The Widow's Keeper

by Kishan Paul

  “You didn’t have to kill them. I would have helped you if you’d asked me.”

  “Who said I did? And…” Shariff tipped his head toward the gate as a car pulled up on the drive outside. “Our car has arrived.”

  The guards by the entrance went out to talk to the driver, their dog and bomb-detecting device in hand. A second later, Eddie stood at Shariff’s side.

  “You, my shadow, will not be coming with us.” He patted Eddie’s shoulder and walked away.

  “Wassim’s instructions—”

  “Have no power once we leave this house,” Shariff snapped before Eddie could finish.

  One of the uniformed men lowered his head while the other glared openly at her.

  “Mind your manners,” Shariff roared at the guard.

  She slid into the backseat of the car and pulled the ring out of her pocket, slipping it back on. Ally stared out the window at Eddie. Their eyes locked for a brief second before he looked away. The connection lasted long enough for him to nod his head. A nod so slight no one else noticed.

  Shariff continued to hound the guards. “Don’t look at her again. Understand?” Then he pointed at Eddie, “Tell Wassim we will be gone for a few hours.” He slid into the car and slammed the door before anyone could respond.

  She rubbed the back of the ring, hoping it contained a tracking device and hoping they were on their way back to Farah. The car revved its engine and backed away from the drive. It pulled over and stopped a few streets later, next to the gates and hibiscus bushes from the day before. He pulled out the black fabric from the duffle bag on the floor, unfolded it, and waved it at her. “Shall I do the honors, or will you?”

  Everything turned black the instant the blindfold slid into place.

  He helped her slip the burqa on and then rubbed her wrist. “Do I need to tie your hands together or can I trust you to behave?”

  “Depends. Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere safe.”

  “That doesn’t ease any of my fears.”

  He laughed. “At the moment, by my side is the safest place you can be.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  THE GIFT

  Unable to see, Shariff held her arm and guided her through the space. Like the day before, they changed cars, but this time he kept her uncuffed. A door opened and shoes squeaked against the hard floor. No one spoke. He propelled her inside the building; somewhere nearby a door slammed shut. A few minutes later, Shariff pulled the burqa and the mask off her. Ally blinked and stared around the room. A sink sat in the corner of the bedroom and a glass mirror hung above it. A pile of clothes lay on the floor against the wall and on the top of it a pair of men’s briefs. She glanced at the closed door across from her before looking at the rest of the space.

  He waved around the room. “You were clearly not expected but it will do. So make yourself comfortable. You will be in here for a while.”

  A baby’s hungry cries filled the air. Ally looked at Shariff, knowing exactly where he’d taken her. “Let me stay with them.”

  He laughed and headed for the closed door. “I would need to trust you for that. Seeing as how I don’t, hidden metal rods and beating men to death and all, here is where you’ll stay.”

  “Please, let me…” The door slammed in her face. Before she could reach for the knob, metal slid into place and keys jiggled, locking it. A few minutes later, the front door closed as well. The engine of a car in the driveway revved, and soon he was gone.

  Ally sat on the bed, fiddling with the ring and gazing at the door. In the past half hour since he left, Amirah’s cries had grown louder and more hysterical. When it became unbearable, she ran to the door and banged against it. “Anyone out there?” The only response came from the screaming infant. She slammed her knuckles against the surface and pressed her ear against the smooth wood. “Is there something wrong with the baby?”

  Although no one answered, something squeaked against the floor. “I want to know if Farah and Amirah are okay.”

  Razaa didn’t respond, but from his footsteps, she assumed he paced the area outside her door. She rested her forehead against the door. “Please. I might be able to help.”

  The baby continued to wail, pausing to take a breath and start again.

  His footsteps disappeared, leaving only the child’s laments as company. Ally grasped the handle and jiggled, but it didn’t budge. A few minutes later, the footsteps returned and along with it, the metal clashing of keys.

  “I am going to open the door. You will walk with me to the other room, and I will let you in. If you try anything, I will shoot you. Understood?” Razaa commanded.

  His words chilled her but not because she believed he’d hurt her. The fact he allowed it meant something was very wrong. “Yes.”

  “Step far away from the door.”

  Ally rushed to the other end of the room, her chest tight as tension coursed through her. When it opened, the young masked man stood at the threshold, a gun protruded from the waistband of his jeans.

  “What’s wrong with Amirah?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not the baby. It’s her mother.” He rested a hand on the gun’s handle and stepped to the side, granting her exit.

  She hurried to him and paused at the doorway, in front of him. Razaa stared ahead, not acknowledging her. Ally opened her mouth, trying to find the right words.

  “Go!” he snapped.

  She nodded and moved on with Razaa close behind. The cries grew louder as she neared the locked bedroom.

  His hands shook while he unfastened the lock. As soon as it clicked, he pulled the door open and waved her in.

  She stepped into the room, the door shut and locked behind her.

  Ally’s attention went straight to the bed. In a diaper and nothing else, Amirah lay in the middle of the mattress. Her face bright red as she screamed, and her arms and legs flailed. She scooped up the baby and pressed her cheek to her own as she swayed and hummed to her. While she tried to calm the child, she scanned the room for the mother.

  She sat in the corner on the floor, rocking herself. Her body shook as she sobbed.

  “Farah?”

  She looked up at Ally, emotion glistening against her cheeks. “I fed her, cleaned her, everything. She won’t stop crying.”

  From the looks of it, it wasn’t just the baby who couldn’t stop crying. Ally held Amirah tight and continued to bounce until finally, after a long while, Amirah fell asleep. Afraid to wake her, she walked over to Farah and smiled down at her. “It’s okay, Farah.”

  Her vacant gaze stared out across the room. “Nothing’s okay, Didi. Because of my mistakes, we will all die. I’ve destroyed everything.”

  She sat beside her, careful not to jostle the exhausted child. “She is going to be okay. Both of you will go home.”

  “Home? What home? There is no home without him. And he won’t be there.” She fixed her gaze on Ally. “He’s dead.”

  Her throat tightened. It hurt too much to confirm her fears. Ally grabbed her hand and stared at the floor.

  Farah rested her chin on her knees. “It’s okay, Didi. I know,” she whispered. “He’s dead because of me.” Her words trailed off as the sobs took over.

  “I think I’m cursed,” Farah said. The tears had long subsided, but the women were still on the floor. Farah’s head rested on Ally’s shoulder; a towel covered her chest, hiding the nursing child.

  A sad smile tugged at Ally’s lips. Those were thoughts she understood all too well. “It feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it?”

  Farah’s hair rubbed against her cheek when she nodded.

  Ally stared at the cotton hanging over the nursing mother’s body. The edge of it fell over her lap, covering most of it from view. She tucked her hand under the cloth and rested it on Farah’s knee. “Whenever you feel that way, look at this beautiful gift Amir left for you.” With her thumb, she worked on slipping the silver band off her finger. “You can’t see him, but he is here wat
ching over the two girls he loved more than his own life. And as hard as it is to stay hopeful, you have to for him. Don’t let his death be in vain, Farah.”

  The woman stiffened as soon as the ring dropped into her lap. “You can’t give up. You have to live. To fight for her. The way he fought for you so many times before. Protect his daughter at all costs.”

  Farah’s fingers brushed against hers from under the towel, and Ally knew she was slipping the ring on to her own hand. She smiled and patted her head. “You will continue being the strong, proud woman your husband believed you to be, and by doing so, you will raise his Amirah to be the same.”

  Ally pressed her cheek into Farah’s cheek, and whispered into her ear. “A gift from your brother. We will get you both out of here. I promise.” She climbed to her feet, reaching her hand out to her. “Now, you need to go to bed and get some rest.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  THE TRUTH

  Farah lay curled up on the mattress, Amirah snuggled up against her belly. Ally stared at the two of them, praying she would be able to keep the promise she’d made to get them out. Her thoughts shifted to the man in the living room. It was time they talked. She sucked in a breath and knocked on the door, waiting for the masked Razaa to arrive.

  The gun still sat in his waistband, and he moved aside to let her out. She stepped out of the room and looked over her shoulder at the sleeping pair. So much would happen by the next day, and she worried she’d never see them again. The door slammed shut as she watched. She scanned the empty living area. Shariff had not arrived yet.

  “You may have more crying spells from her. She is a new mother, and there are a lot of hormones running through her body,” she said as he locked the door. “Then for husband to be killed, and she and Amirah to be locked away from the world, it is a lot for anyone to deal with.”

  He put the keys in his pocket and nodded, his hand still resting on the gun in his waistband.

  Ally reached to touch his masked face as he stepped away from her. “You don’t have to hide from me anymore. I know it’s you, Razaa.”

  He stiffened but didn’t respond.

  She smiled. “My sweet Razaa, who loved to eat ledus and play cricket.”

  “I’m not your anything,” he snapped. “Back to the room.”

  She headed to the other side of the house. “I know it’s you,” she said over her shoulder. “The way you walk. Your eyes. You’re my Razaa.”

  “Don’t call me that,” he growled.

  “What happened?” She didn’t have to fake the sadness in her voice. The question did make her sad for him. “The Razaa I knew was loyal and kind. He would never have hurt the people he loved.” She thought about the fourteen-year-old boy she once knew, not the seventeen-year-old stranger standing a foot away. “I used to be one of those people you loved. I’m hoping I still am.”

  “You don’t know anything.” His words were spoken softly, but the pain in his voice cut her.

  A tear rolled down her cheek. She paused at the entrance of the hallway that led to her room and leaned against the wall, staring at him. “True, I don’t know anything about what’s happened to you, but I do know how much you loved Amir and he, you. He was your hero. My heart can’t believe you would have killed him.”

  He stared at the room down the pathway and didn’t respond.

  She pointed at Farah’s door. “As for Farah, she was a big sister to you all those years. She sat beside you and took care of you even when you were sick. Why would you keep her and her baby locked away in here and make them hurt like this?”

  “Nobody was supposed to get hurt,” he whispered.

  “Then help her. She’s hurting.”

  Red-rimmed eyes welling with emotion stared at her. “Who helped me when I hurt?”

  “Who hurt you, Razaa?”

  He laughed. “You.”

  She nodded. “That’s why you hate me.” The weight of guilt had always sat heavy in her chest, and now that she knew they had been split up, the guilt consumed her. His words were intensifying the grip it had on her. “I’m sorry. I should have never left you and the boys.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. But you didn’t want us, and I have learned to accept the fact.”

  “That’s not true, Razaa.”

  “Stop. You asked, now you need to hear the answer so you can understand why I hate you.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “I hate you for pretending to love us when you really didn’t. I hate you for tearing my family apart and ruining my life. But most of all, I hate you for killing our father.” He inched closer. His breath blew against her face when he spoke. “You see, I heard every word you said to Ayoub. You told him you killed Babba and how you were going to sell us, like we were animals. You never cared for us, so please don’t talk to me about love.”

  She raised her hand to touch him, but he stepped away from it. “No, Razaa, it’s not what happened. I would have never sold you. Everything I did was to protect you.”

  “So many lies.” He leaned against the wall across from her and shook his head. “If I ask you something, can you tell me the truth?”

  She nodded her head. “Anything.”

  “Did you even think once about me?” He pulled off his mask and tossed it on the floor. “And after you killed him and took everything, did you care how much I suffered while you lived your happy new life in America?”

  Tears drenched her skin as she looked at him. A beard covered the cheeks of the man in front of her, but he was still the same boy she loved and risked her life for.

  “Every single minute,” she whispered. Ally sucked in a breath. “Losing all of you was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through.”

  “Stop lying!”

  She shook her head. “I’m not. What you think happened wasn’t true, Razaa. I wasn’t the one trying to sell you.”

  He ran a hand through his thick black hair but didn’t argue.

  “Sayeed trained you and your brothers so he could sell you off to the As-Sirat.”

  Razaa rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately, he is not alive to explain your version of events to me.”

  “He lied to you about so many things…”

  “Stop it!” His fist slammed into the wall. “Go.” He pointed to the room at the end of the hallway. “I’ve heard enough.”

  Ally stared at him and didn’t move. “Did he tell you what happened to Umber? Did he tell you he gave him to Ayoub as a gift?” She rushed through her words, willing him to hear them all. “He sent the poor boy into a mall with a backpack full of explosives. Your beloved father sent him to his death.”

  He pulled the gun out from his waistband and waved it at the awaiting bedroom. “It’s time to go.”

  But she didn’t move. “I know you don’t know who to believe,” she said. “And I know what you heard made me sound like a bad person, but you have a computer in the living room.”

  “I can’t look at you. Go to the room now.”

  She nodded and walked slowly into the room. “Go search the Egyptian mall bombing from three years ago and look for pictures of the bomber. It’s Umber.”

  The door slammed shut before she finished. “His death was the reason I killed your father. I saw the picture of Umber on the news the day he died.” She pressed her hands against the wooden barrier and talked louder. “His face haunts me to this day. They put it all over the news and called him a terrorist, and all I saw was a scared little boy.”

  She heard nothing but silence on the other side. “No matter what you think of me, Farah and her baby are innocent. Let them go. You have me. I’m the one who killed your Babba, not them.” She omitted the part of how it was Farah who actually filled Sayeed’s body with bullets. Regardless of the shooting, it was Ally who’d poisoned him. If anyone should claim responsibility for the man’s death and deal with the consequences, it would be her.

  Something slammed against the wood she leaned against, the force of which pus
hed her head back.

  “I’ve heard enough,” Razaa growled. His sneakers squeaked against the floor, and a few seconds later, the front door slammed shut.

  She closed her eyes and prayed he’d believe her.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  NEW CLOTHES

  Ally sat on the floor with the back of her head leaning against the locked bedroom door. Razaa stormed out of the house hours ago and had yet to return. She let out a nervous breath. Eddie would have been furious if he knew she had talked to either Alyah or Razaa. In the past few hours, she’d talked to both. To one she lied and the other told the truth. All of it in the hopes of saving them. She couldn’t change the pains of their past, but if she was lucky she could help them have a future.

  Alyah never believed Ally possessed a good bone in her body. Telling her anything to disprove her theory was a waste of everyone’s time. Hopefully, the tale Ally weaved would scare Alyah enough to send her and her son into hiding by the morning. If she didn’t, Ally wasn’t sure how any of them would come out alive tomorrow.

  Then there was Razaa. The boy had become a man. A man that if Eddie got his hands on…

  Ally pushed the thought away. Anything could happen, and she hoped he was somewhere researching Umber and the information she gave him. She let out a long sigh. He was involved in all of this. Somehow, he had a hand in David and Amir’s deaths. She wanted to hate him, but the only person she hated was herself. Ally rested her head in her hands. If Razaa realized the truth… If any of that boy she once knew still existed within him, he would help Farah and the baby. With any luck, the realization would happen before Shariff returned.

  Those hopes plummeted the second a car pulled up the drive. She rose to her feet when the vehicle’s door slammed shut. Someone entered the home, but unlike Razaa’s, these shoes didn’t squeak. The footsteps wandered around the house before heading in her direction. By the time her door unlocked, she’d positioned herself at the foot of the bed, hands in her lap, waiting.