A Promised Land (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Jools Louise

  “I don’t know why you are following us, but there are two young children here who are being taken to safety. I believe you know something about the death of their families?” Aaron spoke quietly, almost politely. “It would be unwise of you to continue following us. If you do, things will not go well for you.” He pressed his boot more firmly to Malik’s throat who began choking, gasping for breath. Beside him, glinting in the moonlight, lay a machete, its blade lethally sharp.

  “We are going to be on our way, now. Do not follow us.” Aaron moved back swiftly, rapidly grabbing the machete and gesturing with it for Malik and Qasim to move. Grabbing his throat Malik got to his feet, the malice in his eyes clear to see even in the dim light.

  “You will regret laying a hand on us, infidel,” the thug threatened viciously.

  “No, sir. You will regret the fact that you have murdered innocents who have done nothing to you. You will regret even more, the loss of your lives, should you decide to follow us anymore. We are not your enemy. We are merely travelers on our way to safety. If you decide to make us your enemy, if we see you again after tonight, you will die.”

  Aaron’s voice left no doubt that he would carry out his threat, his tone firm. He’d had enough dealings with bullies to be less than intimidated by this pair of idiots. His years taking martial arts classes and learning self-defense were paying off.

  The insurgents backed away, their gaze never leaving the small group beside the tree.

  “We will continue our discussion at a later time, infidel. The girl is promised to us. She is our reward.” Their disturbing words lingered as they left, the sound of an engine loud in the night air.

  “Those sick bastards. They were after Zada.” Kadil cursed luridly, clenching his fists.

  “Then we’ll have to make sure they don’t get their hands on her.” Aaron replied vehemently. “We need to leave now, before they get their buddies to help. I think perhaps they will get the authorities to come after us. We need to get across the border as soon as possible. If we get to Jordan, we’ll be okay.” He didn’t have to wake the children, their eyes were wide open and staring in shock after the two insurgents.

  “Jordan? We are nowhere near Jordan. We are heading for Turkey,” Kadil replied just a little sheepishly.

  “Why the hell would we go to Turkey? That’s hundreds of miles away. Jordan is not far from Damascus. I’ve just come from there.” Aaron cursed, raking a hand through his shaggy hair furiously.

  “I heard we can get a boat from Turkey across the Mediterranean to Greece. Then we can get to England from there somehow.” Kadil ducked his head, as he felt Aaron’s fierce glare on him. It almost burnt him, like a laser, it was so sharp.

  “Greece? We can get to Jordan, then catch a plane to England from there. Why would we risk traveling hundreds of miles north?” Aaron crossed his arms over his broad chest, practically stamping his foot in outrage.

  “I’m not welcome in Jordan. I was kicked out for a little misunderstanding a few years ago. I have no passport, either, so I would probably not be allowed in.” Kadil was lying through his teeth, since he had secured a passport months ago. He was not about to admit that just yet. He had connections, and those connections had told him to head north. Besides, there were people in Jordan who meant him harm. He smiled at Aaron, using the charm offensive he’d learned over the years he’d spent kowtowing to the rich tourists.

  Aaron clenched his fists, frustrated as hell and terrified at the same time. His bravado when confronting the morons known as Malik and Qasim was fading fast and now he just felt sick to the stomach. They hadn’t eaten since the morning, the fruit they’d taken from the embassy running low, and now they were on the wrong side of a city which was the subject of bombing raids daily. They were not equipped to travel far. He closed his eyes, kicking the ground furiously.

  “We discussed going to Jordan this morning. Would it have been too much trouble to tell me then that we were heading in the wrong direction?” Aaron gritted out after several seconds of tense silence.

  “I thought you would not want me with you if you knew. I thought you would leave me behind.” Kadil admitted in a low voice, for once being honest. “I don’t want to live here anymore. I don’t want to live in fear of death every second of every day. I want to be free. I want to work without worrying someone will stone me in the town square or that my friends around me will be murdered around me for being different.” He spoke into his chest, feeling unwanted tears well up in his eyes. The mask he usually wore dropped a little, revealing his genuine feelings.

  Aaron stepped closer, feeling his heart clench at the torment in Kadil’s voice. He lifted his hand, cupping Kadil’s chin, tilting his face upward. He heard the pain in those words, saw the honest distress on the man’s face. He was still angry that the man had lied, since it put them all in danger. He made a silent promise that he would head north, as far as Tartus on the coast, then they could see about securing passage to Cyprus. Tartus would take a few days to get to, what with having two young children with them.

  “Then we’ll just have to walk a bit further, won’t we?” His eyes fixed on Kadil’s in the dim moonlit night and Kadil felt the power in the man’s gaze. He had underestimated this young man, thinking him still a boy. Aaron was someone who had a strength to him, a core of pure steel beneath the attractive exterior.

  Kadil felt the heat of the man’s touch, feeling a slight twinge in his heart. It had been years since anyone had made him feel wanted. A natural survivor, he had been taking care of himself for years, since his parents had cast him out as a child. He came from a large family, with no money to support them all. At least that’s what his mother had told him.

  As soon as he was old enough to survive on his own, he had done so. He had never admitted to a soul that the wound had never healed. Covering his pain with bravado and a flippant attitude to living, he was now realizing that he had not been living at all. Heading for the big city, he had refused to get close to people, only Bahir. Bahir’s death had been a huge blow, and his heart had frozen, the icy wall around it thick and impenetrable for a long while. For the first time he felt a crack begin to appear, allowing him to feel. He wasn’t sure he wanted to feel, that led to pain and betrayal.

  He felt unwanted tears track down his face, brushed away by Aaron’s thumb. Aaron moved closer.

  “We’ll get to England, one way or the other. Even if we have to walk right across Europe to get there.” His fingers left Kadil’s face and he turned away. Kadil felt the chill of loss, fiercely rubbing at the moisture on his cheeks, shrugging off his emotions that were just a little too intense right then.

  “Now then kiddiewinks, we need to get going.” Aaron whispered, gathering their belongings together. “I have a very bad feeling that those two idiots will come back with reinforcements. They were thinking they had an easy target—now they know differently. We don’t want to be here when they return.” Zada grasped his hand, Akeem on his other side and the three headed off into the night. The bright glimmer of the moon above provided enough light as they set off again. Akeem was tired, and Aaron hoisted him onto his back, feeling the gentle snores as the child slept.

  “Are you coming, or do you want to fight those monsters all on your own?” Aaron’s mocking voice trailed after him and Kadil grimaced, then smiled. He scurried after his charges, shaking his head. He hoped it wouldn’t take too long to reach their destination. Nothing like having a couple of murderers on their tail to get a guy moving. He hurried even more, not convinced their stalkers had actually left at all. He had a feeling they were merely waiting in the wings, watching for an opportunity to strike again.

  Chapter Three

  By following the line of the Lebanese border, keeping off the main roads as much as possible and travelling at night to keep cool, the small group got to the outskirts of Tartus, a coastal city, about a week later.

  There had been no further incidents with Qasim and his partner in crime.

&n
bsp; The small group had made sure to find good hiding places that would be hard to spot from the road. Their efforts had paid off so far. Aaron had suggested that it wasn’t difficult to guess where they might be heading, so they needed to be on guard when they got to Tartus. In fact he distinctly remembered telling them as much, thinking he was tricking them, only to find out he’d been the one tricked.

  Their pursuers may well have got there before them. Kadil didn’t think the brothers had as much intelligence as all that, but he kept alert all the same. It was more likely that they had gone back to wherever their base was for reinforcements.

  They were all exhausted, hungry and very thirsty. Brief stops in smaller towns along the way yielded friendly locals only too willing to share their food and water, but these were few and far between, since neither Aaron nor Kadil wanted people to remember them. Kadil had done all the talking, explaining that he and his brother were taking their younger siblings to relatives since their parents had been murdered. They watched for their pursuers all the time.

  The day was breaking, a hot sun rising steadily in the east. Small fishing boats littered the tiny harbor, with much activity at the docks as the fishermen prepared to head out for the morning.

  “We will see if we can get passage with someone here,” Kadil urged, pulling two exhausted children along as Aaron dragged his feet. All they wanted was a shower, food and a gallon of water not more traveling.

  “I thought you wanted to carry on, get to Turkey?” Aaron mocked lightly, grinning as he caught Kadil’s fierce glare.

  “I changed my mind.” Aaron grinned wider, remembering their conversation three days ago. They had argued for hours about the best plan. Aaron was convinced they should get to Tartus and then rent a boat. He had money to pay. Kadil was convinced they needed to keep heading north.

  Aaron figured the steadily increasing whines of two tired and hungry and extremely hot young children may have something to do with Kadil’s change of heart. The “…are we there, yet...” was getting old, after the gazillionth time. Kids were kids, no matter where they came from.

  “Can we wait just a little bit, right here, while you find out?” Zada begged, her voice just a little whiny.

  “We have to get out of here. If Malik and Qasim are following, then they will find us here. I don’t know too many people here, I don’t know who is an informant or not. If we are found, we will be killed.” Kadil was acting very nervous, more so than usual.

  “You know something, don’t you?” Aaron whispered to the Syrian. “What aren’t you telling us?” He grabbed Kadil’s arm firmly, stopping the man from leaving.

  “Malik has a lot of friends in Homs, a few miles from here. If he is tracking us, then he will have back up and will probably try to get his payback where he has the advantage of numbers. I really don’t feel like being stoned to death, do you?” Kadil replied fiercely, pulling his arm free of Aaron’s grip.

  “Homs has been attacked by a group of insurgents who are as evil as anyone I’ve ever heard of. They want their own state and are using extreme measures to get it. They kidnap, murder and loot whole cities. The government is helpless against them. We must get out of here, and soon.”

  “Then why did you say we were heading to Turkey?” Aaron was feeling helpless himself, since Kadil was still lying to them all.

  “Because there were people listening, because I thought it might throw them off our trail. Because we are all exhausted and there’s no way we will get to Turkey in one piece. Little Akeem is in a bad way. So is Zada. I cannot fight a whole group of insurgents all by myself. They are killers with assault weapons and grenades and they don’t care who gets hurt. I have some money to pay for our passage.” Kadil was practically begging now, his fear palpable. The man might be a good talker, but right now he was terrified. Aaron didn’t think it was all for himself.

  “What do you guys think?” Aaron asked the children. “Do you fancy a boat ride?” Zada nodded wearily, Akeem giving his shy little smile and moving closer.

  The noise of many trucks along the road could be heard, like the rumble of thunder. Kadil froze, his tanned face looking blanched.

  “That is not a good sound. We need to hide.” He looked around, his nerves showing even more.

  “Well, how about we go ask how much it will cost for a trip up the coast?” Aaron sounded calm, his taller frame straightening as he came to a decision. “Whoever those trucks belong to, I think maybe this town might be in trouble. Perhaps we can warn the locals as well.” Aaron began striding toward the first jetty where three fishermen were offloading their catch of the day.

  Kadil followed with the children, speaking rapidly to the fishermen who looked alarmed yet remained stoic. The men glanced at the road, then each other. Two large vehicles began to turn down to the dockside, filled with men wielding assault rifles. The men did not look friendly.

  The fishermen spoke, gesturing for Kadil, Aaron and the children to step aboard one of the vessels. One began casting off the ropes securing the boat to the jetty as the other two pushed at it to shove it away from the side. Jumping aboard, the fisherman fired up the engine and the little boat began to slide away from the jetty, moving slowly out into open water.

  Huddled in the tiny cabin, Kadil stared out of the porthole watching as the trucks offloaded their deadly cargo, spying Malik and Qasim who were yelling and gesticulating at the fishermen.

  “They are telling Malik that this boat is heading out for the day, and will not be back for hours. The fishermen are advising Malik that if they wish to search the boat they will need to swim out or wait for it to return later this afternoon,” Zada whispered to Aaron, clutching Akeem to her.

  “Bad men not catch us today.” Everyone stared at the little boy who had spoken for only the second time since that fateful day over a week ago, when his family had been murdered.

  “No, Akeem. They will not catch us.” Just as Aaron uttered the words, gunfire could be heard from the dock. Kadil watched in horror as the two fishermen who had helped them fell to the ground, blood spilling to the wooden jetty.

  The pilot of their boat cursed, snarling furiously, but maintained his course until they were well away from the harbor, puttering gently into the slightly choppy waters of the Mediterranean beyond the harbor walls.

  “The pilot will return later and seek revenge against those men for murdering his friends,” Zada translated, looking sad.

  “I am very sorry for your loss,” Aaron said to the pilot who had tears streaming silently down his wind-toughened face.

  “It is not your sin. Those men come all the time. They demand our food, our women. Our children are not safe. They already took many girls away. I will not have them take more.” The pilot spoke English very well, his accent giving an exotic flavor to the words.

  “Why take the children?” Aaron was almost afraid to ask.

  The pilot looked at Zada, his expression tormented.

  “They want wives. They are told that they will be rewarded by lots of females if they join the cause. They kidnap girls too young to fight back. My daughter was taken two weeks ago. I was at sea when they came, my wife attacked and beaten.” He sounded grief-stricken. “I will not let them take another little one if I can help it. You are good men for helping the children. Not everyone would do it.”

  With a shake of his head, he wiped the tears away, his tone becoming upbeat.

  “Now then, children. I have some nice fresh bread and fruit down there somewhere. Perhaps you would help these young men prepare breakfast.” His dark eyes sparkled defiantly in the burgeoning light of the new day, his salt and pepper hair a little scruffy, and his demeanor proud.

  “Thank you. I hope you find your daughter.” Aaron patted the man’s arm.

  “I did,” the captain replied, his tone hoarse. “They had hurt her badly, and left her to die by the side of the road. She didn’t survive what they had done to her. I have no family now. My wife couldn’t face the violation she had s
uffered at their hands. She killed herself two days after we found our daughter.” Aaron and Kadil gasped in horror at their host’s words, exchanging a shocked glance as the older man continued. “I will sail with you as far as you need to go.”

  Aaron felt tears well up and he sniffed, a lump in his throat, feeling bad that this proud man had lost everything. He had never thought about having children, had no siblings himself. He could not imagine losing so much. This man had returned home to find his wife and daughter dead. It was a terrible thought.

  “I thank you again. Those monsters are not humans at all. They have no soul.” Aaron spoke fiercely, face grim. “I have never wanted to hurt anyone in my life, but those two? Malik and Qasim? Those two I would enjoy watching bleed to death.”

  “Young man? I will hold them while you hurt them. Then I will rip out their poisonous hearts and feed them to the sharks.” The captain smiled like the shark he referred to, white teeth crooked as they gleamed against his tanned skin.

  Aaron shook the captain’s hand, nodding in response.

  “If you’re done plotting murder, perhaps you would like some breakfast?” Kadil said with a touch of sarcasm.

  Aaron grinned at the captain.

  “We must keep our strength up for whatever might happen next. In case we need to feed the sharks,” Aaron said, laughing at Kadil. Despite the grim situation, and the recent atrocity they had witnessed, for now they were safely at sea. His relief was making him a little giddy.

  “Yes, sir. I hope we get to feed the sharks. By the way, my name is Najib.” The captain grinned back, shrugging off the gloomy memories, steering the little boat with one hand as he ate bread with the other.

  Aaron introduced his companions to Najib, then bit into a juicy orange in satisfaction. For now they were safe.

  “How far will we be able to travel?” Kadil asked after a while and everyone had eaten their fill. Little Akeem was fast asleep beside Zada in the tiny cabin, worn out by the hot sun and the long walk. Kadil and Aaron were sitting in the cockpit with Najib, enjoying the fresh breeze. The sail had been raised to conserve fuel, and their tiny vessel was scudding along eagerly ahead of the wind.