Hard Choices (Blood Brothers #6)

by Manda Mellett

  Unable to keep my hold, I drop, sliding down the face of the rock, powerless to do anything other than let gravity take its course. It only takes a split second, while it feels like eternity before my free fall is halted. By the very tree that Aiza’s hanging from.

  The tree bounces under my heavy weight, and I hold my breath as Aiza’s dislodged and shaken further down the branch. She’s slipping downwards, the branch bends, and I watch in horror as she’s about to slide off.

  Then is caught at the last minute, her progress halted by the flimsiest of twigs.

  Very slowly I let out the breath I was holding, hardly daring to breath in again, frozen in position. When the tree stops shaking, gingerly, and oh so carefully, I take out the radio that somehow survived the fall and is still clipped to my belt. The torch had flown away as I’d slid down the rock.

  “Nijad,” I speak quietly, afraid even the vibration of a louder voice would shake Aiza off her perch. “I’m close to Aiza, but stuck. If I try to reach her, she’s going to fall.”

  I hear a sharp intake of breath, then, “Flash your torch, show us where you are.”

  “I’ve lost it. Flash yours.” He does. “You’re about fifty metres down from me. Keep moving up the canyon. I’ll tell you when you’re close.” I can see Nijad’s torch flashing, and it’s not long before he’s right underneath us.

  When he shines his light up, he sees the problem. “Fuck.”

  Yeah, right. Fuck.

  “Is she alive, Rais?”

  “I don’t know. She’s unconscious.” Or dead. I pray it’s the former, and that she stays that way. If she came too and moved… By Allah it doesn’t bear even thinking about it.

  “Zaki’s going to fly the Cougar in. He’s picking his best man to come down and winch her to safety.”

  “Tell him to keep high. Any downdraft might dislodge her. If I could get to her, Nijad…”

  “Don’t you fucking move. Don’t you think you’ve done damage enough?”

  He blames me. And he only knows a small part of it. When he finds out the rest I won’t have long to live, even if his sister survives. When Aiza’s picked up I might as well fall from the tree myself and save him a job. Though I won’t do that. He deserves all the shots at me he wants to deliver, and to be the one who deals the fatal blow. So I cling on to that tree, peering through the darkness, trying to see if the woman of my dreams, the woman I love, is still breathing.

  If only she hadn’t taken action herself. If only she had trusted me. Fuad was set up in sniper position, half of my best men at the bottom of the track, and half with me. We’d have taken al-Fahri’s men in a pincer action, rescued her and set her free. I hadn’t given her sufficient reason to have faith and to believe I’d come for her. I failed her.

  I couldn’t have told her our plan, she wouldn’t have been a good enough actor. Her lack of fear or any act put on would have alerted the terrorist. Any suspicion that Aiza was faking, and we’d never have led Amir al-Fahri into our trap. No, I couldn’t have let her know what was happening. Not the slightest warning, or a squeeze of her hand to offer reassurance. To make it work, she had to be totally convinced. To that end, my plan was a success. Al-Fahri suspected nothing, and as a result is no longer walking this earth. Amahad, and Aiza, are free.

  Unless she’s already dead.

  If she’s not, she’s never going to forgive me.

  The sound of the helicopter overhead. Even though he’s keeping high, there’s still turbulence caused by the blades, and I stare at the branch, willing it not to bend. Aiza’s so precariously held by that overgrown twig, the slightest disturbance could knock her off.

  My radio channel’s still open.

  “Careful, Zaki. Keep it there. Get your man out fast. Tell him to come down slowly. That’s it.” The whole area’s floodlit courtesy of the helicopter’s search light. I can see Nijad a long way below looking up, dead horses and men around him. Clearly, he’s giving no thought to the carnage. I don’t need to make out his features, as I hear the tension in his voice.

  “Up, up. He’s got too much of a swing. He’ll knock her… There, that’s it. Try again. Slowly. Slowly.”

  On the second pass the winch lets out gradually bit by bit, and Zaki’s man drops in a vertical line.

  “He’s lined up. Move him over about two metres. Slowly goddamnit! That’s right. He’s almost there.”

  “On target.” Another voice joins in. “Got my hands on her. Just securing her now.” I watch as he tries to get a harness around her and fails. I can see him judder as he’s forced to take her weight as she slips into his arms, and again hold my breath. “I’ve got her, pull us up.”

  “Shall I send him back down for Sheikh Rais?” Zaki asks.

  There’s a moment of silence, and I’m half expecting Nijad to say no and to leave me to my fate. If our positions were reversed I’d certainly be considering leaving me to die.

  “Yes. Bring him up. There are many questions he needs to answer.”

  Reading between the lines, my death is certain, but he means to interrogate me first.

  Chapter 39

  Aiza

  “I’m not dead.” I blink rapidly as I open my eyes, seeing a bright light overhead, and hearing a machine beeping at my side. I didn’t realise I’d spoken aloud until a deep voice, full of emotion, answers.

  “No, you’re most certainly not. Though you deserve to be. What were you thinking, Aiza?”

  “Kadar?” I turn my head in the direction of his voice, soaking in his austere autocratic features. My eyes start to water. I never expected to see him again.

  I certainly didn’t anticipate the tears I’m seeing in his eyes. “Aiza, dearest sister.” His hand reaches out and covers mine. “You should have trusted that I would have come for you. Whatever happened, wherever you’d been taken, no stone would have been left unturned.”

  Yes, he would have come. Except, by the time I’d been rescued, what state would I have been in? It was bad enough the first time, and then I’d barely been touched.

  “I couldn’t see I could do anything else, Kadar.”

  “You could. You just made the wrong choice. You’re a stupid, but incredibly brave woman.” His tone changes, and his rough hand now touches my face as if confirming I’m really there. His touch makes me aware of my body. Everything hurts.

  “How badly am I injured?” What damage did I do to myself?

  As he strokes my cheek, he tells me. “You hit your head pretty hard, so you’ve got concussion. You’ve got bruises and contusions all over your body. Your left shoulder was dislocated, probably when the tree stopped your fall.”

  “Tree?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  I go to shake my head, then wince and settle for the word instead. “No.”

  “You were fucking lucky, Aiza. A tree broke your fall. Rais climbed down and found you.”

  The machine by my side starts bleeping faster, and my hands start to sweat. “Rais?” I ask, almost in terror. “Rais, he…”

  Kadar slashes his hand through the air. “Rais is a fool. He should never have put you at risk.”

  Tears start to leak from my eyes, and Kadar notices. “Hey, no thinking about that now. You’re in hospital in Z̧almā, you’re safe. Amir al-Fahri is dead.”

  My eyes start to droop, and my mind goes fuzzy.

  “You’ll never have to worry about him again.”

  Does he mean al-Fahri or Rais? Knowing my brother, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were both dead. They deserve it. What Rais had done? If I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forgive him.

  I awake sometime later to find someone else by my side, holding my hand, his thumb massaging the back of it, and as my eyes open he squeezes his fingers. It’s Rami.

  Locking his eyes with mine, he leans forwards and places a soft kiss to my cheek. “Never, ever, do anything like that again, Aiza. I nearly died from worry.”

  “You were there?”

  “I was th
ere,” he confirms, his jaw set. “I saw you hanging from that tree, knowing a breath of wind could dislodge you.”

  I bite my lip and shudder. Kadar hadn’t shared all the details with me.

  “I’m not backing away this time, Aiza. When you’re well, we will start planning a wedding. I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.”

  One thing Rais, the traitorous bastard, had shown me, was Rami and I together would be a disaster. “Rami, I’m sorry I worried you. Sorry I caused anyone concern. I thought taking matters into my own hands was the only way to escape what al-Fahri had planned.” I pause and swallow. Though my mouth feels dry, I’ve got to finish talking to him. “I know you want to marry me, I know you want to protect me. I’m free now. Al-Fahri is dead. I can go back to my own life.” And having found, then lost the man who I’d thought had been unobtainable, I don’t want another in my life. The pain I feel at his treachery hurting worse than any injury I received in the fall. It’s going to take me a long time to get over it, if I ever do. I was such a fool to think he reciprocated my feelings, jumping in with both feet when I thought all my dreams had materialised, finding instead I’d stepped straight into a nightmare. “I’m going back to London, starting my charity work again. I’m going alone, Rami. I’ve nothing I can offer you.”

  “You’re feeling weak, Aiza. You’re not thinking straight. I’ll give you whatever time you need.” His mouth purses into a stubborn line.

  I raise my hand that’s not in a sling and touch the soft skin of his face. “Rami, you’ll always be a good friend to me, that’s all we can ever be. I can’t marry you. I don’t want to marry anyone.” Not when the dependable, reliable, protective Rais let me down so badly. The man who’d gained the trust of the whole royal family, yet betrayed us all. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to trust anyone again.

  Rami sits up straighter. “Time, habiti. Time’s what you need.”

  I close my eyes then open them. “A day, a week, a year, a lifetime. It won’t make any difference, Rami. I’m not the same woman I used to be.” Not when I’ve been let down so badly. “I’ve got much to come to terms with. For that, I need to be away from here. From Amahad, from Alair.” I pause, and firm my voice. “And from you, Rami.”

  While I don’t want to hurt him, leaving him hoping would be worse. While his face works as he tries to come to terms with my pronouncement, a knock sounds on the door. Without waiting for permission, it opens to reveal Hunter. He gives Rami a sharp look, as if expecting me to have been alone.

  Then Hunter steps closer to the bed, his eyes examining me. “How are you feeling, Princess?”

  I try a smile, even my face hurts. “Like I got run over by a bus.”

  A quick nod of sympathy comes my way. “You’re lucky to be here. Why the fuck did you try to kill yourself?”

  “I’ve already had the lecture from Kadar.” I pre-empt what I’m sure he was going to say. “Al-Fahri was going to break me, Hunter, was going to use me against Kadar. There was nothing else I could do to prevent it.”

  “Because of that motherfucker Rais.”

  At least Hunter knows Rais was guilty, even if Kadar couldn’t bring himself to say the words. Even now his treachery seems hard to believe. I must still be delirious, as there’s part of me that still cares for the man I’d admired from afar for so many years. I’d thought I’d hit the jackpot when he told me he loved me.

  Punishing myself, as I really don’t want to know, nevertheless needing the answer to the question before I can start to move on. “Is Rais dead?” I’m certain he is. All I’m asking for is confirmation.

  “Dead? No. Fucker’s still breathing air.” Hunter’s gone red. “If I had my way, he wouldn’t be.”

  So they haven’t killed him yet. But for the state crimes he’s committed, it can only be a matter of time. I wonder what jail he’s languishing in. One here in Z̧almā, or the one in Al Qur’ah.

  “He’s sitting outside waiting to see you,” Hunter continues. “I’ve told him he’s the last person you’d want to see.”

  Wait. What? Hunter’s right, there’s no way I want to see his duplicitous face ever again. How come he’s here? He must have tricked them. Concocted some story… The blood drains from my face, and my voice sounds hoarse. “Tell him to go away.”

  Hunter’s there, his hand giving a comforting squeeze to my sheet-covered thigh. “Of course you don’t want to see him, Princess. There’s no need for you too. Once you’re well you can leave Amahad for good.” His face twists. “I should never have fallen in with the plans to bring you here. You can come back to London, I’ll take good care of you.”

  “She’s going nowhere with you.” The loudness of Rami’s voice as he contradicts Hunter makes my head pound.

  When they start arguing I quickly have enough, but haven’t the strength to admonish them. Tuning them out, my mind focuses on the man I’m refusing to see. Why couldn’t things be different? Why did he send me off to die? Whether I’d have taken fate into my own hand as I had, or if al-Fahri had killed me further down the line, the result would have been the same. My death would have lain at his door.

  Hunter and Rami are still arguing, fighting over me like dogs with a bone. Luckily the noise attracts the attention of a nurse who comes in and shoos them out with a hissed, “She’s supposed to be resting.”

  My sleep isn’t restful, dreams and nightmares get mangled together. I’m on the ship, Rais is selling me, Rais is loving me, he’s putting a dog collar on me. I toss, turn, and then at last wake. My body must have rested, even if my mind was overactive. I feel stronger and able to pull myself up. I press the buzzer for a nurse to take me to the bathroom. When I come back out, Nijad and Jasim are waiting. I’m feeling a bit dizzy, so wait until the nurse helps me back into bed before speaking.

  “Well, hello, brothers.” I make a determined effort to be cheerful, even though I’m still dying inside.

  Both of them stare at me as though they’re seeing an apparition.

  “What?” My hand goes to my face as if I’ve got a splodge of toothpaste around my mouth or something.

  Nijad takes off his headdress and throws it down, closely followed by Jasim doing the same thing. It still surprises me to see my middle brother in Arab dress, as for years I’d only known him to dress in Western attire.

  Nijad sits himself in the chair, unable to take his eyes off me. When I’m just about to open my mouth to prompt him again, he speaks. “Never, ever, Aiza, do that to me again. You took years off my life.”

  “That goes for me as well.” Jasim rests his hand on the back of Nijad’s seat, his voice breaking. “We thought you were dead.”

  Me too.

  “If Rais hadn’t have found you, we might have been searching all night. The branch you were on could have broken…”

  Rais would probably have preferred me dead. “It’s lucky you found me when you did.” Else Rais might have erased the evidence of his wrongdoing. I put it down to be the blow to my head, as I feel tears roll down my cheeks again. “How did you kill al-Fahri?” Thank goodness they got there in time. And that my grand gesture deciding my own fate failed.

  Nijad’s eyes snap open. “We didn’t. The actual bullet came from Fuad. Apparently the young lad’s an excellent sniper.”

  That makes sense. I hadn’t seen Fuad at the camp. At least the promising young man was not caught up in Rais’s conspiracy. Idly I wonder whether he’ll take over from Rais. He’ll have his work cut out if he does. He’s very young to take his place as his heir.

  “You realise you cocked things up, don’t you?” Jasim’s face has a wry grin. “You should have hung tight. Fuad was waiting to take al-Fahri out, and then Rais’s men were going to kill the rest. All of the plan went like clockwork. Apart from your heroic gesture when you lost your nerve.”

  Lost my nerve? I sit up straight, ignoring the banging in my head. “Lost my fucking nerve?” I spit. “Rais gave me to al-Fahri. Whatever story he’s told you is wron
g. He’s a traitor. He took a huge payment in return for me. You have no idea what al-Fahri threatened me with. He was going to break Kadar, and I couldn’t let him.” The main reason I hadn’t wanted to see Rais was I hadn’t wanted to hear any more lies, falsehoods he’s clearly been spouting to everyone else, and getting them to believe him. “Why’s Rais walking around free? He needs locking up.”

  “Aiza, it was a set-up. Al-Fahri wanted you so badly he fell into Rais’s trap.”

  “He didn’t. I did.” My temper stops my listening. “Rais must have planted the bombs in the palace. He got me out, yes. However, it wasn’t a rescue. He took me to meet al-Fahri. It was a set-up from start to finish. But not for the terrorist, the trap was for me.” I rest my head back, tears now flowing. “He fooled me, and I believed him from the start. If you haven’t arrested him, you better do so now. He’s a traitor to Amahad. You can’t believe a word that he says.”

  Jasim and Nijad exchange glances. “He saved you, Aiza. He risked his life to follow you down the cliff face. He was a hare’s breath away from dying himself when he tried to rescue you. He never meant any harm to come to you. He’s not been arrested.” Nijad chuckles. “But he didn’t get away unscathed.”

  “Can’t you see he’s fooling you? You can’t trust him.” I turn my head away, remembering Rais and everything he did to me that night that was so special, and which has now become tainted in my memory. I wish I could wipe it from my mind. Rais, the childhood friend of my brother who I admired from the day I was old enough to bug the hell out of Nijad. Always wanting to tag along with them when he was home from school. Then, later, when my brothers were away and Rais took pity on a young child, teaching me to ride when everyone else treated me as a nuisance. Right up to the day when I was eighteen and noticed him as a man.