by Leslie North
She grabbed the file folder and raced up to her bedroom. She quickly grabbed her cell phone and her sandals, she took the papers from the folder and folded them up, shoving them into the pocket of the dress she was wearing and then she ran for the front door.
Mahil wasn’t expected back for several more hours, and she knew for a fact that every afternoon about this time the household servants got together for their lunch and a few games of cards. Ahmed wasn’t around, and probably wouldn’t return until Mahil did. Any other guards had been relegated to the outside of the palace.
With no one around to guard her or report on her activities, this was her chance to escape Mahil’s control and seek asylum at the embassy. She reached the front door and took a moment to make sure the guards were off patrolling elsewhere. When she didn’t see anyone, she opened the door and took off running down the driveway as fast as she could.
A shout behind her had her turning to see two of the guards giving chase. Damn it! They weren’t on the other side of the house, just too far away for me to see!
She increased her speed, cursing the sandals as the leather straps cut into her feet. What I wouldn’t give for my tennis shoes about now! She had almost reached the edge of the driveway when she heard the guards closing in on her.
She didn’t bother to check for traffic on the roadway, she just darted across it, nearly making it, but a few feet from reaching the other side, she heard the unmistakable sound of an angry car horn and turned to see a large truck barreling down on her.
She jumped for the side of the road, landing on her hands and knees, feeling rocks and bits of debris cut painfully into the soft tissue.
She collapsed to the ground for a moment, struggling to catch her breath, but it was a moment too long. Before she could get her feet under her again, she was being pulled roughly to her feet by one of the guards. She fought him with everything she had, but soon she felt herself being picked up and hauled back across the road.
She continued to fight the guard carrying her until she heard Mahil’s voice demanding to know what was going on. The guard stopped and put her down on her feet. She promptly shrugged him off and turned back towards the roadway.
She’d only taken a few steps when Mahil caught up with her and pulled her to a stop, “What is the meaning of this?”
Carolyn was furious with him and rounded on him with all of her anger unleashed. “You don’t get to ask the questions. I trusted you and you betrayed me!”
*****
Mahil looked at Carolyn, wincing at the sight of her bloody knees and palms, “Cara, I don’t know what has happened to upset you so, but come inside and we will talk about it while the doctor tends to your injuries.”
He reached for her, but she shrugged him off and turned to go back to the street. He pulled her to a stop and when it appeared she wasn’t going to follow him peacefully, he bent and placed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. She beat her bloody hands upon his back, but he didn’t feel the blows. She was injured and he needed to take care of her.
He entered the palace and headed for the front sitting room. He deposited her on the couch and then turned to see Ahmed waiting on his orders. “Get the doctor. Now!”
“I don’t need a doctor. Just let me go wash up…”
Mahil turned on her and shoved a finger in her chest, pushing her back down on the couch. “You are going to sit there and wait for the doctor to attend your injuries. While we wait, explain what has you so upset.”
Carolyn looked at him and then pulled a bunch of papers from the pocket of her dress. She threw them at him and he caught them just before they fell to the floor. “What are these?”
“You should know. I found them on your desk. I told you I was handling Salvatore on my own. I don’t need or want your help.”
“Cara, you don’t understand. Men like him, he will never quit coming after you. You think you’ll be free of him after you pay him, but you won’t. He’ll keep coming back until someone bigger and scarier than he steps in.”
“No! You’re wrong! I will be free from him!”
Mahil shook his head sadly, “Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why can’t you accept my help?”
“I don’t need it!”
“But you do! I knew a girl like you once. She too was stubborn. I left her to take care of herself and she ended up dead! I will not do that again.”
Carolyn looked at him and then seemed to understand something that had been previously confusing to her. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? It’s not about protecting me. It’s about you making things right for something that happened in the past.”
“No! This isn’t about Lyla. This is about you.”
Carolyn shook her head, “No. It’s not. The animal sanctuary. You bringing me here and insisting on helping me. This is all about you. You can’t forgive yourself and you think that by doing all of this it will make things right once again.”
“No!”
Carolyn shoved herself up from the couch and shook her head at him, “You know what, Mahil? I feel sorry for you. I don’t need or want your pity. I thought we might have had something special, but now…I’m just a charity case to you.”
Mahil couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You are not…I never treated you as a charity case!”
“Yes! You did! You are! You don’t care for me, you only care about finding a way to make things right for that girl who died. She’s the one in the picture, right?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do. The shoebox in the bottom of your armoire. The teddy bear was hers and she was what…your sister. Her name was Lyla you said? She was your sister and she died on your watch and you can’t forgive yourself.”
Carolyn’s voice had dropped to a mere whisper as she finished speaking. A sound from the doorway drew her attention and she turned to see Ahmed standing there with a pained expression on his face. Mahil turned to see Ahmed as well.
Mahil balled up his fists, “I suppose you are happy! Both of you, you think it is so easy to forgive and forget. Well, I will never forget Lyla. She was my sister and it was my job to get help for her. She was so sick and I promised her I would come back with help. But by the time I found help and we returned for her, she was… dead.”
Ahmed took a step towards him, “Mahil—“
“No. I will never forget her. And forgive myself? How do I do that when each day I wake up and see my reflection in the mirror and know that while I’m alive, she is not. She never got to grow up, she never got to have her own babies or get married. She will never do those things and it’s my fault. If I had found help sooner, she would still be alive.”
“Mahil, you don’t know…”
Mahil rounded on Carolyn, rage and grief controlling him, “No! Do not tell me what I know. You talk of doing things for yourself. You look at me and assume, what? That I don’t know what it is to be hungry? To have to work for things? My parents died while my sister was still a toddler and we were left to fend for ourselves. We lived on the streets. Eating out of trashcans. No one lifted a finger for us. We were simply two of many dirty street children. When the influenza swept through, rather than helping us, people treated it as a blessing. To be rid of us once and for all. But I survived while my sister did not. If it wasn’t for the Sharqis…” Mahil paused as he drew gasping breaths. It had been years since he spoke of his sister and now, all of his rage and his helplessness came pouring out.
“I knocked on door after door, begging for help. No one would help. Until the Sharqis. I had collapsed on the road and Taleb and Karim found me. They called their father for help but by the time we got there, Lyla had died. Alone. I was beside myself with grief and they took me in. Gave me a home, a family, a life. I owe them everything I am today. But it is all meaningless because I could not save my sister. It should have been me who died! I will never forgive myself. Never.” He turned to Ahmed, “Make sure the doctor attends her when
he arrives.”
He turned back to Carolyn and told her, “I want you gone within the hour. Ahmed will fly you home.”
Without another word to either of them, he stalked from the room, leaving Ahmed looking after him with pity in his eyes, and Carolyn watching him as a part of her heart broke for the man who would never know love because he didn’t love himself.
Chapter 15
Two months later…
Carolyn picked up the dirty dishes and then smiled at the young family that had wandered into the diner some twenty minutes earlier. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks.”
She dropped the dirty dishes off and then joined Kerri in the small waitress alcove, wiping the sweat from her neck and leaning against the counter.
“I can’t believe this is your last shift here,” Kerri told her.
“It’s time. I’m finally going to be able to take full-time classes next semester and graduate.”
“How’s your dad doing?” Kerri asked, having learned all about the gambling debts and Carolyn’s attempt to pay off the debts herself once she returned from Al-Sarid.
That had been two months ago, and Carolyn had returned a much different person. Stronger and more determined than ever to break free from her past. Salvatore had, as Mahil predicted, tried to extort additional funds from her, but Carolyn had recorded their last meeting on her phone and threatened to turn the recording over to the special prosecutor if Salvatore ever bothered her again.
When her father had amassed more gambling debt a few weeks earlier, she’d withdrawn a thousand dollars from her savings account, given it to him and told him she never wanted to hear from him again. She’d cancelled her cell phone, moved to a new apartment, and changed her mailing address. Leaving her employment at Ken’s Diner was simply the last step in breaking free from her old life.
She’d returned from Al-Sarid and been fascinated by the necklace Mahil had bought for her in the sanctuary gift shop. After doing some research, she’d found a high demand for similar jewelry and tried her own hand at making the necklace and bracelets. She’d taken samples around to some of the city’s more posh boutiques and instantly seen success.
Over the last few weeks, she’d started bringing in enough revenue from their sales that she’d been able to quit all of her jobs. Her life was finally starting to come together, the only cloud was the fact that she hadn’t heard from Mahil since her return home.
She’d hoped that he would realize he truly didn’t have anything to feel guilty about and come seeking her out. Ahmed had expressed his desire for the same thing, but so far, Mahil had not returned to the States.
“Well, I’m going to miss you. So, what’s next for your jewelry business?”
“I don’t know. One of the boutiques was inquiring about some Middle Eastern accent pieces and I’ve been seeing advertisements for an auction happening later this afternoon.”
“Are you going to check it out?” Kerri asked.
“I think I might. The advertisements said some of the pieces were rare and antique. Maybe if I pick up a few things I could find similar items to recreate their look.”
“That’s a great idea. I wish Ryan didn’t have parent teacher conferences tonight, or I’d offer to go with you.”
Carolyn smiled at her, “That’s okay. I haven’t really decided if I’m going to go or not. I’ll see how tired I am at the end of my shift.” She broke off talking when Ken walked over to join them.
“Carolyn, I need to see you for a moment.” He looked at Kerri and she excused herself.
Carolyn was prepared for him to try to convince her to stick around, but that wasn’t what he wanted at all. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a check, “This is yours.”
“What?” Carolyn asked him in confusion. She unfolded the check and then her eyebrows went up, “What is this?”
“It’s a check for two thousand and forty-eight dollars. I figure that’s the amount of tips I made you split with me over the last few months.”
Carolyn was shocked and tucked it into the pocket of her skirt, “Thanks. Mind my asking what changed your mind?”
“I realized while I was trying to find your replacement that you and Kerri are the real reason the diner has survived these last few years. I also realized that if I wanted to continue being successful I needed to start doing things differently.”
Carolyn smiled at him and nodded her head, “I’m glad. This place looks much better and we’re even attracting families now.” She pointed towards the family she’d just finished serving and watched him smile.
“Thank you,” he told her and then he turned to leave. “Oh,” he stated, turning back, “You can leave early. I overheard you telling Kerri about some auction you wanted to attend. Now you have money to spend, so go do it.”
Carolyn grinned, “So I do. Thanks. Kerri,” she hollered out, waving at the woman, “I’m outta here. I’ll catch you later this weekend.”
“Hey, Carolyn,” Ken called to her.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
She dropped her apron off in the dirty laundry basket and grabbed her car keys. It seemed she had time and resources to attend the auction after all. Today was definitely turning out to be a good day!
Chapter 16
Carolyn stopped by the bank and cashed Ken’s guilty conscience check and once she’d arrived at the hotel where the auction was being held, she was glad she had. As she stepped into the large ballroom, she was amazed at how many items were going to be auctioned off.
The bidding was set to begin soon, so she signed in and received a paddle with her own number on it. Hugging it to her, she looked around at the tables closest to the bidding area, but soon the auctioneer was urging everyone to find their seats. She’d not found the beads that had been advertised, but she decided to watch the first few items and see just how the auction was going to be handled and then go search them out and decide if she really wanted to bid on them.
She took a seat near the back and then watched in amazement as the auctioneer brought up the first item for bid. Muffled whispers filled the room at the shock of the mystery item, it was a stuffed teddy bear and upon closer inspection, she recognized it as being the same teddy bear she’d seen in Mahil’s closet.
She glanced around, but didn’t see either him or Ahmed. What’s the bear doing in this auction? She listened as the auctioneer attempted to lure someone into bidding on it, but no one seemed interested. When he began his final countdown, Carolyn found herself raising her paddle, agreeing to pay one hundred dollars for the worn-out child’s toy.
“Sold!” the auctioneer stated to the room and then he moved on to the next item up for bid.
Carolyn watched the bear leave the stage when suddenly she felt a presence behind her and a deep voice whispering in her ear, “Thank you, Cara.”
She spun around to see Mahil standing there, looking so good she could only look at him and wish they were anywhere but a crowded ballroom full of potential bidders.
“Come with me,” he suggested softly and she left her chair and allowed him to pull her out of the room. He continued walking her towards the hotel foyer and then to the private elevators that took them straight up to the penthouse suite.
When the elevator doors closed, he turned to her, “I wasn’t sure if you would come. Not after the way I treated you the last time we were together. Not after the things I said to you.”
“Mahil, I don’t understand. What are you doing here?”
The elevator doors opened up to the penthouse apartment and he escorted her inside before answering. “I’ve done some soul searching since we last talked. Much, actually. You and Ahmed were right. I’ve been trying to atone for Lyla’s death by saving everything I could, but the pain of losing her never goes away. My guilt never went away.”
“That’s because the guilt wasn’t yours to begin with,” she told him softly, watching
him pace across the white plush carpet. She’d missed him terribly and was happy to see him moving on with his life.
Mahil returned to her side and took her hands in his own, looking down into her eyes, “You are much like my sister in many ways. Your will to survive is strong. As a boy, many times I wanted to give up. To join one of the gangs as a means to survive, but Lyla wouldn’t let me. She would bring me to the library to show me pictures and we would dream of a better life.”
“Is that why you have so many books?”
Smiling, “Yes. Lyla had learned to read thanks to a kind volunteer at the library and she taught me. She was fascinated with books.”
“What did she like to read?”
“Anything with a happy ending.” Mahil smiled as he said it. “These last two months have been miserable and I won’t let my past ruin our future anymore.”
“Our future?”
“Yes. I can’t survive without you, Cara.”
Carolyn felt her heart skip a beat as those words left his mouth. She’d thought about this moment for two months – dreamed of seeing him again. But how could she trust him again?
“I missed you terribly. I thought about coming here and kidnapping you again.”
“You did?” she asked in wonder, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“I did. Ahmed talked me out of it. He said I’d been lucky the first time, and spending the rest of my life barred from entering your country was not how I should prove I’d changed.”
“So, I still don’t understand. How did the teddy bear end up being part of the auction?”
“I arranged for the auction to take place. It was a good strategic move for Al-Sarid and our people, and it gave me a perfect opportunity to see you again. I knew about your jewelry business and how well it was doing.”
“Did you know that I was asked just this week to recreate some Middle Eastern design pieces?” she asked, suspicion growing in her mind.
“Guilty. I visited the boutique owner and she fell in love with our story. She offered to help steer you in this direction and I couldn’t refuse her.”
