by Lili Tufel
* * * * *
Dallas wandered around the boutique dressed in jeans and a white-collar shirt. He looked at the face of every woman that wore a black gown.
Staring at Dallas, Samira tapped her cheek with her bony finger. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for a woman.”
“I’m sorry but the women that come into my shop are all taken.”
Dallas smiled. “Her name is Abigail.”
“And you think I’m going to tell you about another man’s bride to be? I think you need to get out of here before I call the authorities.” Samira crossed her arms.
“Listen to me…Abigail has been in your shop. She’s in a lot of danger. It’s very important that I find her.”
“Really? You think I don’t watch the news. I know who you are cowboy.” She lifted her penciled eyebrow.
“Then you must know that Maurice is a dangerous criminal. And I need to get to Abigail before he kills her.”
“The brides who shop at my boutique are very happy women. If there was any one in distress coming here, I would know.” She looked at Dallas from head to toe. “And why would I tell you?”
“Alright,” Dallas hung his head and exhaled. “Here’s my number if you happen to change your mind.” His smile was tight-lipped as he stepped outside the boutique and paced. He went up the escalator for a bird’s-eye view. With his elbow on the second-floor glass railing, he leaned forward watching the people as they entered and exited the boutique.
Abby glanced at the shimmering necklace around Simone’s neck. “That looks so pretty on you Simone. I would definitely want you to wear that beautifully intricate piece with your bridesmaid dress.” Abby strained her eyebrows.
In the fitting room, Samira opened her thin arms and purred as she admired a dressed up Abby and the two concubines. “Oh, you three ladies look magnificent. I absolutely adore weddings. Abigail, your face is glowing.” She put her emaciated fingers on Abby’s chin. “Don’t let anything get in the way of this tremendously happy occasion.” She patted Abby’s chin.
Dallas rubbed his blood shot eyes. He straightened his shoulders and observed two men strut into the boutique. He studied their physique concealed by their long white garment and headdress.
Loud garbled sounds coming from a different group of men in long robes caught his attention. He noticed two police officers among the crowd and moved behind the emergency exit. He slowly peered around the wall and saw them walking briskly in his direction. Don’t tell me that woman called the police. What the hell can she accuse me of doing? This can turn out to be a nightmare-waste of valuable time, he thought.
He peered around the wall to check on the boutique entrance. He focused on three women in dark gowns exiting with the two males. Suddenly he was shoved back by a teenage boy who ran into him on his way to the stairwell. Dallas reacted by pinning the boy against the wall scraping his back.
“Hey, hey, hey, calm down, alright?” The smell of musk forced Dallas to exhale coughing.
“Let me go man.” The boy flipped his black hair uncovering an eye.
“You speak English?” Dallas loosened his grip.
“Yeah, now let me go, man. They’re after me.”
“What’d you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Listen kid, they’re yelling something out there. What are they saying?”
“I don’t know man. I think they saw me kiss my girlfriend.”
“Is that it?”
“Yeah man. They’re strict as hell here. They got it in for me already, though. They busted me last week for wearing shorts.”
Dallas chuckled and released his grip. The boy bolted down the stairs as the group trotted after him. Dallas staggered around the wall searching for the three women he had seen leaving the boutique. He leaned over to examine the mall’s ground level then pounded his fist against the railing.
Abby waited in the Rolls Royce as she listened to Sabrina and Simone arguing over a dropped shopping bag. Maurice’s men filled the trunk while trying to quiet the women. Abby looked out her window and noticed a young boy hiding behind her door. He looked at her and pressed his finger to his lips.
Suddenly her driver pushed the boy aside yelling, “Hemshi, hemshi!”
While driving away, Abby’s eyes followed the boy as he crouched behind a black BMW.
Dallas trotted down the stairs and into the parking lot while on his satellite phone. “What’s up Javi? You landed. When do I pick you up?”
Javi’s voice came on the line. “Dallas, before you pick me up. I need you to tell me that you did not find a single pick-up truck in this entire city.”
“I’ll have you know they’re the best choice to drive over the sand dunes they got here. And you underestimate me brother. I have contacts of my own you know. I could’ve found a pick-up truck if I had wanted to. You forget that I got a distant cousin who’s a commercial pilot for the UAE. But for your sake Javi I’m using my cousin’s BMW.”
“Who the hell’s going to be driving over sand dunes? They got highways Dallas. Just come pick me up man.”
Dallas scrambled for the car key in his pocket and heard thump. He circled the black BMW and saw the teenage boy hunkering down.
“Listen kid, they stopped looking for you. They were just trying to scare you. Now go home.”
“I’m waiting for my dad.”
“Well get out of the way then.”
“Why? This is my dad’s car.”
“Your dad? No this is my cousin, William’s car.”
“William Moor?” The boy asked as he stood up.
“Yeah.” Dallas took a step closer to the kid.
“He’s my father.”
“Well I’ll be damned.” Dallas tossed the car key into the air and caught it with the same hand. “Don’t you know your dad left town early this morning?”
“Nah, I haven’t been home. I’ve been staying with some friends. My dad’s gone a lot. I guess you already know that he’s a pilot.”
“Yeah I do, so where’s your mom?”
“She died last year. She had cancer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. It must be tough trying to deal with the loss of your mom. Listen, you caught me by surprise. I never even knew my cousin was married.”
“They weren’t married. And don’t worry about not knowing about us because my dad just found out last year. She met him while he was working as a pilot for some major airline in Spain. That’s where I was born, in Spain. My mom was from Basque Country. She said that when she got pregnant he was already gone and she never got a chance to tell him about me.”
“Get in the car.” Dallas opened the passenger door. “So how did your dad find out about you?” Dallas started the car.
“She saw his picture in the newspaper. There was this picture of the king of Spain greeting one of the Sheiks and she saw that my dad was one of the pilots in the picture. She was very sick then but my grandfather helped track him down. My dad was actually at her bed side when she died.”
Dallas sped down the freeway. “Were you there, with your mom?”
“Yeah, I was there. Then I came to live with my dad because my grandfather’s too old. My grandfather can’t handle me.”
“Oh yeah, you’re a tough guy? I’m Dallas by the way. The real name’s Lieutenant Brian Star. But you get permission to call me Dallas.”
“That’s cool.” He flipped his black hair. “I’m John Moor. It’s actually Juan but everybody calls me John.”
* * * * *
Javi stood at parade rest next to his briefcase outside the airport. He wore a suit and tie and a dark pair of sunglasses.
“Hey.” Dallas called out the rolled down window of the car. “Are you a Secret Service agent?”
“If I was, I wouldn’t tell you.” Javi picked up his bag and tossed it into the trunk.
“How was the flight?”
“Long as hell.” Javi paused to observe the passenger occupying his
front seat.
Dallas motioned to the kid, “Hey John,” he whispered. “Why don’t you go sit in the back?”
“Yeah sure,” John got out and extended his hand to Javi, “Nice to meet you sir.”
“Nice to meet you kid.” Javi slipped into the passenger’s seat. “What the hell is wrong with you bringing a kid along? You weren’t kidding with that lack of sleep. Are you alright man?”
“He’s my cousin’s kid.”
“Does your cousin know what kind of danger you’re putting his kid in?”
John leaned forward and placed an elbow on the front seat. “My dad doesn’t care. He’s never around. Besides, I’ve been in a lot worse danger than this.”
Dallas gripped the steering wheel and looked out the side mirror before gunning it down the freeway. “We’re taking you home, John.” With a quick look into the rearview mirror, he added, “Besides, I need to go to your house and check my email.”
“We don’t have time to be checking email, dude.” Javi ran a hand through his overgrown crew cut taming it in the balmy breeze. “We need to get our hands on some guns.”
John gave his black hair a flip but the wind blew it back over his eyes. “I can help you with that.”
“No way kid,” Javi looked back, “And put your seatbelt on.”
John sat back and crossed his arms.
“Listen, Javi, you know the General said we were on our own here. The other government agencies aren’t even giving this a priority. They’re taking some bullshit precautionary steps—“
“Dallas, I know. I met with Special Agent Nielson at the airport back in NY. He sought me out. I don’t know what the hell for. He said he was trying to make sure I don’t screw this up for them. It’s some kind of political nightmare.”
“I thought our files were classified? How the hell did they find out about us being here?”
“Uh, you bought two first class tickets to Dubai in our names.” Javi shook his head.
“Alright you got me there, but my point is why are they even looking at us in the first place? I’m telling you that this guy Shahrivar and his son are playing political games and our people are falling for that shit.” Dallas slammed the steering column with the palm of his hand. “Look Javi, whatever it is, there’s no way I’m going to let it be at the expense of Abby’s life. I love her man.”
John leaned forward again. “I can get you a lot of guns, Dallas.”
“No!” Javi pointed his finger. “And put your seatbelt on.”
* * * * *
Javi put his briefcase down and looked around the inside foyer. “This is a very nice apartment. You need to stay put in it. Got that, kid?”
“My name is John and not even my father tells me what to do.”
“So you think you’re a man, huh?” Javi stepped in front of the kid and breathed in his face.
John furrowed his eyebrows. “You can’t hurt me.”
Dallas stared at the laptop screen. “Javi, she sent another email.”
Javi walked away looking into the eyes of a son yearning for the discipline of a father figure recognizing the look from the many soldiers he mentored throughout his military life.
Dallas jolted out of his seat flipping the chair behind him. “If she doesn’t sleep with him, he’s gonna kill her…I’m gonna vaporize him.”
Javi took hold of the laptop and studied the letter. “You know where they go sand surfing around here, Johnny?”
“Of course I do.”
“What about desert safaris?”
“Yeah…and I can get you a lot of guns too.”
“No guns, Johnny…responsibility before privilege.”
* * * * *
Dallas parked the BMW at the dock. “It looks like a pirate ship.”
“This is the right place.” Javi double-checked the map.
“Are you sure this is a legit contact, Javi?”
“Do you doubt me?”
“I doubt the damn pirate ship, dude.”
Javi slammed the car door.
Dallas covered Javi’s back looking over his shoulder for potential threat as they entered the ship moored at the dock.
“Welcome, please come inside. I am Edi.” Edi was originally from India and like most of the men on his ship had moved to Dubai with big dreams and empty pockets.
“Edi, you’re the one I spoke to on the phone. This is my partner Dallas.”
Edi pointed to a crate on the ground. “I have all the equipment you requested right here.”
Dallas leaned into Javi’s ear. “I bet you’re wishing we had a pick-up truck right now. How’re we supposed to carry all this shit you ordered?”
Javi stood at parade rest and ignored Dallas. “What about the weapons?”
“Right here,” he pointed to the black duffle bag next to the crate.
Dallas crouched down and unzipped the bag.
“I wouldn’t open that if I were you.” Edi warned.
Javi crossed his arms. “We need to see that you got what we asked for.”
“You need to pay me first.”
Dallas unzipped the bag. “Listen, Edi, we need to check—SHIT!” Dallas fell back onto the floor. “That’s a damn snake…what the hell? Hey, Javi, did you order a snake?”
“It’s a viper.” Edi leaned into the bag with ease. “I told you not to open it until we see our money.”
“Alright, alright,” Javi motioned with his hand. “Here’s your money, now get the damn snake out of the bag.”
Dallas slid the crate into the trunk of the BMW barely closing it shut. “I hate snakes, bro, quit laughing.”
Javi held his side still laughing. Then he stopped, “I got an idea we should take a few of those snakes and dump them into Maurice’s camp, right on the mother-fucker’s bed while he’s sleeping.”
“That ain’t such a bad idea.” Dallas crossed his arms. “But they’re not coming in the car with us.”
Javi trotted back to the moored ship. He whistled loud enough to get Edi’s attention. “Hey Edi, have some of your guys come with us and bring a couple of crates with snakes in’em.”
“It will cost you. And the snakes are extra.”
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll pay you extra for the snakes. Make sure they’re vipers, I don’t want any bullshit sand snakes.”
“I can get you a sand boa.”
“That’s good too. Tell your guys to follow us.”
Dallas studied a bicycle approaching the ship. “What the hell is the kid doing here?”
John called out from his bike, “What’s up Edi?”
Edi waved. “Hey John you came back from the mall. How’s the girlfriend?”
Javi intercepted the bike and grabbed the kid by the arm. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“They’re my friends. I stay with them more than I stay at my dad’s place.”
“This isn’t a place for a kid.”
Edi approached the boy. “I got a job for you. Help the guys take some snakes to a camp in the wadis. That’s your boss right here.”
Javi clenched his fists and jutted his chin. “I’m not his boss, I don’t hire minors.” He turned to face Johnny. “Boy, I told you to stay home.”
“You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my father.” Johnny let his bike drop on the concrete.
Some of the men who had been gathering the snakes called Edi back into the ship.
Dallas picked up his ringing satellite phone. “Speak of the devil…Hey Will, what’s up buddy? You never told me you had a kid, man. He’s here with me. Say hi to him.” Dallas excitedly turned on the speakerphone.
An echoing voice came on the line. “No Dallas, don’t put him on the phone. I need to tell you man…He’s not my son.” The phone remained on speaker while Dallas fidgeted with the button. “His mother asked me to do a DNA test. She said the other guy was an American soldier but he was killed in combat and she was hoping I would be the one. I never had the heart to tell him the results. He’s got no
other place to go.” Dallas managed to turn the speaker off.
Johnny grabbed his bike and sped away.
Javi motioned to Dallas, “Wait here for those snakes,” and jumped in the car. He drove the car alongside Johnny on his bike. Johnny pedaled faster.
“Hey, Johnny, stop the bike.”
The boy obeyed and got off the bike. Breathing heavily he rested a hand on each knee. He raised his curved back and wiped his eyes.
Javi parked the car on the side of the road and approached him. “Come on get in the car with me. Put your bike in the back seat.”
The boy got in the front seat and crossed his arms.
Javi started the car. “You want to be a man? You need to learn to take a punch. Sometimes those punches aren’t physical. Sometimes, they’re right here.” Javi tapped his chest pointing at his heart with his fingertips.
“He should have told me. I would have been fine with it. He doesn’t even act like a father anyway.”
“Hey, the guy had no obligation to you and he put a roof over your head, he fed you and clothed you. How about you show a little appreciation. Now I’m not saying what he did was right…but I’m telling you…you want to be a man? Show some gratitude.”
Johnny stared out the passenger window rapidly blinking his eyes.
“I’m going to let you come with us. But you have to promise me something.”
The boy smiled. “Yeah, what is it?”
“You have to promise me that you will do everything I tell you without hesitation.”
“Yeah I promise.”
* * * * *
Javi peered over a sand hill with his tactical binoculars. His fingers grew stiff from the cold air. Dallas leaned against the foot of the hill as he cocked his gun and checked his gear.
“There’s a caravan of jeeps arriving at the camp. I think that’s them.” Javi passed the binoculars to Dallas.
Dallas griped the binoculars then removed his flushed face and exhaled. “It’s Abby I’m going down there.” He stood up, placed both hands on the top of his head and began pacing back and forth. “Oh my God, if he’s laid a hand on her.”