by Emma Easter
Zainah yelled, “You animal! Don’t you dare touch Leila or I will kill you!”
Karim laughed. “Listen, you are to come back here alone. I have my men posted around the village. They will tell me if you come with anyone. Your friend and your brother will pay for it if you do.” Zainah began to say something, but he cut her off. “You better not try to send anyone here to rescue Leila like the last time. Malik is not here in Nira. If you try to send anyone to rescue her, you are to blame for whatever I do to him.” Karim clicked the phone off and then grinned at Leila. “See, that wasn’t that hard to do, was it?”
Leila felt like throwing up again. Everything felt just like a terrible nightmare. She was to blame for all this. If only she had not come back here.
Karim said to her, “Now we will wait. Everything will depend on Zainah coming back.” He began to leave the shack, and then the phone rang again. He clicked on it and said “Hello, Zainah?”
“How do I know you will keep your word and release Leila and Malik if I come?”
“You will have to trust me,” he said.
Leila wanted to scream and tell Zainah not to come. She wanted to tell her that the man was untrustworthy and would not keep his word, but Malik’s life was in danger. She could not afford to do anything that would put his life at risk. Even though she couldn’t trust Karim Keita, the only chance Malik had to stay alive was if she kept her mouth shut.
The phone call ended and Karim stared at Leila for a long moment. Finally, he turned around and left the shack. Again, his bodyguards followed him out and locked the door.
Leila knelt on the floor, bowed her head, and began to pray earnestly about the nightmarish situation that she and the people she loved were in right now. For a long time, she prayed, groaning and asking the lord for a miracle. But when she finally sat up, she felt just as hopeless as when she started to pray.
Lord, what have I gotten myself into? she thought. If only she had listened to Zainah and Fatima. Now, she had gotten her best friend in trouble. And she had put the man she loved in danger. She’d always had good self-esteem, but now, she hated herself so much she felt like ending her life.
And maybe I should end my life right now. It’s not like I have anything to live for.
She looked around the empty shack. How would she end her life in a place like this?
There was a broken shard of glass lying on the floor at the other end of the shack. She stood and went to pick it up. She wept as she held it to her stomach, ready to plunge it in.
“Do it now,” she said to herself. She shut her eyes, willing herself to end it all, and then suddenly let go of the shard. It smashed on the floor into tiny bits and she backed away, crying. She could not bring herself to do it. She sat down on the floor again, hating herself even more for not having the courage to end her life. She suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore and screamed, “Lord, why won’t you help me?”
She heard and felt nothing. She knew there would be no deliverance for her. The only thing she was certain about was that she would soon be handed over like a birthday present to a man old enough to be her father. She would be forced into a life of captivity and basically become a sex slave. And because of her, Zainah would end up the same way. The worst part was, neither of them would get to be with the men they loved. That, more than anything else, would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Chapter Thirteen
For what seemed like ages, Zainah sat on her bed, staring at the wall in front of her. She could not stand, could not talk or even do anything. Only waves of terror went through her body. Leila had been kidnapped by her father, and Malik was also in danger. And if her father was telling the truth, she was married already to her father’s friend, a man she didn’t even know.
Everything she had heard on the phone, Leila’s fear-filled words and her father’s threats, seemed unfathomable. How could all this happen on the eve of the happiest day of her life? She wanted to fall to the floor and scream and tear out her hair, but somehow she knew the tears would not come. She was too shocked to even cry.
Finally, she opened her mouth and said, “Lord, what am I going to do?” She tried to rise from the bed, but she felt too weak. The phone call seemed like a bad dream, and she prayed that she would somehow wake up, safe and calm, in her bed on her wedding day. But it was useless; of course this wasn’t a dream.
What would she tell Faizan? How could she leave him and go back to Nira? But, how could she not? Leila needed her help, and so did Malik. She covered her face with her hands and then cried out, “Lord, I can’t leave Faizan, I can’t!”
She gathered herself together and then stood up from her bed. She had to tell Faizan about the phone call. She quickly grabbed her purse from the bedside table and went out of the room. As she hurried to the living room, she bumped into Trisha.
Trisha smiled at her and said, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” And then she gasped. “You look awful,” she said in alarm. “What is wrong, Zainah? Is it something about the wedding?”
Zainah shook her head and said, “I’ll tell you when I come back. I have to see Faizan right now.” She hurried past Trisha to the living room and opened the front door. She heard Trisha yell her name and then turned.
Trisha held up her car keys and dangled them. “I’ll drive you to see Faizan,” Trisha said. She hurried up to Zainah and took her hand.
Zainah said, “Are you sure? What about Ruby?”
“Ruby is with Frank. Come, let’s get into the car,” Trisha said. “I can’t let you go out alone in the state you are right now.”
Zainah got into Trisha’s car and they drove away from the house. All the way to Audrey’s to see Faizan, Zainah’s heart raced. All she could think of was that her life was about to come to an end unless Faizan’s secret agent friend could somehow get her and Leila and Malik out of this quagmire, the way they had rescued her and Leila months ago.
They got to Audrey’s house and Zainah rushed to the front door. Audrey and Ken had already arrived in Rosefield yesterday for the wedding. Sienna and Bryan also arrived this evening. If something wasn’t done now, this wedding would not happen.
“Oh, my Lord, please let it not be. There’s nothing more I want than to marry Faizan right now.” She rang the doorbell and tapped her foot impatiently. Seconds later, Audrey appeared at the door and smiled widely when she saw Zainah and Trisha.
And then the smile melted off her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked Zainah as she let her and Trisha into the house. She hugged Zainah briefly and kissed Trisha’s cheek.
“Where is Faizan?” Zainah asked.
“He’s on the upstairs patio with Ken. Let me go get him now.” She left quickly, clearly sensing that something was terribly wrong.
Trisha said, “What is it, Zainah? Please tell me what is wrong. I’m freaking out right now.”
She opened her mouth to speak just as Faizan walked into the room, a frown on his face. He asked in alarm, “What’s wrong, Zainah?”
Zainah quickly stood and rushed up to him. She fell into his arms and cried as he held her and rubbed her back. Ken also came into the living room. After a while, Zainah pulled back from Faizan and looked into his eyes. They were full of worry, but still his features held restrained patience and concern. Even though he was clearly worried about her, he still waited patiently for her to tell him what was on her mind. She said to him, “We have a huge problem, Faizan.”
He took her hand before she continued speaking and went to sit on the loveseat. He pulled her down with him and put his arm around her. Trisha, Audrey and Ken sat down on the couch facing them. All eyes were on her as she said, “I just got a call from Leila and my father.”
She told them everything that Leila and her father had told her, and then she broke down crying. “If I don’t go back, my father said he would kill Leila and Malik.”
She jumped when Faizan suddenly shot up from the sofa and roared in outrage. Nobody spoke as everybody watched him. F
inally, he looked down at Zainah and said, “You’re not going anywhere. I doubt he will kill his own son. And that first marriage did not take place at all. I’m sure your father is lying.”
Zainah looked down at the floor and then looked up at him. “I wish he was, but actually, now that I think about it, I believe he is telling the truth. I remember that imam saying the wedding rites before those men rescued Leila and I. But that is not the main thing right now. My best friend’s life and my brother’s life are in danger. That’s the main thing. If I don’t return to Nira, my father will kill them… at least Leila.” She shuddered. “I can’t let that happen. Maybe your friends in the government can help.”
Faizan raked his fingers through his hair and began to pace the living room. He finally came and stood in the middle. He folded his arms on his chest and looked down at her again. “I’ll call Jake.”
Ken tentatively glanced at Trisha and Zainah, and then shook his head. “Let’s talk upstairs,” he said.
“Zainah already knows I am a federal agent, Ken. And Trisha is family,” Faizan said impatiently.
Trisha frowned and asked, “What are you both talking about?”
Nobody answered her question.
Ken shrugged and Faizan brought out his phone from his pocket. “I’m calling him now,” he said. “Ken, will you come with me so you can speak to him as well?”
Ken nodded and stood. They both left the living room with Faizan holding his phone to his ear.
Zainah sighed wearily while Audrey and Trisha stood beside her, rubbing her back and telling her everything would be alright. She knew they were only trying to help, but the reality was that her only hope was Jake, Faizan’s friend. If he did not or could not help, everything would be lost. She waited, holding her breath, praying that Jake would come through for them now.
Faizan and Ken did not return to the living room until twenty minutes later. When they did, the expression on Faizan’s face was one of rage and fear. Ken avoided looking at Zainah.
Faizan went straight to Zainah, lifted her out of her seat, and hugged her tightly. When she pulled back, she saw there were tears in his eyes. “What did Jake say?” she asked him.
He dabbed at the tears in his eyes and said angrily, “He completely refused to help. He said he couldn’t help again because it would be an abuse of his power and if it was found out he would be in trouble. Nothing I or Ken said made any difference. He flatly refused to help. Worst of all, he warned me not to try to leave the United States. He said if I was caught leaving, I would spend the rest of my life in jail.”
Zainah’s heart stopped as she listened to him. She slowly sat down, her legs shaky and unable to carry her any longer. She cried out, “What are we going to do, Faizan? Oh Lord, please help me!”
Faizan sat beside her and said with grim determination on his face, “I don’t care what Jake says. There’s no way I will let you go back to Nira on your own. I’m going back with you. We will find a way to rescue Leila and your friend and also force your father to dissolve that marriage. Then we can finally get married.”
Zainah looked up at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head. “You can’t come with me, Faizan! You heard what Jake said. If you are caught, you will spend the rest of your life in jail. Besides, my father warned me to come alone.”
Ken leaned forward on his seat and said, “That’s true, Faizan. Even if you’re not caught leaving the country, which is very unlikely, you will never be able to come back to the United States again.”
Faizan’s jaw tightened and he said, “I don’t care! I am not letting Zainah leave this country and go to Nira on her own. Do you know what that man who calls himself ‘her father’ will do to her?”
Zainah caught his face with her hands and turned his face to hers. She searched his eyes and said to him with her heart breaking, “I know how much you care about me, Faizan, and that’s why you want to go with me. But also remember that I care for you as well. I love you with all my heart. If you are caught and taken to jail to spend the rest of your life there because of me, I will never forgive myself. And there will never be a chance of us being together. At least if I go alone, I might have a chance to convince my father to dissolve the marriage and also let Leila and Malik go.”
Faizan started to shake his head, but Zainah kissed him fiercely on the lips to stop him from speaking. “Please, Faizan,” she said exasperatedly. “Please think about it. Nothing good will come out of your coming with me. It will anger my father and put Leila and Malik’s lives at risk. And it will also get you into trouble here. Please just let me go alone.”
He said in a voice filled the pain, “But how can I do that? You’re my life, Zainah! How can I let you go? And on the eve of our wedding? It’s too painful to even think about.”
Zainah pulled him into her arms, and Ken put his hand on his shoulder. “Zainah is right, Faizan,” Ken said. “For now, it’s better she goes on her own. But we will stay here and keep trying to convince Jake to help. If we can do that, it will work out better than trying to go with her.”
Zainah said, “Besides, you know my father has bodyguards with him all the time. You can’t fight all of them on your own, Faizan. You know you can’t.”
The grim look on Faizan’s face finally melted and his shoulders sagged. He took her in his arms again and held her tightly. He squeezed her and rocked her back and forth. She put her arms around him and cried silently on his shoulders.
Ken, Trisha, and Audrey left the living room, leaving them alone to have their privacy. Zainah kissed him. She began to pull back, but he held her to himself and kissed her again and again. “Promise you’ll come back to me,” he said, as he kissed her hair and her chin.
Her heart felt like it was breaking into tiny pieces as she gazed at his face. He looked so miserable. She knew she couldn’t promise anything and yet she did. “I promise I’ll be back, Faizan. I’ll do everything in my power to try to convince my father to dissolve that marriage so I can come back and finally marry you.”
She thought about the wedding as they remained in each other’s arms. They would have to postpone it. They still had sixty days left to get married before she had to leave the country, but she was leaving now, and didn’t know when she would return. They would probably have to start the visa process again.
Or cancel it, a mocking voice in her head said.
She shuddered and tried to press away the voice in her head, but it remained. It continued to mock her, telling her that she was already married to another and would never marry Faizan, never know what it would mean to be his wife. Even though there was nothing she wanted more than that, she would never get to have it.
She held him even tighter, trying to get comfort from him, and committing to memory his handsome face and the feel of his arms around her. She felt like curling up on the floor and sobbing loudly, but she had to be strong, at least at this time.
After a long moment, she finally pulled back from him. He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. Looking into her eyes, he asked, “When do you leave?”
The sorrow in his eyes broke her heart all over again, but she could not look away. She answered, “My father said I have just two days to be in Nira so I’ll have to leave as soon as possible. First thing in the morning.”
He sucked in his breath sharply and then nodded. He squeezed her hands and then said in a voice that chilled her and reminded her of the way he used to speak before he gave his life to Christ. “If you are not back in a month’s time, I don’t care what anybody says. I will come to Nira and get you out, and if anyone tries to stop me, I will kill that person. And if I find out your father harmed you in any way, so help me God…” He thankfully didn’t finish his sentence.
She looked into his eyes and caressed his cheeks. “Faizan, please promise me you will not do anything rash. Remember what the Lord would want you to do.”
He gazed at her for a few seconds and then he sighed loudly and relented. “All rig
ht, I will not do anything rash, but you have to come back to me quickly, Zainah. Remember we are supposed to get married in less than sixty days.”
“I will,” she said.
They hugged again as she continued to cry, wetting his shirt with her tears. She might never come back, and there was nothing she could do about it.
*****
The sun burned brightly in the sky when Zainah stepped out of Bamako–Sénou International Airport, holding a small traveling bag. By God’s grace, she would not stay in Mali for long.
You will probably stay here forever, the voice in her head, which had been mocking her since the day her father called, screamed at her.
Her pulse raced as she took a taxi to the bus station where she would get a bus that would take her to Nira. She had considered staying at a hotel before she got here, but now she couldn’t wait to get to Nira and get it all over with. The earlier she got her best friend and brother out of trouble and also dissolved her marriage, the quicker she could go back and marry Faizan.
Her taxi got to the bus station quickly and after she had paid the driver, she went into the bus terminal. She stood in line and waited for her turn to pay for her bus ticket to Kazi and from there to Nira.
When it was finally her turn, she bought her ticket and then went outside to wait for the other passengers to board the bus. She sat on a bench in front of the terminal and looked around her. People where hawking their wares on their heads while passengers roamed around. Some buses were being boarded by passengers, while some, already full, were leaving the bus station. The place was rowdy, but all the noise could not shut out the voice in her head that kept telling her she would never see Faizan again.
She clenched and unclenched her fists and tried to push away the fear threatening to take over her mind. But she could not shake it. She took deep breaths to keep from hyperventilating. Ten minutes later, she entered her bus with the other passengers.