She stared up at him, knowing he wasn’t interested in her answer.
“And that I only want the very best for you, right?”
She dropped her eyes into her lap, fear beginning to tighten a large knot in her stomach.
“Well, here’s the thing. Amina needs to learn a lesson, so I need you to go along with this.”
Tears fell from Rasheeda’s eyes, the roll in her hand nothing but mushed dough as she crushed it beneath her palm. She waved her head from side to side. “Please, Basil, don’t do this,” she whispered, her low sobs just beginning. “Why would you do this to us? We’re your family.”
Basil pulled her up on her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. “Hush, now,” he said as her tears dampened the front of his shirt. He gently pulled her veil from her face and kissed her cheek. “You really need to trust me. You know I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Kareem sneered. “You should listen to your brother,” he snapped.
Rasheeda shook her head. “I want to go home, Basil. Let me out, now!”
“Just a little longer,” Kareem said, his face twisted in annoyance. Then we’ll marry and everything will be perfect.”
Kareem suddenly grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it. His lips were like sandpaper against her skin. Rasheeda cringed, bile swelling full and thick in her mouth as she struggled not to vomit. She tried to snatch the appendage back but Kareem held on tightly.
“Leave her alone,” Basil snapped. “You haven’t exchanged vows yet. He narrowed his gaze on the other man.
Kareem laughed as he released his hold on the young woman. Rasheeda backed herself into the corner, settling her back against the wall. She cut her eyes from one to the other.
Behind them Basil was dialing his phone. When the party on the other end answered, he held it out, engaging the speaker function. Amina’s voice rang through the room.
“Why are you calling me, Basil?”
“I told you not to talk to Father, Amina, and you didn’t listen. I bet you even told your husband, didn’t you?”
“I’m calling the police, Basil.”
“No, Amina, you’re not.”
Kareem suddenly grabbed Rasheeda’s arm, twisting it harshly. Pain shot through her and she screamed. “Get your hands off me!”
Amina gasped. “Rasheeda! Is that you? Rasheeda!” she shouted into the phone.
Rasheeda cried out, calling for help. “Amina!”
Both men walked out of the room, Kareem closing the door. Basil turned off the speaker function. Rasheeda’s screams were still ringing in the background as she banged on the door, calling for her sister. He pulled the phone to his ear. “I told you, Amina. If you won’t listen to what I tell you, Rasheeda will suffer for it.”
“Leave her alone, Basil, please!” Amina begged, her own tears flowing. “Please!”
“File the papers, Amina!”
“I’ll file the papers, just don’t hurt her!”
“And keep your damn mouth shut. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Let me hear you, Amina!”
“Yes, I understand!” she said loudly.
“Good. I’m glad you’ve finally gotten it!” he snapped.
“You’re a monster, Basil!”
Not bothering to respond, he disconnected the call.
The two men locked gazes.
“You’re soft,” Kareem said.
Basil shook his head. “I don’t have to really hurt Rasheeda. I just need Amina to think I am. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors, my friend. Smoke and mirrors.”
“Until she figures it out and then what?”
When Troy stepped out of the shower Amina was still holding her cell phone in her hand. Tears were streaming down her face. He jumped across the bed, moving quickly to her side.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head from side to side.
“Tell me, Amina. What is wrong?”
Amina met his intense stare, wrapping her arms around his neck. She couldn’t begin to tell him about Basil’s call or everything that was bothering her and she couldn’t lie. She didn’t say anything at all until Troy pressed her again for an answer.
“I’m just scared for Rasheeda,” she finally said, beginning to sob.
Troy embraced her, pulling her tightly to him. He held her as she cried against his shoulder. When she was all cried out he kissed the side of her face. “Everything is going to be okay,” he said, rocking her gently. “We’ll see her tomorrow and you’ll be able to see for yourself that she’s okay.”
Clinging to Troy, Amina desperately wanted to believe that was true. With everything that was happening, she suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.
“I hate you, Basil,” Rasheeda muttered, her face pressed into the thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
Basil brushed a hand across her face. “I’m sorry, Rasheeda. I really am. But it was necessary. Amina needed to learn that I mean what I say.”
Kareem stared at her from the corner, his arms crossed over his chest. His dick had hardened as he’d stood watching her. If Basil were not there, he would have taken great joy in wiping away her hurt; in turning her pain to pleasure. He was suddenly looking forward to the prospect of Rasheeda being his wife. Her obedience and staid demeanor would serve him well.
Her slim body had a coltish innocence to it, everything about her petite and small. Her face, streaked with tears, had a youthful appeal undefiled by makeup. Her long, reddish-brown hair had natural full body, waves that had the appearance of carefree grooming. Her breasts were small, like two ripe lemons beneath her clothes and the slight curve of her hips and bottom were perfection. But tears streaked her café au lait complexion, her dark eyes bloodshot from crying. She was too pretty a girl to bear the hurt of being bullied. He would make that up to her once they were married, he thought, and he said so out loud.
Rasheeda’s eyes narrowed as she returned the look he was giving her. Hostility and anger gleamed from her eyes. Hell would freeze before she would ever agree to marry him. Kareem Fayed could promise her the world and she would settle for a life of deprivation before she accepted. She bit back the urge to tell him so, the words curdling on the tip of her tongue.
Basil wiped her face, the cool rag comforting against her skin. Kneeling in front of her he looked her in the eye. “This didn’t have to happen like this, Rasheeda. We both know that. Now, tomorrow is going to be a test for us all. If you do everything just like I tell you, then you’ll be able to go home. You’ve always been a good girl so I know you wouldn’t disappoint Father. I know how much you love him. And just think, when this is all over you’ll be able to start planning your wedding and I promise you’ll be happier than you ever imagined. The money we get from this business deal is going to make us all very, very rich. Don’t you want that for us?”
Rasheeda shifted her gaze to stare back at her brother. She lifted her mouth into a polite smile and nodded. “Whatever you say, Basil!”
20
Troy maneuvered his car toward his law office. He took a quick glance at the digital clock on the dashboard. He needed to be headed to the high school for the town hall meeting but Rachel had insisted on seeing him first. He hadn’t been able to reach Amina and he’d been trying to call her for over an hour, his calls going directly to voice mail. He imagined she was already at the municipal building waiting for her family to arrive.
She hadn’t slept well and her restlessness had made it difficult for him to sleep. He sensed that there was more wrong than she’d been willing to tell and that bothered him. They had each sworn to never keep any secrets from the other but there was something Amina was afraid to tell him. There was little that scared his beautiful wife so he could only begin to imagine what was tearing at her spirit. As he pulled into his designated parking space he blew a heavy sigh.
Rachel was pacing the conference-room floor when he arrived, her high heels clicking harshly agai
nst the wood floors. Her expression was strained and he knew her well enough to know that her mind was racing.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said as he moved into the room, his gaze meeting hers.
“Your wife has uncorked one hell of a firestorm. That’s what’s up,” Rachel said.
Troy sighed again, his warm breath blowing past his full lips. “Fill me in.”
“Have you heard of the Broadman Gaming and Entertaining Group?”
Troy pondered her question for a quick minute. “David Broadman. He owns a consortium of hotels and casinos around the world. He and his group filed an application a few years back to build a casino here in Memphis.”
“He did and it was initially denied.”
“Okay.”
“It was denied because the property he wanted to build on had zoning restrictions and the powers in place at that time refused to revise the city ordinances.”
“So what does that have to do with Amina and what her brother is doing?”
“The city council will soon be voting again on that ordinance and with the right mayoral support it will likely pass. Based on a new application recently submitted by Mr. Broadman he should be able to get it passed. It’s projected to be a two-hundred-and-ten-million-dollar project that will create over nine hundred jobs and inject more than sixty million in wages here in Memphis. Jobs and wages that are greatly needed.
“Last year David Broadman approached Dwayne about purchasing that old warehouse he owns around the corner from the bakery. Dwayne turned him down because he was hoping to acquire your property and expand Just Desserts into the national food market. It would have been ideal since the bakery would have been its anchor point. But when Harper decided not to sell neither one of us gave it a second thought.
“Well, it seems that a few months ago the title to my husband’s property was transferred to Basil Salman. As well as most of the property that David Broadman was interested in acquiring to build his casino. Almost two whole blocks of property with deeds registered to Basil Salman.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“It gets better. Dwayne talked to David Broadman and someone named Kareem Fayed is negotiating the sale of all that property to him; a sale that will net Basil Salman close to one hundred million dollars.”
“Wouldn’t the title searches have exposed him?”
“It probably wouldn’t have been caught until after the fact, especially if the rightful owners didn’t know what was going on.”
“So what now?”
“The district attorney has everything. I filed a lawsuit this afternoon on Dwayne’s behalf and we’re contacting all the rightful owners to let them know what’s going on.”
Troy nodded. “Unbelievable. How did he think he could get away with this?”
“He might have if Amina hadn’t gotten involved. They would have bilked the Broadman Group out of a lot of money and been long gone. But that’s not why I called you.”
“What?”
“Doesn’t Amina have some connection to this Kareem guy?”
“Yeah, she was supposed to marry him.”
“Well, I did a little digging and Mr. Fayed was investigated for his involvement in a similar scheme in Vegas ten years ago. They weren’t able to tie him to it so charges weren’t ever filed. But during the investigation Mr. Fayed’s second wife died of suspicious causes, although her death was ruled an accident. Apparently she’d taken a nasty fall down a flight of stairs but the autopsy showed that she had previously suffered multiple contusions and broken bones that were never explained.”
Troy stared at her. “His second wife?”
Rachel nodded. “No one can find anything on his first wife. Not even their divorce papers.”
“Okay, so why is that important?”
Rachel reached for the morning newspaper resting against the conference-room table. She flipped it open to the society section. The announcement was in the bottom corner of the front page: news that mayoral candidate Nasser Salman was announcing the engagement of his daughter Rasheeda Salman to Kareem Fayed.
“There’s something else,” Rachel said as she met the stare Troy was giving her. “Amina transferred the deed for the bakery into her name this morning.”
Amina looked around the crowded room. There was no sign of Troy or any of the other candidates and she reasoned that they were all in one or more of the classrooms waiting for the event to begin. She looked around for her brother but there was no sign of him or Rasheeda either. She bit down against her bottom lip, her nerves completely on edge. She spun back toward the entrance, looking to the parking lot for any car she might recognize. Mike suddenly rushed her, his own anxiety apparent.
“Where’s your husband?” he whispered. “Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to be here?”
“I’m sure he’s on his way,” Amina said as she gave the man a quick hug. “He’s probably stuck in traffic.”
“This is not the time for him to be stuck anywhere. This event could win or lose him this election. I need him here focused.”
She nodded her understanding. “He’ll be here. And he’ll be fine. You know he’s prepped and ready.” She took another glance around, searching the new faces that had come for the Q&A session. “Are the other candidates here?” she said, asking about the remaining contenders.
Mike nodded. “I saw Mr. Salman and his family, our esteemed public defender and his partner, and the bookstore guy who’s running as an independent. The only person I haven’t seen is Troy!”
“Well, here comes Quentin and Harper,” she said as the family pushed through the doors, greeting them warmly.
“Hey, we’re not late, are we?” Quentin questioned.
“The only person who’s late is Troy,” Mike said as he paced from side to side.
Amina shook her head. “Mike is having anxiety. I’m sure Troy will be here any minute now.”
Mike shook his head. “Since you three are the only ones here, let me review things with you. There are reserved seats for each candidate’s family members. Troy will introduce you and all you have to do is smile nice, give the audience a little wave, and applaud loudly every time he makes a brilliant point. Any questions?”
Quentin and Harper tossed each other a look, wide grins crossing their faces. “Mike, you seem a little tense,” Harper teased.
Mike cut his eyes at her. “I’m going to kill him if he doesn’t get here. You will all see me commit premeditated murder. I’m telling you now.”
Amina laughed with the other two. “He’ll be here. But I need to go find my family. Where are the candidates waiting?” she asked.
Mike gestured down the length of hallway. “The classrooms back that way.”
Amina nodded, tossing her new family a quick glance.
“We’ll wait here with Mike,” Quentin said.
Harper nodded. “We’ll keep him calm until Troy gets here.”
Amina smiled as she turned and moved toward the holding area. Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked for her father and Rasheeda. She saw Basil first. And then Kareem. The two men were standing in a huddle outside a science room, pretending to be standing guard. Both eyed her warily as she rushed to their sides.
“Where’s Rasheeda?” she asked Basil as he stepped in front of her.
“Do you have something for me?” Basil questioned.
The two eyed each other, Amina’s expression ice cold. She reached into her oversize handbag and passed him a manila folder. As he flipped through the documents inside a wide grin slowly filled his face. He cut an eye at Kareem, nodding his head slowly.
“Very good, Amina. I knew I could trust you.”
“Where’s Rasheeda?”
Basil stepped aside and gestured for her to enter the room. Rushing inside Amina found her sister sitting piously in a chair by her father’s side. She barely lifted her eyes to look in Amina’s direction. Nasser moved to his feet as she eased her way over to where the duo had been talking.
/> “Father!”
Nasser nodded, dropping his hands against her shoulders as he kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Amina. I see you came to support your new husband.”
“I came to support you both, Father,” Amina responded. She turned her attention to her sister. “Rasheeda, are you okay?”
“Of course she’s okay,” Kareem interjected, moving to Rasheeda’s side. He dropped a heavy palm against the young woman’s shoulder and squeezed it.
Amina saw her sister wince ever so slightly. The two women locked gazes briefly before Rasheeda dropped her eyes back to the floor.
“I’ve been trying to reach you,” Amina said. “I was worried.”
“I told you she was fine,” Basil interjected. “She’s been very happy. Perhaps you heard. Rasheeda and Kareem will be marrying this weekend.”
Amina’s eyes widened in surprise. She looked from one to the other. Kareem’s expression was caustic. Rasheeda’s distant, as if she were someplace other than in her own body. Her posture was different, stiff and heavy, something about her giving Amina reason to pause.
“Rasheeda, can we talk alone, please?”
Kareem shook his head. “That’s not going to happen,” he stated. He looked toward Nasser for assistance.
Her father cupped his hand beneath her elbow and guided her toward the door. “Amina, this is not the place for this conversation. You need to go support your husband. I will not have you trying to influence your sister’s decisions. You made your choice. Rasheeda has made hers.”
“Did she? Did she choose this? Or is this all Basil and Kareem’s doing? They won’t even let her speak for herself!”
Rasheeda’s voice suddenly broke through the tense atmosphere. Her tone was crystal clear and strong. She stood up, meeting her sister’s concerned stare. The hint of a smile pulled at the edges of her eyes. “You should go be with Troy, Amina. Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to do the right thing. I promise.”
The two women stood staring at each other, a silent exchange passing between them. Amina nodded her head as she gave her sister a warm smile. “I promise, too,” she said.
Craving Temptation Page 20
