Having his voice in her ear did make Siobhan feel better.
“I just wonder what happened,” Siobhan mused. “I do all the maintenance checks on the car on time, have my tires rotated like I’m supposed to.”
“I’m sure you do, beloved,” Ameer agreed. “Sometimes things just happen, but we’ll know better once the mechanics have a look. But I don’t want you to worry about anything, and whatever happened, it's not your fault, okay?”
“I understand what you’re saying, babe, but whatever it is just came out of nowhere.”
When Siobhan fell quiet, Ameer wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Babe?”
“What if Messiah had been in the car?”
He heard trembling in her voice.
“Don’t do that to yourself, beloved. He wasn’t, okay?”
“It’s just hard not to think about the possibilities, you know?” Siobhan reasoned as icy fear tangled around her heart.
“Messiah is safe, Siobhan. He’s safe. You, thank God, are safe, and I’m almost there to make sure you are.”
Although Ameer’s word brought her solace, it was hard to shut out the troubling thoughts. Yet, she tried to hold on to his voice instead of letting her mind wander to the darkest side.
“Look out of your rearview mirror,” Ameer hummed.
When she did as he asked, Siobhan breathed out a heavy sigh. He was right there, just like he promised. Ameer couldn’t put his truck in park fast enough. He needed to get to Siobhan. He needed to hold her in his arms and confirm with his own eyes that she was okay. Carefully, Ameer exited his vehicle. He strolled to Siobhan’s driver side door, and once he made sure there was no oncoming traffic, opened the door and lifted Siobhan out. She grabbed her cell phone before being lifted into Ameer’s arms. As hard as it was to wait, Ameer cloaked Siobhan under the shield of his arm and closed the door behind her. He walked her further to the safety of the roadside before sweeping her into the circle of his arms. She buried her face against the corded muscles of his expansive chest. Ameer lowered himself, burying his face against the elegance of her neck. He just had to hold her, to feel her and know she was alright. Something about being covered by Ameer brought relief expressed as soft tears that teetered on Siobhan’s lids before falling to her cheeks. Ameer felt her body shaking underneath his touch.
“Shh,” he consoled, rocking her gently in his arms. “you’re okay, sweet, everything is gonna be alright.”
She believed him. Siobhan cried more from relief than anything else. The rush of fear and panic and anxiety of a few moments ago washed over her. Being in Ameer’s arms relieved her of the abundance of emotionality she just lived through. After a few minutes, the tow truck pulled up.
“Babe, why don’t you wait in the truck while we take a look at your car and get it loaded.”
“I want to see what happened; then I’ll go.”
Ameer understood her desire and didn’t deny her the satisfaction of seeing what transpired. Taking her by the hand, they padded to the back of Siobhan’s car. It didn’t take long to see exactly what the problem was. The back-passenger tire was completely blown. The car sat practically on the rim with mere remnants of the tire remaining.
The shock of how bad the situation was sent another surge of emotions through Siobhan.
“Let me get you to the car, babe,” Ameer offered. “I’ll take it from here.”
Siobhan didn’t resist, allowing Ameer to escort her to his vehicle and place her securely inside. She watched out of the window as Ameer and the tow truck driver attended to her vehicle.
Siobhan lifted her phone and dialed her parents’ number. She needed to talk to her son.
“Something about this doesn’t feel right, Mike,” Ameer said to the driver. “I’ve seen tires blow but not like this.”
“I’ll take a look, bro, and if there is anything out of the ordinary, you’ll be the first to know.”
Ameer was satisfied with that. He trusted Michael to do just what he said.
Chapter Thirty
Two Days Later
Ameer had taken a few days off to be with Siobhan. He needed to make sure she was okay after such a traumatic experience. Even when she said she was okay, Ameer still couldn’t leave her. He wanted to be there with her and for her. Ameer felt responsible for her in some ways. But he loved her in all ways.
Pulling into the garage, Ameer tried to shift his focus to business. He knew it would be hard because he was preoccupied, but he would push through. His father didn’t make any undue demands on his time or how he spent it. Omar knew his sons were responsible and did what was necessary. When Ameer shared with his father why he was taking a few days, Omar suggested that he take as long as he needed. He, too, cared about Siobhan’s welfare. Ameer gathered his things and stepped out of the car. He heard the click of a woman’s heels before he saw who owned them.
“Mr. Ali,” Cheri beamed. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Ameer uttered, barely looking in Cheri’s direction.
She heard something in his tone that was different. He wasn’t his usual upbeat self.
“Is everything okay?” She asked.
Ameer didn’t respond, just strolled to the elevator. His silence rebuffed Cheri. She needed to know what was bothering her man.
“Is everything okay? Nothing bad happened, did it?” Cheri asked as they stood side by side, waiting for the elevator to arrive.
Her question was curious, but Ameer couldn’t be bothered with Ms. Jones's ramblings.
When the elevator door opened, he did what he always did, hold the door open for a woman. He was a gentleman, even when his thoughts were somewhere else. The elevator car ascended.
“Did she die?”
Her question dragged Ameer out of his thoughts.
“What?”
“Cheri saw Ameer’s wrinkled brow.
“Did she die?” Cheri dared to repeat.
“Who are you talking about? What are you talking about?”
He sounded irritated. Cheri didn’t want Ameer to be irritated. She only wanted to please him.
“Siobhan, your fiancé,” Cheri clarified. “Is she dead?”
“Why would you ask that? What in the world would make you ask a question like that?”
Cheri didn’t like his tone. She knew he wouldn’t be pleased with her, not right away, but after a while, he would get over it. He would get over Siobhan. So, Cheri prepared herself for his temporary anger, maybe even disappointment. In the end, though, Ameer would see that everything she did, she did because she loved him more than her own life.
“But is she, Ameer? Did something bad happen to her?”
Ameer studied her face, trying to figure out what Ms. Jones was talking about, why she was talking about Siobhan in such a way? She was smiling, even as she inquired about someone else’s death. He refused to dignify her question with any answer. His unresponsiveness bothered Cheri, but she didn’t want to come out of character in front of him. She’d always been careful to show Ameer the best side of her. That side of her was easy to love, and she needed Ameer to love her. It was more than a wish. It was more than a desire. It was a need, and Cheri was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that she was the one he chose, even if that meant the elimination of any woman who could be competition.
Ameer couldn’t stay in that elevator one more minute with Cheri. He hit the button to make sure the elevator stopped on the next floor. He had to get out of there. When the bell chimed announcing the car’s arrival, Ameer stepped out without a backward look or a sideways glance in Ms. Jones’s direction. Reaching in his pocket, Ameer pulled out his cell phone and placed a call.
“Mike, Ameer, what you got for me?”
“I was just about to call you,” Mike replied.
“I took a look at the tire again, even reconstructed the remnants for the most part.”
“What did you find?” Ameer asked.
“Sabotage, bro.”
“Wh
at do you mean, sabotage?” Ameer stood motionless in the middle of the room, stunned by what he heard.
“When I examined the tire and the rim, there was a slit in the tire, close to the rim. That’s why the tire took time to erupt because the air released slowly through the slit.”
Flashes of everything horrible that could have happened rocked through Ameer’s mind.
“Thanks, Mike. I owe you one.”
“Never, Mike replied. “We’re family.”
Ameer reeled. Why would anyone want to hurt Siobhan? That’s the only reason to cut her tire was to hurt her. But why?
Ameer’s nose flared as his long strides took him to the door marked for the stairwell. He took the steps two at a time until he reached the executive level. Pulling the door opened, Ameer’s gait carried him swiftly down the hallway.
“Good morning,” Geneva greeted. But she could look at Ameer and tell something was terribly wrong.
“Is there anything I can do?” She asked as Ameer passed her desk.
“I’ll let you know.”
Ameer was too livid to say more. The thought that someone had the audacity to go after the love of his life was more than Ameer could stomach. He couldn’t even sit down he was so wired. He paced the floor as he tried to put the pieces together. Then, Ameer’s steps paused. When the realization hit him, it did so like a ton of cemented bricks. Ameer’s jaw tightened, the muscle in his jaw flexing hard enough to be visible. That has to be it, Ameer thought to himself. It has to be.
Stepping over to his desk, Ameer picked up his phone.
“Yes, sir?” Geneva asked.
“Place a call to the secretarial pool. Speak to the supervisor. Ask her to send Ms. Jones to see me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Geneva did as she was told, curious as to what was going on.
Dorothy listened intently to Geneva.
“I’ll send her up right away.”
Dorothy hung up the phone and lifted herself to standing. Exiting her office, she padded out to where the secretaries sat and made her way to Cheri’s desk.
“Ms. Jones, Mr. Ameer Ali, has asked you to come to his office immediately.”
“Mr. Ali wants me?” Cheri’s face lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning. She said it loud enough for the other women to hear. Cheri didn’t need Dorothy to confirm. She had all the confirmation she needed. Ameer requested her. He wanted to talk to her, not anyone else, just her. She took a moment to reach into her drawer and pull out her makeup bag. Cheri picked up her lipstick and slid the top off, rolling it up slowly, like she was preparing for a date. She was, in a way, preparing for a date with her dream man. Applying a fresh coat of ruby red lipstick, Cheri was ready. Bouncing up from her seat, Cheri smoothed down the front of her skirt and then sashayed by the other women on her way out of the suite. She had such a spring in her step like she walked to music that only she could hear.
When she stepped off the elevator on Ameer’s floor, Cheri smiled, big enough to change her face.
“Geneva, is he ready for me?” She asked, approaching the secretary’s desk.
“Let me check,” Geneva uttered. Picking up the phone, she rang Ameer’s number.
“Ms. Jones is here.”
“Send her in.”
Cheri heard him and was all too willing to comply.
“He wants to see me,” Cheri couldn’t resist bragging to Geneva. The sway in Cheri’s hips intensified as she sauntered past the secretary’s desk. To be polite, she rapped sweetly on Ameer’s door, longing to hear him compel her to enter. The sweet sound of Ameer’s voice, even through the door, was enough to make Cheri’s heart swell and thump rhythmically in her chest.
She smiled as sexily as she could when she opened the door.
There he was, sitting behind his desk looking as handsome and as charming as ever.
“You asked for me?” She asked, striding confidentially toward his desk.
Extending his hand, Ameer invited her to sit.
“What can I do for you,” Cheri purred, crossing her legs, and placing her hands on her lap.
Ameer paused. If he said what he thought, he’d blow a gasket, and Cheri would be on the brunt end.
“Why did you ask about my fiancé in the elevator this morning?” He tried to keep his tone even, suppressing the anger he felt.
“Oh, Siobhan?” Cheri smiled. “You didn’t seem yourself this morning,” she commented. “I know you, Mr. Ali. I know when something is bothering you.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Why did you ask if something happened to her?”
“Because I made sure something did.” An eerie smile crawled to Cheri’s lips and undulated across her face like a poisonous snake.
“Excuse me?”
“I made sure something happened to her,” Cheri boldly repeated. “I just didn’t know to what extent my plan worked. That’s why I asked if she died,” Cheri breathed, the slithering smile reemerging, “to see if my plan was absolutely successful.”
The admission from Cheri was dredged from a place that resided beyond all reason or logic. She uttered the undeniable and dreadful facts like she was reciting a loving line or romantic poetry. Ameer couldn’t wrap his head around what Cheri said. His face must have shown how perplexed he was. Yet, she continued to smile as though she’d done him a favor.
“Why would you do that? Why would you try to hurt Siobhan? Do you even know her?”
“She isn’t right for you, Ameer. She isn’t good enough for you. That I know for sure,” Cheri hummed.
Ameer was still struck with what Cheri shared, how she shared it. It seemed so nonsensical to him. Yet, by the way, she postured and spoke so confidently, this situation made complete sense to her. Ameer took a moment, setting aside his disbelief and taking stock in what was said.
“So, if that’s what you believe, Ms. Jones, who is right for me?”
“Well, that’s easy, silly,” Cheri laughed, a somewhat maniacal laugh. “Me, Ameer.” Saying his first name as though her feelings for him made that appropriate. “I’m perfect for you. Don’t you know how much I love you?”
“You love me?” Ameer repeated disbelievingly.
“Isn’t that obvious?” She countered. “The things I’ve done, the extent I’ve gone to with that troll of a woman, Shannon Young, and now with Siobhan, who for the life of me, I don’t understand why you even like her,” Cheri scoffed. “Like seriously, Ameer, she has a child by another man! Don’t you see she’s tainted, spoiled, ruined, soiled already? Why would you want that? Why would you want her?”
Ameer was at a loss for words, dumbfounded by her conviction.
“I have saved myself for you. I’m pure, untainted, untouched,” Cheri smiled comfortably to herself, grinning with flirtation in her eyes.
“And you’re serious,” Ameer questioned.
“Absolutely, love,” Cheri replied, her smile alive and eager with delight and affection.
“Could you hold on for one minute for me?” Ameer smiled, momentarily disarming Cheri. But catching her off guard for Cheri was a sign that he too felt the same way, even if Ameer hadn’t fully realized it yet.
“Sure. But don’t make me wait too long,” she sang.
“I promise I won’t,” Ameer forced a smile as he lifted his frame from the chair and strolled across the office to the door. He felt Cheri’s eyes on him as he exited his office, closing the door behind him.
“I need you to contact security,” Ameer instructed as he stood close to Geneva’s desk. “I want them on alert. Ms. Jones cannot leave the building. Then call the police. I need a response to this office right away.”
“Is everything alright, Mr. Ali?” Geneva asked, a worried look appearing on her face.
“It will be soon,” Ameer answered.
“Understood.”
Geneva was already following directions even before Ameer returned to his office.
“Now that didn’t take too long,” Cheri said, breaking in
to a wide smile. “But every moment away from you is too long.”
“I didn’t know you felt that way about me,” Ameer replied, sitting on the edge of his desk, closing the previous distance between himself and Cheri. She immediately responded to his nearness, her face flushing warm, adding more color to her cheeks. She sat forward in her seat, doing everything she could to get even closer to the man she loved the most.
“Ameer, I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you,” Cheri replied. “You are an amazing man, too good for that whoremonger you thought you should marry. I know it was just pity, really,” Cheri continued. “Seeing her, a single woman with a bastard child. Your heart is just too big.”
Ameer tried desperately to disguise the unbridled anger growing inside him. He had to be calm, despite the difficulty. Knowing what Cheri did to Siobhan, what could have happened incensed Ameer. The fury he felt was hard to conceal, but he masked his feelings because it was necessary.
“I’ve heard that before,” Ameer reluctantly agreed, “That my heart is too big.”
“I just hope it’s big enough to include me,” Cheri sighed, feeling all the love she had in her heart spilling over. “I am willing to wait for you, Ameer,” she continued. “I know you have to disentangle yourself from that other woman, let her down easy. I know she’ll be disappointed, but she would never make you happy, not the way I will.”
Cheri felt so dreamy, just imagining what her life with Ameer would be like as soon as all the baggage was cleared out of the way. And that’s all Siobhan and Messiah was to Cheri, was baggage – trash to be easily discarded.
Ameer needed to bide his time.
“I can just see us now, you and me so happy in love, my cat Misty Blue there with us, curled up at your feet. Did you know I named my cat Misty because of you?”
“I had no idea,” Ameer replied.
“Yes, that song reminds me of you, the longing for you to notice me, the love I have for you sitting on idle until we can be together,” she said, clasping her hands over her heart. “I’ve waited so long to have you all to myself,” Cheri smiled.
Ameer (The Brothers Ali Book 5) Page 20
