Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Getting to Alastair’s house turned out to be a harder process than Noah had expected.
He’d been able to reach the roof of a building about a block away by climbing a tree.
He didn’t dare go by the street. Victoria knew Noah had been there before Abdin Palace.
Given her questionable loyalties and Alastair’s failure to appear tonight, there was a chance Alastair had betrayed him also.
But Noah foolishly sent Ginger there. Which meant he had no choice but to go, even if it could be a trap. Lord Helton and Stephen may already be there waiting for him.
He surveyed the remaining roofs between where he stood and Alastair’s house.
From here he could see the minarets of Sultan Hassan’s famed mosque in historic Cairo, shining in the moonlight.
Beyond that stood the famed Citadel of Saladin.
The medieval fortress was a stark reminder of how very close the British military was to his location—the army used it as a military garrison.
He couldn’t count the number of times he’d visited the citadel on military business.
And now he was being called the enemy.
Noah’s attention shifted back toward Alastair’s house, now only one building away.
Would Alastair really have betrayed him? Acid burned his throat, his jaw clenching. After Henry Whitman had shot him, he’d become more wary of friendships. And now Victoria joined Henry’s ranks. She’d kept the truth about Jack away from him to manipulate him into saving her father instead.
According to her, Jack was being held captive here in Cairo.
The revelation had only made him doubt Alastair more. How could Alastair, who prided himself on his information networks, get so much wrong about all of this?
Noah pressed forward, reaching the edge of the roof where he stood.
He’d been forced to make a few jumps across buildings to reach his intended target.
He wasn’t comfortable with heights but his recent experiences jumping from buildings brought a new level of dislike.
His palms felt slick as he crouched and jumped again. One more jump.
One more opportunity to fall.
The chance of being heard was great. It was one thing to crawl quietly from one rooftop to the next. Quite another to take a flying leap. He also had no doubt Alastair had one of his pupils on watch at the roof. He’d have to neutralize the youth.
He didn’t dare stand to attempt seeing the street from here.
Was Ginger here? Crawling across buildings had slowed his progress. The chances of her beating him here were high.
For all the trouble he’d given Ginger, he was proud of her ingenuity.
He didn’t like her involvement; having her in a position to be hurt or killed made him worry more.
Lord Helton wasn’t wrong about that. Before her, he’d never let his emotions factor into the decisions he made while on an assignment.
God, he loved her.
She’d changed him, but not in the way Lord Helton seemed to think.
Ginger had given him a reason to survive this war. And that was more powerful than any desire for self-preservation. Helton had just been too short-sighted and arrogant to see it.
The building in front of him, made of dark sandstone, seemed to take on a reddish hue in the dark, like blood.
His fingers twitched, curling into fists as a molten wave of fury lashed its way through each sinew of his tautly corded muscles.
Helton and Victoria’s betrayal gave an edge to his movements, a reckless desire to find a way to punish them both for it.
He might be able to forgive Victoria if he managed to save Jack. She’d feared they’d kill her father otherwise.
But Helton was another story altogether.
Noah rubbed his hands on his trousers and adjusted the holster around his waist. This jump seemed wider. He’d have to take a running leap, which could mean he might be seen from the street. He breathed out, trying to prepare himself for it.
He stood, cautiously. The darkness was a double-edged sword, however.
In the dark, he normally couldn’t see where he was jumping to as clearly.
Tonight, the moonlight paved the way in greys and blues and reflected whites.
Desert landscapes were fortunately bright on nights with full moons like this.
The sandstone glistened. He could see more clearly, but he was also exposed to any eyes on the alert.
He backed up, then pumped his legs into action. He ran across the roof, then took a mighty leap at the edge.
For a split second, he was weightless, his body hurled forward by his momentum.
The other roof felt distant. The moment hung …
then his fingertips scraped against the ledge of the other roof, followed by his hips slamming against the stone.
He caught himself, the impact painful, then hauled himself up onto the roof.
He hadn’t been quiet enough.
As he gathered himself, the boy on the roof attacked, wrestling Noah to the ground.
He pinned Noah beneath him, his hands at his neck. Noah scissor-kicked his legs, then swept the youth’s feet out from under him, knocking him over.
Noah grabbed the hilt of his knife. He slid it free from its sheath, the blade gleaming before he brought it to the boy’s throat. The youth’s eyes widened, as though waiting for death.
But he was barely a teenager. No older than fifteen.
Noah’s chest heaved and a knife pricked his back. A fatal mistake.
There were two of them.
A sudden clatter sounded—the knife at his back falling to the rooftop. Noah swiveled his head and found the familiar face of Khalib.
Khalib stepped forward, the shock on his boyish face transforming to a toothy grin. He’d grown several inches since Noah had last seen him. Less of the baby fat remained on what had been a round face before, and now his cheeks and chin showed angles.
Khalib threw his arms around Noah’s neck without warning. The youth who had attacked Noah sighed with relief as Noah pulled his own knife away. Noah’s arms wrapped around Khalib’s bony shoulder blades. “How are you, my friend? What are you doing up here?
“I watch at night.” Khalib indicated the city. “Why do you come by the roof?”
Of course. Khalib was one of Alastair’s boys now. Even if Noah had specified he wanted Khalib to take a more scholarly direction, Alastair was still likely to give him the skills necessary to survive the clandestine life.
“The alley was too dangerous.” Noah released him, then gave him a frown. “How is your school?”
Wrinkling his nose, Khalib shook his head. “I come with you again, instead?”
“Not yet, Khalib.” Never. He’d sat the boy down to the conversation months earlier, told him their adventures together were at an end.
Khalib had wept, and the tears that had stained his cheeks had damn near done Noah in.
But he’d never risk the boy again. The prosthetic hand was more than enough reminder of what Khalib had sacrificed for Noah’s recklessness.
As Khalib helped the other youth to his feet, explaining who Noah was, Noah surveyed the roof. Khalib couldn’t know he intended to confront Alastair without warning. It was better to have Khalib stay here than to get caught in the middle of something potentially dangerous.
“I’m going inside. I’ll come and visit you out here before I leave.” Noah set a hand on Khalib’s shoulder. “I’ll be sure to tell Alastair how you bested me.” And if it hadn’t been Khalib, I could be dead now. The thought chilled him.
Khalib gave a proud nod, and Noah found his way to the rooftop door. He slipped inside. He couldn’t compete with the stealth that Alastair taught his protégés, but he’d slinked though enough spaces to hold his own.
It took him a minute to orient himself, then he found the door to Alastair’s bedroom. He knocked, then opened it just as Alastair said, “Come in.”
Moving quickly, Noah took a few long strides toward Alastair, gun in both hands. He looked down the sights at his friend already in his dressing gown. Alastair raised both hands in surrender. “You came by the roof, then? You’d be dead if you hadn’t, you know.”
Was that a threat? Or just a statement of fact? Noah narrowed his eyes. “Don’t try the mind games with me.”
“Oh, come now, Benson. Put the gun down. I put Khalib up there on purpose. You’re smart enough to not come in through the alley.
Helton’s sure to be watching the house. You shouldn’t have risked coming here.
But I thought you might. Especially when your lovely bride arrived just a half hour ago.
” Alastair stepped back, lowering his hands.
Ginger was here. Thank God.
But it meant leaving would be more difficult. At last, he lowered the gun and put it in its holster. “Why didn’t you come to the palace as we discussed?”
“Lord Helton was at CID headquarters. He told me he was heading to the palace with men to handle the matter and ordered me home. I couldn’t have known what they were about to do to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I’ve been getting bits and pieces over the wires though. The situation looks grim.”
No wonder. It must have all been part of Helton’s plan. “What’s the official story?”
“You’re wanted for immediate capture. Apparently, you’re the criminal mastermind of the last decade.
Maslukha and Aleaqrab leader, all in one.
I’m certain the papers will carry the tales tomorrow of how you murdered the Earl of Braddock and his son, framed the innocent Stephen Fisher, and Fisher rotted in prison without a trial for your crimes.
Let’s not forget your more recent exploits of killing a Captain Harold Young, stealing a lorry of arms from the army, and attempting to blow up Abdin Palace. You’ve been quite busy.”
None of it surprised Noah, but to hear Alastair lay it out like that nauseated him. Everything he’d worked for his whole life would be taken away. He’d been foolish. But how could he have known the way Stephen planned to twist and manipulate everything?