Captive- Veiled Desires

by Cartharn, Clarissa

  “Yeah?” Nora muttered. She had learned long ago that he did tend to reserve himself to his garage whenever he was upset.

  “I bring you breakfast and then help pack your clothes,” Husna said as she walked back towards the door.

  Nora perked her ears. What did she say? “Why are you going to pack my clothes?”

  “Adam lala say you going.”

  “Going where?”

  “Husna!” they heard a woman shout out for the young maid.

  “I come back and tell you,” Husna said hurriedly, rushing out the door.

  “Husna,” Nora urged.

  “I come back. No worry, khor.”

  Adam sat in his car in his garage. He had bought it at first as a back-up plan. He never could trust those who promised him an escape if he got caught.

  He put his hands on the wheel and caressed it. He remembered the touch of her skin, her taste in his mouth… He sucked in a deep breath, growing hard at the mere memory of her rocking beneath him.

  He swiped a hand over his face tiredly. And then she said his name again in her dreams. Gary. Was he the father of her baby? Is that why she couldn’t let go of him? Until she did, he would never be able to claim her heart. She was only growing attached to him like the way any man would grow fond of his dog.

  He reached out to his glove box and pulled out the economics magazine. She could have taken her chance and escaped. He had practically handed it over to her. And a small part of him had hoped she would have. He hated seeing her depressed and shriveling by that stupid window.

  But a large part of him… that large fucking selfish part of him… never wanted her to leave his side. There must be a way he could return some life into her.

  “Is something wrong?” Basel said, interrupting his thoughts.

  Adam jerked up his glance. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Not long.”

  Adam threw the magazine back into the dash as casually as he could. He didn’t want to invoke his friend’s acutely suspicious mind.

  “What’s bugging you?” Basel asked.

  “What makes you think something’s bugging me?”

  “You’re tinkering with that stupid car again.”

  Adam stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut. He picked up a can of car wax and dipped a dollop onto a cloth.

  “I don’t know why you bother,” Basel said, watching him. “It’s only gonna get cloaked with dust the moment you drive it out of here. If you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a fucking desert.”

  Adam smirked. “I need a hobby, Basel. It keeps my mind off the problems.”

  “It doesn’t mean they will go away.”

  He began to rub the wax on the car in strong circular motions. “No,” he huffed. “Have you heard anything from the Zawahiris?”

  “No. They’re pretty quiet. Too quiet for my comfort.”

  “Yeah… I’d rather they come out busting in as well for my sanity’s sake. Except we have women and kids in the compound. So I suppose it’s all for the better if they retaliate later.”

  “But it isn’t just the Zawahiris that’s playing on your mind, is it?” Basel watched him with interest.

  Adam scrunched the cloth in his hand. “I’m thinking of sending Nora to Wardak.”

  “Your house in Maidan Wardak?”

  He nodded. “She would be better there. She is with child after all and things are more convenient and available there.”

  “Well, that is true,” Basel let out with a small whistle. “Your house is a castle compared to this place.”

  “She would appreciate the greenery instead of the dust and the desert. I think she’s had enough of that.”

  Basel looked at him with interest. “You really care for her.”

  He grew quiet for a while. “She’s my wife,” he muttered as he poured another dollop of wax onto his cloth.

  She nipped at her nails in impatience as she waited for Adam to return. She was almost tempted to go out and search for him, but then decided against it. She realized Adam didn’t like being confronted by a woman in public. But in the confines of their room, Adam had pretty much let her scream at him all she wanted. She understood now that it was because he had to maintain a degree of pride and respect amongst his people. And when she let out her hysterical self, it not only embarrassed her but shamed him as well.

  He finally stepped into their room and she jumped out of her chair and towards him.

  “Is it true?” she blurted excitedly. “Are we leaving here?”

  He glanced at her and moved to the side. “Yes,” he said as he pulled off his shirt.

  “Are we going back to America?” she asked earnestly, trying not to pay too much attention to his naked, muscular torso beneath that shirt. She still had yet to get used to being comfortable around him whenever he started stripping, aware of the moistness developing at the juncture of her thighs.

  “No.”

  “No?” she repeated confusedly. “I don’t understand. Where are we going then?”

  He threw his shirt into the laundry basket and turned towards her. “You… you are going.”

  Her eyes stung with her tears. He can’t be sending her away. She was definitely misunderstanding something here. “Where then am I going?” she let out, trying to show more confidence.

  “To my house in Wardak,” he replied, turning away from her so he could get himself another shirt. “It would make a nice change to here. It’s got better facilities and mostly, you wouldn’t have to drag water all the way to the bedroom like you do here.”

  She grew quiet. “Why can’t I just go home?”

  “That’s not possible. I can’t do that, Nora.”

  She walked up closer to him. For some reason, it didn’t matter anymore that she wasn’t going home. It was he she wanted now, and to be always close to him. “What about you?”

  “I’m needed here,” he said, his head bent low as he braced his arms against the door of his wardrobe.

  “Adam,” she whispered, touching his back. She loved the feel of him and how his warmth emanated through his body and into hers. “Then let me stay too. I want to be here with you.”

  His body tensed and he turned around to catch her fingers before they could travel any further around to the front of his torso.

  He had thought he could pull this off without involving his emotions. But the moment he saw her bounce towards him, his heart had almost leaped out of him. Who was he kidding? The woman affected him like no other.

  “Nora, it would be better for you there,” he rasped, trying to ignore the burning he felt in his chest. He ached to hold her, to kiss her and to meld with her as he did last night.

  She pulled her hand away from him, stepping back with tears in her eyes. He felt her loss immediately, and he almost reached out to tug her back to him. He balled his hands into a fist by his side instead.

  “I see,” she whispered. “When are you taking me there?”

  “I’m not. Basel will take you to Wardak.”

  She nodded her head. “Alright then. So when is he taking me there?”

  He frowned. She had uttered the words so uncaringly that he hadn’t bet on the fact that it would hurt. He realized now he wanted her to want him to go with her. Goddamnit, he never wanted her to leave his side.

  He cleared his throat in the hopes of releasing some of that annoyance in his voice. “In a couple of hours. So I suggest packing now.”

  She moved towards her chair by the window. “There is nothing to pack. There is nothing here that belongs to me.”

  He felt another stab in his heart. Nothing? Not even him? He didn’t blame her. After having an amazing night of love with the most beautiful woman he’d ever had… his woman, he had walked into their room to callously announce they couldn’t be together any more.

  “I’ll tell Husna to pack for you,” he muttered.

  She didn’t speak, pulling her legs up to her chin and staring out through t
he window. He threw a clean shirt over him with frustration. And they were back to square one. She hated him and he would ache to have her in his arms.

  There was a knock on her door and Amy glanced up at Jake. They knew exactly who it was.

  “Continue packing,” Jake said as he walked up to it. “Our flight’s in six hours. If we miss this, we miss it altogether.”

  He opened the door. “Travis,” he said, stepping back a little to allow the officer into the room.

  The man licked his lips, watching Amy scrutinize him suspiciously as she continued to pack her clothes.

  He handed over a thick envelope. “This is all I can do for you now. When you reach Kabul, it’s over to you. I cannot help you after that. If you call me, I’ll deny knowing you.”

  Jake nodded and took the envelope. “Thanks for helping us. It means a lot.”

  “Why though?” Amy asked. “You work for those who are trying to conceal her kidnapping, then why are you helping us?”

  Travis shifted uncomfortably. “Like I said before, if the agency is trying to keep your friend hidden, there is a good reason behind it. I have faith in the people I work for. But I can understand what it is like to lose someone, especially when you know they are anything but dead. I would advise you to make any contact with her discrete as possible, but not try and rescue her. This would only put her in more danger. You have three months to find her. Your cover as a nurse and a journalist should protect you in the mean time. But if you decide to stay longer than three months, then your contract as volunteers will end and so will any protection offered to you by the government. You’re on your own after that.”

  Jake gave an apprehensive glance towards Amy. “We understand.”

  Husna walked hurriedly through her room, packing Nora’s clothes. “Don’t worry, khor. I will go with you. Adam lala say I can stay with you for a little while until you have baby.” She cupped her hands gleefully and sighed. “I always want to go see lala’s house in Maidan Wardak. People say it is very beautiful.”

  Nora looked up at her with a frown. “Baby?” She wasn’t sure if she had heard her correctly.

  Husna continued to work briskly through the room. “You and Adam lala going to have baby, no? That is why he send you to Wardak. Better there. Green fields, fresh air and beautiful mountains. Good for both you and baby.”

  Nora stiffened. So he was getting rid of her. They had their one night of passionate love and now he expected her to be pregnant with their child. Had the man lost his mind in the damned desert? A sudden thought dawned on her and her face darkened. Was she being held captive as a breeder?

  She closed her eyes, the idea ricocheting through her mind and hurting her. How could she have been so stupid? She had fallen for her captor despite all her inner warnings and now he had got her exactly where he wanted her. Heartbroken and hurting for him.

  She ambled out of the women’s quarters in a daze. It was hard saying goodbye to Paiman and the rest of the women who had been her only company in the time she had been there. She didn’t know if she would ever see them again. And she hoped she would not under these circumstances again. Not as a captive.

  “Basel is ready to take you,” Adam said.

  She looked up to find him leaning against a wall, waiting for her. Her heart thumped rapidly. She wanted to hate him, but if he looked at her like the way he did right now, she was going to find it extremely difficult detesting the bastard.

  She ignored him and continued to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm and swung her towards him.

  “Don’t do that,” he rasped with irritation.

  She glared at him. “What?”

  “Don’t walk by me as if I don’t matter.”

  “The way you’re tossing me away as if I don’t?” she threw back at him.

  He drew his lips into a thin straight line. “I’m not throwing you out. I’ve told you, Wardak would be better for you…”

  “And the baby,” she completed for him. She pulled her arm roughly away from him. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll stay put in Maidan Wardak. If I am having this baby, it will never be in this godforsaken place. I will find a way to get out, Adam.”

  He straightened up, breathing down on her threateningly. “Don’t do anything stupid, Nora. This is not only about you anymore. You have a baby to think about.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t. So you can be more than sure that I will escape this damned place.” She smirked at him, taking slight delight in the anger in his eyes.

  “That’s not gonna happen, Nora.”

  “I slept with you. I’ll find another bastard who might actually listen to me. Tell me, how is Mateen doing these days?”

  He pinched her arm and tugged her up to him, almost picking her up off her feet as he glared down at her in rage. “Don’t you dare,” he grit between his teeth. “Don’t you even go there, Nora.”

  His fingers dug into her flesh, hurting her. Her eyes welled with her tears and she fought them back, trying to conceal the pain he was causing her.

  “I dare every bit,” she minced back. “I will do anything to get out of here, even if that means fucking a bastard like Mateen.”

  He grew cold, his body stiffening from his pent-up ire. “You’re my wife. If you dare as look up at another man the way you did me last night, you will regret it.”

  She snorted. “I’m already regretting last night. But I never make the same mistake twice. Your claim as my husband ends now.”

  “Don’t bet on it,” he said with a low growl. “You’ll lose.”

  He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her head back and then came down on her mouth. He pushed her lips apart with his and dove into her mouth with his tongue, warring with hers.

  His kiss wasn’t tender like it had been when they had made love. It was brute and forceful, like a man staking his claim. And yet she was surprised of the tingles he was able to rouse inside her. His other hand encircled her tiny waist, anchoring it against his crotch. He was hard and rigid as his cock jutted against her sex, teasing her to rub against him and relieve some of that torturous throb in her clit. She wanted him. Damn, she wanted him bad.

  A lump formed in her throat as rationality soared through her. He was her captor and this wasn’t love. Perhaps, the distance between them would knock some sense into her. Because the closeness of him, his body, his heat and the many opportunities for him to tug her against him and kiss her like this whenever he wanted, didn’t help her at all. She would only get more hurt.

  She shoved her arms between them, ready to push him off her. However, he let her go first, and she steadied herself immediately before she could fall back into his arms. Her eyes glowered with rage, despite what her body was telling her. If his hand had gone just a tad lower than her hips, he would have discovered the wetness in her core. And the thought of him touching her, fingering her, flustered her. Her body was rebelling against her mind and she had no control over it.

  “I was sending you off with some reservations,” he snickered. “And now you’ve given me enough reason to double the watch over you. You can’t tell me it isn’t partly your fault.”

  She went pale. Double the watch? What had she done?

  HAPTER 18

  He watched the dust trail behind the vehicle as Basel drove off towards Wardak. He missed her. Even if he couldn’t hold her all the time, he would miss looking at her.

  It was true that she had riled him at the mere mention of using a fucked up psycho like Mateen. But the thought of her with any man would have made him just as possessive. She was his… she was his the first time he had laid eyes on her snatching a picture of him in Dal Lake.

  “You shouldn’t have sent her away if you were going to pine after her like that,” Paiman said as she stood beside him, watching the vehicle disappear in the distance.

  “Is it that obvious?” He smiled.

  “The entire tribe knows how you feel about her. You’re always either cooped up in tha
t garage or gazing up at her window.”

  He sighed. “I must look pathetic.”

  “You look like a man in love. And God knows we need more of the sort in this place.” She adjusted her shawl on her shoulders. “Are you intending to join her at Wardak?”

  “I can’t. I have to stay here with the men. Someone needs to keep them in line or they do tend to stray.”

  “And that someone can be anyone else. Basel could have done that,” she said with a frown. “But instead you send him off with your wife while you stay here to watch over the men.”

  “It probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do,” he mumbled to himself.

  “No, it wasn’t,” she replied sternly. “The way I see it, Basel has more compassion for Nora than you do. I tell you if I didn’t know he was so devoted to his own wife, I would have thought he cared for her.”

  A jealous pulse thumped in his temples. Basel was indeed protective of Nora. But he was loyal as well. He wouldn’t try anything with Nora. Would he?

  His mouth went dry as he waded through every reason why Basel would never betray him. He would be back in perhaps a week or two after ensuring Nora was settled. And of course, Husna had gone with them. She would keep a good eye on Nora.

  “You’ve done enough for the group, Adam,” Paiman said softly. “We would forgive you if you decided to live a more peaceful life with your wife.”

  “It isn’t so easy, anaa,” he replied.

  “And why isn’t it? You only make it hard because that’s how you want it.” She placed a gentle palm on his hand. “People move on. They will get used to a new leader.”

  He let out a wince. “Oh, that hurt.” He put an arm around her frail shoulders. “Are you that desperate to get rid of me?”

  She slapped his chest with a scowl. “I want you to be happy. And Nora is such a sweet child. I wish there was more you could do for her than this awful place.”

  “Anaa-”Adam began to protest.