by Holly Rayner
His mother looked dazed, and he half expected her to protest due to the shame of it all, but then, she nodded.
Ali made the call while pacing. By the time he had fleshed out the statement he wanted released with his publicist ten minutes later, his father had returned.
“You told her?” Ali asked.
Fakhir nodded.
Ali almost asked what Laurie had said, but he held his tongue. He didn’t want to know. He could only imagine the distress she was in upon hearing her only child had gone missing. Perhaps she blamed it on Ali. If so, that made sense. He had brought Alyssa into his world. He should have taken better care of her.
A crying permeated the air. Rashid was awake.
If he could be heard this far away, he had to be bawling exceptionally loud.
“Oh.” Wringing her hands, Noura stood. “I will see to him.”
“No,” Ali said. “I will.”
Before they could respond, Ali went for the second floor, taking the steps two at a time. He met a red-eyed Kinsley at the door to Rashid’s nursery.
Ali outstretched his hand to tell her to pause. “I’ve got this.”
Kinsley nodded and silently went back to her room, which was next to Rashid’s.
The soft night light showed Rashid standing up in his crib, hands on the railing. He bounced up and down and whined.
“Ah!” he blubbered.
Ali went to the crib and smoothed his hand over Rashid’s head. “There, now. Lay down.”
His son did no such thing.
“Lay down, Rashid.” Ali attempted to guide him onto the mattress, but Rashid fought it.
“Ma,” Rashid moaned. “Ma!”
An iron fist closed around Ali’s heart, and he could not breathe.
“Ma.” Rashid looked past Ali.
“She’ll be back soon,” Ali choked out. “I promise.”
Rashid’s face was red, and he continued to fuss, but eventually, Ali got him to lay down.
“Shh, Rashid. Sleep,” Ali said softly.
What was that song Alyssa always sung to Rashid? Ali recalled the first line. Something about a briar of roses.
Why had he not paid more attention? Not only to the song, but to everything? He worked too much, always thinking that he would take time off in the future. But even when he promised Alyssa the other day that he would spend more time with the family, he had not planned near enough of a break. He saw that, now.
No time was ever enough. He could spend every hour for the rest of his life with Alyssa, Rashid, and the twins, and it would never be enough.
If—no, when he got Alyssa back, he would remember that. He would never take another day with her or their children for granted.
Rashid quieted down, and Ali bent and kissed him softly on the cheek. The little one’s even breathing filled the room, and Ali steeled his jaw to keep back a cry of emotion.
“I will bring your mother home, Rashid,” he whispered. “I swear.”
Ali closed the door carefully behind himself. From downstairs, he could hear muffled voices. Had Khara made any more progress?
Ali made for the staircase. His phone buzzed in his pants’ pocket, and he pulled it out as he walked. He didn’t make it more than a few steps down the stairs, however.
It was an email. From Zahid Malouf.
“I have your wife,” the subject read.
Ali’s knees weakened, and his breathing quickened. He clicked on the email, afraid that he would panic so badly he would drop the phone. He had not seen nor spoken to Zahid Malouf in years.
And the last time they had interacted, it had not been a positive encounter.
The email’s body contained nothing but a sum for ransom and a location to drop it off: the address for a warehouse outside of Baqar. That was it. No proposed arrangements for returning Alyssa.
Ali’s vision blurred, and for the first time in his life, he believed seeing red was a real thing.
How dare Zahid? And all because of personal issues from years ago?
Ali had been immature when it came to Zahid and their business. He knew that. Several times, he had considered getting in touch with Zahid and apologizing, but the more he thought about it, the more time passed, until it merely seemed too late. The matter had become water under the bridge.
At least, that was what Ali had told himself. Apparently, he had been wrong. Zahid still held a grudge.
Ali’s fingers tightened around the phone, and he rushed down the stairs. He was not so stupid as to respond to the email. For all he knew, Zahid intended to keep Alyssa, even if Ali paid the ransom. He would show the email to Khara, and from there, they would make a plan.
The detective was in the living room talking on the phone. At the sight of Ali’s face, he said a hasty goodbye to whoever was on the line.
“What is it?” he asked Ali.
“I just received this.” Ali thrust the phone at him.
Khara’s face hardened as he read. “You know who this person is?” he asked.
With curious looks, Ali’s parents shuffled closer.
Ali felt every muscle in his face tighten. “I do. He’s an old business colleague.”
And friend.
Ali refrained from adding the last part. The opportunity for friendship between him and Zahid had passed. While Ali had once believed there could be a day where they finally made peace, now, that was clearly not possible. Not when all Ali could envision was getting his hands around Zahid’s neck.
“Zahid Malouf?” Fakhir asked. His face reddened and his thick brows pushed together. Ali did not miss the look of disappointment.
Although it had taken some months for Ali’s father to discover exactly why everything had gone south between Ali and Zahid, once the truth had come to light, Fakhir had been very critical of the situation. He believed Ali had behaved in an immature manner. While Ali had initially thought the opposite, he’d eventually come to agree with his father.
“He is holding Alyssa hostage,” Ali explained. “For a ransom.”
“How dare he?” Noura asked. “All because of your personal issues?”
Khara handed the phone back to Ali. “I will need to hear everything you know about this man.”
“And what of the ransom?” Ali demanded. “Who is to say I pay it and he gives Alyssa back? He could ask for more, or take off with her.”
Ali’s chest heaved, and his hand tightened around his phone.
Khara nodded. “All of that is a possibility. We need to discuss our options.”
Ali stepped square in front of Khara so that they were eye to eye. “I will do anything to have Alyssa back. Understand that. No amount of money is too much, and no risk is too great.”
Khara nodded. “I understand.”
Ali looked down at his phone, but fury blurred his vision and made it impossible to read Zahid’s email again. For years, he’d thought he made a mistake by cutting Zahid from his life. Now, he saw the only mistake had been in not taking greater precautions to avoid injury from the man.
Well, Ali would never make such a mistake again. He would get his wife back, and he would show no mercy for Zahid or anyone else who dared to do his family harm.
Chapter 13
Alyssa
Tuesday morning. What time exactly, Alyssa didn’t know. The light streaming through the cracked window didn’t tell her much.
For breakfast, Malouf had given her a cup of fruit and a granola bar. Her appetite was still MIA, but she’d shoveled the food down, anyway. The twins needed to eat.
“An American breakfast,” Malouf had said when he’d handed her the granola bar. Alyssa hadn’t known if that was supposed to be a joke, or if he’d really gone out of the way to get something she might like, or what. She hadn’t smiled, but she’d observed.
One weird thing about Malouf was that he could be completely distant for hours and then he suddenly showed a bit of humor or heart. This served to convince Alyssa even more that he was putting on an act. He wasn’t r
uthless at all. In fact, maybe he even questioned his move to kidnap Alyssa.
Turning away from the window, Alyssa looked at Malouf. He stood near the kitchen area, looking at his phone.
“Browsing funny cat videos?” she asked.
His eyes flicked up toward her, and she watched his lips for even a hint of a smile—but nope. It didn’t come. Sour Malouf had returned.
Alyssa didn’t give up. She would crack him eventually. Or, at the very least, she would pay him back some by annoying him—and maybe entertain herself a bit in the process.
“Well,” Alyssa said, “if you find anything interesting, let me know. As enthralling as staring at the wall is, it’s starting to get a bit boring. Believe it or not.”
He watched her with unblinking eyes. “I have a book.”
Alyssa sat up straighter. “You do?”
Going to his bag on the floor, he pulled out a book and brought it to Alyssa. She was about to ask him why he hadn’t offered the book before, when she saw it was in Arabic.
“Oh.” Alyssa looked at the novel’s cover, which had a picture of a man and a woman on a bridge.
“You can read that?” Malouf asked.
“It’s called The Morning Light,” Alyssa said.
His eyebrows rose.
“You’re surprised?” Alyssa asked. “That I would make an attempt?”
“I assumed that you have no need to speak anything other than English. That, being the wife of a sheikh, people cater to you wherever you go.”
Alyssa looked down. She hated to admit it, but Malouf was right. Even when she went out to the park or a restaurant, people recognized her and often stumbled over themselves to please her. Ali and his family were used to such treatment, but it still made Alyssa uneasy.
“Hey,” she said drily, choosing to ignore what he’d pointed out, “this will give me a chance to practice reading Arabic.”
Malouf nodded, and she thought she saw satisfaction skirt across his face before he retreated back to his spot near the kitchen counter.
Alyssa opened the book. Its pages were thin and yellowed, giving off a slight musty smell. She did her best to read, but it was slow going, and she didn’t have the heart for it.
Had Ali received her ransom? How was Rashid doing? Had he become upset when she hadn’t returned home last night?
Alyssa’s chest ached. Her poor baby. Her poor husband.
Granted, she understood why Malouf harbored so much anger against Ali. He’d been completely screwed over. But that was the Ali of five years ago. The Ali the man on the yacht had spoken about.
And though those stories the assistant had told Alyssa had initially scared her, conversations with Ali and some deep thinking on the matter had shown Alyssa that he would never do those kinds of things again. Business could be brutal, but Ali wouldn’t intentionally hurt a person.
She’d tried to get Malouf to see this, but could she really be surprised when he wouldn’t? Malouf hadn’t seen Ali in five years. If Alyssa had met him that long ago, she probably would have hated him herself. He just hadn’t matured yet.
Alyssa set the book down on the cushion next to her. “You sent the ransom, right? Has Ali answered?”
His gaze jumped across the floor. “No,” he said slowly.
Unexpectedly, Alyssa felt like she’d been punched in the gut. Ali hadn’t answered? Why?
Was his silence part of some larger plan? Could it be he and the authorities knew where Alyssa was, and they were making a plan to come and get her?
It wasn’t the most secure hope, but it was all Alyssa had. She needed to cling to it like her very life depended on it.
Or maybe Ali did plan on paying the ransom. No matter how much Malouf had requested, it was likely the bin Talid family could provide it.
Whatever was happening, one thing was certain: Alyssa couldn’t wait any longer. She was less than 24 hours into her captivity, and already, she felt like she was losing her mind and on the verge of screaming.
“I don’t get it,” she said.
Malouf arched a brow. “What’s that?”
“What your intent is. I mean, I know you said you’re going to slip off somewhere with the money. But then what? You can’t start a practice anywhere else.”
The hurt that flickered in Malouf’s eyes told her she was right: medicine was really important to him. It seemed right to assume he’d probably thought through this whole ransom scheme, but maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he was only motivated by rage and a need for revenge.
“What would you do, living in hiding with money?” Alyssa asked.
“Enjoy the rest of my days.” He cleared his throat. “Not that it’s about that.”
“So it’s about hurting Ali?” Alyssa asked softly.
Malouf’s jaw flexed.
Alyssa twisted her lips. She already knew that would be the answer, but she’d wanted to ask. Like an onion, Malouf was showing his layers.
“You know what’s funny? Ali and I had a conversation about this recently. I’d heard a story like this from someone at a party, and it really upset me.”
Malouf didn’t look at her, but his head was tilted and he breathed shallowly. He listened.
“I didn’t want to think that Ali could be so uncaring,” Alyssa said. “So I talked to him about it. He didn’t want to admit to any wrongdoing at first, but he eventually did say there were business choices in the past he regrets. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He knows that everyone has families to care for. He also mentioned a friend from the past. Someone he said he made a mistake with. I wonder, now, if that was you.”
Malouf’s nostrils flared with a long inhale. “If he were truly sorry, he could apologize at any time.”
“I think he might have wanted to, but maybe he thought it was too late. Five years have passed.”
Malouf folded his arms. “I cannot blame you for any of this, Mrs. bin Talid. You seem like a very nice woman. But even nice women can make the mistake of marrying the wrong man.”
As much of a jab as that was, Alyssa didn’t feel any annoyance. Only sadness filled her. Malouf had been really hurt.
She would get out of the crummy, run-down house eventually. She’d seen enough of Malouf to really believe that she’d be fine. But a person who couldn’t let forgiveness into their heart wouldn’t be. They’d spend the rest of their lives in darkness, not only hurting themselves because of someone else’s mistake, but continuing to make their own mistakes from that place of pain.
“You can still walk away,” Alyssa said. “We’ll both leave here and that can be it.”
Malouf looked at her and said nothing.
“That way, you won’t have to sacrifice your whole career for this,” Alyssa went on. “You won’t have to go into hiding.”
Malouf sadly shook his head. “My career is already over. I have no money to start fresh.”
“Do you really need it?” Alyssa asked. “You have your education. Your degree. Isn’t that enough?”
He dragged his fingers down his face, and Alyssa couldn’t tell if he was tired of the conversation, or opening up to her point of view. Either way, she kept going.
“I know you’re smart enough,” she said. “To have become a doctor in the first place, and to go into business with Ali…you have to be smart.” Alyssa choked up. She hadn’t known she really believed any of this. As she spoke, though, the truth spilled out. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. That wasn’t fair. It really wasn’t fair.”
She looked away, her face warm and her throat tight. She wasn’t angry or afraid anymore; she was only so, so tired. It was time for this fiasco to end.
“As I said before,” Malouf said, “you are a kind woman. I fear it is too late for me, however. Redemption is no longer a possibility.”
Redemption? Did that mean he regretted what he’d done?
“That’s not true,” Alyssa said. “If we leave here, we can just…let it be. I don’t have to press charges.”
Malouf
was quiet for a long time. Then, “I already sent the ransom note.”
“Ali won’t press charges if I tell him not to,” Alyssa said firmly.
Malouf turned away from her. She couldn’t see his face, but the feeling in the air was palpable; he was thinking about what she’d said.
Alyssa’s heart sped up, and she started to think about what she should say next—but a rush of wet warmth made her gasp. She looked down and found the front of her dress wet.
Her chest constricted. Oh, no.
It couldn’t be.
Malouf walked to the fridge. “Are you hungry?”
Alyssa’s tongue felt like lead. “I…I think my water broke.”
Malouf stopped with his fingers on the fridge’s handle. “Are you certain?”
“I really don’t think I peed myself.” Alyssa forced a chuckle to lighten the mood, but it did no good. This was not good. Not good at all. One of the babies was breech. She needed to get to a hospital right away.
Malouf came to the back of the couch and looked down at Alyssa. She pierced his gaze with hers.
“I have to go to the hospital,” she said, as evenly and calmly as she could manage. “Now.”
“Of course.” Malouf nodded and pulled out his phone.
The answer rang in Alyssa’s ears. Had he really agreed to take her to a hospital? Didn’t that put him at risk for being caught?
Or maybe he just intended to drop her off at the front. Alyssa didn’t care, as long as she got there.
Without warning, a contraction squeezed her back and sides. She sucked in a breath.
It was like with Rashid. Fast. Intense. The doctor who had delivered him said Alyssa was likely one of those women who had unusually quick deliveries, and that she would need to go to the hospital right away when her next labor set in.
Malouf was on the phone, speaking rapidly in Arabic. He hung up and put the cell away. “I called the nearest hospital. They know that we are on the way and to expect one of the twins to be breech.”
Alyssa nodded tightly and went to stand—but she couldn’t. Another contraction seized hold of her body, sealing her to the cushion. Not even a minute had gone by between the two contractions.