by Leslie North
Amy peeked around the corner again and watched them slowly back out of the house. Their eyes glittered with anger, and when they were gone, Shatha shut the door firmly behind them and collapsed against the wall.
“Shatha!” Dropping the pillow and blanket, Amy hurried to her side. “Are you okay?”
“I am well.” Shatha nodded and righted herself. “I didn’t realize that you were here, Amy. You shouldn’t have heard that.”
“I’m not sure what I heard,” she began slowly but then burst out, “but they want Aisha! Do you really think that it’s her family?”
“No.” The older woman narrowed her eyes. “If they had been her family, they would know her name. Aisha was three years old when she came here; old enough to know her name.”
“Then why would they want her?”
“When we were constantly at war with each other, the orphanages would be pillaged for able-bodied boys who could be taught to fight, so I’m no stranger to men like that.” She shook her head, her eyes troubled. “But I can’t fathom why they would want Aisha. I do know that it’s not for anything good.” Lifting her head, Shatha changed the subject, asking, “How is she?”
“She’s getting worse, but I don’t think we need to be worried yet. She’s resilient.”
Shatha smiled. “That she is. I want to keep her there, and I want eyes on her at all times. Until we know what these men want, she’s not safe.”
“I won’t leave her side,” Amy promised as she went back to gather her things. “Should we call the authorities?”
“No. Not until we know what’s going on. I’ll send Natasha out tomorrow and see if she can’t talk to some people and identify the men who came here.” Her voice hardened. “You let me worry about them. You keep your attention on Aisha.”
Slipping across the back area, Amy quietly stole into the guest house.
Aisha was still sleeping in her bed. There were no locks on the door, but Amy didn’t want to take any chances. She rolled the blanket out on the floor in front of the door. No one was coming in without her knowing about it.
“But I don’t feel good,” Aisha wheedled as Amy put her textbooks on her bed.
Amy smirked. “That’s interesting because not more than thirty minutes ago, you told me that you were feeling great and wanted to play when the other children were outside,” she pointed out. “And now, suddenly, you’re too sick to read?”
Aisha was quiet for a minute as if she were contemplating her options before she nodded solemnly. “Yes.”
“I’m so sorry that your health has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. I guess you should take a nap.”
Aisha immediately reached for the textbooks. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll read.”
“That’s what I thought,” Amy laughed. “I’m going to make you some soup for lunch.”
Two days had passed since the midnight visit from the strange men. Shatha had relaxed, so Amy did the same.
Natasha had discovered nothing about the men. All whispers were focused on some information saying the rebels had found something they could use against the royal family.
Amy felt a little uneasy about the rumors swirling around. She’d chosen Haamas because it was a relatively peaceful kingdom, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to be here if the kingdom was on the cusp of a full-scale rebellion. Still, she’d made a promise to Aisha, and she wasn’t about to abandon the child now.
Aisha was still fighting the fever and diarrhea, and Amy was concerned about dehydration, but the doctor was due to pay a visit this afternoon. It was about time. While Shatha had assured her that if it was rotavirus, there was nothing they could do but treat the symptoms, Amy wanted to be sure. Not for the first time, she wished for the modern health-care conveniences she was used to, sure that Aisha would be back on her feet in no time if she were seen in a proper hospital.
A large black sedan kicked up sand as it pulled up to the orphanage. Assuming it was the doctor, Amy walked out to meet the car, only to stop in dismay.
Three armed men and a fourth unarmed man stepped out of the car.
It wasn’t the gun-toting individuals that made her heart skip a beat. It was that fourth man who looked familiar to her. Where had she seen him before? He was well-dressed and devastatingly handsome, but the look on his face set her on edge. He was obviously the man in charge, and his eyes betrayed simmering anger.
Amy stiffened at the feeling of danger that radiated from him.
When his eyes finally settled on her, she thought she could read surprise and distrust in his gaze. “You work here?” he demanded.
Amy didn’t exactly work there. She wasn’t getting paid, but she wasn’t about to explain her circumstances. “Can I help you?” she hedged instead.
“You’re American,” he stated.
“I am,” she said slowly. “How can I help you?”
“I’m looking for a young girl. Age seven. Blue eyes and a heart-shaped birthmark on her abdomen. Do you have a child like that here?”
Fearing for Aisha’s safety, Amy chose her next words carefully. “That’s an odd request. Why are you looking for her?”
“That’s none of your concern,” the man growled, and the guards immediately touched their guns as if to remind her how easily they could overpower her.
“These children are under the protection of this home. It is my concern,” she countered, standing straighter. Maybe he was used to the other villagers cowering under the weight of his obvious wealth, but she wasn’t going to be one of them.
The man finally relented a little. “The child is a relative. I’ve only recently learned of her existence. She should be with her family.”
It was all Amy could do not to snort. This man wanted her to believe that he was going to claim some poor little child as family?
She wanted to believe that he was lying, but there was something unsettling in his dark, penetrating eyes. And why was he so familiar to her? Maybe she’d seen his picture somewhere. It wasn’t as if she spent all her down time on the internet. No matter what, she wasn’t about to hand Aisha over to him until she knew more about him, but she also knew that she couldn’t merely send him on his way and naively believe that he wouldn’t come back.
“All of the children under the age of ten are schooled here on the premises. If you promise not to disturb the children during their studies, you’re welcome to take a quick peek and see if the child that you’re looking for is there.” She eyed him narrowly, “but there are only two girls in class, and neither of them are seven.”
The man jerked his head in assent, and Amy gestured to the armed guards. “The guns will frighten them. I’ll have to ask that you leave them out here.”
All three of the armed men moved toward her, emanating an unspoken threat, but the other man held up his hand to stop them.
After regarding her closely, he nodded his head. “They’ll stay here. Lead the way.”
Flickering an uneasy gaze over the armed guards, Amy prayed that they wouldn’t start snooping around the property and happen upon Aisha.
She led their leader around the front and into the main house. The children were reading out loud in unison when Aisha eased the door open. They immediately stopped and stared at the newcomers, and Aisha gestured for Natasha to continue the lesson. By the time Amy closed the door again, the class had returned to reading.
“Well?” Amy prodded as they walked away. “See the child you’re looking for?”
“No,” the man said, his disappointment written all over his face.
“I’m sorry you haven’t been able to find her, but you’re obviously a man of means. Maybe now that you’ve seen the conditions in which these children live, you’ll be motivated to do more than look for one girl.” Her eyes prodded him. “You’ll want to help out.”
His eyes moved up and down her body, and this time, the flutters in her stomach had nothing to do with fear. His open interest was obvious. “Most people speak to me with mor
e respect,” he said in a low voice. “Next time that I come around, I suggest that you change your tone.”
“If you come back to help, I promise that I’ll be as pleasant and docile as you please,” she mocked in a higher-pitched voice, adding a flutter of her eyelashes for good measure.
A ghost of a smile flashed over his face, and he twirled his finger in the air to rein in his men. They led him back to the car, and in a cloud of dust, they peeled away.
Immediately, Natasha hurried out to her. “Amy. What was he doing here?”
“He’s looking for Aisha,” Amy said in a grim tone. “He gave me some bullshit story about her being family.” She could feel her resolve growing as she added, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not going to let him or anyone else take that child away.”
Her friend’s eyes widened. “Oh, you didn’t recognize him.” She pressed a hand over her chest. “Amy, he’s not part of the rebellion. He’s Sheikh Bahir Karawi. He’s one of the Crowned Sheikh’s younger brothers. Don’t you remember him from the aquarium?”
Amy stared at her in disbelief. That was where she’d seen him. “Why would he want a poor, orphaned little girl?”
“I don’t know, but you’ll have to give her to him. He’s got more power and money than you can believe. With a single command, he’ll have his guards tear this village apart to get to her.”
“I don’t care.” Amy shook her head. “She is an innocent child, and I’ll be damned if I’ll hand her over so she can be in the middle of some political struggle.” She stood to her full height, radiating determination. “If he wants the girl, he’s going to have to go through me.”
Natasha took a deep breath. “You say that like you think that would be hard for him.”
She had a point, but Amy wasn’t about to give up now. She’d promised Aisha that she wasn’t going to leave her, and she meant to keep that promise, no matter what it took.
5
“That’s all the orphanages, Sheikh. What do you want to do now?” Gadi asked Bahir. The guard shifted the rifle he bore and glanced around with shrewd eyes.
Bahir set his jaw and leaned against the car. It had been a long week of searching for his daughter, and they’d come up with absolutely nothing.
Still, something bothered him about that last place they’d visited. Why was that woman so familiar? “Gadi, did you notice something odd about that American we talked to?”
“Her disrespect?” Gadi spat.
“There was that,” Bahir admitted. “But there was something else. She was very specific when she spoke, but she never once said that she didn’t know who I was looking for.”
Gadi nodded. “I see,” he said and cocked his head. “But you looked at the children.”
“I saw the children in the classroom, but there are other rooms in that orphanage. Why would a Haamas orphanage have an American woman working for them?” Bahir tapped his finger on the car. The whole situation didn’t make sense.
“You think she’s working for the rebels?”
“How would they know about my daughter? I’ve only known about her myself since….” He shook his head before standing up and swearing. “Of course, the aquarium! Dammit, she is there. My daughter is there. I’ve seen her!”
“Where did you see her, Your Highness?” Gadi asked, carefully hiding his surprise at the outburst.
Slapping Gadi on the back, Bahir laughed before he turned to get in the car. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll go back tonight and search every crevice of that orphanage until we find my daughter. We’ll take her to a safe house. If we have to, we’ll dismantle the rebellion right now. I don’t want anyone harming a hair on my child’s head.”
“Yes, Highness.”
While Gadi rounded up the rest of the guards, Bahir rested his hands on the roof of the car and stared absently at the sun setting over the horizon. By nightfall, he’d have his daughter in his arms. He felt it in his bones, and then he’d do whatever it took to make up for the past seven years of her life.
They returned at midnight with their headlights off and their fingers on their triggers. Bahir had made it clear that while no children were to be harmed, he wanted his daughter. As they exited the car, the guards fanned out, prepared to surround the house and block the exits as he strode toward the entrance.
It turned out that they didn’t need to storm the orphanage after all.
Sudden candlelight flickering in the window of the small building behind the orphanage caught his attention, and he froze, staring intently. Could it really be that easy?
Bahir snapped his fingers to get the guards’ attention and smiled as he motioned toward the back of the property. His feisty little American was hiding. Beckoning to his men, he silently skirted the orphanage. Reaching the door, without hesitation, Bahir kicked it hard, slamming it against the wall, and stormed in.
The sight before him forced him to stop short and halt his men before they could follow him in. The woman was sitting on the side of the bed, her hand on the forehead of a young girl. The child stirred and opened her eyes, and Bahir found himself staring into the most beautiful set of blue eyes he’d ever beheld.
It was the same child from the aquarium.
His daughter.
“What are you doing here?” the woman demanded. She immediately shielded the child from them. “I will call the authorities!”
Bahir was about to tear into her when he heard the child moan. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was damp against her forehead. “What’s wrong with her?” he demanded loudly.
“You’re scaring her,” the woman hissed. “You need to calm down.”
“What is wrong with her?”
“If the doctor had shown up today like he was supposed to, maybe I could tell you, but apparently an orphanage that can’t pay his usual fee isn’t high on his priority list. We think it’s rotavirus, but her dehydration is getting worse, and I’m having trouble keeping the fever down.” Her voice trembled slightly, but she held her ground.
“Let me see her stomach,” Bahir demanded. He needed to know for sure.
The woman hesitated before she shook her head. “That’s not necessary. She’s already scared enough. Aisha is the girl you’re looking for.”
Aisha. His daughter’s name was Aisha. “Do you know who I am? Why would you keep my daughter from me?” he hissed. Anger blazed inside, but he could see the fear in his daughter’s wide eyes and he struggled to hold on to his temper.
“Look, I’m not from here. I didn’t recognize you at first, but Natasha did, and she reminded me that we’d already met at the aquarium when you were with that bi…blonde.” She shook her head, seeming to clear her thoughts. “Natasha reminded me who you were after you left, but all I saw was men with guns.” She blinked. “And you weren’t the first to come looking for her.” Aisha’s eyes had closed again, and the woman, noticing, dropped her voice. “Two days ago, your guards came, asking the same questions. What was I supposed to think?” she whispered.
Bahir’s blood ran cold. “My guards have been with me the whole time. Two days ago, we were on the other side of the kingdom.”
“Then I don’t know who they were, but we didn’t give Aisha to them then, and I’m not giving her to you now.”
If the rebels knew about his daughter, she wasn’t safe staying here, nor would this woman be safe if she tried to stand up to them. Bahir wasn’t about to waste time arguing with some stranger. He didn’t trust the woman, but then again, he didn’t know what to do with a sick child. “What is your name?” he demanded.
The American blinked and stared at him. “What?”
“Your name,” he repeated impatiently. “What is it?”
“Amy. My name is Amy Mathewson.”
“Pack a bag, Amy Mathewson. We’re leaving right now,” he ordered.
“I’m sorry, did you not hear me? You’re not taking her!”
“She is in more danger staying here than she will be if I take her with me. S
he is my daughter, and I will protect her. Especially if the rebels are looking for her. You’re coming with us, and you’ll take care of her.”
Rising slowly to her feet, Amy put her hand out as if to stop his flow of words and shook her head. “I don’t think you understand. Aisha can’t go anywhere until she sees a doctor. If it turns out that this is a bacterial infection, then she needs medicine or she’s going to get worse. You’re not taking her anywhere.”
“We will take her to the doctor when it is safe. Pack your things now, or you’ll be doing it at gunpoint.”
“Amy?” Aisha murmured as she opened her eyes and struggled to sit up. “Who is that man?”
Plastering a smile on her face, the woman turned and bent down to kiss the girl’s sweat-beaded brow. “That is one of the Crown Sheikhs, and he is going to take us on a trip. Would you like that?”
“Can Kedar come?” Aisha asked as she turned to study Bahir.
He wanted desperately to tell her that he was her father, but time was of the essence.
The American was speaking again, her tone artificially bright. “Of course, Kedar can come. He would never sit out an adventure like this! I’m going to pack a bag and talk to Shatha. Do you think you can come with me?”
Amy obviously didn’t want to leave Aisha alone with him. While he applauded her protective nature, Bahir wanted to make something clear. “She will stay here with me,” he growled. “She is safe with me.”
“No offense, your Royal Highness or whatever I’m supposed to call you, but I don’t know you, and I’m not leaving this child alone with you,” Amy retorted in a low voice.
Annoyed, Bahir strode across the room, pulled the blankets down, and slowly lifted the girl in his arms.
Aisha giggled. “You’re strong.”
“And you don’t weigh any more than a feather,” he said gruffly before he turned to Amy. “Shall we go?”
Annoyance flashed over Amy’s face, but she nodded and reached for a bag in the corner. “We quarantine kids when they get sick in hopes that it won’t spread to the rest of the orphanage, so all her things are here.” Unzipping the bag, she grabbed the pill bottles from the bedside table and packed them. “I’ve been spending my nights here, but the rest of my stuff is in the main house. It’ll only take me a few minutes to grab my things, but I’ll need to talk to the woman in charge so she doesn’t call the authorities. I’ll let you explain the situation to her.”