Chapter Nineteen
Steepling his fingers, Omar Aziz rested his elbows on the small wooden table.
Hakim had gone to speak to their soldiers.
Soldiers of Allah. Preparing them for the New Dawning coming to Daram.
Before long, Daram would be theirs. It was time for him to take his seat at the table and get the respect he deserved with his brother by his side.
Together they would change the future of Daram.
They would spread the good word of the New Dawning of Allah. Daram was just the beginning.
He had promised his daughter he would avenge her husband's capture. He would ensure the men responsible were punished. He understood the team were highly skilled. Special Operations. It was never going to be easy, but they had a plan now. The American soldiers would come willingly to them.
The raid on the house where he and Hakim had been staying had been a surprise.
They had been very careful in organizing their return.
Apparently, someone had leaked their location.
A traitor among them. Thankfully, they were always prepared for an attack.
He did not know if it had been the team that had come for them.
It did not matter. Two Reborn soldiers, chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice, had failed.
One killed before he could detonate. The other ran.
Once cornered, he did detonate his vest, but he’d been too far away to do real damage.
No American bodies, which meant the Americans had gotten away.
May even still be out there, looking for them.
Unfortunate, but it wouldn’t stop their plan.
“Omar?”
He raised his head at his brother’s voice. “Yes, Hakim?”
“We are ready. We must move forward. Coordinate the attacks. We’ve waited long enough. It is time to take control of Daram before another team finds us.”
They had moved via tunnels to a secondary house and were staying underground to be safe.
“I agree. Spread the word.”
“The embassy?”
Omar studied his brother. “Exactly as we planned.”
***
CHARLIE WOKE WITH A smile on her face. Lifting her head slightly, she watched the slow rise and fall of Donnie’s chest. She was here, in his bed, and he’d asked her to stay in Coronado with him. A thrill ran down her back. He wanted her. James Donaldson wanted her.
She wanted to move in with him. Be with him every moment she could, but her cautious self warned her to not get in too deep too quick. Get her own place. Have a little space. Let him show that trust he’d been talking about.
Trust. It’s a big deal in any relationship.
Did she think Donnie would hurt her? Cheat on her?
Leave? Her eyes roamed over his face so relaxed in sleep.
The ladies were right. He had been a heartbroken, shocked, nineteen year old when he’d left.
He was older now. He had taken responsibility for what he did, and when he promised her last night he would never leave, she believed him.
Did she trust him with her heart? Would she trust any man with her heart? In her eyes, trust needed to be earned.
She quietly got out of bed, pulling on Donnie’s T-shirt.
From the bathroom, she went to the kitchen to make coffee.
The sun was just rising, so she stood at the floor to ceiling window and watched the beautiful orange ball peek above the horizon.
Her phone buzzed from the coffee table. As she waited for the coffeemaker to heat, she opened her notifications to see an email from Martin with several attachments.
Glancing around, she spotted Donnie’s laptop next to the TV. He wouldn’t mind if she signed into her email. It would be much easier to read the information Martin had sent over.
She set the laptop on the kitchen island and opened the lid.
The screen came to life, showing a scenic mountain picture.
Mm, not what she would have guessed for his wallpaper.
Moving her finger on the mouse pad, she was surprised to find it wasn’t locked, and an email account came up on screen.
Her eyes were drawn to the first email. The title simply read ‘Simon.’ The mouse hovered over it.
Simon? Her Simon? Jeez, she was being paranoid. Donnie probably knows other Simons, and she should not be reading other people's emails. Time to open a web page and log in to her own email account. She moved the mouse and minimized the account, not prepared for what was behind it.
At first Charlie didn't notice him. Too shocked by what was going on in the photo, then wondering why Donnie had such a thing on his laptop.
Two men and one woman. She recognized the woman first. Dominique.
Her perfectly manicured nails were wrapped around a cock.
It was then she saw him. Simon. Dominique had her hands around Simon's cock while another man was riding her from behind.
It sure hadn't taken Simon long to move on. To think he’d been calling her, trying to get her back.
She moved the mouse, seeing the arrow indicating there were more photos.
Slowly, she scrolled, growing sicker to her stomach.
Simon was in each one in different positions and not just with Dominique.
There were other women and men. Charlie felt sick.
Did this just happen, after they split? A thousand questions flooded her brain, but the biggest one was why the hell were these pictures on Donnie's computer.
No longer caring about privacy, Charlie reopened Donnie’s email account window and clicked the email titled ‘Simon.’
Here’s the proof you asked for. He’s been quite the regular at these parties for years.
I already sent you the emails on the agreement between him and his lawyer. Let me know if you want anything else.
She had a lucky escape.
Regular for years? Simon had been doing this for years? Before they were together and possibly during? No. He wouldn’t have. Why would he ask her to marry him if he wanted this other lifestyle? Maybe she changed him. Maybe she was the one that made him stop his partying.
Charlie glanced at the sender, but the email address was a bunch of numbers and letters, so she had no way of knowing who sent it.
She searched the inbox, clicking on another email from the same sender.
This one had copies of other emails attached.
Reading, her stomach dropped. No. This couldn’t be true.
Tears rolled down her face and her heart raced as the words sunk in.
She flicked between the pictures and the email until it all became a blur.
Nausea rose up her throat. She just made it to the bathroom before throwing up.
“Charlie? Are you OK?”
She ignored Donnie as she continued to wretch. She dry heaved until finally she slumped against the side of the bath, a mix of tears and snot.
“Charlie? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
Donnie stood in the doorway, and she was thankful he couldn’t see her. She grabbed some toilet paper to blow her nose and wipe her face before unsteadily getting to her feet.
He had been looking into Simon. Why? He found out all this shit and not told her? Why would he let her be with Simon knowing what he was up to? None of it made sense.
“I feel a little off. Maybe I didn’t cook the sausages right.”
“Can I do anything?”
“No. I’m going to take a shower.” She needed a few minutes to think.
“Mm. I could join you?” He smiled.
“I’ve been sick. I’d rather shower alone.”
“Of course. Sorry. You sure you’re OK?” His voice was full of concern.
“Yes. Go. I’ll be out in a bit.” She pushed him gently out the door and closed it. He could get himself around the condo fairly well, so he’d be fine while she showered.
Stepping under the spray, she closed her eyes, trying to process everything.
Her ex-fiancé attended sex parties with women and men.
That had been shocking. It seemed her whole relationship with Simon was a sham.
A front to please his father, so he would get the business.
That hurt. What hurt most of all was Donnie had found this out behind her back.
He’d investigated Simon and collected all this information and not said a word.
The tears came hard. Hurt, angry tears. She really had thought Simon loved her. How stupid could she be? Simon Radwell, eligible bachelor had chosen her. Chosen her because she was a gullible idiot. He was right. She was.
Turning off the shower, Charlie dried off then brushed her teeth.
Donnie. Was she being an idiot there, too? How could he not discuss this with her?
For a fleeting moment, she thought about running. Go back to Albany and forget about the man in the next room. No. She wasn't leaving until she got an explanation. He owed her that much.
Donnie had settled at the island. When she entered, he looked up and smiled.
“Feel better?”
“Why are there pictures of Simon and emails about him on your laptop?”
She walked around the other side of the island, needing some distance between them. Donnie’s face fell.
“You saw them?” he asked quietly.
“I saw everything. I'm sorry I used your laptop without asking. I wanted to check a work email and didn't think you would mind. Why the hell do you have all that stuff, and more importantly, why didn't you tell me?”
Her voice had risen in anger. And hurt. She didn’t wait for his answer. She pressed hard on the countertop, to steady herself, and spoke harshly.
“You give me a line about wanting to earn my trust. Never hurting me. All this time you’ve been hiding this?”
“Charlie, I can explain. Calm down, please.” He hadn’t moved. His face was tense and he looked crestfallen. Or maybe it was pity for her being so fucking gullible.
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down. How long have you known about Simon? How do you know?” She had so many questions.
“I didn't know any of this until after you had already ended it. I swear. That night at the hotel when he had his hands on you, I spoke with him before he left. He was using, Charlie.”
“Using? You mean drugs?” This just got better and better. It would explain his moods, the aggression.
“Yes. I don’t know what, but I asked him, and he didn't deny it. You were engaged to the man, but after what I witnessed, I was worried about what he might do. I asked Mackie to look into him.”
“Oh, great, so everyone knows, but me?”
“No! Mackie is discreet. I only wanted to see how bad the drug thing was, and then I was going to tell you. We had just connected again. If I had told you he was on drugs without proof, I didn’t think you would believe me. Then, before I even heard back from Mackie, you told me it was over.”
“You still should have told me.”
“All Mackie originally found out was that Simon was still partying. We didn’t know about the sham marriage or have the pictures showing the types of parties. You were so upset I didn’t want to cause you any more pain. So, I decided not to tell you.”
She turned away from him. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe he was just looking out for her, but then, how did he get the photos, the emails? She turned back to him.
“Then why did you continue to look into him? How did the photos and emails come about?”
“I didn’t tell Mackie you had ended it and didn’t realize he was still probing. When I got back to Coronado, he told me about the emails. That the marriage was a sham to enable Simon to get control of his father’s business.”
“So why didn’t you tell me then?”
“Because you had just rocked my fucking world, and I was about to leave for a mission. I couldn’t call you and drop that bombshell, then disappear. I couldn’t do it.” His calm tone finally cracked.
Charlie grabbed a glass and got water. Hearing he hadn't known before she ended things with Simon made it a little easier to digest, but he still shouldn’t have kept this from her.
“OK. I might be willing to understand that, but how did you get the pictures? Why did you get them?”
A flash of something crossed Donnie's face. Guilt? Shame? It was gone so quick she couldn’t tell. When he spoke, the calm facade was back in place.
“Knowing how much Simon had to lose by you calling off the wedding, I was concerned he wouldn’t go quietly. I’d seen his temper firsthand. He had his hands on you. You were scared. I was leaving, so couldn't be there to protect you. I arranged for someone to watch Simon. And you.”
She slammed the glass down on the counter so hard, it was a surprise it didn't break.
“You were spying on me?”
“No. I was protecting you.”
“Was someone following me?” She could not believe what she was hearing.
“No one was following you. Simon, yes. If he had made a move to get to you, they would have stepped in.”
“And done what?”
“Whatever was needed to protect you. But Simon was in London at a party. The pictures were from that party. I didn’t find out about them until I came home from the hospital.”
Charlie’s head throbbed and she rubbed her temples.
“I’m sorry, Charlie. Sorry you found out this way.
After Toronto, I wanted you in my life so badly.
Then I got hurt and you showed up here, and I knew I had to tell you everything.
I wanted to talk, but it never seemed to be the right time.
That’s on me. I should have told you sooner and I’m sorry. ”
She had heard enough. She couldn’t stay here any longer.
She needed space to work through all this.
Just a few hours ago, they had been talking about her moving here, starting a new life with him.
Now for the second time in a matter of days, her world had been turned upside down.
She moved toward the bedroom to pack her case.
“Charlie? Where are you going?”
She stopped and looked at him. He was looking at her.
“Can you see me?”
“Not exactly. I can see an outline of a person. I wouldn’t know if it was a man or a woman, it’s very fuzzy. But I can see shapes.”
Despite what was happening between them, she couldn’t help but feel happy for him.
“That’s great. I’m glad your sight is improving.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m going to pack my things and go home. I’ll text Mackie and let him know I’m leaving. I’m sure he’ll come over.”
“Please don’t go. I never mean to hurt you.”
She gave him a sad smile, not that he could see it. “But you did. Again.”