There was nothing she could conclude from it all. The story Blaine had told her must have been a lie, or at the very least, a partial lie. Too many details just didn’t add up. Yet she still felt trust toward him. The moments they’d shared had been genuine, and she felt sure that his vulnerability had been real. She couldn’t make it add up in her mind. Why would he lie to her unless he had done something wrong? But if he had done something wrong, something wrong enough to merit lying about, then why was there no record of it?
Who was Blaine Mustafi?
Brooke had chills. She had just left this man’s bed. She was about to fly to another country with him. Did she even know him at all?
She had been careless with this relationship, she realized. She had rushed into it blindly, without caution. Her friends and family had barely met this man, and now she was about to take off to Shunayy with him, without even letting anyone know where she was going. It was unlike Brooke to be so impulsive, and it had come back to bite her. Things were going to have to change.
She wasn’t ready to cut ties with Blaine. She cared for him, despite the mystery she couldn’t seem to unravel. And it was still possible there was a simple explanation for all of this.
But he would have to provide that explanation, she decided. She wouldn’t leave the country with him until she had gotten answers. She had to be prudent, to look out for her own safety.
When Blaine arrived to pick her up for their journey to the airport, Brooke would sit him down. She would confront him with all she had noticed and discovered, and she would insist that he explain what was going on. And she wouldn’t allow the conversation to end until she’d gotten answers that satisfied her. There would be no more laughed-off half explanations, no more avoiding the subject. She would make sure he understood that she needed to know these things. It was only fair. She was being more than reasonable, considering the trip they were about to take.
Brooke went to her computer and drafted a couple of emails, one to Tana and one to her mother, explaining where she would be for the next few days. If Blaine’s explanation satisfied her, she would send them before she left.
Everything was going to be fine. She was overreacting. She was almost sure of it.
13
Ali
Ali stormed around the apartment throwing random items into his duffel bag as he went. His anger was so distracting that he had almost no focus left to apply to the packing process. He snatched a few books off his bookshelf without looking at their spines and tossed them into the bag. He ripped shirts off their hangers and stuffed them in as well. Had they been his old, fashionable Ali shirts, or his new Blaine shirts? He hadn’t noticed. What did it matter? Everything was about to come out now anyway.
He’d hated lying to Brooke about his phone call. He’d felt so bad about it, in fact, that he had rushed to the computer to find plane tickets to Shunayy as soon as she had left the apartment. If he got their flight booked, he had reasoned, it would make some truth out of the lie. Finding plane tickets was surprisingly easy—he had expected to have to pull strings to get a flight out the same day—but the tickets had been expensive. A couple of months ago, Ali would have asked his father to send the jet, but today he had bought them himself. Maybe that would convince his father that he was serious, he thought now as he stuffed his toothbrush and toothpaste into a zip-up bathroom bag. Maybe that would convince his parents that all this was for the best.
Then again, it seemed unlikely that they would change their thinking. When he had called home this morning, he had known a challenge lay in front of him, but at least he had felt hopeful. He felt so deeply for Brooke. Surely they would be able to see it written on his face? Ali felt as though Brooke had crawled under his skin. Every move he made, he felt himself radiating within, and it seemed as though other people ought to notice her shining out of his pores.
“You look tired,” his mother had said when she’d answered his call.
Tired. He looked tired? Ali had examined his face in the webcam for evidence, but all he could see was bliss.
“Were you out late last night?” his mother had asked, notes of disapproval coloring her voice.
“No,” he’d said, immediately on the defensive. “There’s nowhere to go in this town.”
“And that’s for your own good,” his father had said, stepping into frame. “As long as you’re in hiding, you might as well try a quieter lifestyle, Ali. Your brother is three years younger than you and he’s settled into a responsible job, yet you continue to live like a student.”
Ali shook his head. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. “Not in Vermont, Dad. It’s different here. I’m different here.” It was hard to say these words to his father. Ali had always been proud, and it was hard to face his father and admit that the older man had been right all these years, that change was something from which Ali could benefit. But he knew that if he wanted a shot at telling Brooke the truth, this was the price. She was worth it. He would pay.
“Ali,” his mother had said. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve met someone.”
They’d stared at him blankly, as if they didn’t recognize the words he’d uttered.
“Met someone?” his father had finally repeated.
“A woman,” Ali had explained. “Her name is…”
“Ali, we didn’t send you to Vermont to meet women!”
“Well, I wasn’t looking for her either!” Ali had said. “She’s my neighbor. We became friends, and then…”
“Then what?”
“More than friends.”
His mother had looked horrified. “Ali. You must end this now.”
“You haven’t even met her!”
“This isn’t about her. I’m sure she’s lovely, but this is not a safe time for you. You must end things for your own safety, and for hers. You cannot afford to take these kinds of risks.”
“This is ridiculous!” Ali had exploded. “Don’t you think this has gone far enough? No one’s going to kill me. We all know it. When can we move on with our lives?”
“You have never taken your identity as Sheikh seriously enough,” Ali’s father had said gravely. “Perhaps it’s my fault. Perhaps I didn’t raise you to understand your own importance.”
“Dad…”
“Regardless, I will not allow you to compromise your safety.” His father’s voice had been firm. “Your mother is right. End it.”
Now, as Ali zipped up his duffel, he found himself stewing over the conversation. He hadn’t been able to let it go for more than a few minutes. His parents hadn’t wanted to know anything about Brooke. They hadn’t even wanted to discuss how he was adapting to his new surroundings. It had been the same old conversation—Ali trying to confide in them, and the two of them presenting a united front and shouting him down.
He printed out the flight confirmation ready for the airport. It was nearly five o’clock—time to go and pick up Brooke.
Despite his parents’ reaction to his news that he’d been seeing someone, Ali was determined to bring her to meet them, both to prove to them that he was capable of making mature choices and to free himself up to tell Brooke the truth about his life. They hadn’t forbidden him to visit home, he reasoned. Maybe they would have done so if he’d told them his plans, but they hadn’t given him a chance.
Ali slung his duffel over his shoulder and turned toward the door just as someone knocked.
Could it be Brooke? He was sure he’d told her he would come to her apartment when it was time to leave… Ali dropped his bag and opened the door.
It wasn’t Brooke. It was Wellers.
The security officer looked past Ali and into the room. His eyes fixed on Ali’s duffel bag. “Good. You’re already packed.”
“What?” Ali hadn’t yet mentioned the Shunayy trip to Wellers, reasoning that the easiest move would just be to let him know where they were going as they left. That way, Wellers wouldn’t have time to contact Ali’s parents and verify that
he had been given permission to travel. But now Wellers seemed unsurprised by the fact that Ali was going on a trip. What was going on?
Wellers grabbed him by the arm. “Come on. Updike will get your bag.”
“Who will?”
A man slipped into the apartment as Wellers pulled Ali out, and Ali supposed that was Updike. Wellers didn’t bother to explain. He marched Ali down the front stairs and out the door.
“Hang on,” Ali objected. “What about Brooke?”
“I’m sorry. This has to be a quick departure. Get in the car.”
Sure enough, a black town car was parked in front of the building. As Ali stared, Updike emerged from the building and stuffed the duffel bag into the trunk.
“It’s a thirty-minute drive to the airport,” Wellers said. “A plane is standing by for you.”
“No, you don’t understand,” Ali said. “Brooke is coming with us.” He didn’t know how Wellers had found out about his plans to go to Shunayy—maybe his internet was tapped—but it didn’t matter. Ali was used to security staff watching his every move. What mattered was Brooke. “I’m not leaving without her.”
Updike looked at Wellers, as if for guidance.
Wellers took Ali by the arm again and manipulated him into the car, one hand shielding his head so he didn’t bump it as he slid in.
“Hey!” Ali yelped, struggling a little. “What are you doing?”
He didn’t receive an answer. Instead, the car door was slammed in his face. A moment later, Wellers climbed in on the other side of the car. Ali tried to open his door, but found he was unable to—it was locked against him. Before he could protest further, the car sped off, away from his apartment. Away from Brooke.
He whirled to face Wellers. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Jim?”
“Sorry for the abrupt exit,” Wellers said. “We’re heading to Shunayy. Tonight.”
“Yeah, but I’m bringing Brooke with me.”
“I’m sorry,” Wellers said, “but you’re not. It’s far too dangerous to involve her. She’s safer here, Ali, and you’re safer leaving her here. Listen, I have to tell you…”
“Turn the car around!” Ali snapped.
The driver paid him no heed.
Ali couldn’t believe this was happening. His father must have called Wellers after Ali had hung up with him. There was no other explanation. He was so desperate to control Ali’s life, so desperate to see Ali conform to the same rituals of royal life that he himself prized, that he would do anything to gain compliance. Now he was forcing Ali to return home, leaving Brooke behind, because he was so overly rigid about his own security precautions.
He doesn’t want me to be happy, Ali thought, although he knew that was unfair. His father did want him to be happy. He was just incapable of seeing any version of happiness besides the one he had found for himself. That Ali’s best life might lie with a woman in Vermont who had taught him a love of driving and old movies would be incomprehensible to Ali’s father. Of course he was being dragged home. He should have seen this coming.
“How long?” he asked Wellers.
“What?”
“How long am I going to be in Shunayy? How long are they punishing me? I’m going to get back to Brooke, no matter what. They can keep me there for years and it won’t make any difference. I’ll find a way back to her.”
“Ali—”
“I’ve never met anyone like her, Jim. I’ve never felt this way about a girl before. I’m not going to let go of that.”
“Ali, you aren’t being punished. Your parents are not trying to take you away from Brooke.”
“What do you mean?”
Wellers sighed. For the first time, Ali noticed the heavy expression on his face. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, son.”
Suddenly, Ali’s blood felt cold. “Tell me what?”
“I’m afraid your father was shot. We just received the report. He’s currently in intensive care.”
“What?” Ali couldn’t process what he was hearing. The words didn’t add up to a sentence he could understand. “What do you mean, shot? What happened?”
“It seems that a would-be assassin entered the palace,” Wellers said. “No one is sure yet exactly how it happened, but your father’s security team believe the culprit might have had inside help. What we do know is that your father was in his study, reading late, when the gunman entered and shot him from behind before fleeing.” Wellers sighed. “It’s fortunate your father was up late; had your mother been in the same room, she too might have become a target.”
Ali felt his mouth fall open, but he had nothing to say. This was a mistake. It must have been a mistake. His whole family was so heavily guarded at all times, and after anyone received a death threat, the security always increased exponentially. His father should have been completely safe. Who could have shot him? Who could have gotten close enough?
And he, Ali, had spent the past few weeks angry at his own security…internally deriding his father for being so stupid as to take a death threat seriously… How could he have been so wrong? His father had been right all the time. They had to take threats seriously. Of course they did.
A horrible thought struck Ali. What if the person who had shot his father had been the same assassin who was after Ali himself? Was this his fault?
Anxiously, he looked up at Wellers. The older man was watching him, concern etched upon his features. “Is he all right?” Ali asked.
“The doctors are doing all they can,” Wellers said. “He got to the hospital quickly. That’s very important.”
“But is he going to—” Ali found he couldn’t say the word.
Wellers rested a hand on his shoulder. “The next couple of days will be very important.”
Ali leaned his head on the window, his thoughts flying ahead of him to his parents, to Shunayy, worries about Brooke suddenly far behind.
To think that, all along, the threat had been real. While he had been having fun in Vermont, someone had truly been trying to harm his family—and now they had succeeded. Ali couldn’t process it. Death threats had always been a part of his life, but they had always been figurative, too. An inconvenience, something that had the power to rearrange his life for a while. Never before had they actually represented a threat.
But of course they did. Just because Ali’s family didn’t hold political power, that didn’t mean they were without influence. Everyone listened to the Sheikh of Shunayy. He appeared in newspapers and magazines. He gave speeches that were heard and heeded by the entire country. It was common for the Sheikh to take a stance on most political issues, even though he had no voting power, and that stance was widely respected by the people. Of course they had enemies. Of course people wanted them dead.
Ali had known these things. He had discussed them with his family and his security team on multiple occasions. But somehow, he had never really let them sink in. It was easier to glide along the surface of his life, feeling safe and secure in the belief that no one would really try to hurt him or the people he loved. But right now, he was getting a hard, cold wake-up call.
“Did they catch the gunman?” he asked Wellers.
“No,” Wellers said heavily. “Whoever it was, they managed to escape the palace. We have video footage, but they’re wearing a mask, so we don’t have much to go on.”
So whoever it was was still out there. They might try again. They might come back for the rest of the family.
Ali shivered. He was, suddenly, extremely glad he had not brought Brooke along. The palace wouldn’t be a safe place, not now. That an assassin had actually gotten inside and back out without being seen was unthinkable. His parents’ home was supposed to be one of the most well-guarded places in all of Shunayy. Where would they go now?
And there was more. If the worst happened, and his father didn’t survive, Ali suddenly realized, the title would be passed to him. Ali would be required to fill his father’s shoes, a responsibility for which he was far
from ready.
He knew for a fact that his father would have judged him to be woefully unprepared. What would his mother have to say about it? She would probably prefer to see Ali’s younger brother assume the throne. Not that any of them had any choice in the matter; the line of succession was a tradition so ironclad that even the ruling Sheikh himself didn’t have the power to change it. Whether he wanted the post or not, if his father did not survive, Ali would become Sheikh of Shunayy.
And it was beginning to seem likely that he would never see Brooke again.
14
Brooke
As she packed for the vacation she hoped she would still be able to take, Brooke felt herself beginning to get excited again. It was hard to dwell on the negative with the prospect of such an exciting adventure ahead of her. In a way, it was even nice that Blaine had given her so little idea of what to expect in Shunayy. She liked mystery, Brooke reminded herself as she pulled down casual dresses, cocktail dresses, and formal dresses. She liked surprises. And she so rarely got them. Blaine was probably keeping her in the dark about the details of their trip so he could surprise her with things.
He was probably so excited to show off his home country to her. Brooke remembered how she had felt, taking him out in the Vermont countryside for the first time. The strange burst of pride she’d experienced when he’d gasped at how beautiful it was. Brooke didn’t know what to expect from Shunayy—she had decided not to do an internet search for that—but Blaine had mentioned both deserts and waterfalls. She knew it wasn’t a large country. So much diversity in such a small place! What else might it have?
She packed pants that would be suitable for hiking, as well as comfortable sneakers. Would he take her out walking in the desert? That sounded scary—how would they find their way back? But she would go with him, she decided. She would go with him anywhere. Once they were in Shunayy, Brooke was prepared to trust Blaine fully.
The Sheikh’s Second Chance Lover Page 9