by Dale Mayer
“I must have a son,” he roared.
“Or what?”
“We have discussed this,” he said. “Or the order goes to my brother.”
“So maybe your brother gets to rule. But does he have a son?”
Nahim looked at his brother and then nodded reluctantly. “He has four sons.”
“So the family’s lineage is safe,” she said carefully. “It’s just not the way you wanted it to be.” She could see that it made Nahim extremely distraught to even consider such a thing. “Besides,” she said, “your wife is carrying another child, and your son is still alive.”
He nodded. “And, for that, I must keep him alive. She has already given birth to five girls. I need more boys.”
“Maybe,” Abby said. “But since your sperm determines the sex of the child, that’s hardly her fault.” He didn’t like hearing that. She wasn’t sure if he’d ever been told that in his life. She studied him. “Did you not know that?”
“I know that,” he muttered. “But, according to our ways, she can do things to make it one way or the other.”
“Oh, brother,” she said. “Please spare me that drivel. Your sperm decides the sex of the child. That’s it. So, if you are only producing daughters, it is you who needs to be questioning your own contribution to your family hierarchy. The fact that you have produced one son means that at least you can produce a son. Now all you must do is produce more.”
“Yes,” he admitted.
Just then Danny came back into the room. He caught sight of Abby and smiled. “I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “The process went well. Now it’ll just be a matter of time.” He looked at the mother and asked, “Do you want to be with him?”
Immediately her face broke into a smile, and Abby could see the tears in her eyes. The mother raced to Danny, and he led her away.
The father stood, staring at Abby. “Why am I not allowed to see my son?”
“You are,” she said. “Do you want me to take you to him?”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, please.”
She immediately followed Danny and Abdul’s mother until both parents were at their son’s side. She watched as Nahim leaned over, gently stroking a finger across the boy’s temple. The child shifted, looked up at his father, and smiled. And, if she hadn’t been looking quite so closely, she wouldn’t have seen the sheen of tears in Nahim’s eyes.
It was good to see. She really did want to believe that Nahim cared about his son because the other possibility was that, for whatever twisted reason, he had administered the arsenic himself. She stepped back and watched the family tableau. The head of security stood slightly to the side. She caught a glimpse of his expression, and she wondered if he cared at all. She walked closer and, in a low voice, said, “The child will live. Better luck next time.” And she walked past him.
He grabbed her arm and shook her hard. “Woman, you stay silent in my presence,” he roared.
Immediately Jax decked him, dropping Nahim’s brother to his knees, while surely his head rang, his brain shaking inside his skull, gasping until the pain stopped. Nahim was there instantly. “What is the meaning of this?”
Jax responded tightly. “He attacked Abby. That will never be allowed in any country.”
Nahim looked down at his brother and said, “What’s wrong with you?”
“She implied I’m the one responsible.”
“Well, if Nahim can blame his wife,” she said, “then I might as well blame you too.”
“Why is that?” he asked as he slowly made his way to his feet.
“Because she can’t look after all aspects of Abdul’s safety. You are the head of security for all of the family. So you’ve failed to do your job.”
And, on that note, she turned and walked away.
“I’d like to speak with you,” Jax said to Nahim, “but I must keep an eye on her.”
“Why is she in danger?” asked Nahim in confusion. “I will keep my brother away from her.”
“That would be good,” he said, “but the fact that you ordered your brother to kill four innocent people in order to grab her, that’ll never go down in her books.”
Nahim drew himself up to his full height and said, “We were prepared to do what was necessary. I did not know about the shootings though. They were not done by my orders.”
“And how about now? Your son doesn’t have cancer, and you didn’t need Abby at all,” Jax said. “So on whose orders were those deceptions done?” He called out, “Abby, stop.”
She froze, turned, and glared at him. “Hurry up then.”
Jax turned back to Nahim. “You should speak to your family’s primary doctor who made an incorrect diagnosis and who caused all this chaos.”
“He said that he had an incorrect diagnosis from the previous doctor,” Nahim said cautiously. “And that he needed this woman.”
“And even you must see how ridiculous his explanation is.”
At that, Nahim nodded. “Yes, yes. I can see that.”
“Finally one point made that we agree upon.” She groaned, came up to him, and said, “Talk to Windberg. Why you left him in charge of getting me when all you had to do was phone me is absurd. So ask Windberg about that charade on the cruise ship to get a hold of me. Why not just send a couple men on board to take me from my cabin and move me at any one of the port stops? Or why not stop me before I got on the ship or even from my hometown?” She shook her head. “Instead you created an international incident and terrified thousands of people and killed four. For what?” she asked with a disparaging snort. “For a worthless doctor your son doesn’t even need. So ask yourself, why did Windberg do this?”
But the father already had his phone out and dialed someone. “Benjamin, where are you? I must speak with you,” he said, then paused, seemingly listening to Benjamin on the other line. “Regardless, I want you at the hospital waiting room. The first stage of treatment has been done for my son, but I need to talk to you.” And without giving him any chance, he hung up. “Now Benjamin will come,” he said. “And we will get answers.”
“Good,” she said. “In the meantime, I want a cup of coffee.” She turned to leave, only to face the head of security standing at the end of the hallway. “Jax?” she said.
“I see him,” Jax said easily, then turned toward Nahim. “Do you really expect to stop us from leaving?”
Nahim shook his head. “No. I don’t want that. But I do want Benjamin here so that he can see and address your accusations himself.”
“Perfect,” Jax said. “But did you ever ask Benjamin if he’s interested in being here with the rest of us?”
Nahim frowned. “Of course he would be,” he said. “Every man wants to meet his accusers.”
“Ah, if you say so,” Jax said. “The thing is, I don’t really believe Windberg agrees with you on that.”
“We’ll see then, won’t we?” he said. “He is on his way.”
“Good,” Jax said. “How long will it take him?”
“It won’t take him long at all.”
Thirty minutes later, there was still no sign of Benjamin. Jax and Abby leaned against the hall wall, not seeing anybody. He could feel the tension in Abby’s frame as she waited for the man of her nightmares to show up. But the longer it went on, she turned to Nahim and finally said, “I don’t think he’ll show.”
“He will show,” he said. “He must show.”
“And why is that?” she asked.
“Because I’ve ordered him to come,” he said in surprise. “He has no choice.”
“Interesting,” she said. “So where is he then?”
He pulled out his phone and called Benjamin. “There’s no answer,” he said, frowning.
The head of security said, “But we’re not allowed to use phones much in the hospital, so he may have turned his off.”
Nahim nodded. “That makes sense.”
“No,” Jax said. “It does not make sense.”
“You are no
t being fair,” the security man said.
“Maybe not,” Jax said, “but we’re quite prepared to sit here and wait.”
And wait they did for another forty-five minutes, and now Nahim grew angrier. He motioned at his brother and said, “Go find him.” Immediately he took off.
“My brother does not like you implying that he is trying to take me out.”
“Of course he doesn’t,” she said. “Nobody would like that. The fact of the matter is, somebody has been administering arsenic to your son. For three whole months. Who has that kind of daily access to Abdul? If it’s not you—and I do not believe it’s your wife or the child’s grandmother—then who?”
Nahim studied her for a long moment and then gave a clipped nod. “That’s the question, isn’t it? Then who?”
She nodded. “My bet is on Benjamin.”
“But you are already prejudiced against this man,” he protested.
“With good reason,” she said. “Who arranged the plans for the cruise ship?”
“Benjamin and my brother arranged it.”
“And you did not think there was an easier way?”
He shrugged. “I did not care. My son was dying. Anything that will save him was fine.”
“Got it,” she said. “So your family rates over all other families.”
“As it would be for you as well, if it was your family.”
He had a point, Abby thought. Because everybody would consider themselves and their families as a high priority when it came to some crunch like this.
“The question is, who else had access?” Jax asked.
“I do not know,” Nahim stated. “It should have been nobody. That is why we set it up as it is.”
“Were you expecting an attack on your son?” Jax asked.
“There was always a possibility,” he said. “I have enemies. And I am wealthy. That always brings in trouble.”
“Exactly,” Jax said. “But it’s rarely as complicated as that. Somebody has to be very close to Abdul in order to access the child to give daily doses of the poison.”
The father nodded. “So I understand. It leaves me with very few suspects.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Definitely a few things need to be considered.”
“Agreed.” He considered her intently. “Why do you not want to be with the doctor? It’s a prestigious position, and he makes good money. Many women want him.”
“Because he hurts me,” she said. “Because I don’t like him, and I don’t believe he is good doctor. And he’s certainly not a good man.”
Nahim frowned. “I am not happy to hear this.”
“No,” she said. “I imagine you’re not. But you have Windberg looking after your son, and you should take another look at that.”
“Who cleared him for this position?” Jax asked.
“My brother,” he said, “but Benjamin had been a physician for another family member.”
“And did their child live?”
“Yes, he got very ill, and this doctor helped.”
“Good,” she said. “As long as Benjamin didn’t cause the illness in the first place.”
Nahim stared at her, his eyes going dark as he mentally went through a time frame. “I don’t know,” he said. “He got sick after the doctor arrived, but then the doctor fixed him.”
“Exactly,” she said. “It often happens that way so that a doctor can build himself a great reputation.”
“They deliberately make somebody sick so they can heal them?” Nahim asked in shock.
“People like Benjamin, of course,” she said. “But, in your son’s case, something went wrong. And that’s why Windberg wanted help. This is a different kind of medicine.”
“But we have this kind of medicine, don’t we?”
“That’s a question you really must ask yourself because I do not know.”
Just then the brother arrived. “There’s no sign of Dr. Windberg,” he said. He held up a phone. “This is his.”
Nahim frowned. “Why is Windberg separated from his phone? Has he been attacked?” He turned his accusing glare to Jax.
Jax shook his head. “Not by us. I’d like to have a talk with him myself, for attacking Abby over five years ago and for attacking me today. I’m quite happy to bring him in here, where we can sort this out.”
Nahim obviously agreed. He looked at his brother. “And?”
The brother took a deep breath. “I’m wondering if there isn’t something to what she says,” he said. “Windberg left behind the phone, and we have no other way to track him.”
“What about the hotel that you booked for him?”
“He never checked in,” his brother said sadly. “I’m afraid he’s disappeared.”
“But did he disappear by choice or has one of my enemies taken him out?” Nahim snapped, his voice turning ugly. He turned his gaze to Jax and Abby. “You need to find him.”
Jax pulled out his phone and quickly sent Beau a message. When his phone rang a few minutes afterward, it was Griffin.
“We’re running cameras inside the hospital and on all the nearby streets. We haven’t seen Windberg leave the hospital yet.”
Jax faced Nahim. “According to the video cameras, Windberg hasn’t left the hospital yet.”
“Then he is here.” He turned to his brother. “Find him. If he’s the one who did this to Abdul …”
The brother gripped Nahim’s shoulder and said, “I’ll find him.”
“You might want to leave him alive long enough that we can get some answers to our questions,” Jax said.
The brother shot him a look and said, “I’ll consider it.” And he disappeared.
“You’re not leaving too, are you?” she asked Jax.
He smiled. “My job is to look after you. So, no, I’m not leaving you.”
“You should be looking after my son.”
“No,” she rounded on the father. “You should be looking after your son.” And, on that, she stepped up and glared at him. “Before somebody around you uses your son as a toy or a tool yet again for their own purposes.”
He glared at her, then spun on his heels and returned to his son’s bedside.
Jax looked at her. “I think you’re redefining women for him.”
“No,” she said gently. “Just reaffirming that he prefers women from his country. They don’t talk back.”
He laughed, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her.
Chapter 16
Abby hated to say it, but, with everything now at a standstill for the moment, her energy was dropping again. She walked toward Jax. “Any chance of going to the hotel for a break?”
He looked at her in surprise. “The hotel?”
“If Benjamin’s here, I’m probably better off not to be,” she said drily.
He checked his watch. “It’s not quite seven. Sunset shouldn’t be until nine tonight. Let me check.” He pulled out his phone and quickly called Griffin, telling him what they were doing.
“It’s not a bad idea at that,” Griffin said. She could hear his voice through the phone. “She probably needs to lie down.”
“Yes,” Abby said. “And I’d just like to know that I’m safe for a few minutes.”
“Then why not take a few hours?” Griffin asked. “At least until we locate Benjamin.”
“You got security covered at the hotel?” Jax asked Griffin.
“We will,” he said. “Just take it easy. Go slow and careful.”
“Always,” Jax said. And, with that, he led her through the hospital and outside to the hotel. Even the fresh air perked her up. As they walked on the street, everybody around them was oblivious to the stress of the nightmare they were currently living.
She said, “It’s so weird to be involved in this, when the world around us is ignorant. They are living a life without knowing how dark the underbelly is.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s something I deal with all the time.” He turned, glanced behind him, and urged her on
a little faster.
She looked at him. “Is there a reason why we’re almost running?”
“Yes,” he said. “I think we’re being followed.”
Instantly she turned.
“Don’t look now,” he muttered. He wrapped an arm around her and tilted his head so it rested against hers. “Let the world think we’re lovers.”
“If that’s what it takes,” she agreed. “Do you think it’s Benjamin?”
“I’m not sure if we have another element here to worry about.”
“Could be MI6 keeping an eye on us?”
“Then they suck at their job,” he said bluntly.
She chuckled at that and then gasped. “How can I find anything funny in all this?”
“Better to find something funny than to cry.”
“Do you see how close to tears I am?” she asked. “It’s not what I wanted at all.”
“Doesn’t matter if you want to or not,” he said. “Sometimes it overtakes us.”
“Maybe it’s dealing with Abdul that hurts so much. That little boy’s been through all of this over what?”
“You really think somebody tried to kill him?”
“We all know that,” she said steadily. “The father continues to deny the options of who had access.”
“Oh, his brain is working. He knows that he doesn’t have very many people in that inner circle of his. And I think, as much as he might not want to believe it, your word does have weight. The fact that you exonerated his wife and her mother …”
“And I sure as hell hope that I’m right in doing so,” she said. “We’ve seen cases where mothers and grandmothers killed family members without a thought, but, in this case, it’s not like either the mother or the grandmother are getting attention from Abdul’s near death. And the mother is pregnant yet again.”
“Well, I, for one, agree with you,” he said. “And the most likely suspect is Benjamin. We’ve had him pigeonholed as the bad guy right from the beginning.”
“And I wonder if that’s made us careless,” she muttered. She stopped abruptly. She didn’t recognize the area. “Where are we?”