CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“I think I would be okay with all of us being together.” One of Isla’s shoulders bobbed up and down, and her voice was so soft she could barely be heard. Almost as if she feared embracing the idea of them as a family too openly might jinx the outcome. “But what about the man who is after you, Mom?”
Maya opened her mouth to reassure her, but Jeffrey beat her to it.
“Don’t you worry about him, honey.” He brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “I promise, I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your mom. Do you believe me?”
“Uh-huh. I believe you.” She nodded. “And Mom, from now on”—Isla shot her a stern look—“you will always tell me the truth, no matter what. Right?”
“Right.” Maya skimmed Isla’s bangs away from her eyes. “Look, you have every right to be upset with me. I am an imperfect person—as our current situation has proven—but I did what I thought was best for everyone at the time.” Maya set a hand on the bed on either side of her daughter, leaned closer, and looked her directly in the eyes. She wanted to ensure her daughter was paying attention to every word she was about to say. “I love you so very much, and I hate that you’ve been made to suffer because of something I did a long time ago.”
“I love you, too, Mom. And, yes, I am still a little bit mad.” Isla lowered her eyes and picked at the edge of the blanket. “But … I think I kinda understand why you didn’t tell me about my dad.” She gave Jeffrey a quick look, then turned back to Maya with sad eyes. “It must have really hurt your heart to leave someone you love without being able to say goodbye.”
So much wisdom and empathy from someone so young.
Maya’s heart positively melted at the sweetness of her daughter’s words.
“It hurt my heart a whole bunch.” She cupped Isla’s cheek in her hand and rubbed her thumb over her soft skin.
“Did it hurt your heart, too?” Isla focused on Jeffrey.
“Yes, it hurt my heart very much.” Jeffrey gave Maya a long look. “But now we’re all together, and our hearts can heal and become whole again.”
Isla seemed to consider his words, then said, “I like that.”
A feeling of warmth poured over Maya at the prospect of them working as a team to secure their daughter’s safety. And she loved the part about themhealing together.
Jeffrey hated to break up this incredible moment, but he needed to ask Isla some questions while everything was still somewhat fresh in her mind. Once Al-Mansoori was taken care of, he would make it a priority to make sure the people involved in her kidnapping were hunted down and dealt with.
“Isla, honey, can you tell us what happened the day you went to meet the person who called themselves Samantha?”
Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened.
“How … how did you know about Samantha?” She looked from him to her mom.
“I found your messages on Kids Chat,” Maya said. “When I got home from the shop, I searched the cottage looking for you and saw the laptop in your room.”
An embarrassed blush crept across their daughter’s cheeks, and she tilted her chin down.
“I was frantic and ran to the park.” Maya held Isla’s hand. “By the time I got there, you were already gone.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.” Her chin quivered. “I thought I would be home before you finished at the shop. I never should’ve snuck out. ”
“I’m just glad you’re safe.” Maya sat forward and kissed her cheek.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Jeffrey shifted around and folded one knee on the bed.
“I got to the park, to the spot where Samantha—” Sadness and hurt crept into her face as the realization hit her. “Samantha isn’t a real person, is she? And she didn’t really want to be my friend.”
“No, honey, I’m sorry, she’s not.” Jeffrey hated everything about this.
“It was just the person after Mom tricking me?” Thanks to Nadim Al-Mansoori, Isla was learning a painful lesson about the world. He had stolen away her youthful innocence and naivete.
“I’m afraid so.” Maya lifted their joined hands to her heart. “Why don’t you tell us what happened at the park?”
“I waited and waited and was almost going to leave, but then a man grabbed me from behind and slapped his hand over my mouth. I felt his lips against my ear when he told me not to scream.” She shivered. “His hand was really scratchy on my face, and he smelled sweaty. His breath was really gross, too.” Her nose crinkled. “He dragged me through these tall bushes until we came out the other side.”
“Is that how you got these?” Jeffrey pointed to a little cut on her neck and a few scratches on her arms .
“Yeah.” She lifted her arms and checked out the marks. “Some of the branches were really sharp. Anyway, there was a big van waiting by the road. You know, the one we take to go to the ferry.”
“SS113.” Maya glanced at Jeffrey. “It’s one of the major highways around Sicily.”
“The back doors of the van were already open, and he just lifted me up and threw me inside. Then he climbed in after me and slammed the doors shut.” Her blue eyes shone with unshed tears, and he knew his poor little girl’s mind had taken her back to those horrible moments. “I screamed and yelled and kicked him, and he slapped me really hard.” She lifted her hand to where there was some slight bruising on her left cheek. “He said he would kill me if I didn’t shut up and sit still.” She blinked, and tears streamed down each cheek.
Maya popped some tissues from the box on the nightstand.
“The inside was all open, and I could see the man sitting behind the steering wheel. He seemed really mad and yelled something in a language I couldn’t understand.” She accepted the tissues from her mom and wiped away the tears. “They put a dirty old rag over my eyes, and we drove for a little while until I heard a boat horn. I could just tell we were driving onto the ferry. The van stopped, and the engine turned off.” She began to pick at the edge of the blanket again. “That’s when I felt a pinch in my arm.” Her brows crinkled. “After that, I only remember little flashes of things like … being on an airplane, but not a regular airplane like we’ve been on before. This one was like a rich person’s airplane and was super fancy inside. I don’t know how many people were there, but none of them spoke English either. It sounded kinda like the same language as the man in the truck. I felt cold air for a few minutes, and I’m pretty sure someone was carrying me outside somewhere. He smelled kinda good, like he was wearing perfume, but the kind a man wears. I’ll never forget that smell as long as I live.” Her head tilted to the side. “This is going to sound weird, but for some reason, I didn’t think he would hurt me.”
“I’m guessing that was Adnan Bashar,” Jeffrey said. “He carried you into the embassy.”
“I remember hearing that name!” Her eyes lit up.
“Perhaps Bashar didn’t approve of what was happening?” Maya raised a brow and looked at Jeffrey.
“Perhaps,” he said. “Isla, can you tell me anything about the men who took you? How tall they were, what color eyes and hair they had, those kinds of things.”
“They both had sort of light brown skin. The one who grabbed me had really dark, mean eyes—almost black—and a bushy beard and mustache. The other one—the driver—his eyes were really light blue, and he was dressed in fancier clothes. He had on these maroon, velvet shoes that almost looked like slippers, and they had something embroidered on the top. And his haircut was really neat and clean. Oh, and he had a big scar right here.” She traced her fingertip down the right side of her face, from her temple down to just below her ear.
“You’re doing great, honey. Can you tell us anything else about the van?” Jeffrey asked. “What color it was, how big it was?”
“It kinda looked like one of those brown delivery trucks, except, it was … dark green, I think.” Her tone became excited. “Oh, wait, I remember something else. There was a faded sign on the side. Hang on, let me think.” She squeezed her eyes tight for a moment, then they popped open. “Wasan or Wasam Electrical Supply Company. Something like that.”
“That’s fantastic, Isla.” Maya patted her daughter’s knee.
“Was there anything inside the van?” Jeffrey needed as much information as possible. “Tools or equipment of any kind?”
“Actually, the only thing in the back was a bunch of flattened cardboard boxes covering the metal floor. And there was also an old smelly blanket they covered me with.” She scrunched up her face. “Wait, there was something hanging from the rearview mirror. It was shiny silver and it looked kinda like a miniature, curved sword. I remember because the sun shone off it right before they blindfolded me.” She turned to Jeffrey. “Is that enough to find them? ”
“It’s an excellent start, that’s for sure.” Jeffrey set his hand over her nervous fingers on the blanket. “You are so brave. I hope you know that.”
Jeffrey would share all of this information with Wolf so he could put his team to work tracking down the animals that dared to touch his daughter.
Isla tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a yawn behind her hand.
“Okay, that’s enough talk for now,” Maya said. “The doctor wants you to get some rest.”
“But I’ve been sleeping for days and days,” Isla whined in protest.
“That kind of sleep doesn’t count, kiddo,” Jeffrey said.
“Fine.” She huffed and scooched down until her head was on the pillow.
“Good night, my darling girl.” Maya tucked the blanket around their daughter, kissed her on the forehead, and stood.
“Night, Mom.” She yawned again.
“G’night, honey.” Jeffrey kissed her little knuckles and joined Maya.
“Night … Dad.” She gave him a shy smile, rolled onto her side, and faced away from them .
Jeffrey straightened to his full height, and when he looked at Maya, the joy, surprise, and pride he felt at their daughter’s acceptance of him was on full display.
All those nights alone, when Maya’s emotional guard would weaken and wistful thoughts snuck in, she’d fantasized about this very moment. But nothing compared to the tenderness and joy of the reality.
Jeffrey flipped off the light, they stepped out of the room, and he pulled the door shut with a quiet click .
“That went reasonably well.” She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to happen, but her daughter seemed to comprehend the motivation as to why Maya kept her father’s identity from her.
“She’s a smart kid.” Jeffrey curved his hand around the back of her neck. His thumb skimmed along her jaw, doing all kinds of devilish things to her insides. “You did an amazing job with her, Maya, and under the most horrific and trying circumstances.”
She had never sought out anyone’s approval of her as a mother—perhaps she’d feared the response. So attaining his validation for her hard work and sacrifice cast off the weight of doubt and disapproval she’d been shouldering for so terribly long.
“Thank you.” Tears pooled in her eyes, and she stepped up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and held on as if afraid he might walk away. “That means more to me than you can know. ”
“I love you, Maya.” His strong arms held her, giving her the safety and security she needed to let go of her guilt, regret, and loneliness.
“I love you, too.” So very much.
All of these years, she’d moved through each day raising Isla alone, doing whatever was necessary to ensure her daughter had the best life possible under their unique circumstances. She’d struggled to keep her head above water—financially, physically, emotionally—and second-guessed herself every damn step of the way. All the while, the grim reaper’s shadow loomed over their life, just waiting for an opportunity to destroy her.
She’d battled a deep loneliness and sense of loss and longing for Jeffrey and what might have been. Thoughts of him would sneak into her dreams, and she would awaken to another disappointing day without him in their life.
“We’re a team now, Maya.” His deep voice vibrated against her, then he leaned back, placed a finger beneath her chin, and tilted her face up to him. “You, Isla, and me. Got it? No more running.”
She stared into blue eyes so like their daughter’s and made the easiest promise of her life.
“No more running.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, raised to her tiptoes, and kissed him. And it felt so damn good.
He groaned, and his tongue thrust between her lips. She curled her fingers into the back of his hair, and —
“Shit.” Wolf’s curse managed to find its way through the lust fogging her brain.
Jeffrey slowly ended the kiss, dragged his hand from beneath the back of her shirt—when had that happened?—and grinned at her.
She blinked herself to coherence, and they turned toward Wolf.
“Sorry to interrupt.” His large body blocked the hallway, and he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Maya, you just got a message from Al-Mansoori.”