by Leslie North
“Where is her tent?” she inquired, straining to see where the young man pointed. It was less than a football field away, and Erin decided she could be there and back before anyone missed her. Kamal was anxious for her to return to the palace and had already called her cell phone six times in the last ten minutes. She found his concern for her pleasing, but sometimes if felt like she was being smothered by it. Hopefully, he would back off a little after the baby was born.
“Take me to her. We will go there and come straight back.”
The young man nodded and gestured for her to precede him through the tents.
Erin nodded at the people she passed, noticing that the farther they went, the less people were around. No one was outside the tent when they finally reached it and Erin looked at the guard, “Where is she?”
“I do not know, Your Highness.” He turned and called out something in Arabic, which Erin still couldn’t understand. She had managed to pick up a few words and phrases, but everyone spoke so quickly, she despaired of ever mastering their language.
When a faint reply was heard back, she waited for the guard to interpret for her. “She asks you to come inside. She is feeling poorly and is unable to walk.”
Erin had a fleeting moment of trepidation, but shoved it aside. They were surrounded by refugee tents, the palace guards and workers were only several hundred yards away, and she had an armed escort with her. What could possibly happen to her hear?
Smiling at the guard, she stepped to the tent, pushing aside the canvas and ducking her head, she entered, followed by the young guard.
*****
PJ looked at the workers handing out food packets and water to the refugees, searching for some sign of the Erin Malone. She had seen the young woman this morning, dressed in a yellow pantsuit and grew alarmed when she could not immediately locate her.
Stepping up to the one of the guards, she gained his attention and asked, “Where is Miss Malone?”
The man looked around him for several seconds, scanning the area and then shrugged, “I don’t know. The last time I saw her she was over by those tents, speaking with a group of children.”
“Did she have an escort?” PJ asked, scanning the area around the tents and seeing no one.
“Yes. A bright young man that joined the palace guard several weeks ago.”
“Where is he?”
The man once again scoured the area, calling to several of the other workers in Arabic who only shrugged their shoulders in reply. “No one has seen him for several minutes.”
PJ had a bad feeling about this and pushed her com button, “All agents, listen up. We have a situation on the southern side of the refugee camp. Miss Malone is missing along with her young guard. I want the entire area searched until she is found.”
“PJ, what’s going on?” Trent Larson was the first to reply, an ex-Navy seal who had specialized in extractions.
“I’m not really sure, but as of now, Miss Malone is missing.”
“I’m on it. Should we alert the palace?”
PJ cringed but knew it was the right thing to do, “Yeah. I’ll make the call. Slade’s gonna have our heads if she goes missing.”
“Make the call. We’ll find her.” Trent sounded so sure of himself, PJ grabbed onto that ray of hope as she called the palace, dialing Sheikh Kamal’s personal line.
When he answered, she quickly outlined what she knew, cringing as he cursed in Arabic for several minutes. She hadn’t picked up much of the language, but even she could tell the words coming from the Sheikh were not very nice ones.
Kamal felt like his heart was being ripped form his chest as PJ informed him of Erin’s disappearance. She had only been missing for a few minutes, and the American agent informed him they were going to search every tent until she was found.
Hanging up the phone, Kamal sat behind his desk trying to decide the best course of action. Either Erin had deliberately disobeyed him and was simply occupied with one of the refugees, oblivious of the fact that everyone was searching for her, or his enemies had made good on their earlier threat.
He felt so helpless. He was the Sheikh of Jawhara, one of the richest oil countries in the world. How could something like this have happened?
Picking up the phone, he dialed Khalil’s phone and waited for the call to connect.
“Kam, what’s up? Did you forget to tell me something else? We just picked up the items from Erin’s office and were heading back to the hotel.”
Kamal was silent on the other end of the phone, not wanting to speak the words as that would make Erin’s disappearance more real.
“Kam? What’s going on?” Kale waited for Kamal to speak to him, not liking the sense of foreboding that filled the silence.
When Kam finally spoke, Khalil’s heart dropped, “Erin is missing.”
“What?! Where is she?”
“She was helping deliver food and water to the refugees. I sent a detail out to bring her back after the latest intel. She and her guard have disappeared.”
“The guard is missing as well?” Kale asked, Slade’s comments about a leak in the palace security coming to mind.
“Yes. He has only been on staff for a few weeks and is fairly young.”
Kale immediately knew that the young guard was the source of the leak. It was too coincidental that the very day the intel was discovered, Erin should go missing with one of the newest palace employees.
“Shira and I will be on the jet in a few hours.”
Shira had only been half-listening to the one-sided conversation until that last comment. Kale had switched from Arabic to English without even knowing he had done so.
“No! I don’t want one more person in danger until we figure out what is going on here. Stay there and I will call you when I know more.”
“Kam, we’re coming home. You need my help and shouldn’t be alone during this time. Slade is bringing more men out at the end of the week. I’ll let him know we need him sooner. Shira will want to be there as well.”
Kamal sighed, knowing his brother was right, “Fine. Talib has already left to pick up Erin’s parents in Brisbane. They will be returning tomorrow. At least, everyone will be under the same roof and not scattered around the globe.”
“Erin will be fine. She is a strong woman and will do whatever is required to keep her child safe.”
“I hope you are right, brother. I hope you are right.” Kamal hung up the phone, striding for the office door and the courtyard. He refused to sit by and allow anyone to threaten his future bride or his child.
“What’s happened?” Shira inquired after Kale disconnected the call.
“We are leaving for Jawhara tonight. Whatever else needs to be done can either be done long distance, or we will return at a later time.”
“Kale? I don’t understand. We won’t supposed to leave…”
“Shira, I don’t know any other way to say this, so I’m just going to tell you straight out. Erin is missing.”
“No!” Shira yelled, “Where is she?”
“We don’t know,” Kale said, shaking his head and grabbing onto her hands, “She was in the refugee camp and has disappeared along with her bodyguard.”
Shira looked at Kale, not sure why he sneered at the mention of the bodyguard. Then it hit her! “You think the bodyguard was in on it, don’t you?”
Kale nodded, “I’m afraid that is what it looks like. He is a young man and has only been working with the palace guard for a few weeks.”
“They won’t hurt her, will they?”
“I hope not. If one hair is removed from her head, Kamal will show them no mercy. Unlike you soft Americans, crimes are punished harshly and swiftly in Jawhara. We do not have prisons full of criminals. They either rehabilitate and join society as productive citizens, or they will find themselves facing a firing squad.”
“Firing squad? Is that how you meet out the death penalty in Jawhara?” Shira was curious to learn more about the country she was now going to
call her own.
“Yes. Any attack against the Sheikh is punishable by death. That protection is extended to his family as well. An attack against you or your cousin bears no difference according to our laws, than an attack against Kamal himself.”
“Wow! That’s why your country has such a low crime rate.”
“Exactly! Have no fear, when the perpetrators of this atrocity are found, their judgment will come swiftly. But first, your cousin must be found.”
In Jawhara, Kamal was dealing with Erin’s disappearance the only way he knew how. By demanding her return! The dissidents might not be in agreement with the refugees returning home, but return home they would. If they thought to hold his bride hostage and strong-arm him into cancelling the recent negotiations, they were about to be sadly disappointed. Sheikh Kamal Mehalel El-Jawhara bowed to no one. He did not negotiate with terrorists or criminals. He always protected that which was his. Erin and her unborn child were his. He would protect them with his life!
Chapter 18
Talib had located Erin’s parents easily as her mother had the same dark red-hair as the daughter. They had been pleased to meet him and full of all kinds of questions. Talib had tried his best to answer them, but would be glad when they reached Jawhara. The couple was currently sleeping in the jet’s bedroom, and he hoped they would continue to do so.
He was a personal bodyguard to the Sheikh and his future Sheikha, not an encyclopedia. The woman had wanted to know the history of Jawhara, what kind of culture and people would her daughter be living amongst – the questions had caused his head to hurt.
Kamal had best prepare himself or he would regret bringing them in for the wedding. Picking up the phone, he placed a call to Kamal, “Your Majesty, I just wanted to let you know I have Miss Malone’s parents and we are already airborne and headed back to Jawhara.”
The silence on the other end of the phone struck Talib as abnormal, yet his training kept him silent for several minutes. Finally Kamal spoke, “Erin is missing.”
“What?!” Talib asked with a shout, quieting his voice with the hopes that his outburst wouldn’t rouse the Malone’s from their slumber. He was through answering questions for the trip.
“She was in the refugee camp and has disappeared. Her guard is missing as well.”
Talib digested this information, “Have the American’s shown up yet?”
“Yes. They are scouring the area for her even know.”
“When did this occur?” Talib inquired, knowing that the sooner they could locate Erin after her abduction, the less chance of her or the baby coming to any harm.
Kamal looked at his watch before replying, “Two hours. She’s been missing for two hours.”
“Your Majesty, don’t give up hope. She will be found. I will personally oversee the operation upon my return in six hours.”
“Thank you Talib. I know you will do everything you can to bring her home and serve justice to those who have taken her from me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will see you soon.”
Talib waited until the call disconnected and then pulled up the satellite maps of the desert where the refugee camp was located. If the dissidents thought to sneak back across the border with Erin, they would find out quickly that the people of Jawhara were loyal to their ruler and those under his protection.
He quickly accessed the computers which kept a video feed of the satellite images for each twelve hour period of time. He brought them up on his laptop and proceeded to scan through each image, carefully watching for any sign of the border being crossed.
Several hours later, he rubbed his neck and scowled at the screen in frustration. Nothing! No one had crossed the border between the time Erin had gone missing and the present time. Erin was still in Jawhara, but where?
Chapter 19
Erin awoke with the sensation of choking, gasping for air. She could barely breathe, the air was so heavy and filled with a horrible smell. To make matters worse, a heavy cloth covered her face. When she went to move it, she found her arms were secured behind her back.
As panic began to set in, she gave into it and began to struggle to free herself. When she heard someone approach, she stopped squirming, hoping that whoever had joined her was there to explain themselves and untie the ropes that secured her feet and hands.
Someone spoke harshly to her in Arabic and nudged her in the back. She attempted to move away and was hauled roughly to a sitting position. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep, and couldn’t remember what had happened.
Her head throbbed fiercely at the back of her head and a wet sensation had her wondering if she was bleeding from the wound.
When the heavy cloth was removed from her face, she blinked trying to adjust to the dim light and make out the features of her capturer. Swallowing, she hoarsely asked, “What have you done?” Calling upon the royal air of command she had heard Kamal use many times, she tried again, “Untie me at once. Where is my guard?”
The woman standing in front of her either didn’t understand or had decided not to respond. Erin was frustrated and ready to start screaming when the young guard appeared.
“Help me!” she called out to him, surprised to see him ignore her and begin conversing with the women in a language that sounded different than the Arabic other Jawharan’s spoke.
“What is going on here?” Erin demanded, growing more alarmed by the second. Kamal would send the entire kingdom to find her once word of her disappearance got back to him.
The guard approached her, squatting down to look her in the eye, “You are going to help us with a little problem.”
“No! The Sheikh will kill you for what you’ve done.”
The guard shook his head, unconcerned with her threat, “He will try. Even now, he has people scouring the tents trying to find you. Don’t bother screaming, they have already been here and thoroughly searched this tent. They found no one but my mother and her disabled son – me.”
Erin started to open her mouth to scream but stopped when he grabbed her around the throat and squeezed. “I would recommend you don’t do that. I do not want to harm you, but your Sheikh has made a grave mistake. His negotiations for the refugees to return is a fool’s dream. He was warned to stay out of our politics and to let the refugees stay here in Jawhara. He didn’t listen. The trucks are to arrive next week to begin carrying these people back across the border. Unless the Sheikh cancels those trucks, he will not be getting you back.”
“Why does it matter to you? Doesn’t your mother want to return to her home?” Erin was confused and trying to understand why the refugees were not wanted back.
“You are an American, so try to understand. My country is a proud people with a great history; one that includes a strong Islamic faith and practice. These people,” he gestured with his arms, indicating the refugees, “They do not practice Islam in the old ways. They want to bring in western ideologies and contaminate the minds of our young people.”
“But I thought they were simply refugees who sought safety when the war broke out.”
“That is what your Sheikh was led to believe. These people were forced from their homes because of the way they practice their religion. We do not want them back in our country.”
Erin was starting to see the picture and grew more alarmed than ever. This war in the neighboring country was religious in nature, and holy wars had a history of ending badly – for everyone involved. “Has the Sheikh been informed of the true reason behind the war in your country?”
The guard shook his head, “It would not matter. He has chosen to align himself with the enemies of Islam and therefore, he is also our enemy. We will do everything in our power to ensure these refugees do not return to our country. Even if it means taking drastic measures.”
Erin hoped her kidnapping was considered ‘drastic’ enough. She didn’t want to think what else it might mean. She would be patient and look for any opportunity to escape from her kidnappers. In the meantime, she would
be kind and biddable and protect her unborn child as best as she could. Kamal would move heaven and earth to find her. She just knew he would.
Chapter 20
Seven hours later, Talib arrived at the refugee camp, and was immediately confronted by a blonde-haired woman who looked like a strong breeze could carry her off. The top of her head only came to the middle of his chest, but the fierce look in her eyes gave him confidence that she was the right person to be heading up this search team in his absence.
“Miss Williams?”
PJ turned upon hearing her name and looked up, and then up again. The man speaking to her was obviously from Jawhara, but spoke excellent English. She guessed he was probably 6’5” tall as he towered over her 5’5” height by at least a foot.
His dark eyes were almost black and his dark hair and unshaven appearance gave him a deadly aura she hoped was not being directed at her. “Yes?”
“My name is Talib, I am the head of security for Jawhara. I have just returned from retrieving Miss Malone’s parents and require an update on the situation. I don’t have to tell you that they were very alarmed to arrive at the palace and find their daughter had been kidnapped.”
PJ sighed, “I wish I had better news for you. We’ve searched every tent in the camp, and there’s no sign of her anywhere.”
“Search again.”
PJ stared at the man, her ire growing at his demand. “Now, wait a minute. I just got done telling you we searched each tent. I don’t think she’s still here. I think whoever took her managed to slip past us and has crossed the border.”
“You would be wrong. I have personally reviewed all of the satellite footage and no one has crossed the border in the last twelve hours. No. One. That means that she is still in this camp and I want her found.”
PJ was impressed that he had access to satellite feeds and had thought to search through them. “No one has crossed the border?”