Chapter 2
Sheik Tazim el Butrim leaned against the cold conference room wall. The air in the room felt stifling, matching the turmoil in his thoughts. His friends, Zayed and Riaz, had sought his assistance, but the urgency of their situation was lost on him. Tazim couldn't shake the nagging desire to abandon the meeting and sprint back down the grassy hill in search of Ann. Questions swirled in his head like a tempest – why was she there? What was she doing now? And, most crucially, what did he want from her?
As he wrestled with this internal conflict, a voice shattered the chaotic thoughts.
"What do you think?" Zayed's inquiry snapped Tazim back to the present. He blinked, realizing that Zayed, Riaz, and the others he had been introduced to earlier were all staring at him, awaiting his response.
For a moment, Tazim hesitated, his mind still tethered to the enigma that was Ann. The weight of the room's collective gaze bore down on him, and he stammered, "My apologies, my thoughts drifted for a moment. What was the question?"
The tension in the room thickened, a palpable undercurrent that mirrored the unrest within Tazim. His friends exchanged glances, and Zayed's eyes held a hint of suspicion. Tazim's distracted demeanor did not go unnoticed, leaving an unspoken question hanging in the air—what was distracting the usually composed and focused sheik?
Tazim didn’t explain, mostly because he didn’t completely understand the distraction himself. But the unanswered questions about Ann lingered, like a storm waiting to break, as the conference room held its breath, suspended between the pressing matters at hand and the unresolved mysteries tugging at Tazim's thoughts.
“You are personal friends of Governor Liptiz,” Levi Harris clarified. “As governor of Kentucky, Liptiz’s assistance could really help us.”
Focusing on the issue at hand, Tazim nodded. Gary Liptiz. An easy question to answer. Tazim’s college buddy was the current governor of Kentucky. In fact, Tazim was on his way to California to discuss a potential business partnership and had only stopped here in Philadelphia at Zayed’s request.
Would Ann be interested in meeting the governor of a neighboring state? Maybe that was a good excuse to talk to her again, maybe discover more about…what the hell had happened five years ago?
Tazim's eyes flickered with a momentary hesitation, betraying the fact that his thoughts were still entangled in the web of unresolved questions. Despite the urgency of the situation in the conference room, a long moment hung in the air before his response.
"Yes," he finally answered, the word escaping his lips with a forced assurance. His shoulders, which had subtly tensed, relaxed ever so slightly, as if to shake off the distraction. Tazim straightened, regaining his composure, but the residual flicker of distraction remained in his dark eyes.
His friends, though appreciating the confirmation, exchanged glances that conveyed a silent acknowledgment that something was amiss. Tazim's body language had spoken volumes, a fleeting glimpse into a world of thoughts and concerns he was unwilling to share.
Tazim ignored the unspoken exchanges between his friends, his thoughts immediately returning to Ann. Would grand gestures impress her? Perhaps an invitation to the governor's mansion? The complexities of Ann's character from five years ago lingered in his thoughts—an intoxicating blend of confidence and insecurity that had captivated him.
He remembered the sparkle in her blue eyes, how they had illuminated with intensity during their discussions. Ann's love for literature, especially the classics, had been apparent, but it was mysteries that had truly ignited her passion. Tazim recalled the shared laughter over her vivid descriptions of the plots, and the way she had shivered, a mix of excitement and trepidation, after revealing the intricacies of a recently finished mystery novel. The memory brought a faint smile to his lips, a connection to a time when the world seemed simpler, yet infinitely more complex in its subtle nuances.
And then he’d kissed her.
It had been their first kiss. He remembered everything about that moment; the softness of her lips, the shiver in her soft, curvy body and the sigh of pleasure when he’d reluctantly lifted his mouth from hers.
Of course, he then remembered her quickly scribbled message in response to his note.
Tazim, emitting an audible sigh of impatience, redirected his attention to the meeting. His fingers drummed a rhythm of restless anticipation on the polished surface of the conference table. Despite the urgency in the room, his mind momentarily lingered on thoughts of Ann. Was something wrong? He’d detected a bit of anger when he’d seen her earlier. A subtle frown creased his forehead, betraying the inner conflict between personal desires and the pressing matters at hand.
Resolutely, Tazim focused on Zayed and Riaz. His body language shifted, adopting a more attentive posture. The tapping of his fingers ceased, replaced by a composed stillness that mirrored his determination. Tazim's eyes, though clouded by the remnants of distraction, conveyed a commitment to the task at hand. He owed Zayed a debt, and this meeting was an opportunity to honor that obligation.
His shoulders squared, a silent vow emanating from the subtle tension in his frame. Whatever assistance Zayed and Riaz required, Tazim was prepared to offer without hesitation. The room, once charged with unspoken tension, now held a quiet resolve as Tazim steeled himself to repay his debt and navigate the complexities of both the present and the unresolved past.
Looking around, Tazim realized that, once again, the men in the room were staring at him. He nodded firmly, then gave them the assurance he suspected that they were waiting for.
“I’ll give Gary a call immediately.”
Tazim stepped out of the conference room to make the call. He didn’t delegate the call to his assistant as he normally would. Zayed hadn’t delegated when Tazim had needed him, so Tazim would reciprocate in kind.
“This is Tazim el Butrim of Androna,” he announced himself to the woman who answered. “I’d like to speak with Gary please.”
A gasp of surprise startled him and Tazim spun around to find Ann standing at the end of the hallway, an empty mug in her hands and a stunned, horrified expression on her face.
“Just a moment, Your Highness,” the woman said in his ear. “The governor is in a meeting, but I’ll pull him out immediately to speak with you.”
“Thank you,” he replied, still watching Ann intently, seeing the emotions flicker across her beautiful features.
Before he could say anything, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Tazim couldn’t keep himself from noticing her very enticing derriere as she walked away. The black pants weren’t tight, but there was nothing that could hinder his appreciation for her very nice, very round ass. Ann’s ass was…glorious. It was one of her finest features. He remembered how much he enjoyed the way her butt fit in his hands as he’d sunk deeply into her…!
“Tazim!” Gary called out through the phone, interrupting a very nice memory. “Did you have more questions about the deal?” he asked with amused patience.
Tazim fought down an eye roll, reminding himself that Gary was a long-time friend.
“No, this call isn’t about the potential project we discussed earlier.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and turned away from the empty hallway where Ann had been. Ann and her soft, delicious curves. Ann with her sweet smile and her dancing eyes. Ann with her soft, brown hair that, long ago, he’d tangled his fist around, pulling her closer for a kiss. A kiss that had aroused them all over again, even though they’d already made love several times over the previous several hours.
“Happy to answer any questions,” Gary replied, reminding Tazim, again, that he wasn’t alone.
Remembering the plan, Tazim lowered his voice as he said, “Something is about to break and I wanted to give you a heads up.” He waited a beat, then continued. “There’s a man named Ethan Howell who lives in your state. Some of the locals in Todras, Kentucky label his establishment as a church, but my sources indicate it's much more—way beyond the facade of a typical religious institution.”
There was a prolonged hush on the other end of the line. Tazim seized the moment, utilizing the silence to dispel the thoughts of Ann that were trying to creep back into his head. Now was not the moment for distractions; he had to maintain focus. Convincing Gary to allocate additional resources to address this impending issue was paramount.
“What do you need from me?” the governor asked, the previous joviality gone from his tone.
Tazim shook his head. “This isn’t for me,” he assured the man, not wanting to owe the politician a debt. “I’m giving you a heads up because you might want to get ahead of this story. It’s big , Gary. And it could be a political bombshell if you don’t send more resources to take this guy down. They’re going to need law enforcement personnel as well as mental health professionals. Not to mention forensic accountants and probably a whole lot more. The unraveling of this man’s fiefdom is going to be messy and complicated. I don’t know all of what this bastard has done to the locals, but you don’t want this kind of press to blindside you.”
Another long silence, then Gary sighed. “Hell, thanks for the advanced notice.” Tazim heard typing and assumed that Gary was pulling up the news sites. “So far, there’s nothing on the news feeds, but I have some connections and favors I can call in to get this out in the open. Thanks, Tazim. I owe ya one.”
“No problem,” Tazim replied. “I need to go into another meeting. Talk to you soon.”
"Wait!" Gary's voice echoed urgently through the phone. "Are you here in my home state?"
Tazim's eyes closed involuntarily, a sign of irritation at being cornered. He had hoped to handle this situation discreetly, but the unfolding news was set to explode into something monumental. The prudent course of action would be to hurry home before the impending storm hit.
That had been the original plan, at least. However, everything had changed when he laid eyes on Ann. The carefully constructed exit strategy seemed trivial now. The emotions, dormant for years, came rushing back with a vengeance. The exchanged glances, laden with unspoken history, had resurrected feelings Tazim thought he had left behind.
"Actually, I'm nearby in Pennsylvania for a few more days," Tazim responded, his voice betraying a tension beneath the surface. He attempted to maintain a composed exterior, but the unspoken weight of his words lingered in the charged air. The subtext of his message, laden with conflicted emotions, hinted at a narrative that extended beyond the business he alluded to. Tazim's silent foreboding, even through the phone line, conveyed a complexity that mirrored the tangled web of his feelings and the brewing political and legal storm that was threatening to explode in Kentucky.
“Excellent. You’re just a hop, skip and a jump from Kentucky! Maybe we can get together for dinner? I can show you around the governor’s mansion.” He chuckled. “I’m sure it’s not nearly as impressive as your palace in Androna, but it’s hardly a shack. Not to mention, I have an excellent chef.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tazim replied, purposely not saying anything that might imply a specific commitment. He didn’t want to shut the door because Gary was petty enough to ignore Tazim’s previous request to send more police and investigative resources to figure out what the hell a crazy man was doing in Kentucky.
His obligations completed, Tazim slid the phone back into his jacket pocket. Anyone who could have seen his expression would have taken an involuntary step back. Because Tazim was on a mission. He was going to find Ann and he was going to get answers to his questions.
First and foremost, he wanted to know why she’d been so brutal five years ago.