Monrovia. Imagine. Leaving a small boy here. Alone.”
“Mohamed told me that he was following Ahmed’s brother Jafari’s orders. That he honestly believed that Alex would be unharmed. Jafari wanted to scare Ahmed. You know, control him by threatening his child.”
“Ahmed was a broken man,” Natalie said. “The entire flight, he kept mumbling—as if talking to Alex and Nicole—and wringing his hands, rocking back and forth. I’m concerned about his mental health.”
“Having been with Nicole the past couple of days, I’m amazed that she’s letting him that close to her. You know how your sister gets when she’s down on somebody … I thought she’d kill him on sight. But …” He nodded across the aisle. “There they are cheek to cheek.”
“They’re both in shock,” Natalie said, leaning in closer. “I love you, Rob. You were so brave coming here with Nicole.”
“And you, Natalie, never fail to amaze me. Jumping on that plane to Uruguay, telling no one, making us all crazy with worry. Shouldn’t have done that, babe.”
“We wouldn’t be together right now if I hadn’t,” Natalie said. Then she kissed him, long and deep.
“Enough, you two.” Berk had planted himself in the aisle between the two couples. “Take care of things back here, Rob. I’m going up to check communication status. We’ll need to call the Nelson brothers.”
Rob had been so distracted, basking in the presence of his wife, that he hadn’t noticed the plane take off. Damn. How often was this going to happen?—flying out of Monrovia in a Liberian government jet. But night had fallen and there was not much to see as the aircraft rose in altitude.
“Will do, Berk.” Rob felt his chest puff with pride. He, Rob, the not-so-macho brother-in-law was flying all over the world on a hero’s mission, while the three Nelson brothers cooled their heels on the safe American soil. “Ha.” He hadn’t meant to verbalize and quickly said, “They’ll be relieved to hear that we’ve located Alex.”
Rob felt Natalie squeeze his hand. Never had he felt so alive, so essential.
But not so Ahmed. His brother-in-law stared straight ahead. The word catatonic came to Rob’s mind. Maybe not the right word, but both Ahmed and Nicole seemed to be in an emotional wasteland.
Before Berk returned, Rob turned to face Ahmed and reached across the aisle to touch his arm. “Ahmed, are you aware that Mohamed believes that Seth had Jafari killed? I mean, man, he really believes it.”
“I don’t know.” Ahmed’s voice sounded feeble. “I don’t care about Jafari—that he’s dead. My own brother—how he had Alex taken—taken right out of my arms. There was nothing I could do.” He turned to Nicole. “Nicole, I am so sorry. I was ignorant. Weak. I don’t deserve …” Ahmed lowered his head and wiped away a tear.
Rob didn’t think that Arab men were allowed to show so much emotion
. Like it was against a religious tenet or their code of honor. But what did he know? Ahmed was the only Arab man he’d known.
Rob tried again, “Ahmed, about your brother Seth. Do you have reason to believe that he’s a danger to you? To Alex?”
“Seth is the baby of the family. He’s lived in Europe. Has a wife, two daughters,” Ahmed answered in a monotone. “I don’t even know him, Rob. I’ve lived in the States for fifteen years. He was young when I left. I never paid him any attention. Everything was about Jafari—”
Berk returned before Rob could pursue Ahmed’s response. “We have to talk about where to go when we get into Cairo,” he said.
“Ahmed, I’m assuming the household will be asleep—except for security. Do you think that the rest of your family knows that Alex is missing? Or do you think they assume that he’s with you? Alex did, in fact, leave with you, and they’ve had no communication with either you or Mohamed since you arrived in Uruguay. Right?”
“Neema knew to go to Monrovia,” Alex said. “She’s the only one of my family that I trust. Maybe Mother, but she’s …”
Based on Yusef’s information, Rob calculated the timing. If Neema left Monrovia with Alex at ten a.m. and assuming a direct flight to Cairo—if that was where she was taking him—the earliest they could be there was six p.m. Liberia time. There was a two-hour time difference. They would not yet have arrived at the Masud compound.
“I need to know if Alex is at my family’s home,” Ahmed interrupted.
“Yusef told us she boarded a private charter with a child shortly after noon,” Berk responded. “That puts her arrival in Cairo at eight p.m. Give her an hour to drive to Giza. That’ll be nine, Cairo time. My men will observe Neema and Alex’s arrival at the airport and follow them to wherever … probably your home. We need to decide whether to go directly there at that time of night or whether to arrive fresh in the morning.”
“I say we go immediately,” Nicole said.
Rob wasn’t so sure. They were all running on no sleep.
“Don’t have to decide yet,” Berk said. “Now let’s all go up front and call the Nelson brothers. Two o’clock in the afternoon. Won’t be waking anybody up. We can get them all in conference.”
Rob watched all color drain from Ahmed’s face, knowing that he was the cause of the Nelsons’ nightmare. Mike, Kevin, and Patrick were stalwart protectors of their sisters. Rob was glad that he was in the hero role, not the goat.
Ahmed stood to let Nicole out of her seat. Clearly, he did not intend to participate in the Nelson family conference, but Nicole took his hand and led him forward. “Come, Ahmed. Please come with me.” And Ahmed did.
As Rob and Natalie followed them toward the front of the plane, Natalie said, “After this, I need to call work. I hope I still have a job.”
Rob had hardly thought about his job—his bankrupt business—since he’d left Philadelphia.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
AS THEIR LIBERIAN jet started its Cairo descent, city lights sparked in the aircraft windows. Berk updated them on the political unrest in the region. Demonstrators by the thousands would mass in the morning in Tahrir Square—graphic evidence that the Tunisian political rebellion was spreading now to Egypt. Spreading, Ahmed thought, like an epidemic, to his birthplace. Tunisia’s President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had fled to Saudi Arabia; now the Egyptian rebels wanted Mubarak out of power—after his almost thirty years of rule in Egypt, they wanted his resignation.
Good for the country—maybe—Ahmed thought, but not good for the Masud family whose extensive ties to the Mubarak regime were well known. Jafari—whose older sons had alerted him to what was coming—had predicted that this revolt would mortally threaten the family. Jafari was dead now, Father was dying, and Seth’s motives questionable—if Mohamed could be believed. Could Seth really have had Jafari killed? Ahmed couldn’t comprehend that scenario. But three days ago, he could not have believed that Jafari would have stranded Alex in Monrovia.
Ahmed had listened to Berk’s conference call with the Nelson brothers, Nicole, Natalie, and Rob. No need for Berk to announce the sisters’ reunion in a Monrovian airport—they were together now on this Liberian government jet, and their brothers could hear it “live” from Nicole and Natalie themselves. Their security expert told his clients in the States that, despite the Egyptian political crisis, the family objective was in view—Alex’s location now known, Alex would be restored to his mother at the Masud compound, and Berk would get them all home to Philadelphia.
With Natalie’s help, Berk had told the Nelsons, Ahmed had been found, was alive and well. He didn’t expect Ahmed to interfere with Nicole leaving with Alex. Rob ended the satellite call with a few kind words about Archy—not an attempt at redemption for the despised abductor of Alex, but humanizing him …
“Archy?” Ahmed felt a hand squeeze his arm.
“What …” Nicole had called him “Archy,” a name he wanted to reclaim, like finding a lost treasure.
“Berk needs your advice,” Nicole said.
“It’ll be nearly two a.m. when we get to your family’s home in Giza,” Berk said. “They don’t know we’re arriving. Tight security there. Should we call them and go to the compound? Or should we stay in a hotel tonight? Get there in the morning?”
“I can’t wait another night to see Alex,” Nicole pleaded. “Tonight.”
“We’ve been awake for way too many hours.” Rob’s calm assessment. “Mostly in the air. We need to catch a nap. Tomorrow is Jafari Masud’s funeral. Why don’t we arrive cleaned up, with clear heads. Not like thieves in the night.”
“How will your family feel about us coming, taking Alex tomorrow?” Natalie asked Ahmed.
“Not tomorrow—now,” Nicole insisted.
Ahmed avoided Natalie’s question. “After what happened to Jafari,” he said, “yes, my family’s security will be on high alert. And after what Mohamed said about Seth—I think it would be safest to wait until daylight.”
“I agree,” said Berk. “We’ll be able to think straight after some sleep, and I’ll be able to get more backup. What’s the closest hotel, Ahmed?” Not waiting for the answer, he spoke into the tiny microphone near the collar of his shirt.
“Please—” Nicole said, but Natalie took her aside, whispered something in her ear. How many times had he seen Natalie talk Nicole down? Nicole, high-strung, volatile; Natalie, calm, logical.
“The Safir hotel is nearby and available,” Berk said to Ahmed. “That okay?”
“Yes.” So one more day until he and Nicole held Alex in their arms. He didn’t think either of them would ever let him go. Will Nicole and I ever be together?
Airport Immigration and Customs seemed in disarray, but the Masud-Nelson group moved along quickly. Officials couldn’t miss their Liberian government escort. Ahmed remained impressed by the Nelson family’s network.
CHAPTER SIXTY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2011
THE HOTEL SHOWER revived Nicole enough that she could focus. In the next few hours, she would have Alex back. She would never again let him out of her sight.
But what about Ahmed? Could she ever trust him? She felt so conflicted. She hated Ahmed for taking Alex. She loved him because he had been—and still was—the love of her life. Berk had arranged for separate rooms for them at the Safir Hotel, and that had been fine with her. Never mind that she’d watched with a pang of envy as Natalie and Rob walked into the room across the hall from hers.
Last night she had fallen onto the bed, too tired to wash her face, or even undress. But tormented by thoughts of Alex, she could not sleep. Was he truly safe, had he been hurt, either physically or emotionally? Somehow, she drowsed.
The alarm had buzzed at 5:30 a.m.—on the day she’d hug her son.
She’d opened her suitcase to find the clothes she planned to wear—a black all-purpose dress. In the bathroom mirror, she confronted an image that gave her more than pause. A haggard woman, much older than forty-two, hair
bedraggled, eyes puffy, skin sallow, still a faint purplish blemish from where Ahmed had hit her so many days ago. Once upon a time, she’d led her life as the attractive plastic surgeon with the exotically handsome husband, and the perfect little boy. That was then.
Could they ever be together? All three of them, a family again? Wouldn’t that be best for Alex? A father and a mother? Back home in Philadelphia.
Why am I even thinking about Ahmed when all I care about is getting Alex back?
But she did think of him when she couldn’t find a hair dryer in her room. She put on the hotel bathrobe and called his room. He answered warily.
“Do you have a hair dryer in your room? Mine is missing, and if I call room service—”
“I’ll be right there,” he said.
And he was at her door in less than a minute.
When she opened it, his eyes lingered on her. “May I come in, Nicole?”
Her hair was wet, she had on no makeup. “Yes.” Nicole had no idea what she’d say to him now that they were alone for the first time since this nightmare had unfolded.
Once she’d closed the door, he stepped up to her, put a hand on her face, very softly. “I did this to you, Nicole. I am so ashamed. So ashamed of everything. How I’ve hurt you. How I’ve endangered Alex. I know that you can never forgive …”
“Ahmed … let’s just get Alex back,” she said, knowing that she was signaling a bridge to him. Not knowing if she meant it. “Today,” she said, picking up her watch, “we get our little boy back. Everything else can wait. I know from your conversation yesterday with my brothers that you won’t stand in the way of my taking Alex home. For that, I am grateful.”
“That’s all I care about—getting Alex back home with you. With the chaotic situation in my family, I’m not sure what—”
“Do you want to stay here in Egypt with them, Archy?” Nicole’s question just came out, unplanned. Did she really want to know the answer?
“No,” he said. “I want to go home with you. If you don’t want me, we could still be business partners—”
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