We left the shop and headed home. I rearranged one of my closets while Kelly sat on the bench beside the driveway and talked with John. I started to feel a little better so I went to the kitchen to make dinner. I made it downstairs just as Kelly came back inside.
“You feeling better?” she said.
“Yeah, I am. But I just remembered something. I forgot to email the paperwork to our newest clients. Can you jump on my laptop,” I pointed to the study, “and handle that for me?”
“Sure no problem,” she shrugged. She had only had a few hours of training from Brenda and Tim, but she was already proving to be an asset.
I heard the front door open and knew it was Liam by the way he laid things on the parlor table.
“Norah, why is my latest human purchase sitting in our study using a laptop?” he asked as his arms encircled me.
“Are you referring to Kelly?” I turned my face to his and he gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Please tell me you don’t think I bought someone else today and didn’t tell you?” he chuckled. I didn’t understand how it was ok for him to joke about purchasing women, but not ok for me to joke about it.
“I told you, I hired her.” I pulled away and went to the stove.
“No. You said you wanted to hire her. I didn’t know that meant the day after you said it,” he said.
“Liam,” I turned to him, “she doesn’t have anywhere to go. She doesn’t have a family at all. She was renting a room from a woman in Tuscany. She had foster parents that died when she was in college. She dropped out her second year and started backpacking through Europe.” He started walking toward me.
“I hired her to work in the shop and,” I lowered my eyes to the floor, “and, I told her she could stay in one of the guest rooms in the west wing of the house until she found somewhere else to live,” I exhaled and waited for the wrath of Liam.
“Do you think this is the best thing for her? You don’t think she needs some kind of professional help?” he whispered. He was standing directly in front of me now. He touched my chin and made me look at him.
“She is going to start seeing a therapist soon. She has an appointment tomorrow,” I whispered back. He gave me a soft kiss on my lips.
“Then it’s fine. I want you to do what you think is best. Most of my house staff live somewhere on the property so I have no room to judge.” His voice was still quiet. I started to thank him for understanding but he stopped me.
“Norah, I don’t want a divorce,” he said. I lowered my eyes because I could feel them filling with tears.
“I said, I didn’t want to talk about it. You have to focus on the UNDC,” I said.
“Well I’m telling you anyway. I don’t want a divorce. I love you more than you will ever know. I would rather cut off my arm than lose you,” he pulled me to him and gave me another kiss.
“I know you love me. I never said you didn’t love me. I just think you’re,” I paused for a second trying to think of the right word.
“Bored?” he questioned.
“Yes. Bored.”
“Well, I’m not. This whole thing has me in knots. I like to be adventurous in bed with my wife. I don’t like all this undercover stuff. I just want it to be over so we can move on,” he said.
I finished up dinner and took everything to the table.
“It smells wonderful. What is it?” he asked.
“Jalapeno chicken.” I served Liam, giving him the biggest chicken breast, a large helping of the asparagus and potatoes and a slice of the bread Rosa made. Rosa made bread every day. The house always smelled liked something was baking and it was usually because it was.
I made myself a small plate and sat down. I took a sip of my water and then watched Liam as he dug in.
“Do you want some wine?” he asked.
“Not tonight.”
“Do you feel ok?” he asked. Like me not drinking wine was a sign I didn’t feel good.
“I’m just not very hungry. I’ve felt a little dizzy all day.” I took another sip of my water.
“Dizzy? Didn’t you go to the doctor? Is something wrong?” he took my hand.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m just,” but before I could finish he was kneeling in front of me.
“Norah? What is it? You went pale all the sudden. Did something happen at the doctor’s office?” he looked worried.
“No. Nothing. I’m fine. I skipped lunch, that’s all. I took a pill and shouldn’t have taken it without eating and now I just feel weak, I guess.”
“A pill? What kind of pill?” he asked.
“For headaches. I started having migraines a while back and Dr. Green gave me some medication. It’s nothing, really.” I touched his face and tried to comfort him.
“You would tell me if it was something serious, wouldn’t you, little one?” I nodded. He moved back to his chair and went back to eating.
“If you didn’t eat lunch, wouldn’t you be hungry now?” he asked.
“I think taking the pill on an empty stomach has me messed up. I don’t want to chance it,” I smiled. I made another plate and took it in to Kelly.
“Thanks, but Marcus and I are meeting up for dinner. He has some big news to tell me and I need to tell him I am moving out of our hotel room.” She looked a little sad to be leaving him.
After dinner I went into the study where Liam was standing with a cigar and glass of brandy. The smoke encircled his head like a little tornado. He had made a fire in the fireplace and I could hear it crackling. It was June and my husband had made a fire.
“Are you cold?” I asked him. When he turned to me the glow from the fire made his eyes illuminate.
Liam was a very attractive man, there was no doubt. He stood just a little over 6 feet tall, with dark hair and a chiseled face. He worked out all the time so his body was fit. His clothes always fit him perfectly, probably because he had most of them hand made. The muscles in his chest were defined and he had very little chest hair. His skin was always soft and had a barely tan kiss to it. He always raved about my skin but his was just as beautiful. As if that wasn’t enough he still had his secret weapon…his voice.
Liam’s voice was like velvet and silk mixed together with just a bit of rugged and a healthy scoop of an English accent. If Liam’s looks didn’t make you melt, his voice certainly would.
But none of those things were his best trait or most attractive quality. It was his eyes. His eyes were magic. At times, usually when he was being sweet or really horny, his eyes were perfectly blue. They looked like the ocean in Jamaica. Other times, when he was busy or annoyed, probably because we were fighting, his eyes were gray. They looked like a cross between a light blue and gray mixed together.
Then there were the times when he was angry. Those times he looked like the devil and it rocked me to my core, but his eyes scared me the most. They looked dark, almost black.
I had no idea how in the world his eyes could change with his moods but they did.
Tonight standing beside the fire his eyes were glowing. They were bright blue with a hint of orange. Maybe it was just the reflection of the fire but he looked warm and relaxed.
“No, not at all. I just wanted to enjoy my fireplace while I still can,” he said as he walked to me and pulled my waist to his. “I would like to enjoy my wife while I still can too.” He blew out a puff of smoke and gave me a long hard kiss.
“When you say things like that it makes me worry,” I tried to pull away.
“Norah, there’s no need to worry,” he whispered in my hair.
“Liam, please,” I pulled my face away, “Do you think this is a suicide mission? Why are you acting like this is it for us?”
“Norah, I have two days before I leave. I don’t want to think about it tonight. Now please,” he took a remote from his pocket and clicked it over toward the Bose system.
“Dance with me,” he asked as his hips started to sway. It was a slow song, very soft, just the saxophone.
“I didn’t know you liked the saxophone?” I said in his chest as we swayed back and forth.
“I played the saxophone in college a little.” I leaned back to look at him. “I thought I could use it to get girls,” he smiled.
“Did it work?” I laughed.
“No,” he shook his head. “Turns out girls want the lead singer or the drummer. The rest of the band has to fight over the fat and ugly girls,” he laughed too. I put my head back against his chest.
“I don’t think you had a hard time getting girls, Mr. Hastings.” We swayed slowly.
“This is beautiful. It sounds familiar. What is it?” I asked.
“It’s called ‘Forever in Love’,” he pulled me so I could look at him. “Which is how I feel about you, little one.” He kissed my lips and we continued to dance the evening away.
Before I knew it the two days had passed and it was time for him to go.
Detective Shaw stood in the parlor waiting while Liam and I were in the bedroom.
“Where are they taking you?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“How long are you going to be gone?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Will you be able to contact me?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know?” I made him stop packing and look at me.
“Norah, I know that I am leaving here in a few minutes, they are taking me to a hotel, I am going to meet the agent who has been working the case, and that,” he paused and zipped up his suitcase, “is all I know.” He touched my face.
“I don’t know what will happen after that and I don’t know how long I will be there. I assume I will be taken to another auction soon.” He looked down at his feet. “I think I’m going to have to move some investments around if I keep buying people,” he tried to make a joke.
“Liam!” I huffed.
“Norah, I don’t know. Look at me, even if I could call you I probably won’t,” he kissed my forehead and walked around me.
“Why?” I asked. He turned back to face me.
“I’m going to have to make them think I’m an arrogant, selfish, bastard of a man. I can’t do that with you in my head. I need to be thinking clear. If I call you and hear your concern or know you are worrying about me, I can’t do the job I need to to make this go away.”
I walked closer to him and touched both sides of his face.
“When I hear your voice or think of you I become soft and I can’t be soft with these men. I can’t be weak.”
“Liam, you have nothing to worry about. You are still an arrogant, selfish, bastard. There is nothing about you that is soft or weak. I have no doubt you can pull this off.” I kissed his nose.
“Oh, now you are just trying to flatter me,” he smiled.
I followed him out the bedroom door and down the hall. His pants made that swishing sound when his legs rubbed against each other. It was the only thing I could hear.
He was wearing a black suit with a gray tie around his neck. It wasn’t tied but just hanging there like he had just been out all night. He had a garment bag over his shoulder and was rolling a medium size suitcase at his side. I had his carry-on bag in my hands. I slipped a little note in it before we made it to the stairs.
We made it to the main hallway and upstairs balcony, where Kelly was standing with Marcus close behind her. They both nodded as Liam walked passed them to the stairs.
“Wait!” Marcus shouted. He had been spending so much time with Kelly it was like he lived here too. Liam turned toward him and Marcus grabbed his shoulders and gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth.
Now my husband is a very straight man. He is very secure in his sexuality. I had never really asked him what his thoughts were on gay people. It didn’t cross my mind, but thinking about it now, I would have assumed he didn’t like gay people, especially gay men. I wouldn’t have expected him to protest or do anything mean spirited or discriminatory, but I also never thought he would befriend a gay man.
Liam had taken Marcus under his wing in a way. He told me that in addition to buying the two girls from the auction he had paid for Marcus’s help. He wasn’t very clear on what Marcus had done wrong in his life to be working for Randall. But here he was, Liam’s new best friend and another person in this world who had a crush on my husband.
He didn’t flinch. He patted Marcus on the back and when Marcus leaned in for a hug, again Liam didn’t flinch. He just stood there and let it happen. Kelly and I both smiled and looked at each other.
“I just had to kiss you at least once before you go off and get yourself killed for all mankind,” he stepped away from Liam and went back to Kelly. Kelly and Marcus looked like Barbie and Ken dolls standing next to each other.
“Please, you three,” he hesitated and looked back at me, “please don’t get yourselves into any trouble while I’m gone. Try to behave yourselves.” He winked and started back toward the stairs. I smiled over at them and followed behind Liam.
He walked down the stairs slowly. At the bottom in the parlor stood Rosa and Gerald, they were holding onto each other and Rosa was crying. Lina, Maria and Nathan were there too. Sofia and Nathan even had little Josefina there running around everyone’s feet. Then there was Detective Shaw, he stood with three other officers behind him.
Liam stopped at the bottom and turned to me. He took my face in his hands and gave me a kiss that should have been in private.
“I love you, Norah Chandler. I love you so much it hurts.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I will be back soon,” he gave me another kiss and then turned to the line of people.
“Thank you all for this. You didn’t have to come here to see me off, but I appreciate that you did. Please take care of my wife and yourselves. I will be back soon,” he shook hands with Gerald and gave Rosa a kiss on the cheek.
I stood by the door and he touched my hand one more time before he was gone. I looked back at the people in the house.
They were all looking at me as if I was supposed to say something. All eyes were on me like I was getting ready to make this big speech. But I didn’t have anything to say. I had no speech to make. I wanted to curl up in bed and wait for this entire mess to be over.
Chapter Four
Liam
I arrived at my hotel in Paris just before lunch. The bellman placed my bags in the bedroom, I tipped him and he quickly left the room. It was like he knew what I was there to do and didn’t want to disturb me. I laid on the bed and took a couple of deep breaths.
I was told I would be contacted soon after arriving and I wasn’t to make any calls to contact anyone on my own. So I waited. Waiting isn’t my strong suit.
After a few minutes there was a knock at the door. There stood the bellman with a box in his hand.
“Excuse me, Mr. Hastings. This was left at the front desk for you,” he handed me the box and walked away.
The box contained an old pre-paid flip cell phone and a note. The note had the name and address of my contact. It also read that I was supposed to meet him in 45 minutes.
I went to the bedroom to freshen up and then headed downstairs.
I traveled by cab to a dark little road almost at the edge of town. From the dark road the driver told me to walk down two other streets passing old shops that were abandoned to get to a large warehouse. The warehouse was my destination. I wanted to ask why he wouldn’t drive me but I didn’t.
The first street was short and cobblestone. The shops were all boarded up. I passed an old barber shop, what looked like an ice cream shop and a ladies boutique. At the corner the street ended and the dirt began.
The second street was a long dirt road with high grass on each side. I could see the warehouse so I walked toward it. There weren’t any lights or movement.
When I finally made it to the front of the building a light came on and the door opened. A tall man, about my height stood in the doorway.
“You must be Mr. Hastings,” he said. �
�Come on in,” he stood to the side so I could pass.
I walked into a small room. The floors were all wood, there was a small table with an oil lamp on it in the middle of the room and 2 chairs.
I turned to face him. He was of Middle Eastern decent, his hair was jet black and his skin was deep brown. He was wearing a white suit with a pale pink shirt with an unbuttoned collar.
“You must be my contact,” I said. “A mister,” I paused because I couldn’t remember what the paper had said. “Bendi,” I said after I took the piece of paper out of my pocket. He nodded and gestured for me to sit down.
“Please call me Nasun. I apologize for having to meet you in a place like this, but because of what I do I can never take any chances about being watched.” We both sat down.
“Let me tell you a little about myself,” he started. “I have been working for the United Nations office of Drugs and Crimes for 10 years. I work both in the field and behind the scenes. I have 6 years experience with drugs and human trafficking. I’ve been undercover with the Salam organization for almost 2 years but I only met Rashad Salam 2 months ago. I haven’t been able to tie any of the crimes I have witnessed to him. I am hoping that will change now.” He started to go on but I stopped him.
“Nasun, please, I don’t want to date you, I just want to know what I need to do to fulfill my agreement with the UNDC so I can go on with my life,” I said. “Please get to the point.” He nodded at me.
“A man with little patience and a lot of gumption,” he paused. “That’s good. You will fit right in.” He took out several papers from a briefcase on the floor and passed them to me.
“We will be attending a dinner with these men,” he took out several pictures. “This is Abdul Amir, Salam’s second in command. I mentioned that I had heard from an old friend that had every reason to be thankful to Salam. Of course Amir wanted to know why, so I told him about you, and how you had purchased a girl from one of his auctions 2 years ago and couldn’t be happier. I asked if it would be possible for you to meet Salam himself and thank him in person.” He smiled and raised his eyebrows a little.
Surrender: Keeping Her in the Dark Vol. 4 Page 5
