The Widow's Keeper

by Kishan Paul

  Shariff stood at the entrance, a shopping bag in his hand. “I leave you alone for a few hours, and when I return, my guard is missing in action. Did you manage to kill him as well?”

  She shrugged. “Murdering guards seems to be one of my superpowers.”

  He laughed and sat beside her, putting the tote he carried between them. From inside, he pulled out a clear plastic bag of chips. He ripped open the package and tipped it in her direction. “Hungry?”

  Her stomach growled, but Ally shook her head and continued to stare out the open door.

  Shariff popped a chip into in his mouth. “You can leave if you want. I never forced you to stay.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Promising to kill or sell the people I love if I leave is the same as chaining me to the bed.”

  “Chain you?” He laughed and tossed another chip into his mouth. “I’m not a fan of all the bondage stuff. I tried it a few times. Too many sharp objects and too much planning involved. Want to know what I find attractive?” He grabbed the bag between them and poured the contents on the floor in front of her. “A well-dressed woman.” Brightly colored fabric, each in individual clear plastic bags, lay around her feet. “Hence, I picked up some new things for you.”

  She didn’t move, instead stared out at the front door for Razaa to return.

  Shariff picked up one of the items and dropped it on her lap. “New jeans. They should fit you better than the ones you’re currently wearing.”

  He grabbed a royal blue piece and stacked it on top of the jeans. “A new kurta that won’t look like you borrowed someone else’s shirt. This one should fit you in all the right places.”

  One by one, he identified the clothing and added it to the stack until the tower of packets almost tipped over. Ally grabbed them before they fell and laid the stack beside her. “I will be dead by tomorrow. Why bother buying me a new wardrobe?”

  He scrunched his face. “You don’t know for sure you will die. And even if you do, it’s more reason to spend your last day looking your best. Which reminds me.” Shariff picked up the remaining packet from the floor and pulled out a peach fabric. When he held the dress out for her to see, the matching shawl and pants to the outfit fell across her feet.

  The piece was silk with embroidered flowers across the bodice, its sleeves sheer. She eyed the delicate roses weaved into the chest of the outfit, but more than the fabric, she noticed the way he looked at her eagerly awaiting her reaction. In so many ways, he remained a child, hungry for affirmation.

  Disappointment flashed across his face when she didn’t give him what he wanted. He laid it across her lap. “You have to look nice when you meet your father-in-law for the first time.” He grinned. “I know he’s very eager to lay his eyes on you.”

  Her stomach twisted. She could only imagine what the man who spawned the two brothers would be like. Ally stared at the embroidered fabric in her lap, honing in on the bitterness in his voice. “I’m sure he’s just as eager to see you?”

  He chuckled. “The old man made no attempt to visit me in over fifteen years, but now when there is a possibility his dead son might not be dead, he’s had a sudden urge for a family reunion.”

  Shariff picked up the sheer shawl from the floor and pressed it tight against her chest. He leaned over, his face close to hers. “Beautiful.” He dropped the fabric in her lap and ran his hand up her arm, slowly making his way to her bare shoulder. “When I saw it at the store, I imagined it on you.” Goosebumps pebbled her skin as his fingers moved over her. “And then I envisioned taking it off you.”

  She raised her chin and held her breath while he traced her collarbone. “You need to make up your mind, Shariff. One minute, you’re telling me you don’t want your brother’s leftovers. The next, you’re sharing your fantasies of undressing me.”

  “I know.” He rested his forehead against her temple and sighed. “My two heads are at war with each other. One screaming to stay away and the other screaming to sink himself inside you.”

  She clenched her fists around the scarf in her lap as a shudder rocked through her.

  Shariff wrapped his arm around her hips and slid her body closer. His lashes brushed against her cheek when he blinked. “Those two typically play nice together, but over you, it’s been an ugly battle.” His breath hit her skin. She fought the urge to push him away and wipe him off her.

  “Speaking of fantasies, last night I had the most lust-filled one about you.” Shariff ran the pad of his thumb over her lip. “And we were fabulous together. Want to hear about it?”

  Ally swallowed the terror and shook her head.

  His hand wrapped around her neck and traced up and down the length of it. “I’m starting to wonder if I had you, maybe these fantasies would stop.”

  Her heart pounded an erratic beat. She wound the sheer scarf around her hands until the fabric was tight and imagined it wrapped around his neck, crushing the breath out of him. “A taste of me is not going to be enough. It’s not usually how things work.”

  He laughed and pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth. “For some reason, that intrigues me even more.”

  She shuttered her lids as he kissed along her jaw, moving down her neck. Just as Ally raised her hands and prepared herself, the front door opened. She dropped her palms back in her lap and watched Razaa.

  The mask had returned. He entered the home and slammed the door shut behind him. He stared around the house until his eyes locked with hers. His gaze shifted between Ally and the man currently kissing her neck.

  Shariff pressed his lips on her cheek, making a loud smack before he moved away. Even then, he kept a possessive hand on her back. “Where did you disappear to?” he asked in Urdu to the young man.

  Razaa walked to them, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and jutted his chin at her. “She wouldn’t stop talking.”

  Ally shifted in her seat. Would he tell Shariff about what she said?

  Shariff laughed, while his fingers brushed lazily up and down her spine. “Yes, it is a problem I’m having with her as well. She is a woman of a thousand questions.”

  Razaa stood a few feet from them and crossed his arms. “Most brother-in-laws do not touch their bhaabis the way you are.”

  Shariff’s hand stilled. He rose from the bed and scowled at him. “I am not like most. Now am I?”

  Ally sucked in a breath as he approached Razaa. Shariff walked past him and stopped at the doorway. “It’s time to go, Bhaabi. Everyone at the house must be wondering where you are. And Razaa, pack up the clothes on the bed for me.”

  The young man nodded and did as he was told. Ally remained glued to her spot, looking up at him as he put the packets in the shopping bag. Razaa avoided her gaze. A few dots of red stained the pale yellow collar of his tee.

  “Did you hurt yourself?”.

  Other than a slight pause before returning to his task, he showed no indication he heard her.

  Ally cleared her throat and spoke loud enough for both of them to hear. “Can I say good-bye to Farah and the baby before we go?”

  Razaa’s gaze met hers, but he did not answer.

  “Thirty seconds,” Shariff said from down the hall. “And I will be standing in the room the whole time.”

  By the time they entered Farah’s room, the mother stood in the middle of the space, the baby in her arms. Her gaze darted between Ally and the man standing behind her.

  Ally went to her and wrapped an arm around the young mother’s shoulder. “I will be back for you two,” she whispered.

  Farah pressed her cheek into Ally’s. “Don’t worry about us. Please be careful.”

  Ally nodded and wiped a tear off of Farah’s cheek before walking out of the room.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  TRUST NO ONE

  Ally spent the drive back to Wassim’s not only shrouded in darkness but also in silence. Again, the constant honking and the voices of people along the roads were loud, but the passengers in the vehicle were not. The onl
y sound inside the cabin was the beeping of a cell phone.

  “Shariff?”

  “Hmm,” he mumbled as he typed on his phone.

  “Why do we keep switching cars, and why do you keep changing your clothes?”

  “Changing clothes?”

  She shook her head. “That’s the same response you gave me yesterday when I asked.”

  He rested his hand on her knee. “Sweet, beautiful Bhaabi, if you don’t like my answers then stop asking the question.”

  Ally bent over and felt the floor of the car until her fingers touched the duffle bag. She lifted it up and dropped it on what she hoped was his lap. “My eyes may be covered, but I’m not deaf. I can hear the zipping and unzipping and the shifting as you put things on and take them off. Why go to so much trouble?”

  He let out a long exaggerated sigh but didn’t respond. The bag thudded on the floor by her feet.

  She cleared her throat. “Unless you’re worried people are following you.”

  The grip on her knee tightened.

  “Who’s following you, Shariff?”

  “You continue to amaze me,” he said. “It’s no wonder you managed to kill my brother.” His finger traced circles on her thigh. “As to your question, let me explain something I learned a long time ago.” He slid close and whispered in her ear. “Trust no one. Not even my sweet, beautiful Bhaabi who has already killed two men.”

  She stayed rigid long after he returned to his seat and the beeping on his cell phone resumed. A little while later, the car pulled to a stop, its gears groaning when the driver put it into park. Shariff pulled the cover off her head. Ally blinked a few times, adjusting to the bright afternoon sun. Her stomach growled, making Shariff laugh. “You should have eaten those chips when you had the chance.”

  She didn’t answer but looked out the window at the same narrow street and the same hibiscus bushes. Unlike the other times, this drive was shorter and took at the most twenty minutes. Clearly, there was an urgency for him to get back to the house. An urgency that took precedence over his trust issues.

  “No worries.” He pulled on the sleeve of her burqa. “As soon as you take this off, we can go inside and get you some dinner.”

  The car rolled up to the gate a moment later. As usual, the guards came out, and after they completed their routine bomb inspection, the vehicle entered the grounds. Ally pretended not to notice their scowls when the car drove past.

  Apparently, Shariff noticed the glares as well. He cleared his throat before he opened his passenger door. “You should probably stay in your room with the doors locked the rest of the day. They don’t appear to enjoy your company as much as I do.”

  Ally nodded but didn’t respond. She was too busy watching Aadam and Alyah sitting on the porch. Heat prickled the back of her neck. Why were they still there? She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and followed Shariff inside.

  The musical ballad to a soap opera played on the television in the living room, but there was no one in the room watching it.

  “Hello?” Shariff said as he wandered around. He shot her a puzzled look and peered into the hallway. “Anyone home?”

  Ally stayed near the front door, unsure of what danger lurked inside.

  A few moments later, one of Wassim’s men appeared. “We are in the back room, having dinner. Wassim Bhai asked you to join us.”

  She knew better than to think the invitation extended to her and, even if it did, had no desire to see any of them. Ally headed for the stairs.

  “Bhaabi.”

  She paused at the step.

  “I will send you a plate to your room.” She nodded and made her way to safety.

  Ally sat on her private balcony overlooking the courtyard and nibbled on her dinner. The security dog from the gate scurried around the giant water fountain below while Aadam chased after him. The sight of them ruined her appetite. Things weren’t going the way she’d hoped. Maybe, just maybe, Alyah planned to disappear during the night, without drawing too much attention. Either that, or she didn’t believe a word of their conversation, and she and Wassim were plotting Ally’s death.

  Aadam’s squeals drew her out of her thoughts. The happy child pursued the dog, trying to wrap his chubby arms around the furry beast. Every time he came within hugging distance, the animal leaped a few feet ahead and glanced back, wagging its tail for the child to pursue. The game lasted for a while before finally the dog allowed Aadam to catch him, rewarding his efforts with sloppy wet kisses.

  Soon the boy was on his back while the dog stood over him, licking his face clean. The courtyard erupted with Aadam’s giggles and squeals. For a brief moment, the tension of the past few months melted and Ally laughed. As soon as she heard the sound escape her lips, she stopped.

  How long had it been? Her mind wandered to David. His smiling face filled her mind. Once upon a time, they planned to have a family of their own. Her chest ached. It wasn’t only her heart she’d lost four months ago. Her hopes, her faith, her future were all destroyed in one morning.

  She sipped her water and tried to swallow the guilt rising in her throat. Apart from her dreams, he had only been a fleeting thought in the past day or so. It was the longest he’d gone from her mind since his death, longer than she liked.

  Life was strange, hers stranger than most. Whenever she believed she was in control, it changed paths, thrusting her in directions she never desired. All she wanted was to go home, to the only man who ever made her feel loved or safe. A home that no longer existed. She pressed the glass against her face to ease the heat building beneath the surface.

  A bead of condensation rolled down the side of the vessel. Her mother had asked why she didn’t cry in front of the family. She wiped the moisture away with the pad of her thumb before it fell from the cup. The day she lost David was the day she realized her pain would never end. The only person she could cry in front of. The one who always knew exactly what to do, and how to make the pain stop, was gone. Which was why she made it a point to seal off the cracks of her walls as soon as they formed. If the cracks weren’t sealed and the walls crumbled, she wasn’t sure the tears would ever end.

  Women’s voices and laughter filled the grounds, pulling Ally out of her thoughts. With their workday over, the servants congregated by the water fountain, ready to go home. They patted Aadam’s head as they walked past and headed down the driveway to the gate. The woman with the bright orange top, whom Ally had seen in the kitchen, stood with the group. She moved slower than the rest as they strolled and soon fell several feet behind the others. The road curved and disappeared under the tall shade trees. While the rest continued down the path, the orange top stepped off the drive and slipped into the trees. A minute later, she appeared, rushing down the road with something in her hand.

  Ally stared at the spot from which she emerged long after the woman disappeared. Another shadow moved among the trees. She tracked the figure until it came into view. Shariff.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  THE CHAT

  For the past few hours, Eddie drove around the neighborhood, conducting reconnaissance of the area and its residents. The community of homes was new, with several empty plots awaiting construction. This worked to his benefit because all the floor plans were online; including the one for the house he intended to break into. The building in which he hoped to find his baby sister.

  After he realized Shariff had her, he’d contacted a friend and cashed in a favor. But even with all his high-tech devices and his eyes in the sky, his friend couldn’t trail the asshole. Alisha had been right. Irfani was slick and changed cars and appearances multiple times, making him hard to track. The person who finally helped him find the house was the one person he’d wanted far away from Karachi—Alisha.

  The sun set over an hour ago, blanketing the perimeter in darkness. Shrouded in night, he hoisted himself up the stone wall in the back of the property. Once he could see over it, he studied the yard before hopping on to the empty lawn.
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br />   He pulled out his Walther PPK and flashlight from the back of his jeans. In his dominant hand, he kept his gun cocked, his index finger resting on the trigger. With the slightest of pressure, the weapon would fire. He held the back of the unlit light against the knuckles of his armed hand, prepared to blind any potential threats if need be.

  With his tall frame low to the ground, he crept across the lawn until he arrived at the one-story building. Eddie pressed his back to the wall and slid along the length toward the door, peeking into the windows as he moved. He knew Alisha and Shariff were no longer on the premises. Arial footage indicated they’d left the property hours ago. What hadn’t left the house was the ring Eddie gave her. He knew her well enough to know the only reason she’d leave it behind was if there was someone else she thought needed it more than she did. In this case, that someone would mean his sister.

  From Alisha’s descriptions, his sister and niece occupied the bedroom closest to the kitchen. The one with the boarded-up window. He also knew a camera monitored the room twenty-four seven. He’d tried to tap into the live feeds from the device they used but couldn’t access it. Once he entered the building, he needed to grab them and get out before anyone watching the live feed noticed.

  Bright yellow light streamed through the fibers of the curtained window at the end of the wall. Two shadows moved on the other side. Eddie slid close to the light and listened for voices but heard nothing. He leaned in and peeked through the thin slit on the curtain before gluing his back to the side of the wall again. His brows lowered, and he blinked a few times as he processed what he’d seen.

  He snuck in another glance and this time watched for a little longer before pressing against the bricks a second time. Farah sat on the sofa and not only was Razaa by her side, the motherfucker’s head rested on her shoulder. They both appeared to be crying. His niece, nor anyone else for that matter, was visible in the room.