Chapter 5
A day later, the breaking story about the atrocities in Todras was suddenly splashed all over the news. Initially, Ann was horrified by everything that was announced about the ever-expanding investigation of some cult leader and his followers. The torture and abuse, the embezzlement…it was truly horrific!
But she didn’t want her four year old son exposed to all of the horrors. Ann turned off the radio in her car, glancing in her rear view mirror. Archer was happily playing with a toy lion and giraffe. They were doing some sort of odd dance together. Apparently, lions and giraffes weren’t predator and prey in a four year old’s mind.
That was good, she thought to herself. It must be a wonderful place where all the animals in the world got along. No, not just got along, she thought with a wistful smile. They enjoyed each other’s company. There were no offensive notes passed from one’s lover. There were no evil men torturing an entire community just six hundred miles away. Politics, anger, and abuse were unknown human elements to a four year old. All the police officers and politicians dutifully and diligently looked out for the welfare of the people under their charge.
That thought wasn’t fair. She knew a lot of police officers who were extremely good people. Most of the police officers that put on the uniform genuinely cared about the world and would sacrifice their lives in order to save someone in danger. Just because the chief of police for a small Kentucky town was currently under arrest for taking bribes…Ann sighed and focused on the way her son viewed the world.
“What’s for dinner, Momma?” Archer asked as she pulled into their short driveway.
“What would you like to have for dinner?” she asked, then regretted the question as soon as it was out of her mouth. Because Ann knew the answer.
Sure enough, “Ice cream!” was the anticipated response.
Ann laughed, shaking her head. “How about meatloaf and green beans first?” she offered.
Archer made an adorable face, wrinkling his nose, but didn’t answer. The giraffe and lion continued to dance together. “Do you have to work tonight?”
Archer was just starting to grasp her work schedule. It was a new thing that Ann hadn’t realized he would understand this early in his life.
“Nope!” she said with a smile as she pulled into the one car garage. “I don’t work for the next three days.”
“Yay!” Archer yelled, the lion riding on the back of the giraffe in a victory dance.
“Tell me what you did in school today.”
Archer was already releasing the lock on his booster seat and sliding down to the footwell of the small SUV. “Ms. Kingsley let me read one of my new stories today.”
“Yeah?” Ann asked, opening his car door for him. Because he was smart enough to release the safety harness on his booster seat, Ann made sure that he couldn’t open the car door. The little guy was incredibly smart, but he still wasn’t old enough to fully understand out the consequences of his actions. She asked him about the book’s plot as they walked into the small house, chatting away about anything and everything.
The rest of the evening was pretty easy. They had dinner, read stories, then Archer took a bath, and then it was bedtime with more stories. Ann made sure to read the stories out loud to Archer as he fell asleep in her arms. It was one of the most precious times she shared with her favorite little man.
By eight o’clock, Archer was sound asleep and would be until morning. Nothing woke that kid up, she thought with a smile as she flipped off his light and moved back down the short hallway to the den area.
Her house was small, only two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a den. She had the income now to buy something bigger, but since she and Archer were perfectly happy here, Ann preferred to shift more money to investments instead of a larger house. It was also the reason she drove a seven year old SUV. It got her where she needed to go, so there was no reason to upgrade to something flashier when she could put more money towards Archer’s college fund.
Ann had just finished gathering up the scattered books and toys, stuffing them into the bins when the doorbell rang that night. Glancing at the clock, she sighed, wondering who would be at her door at eight thirty at night!
A handsome man with dark eyes and impossibly broad shoulders flashed into her mind. Impossible! Tazim wouldn’t concern himself with interrupting her night. Plus, he was most likely back in his country doing…whatever it was that he did.
Pulling the door open a crack, she peeked out without releasing the security chain. Sure enough, Tazim stood on the small stoop, looking tall and arrogant and impossibly handsome.
He nearly took her breath away .
But Ann knew this man better now. She’d learned the hard way not to trust him.
“What do you want?” she demanded, without releasing the chain as she peered out through the gap.
His eyes narrowed on her, seemingly unconcerned about the lack of welcome. “I want to talk to you about the investigation in Kentucky.”
Ann thought about that for a moment. She thought about Archer sleeping in the smaller bedroom. Her precious little boy was sound asleep. So, instead of telling Tazim to go away, she shrugged. “Hold on,” she told him. Pushing the door closed, she released the chain, then opened the door and stepped back.
“I’m not sure what there is to discuss,” she said, closing the door once he was inside. And that’s when the heat hit her. With him standing so close, Ann remembered all the times he’d gotten close, the way he would pull her into his arms and kiss her until she was breathless. Stepping back to put more space between them, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t have any information that isn’t on the news,” she said, then turned and walked into her kitchen. She glanced at him over her shoulder, feeling not just the intensity from him that she remembered so well, but also something…more. “Why are you really here?”
It was in that moment that Ann wondered why she’d opened the door to him. They had nothing to discuss. She had to ignore all of the aching need that surfaced as soon as he’d stepped into her home. Ann couldn’t do that again, not with this man. He was nothing to her! He’d suggested…! Ann closed her eyes, forcing her mind, and her body, to ignore the pull that seemed to call her closer, ignore the desire to press her nose against the warmth of his neck and beg him to touch her in all of those secret places that he’d discovered on her body, places that sent her mind spinning!
No! Never again, she mentally chided. Never with this man! They had no future together!
Her eyes moved to the hallway and she knew that was a lie. And deep down inside, Ann knew that she’d let him into her house so that she could tell him about Archer. Tazim was Archer’s father and the man deserved to know. If a part of her, a stupid part of her mind that ached for the old days when Tazim had been her entire world, rebelled at the idea of keeping him at a distance, well, she’d just have to ignore that stupid part of her brain!
However, before Ann could tell Tazim about their son, before she could allow Tazim back into her life, she had some questions.
“I’m here because…” he stopped and looked around, seeming to suddenly see the small, cozy house. “When did you buy this place?”
Ann was startled by his unexpected question. She’d been mentally preparing for one topic of conversation, so the question about her house threw her for a moment.
She turned, leaning against the counter and gripping the edge with both hands as she faced him. With a burst of anger, she glared up at him. “How do you know I bought it? Maybe I’m renting here.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “You work at the club, correct?”
“Yes,” she replied, not sure why that was relevant. The dark scruff on his jaw tempted her fingers so she curled them more tightly against the countertop. No touching, she told herself firmly. No touching, no dreaming, no remembering the way he could make her scream with need! She was done with this man. Especially now that she knew how truly powerful he was! A sheik! Ann hadn’t realized that he was a ruler of some country. That somehow made him more enticing…and more out of her reach.
Tazim looked around as if trying to make sense of something. She looked around at her home, wondering what conclusions he might come to about her life. She didn’t spend much money on her house since it was so small, but the rooms were clean and uncluttered, the furniture comfortable, but not expensive. The stuff she’d furnished the house with were pieces she’d either refinished, or items that she’d bought at one of the less expensive furniture stores.
Her home wouldn’t be featured in a glossy magazine, or even on a social media influencer’s posts. But it was warm and comfortable!
He spun around, his hands fisting on his hips. “Ann, are you okay?”
She was so surprised by the question, it took her a moment to understand. Then she laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yes. I’m fine.” She tilted her head. “Why do you ask? And why are you back? I thought you’d headed out of town on some big, mysterious mission.”
His head tilted as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark slacks. The gesture pulled at the tailored, white dress shirt, emphasizing the power in his shoulders. “Why do you think that?”
Ann pulled her eyes away from those shoulders and arms, focusing only on his eyes. Not the dark scruff that she remembered so well. She wouldn’t think about how much she’d enjoyed running her fingers over that hard jawline covered in the day’s growth of his beard. Or the way that scruff had felt on her inner thighs, or the deep, sexy growl that had…!
Focus, she admonished. Ann knew that she needed answers. Looking into his eyes, she asked, “Is it true?”
He barely moved, but he kept his eyes laser focused on hers. “I’m involved in a variety of projects,” he replied.
Ann snorted and pushed away from the counter. “If you are only going to answer my questions with vague non-answers, then get out of my house.” She reminded herself that this man wasn’t the lover from her past, the man who had done such amazing things to her with his fingers and mouth and tongue and…! He was a ruler! He was someone that couldn’t be trusted with her delicate, wounded heart.
“Ann, I just…?”
She spun around, furious now. “Yes!” she demanded, stopping his question as she glared up at him. “I’m fine, okay? I’m perfectly fine. So whatever guilt you have over what happened in the past, just…don’t worry about me. Okay? I’m fine !”
There was a long silence. “Guilt?” he snapped. “Why the hell would I feel guilty about our past?”
Ann blinked at him, stunned by his question. She saw the genuine confusion in his eyes. That’s when she realized that the man she’d loved, the man who had been so sweet and tender, so caring and wonderful, had been a complete facade. The person she’d thought he was had only existed in her imagination.
Ann shrugged, sad now. And exhausted. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and turned away. “I guess some people just…don’t have a conscience.” She walked over to the door and yanked it open. “Get out, Tazim. We don’t have anything to talk about.” She definitely wasn’t going to tell this man about Archer. As a mother, it was her job to protect her son, even from his father.
If Tazim didn’t understand why he should feel guilty over that nasty note, then he would never be a positive role model for her son. Never!
Tazim hesitated, then sighed. He looked as if he might want to argue, but the muscle flexing in his jaw told her that he wasn’t going to. Instead, she heard him say, “I guess you were right five years ago.” He glanced around, barely able to keep the sneer off his handsome features. “You’re doing fine all by yourself.”
And then he was gone. Ann slammed the door, fighting back tears. “I’m not going to cry over you again!” she whispered, even though Tazim was out of earshot.
But she did! Even after five years, the pain stabbed at her heart, making her body ache with his betrayal. Why had he written that note? Why couldn’t he have just…walked away? Even after all these years, she still felt the stab of humiliation from the words.