by Emma Easter
He smiled, but a smile of mockery rather than pleasure. “Yes, I didn’t tell her because I didn’t want her to tell you where Frank is.”
“But I have—”
He cut her off again. “You’ve done enough harm, Mrs. Coleman, or whatever you are called now. Please just leave Frank alone.”
Trisha sighed sadly. “I know I deserve your anger. But please, even if you can’t tell me where he is, just let me have a phone number to reach him. I need to talk to him.” Nick shook his head. “No. I’m not even going to give you a phone number to reach him. The last time you talked to him on the phone, he packed up his things and went to Rosefield to win your heart. I told him it was a bad idea, but he wouldn’t listen. I was right. You broke his heart and now he’s gone… again.” He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. “So, do not ask me to give you his number; because I won’t.”
Trisha bit her bottom lip until it hurt. “I know I’m to blame, but I really need your help. Please. I have realized that I love him and I need to tell him that. I need to repair what I have broken. Please.”
“I’m sorry,” he said coldly. “I can’t help you. I have work to do now.” He waved his hand around the restaurant. “As you can see, I am a very busy man.” He stared at her accusingly. “I would be less busy, though, if my partner were here.”
She stood up and studied Nick’s face. His jaw was set, his features rigid. She knew he wasn’t going to tell her where Frank was or give her Frank’s number. She sighed again and said, “Thank you anyway.”
Striding out of the restaurant, she fought the disappointment and despair that flooded her heart. She would go straight to the airport and fly home to Rosefield, but she wouldn’t stop looking for a way to reach Frank. It was her fault that he’d fallen off the grid. She would do whatever it took to get him back, even if it meant camping in front of his parents’ house until they told her exactly where he was.
Chapter Eighteen
Bryan hurriedly entered his car and raced home. His heart drummed as he drove. He’d promised Sienna that he would begin to come home early, but a day after he’d made her that promise, Dr. Lincoln had announced that there would be a series of revival meetings in a town far away from where they lived. He’d tried his best to come home early on the first day of the revival meeting, but he’d still arrived at ten o’clock. Apologizing profusely to Sienna, he’d promised to do better the next day, but he had not. He had come home even later. He gave her the real reason for his lateness—that God’s presence had been so strong in the meeting that he couldn’t get away. But she had seemed uninterested in his explanation.
Today, it was almost midnight. She would be angry. If she spoke to him at all today, he would be lucky. He had to find a way to start coming home early. He couldn’t keep disappointing her.
Thankfully, because it was late, there was no traffic. He got home forty-five minutes later and opened the door with his pulse racing. Lord, help me, he prayed silently as he shut the door behind him and walked to the bedroom.
His heart hurt. Gone were the days when she waited for him eagerly in the living room every day. He missed those days so much. He took a deep breath as he stood in front of the bedroom door and prayed for wisdom to know what to say to calm her down if she blew up on him.
I don’t like that I have turned her into this constantly angry person, he thought. She’d been so sweet and soft-spoken when they’d gotten married. She hardly ever raised her voice. He knew part of it was her pregnancy hormones acting up, but a large part was his fault. “Lord, please let her forgive me… again,” he whispered.
Entering the bedroom, he took another deep breath and then walked up to the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the light was off and she was already asleep. Hopefully, she wouldn’t awaken when he got into bed. He would have some reprieve tonight before he faced her the next morning.
Using his phone as a flashlight, he changed into his pajamas, slowly and quietly got into the bed, and got under the covers. And then he blinked in surprise. He turned on the light and saw she wasn’t under the covers as he had thought. The duvet was just bunched up and the pillow was under it, but she wasn’t there.
He sat up, wondering where she was. Beginning to worry, he climbed out of the bed and went to the bathroom to see if she was there. She wasn’t. He raked his fingers through his hair as a sense of dread came over him. Lord, where is she?
He searched their tiny apartment but didn’t find her. He became frantic as he went back into the bedroom and picked up his phone from the bedside table. He dialed her number and listened as her phone rang. But she didn’t answer. He called again, but still she didn’t pick up.
He shook his head and paced the room, fear threatening to suffocate him. As he walked to the end of the room, a thought suddenly entered his mind and he went to the closet. He threw it open and then sharply sucked in his breath. Her clothes and shoes were gone. He looked down and noticed that the big suitcase she’d packed her clothes in when they’d come to Peru was also missing.
“Lord, she has left me,” he cried and tossed his phone on the bed. He sat on the bed as all his strength drained away from his body. What am I going to do now?
He felt like crying and ran his fingers through his hair. He exhaled and tried to gather himself together. Picking up his phone, he dialed Trisha’s number and waited impatiently as it rang.
Trisha’s voice came on the line, sounding groggy. “Hello… Bryan, is everything okay?”
“Do you know where Sienna is? I came home to find her gone. All her clothes are also gone.”
“What?” Trisha exclaimed. “I don’t know where she is. Oh, Bryan, what happened? Did you two have a fight?”
“It’s a long story,” he said, tapping his feet in frustration. “Let me call Audrey and Faizan. Maybe she told one of them where she went.”
Trisha said in a shaky voice, “Okay. I’ll try calling her number and see if she answers.”
Bryan ended the call and dialed Audrey’s number. She didn’t answer. He tried Faizan’s and waited as it rang. When Faizan answered, Bryan told him that Sienna was missing and asked if she had told him where she was going.
“She didn’t say anything about leaving when I spoke with her yesterday,” Faizan said, his voice ringing with alarm.
After they both promised to call each other if they heard anything, Bryan ended the call and sat looking at the ceiling. He slid to his knees and prayed earnestly that the Lord would keep her safe and keep the baby safe as well. He asked the Lord for wisdom as he didn’t know what to do. There was nothing more he wanted than to make her happy, but he also had to fulfill the ministry God had called him to.
He got up once more, changed back to his day clothes, grabbed his car keys from the dresser, and went out. He knew exactly where she’d gone. He just hoped he wasn’t too late by the time he got there.
*****
Zainah awoke with a start as she heard her name and Leila’s being called by someone outside. They’d been locked up in this smelly shack for days. “Zainah, Leila!” the voice called again. It sounded like Malik’s and it seemed he’d been calling them for some time now. The shack was dark except for a stream of light coming through the small window with iron bars. She slowly stood at the same time Leila did and went to the window. Sure enough, Malik’s face peered at them through the bars, illuminated by the flashlight he was holding.
Zainah smiled in relief as she looked at him. His eyes were on Leila beside her.
“I’ve been calling both of you for some time now. Come to the door,” he whispered. “I have the key.”
Leila let out a sob.
Zainah shut her eyes and briefly whispered a prayer of thanksgiving to God. As she walked to the door she kept touching the wall, looking for the light switch. At last she found it and switched the light on. The overhead bulb lit up the room. She held Leila tightly as they stood in front of the door and waited for Malik to open up for them.
T
he door flew open, and Malik and Leila immediately fell into each other’s arms. Zainah briefly hugged him in gratitude as he pulled away from Leila. “Thank you, Malik,” she said to him.
He nodded and said, “You both have to leave right now. I hired a taxi to take you to Kazi. There, you can take a bus back to wherever you want.”
Leila looked somberly at him. “Will you come with us?” she asked in a soft voice.
He took her hands in his and gazed at her, the look on his face sad. “You know I can’t leave now because of my daughter.”
She nodded and smiled sadly at him.
He reached out and touched her cheeks as tears fell down them. “I’ll miss you,” he said to her. “But I have your number and you have mine. Call me as soon as you get far away from this place.”
“I will.”
He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and wiped her tears away with his thumb. “I told you we will be together one day, and I promise it will happen no matter what. I’ll find a way to come to you, but it might take a while.” He leaned in and kissed her, and she returned his kiss.
As they kissed, Zainah watched them with a tinge of envy and an overwhelming sadness. And then she coughed to get their attention. “We have to go now.”
Malik stepped back from Leila. “You do have to go now.” He took Leila’s hand and beckoned for Zainah to follow him.
They walked quickly, stopping intermittently to look around and make sure no one was following. Except for the light from Malik’s flashlight and dim shafts of light coming from kerosene lamps in a few houses, Nira was dark. They walked between two small houses some distance from Zainah’s family house, and came out to an open field. Nostalgia filled Zainah’s mind as she remembered playing with her friends in this field. On the other side was a small car waiting with its engine running. They hurried to the car.
The driver, whose features Zainah could barely make out, spoke to Malik while she and Leila got into the backseat of the car. Zainah’s heart kept beating fast as she looked around her continuously, praying that no one would discover them. Her father was well respected in their small town. Most people would probably have heard about her impending forced marriage. If they saw her trying to get away, they would not hesitate to inform her father.
Leila stuck her head out of the car window as Malik finished speaking with the man. He kissed her again and then smiled at Zainah. “God be with you both,” he said.
She nodded and waved as the car drove away. When she finally turned around and settled down on her seat, she found that Leila was weeping softly, her hands covering her face. Zainah hugged her tightly.
“Just as he said, he’ll call soon,” was all she could say to Leila. She didn’t want to repeat what Malik had said about being reunited with Leila soon. As much as she loved them both, Malik didn’t share their faith. Besides, she didn’t want to give Leila false hope, as Malik’s promise might not come to pass. In time, he might, or most likely, would come to forget Leila.
The driver continued to drive until they got to the outskirts of Nira. He suddenly stopped and Zainah frowned. Her frown deepened when he opened the door and came out of the car.
“What is it?” she asked him. “Do we have a flat tire or something?”
Leila, who had begun to doze off, awakened and stared out the window at the driver. She turned to Zainah. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” Zainah answered. “I think something is wrong with the car.” They stared curiously at the driver and asked him what was wrong again. When he didn’t answer or even check any part of the car, Zainah became worried. The man stood with his back to them, as though he were waiting for someone, or something.
The hair on the back of Zainah’s neck stood up and she whispered to Leila, “I don’t like this. It’s like he’s waiting for someone. I don’t think we can trust him. Maybe we should get out of the car and make a run for it.”
Leila said, “I don’t think Malik would find us a driver who isn’t trustworthy, Zainah. Let’s stay calm and ask him what’s wrong again.”
Zainah shook her head. “How many times are we supposed to do that?” She took Leila’s hand. “Let’s leave now. It’s not safe for…” She gasped and widened her eyes as two men with flashlights suddenly appeared from nowhere, shining the lights in their faces.
Zainah instinctively covered her eyes with her hands, her heart drumming.
The men yelled and wrenched open the car door. Leila screamed as one of them grabbed her. Another man grabbed Zainah’s wrist. She tried to wrench it away, without success.
Leila screamed as the men pulled her out of the car, while Zainah fought them with all her heart. They yanked her out roughly and then began to drag her away with them. She fought and screamed but they didn’t stop, neither did anyone come to her rescue. Leila was sobbing and yelling at them beside her.
They bundled her and Leila into the back of a truck not far away. They all got in, squeezing Leila and Zainah between them. One covered Zainah’s mouth before she could scream again and another clamped his hand over Leila’s.
Zainah began to hyperventilate as they approached the shack behind her father’s house. Her father was standing near the shack with two other men. The truck stopped in front of him, and he stared at her with derision written on his face. She and Leila were carried out of the car.
The men set her down before her father, and Zainah stared at him with a mixture of loathing and surprise. “How can you treat your own daughter like this?” she screamed at him.
He blinked and then slapped her hard. “I should be the one asking you that question.”
Zainah staggered back and moaned in pain. She held her cheek and said to him, “At least let Leila go. Your anger is directed toward me and not her.”
Her father shook his head and sneered. “No. I am not letting anyone go. You both are marrying Ahmed and Bakari. Your joint wedding was supposed to be in two weeks’ time, but because you chose to run away, the wedding will be in two days.”
Zainah gasped in fear and pleaded with her father to reconsider. But he didn’t listen.
He looked at Leila, who looked too shocked to speak, and then glared at Zainah. “Prepare yourselves. In two days, you will both be married to good Muslim men.”
Zainah kept pleading, but her father didn’t even look at her again. He ordered the men to lock her and Leila in the shack again. Before they did, he said to her, “Tomorrow morning, your sister and some other women will come and get you and your friend to start the wedding preparations.” He shook his head as he stared at her. “One day, you will thank me for what I’m doing for you now.” He turned around and walked out of the shack.
The other men walked out after him and the door was firmly locked. Leila went to the door and began to bang on it while she screamed and begged to be let out. She turned to Zainah after a while and said in a fear-filled voice, “That driver sold us out. But how did he contact your father’s men so quickly when we didn’t even see him make a phone call?”
Zainah forced down the sob threatening to burst out of her mouth. “There is no other explanation I can think of. It must have been Malik. Maybe Father forced him to tell him where we were or maybe he did it of his own volition.”
Leila shook her head slowly, her eyes wide with fear. “I don’t believe that!”
“Then where is he now? My father didn’t even ask how we escaped.” She couldn’t hold back her sobs anymore. Kneeling on the floor, she wept.
Chapter Nineteen
The stars were shining bright in the sky when Miriam came out of her tent. The whole camp was completely silent. She headed toward the prayer tent, her heart deeply troubled. For the past week, she’d been worried about Zainah and Leila. When they’d left the camp several weeks before, she’d been worried about them, but somehow she’d known they were fine, wherever they were. She’d waited for the driver who took her to town every month to come to the camp so she could ask him where Zainah and
Leila had gone to. She figured they had arranged with her regular driver to come pick them up without anyone’s knowledge. But for some reason, that driver did not come when it was time for her to go to town. Instead, another driver had picked her up.
Miriam had been disappointed and had kept Zainah and Leila constantly in her prayers since then. But the week before, she’d felt a tug in her heart urging her to pray more specifically for their protection. The day before, the urgency to pray for them had increased. She’d prayed till late into the night. Throughout today, she had intermittently prayed for them as well. Now, she felt even more burdened to intercede on their behalf.
She entered the prayer tent and knelt down on the floor. Just as she started to pray, she heard the familiar voice of the Spirit say in her heart, Go now to the community you rescued Zainah from eleven years ago. My daughters are in trouble.
She frowned and whispered, “Lord, it’s the middle of the night and her community is very far from here. How am I supposed to get there… and at this time?”
“Go outside.”
Miriam’s frown deepened, but she obeyed. She stepped out of the tent, wondering why the Lord had asked her to come out. And then her ears perked up as she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. She blinked rapidly. Vehicles didn’t appear at the camp in the middle of the night. In fact, no vehicle came here except for the agreed truck once a month.
She watched the truck approaching with her mouth open. When it stopped in front of her and her old driver came out, her eyes widened in astonishment. “How come you are here… at this time?” she asked him.
The bearded driver said to her, “I’m sorry for stopping by so late. My boss sent me on an errand to the border this morning, and I’m only just returning now. I was passing through here and decided to stop as the roads leading to town have become very dangerous at night.” He pleaded, “Please, I know this is a women’s camp, but can I spend the night here? I promise to leave as soon as it is dawn.”