She grabbed her purse and keys and went to the lobby. The person working the desk was fast asleep. At least someone sleeps around here.
Giving him a gentle tap, he sprang awake. “Sorry, do you need something?”
Ziva whispered, “Do you know who owns that Volkswagen?”
“You mean that beat-up thing out there?”
“That’s the one.”
“It was my grandfather’s. He died about six months ago. It’s been sitting here ever since. Why?”
“Does it run?”
“It did.”
“What do you think about making a trade? I have a truck that I . . . I want something smaller. If you can get the car running and bring it to me in the back, I’ll give you my truck.”
“You must be crazy. Who would want that thing? I didn’t even want it when my dad gave it to me.”
I can see why. But it will serve my purpose. Get me the hell out of here unnoticed. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”
The kid walked away, and she heard him say, “This is why women need men. They do such stupid shit.”
She could’ve burst out laughing. This woman is holding things together pretty darn good, thank you. If you ask me, you’re the one who should be leery about this deal. There are a few guys who aren’t going to be very happy when they find you’re driving my truck.
Ziva went out back, and within a few minutes the beat-up car pulled up. She quickly scooted into the driver’s seat and handed him her keys to the truck. “Good luck. Oh, if anyone asks, let them know I went for a drive up north to visit my parents.”
“Sure, lady. Whatever.”
That little lie would only buy her time with someone who didn’t know her. People like Alex would know her parents were deceased. But he’s not the one waiting outside for me. How did they find me? Why won’t they leave me alone?
She came around the front, and she could still see the black SUV. The men hadn’t moved. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she held her breath, waiting for them to come after her. She traveled a few blocks before she exhaled. That was too close.
It was a fact that couldn’t be ignored. She wasn’t as safe as she’d thought. She needed to head back to the cabin and revise her next plan of action. At least, I only have myself to worry about right now.
As Ziva drove, thoughts of Myla popped up. Myla had begged her to go with her to the jet tomorrow to see her off and to say one last goodbye. It broke her heart to deny her request, and Myla seemed equally hurt as well. She didn’t understand how difficult this was for Ziva. No one did. Not even Alex.
She could lie to everyone, but she wanted to see Alex again. Her heart was ripping into pieces, knowing he was leaving Tabiq and never returning. I hate being apart from him now, never mind for the rest of my life. But I know it’s for the best.
Myla would forgive her someday. Ziva had done all she could do for her. She encouraged Myla to follow her dream and take a chance on a new and better life. Myla had come from a good loving home that also wanted more for their daughter. Most people didn’t have as much support. Not only was Alex taking Myla with him, but he was making sure her family was provided for here in Tabiq. That must’ve been a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders.
It said a lot about Myla’s character, and Ziva knew Myla would return and fulfill her promise. She was a strong woman for such a young age. She doesn’t need me as much as I need her.
Ziva couldn’t help but wonder what her child would be like if she had one. Would her daughter be anything like Myla? Warm, loving and strong-willed? I’d like to think so.
When Ziva was young she pictured what most girls did, getting married and having a family. Yet when that age came, she had to turn away from her heart’s true desire. Help the girls of Tabiq.
It hadn’t been a popular path. She recalled when she told her parents what she was planning on doing. She understood the resistance she met was out of love. No parent wanted to think their child would potentially face danger every day for people who’d never know her name.
Her mother had begged her to let others take on the fight. She’d said they hadn’t hidden her away for so long, only to end up losing her. Yet, almost ten years later, and Ziva was still fighting for her cause. Alone. I just wish my parents were still alive to see the day Tabiq was given a second chance.
Because of her choices, she was now twenty-nine and single. She couldn’t remember looking back and wishing she had more. Somehow, because of one man, more was what she wanted now.
Can I think of any more depressing topics? She knew she had to snap out of this. It’d been her decision not to go to Boston. Regretting made no sense at all. Wishing he’d come and ask me one more time also made no sense. My answer wouldn’t . . . couldn’t change. Tabiq needs me. It’s all I know.
Ziva had no idea how she’d made it back to town. She was supposed to have turned off the road miles back. After all, she’d intentionally left to get away. It was ironic, but she believed the car—though not her own—had traveled as if on autopilot. She knew it was her self-conscience telling her what her heart wanted. She didn’t want to hear it. Her head was in charge, and returning here was a poor choice.
The sun was beginning to rise, a beautiful multi-colored orange. That meant another hot day on the way. Yet another reason to get out of here. She found out quickly that the hunk of junk didn’t have a radio or air conditioning. It was tolerable during the night, but once the sun rose full blast in the late morning, she’d melt sitting there.
Although she didn’t want to be in front of Alex’s hotel, she couldn’t bring herself to drive away either. She needed one last look at him, even if it was from afar. Better that way.
Everything was quiet; it felt eerie. Ziva looked around and noticed their vehicles were gone.
I . . . I missed him. He’s gone.
Her heart began to race.
He’s gone.
He’s really gone.
Ziva felt tightness in her chest. It was panic.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Since when did I become an emotional wreck? I don’t cry, yet I seem to cry all the time now. Of course, her tears weren’t for nothing. The man she loved was going to board his jet, and she’d never be able to tell him how she felt. Throwing the car in drive, she floored it. Surprisingly the little car still had some life in it. The tires squealed as she sped away. I can’t be too late. I just can’t be.
She made it to the outside edge of town before steam spewed from the hood. Ziva pulled off the road and slammed her fist into the steering wheel. Damn. There was no way she could drive to the airport like this. The engine would blow long before she made it. The only thing she could do was walk back to town and see if someone—anyone—would give her a ride.
The one problem? People weren’t going to drive her anywhere close to the Hendersons. Well, one might, if she’s not with them already.
“What the fuck? You’re being paid to watch Miss Gryzb. How did she get past you without her truck?”
“Sorry, Mr. Henderson. We were told to make sure no one hurt her. We didn’t realize she’d sneak out in the middle of the night.”
“Do I look like I want an apology or your lame excuses? The only words I want to hear from you are that you found her. Do I make myself clear?” Alex barked his orders to the guard who was still by the SUV. He was livid, and not just at them, but at himself. He hadn’t warned her he’d left a security detail to make sure no lingering goons came after her. If he had, she could’ve reached out to them when trouble came her way.
It’s been less than twenty-four hours since we parted ways, and something has already happened to her.
Alex, still holding his cell phone, tried her number again. Just like the last time, it went directly to voicemail. Please let it be a dead battery. He slid the phone into his back pocket as the second guard came out of the hotel saying, “I’ve checked everywhere. Her room is vacant and the old man at the desk said he didn’t see her l
eave.”
Alex knew there was no way she left with someone. She’d have gone kicking and screaming. At least, the woman I know would’ve. “Someone knows something.” He looked around and saw a small house next to the hotel. I wonder.
He started walking in that direction when the first guard shouted, “Want me to call for backup?”
If I don’t find her, you’re going to need the protection. From me! Alex shook his head and continued walking. He knocked on the house door, and a young man in his late teens answered rudely, “Unless you’re blind, the hotel’s office is over there. Can’t miss it. Big red letters. Unless you can’t read either.”
Punching out some bratty kid wasn’t his thing. “I’m looking for a woman who was staying here.”
“I have a don’t ask and don’t tell policy. What your wife does is none of our business.”
Alex’s jaw twitched with anger. “I have my own policy. You watch your mouth, or I’ll make it so you drink from a straw for a year.” The kid straightened and backed up a bit. “Want to try this again?”
The kid nodded.
“Her name is Ziva Gryzb. She was driving that truck when she arrived. Did you see who she left with?”
“Oh, that crazy wom—” He held up his hands in a mock surrender, as he knew it was a mistake. “I mean, that lady said to tell anyone who came looking for her that she traveled up north to see her parents.”
Her parents are dead. Why try to throw us off? “Was she on foot, because her truck is here?”
“Hell, no. She traded me for my Volkswagen. It’s not in great shape, so I’m surprised you didn’t pass her broken down on the road.”
Alex remembered seeing one in bad shape when he was driving here. It’d been traveling south toward town, not north as this kid said. “Was it gray?” Clever woman. She planned to send whoever she thought was watching her the wrong way.
“The parts that aren’t covered in rust are. Hey, don’t be angry with me. The cra . . . the lady insisted. She looked like she was afraid someone was watching her. Like her life was in danger. Is she hiding from you?”
Alex didn’t reply. Instead, he pulled out his phone and called Bennett. “She’s in an old gray Volkswagen. I passed her about an hour ago heading toward town. Find her.”
“Already have the choppers in the air searching.”
He went up to the two guards and said, “You two better pray we find her. If anything happened to her because of your incompetence—”
Still on the phone Bennett shouted, “Get the facts first, Alex. We’ll find her.”
Alex shot the two a warning look and walked away with his fist clenched. If he hadn’t, all his frustration would’ve been taken out on them.
“Get a chopper here to pick me up. I don’t want to waste any time driving back,” Alex ordered Bennett.
“ETA ten minutes.”
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and went back to his vehicle. He couldn’t be around anyone right now. Alex needed time to process everything that’d transpired since his feet touched down in Tabiq. It felt like the country was cursed. Or was that just him?
He knew this was his fault. Coming here would stir things up and it sure as hell had. When he found out what she was doing, he should’ve insisted she stay with him while he was in Tabiq . . . and then hopefully come with him to Boston for good. But when she put up resistance, he caved too quickly. Not because he didn’t want her with him, but he didn’t feel as though he was good enough. Why would she want a Henderson?
It was what had been on his mind the entire way here. Ziva had proven time and time again what a resilient and resourceful woman she was. Although there was so much to see and do in Boston, he knew she’d feel like she was in a cage, that her purpose in life had been snuffed out. Alex might be nine years older than she was, but Ziva was doing something with her life that was actually making a difference. She’s trying to make this world a better place and all I do is write fiction, attempting to hide from anything real. You can’t get more real than she is. She’s . . . one hell of a woman.
Just because she was strong didn’t mean she didn’t need him. God knows I need her. She’d shown him more about who he was in a short time than he’d been willing to admit. All these years, he’d run from being a Henderson instead of working to make the name something to be proud of.
You’ve become very important to me, Ziva. Where the hell are you? I need you to know what you mean to me.
When the chopper landed, Alex hopped in, and the two guards joined him, leaving their vehicles behind. It took all his self-control not to tell them to get the fuck out. None of them had expected Ziva to take off like she had. But he needed everyone he could find to look for her.
The bird was in the air not even five minutes when the pilot handed him a headset.
“We located the car on the side of the road just outside of town. You weren’t joking when you said it was beat-up. I can’t believe it made it that far.”
“Any sign of her?” Alex asked Bennett.
“There are footsteps heading to town. We’re on it. Alex, don’t worry, we’ll find her.”
God, I hope so. “We’re on our way.” It was still early, so the heat hadn’t fully set in yet. If they didn’t find her, and she was walking for more than an hour, she’d quickly overheat and dehydrate.
“We have people on the ground, checking in the town.”
“Thanks. Keep me posted.”
He wasn’t sure where he should start looking. Alex hadn’t explored the town much at all, unlike Bennett and Doug who’d scoped out everything. They were his best hope of locating her.
The sun was up, and as they flew over houses he saw people already up and on the move. There was a mother walking with small children in tow. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to grow up here, instead of in Boston with his father. They didn’t have the financial benefits of living in the lap of luxury, but they had something he didn’t. A true family unit.
This is what Ziva is fighting for. It was something he’d always wanted. He needed to find her. If nothing else, he’d make sure she was safe and tell her he wanted to help her.
Exactly what that help would be he wasn’t sure. The government was a mess, and the country was understandably very rocky. It was going to take some serious work to get it stabilized again, never mind become a safe place to live. He respected everything she was trying to do, but it was impossible to do any lasting good by herself. It’s going to take money and manpower. She has neither. Fortunately, he had both.
He tapped the pilot for the headset again. Once in place, he called out to Bennett. “It’s a long shot, but I think I know where she went.”
“We’ll take it ’cause we’re striking out.”
Alex gave him the address of his mother’s house, thankful he’d had the forethought to get it from her. Since Nikolet had told him Ziva had been there once, maybe she’d go again if she needed help. It’s worth a try.
“Alex, you realize she’s on foot. That is a lot of distance for someone her size to travel.”
“Bennett, you underestimate her.” A mistake I’ve made myself. She is capable of more than any of us give her credit for.
“Roger. On our way.”
So am I. Alex gave the pilot directions where to head next. The pilot nodded and the chopper banked hard to the right with the new coordinates. Odds were Bennett would arrive before him. He wanted to be first, to have her rush to him and throw her arms around his neck, kissing him like she had those days ago. He hoped she would be as happy to see him as he was her. Then again, nothing I’ve played out in my head has turned out how I envisioned it. Why would this be any different?
Rather than dwelling on what might or might not be, he went with his gut. And that told him if Ziva couldn’t be with him, she’d go and be with Nikolet. Bennett was right, it was a long shot, but so was coming halfway around the world to find someone like her. If she wasn’t with Nikolet, he’d k
eep looking until he found her. There was so much left unsaid, and he wasn’t leaving Tabiq until it was all out on the table.
I need to see you. Hold you one more time. Tell you that I . . . His heart was racing. That I love you.
Chapter Sixteen
‡
“Oh dear, come inside. You look exhausted.” Nikolet opened the door and gave Ziva a tender, motherly hug.
Ziva wrapped her arms around Nikolet’s waist and didn’t let go. She couldn’t believe she made it. When she decided to leave the main road and cut through the woods, it sounded like a smart thing to do. It provided shade so she wouldn’t overheat, as well as kept anyone from grabbing her off the trail.
She never would’ve left the woods and come to Nikolet’s home if she thought she’d been followed. Whoever thought they had me will have some explaining to do to their boss. I’ve been hiding in the shadows for most of my life. Ziva wasn’t sure she knew how to function any other way.
Ziva felt safe for the first time since she’d spotted the black SUV at the hotel. Every vehicle she’d passed on the road had spooked her. Then, in the woods, she’d looked over her shoulder every time she heard the rustle of branches. It felt good to be here, safe, in the home of Alex’s mother. Even though Alex didn’t grow up here, or with Nikolet, I feel as though I’m close to him here.
As the two women finally released their hold of each other, Nikolet took her by the hand and led her into the kitchen. It was where they’d spent hours chatting the last time. “Let me get you something cold to drink while you sit and tell me why you’re here.” Nikolet didn’t turn around as she added, “I would’ve thought you would be with my son.”
“I was thinking the same thing about you when I knocked on the door.” Ziva had wanted to see Nikolet again, but after all the years they’d spent apart, she thought Nikolet would go with him to Boston. Filled with concern, she asked, “You did see him, right?”
His For Five Nights Page 18
