by Sable Hunter
“I guess one of the perks of having an oil company is owning a private jet,” Ky surveyed the interior of the Lear with appreciation. “I knew you were doing well, Doc, but you just don’t act like a rich man.”
Drew shifted uneasily in his seat. “I don’t like change,” he said dryly. “I’ve been accused of being set in my ways.” He didn’t really want to talk, all he could think of was Angelina. He hated the way they’d left things. What he’d said to her had been true, he wished someone else were her doctor. He wanted to be so much more.
“I bet it’s because you were an only child, just you and your dad for so many years.” Ky reached over and slapped Ty’s knee. “I, on the other hand, was never without my shadow.”
Ty gave his twin a look of disbelief. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you were the one who lived in my shadow. I was the dominant one – bigger, smarter, handsomer, more athletic, better with the women.” He was in a good mood. Having hope made all the difference.
“Speaking of being dominant? Are you still going to those BDSM clubs, Ty?” Rebel asked from behind them.
“I haven’t been in a while, I’ve been sorta busy trying to stay alive,” Ty answered dryly.
“I made him a special leather quirt for his kinky activities,” Ky remarked. “Maybe I should make Aliyah one.”
Tyler swallowed. “Yea, you do that. As long as she comes home safe and well, I’ll let her do whatever she wants.”
The men sobered, remembering the seriousness of their task. Rafe had arranged for them to have backup. Twenty-five highly trained black op soldiers would be ready and waiting for the Texas coalition to gain entrance and throw open the gates. Drew and Frank had their documentation and information ready, just as if they were going to go through with the oil deal. Hopefully, their plan would go off without a hitch.
…Once they landed, things were hectic. Rafe took the last few minutes on the plane to remind them how things would pan out. “We keep a low profile and let Drew and Frank do the talking. Make nice, eat, and try not to get captivated by belly-dancing harem girls. Stay alert, as soon as we contact Khalid, things will go down fast. Rebel and Jagger will leave the festivities first and begin to systematically take out any who might stand in our way. Tyler, you or Kyler, need to make contact with the Sheikh’s son. If he is still willing to give us his cooperation we’re set, if he doesn’t, this is a whole different ball game. I hope Aliyah is right and this man is her friend.
“If Aliyah says Khalid is her friend, you can take it to the bank.” Tyler said, his faith in Aliyah unwavering.
A limousine picked them up at the airport and in about a half hour, they were approaching what looked like a medieval citadel. “Jumping Jehoshaphat,” Ky whispered, “I can’t believe this place.” The Sheik’s palace was something out of a fairy tale. “There’s a goldarned moat! Did you see that? I’ve never see a real moat!”
“Just looks like a little bayou to me,” Ty replied, unimpressed.
Surrounding them were thirty foot palms and full size waterfalls poured into blue lagoons filled with Japanese koi. Beautiful women carrying trays of liquor met them before they’d gone more than a dozen feet.
“Welcome! As-salaam alaykum.” Sheik Yasin and his son Khalid greeted them with pomp and circumstance, flanked by armed guards in full Arabian regalia. “Come, sit, our home is your home.”
Tyler visibly tensed in Yasin’s presence, but Drew stood next to him, giving him support.
After they were seated, Rafe leaned in to Ty and reminded him not to approach Khalid until Jagger and Rebel had time to disarm the guards and the mercenaries were in place.
Drew was given the place of honor next to Yasin and he made casual conversation, telling the potentate about his small town medical practice and rural clinic.
“Soon you will have no need for your medical practice, doctor. Aswad Oil will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams!”
Drew gave a polite smile, explaining his thought processes to a man he probably would kill before the night was over didn’t really seem worth the trouble. Still…he couldn’t resist. “I don’t practice medicine for the money, I enjoy helping people.”
The Sheik surveyed Drew with a pained look on his face. “Good. Compassion has its place.”
After that, they concentrated on the meal. Music filled the air as a bastion of waiters filed in carrying huge trays of assorted food – lamb, fruit, rice, tomatoes, and puffy round loaves of bread.
“What’s this stuff?” Ty asked Ky as he sipped out of a small cup. He didn’t have an appetite, knowing that somewhere in the palace, Aliyah was being tortured.
“Cardamom coffee, I think. Remember don’t eat with your left hand, it’s an insult.”
“I’m not really too concerned about whether I insult Jafar or not.”
Ky understood. Tyler was going through the motions until he could get Aliyah back in his arms once more.
As the meal progressed, Yasin grew ready to talk business. Frank handed him a portfolio and soon the Sheik invited Drew and his right-hand man to step into his office to negotiate the merger. Rebel and Jagger rose and made their excuses to the women who hovered around them. “I think we need to stroll around and walk off this tasty meal,” Jagger gave a lovely girl a quick wink.
Tyler and Kyler remained at the table with others employees of Haley Oil, making sure they kept an eye on Khalid. When Rebel gave them an all-clear signal, Ty rose and sauntered over to the Sheik’s son. He didn’t know any other way to do it other than to just say what Aliyah told him to say. “Excuse me, Khalid, we have a mutual friend, my Aliyah. She told me to tell you one word…Abraham.”
“Thanks be to Allah, I prayed you would come.” Khalid looked relieved. Glancing around he saw none of his father’s guards standing about. “You have been busy.” Standing, he straightaway dismissed all the women and waiters. “I may be betrayed, but my father must be stopped. Aliyah is worth it.”
Footsteps alerted them that they weren’t alone. All three men whirled, expecting to be attacked, but it was Rafe and his men, all armed to the teeth. Throwing the Landon twins and Khalid a gun, Rafe indicated for the Sheik’s son to lead the way.
On the way to the dungeon, Tyler could barely breathe.
…Meanwhile, in Ben Yasin’s office, Drew wondered what was happening. As he listened to the Sheik’s accountant drone on and on about the price per barrel vs. distribution costs, he thought he would pass out. He kept listening for gunfire, then wondered if he’d be able to hear it from here. His role in this mission was not what he would’ve chosen, but he knew keeping the Sheik occupied was important too.
…Downstairs, Khalid led the men down a long hall to an elevator, explaining to them that there were ten armed guards and Moshe, the dungeon master to contend with. “Take Moshe out first, if not, he will kill Aliyah the moment he senses trouble.” The men split up, half taking the stairs and half taking the elevator, giving both groups the slight element of surprise.
“Just point Moshe out to me and the bastard is dead,” Tyler declared without a hint of remorse. “Let’s do it.”
When the elevator doors opened, Ty followed Khalid out. There were cells on both sides of a hall, containing only a few prisoners. Most of them looked beaten and hopeless, but none of them were Aliyah. “Where is she?”
“Not here, Yasin prepared Aliyah her own special place.”
Tyler knew he wasn’t speaking of anything good. They’d gone only a few feet when he heard her scream. He needed no further incentive. Pushing everyone else aside, Tyler ran toward the sound. A grizzled man stepped out to question their presence. “Moshe,” Khalid uttered the name of Aliyah’s tormentor.
Tyler didn’t even think twice. He raised his gun and fired. Moshe died instantly.
Behind them, Rebel and Jagger were dealing with other of Yasin’s men who seemed to be coming out of the woodwork, some were eliminated outright and others were captured for questioning later. Any informati
on they could gather concerning terrorist activity would be useful for intelligence purposes.
When Tyler found Aliyah, he almost went to his knees. He ordered everyone to turn their backs while he removed her naked, beaten body from where she’d been chained, hanging from the ceiling. “Thank God, she’s alive,” he cried, cradling her close. “Let’s get out of here.”
Before they could get very far, shots were being fired at them. Black Raptor’s forces fought fiercely. In the heat of the battle, Rafe noticed a man advancing on him with an automatic weapon in his hands. How familiar he seemed. With a sense of déjà vu, Rafe realized he was facing Saldado himself. As Tyler had asserted, this man was Manolito, a household name in the music industry. Raising his own weapon, Rafe shouted. “This is for Angelina!” Without a moment’s hesitation, he mowed Manolito down like a dog. The rest were easily subdued. Only one of his own was injured.
…Upstairs, the sound of gunfire reached Drew’s ears.
Yasin lifted his head. “What do I hear?” he bellowed, jumping to his feet. Motioning at one of his men, he ordered. “Go see.”
“Sounds like you’ve got problems,” Drew said dryly.
Yasin turned on him like a cornered cobra. “If you have betrayed me, doctor, I will kill you myself.” With that ultimatum, the Arab whirled around and hurried from the room. Not to be left behind, Drew took out after the Sheik and his men. He had a gun tucked into the back of his jeans and he’d use it if he had to. The old man was agile going down the stairs and when he reached the bottom, the sight that met his eyes caused him to cry out. His men were dead, his prisoners were being released and it appeared his own son was leading the charge. “Khalid? My son? What is the meaning of this?”
At the sound of the Sheik’s voice, every gun barrel raised, and all were pointed at him.
“Have you been coerced?”
Khalid stepped forward and told his father that he could not live like him. “I have no hate in my heart. The violence has got to stop. Aliyah is my friend. I am her informant.”
Like the Germans who saw the Ark of the Covenant in the old Indiana Jones movie, Yasin seemed to disintegrate with wrath right before their eyes. “You! You betrayed your brother, your own flesh and blood?” He began to wail, a high, keening sound that made the hair stand up on the back of Drew’s neck. Before anyone could react, Yasin pulled a saber from his robe. Khalid stood before his father, waiting for the killing blow. The blade flashed in the artificial light, but instead of flying toward Khalid, Yasin plunged it into his own breast. The mad Sheik had fallen on his own sword.
During the next few minutes, Khalid took control of his own home, insuring no one faithful to his father remained. As soon as there was a lull, Rafe took the opportunity to offer him a job with Black Raptor, telling him that he knew he had a business to run, but contacts like him were invaluable.
Ty carried Aliyah to a room where Drew could care for her. He gave them only a few minutes alone before he burst in, unable to stay away. “Is she going to be okay, Doc?”
Drew had been quite surprised by the on-site medical facility Yasin had built for the care of his household, then it hit him that he’d probably used it for ill. This was the place where Angelina had, undoubtedly, been given the drugs to torment her. He wished he had time to investigate, but Aliyah’s care was the focus now, and rightly so. “She’s been through a great deal, Tyler. There are multiple fractures in her right hand, extensive bruising from the beatings, and the skin of her lower back has been lacerated repeatedly with a whip. What concerns me most are the electrical burns, some of them are rather deep.” He’d seen these same injuries before on Angelina, but Aliyah’s were fresh. “The belt they affixed to her waist could transmit at least fifty thousand volts.” Every word Drew said drove home the point of how much these two women had suffered.
“Why isn’t she awake?” Tyler was so worried.
“The electrocution, I’m sure. But she’s strong, Ty, she’s strong.” He adjusted the IV in her arm. As soon as possible, Rafe contacted her uncle and arrangements were made for Aliyah to be admitted to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
A week passed before Aliyah was able to go home. Ty stayed with her, of course, and Ky remained with his brother. Drew wouldn’t leave them stranded, so he and his plane stood by at the ready. Rafe and his men did cleanup work, making sure they had all the evidence available to trace further threats. The greatest mystery was the missing body of Saldado, aka, Manolito. It was not clear whether one of his men had spirited it away, or if something more sinister was afoot. Regardless, Rafe had to find out. He wanted no threat left to Angelina’s safety.
…In the interim, Ky had talked to Cooper regularly, of course, and Rafe had phoned Angelina to ask how she was feeling. “I’m improving, I think,” she told him and he was relieved. “How is Drew? He wasn’t hurt, was he?”
“No, the doctor is fine. We only had one injury and the soldier is going to pull through.”
Angelina waited to see if her brother would say anything more about Drew, but he didn’t. What had she expected? After her rude paroxysm, he probably hadn’t wasted another moment’s thought on her.
* * *
When a beautiful woman begs a man to make love to her, only a fool would tell her no.
Dr. Drew Haley stared at himself in the darkened, reflective surface of the Lear’s window.
“Hello, fool,” he muttered, unable to get the image of the beautiful Angelina out of his mind.
Yes, she’d asked him for the one thing he couldn’t give her. At least he could admit how much her plea had shaken him, he’d have given his entire fortune to take her up on her offer. Only his conscience and his role as a healer had prevented him from doing everything he could to erase the sadness and the pain from her blue Spanish Eyes.
“What are you mumbling about?” Ky pulled the cowboy hat a little lower over his face. “We’re winging our way back to Texas after pulling off one of the most daring rescues in modern history. I’m tired and I need my beauty rest.”
“Nothing,” Drew answered. “I’m talking to myself. Sometimes, I just need to hear a smart person’s opinion.”
Ky snorted. “Since you called yourself a fool, I doubt that. Just know I’m available if you need some wisdom.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Drew checked the time on his cell phone. “I wonder what damn time zone we’re in.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll just be happy to get home to Cooper and start my honeymoon.”
“I bet.” Drew kneaded his left shoulder. “Hell, I’m sore. I’ll be glad to get home myself. Who would’ve thought taking down a terrorist cell and rescuing a Mossad agent could be so taxing? Do you think we’re getting old?”
With a chuckle, Ky pushed his Stetson back to its normal position. “I’m not, I can’t speak for you. You had the easy job, keeping Yasin occupied. I know I’m not cut out for this die-hard lifestyle like Ty, Rafe, and the Cruz brothers. Charging in with guns a blazing isn’t my style. I think you’re like me, we’re more laid-back and calm. As my beautiful new bride could tell you, I’m a lover not a fighter.”
“You sure fought Cooper’s ex-husband when he tried to take her from you.” Drew reminded his friend. “I’ve never seen you so angry.”
Ky bristled with a frown. “Damn son-of-a-bitch was a psycho, mad with roid-rage. There’s no telling how many times he hurt her and no one would help her get away.”
Drew could hear the pain in his friend’s voice. “You helped her, Ky. You saved Cooper.” He could still remember the day when Ky had brought Cooper to the clinic after he’d accidentally plowed over her during a game of touch football. When he’d X-rayed her for injuries, Drew had been horrified to find thirteen healed breaks in the woman’s small body. Telling his friend had been hard, but Ky had sworn at that moment to make sure no one ever harmed another hair on Cooper’s head.
Ky smiled. “I did, with help from my brother, that’s why I was more than happy to return t
he favor.” He nodded toward his twin. “Just look at him, I’ve never seen him so at peace.” They both glanced toward the front of the plane where Ty sat with his Aliyah. “You know, she’s nothing like what I thought a Mossad agent would be like.”
“You’ve known a lot of Mossad agents, have you?”
Ky glared at him. “I read. I watch movies.”
“Oh, well, she’s ex-Mossad from what I hear,” Drew whispered. “Rafe just offered Ty a job with Black Raptor. I think Aliyah is part of the deal.”
“If she is, they’re getting a bargain. My brother told me that he’s no match for her fighting skills – hand-to-hand, sniper, or wielding a knife. And Mr. Texas Ranger is no slouch when it comes to combat.”
“I’m just glad we could help rescue her from that nut-job without starting World War fuckin’ three. I still can’t believe we infiltrated a nest of terrorists and came out of the skirmish alive.” Drew shook his head as he thought of what Angelina had suffered at their hands. “Bastards. I’m glad the Sheik is dead. He would’ve enjoyed killing Aliyah.”
“Those people live by the rule of an eye for an eye, my friend,” Rafe said as he settled down in a seat in front of Drew. “That’s why I have to make sure there are none of them left to come after us.” He motioned at Drew. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”
Realizing he wasn’t needed, Kyler rose. “Here, take my seat. I think I need to visit the little boy’s room, then check on my brother.”
Once Ky stepped away, Rafe moved next to Drew. “I just got off the phone with Angelina.”
Drew tensed. “How’s she holding up?”
Rafe shrugged. “She says she is better. I hope she’s just not trying to spare my feelings. I’m anxious to know what you think about her progress.”
“Angelina is a strong woman. I’m sure she’ll be fine. I wish I could’ve done more. Without the benefit of a hospital and lab facilities, I did my best.”
“In my humble estimation, you have helped her. She is stable and growing stronger. I am asking that you continue. My sister is going through something no woman should ever experience.”