CHAPTER TWENTY
“How the hell did they get into the embassy?” Nadim struggled to keep his anger and disgust in check. Being surrounded by incompetence made that colossally difficult.
“My men are conducting a floor-by-floor search, Your Majesty.” Rahim stood at attention in front of his desk, chest out, shoulders back. His hands were at his sides, his eyes fixed on the wall behind Nadim. “We will find how they entered the building and then determine who is responsible.”
The king did not share his confidence.
“Leave me.” He dismissed his commander with a flick of his wrist and settled into his chair.
Adnan waited until the door closed behind him, then turned to the king.
“Surely you are not going to continue with this … this vendetta.” His tone was a brazen mix of disbelief and judgment. “The child is gone, taken by someone who obviously possesses great skill. It’s time you let it go. ”
“Her bitch of a mother is behind this.” Nadim sat forward, pulled his laptop closer, and opened it. “I am certain of it.” A photo of the royal seal appeared on the screen, and he quickly entered his password.
“What are you going to do?” Adnan asked.
“I am going to make sure she understands that I will never give up until she is dead.” Along with whoever helped her tonight.
He pounded on the keys, opened the Kids Chat website, and scrolled to the bottom of the message stream.
You think you have defeated me? You are wrong! I will never stop coming for you and your daughter! NEVER!
With each word, he became more agitated, his breaths grew heavier, and his heartbeat pulsed in his ears. He slammed his finger down on the ENTER key, and off it went.
Adnan hurried around behind the desk and leaned down to read the message. He shook his head and moved toward the door. He grabbed the knob, began to turn it, and stopped when Nadim shouted at him.
“Where do you think are you going?” How dare he walk away without being dismissed?
“I have known you my whole life. I have loved you like a brother and been a loyal servant to you.” Adnan finally looked back at him. “You and your father before you refuse to accept that Zahir tried to rape that woman. Even after multiple members of the staff confirmed this.” His hand fell away from the doorknob. “You allowed your father’s blind hatred for this woman to blacken your heart to the point you would harm a child.” His tone held a mixture of disgust, disappointment, and loss. “You are not the man I grew up with, and I can no longer support you in this.”
“ You can no longer …” Nadim’s brows lifted in surprise, and he clicked his tongue as he shook his head in disgust. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor, stupid Adnan actually thinks I need him .” He heaved an intentionally heavy sigh. “Need I remind you that you are nothing but a member of the household staff.” He slowly rose from his chair, flattened his hands on the desk, and leaned forward. “You and your family serve at my behest. You are done when I say you are done.” He pushed off the desk and sneered at him. “Now get out of my sight.”
“Yes, Your Majesty .” He emphasized Nadim’s title and bowed. Then, in true unshakable Adnan fashion, he calmly pulled the door open, walked out, and quietly clicked it shut behind him.
Unable to contain his anger and frustration any longer, Nadim snatched the empty crystal decanter off his desk, drew his arm back, and hurled the bottle across the room. It slammed against the heavy wood door and shattered, leaving a large dent in the surface. Chunks of heavy glass rained down and scattered across the marble floor .
For the second time that night, a guard burst into his office. He scanned the space for threats, and his gaze landed on the glass.
“Get someone in here to clean up that mess,” the king ordered. “And I do not want to be disturbed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The guard nodded and shut the door. He was smart enough not to ask questions.
Nadim turned to the large portrait of his father hanging on the wall behind his desk. He checked over his shoulder before swinging the portrait out of the way and exposing a safe built into the wall. He tapped the code into the electronic lock to access the contents, reached in, and grabbed an older model burner phone.
He sat at his desk and dialed the only number programmed into the phone. It rang twice before someone answered, but as usual, they remained silent and waited for him to speak first.
“Where is she?” Nadim did not need to clarify who she was.
The Corbett woman was the only reason he associated with this person.
“What do you mean?” His source stammered. “I … I already told you that she flew into Dulles International Airport this morning.”
“Yes, but I want to know where she is right now.” America was a huge country, and she could be anywhere.
“Why? What’s happened?” Panic coated each word .
“The girl is gone.” Because of that, Nadim’s gut told him that Maya had to be close.
“Wait, what do you mean, she’s gone?” His whispered words had a sharp edge to them. “What did you do to her?”
“I did nothing to her. Someone had the temerity to sneak into my embassy and took the girl.” He kept his voice level, though he wanted to rage from the rooftops. “So, I will ask you again. Where is she?”
“Your embassy? Are you in America?”
“Of course, and I want to know where she is.”
“I … I don’t know.” He quickly added, “She hasn’t checked in with me since she arrived in the States.”
“Well, if you value your childrens’ lives, I suggest you find out.” He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the desk. “I am surrounded by incompetent morons.”