by Kalia Lewis
"Father, Hassan, just the people I need to speak with." Tariq noted that his father was looking a little wan. "I’ve recently got off the phone with Tristan’s new CEO of the UK branch, Wade Summers, and he’s placed an order of one hundred thousand tonnes of oil with us." It was a lie, but Wade had listened to Tariq and he'd already been informed about the thefts, so he’d agreed to go along with the plan in Tristan’s absence. The gleam in Hassan’s eyes wasn’t lost on Tariq. "But in the light of another loss, I’m concerned, so I may pass this order to Prince Saud instead."
Hassan coloured bright red. "Rubbish! We can’t let them stop our production. This is a huge deal."
Tariq folded his arms. "That may be so, brother, but if this ship is hijacked, not only will I lose the oil, I will also lose the new contract to supply, which this delivery rests upon. Basically, my reputation would be shattered."
Malik sat down in a chair. "So, what do you propose son?"
Tariq chose his words carefully, watching Hassan for a reaction. "I say Hassan and I fly to Yemen, board the ship and see it through to the UK. If the pirates do show up, it’s time we met them face-to-face."
Hassan paled. "You want me to go with you?"
"Yes," shrugged Tariq. "And I’ll be taking Katie with me, so make sure Amira comes too."
Hassan shook his head. "It’s no place for women."
"On the el-Tayeb 271 ship we have a set of luxury suites. I don’t think it will be too uncomfortable, do you?" Tariq wasn’t letting him back out. He needed to catch Hassan and Amira with the pirates.
Malik nodded. "Okay son, I’ll arrange it with your newly appointed team."
Tariq nodded to his father as he left the room.
Hassan wasn’t so quick to leave. "I still think we should leave the women out of this."
Tariq looked out of the window at the busy port. "I’ve been away from Katie for long enough. She’s coming." He'd already missed out on what they could've shared this evening. There was no way he was going to be without her for another night.
Hassan’s reply was cut off by a knock at the door and the appearance of Murad.
"Yes?" asked Tariq.
"There’s an urgent phone call for you, Sayyid." Murad indicated to the flashing light on the desk phone.
Tariq was surprised. "Sorry, Murad, I’d turned it down." Picking up the phone he spoke sharply into the receiver, "Tariq here."
The panic of his mother’s voice hit him down the phone.
"Tariq, thank God! She’s gone!"
A bolt of shock sliced through him. "Who’s gone?" Had Katie left him already? The thought of her just upping and leaving him was inconceivable, yet possible. Hadn't he taken her against her own free will? If it had been the other way around, the second he had a chance to escape, he would have taken it.
"Oh Tariq, we must find her. Amira said she couldn’t go and she’s so independent that she just took off anyway."
Tariq’s heart was pumping hard in his chest. Amira said she couldn't go where? "Mother, calm down, you’re not making any sense." He could hear her take a few deep breaths as she struggled for composure.
"Amira and Katie left for the port at eight-thirty tonight. Miriam said she was retiring early. Anyway, I took her up a cup of cocoa, as she was still upset that Amira said she couldn’t go with them, but her room was empty. We’ve searched everywhere."
"Miriam has gone missing?" He caught Hassan’s questioning eyes from over the desk. He also felt relieved that his mother wasn't talking about Katie, but that did nothing to stop the concern for his sister from rising.
"Yes," wailed his mother. "It’s rare for her to leave the house alone Tariq and I’m worried."
Something else registered in his brain. "Did you say that Amira and Katie were coming here?"
His mother stalled for a moment as if she was having difficulty thinking about something other than Miriam. "Why yes, Amira came to Katie’s suite while she was trying on the wedding outfits and said you’d requested her presence."
Tariq ran his hand through his hair. Why would Amira do that? He didn’t know, but now he had two problems. If they'd left at eight-thirty, then they should've been here by now. "Look mother, put Thebes on the phone and don’t go far in case I have to call you, okay?"
‘Okay," she whispered.
After he’d asked Thebes to contact his father on his mobile and to notify Rob, who ran the security across the island, to instruct him to do a thorough search, he turned to Hassan. "Did you know Amira was on her way here with Katie?"
Hassan had sat down while Tariq had been on the phone and he now shuffled in his seat. "She said something about bringing Katie to the house at the port to surprise you."
Tariq nodded and let out the puff of air he'd been holding in his lungs. "Can you call Amira and ask if they’ve arrived yet and tell her to let Katie know that I’ll be on my way as soon as I’ve located Miriam." His insides turned to mush at the thought of finding her waiting at the house. He only wished he'd thought about giving Katie a mobile phone.
"Sure."
Hassan pulled out his phone while Tariq made another call to one of Miriam’s closest friends. As he was waiting for the pick-up, he overheard Hassan asking Amira if they’d arrived and if she’d had to use any of the reserves he'd given her.
A few hours later, there was still no sign of Miriam. Tariq had exhausted all of his contacts and was now as frustrated as hell. Hassan had left and he'd rung the house by the port, but no-one had picked up. He'd purposely never stored Amira's number in his phones. The less she made contact with him the better, but now he needed it. Murad reeled it off to him, but it went straight to voicemail.
Finally, after pacing the floor he decided to leave and go to the house. What he could accomplish at the office he could work on at the house and Katie's presence would be a soothing balm to his soul. Before leaving the office, he did a final check-in with Murad, who had an apartment at the back. "Any further news on the ship or Miriam, please call me immediately."
Murad nodded a response.
The house was only a short walk away from the docks, down one of the well-lit streets. It was one in a line of white terraced houses. Opening the door, he saw that the hall light had been left on low by one of the few staff that oversaw the running of it. Quickly, he mounted the stairs and made his way to his suite of two rooms, which were at the back, overlooking the small garden.
Excitement burned in his stomach at the thought of finding Katie asleep in his bed. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was now the early hours of the morning. Tiredness had left his bones the minute he'd heard that she would be here. Even in the short time that they’d had together so far, he knew that she was different from anyone he'd ever met before. It seemed that his wealth and position were of no real importance to her. Somehow, she had the ability to look beyond these and into the value of a person behind appearances. This was indeed a rare gem to find.
As he opened the door quietly, he found the room to be in total darkness. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, he took a quick shower and put on a clean pair of boxers from his dressing area. Turning the light off before opening the bedroom door, he once again tiptoed and made his way to the bed, nearly stumbling over a chair in his excitement. Pulling at the covers, he climbed in and reached for Katie, only to find himself hugging nothing but air. Tapping at the bed beside him he realised that she wasn’t there.
He snapped on the bedside light, squinting at its brightness. The room was empty. Shocked, he threw on a dressing gown. Perhaps she’d chosen to sleep in the guest room, but why would she do that knowing how they fitted so perfectly together? Stomping down the hall, he checked the guest room, but that too was empty. Now he was worried. Where could she be?
The two staff quarters were off the main hallway downstairs, so he made his way down there to knock on the door of the housekeeper.
"Mr Hammoud, wake up!"
Tariq didn’t need to call twice. The door was swiftly opened by the
aged butler. Fully dressed without a crease and as sprightly as ever, Tariq wondered if he ever slept.
"Yes, Sayyid?"
"Have you seen my wife?"
The man’s mouth dropped open. "Wife, Sayyid?"
Tariq would have laughed if the circumstances weren’t so serious. "Yes, I was married very recently and she was to arrive here this evening, at about nine o’clock, with Amira."
Mr Hammoud went quiet for a moment before he spoke. "I’m sorry, Sayyid, only your father arrived about two hours ago, but he stayed just for ten minutes to pick up some things and headed back to the main house in the light of Miss Miriam being missing. No-one else has come to the house this evening, not even Sayyid Hassan."
A small bubble of panic began to stir in Tariq’s gut. Running back upstairs, he dug out his mobile and called Hassan. No answer.
Shit!
Next, he called his father who answered on the first ring. His voice sounded exhausted. "Ah Tariq, I was about to ring you and give you an update. We still have no news of Miriam yet. I’ll be sending helicopter scouts out at first light."
Tariq’s insides twisted at the news. He wished that they would find Miriam and focus on this other situation, which was getting more complex by the minute. "Father, when you arrived at the port house this evening did you see Katie at all?"
"No, son. I found out from your mother that Katie was on her way and I thought Amira must have dropped her off with you at the office."
Very loud alarm bells were ringing in Tariq’s skull. "Has Hassan arrived home yet?"
"No," replied Malik with caution.
Tariq cursed under his breath. Nothing seemed to be adding up. Miriam was missing, he couldn't locate Katie and neither Amira nor Hassan was answering their phone. "Not to add further worry to the pot, but Katie also appears to be missing."
"What?" his father exclaimed. "This is just too much to bear."
Tariq didn't know what to make of it all either. What if she'd decided to leave him after all and Amira was helping her? The other option he didn't like to consider was that Katie was in some sort of trouble, with Amira as the instigator. "Look, don’t tell Mother yet until I can confirm it."
"Keep me in the loop, son, something's not adding up right."
Tariq swiftly threw on some clothes before dialling the driver’s number. If anyone knew where Katie had been dropped off this evening, it would be him. It rang for a while before a sleepy voice answered.
"Sir?"
"Sorry to wake you, Ali, but did you drop Amira and Katie off at the port this evening?"
"Yes, Sir, they were my last drop before my shift ended."
"Where exactly did you drop them?"
"At portside, dock number 52"
Damn! Why on earth would they be stopping at one of the oil tankers due to leave that evening? "Ali, were they alone? Did anyone greet them?"
"No, Sir, they went onto the ship. I was under the impression from Amira that you were waiting for them on board."
That was the confirmation he needed of Amira's involvement. "Did you wait around afterwards?"
"Well, I left the port immediately, but I did pop in to see my brother at his bakery in the main street. When I was leaving for home I noted that the ship was pulling away."
A terrible silence ensued as it registered with Tariq that Katie was still on that ship. For that split second he couldn’t speak. Why had Amira led her to a ship that was about to leave for the coast of Africa? What the hell was going on!
"Is there anything wrong, Sir? It’s just that Amira was adamant that you were waiting for them on the ship, and she is my employer..." his voice trailed away.
"It’s okay, Ali, you weren’t to know. Keep this quiet until I can find out what’s happened, okay?"
"Yes, Sir, so sorry for any trouble I’ve caused."
Tariq ended the call and headed back to the office to check on the schedule sheets for his fleet of ships. At dock 52 was one of the larger tankers, el-Tayeb101. It had one hundred thousand tonnes of oil on board. It had arrived earlier that evening for refuelling and was heading for Tanzania. Looking up the Captain’s name and the ship's satellite phone listing, he dialled the number.
"Is ka warran?" answered a thick African voice.
Tariq put down the phone. A Somali pirate had just answered the Captain’s phone on his ship. In that moment, Tariq knew that this particular ship had not only been ambushed, but that they’d docked and refuelled without anyone knowing that the pirates had commandeered his ship. The small oil tanker which had been targeted earlier had only been a red herring while the real hijack was taking place.
Black fury erupted from within. Not only had they stolen his ship and his oil, but they'd also taken his wife. That little bitch Amira had been behind the whole thing, luring Katie aboard that ship. What must she be going through right now? He didn’t know, but if they hurt even one hair on her head, he’d personally destroy each pirate himself.
He knew right there and then that his dummy shipment was no longer needed. This was it. This was where the line stopped. Clenching his fists in sheer rage, he mentally told himself to breathe. The wrath at their audacity wasn’t helping with his rational thinking. Getting out a pad and a pen, he wrote down the key points.
The ship left approximately five hours ago. At a speed of 13 knots, Tariq had four days until its arrival in Tanzania, but if their destination was to be Somalia, then he had only another six hours in which to catch the ship and find Katie.
Picking up the phone, he dialled his father. After he had spoken to him about his suspicions of Katie being on the ship, they'd decided to bring in reinforcements. Malik was going to leave the main house now and return to the office, calling Prince Saud on the way.
No sooner had he put down the receiver than his office door opened and Hassan entered.
Tariq was instantly annoyed. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded. "Your wife led Katie onto a ship that has now left the port." But before he could say anything further, Hassan pulled out a gun and aimed it between Tariq's eyes.
"Just shut up!" he spat.
Tariq was stunned. "What the -"
"I said shut up!" Hassan pulled out of his pocket a set of documents and tossed them onto the desk. "Sign these."
Tariq picked up the papers and quickly scanned through them. "They're transfer of ownership?" To say he was shocked was putting it mildly. These papers assigned all of his company shares to Hassan.
"I only need your signature as you own the majority of power. If you don't do it, I will have Katie killed," he said in an icy tone.
Tariq drew in a sharp breath. "Hassan, this is blackmail. We are brothers. You don't need to do this." He had suspected his brother's involvement all along, but to hear him threaten to have Katie killed chilled him to the bone. Saving his business wasn't worth the loss of Katie's life.
Hassan must have thought his moment of reflection was hesitation, as his next words seared Tariq's soul for life.
"If you don't sign them, there's only one other option, and right now you are worth more to me dead than alive," he sneered.
Tariq needed to buy himself some time. His father would be here in twenty minutes. Murad was probably asleep in the adjoining apartment and it would depend on where Saud was in the port. "Hassan, just tell me why you're doing this first," he pleaded gently. They'd never been close, but still, they were brothers. What had led Hassan to hate him so much that he wished him dead? It made Tariq question his life.
Standing there, facing that gun was giving him an insight into everything he'd ever done and not done. A deep knowing of all the implications of his actions and how far and wide they'd reached in affecting lives. Tariq felt that somehow his heart was being weighed by a higher power, determining whether his life so far had resulted in any value to the peace of humanity or whether it had been purely about wealth and prestige. He guessed that all of his choices had played a part in making him who he was today, but at least he still ha
d a heart. What he did know for certain was that his brother had somehow lost his heart along the way. What was now in its place was a black evil presence, so grotesque that it was willing to kill others to have more wealth and prestige, the things that didn't actually count at the point of death. Wasn't being a millionaire and part of a billion dollar company enough for one person? Clearly, Hassan had thought not.
Hassan cleared his throat. "It's quite simple really brother. I've grown up in your shadow, always deemed as the second son, the one with less value. Father proved it when he gave the majority of the company shares to you on your initiation day into the business, but when it came around to my initiation, I was called into a meeting with you both and presented with a measly amount. I've never forgiven you for that."
Tariq was shocked. "But, Hassan, you weren't that interested in the oil business!"
"That changed when I married Amira. She showed me just how little I was getting compared to you. Well, not anymore. You either sign or die, which is it to be?"
Tariq couldn't believe that this man standing in front of him was the same person that he'd grown up with and shared so many happy memories with. "Hassan, just think about it for a moment. If you shoot me, how do you think you'll get away with it?"
Hassan laughed bitterly. "This gun belongs to a pirate friend of mine, who has also kidnapped your wife. Unfortunately for you, the papers will read how you were shot in the process of your wife being kidnapped by pirates. Of course, I'll play the devastated brother and as for Katie, well, she's being enjoyed by the pirates as we speak."
A loud roar echoed throughout Tariq's mind. "If she's so much as touched, your life won't be worth living," he ground out in absolute fury. What Tariq felt in this moment was not fear. It was the power of injustice. Glancing around, he realised that there was nowhere to run to. The gun had been lowered and was now aimed at his heart. The only regret and pain he really felt deeply about was losing Katie. If Hassan pulled the trigger and shot him, then he'd leave this planet without having had the chance to explain his feelings to her. There was nothing like facing death to help you put things into perspective. The one thing he could thank his brother for in these moments was seeing how he didn't just want Katie in his life, but that he wanted to make a life with her. There was a huge difference between the two.