by Leslie North
“Really?” There was so much hope in her voice. “Let me get dressed.”
Kalik turned to face her. “No, you are going to stay here and continue with your event,” He said with so much authority in his voice
“How could I stay here and act as if everything is okay? I need to come with you.” Adilah scrambled out of bed causing Kalik to shift his gaze away from her. If he had to look at her glorious body, he would take her back to bed and there was not enough time for that.
“No, Adilah, it is not safe. You must stay here. You are the face of this event, none of which would have happened without all your hard work,” he said to her.
“Well, you take orders from me and I am coming,” she responded starting to fume over being told what to do.
“No, I take orders from your father and brother. It’s my prerogative to deny your requests,” he corrected her.
“But-”
“No, buts. You are staying here and wrapping up your event. I will keep you updated.” Kalik turned on his heel and strode out of the room before she could reply.
Adilah watched him leave. Who did he think he was, denying her? There was no way she would be able to concentrate on the event not knowing Cassie’s fate. She would never forgive herself if something happened to her friend. Turning, she walked into the shower and quickly dressed, all the while infuriated at Kalik for treating her like a…woman.
Shaking her head to clear her angry thoughts, Adilah counted to ten and took several deep breaths. She realized that Kalik was right. The best place for her to be was right here. Especially if Cassie’s kidnapper had an accomplice who was watching her, she wanted to give the appearance that nothing was amiss. But how would she be able to mask her worry? As much as she wanted to go, she trusted Kalik. If anyone could find Cassie, he could.
As she brushed out her hair, she hoped that Kalik’s sudden distance between them was merely his worry over Cassie, but she could not be certain. She had spent two glorious nights in his arms and there was no way she would return to how things were before. Cassie was right; she did have feelings for him. Feelings that were now stronger than ever.
She was in love with Kalik! Oh, what was she going to do?
Realising that if she was this distressed about Cassie, then Hussain must be far worse. She rushed out of her hotel room with her security detail following behind her as she took the elevator up to her brother’s floor. His own guard let her into his room where she found him sitting on the sofa looking as though he’d been there all night. She quickly went to sit next to him. “Hussain?”
“They thought it was best to keep me here,” he said to her.
“Why?”
“Kalik would not let me go with him,” Hussain growled. He did not seem pleased about it at all.
“Why?”
“He said that it would be dangerous for me.” Hussain punched the sofa. Adilah hated to see her brother this way, as he was clearly sick with worry.
“Don’t worry, Kalik will find her.”
“I helped track her down, and then they push me out of the process now.”
“Kalik was looking out for you.”
“I do not care about that, I just want Cassie back unharmed.” Adilah pulled her twin into her arms and hugged him. She could feel his pain. She too wanted Cassie back safely; unfortunately, there was nothing either one of them could do. They had to stay at the hotel and wait for Kalik.
“She will be okay.” It was very hard for her to utter those words, since she too was sick with worry; however, she had to be strong for the both of them. Her brother was normally the overprotective and strong one. This time it was different. It made Adilah realize that she could not keep her feelings for Kalik bottled up inside her.
Regret quickly filled her. Those people that kidnapped Cassie were probably capable of anything. What if they harmed Kalik or even killed him? She would never get the opportunity to tell him how she felt. How would she go on with her life if he died? She would never be able to live without him. Life without Kalik made no sense. It was much worse than her near death experience in the fields.
He will be okay; she told herself. Kalik was a strong man. He was highly skilled. But what if he came back and put up the same wall between them? What if he was cold and distant? Adilah was going crazy. She was scared that she might not see Cassie again. She was worried and scared that Kalik might not love her, and she was worried about her brother.
“I have to go wrap up the event,” she told her brother, not wanting to leave him knowing that he was this upset. She held his shoulders and searched his eyes. “I will come back as soon as I can. Are you going to be okay?”
“I am going crazy sitting here waiting,” he said with frustration.
“I know, habibti.” Adilah kissed him on the forehead. “Everything is going to be okay. If anyone can save her, then it is Kalik.” She did her best to conceal her worry.
When she arrived downstairs, she put on her best face hoping that no one would notice her worry as she pretended as though nothing was wrong and interacted with the guests and vendors. Even the children participating in the baking classes could not take her mind off Cassie and Kalik as she kept checking her phone for messages.
Being born into an Arabic royal family was not easy. Her father was quite traditional and she had her own duties to fulfil as part of the family. However, it was difficult for her to please her father and be true to herself. She wanted to live like a modern woman. Between that and leading a traditional life, she had forgotten about her needs as a woman.
Simply being with Kalik reminded her of what it felt like to be a woman, as she realized how much she needed him in her life. How much she wanted him. She hoped that he felt the same way.
Chapter 14
So many thoughts rushed through Kalik’s mind as he drove. After considerable discussion, make that considerable argument, with his team, Kalik had determined that he would go in alone, but they would remain nearby. He hoped that by not bringing in a large team, they could avoid a fight and bring Cassie home unharmed.
When he found out about the death threats that Adilah had been receiving, he had made sure to place tracking devices in everyone’s phones, but in this case, it didn’t do any good since the kidnappers left her purse behind.
If it wasn’t for Hussain’s suspicions, they might not have known where to direct their search, but thanks to him, they now knew who was behind all the threats, but they still didn’t know why.
Kalik turned onto an old dusty road and drove towards Sheik Sharqi’s fortress outside the city. That bastard- Kalik thought to himself. He had to admit that he wasn’t that surprised to find out that Sharqi had been behind Adilah’s death threats and Cassie’s kidnapping, but he couldn’t understand the man’s audacity because to go after Adilah or Hussain meant bringing the king’s wrath down on his head.
Adilah, Kalik could not think of her name without remembering their nights together. Thoughts of her beautiful naked body created a physical discomfort that he did not have time for. Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about her silky-soft honey-coloured skin that smelled of vanilla and spice or her soft luscious lips that taunted him every time he watched her eat one of her pastries. Kalik hated that his emotions were overwhelming him.
When he drew near to the compound, he parked his car near some bushes and proceeded on foot. Intel showed that there were few security guards around, which made his approach easier as he stepped quietly towards the house.
The man was either foolish or brazen, Kalik thought, but if the information Hussain received was correct, Sharqi was broke, which made this attempt that much more ludicrous. Instead of incurring the anger of the Tazeem royal family, he should be cultivating a stronger relationship with them.
What is his end game?
Kalik spotted a blind spot where security couldn’t see him, hopped over a short wall, and crept towards the main house, pausing as a security guard walked by. He couldn’t believe his luck when he made it up onto
the terrace and walked towards French doors that led to the kitchen.
Checking the doors to see if they were unlocked, he pushed his weight against an aging door handle and was pleased to hear the lock mechanism snap. Opening the door, he slipped inside where he heard Sharqi speaking to someone. It sounded as though they were in a heated argument.
“Father, you have lost it!” the other person shouted. Kalik smiled to himself, as it appeared that his own son thought he had made a foolish decision.
“Do not speak to me like that!” the sheik barked back.
“Your traditional ways will be the end of us all.”
Kalik followed the sound of voices but stopped short when he spotted Cassie sitting in the living room with her hands tied behind her back. He sighed with relief when he saw that she was unscathed. Her face lit up when she saw him, as he walked quickly over to help her up.
“Are you alright?” he whispered to her as he pulled his knife out and cut her ties. She nodded vigorously.
“I am so glad to see you,” she replied before she hugged him. Patting her back, he motioned for her to be quiet and follow him as they retraced his steps back out.
Surprised at his luck, Kalik escaped with Cassie whilst Sharqi and his son argued, completely oblivious to his presence.
Chapter 15
When Kalik and Cassie arrived at the hotel, he escorted her up to Hussain’s room where he and Adilah were waiting for them.
“Cassie!” Adilah shouted as soon as she laid eyes on her. The two women rushed into each other’s arms and hugged each other tightly. “I am so glad to see you. Are you okay?” Adilah scanned Cassie to see if she had been harmed.
“I am okay,” Cassie replied, still shaky from her kidnapping. Hussain approached them and gently pushed his sister aside and pulled Cassie into his arms. For a moment, they stood there not saying anything, as he held her tightly.
“Do you know how worried I was?” he demanded. “Why were you not careful? You could have been killed!”
Cassie stared at Hussain as he shouted at her. She looked like a child that was being scolded. Her eyes welled up before she pushed away from him and rushed off. Adilah shoved Hussain and shook her head at him, before running after Cassie.
Hussain and Kalik just looked at each other in confusion. “Why are they so emotional?” he asked Kalik.
“I am wondering the same thing,” he replied hoping that things would finally return to normal. Unfortunately, normal meant that he would no longer be spending so much time with Adilah. As Kalik filled Hussain in on what he heard, they were interrupted by a message, Hussain’s father was summoning the two men to tea.
When Hussain went to tell the women that they were going downstairs, the looks on their faces had him backing rapidly out of the room as they beat a hasty escape. When Kalik and Hussain arrived at the restaurant, Kalik greeted the sheik with a bow before he sat down.
“Just sit down,” the sheik ordered as both men sat down wondering what was going on.
“What is it, father?” Hussain asked the older man.
“I am hearing all sorts of things. What is going on with Miss Milton?” he asked getting straight to the point. Hussain and Kalik looked at each other before either of them replied.
“Nothing, she is talking with Adilah at the moment,” Hussain replied as his father raised his thick dark eyebrows.
“I know that she was kidnapped and has only just returned,” he stated flatly. Kalik was not surprised that the sheik already knew of the situation. They had wanted to keep it away from him because he would worry about Adilah’s safety.
“She has returned safely,” Kalik informed him as the sheik took a long sip of his black tea. His demeanour was a calm and collected one.
“This situation must have been hard on you,” he said to Hussain.
“Why me?” Hussain looked and sounded confused.
“Miss Milton means a great deal to you.”
“She is Adilah’s friend. I just worried about…how it will impact Adilah.”
The sheik narrowed his gaze at his son. “So you mean to tell me that she means nothing to you?” he asked.
“She is very dear to Adilah,” Hussain hedged, wondering where this was going.
“Horse piss!” the sheik responded, as both men looked at him in surprise. Neither one of them had ever heard the sheik swear. “And I suppose that Adilah is nothing more than Hussain’s sister and my daughter to you?” he asked Kalik.
Kalik raised his eyebrows. Why was he getting dragged into this? “What do you mean sheik?” he asked as the old man laughed.
“You are grown men acting like boys. When will you grow up?”
“Father, please tell us what you are getting at.”
Kalik had yet to drink his tea as he stared at the older man. How much could he know?
“You are men, not boys. Do not beat around the bush when it comes to love.”
Hussain almost choked on his tea, “You speak of love? This is an unusual topic for you,” he managed to say.
“I have more life experience than the two of you combined and I know true love when I see it.”
“I am lost,” Kalik replied as he looked at the old man.
“Then let me find you. Stop focusing on your job so much. Lighten up, enjoy life and stop running away from what your heart truly desires.”
Kalik raised his eyebrows. This was unfamiliar territory. He had never had such a personal discussion with the sheik. It scared him that he knew of his feelings for his daughter.
“My heart desires work,” he lied. The sheik shook his head and rose from his chair.
“Miss Milton’s kidnapping has reminded me of how precious and short life is. If you spend it running away from your feelings, then you are wasting time. The two of you need to stop being scared little boys and act like men!” With that, the sheik walked out of the restaurant with his security detail following behind him leaving Kalik and Hussain at the table speechless. The conversation had been random and unexpected. Kalik knew how strict and traditional the sheik was; however, he had now discovered that he was unpredictable too.
“Well that was interesting,” Kalik said to Hussain.
“It was indeed,” he replied as he shook his head. “I knew that my father had eyes everywhere, I simply did not expect him to know what is in my heart. Speaking of, really? My sister?” Nodding his head, Kalik was about to answer when Hussain interrupted him. “How long?”
“I suspect since the moment we met, but it has only recently become serious.”
“And does my sister feel the same for you?”
“I believe so, yes, but I find women very confusing.”
“You and me, both,” Hussain replied as they chuckled. “I suppose that you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to lately,” Hussain added as he sipped his tea.
Nodding his head, “Yes, but as long as you were not in danger, I did not want to impose.”
“I appreciate that. Given how much you know about Cassie’s past, I think that you would be surprised to find out that she has been resistant to allowing me to buy her anything expensive.”
Looking at him in disbelief, “I remember her excitement when she saw your display of precious stones.”
“She told me that when she was a child, she would walk past this same jewellery store every day going to and from school and that she had come to equate happiness with money,” Hussain began.
“If that is the case, then why won’t she allow you to buy her anything?”
Smiling, “Because she says that I make her happy,” Hussain replied. Before Kalik could respond, he continued, “I wanted to do something special for her. She had mentioned a blue sapphire ring that would sparkle in the sun, but I didn’t know which ring she was referring to or if it was even still there, so I bought the jewellery store.”
“Isn’t it in...”
“New Jersey? Yes. The owner is ready to retire and he does not have any family to leave his business t
o, so when I made him an offer, he was more than willing to sell. I was meeting his lawyer at the hotel.”
“But why…”
“Buy the store?” Hussain finished for him. Shrugging his shoulders, “For some reason, what Cassie thinks and wants has become very important to me and I did not want to make a mistake picking out an engagement ring for her.”
Shaking his head, Kalik stared at him. “I don’t know what to say. I’m seeing a different side to you.”
“It’s called love, my friend. It makes us do … unexpected things.”
Chapter 16
Adilah and Cassie were together in Adilah’s hotel room talking, having moved there after the men left. Cassie was currently wrapped in a hotel bathrobe and they both were sipping wine.