by Kishan Paul
The two stared at each other, neither speaking. Recollections of a childhood he shared with the man seated across from him flooded Raz until Boss’s cough in his ear reminded him of the purpose of this visit. “Where did they send you after Sayeed Babba’s house exploded?” It was a question he already knew the answer to. He’d made it a point to track down all of his brothers in the past year.
“Istanbul,” Adil confirmed. “To live with a general from the Special Forces Command and his lovely but lonely wife. Life wasn’t too bad until the general realized I kept his wife and his bed warm when he went off on a mission.” Adil winked. “It was fun while it lasted though. I heard you didn’t fare as well.”
Raz tipped his head. “You heard correctly. I wound up in Inshas with one of the trainers for the Thunderbolt, an Egyptian special unit.” His jaw tightened. He grabbed the empty cup and pretended to take a sip. “Trust me, there was nothing warm about my placement. I ran as fast as I could.”
Adil nodded. “And, like me, you wound up in Mumbai?”
He ran his finger along the rim of the vessel. “No. I’m here for a meeting. One that should be happening any second now.”
Raz willed Adil to prove him and the others wrong. To say something indicating his arrival was a coincidence.
Instead, his brother laughed and planted his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Well, wait no more. I am your appointment.”
He lifted his brows and feigned surprise. “You’re working with Wassim Bhai, then?”
“Yes, and”—his brother scanned the area before leaning in—“for some reason he thinks you are trying to kill him.”
“Me?” Raz laughed.
“I shared a similar reaction. You’re the most loyal person I know. Hell, from what I’ve heard, you snuck in to the States and killed our dear Sara’s husband. What greater proof of loyalty is there?”
Raz’s grip on his weapon tightened.
“But he insists you’re untrustworthy.” Adil chuckled. “Poor guy’s a little paranoid. I’m one of the few he trusts. Even then, he refused to let me come. I insisted. You’re my brother. You won’t hurt me. So, here I am.”
Although his tone sounded light, from the intensity of his gaze, Wassim wasn’t alone in his beliefs.
“Here you are.” Raz tipped his chin in Adil’s direction. “And you brought a gun or two…”
The armed brother in question shrugged and waved at the waitress. “You remember Babba’s saying: Hope for a stroll, but—”
“Be ready for a sprint,” the men recited in unison.
Adil’s eyes filled. “It’s been a long time, brother.”
Disgust and disappointment squeezed his chest. Sprinkled in with the other two emotions was a heavy dose of guilt. If he’d gotten to him sooner, could he have prevented the current situation? “Why haven’t you responded to any of my messages?”
Adil shrugged. “Many of us have moved on from our pasts and don’t want to go back to the old ways.”
“Makes sense.” Raz leaned back and crossed his arms, studying him. “Kidnapping and imprisoning people tends to keep one busy.”
His brother’s brows rose. “You’ve been following up on me?”
“Not any more than you’ve been following up on me.”
“Stay on task,” Boss snapped.
He cleared his throat. The man across from him was a target. Something he needed to remember. “I’ve been searching for all my brothers and Wassim Bhai for years.”
“Now you’ve found us. Tell me, why the urgency to meet Bhai?”
He slid the empty glass to the side, planted his arms on the table, and leaned forward. “Someone important to him needs his help.”
“I’m en route,” Tay said.
Adil mirrored his pose. “What kind of help?”
“What can I get for you, sir?” Adil jumped at the waitress’s question, silencing them both.
Raz watched for any indication that Adil recognized the brother hidden under the wig, makeup, and women’s attire. The top buttons of Tay’s white blouse were unbuttoned, revealing the tops of his prosthetic breasts and the black lace bra, which held them in place. When he bent down to slide the tray onto the table, Adil took the opportunity to gaze down their waitress’ shirt.
“Another coffee, please.” Raz placed his now-empty vessel on the silver tray.
“And you?” Tay inched closer, fixing his kajal-rimmed eyes on the target and smiled his bright-red stained lips.
“I’m hungry,” Adil confessed while he admired his waitress’s cleavage, making his desires clear. “What can you offer me?”
The server began a five-minute lecture, listing off the various baked items from the menu and sharing unnecessary details on how each item was made. At the end of the lengthy speech, the waitress grinned down at Adil, allowing him to answer. “Cold orange soda and the chicken rolls for me and my brother, please. My treat.”
“Brother?” Tay planted a manicured hand on each of their shoulders and searched their faces. “I don’t see the resemblance.”
The two shared a knowing glance. “We are brothers, but not in blood,” Raz explained.
After the waitress retreated inside the cafe to get their orders, an awkward silence fell between them.
“Buy me time.” Tay’s whispered voice filled the feed.
Raz pushed his glasses farther up his nose and grinned. “Do you remember how I saved your life?”
Adil laughed. “Please, I could have handled Fat Musa Samosa without your help.”
Fat Musa Samosa’s hissed whisper of curses echoed in his feed, followed by Boss’s order for Moose to shut up.
“Really? Because what I remember is you wetting your pants while your bloody nose turned your face and clothes red, screaming for help while he beat the living shit out of you. You’d be dead if I hadn’t pulled him off. Why the hell would you call someone as big as him a name in the first place? I don’t think he’d have touched you if you’d just kept your mouth shut.”
Adil chuckled and shook his head. “I was an arrogant little shit, wasn’t I?” The man’s smile vanished. “My asshole of a father had just dropped me off at the orphanage, leaving me two choices, either kill myself or someone else. Fat Musa Samosa seemed the perfect target. But you botched it up by—”
“Saving your life?” Raz interjected. “And how many times did I have to do that because of you and your nicknames?”
Adil shook his head, a proud smile stretched across his face. “Those nicknames were golden. Except for you. I couldn’t come up with a good one for you.”
Raz smiled back. “You were an all-around asshole. Remember when you stole Umber’s favorite pillow?”
“I did Dumber Umber a favor. Eight-year-old boys shouldn’t be crying all the time, much less needing to hug their favorite pillows when they do…”
He kept him talking about their past and their brothers until Tay returned with their order.
When he bent over and placed the tray of food on the table, Adil’s interest returned to Tay’s cleavage. He inched closer, granting him a better visual. “Here are the soda and the chicken rolls you ordered.”
Too fixated on the cleavage, Adil hopefully didn’t notice Tay returning the cell phone he’d swiped from him when he took his order. “Since the cook just made fresh muffins, I threw a few in just for you two.” He winked, placing the cakes in the center of their table. “Enjoy.”
Neither spoke until the waitress disappeared inside the store. Adil took a sip from the straw poking out of the long neck of his orange bottled cola. “Have you seen any of the others?”
“Some.” Raz grabbed a muffin from the plate and bit in to it. Warm sweet bread with hints of berry melted on his tongue. “Others, like you, haven’t responded.” He slid the plate toward his brother. “They’re good. Reminds me of Alyah Mummy’s cakes.”
“There’s a name I haven’t heard in years.” Adil searched through the platter of hot bread before selecting on
e and popping it in his mouth. “Speaking of the mummies, Bhai thinks you are buddy-buddy with Sara Irfani.” He grabbed one of the chicken wraps and bit into it as well. “That’s not even her real name.”
Raz took another nibble of his bread before responding. “I am close to her. She will always be like a mother to me.”
Adil wiped the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin. “A mother who killed your adopted father, his wife, his brother, his father, and many more.”
“That’s one theory. There are several others.”
“Is that why you’re here?” He wadded up the napkin and tossed it on the table before reaching for his soda. “To explain the other theories?”
“No. Remember, I didn’t know I would see you.” He copied his brother and sipped his coffee. “But even if I did expect you, I know better than to share my theories with you. I came here to meet Wassim Bhai, or at least pass along a message.”
Adil waved his hand for him to continue.
“I need something from him.”
His brother grinned. “He is a generous man. Tell me what you need, and I will pass it along.”
He reached inside his messenger bag, noting the way his brother stiffened at his movement, and pulled out the picture and a narrow white packet, placing them both on the table. “I need him to take a test.” Razaa slid the kit across the table. “Everything he needs is in there. All he has to do is rub the cotton tip inside his cheek and mail it back in the envelope. To protect his identity, I registered him as Dinesh Patel.”
“Dinesh Patel.” Adil stared at the package with disdain. “And why would he do this?”
He pushed the picture to his brother. “Because it could save this child’s life.”
“Or it could be poisonous.” Adil took a long sip of his drink while he stared at the image of a child. “Who is he?”
“That is information Wassim Bhai will decide if he wants to share with you.”
A lazy grin stretched across his face. “Bhai tells me everything.”
Raz shrugged. “Apparently, not everything.”
His response had the intended result. Adil scowled and pushed the image and packet toward him. “I understand him well enough to know he will not risk putting poison in his mouth for a random boy.”
“If I wanted to have him killed, don’t you think I’d have come up with a more creative way?”
They stared each other down, neither speaking for a beat. Raz broke the staring match and waved his hand at the envelope. “It is not poisonous. Just a cotton swab. Everything is clean and untouched. He will put it in the envelope and mail it. They will test Dinesh Patel’s sample to see if he can help the child.”
Adil steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them. “Why would he risk all he has to help this brat?”
“Give him the picture. He’ll fill in the rest.” Raz tapped his finger on the image. “And I assure you, he will kill you if you don’t.”
Adil surveyed him as if trying to read inside his head, amusing Raz. He sipped the now lukewarm coffee and waited. Once upon a time, the man across the table looked up to him and considered him a trusted brother. Their loyalty so strong, they’d have died for the other and asked questions later. It was sad to see just how easily the bonds of loyalty frayed.
“I put my number on the pictures.” Raz leaned back in his chair. “In case he surprises you and wants more information.”
“What guarantee do I have there is no tracker on it?”
“He has the technology to scan for those things.”
Adil picked up the packet and picture, slipping them in his pocket. “I will send it to him. But I assure you the only thing he will want is Sara Irfani’s head.”
Their eyes locked. “If he is a match, that can be arranged.”
CHAPTER ONE
NADIYA
Arms crossed, Ally’s attention flitted between the six monitors affixed to the rear wall of her surveillance room. Tense muscles coiled tighter while she scrutinized the black SUV with dark-tinted windows. It had sat idle in the same spot for the past ten minutes, right outside her front gates.
For the hundredth time, she inspected the other screens for additional threats. Each one live-streamed views and angles of the perimeter through cameras strategically placed throughout her sixty-plus acres of property. Some flashed aerial views of the apple and pear orchard. Another set displayed a full three-sixty of her two-story red-bricked Tudor-style home and of the second smaller fence that encircled the house and lawn. Other cameras focused on her barns and the driveway lined with cherry trees leading up to her home. All of which appeared undisturbed.
She dialed into the intercom and cleared her throat before speaking to the receiver of her cell. “This is Nadiya Lane. You are trespassing on my property. Identify yourself or leave.”
The silence that greeted her made the sound of her pulse thudding behind her ears seem louder. After several minutes of nothing, she disconnected and pressed one on the speed dial.
Her orchardist and best friend Leanna, or Lee as she called her, picked up on the first ring. “Still no response, I take it?”
“No. Can you make out the occupants?”
“One passenger and the driver. It’s all I can make out. The windows are too dark. It’s a rental. No other vehicles. You seeing the same?”
Ally zoomed in as much as she could before answering. “Yes.” With all the cameras and safeguards they had in place, how could this happen?
“Time to call Justin?”
She considered the option. The sheriff of the local police department was the only person on the island who understood their real story. He was an invaluable ally who’d come to their aid on more than a couple occasions the past few years. She bit her lip and watched the SUV. “Let’s give it a couple more minutes. If they don’t drive away, I’ll call him.” She disconnected the line and tightened her grip on the phone as she willed the SUV to drive away.
“Who’s here, Momma?”
She jumped at his voice. So engrossed in the mysterious vehicle, she hadn’t noticed Jayden entering the room. Ally drew in a few breaths and calmed herself before plastering on a smile, glancing over her shoulder at her son and the two dogs who’d become his steadfast shadows. Large pale green orbs, currently double in size, stared past her at the screens. The sharp edges of his collarbone peeked out from under his shirt collar when he craned his head to study the SUV on the monitors. Barely over four feet, two inches tall, the little guy leaned his head back the closer he got to the images secured on the wall above him.
“Momma, who’s that?”
She shook her head when he asked her the same question a second time. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“I bet it’s Bhai.” His face lit up. “Maybe he’s finally home!”
She rested her hand on his unruly brown curls, wishing the same. He idolized his big brother. Called him Super Bhai half the time. And with good reason. Razaa would do anything for the little kid, and his departure hit him the hardest.
She glanced behind her at the screen. As much as they hoped for Super Bhai’s return, her gut screamed it wasn’t anyone super. He’d have called, not sat idle outside the property.
The driver’s side window lowered, revealing a piece of cardboard, large enough to hide the driver. Ally inched close to the monitor and squinted to see around the barrier, but the brown divider blocked her view and grew as it moved closer to the camera, obstructing her view of the persons behind it. The hair on the back of her neck rose.
An icy chill washed over her. She called the second person on her speed dial. “Jayden, you know what you need to do,” she muttered as she waited for the call to go through.
“But—”
“Go.” She shot him her it’s not up for negotiation look and placed the phone next to her ear while waiting for the call to go through.
His boney shoulders slumped. “Okay,” he mumbled and walked away. The one-word response dripped of disappointment. It
screamed of his belief that he was old enough to stay upstairs, of his not-so-subtle theory that she was once again overreacting. But through it all was resignation because he understood none of those arguments would work on her. Ally pushed the guilt away to deal with another time, returned her focus to the brown screen, and impatiently waited for Justin to answer his phone.
“Zeus. Safe room.” The Husky/German Shepherd mix whined his understanding of her order and followed Jayden out the door.
“Nadiya, what can I do for you?” a deep male voice answered on the third ring.
“Hey, Justin. There’s a black SUV parked in front of my gate, and whoever it is has blocked the security camera.”
“On my way,” he said before the line went silent.
Ally chewed the inside of her cheek. With all the cameras and safeguards they had in place, no one could get inside the property without her authorization. She inhaled a slow breath, trying to ease the tension building in her stomach. As soon as Justin showed up and made them leave, she’d add more cameras to make sure this couldn’t happen again.
When the steel barriers of the outside fence clicked and the metal doors started to slide open, her blood ran cold. Eyes locked on the screens, she moved backward to the wall-to-wall bookcases lining the side of the room. She reached for the molding between two of the cases and palmed the designs etched into the wood until her fingers landed on the slight dip and pressed. A beat later, one of the six-foot-tall vertical panels popped out.
She pulled on the molding, sliding it and the wall connected to it, out. Secured to the middle of the hidden wall was a safe.
Ally glanced at the screen to see the SUV pulling up to the now open gates. Ten minutes. That’s how long it would take the black SUV to make it to the second fence and set of gates––if Lee and Justin weren’t able to stop it before then.
She punched in the code, and when it beeped its acceptance, laid her palm against the sensor for final identification. A second later, the safe unlatched, popping open.
Lee had told her often to keep weapons hidden throughout the property for situations like this. With a child running around the house, she refused. The last thing she wanted was for him to discover one of the hiding spots. She shoved aside a dusty metal lock box and reached for one of the guns stashed behind it. Her heart hammered an erratic beat against her ribs as she pulled the gun and two magazines of bullets out.