Her family was important to her and it was time he showed her that he cared too. Navid logged into the secure website he used for deep background checks and said, "Get me the names of the women they married. I'll see what pops on all of them."
Elle motioned with a thumbs up. "Navid says to get him the name of your bride and all the others. He wants to make sure you don’t get scammed."
She listened on the phone and sipped her first cup of coffee. "Ollie says he likes you already."
Then she listened to something her brother said as he read the email about Henry West that came in first.
She scoffed and said, "No Ollie, I'm not saying that."
He read everything he could, looking at the black and white facts. Henry lived alone but his salary supported his parents and he kept in touch with his siblings. Nothing seemed off.
Elle ended the call and sat next to him on a tall chair that overlooked the kitchen. "My brothers are out of jail and headed to their wives’ homes for the night. They intend to meet for lunch and strategize on getting Mom out first."
He studied her flawless white skin and damp blonde hair. "If they need bail money it's the least I can do for your mom."
Her lips parted. "Really? You'd get her out for me?"
Her father supposedly stole 250 billion dollars so he knew the next words were cautionary. "Absolutely and your father, if there is bail. Get me the bank account to wire the money to or your mother’s lawyer’s name."
She squeezed his hand. "Okay. Let me talk to my brothers this afternoon." The gratitude on her expression told him that whatever the price, it would be worth it if she always looked at him like that. "Well, let's get back to your security detail. What did you find out?"
Navid showed her his computer screen. "Henry West has a sister, two parents who are retired in St. Pete's, no bankruptcy, military background which I remembered, and his record there is exemplary. If he's been corrupted for money, I'd be shocked. I'd peg him as a boy scout."
Her eyes widened. "They have those in Iran?"
He shook his head. "Yes and no. After the revolution, everything changed, and we have people like him there."
She swiveled the computer back in his direction. "So, what are you going to do?"
He placed his hand on her thigh. "I am going to question him, but I want you and Margo in the safe room when he comes up."
She flinched and her hand trembled until she placed it on the counter. "Isn't that extreme?"
"No." For her safety, nothing was too much and now that he was on the trail of who might be working with Paul, the situation was more dangerous.
She touched his face with concern. "What about you?"
"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." He finished his coffee.
She brushed her fingers along his cheek. "Okay, but how do we communicate? How do I know if something happens to you?"
He shifted his head and kissed her fingers. "There’s a computer in the safe room. We'll be linked."
He stood and closed his laptop. Her hand started to tremble again, but he knew she'd be fine inside the room. "Navid, wait."
"Yes?" He helped her stand. There was no need for her to fear anything.
She hugged him. Her arms around his neck made him feel happy on the inside.
"I'll help get you and Margo in the safe room." He caressed the straight line of her back. For her, he'd do anything. No one would ever harm a hair on her head, not on his watch.
Elle followed Navid to Margo's room. She picked out clothes for Margo to wear while Navid walked to her bedside and brushed her hair behind her head instead of spread out all over the pillow.
"Good morning," he said. Margo's big brown eyes opened and Elle hugged the white shirt and jean outfit she had in her hands to her chest.
Margo was a pretty girl. Could she be the kind of mother Margo needed? A role model?
Navid helped her out of her blankets. "Azzizum, take a shower and get dressed."
"Pedar, I'm tired."
Elle went back in the closet and packed a backpack full of clothes and underwear as she had no idea how long they were going to be in the safe room and she had no idea what else to do. Her hands would shake uncontrollably if she didn't have something to occupy them.
Navid helped Margo from the bed. "You can sleep in the safe room."
"What?" Her eyes bulged and her voice squeaked. Elle stopped packing her bag and turned around as Margo said, "I thought I wasn't allowed to go in there unless there was danger."
Navid handed her a towel like she needed to shower, right now. "You and Elle are going to spend the morning in there while I interview people."
Margo shook her head and her face went white. "You have to come too!"
He knelt down and stared into his daughter's eyes. Elle hugged the backpack and stared at them. Her own father would have done the same with her. Navid brushed his daughter's cheek. "Don't worry about me. I'm tough, remember."
"Pedar, come." She threw the towel aside and tugged on his hands. Margo looked right at her and said, "Elle tell him to join us."
"I can't." Elle wished she could.
"Get ready, Margo."
"Don't go anywhere." Margo warned as she picked up her towel and ran to the bathroom.
"We won't," Navid promised.
Elle walked beside him. The moment the door to the bathroom closed, he took her hand and Navid's touch sent a zap through her that instantly gave her energy and hope. He went through his daughter's drawer, took out a paper and gave it to her. "Elle, please make sure your phone is connected to this secure WIFI."
She typed the password into her phone with the connection. "Done." She handed it back to him, but he shook his head and made sure she kept the paper. "Anything else?"
"You have plenty of supplies." He walked her into the closet and pushed back clothes.
He smelled so good, like almonds and testosterone, and she wanted to hold him tight. He must have understood because he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
His kiss set her off course, and she held onto him, not wanting to ever let go. In all the chaos, he was her pillar of strength.
"Pedar, stay." Margo's voice pierced the air and Navid broke their kiss a split second before Margo was with them, freshly showered and changed.
He opened the secret door and shuffled them inside, though he told Margo, "I'll be back as soon as I can."
She grabbed his arm and hand and stared up at him. "Promise you won't leave me like Maman did and never come back. I need you."
Elle wiped tears from her eyes.
"Azzizum, don't worry." He hugged his daughter and then stared up at her. "Elle, take care of her until I get back."
She placed her hand on her heart. "Absolutely."
Margo let him go, and Elle stayed still. She fixed her butterfly necklace instead. Navid took her hand and she glanced up. "And Elle?"
"Yes?" She stared at him.
He pulled her close and kissed her, fast this time. "We can tell Margo you're my girlfriend."
Margo laughed with nervous relief.
Elle traced his scruffy jaw with her fingers. "Take care and get back here soon."
He pointed her toward a desk. "Plug in your phone to keep it charged so we can video feed."
"Okay," Elle said and glanced at the small but tidy room with white walls, two beds, a bathroom, a desk and a closet full of supplies. In the movies the safe room didn’t seem this relaxed. There was even a hand-crafted mirror on the back wall.
Margo took a seat on one of the cots.
Navid held Elle's hand as he walked to leave. Near the entrance, he stopped and held her tight. "And lock this door. Remember, you're keeping Margo safe."
Every cell inside her burst and she wanted to tell him that she loved him and needed him. She swallowed and said, "Navid, I..."
"We'll talk when I get back," he interrupted and then left, closing the door behind him.
She locked the knob, though it felt wrong to
be separated. She had done what she promised, but inside her stomach was in knots.
Her video phone rang and she picked it up. "Can you see me?" Navid asked.
"Yes." She plugged in where he’d told her. Margo came and sat beside her.
Navid placed his phone on his desk so they could see him too. "I'm starting with West. After he checks out, I'll continue down the line. I'll put you on mute so nobody hears you."
Margo climbed into her lap and Elle said, "Please keep us live so we can see."
"Got it." He winked. "My two girls are waiting for me."
Elle hugged Margo, who pressed her face closer to the screen. Elle hit mute so she could talk to Margo but still hear his every sound when he picked up the office phone. "Can you please send Henry West upstairs?"
"Yes sir." The security agent on the land line answered.
Elle told Margo, "Don't worry. He'll be fine."
Margo looked back at her and hugged her tighter. Earlier, when Margo had talked about her mother, it had almost broken Elle's heart. She had no idea how Navid stoically carried on.
Navid stood. Margo and she had a lovely view of his pants for a few seconds, while he must have shaken hands. "Henry, it's good to see you. Please have a seat."
"Yes, sir," Henry said.
Elle prayed Navid was right and that Henry was trustworthy.
Navid sat back in view and held a pen with both hands. "Paul Laguerre has been arrested."
"Good," Henry said in a firm manner.
Elle wished she could see the security guard. If he was the threat, then this next part was dangerous. She held Margo tight.
Navid said, "However, security has been compromised and I won’t rest until I found out who is threatening my daughter and Elle."
"Sir, get down." Henry's voice boomed through the speaker even as a loud noise reverberated around the office.
The room filled with thick smoke and Elle couldn’t see Navid.
Margo began to cry on her shoulder. Elle reassured her despite her own heart beating fast. Was Navid okay?
She knew she was on mute, but she took the phone closer to her. The smoke cleared from heavy fog to a thin mist and she called out, "What's happening, Navid?"
"Navid's out cold, Elle." The blond, blue-eyed security guard, the one with the icy stare, showed up on her screen.
She stared at him, not recognizing the man though he’d used her name with familiarity.
She unmuted the phone. "What happened to Navid?"
He stared into the camera. Because he was security, did he know about the safe room? She tightened her hold on Margo.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out his features. "Who is this?"
The security guard’s voice deepened. "Why don't you come out and talk to me? Your brothers are no longer here to scare me away."
Huh? Her brothers had just gotten out of jail, and would have nothing to do with frightening her, or hurting Navid. "My brothers? Who is this? What have you done with Navid?"
The man sat in Navid's chair and the heel of his boot landed with a thud on Navid’s desk, making a mess of the pens in the holder. "You don't remember prom and how your family humiliated me?"
Humiliated at prom? Seriously? Elle thought back to high school, searching this man’s face for familiar features. She stared at him. "Wait. Bobby Carr?" She then rubbed her forehead. "Where is Navid?"
He made a pfft sound with his lips. "I knocked your boyfriend out with China White, but he fought me." He pointed the camera toward the floor where she saw Navid and Henry both sprawled, face-down. She swallowed. Was Bobby Carr behind this from the start? But how did her old high school disaster get in league with Paul? Her heart raced, but her brain needed the adrenaline to think quickly. Margo was the priority.
Bobby brought the phone back to himself and said, "I'm sure he'll be fine for now, as long as I get what I want."
She stood so he couldn't see Margo at all. "And what's that? I won't let you hurt this little girl."
Bobby laughed and it was the same slightly edgy sound that once made her agree to prom. She realized that her brothers had been right to scare him off—it wasn’t thrilling but dangerous. "Despite the money Paul offered, he's in jail now and I don't hurt children." He held the screen closer to his face. "You, however, were supposed to be my wife and now you're sleeping with this immigrant who thinks he can pay me to protect you?"
Navid was awesome and generous and kind. She met Margo's frightened gaze. She sat on her cot, hugging a teddy bear. Elle straightened, her trembles long gone. "He does pay you, Bobby. Very well. You've cashed the checks."
"Come out here. Now."
Margo's eyes watered and she sobbed, "Elle, don't leave me alone."
She unplugged her phone and blocked Margo so he'd not see. As she hugged the little girl she’d come to care for, her brain fired off a million ways to stop Bobby. If she went out there she might buy time until Navid woke from whatever drug that was used. The most important idea was to stall and pray it had a short life span. "Bobby, what are you going to do with Navid?"
Bobby looked down with the phone near his eye while he must have examined Navid. "Paul seems to think that your boyfriend is like a ninja. I figured the best way to find out is if I throw him out a window."
He held the phone so she saw how he reached down and began to drag Navid. Her heart hammered as she recognized the floor in the hall between the kitchen and his office. She finally said, "No windows open in this condo."
"They break." He continued to pull Navid down the hall.
Margo took her hand and hugged her teddy bear to her chest. Neither one of them could let anything happen. She finally said, "You haven't thought this through. The windows are shatter proof and hurricane resistant."
Bobby stopped dragging him, but she swore she saw Navid's thumb twitch. She might have imagined it, but then Bobby stood, picked up his phone and stared at her in the face. "Then I guess I'll have to shoot him unless you come out."
Margo sobbed against Elle’s waist. She couldn't leave her. She’d sworn it, but she couldn't let anything happen to Navid either. Elle nodded as if she'd agree. "Bobby, can we talk more?"
"Come out or he's dead." Margo's face drained of all blood and she stopped crying in shock as she stared at her. Elle squeezed Margo’s hand. "What else is there to say?" Bobby asked.
She said a silent prayer she was right and that Navid's thumb had moved. If so, he'd be up in minutes. She wiped a tear from her own eye and said, "Look. I'm sorry for whatever my brothers did to you that sent you away? I was devastated that you didn't bring me to prom."
"You never said so before now." His lips pressed together.
He’d avoided her and talked trash about her. She’d been embarrassed too. She had to stall. She couldn't tell Margo her plan. "I was scared then. I'm not now. What did my brothers say, exactly?"
Margo squeezed her teddy.
"I don’t remember." Bobby’s tone lowered. "If you’re really sorry, then come out here."
The line cut and she couldn't see or hear anything. Margo wiped her tears as Elle explained, "We lost connection."
Margo sniffled and looked at her teddy bear. Her voice was soft. "Elle, don't leave me."
The words tore at Elle. Right now it was important that they stay calm. Margo needed something to do as well. "I won’t let anything happen to you, but I need your help."
Color returned to Margo's face. Elle brushed her hair behind her ear and said, "I was stalling to give him time. We can't let anything happen to your father."
Margo put her teddy on the cot. "I'll help too. What do you want me to do?"
Now there was her father's fighting spirit. Elle looked around the bunker. There was no way Navid would have created this without a way to protect himself and those inside. She nodded. "Let's find out what happened to the connection first. Plug this back in and try calling your father over and over again to see if he connects. I want to see if we have any weapons in her
e."
Margo made her way to the desk while Elle searched the closet for any guns, knives, Tasers or whatever might be here.
"Elle, I love you," Margo said. "Please don't leave me."
Elle gathered Margo close and hugged her tight. These two were now her family and she'd not let anything happen. She kissed her cheek. "Margo, you're the easiest girl to love and I love you too."
For Navid and Margo, she'd do whatever it took to ensure they were safe. This was all that mattered now.
Navid’s mind went blank and he relied on his years of training as someone dragged his feet. The name Bobby Carr played in his mind as the man spoke to Elle.
He needed to protect her and Margo.
Without another word he sucked in his breath and bent his knees to stand.
Carr’s hands fell off his shoulders and Navid swung his arm and left leg forward for a quick one-two kick. Then before Carr fell, Navid grabbed him by the neck and squeezed on the point where he might kill him. It was instantaneous, but at the last second he pushed Carr out of his grip.
With a thump, Carr fell backwards, hit his head on the side table and kept his eyes closed.
Navid massaged his temple and stared down at Bobby Carr. He hadn't been prepared for gas. He’d taken him down in seconds, honed from years of training. Navid and stepped back. His response had been automatic.
No one should be near him. He swallowed and felt his entire body stiffen as he thought about his daughter and Elle. They deserved better than living with a killer. He glanced in the mirror and remembered the faces of those he’d ushered toward death.
While Bobby was still alive, one more flex of Navid’s finger against his jugular might have changed that. At the last instant, he’d stopped, not wanting another death on his conscience.
He should send Elle away before she got hurt because of him. He stepped over Bobby's unconscious body, picked up his tossed phone, and answered the incessant ringing. Margo's face appeared on the screen and he felt tears form in his eyes. "Margo? Are you okay?"
Tempting Navid Page 10