CHAPTER 12
The journey had been going so well. The trip to the airport happened without incident, the flight comfortable and interesting as she got to know Grayson, the food she’d bought for them to share smelling divine.
But all her good humor vanished the moment she saw Hassan, the last person she ever wanted to run into from her past.
The blood drained from her face and shock froze her as Hassan snarled, “If it isn’t the whore who murdered my father.”
“I didn’t kill him. He had a heart attack.” Technically true, however, she’d been the trigger that set it off. Apparently, the old man couldn’t handle his reluctant bride.
“If you were innocent, why flee?”
Because she knew they wouldn’t believe her.
Never mind the overweight Ali had been in poor health.
She’d be beaten and then married off again.
She lifted her chin. “I left because it was never my intention to remain in Afghanistan. I only came to attend Father’s funeral.
The day I was supposed to leave, my uncle forced me to marry your father against my wishes. ”
“Force. Ha. A woman does as she’s told and honors her family. Your uncle sold you to my father, and rather than be a biddable wife, you took his life, and now I shall take yours.” He grabbed hold of her arm, his fist a tight vise that she couldn’t escape.
“No.” She huffed in panic, because she had no doubt Hassan would hurt her. Hurt her badly. He had an even more sadistic side than his late father, her short-lived husband.
Her protest fell on deaf ears. Hassan shoved her into the backseat of a car carrying two other men and snapped, “Bring us to the hotel.”
Leila scrabbled across the seat and reached for the door handle, only to cry out in pain as Hassan yanked on her hair.
“You’re not going anywhere, whore. Or should I call you witch? You haven’t changed one bit.”
“I know a good plastic surgeon,” she lied.
“Even he won’t be able to fix you once I’m done.”
A blow to her temple knocked her unconscious, and she woke tied to a bed. Immediately, she thrashed, her breath huffing in panic. She couldn’t escape. Why oh why had she ever left Tower?
Hassan approached the bed and stood leering over her, a knife in hand. “Well, that was quicker than expected. You must be eager for your punishment.”
“Don’t do this. Please.” A plea that only served to heighten the vicious glint in his eyes.
“Begging? Guess it’s to be expected from a whore. Perhaps I should take what you denied my father.”
The threat of rape stole her voice. It was like her wedding night all over again. Only this time, she couldn’t push him away, couldn’t fight him off. Even if she weren’t tied, she doubted a struggle would result in Hassan keeling over from a bad heart.
A shout from beyond the room turned Hassan’s head. He frowned and barked, “What’s happening?”
The reply came in the form of a door being kicked open, and a hero strode in. A glowering, beautiful man who spat, “Release the woman.”
“This is a family matter. Mind your business.”
“This is my business because that’s my wife,” Grayson growled, taking a step forward with clenched fists.
“You married the whore?”
Wham. The fist flew so fast Hassan couldn’t avoid it. His head twisted to the side, and a tooth cut his lip, leading to blood dripping. The blow didn’t deter Hassan, who charged at Grayson, still gripping the knife.
For a newly minted warrior, Grayson knew how to move, sidestepping but also grabbing the arm wielding the weapon.
A twist of it led to Hassan uttering a sharp cry of pain and dropping the blade.
Grayson spun him and yanked, drawing Hassan down, which led to a knee connecting with his chin.
A shove sent Hassan reeling and hitting the floor on his buttocks, but Grayson wasn’t done.
Fists clenched, he stalked after Hassan, who spat a mouthful of blood. “You want her, take her.”
“Oh, I intend to, but I’m not sure you’ve learned your lesson. I’m thinking the only way the world is safe from a degenerate like you is if you’re six feet under.”
While Leila agreed, she couldn’t condone murder. “He’s not worth it, Grayson.”
“A man who kidnaps women and ties them to a bed and threatens them with a knife seems like the kind of evil I’m supposed to fight.”
A valid point. “We have a mission to accomplish, though, and killing him might have repercussions that will impede it.”
His lips pinched. “Fine. I won’t kill him, but…” He hauled back and slugged Hassan hard in the face, knocking him unconscious. “That’s better.” Grayson then snared the knife and slit through the ropes binding her. “Where are you hurt?”
“Nowhere, really. Bit of a headache, but you got here before he could do anything worse.”
“Did you know him?”
She hesitated before nodding. “He was the son of my husband.”
“Hold on… You were married?” He glanced at Hassan, who looked to be around Grayson’s age. “How old was the guy?”
“Old, and it wasn’t my choice. My uncle ambushed me at my father’s funeral. Gagged me during my wedding to Hassan’s father, ensuring I couldn’t refuse.”
“Holy fuck. You obviously escaped.”
Her lips twisted as she rose from the bed, rubbing her wrists.
“On my wedding night, I fought rather than be raped. Hassan’s father had a heart attack.
Nothing could have saved him, seeing as how he died on the spot, but I knew no one would have believed me, and even if they did, my uncle would have simply married me off to another man.
So I escaped through a window and fled to the city.
I hid for a few days and contacted some friends from college, hoping they could help get me out of the country, but one of my cousins found me on the way to the embassy, where I was planning to ask for asylum.
I fought him off and ran. Somehow, I stumbled onto a portal and ended up in Tower. ”
“Where you found safety. No wonder you didn’t want to leave and have no interest in people.”
He understood immediately, and yet she sheepishly shrugged. “It’s been hard to trust when my own family betrayed me.”
“That’s not family,” his harsh reply. “Family protects.”
“And so do heroes,” her soft addition.
“Let’s get out of here.” He held out his hand, and she didn’t hesitate to take it. As they headed out of the hotel, he stated, “We’ll have to change hotels just in case the asshole didn’t get the hint.”
“Or we could start our trip early.”
“I thought you wanted a shower.”
“It can wait. Let’s get this mission done. Hassan will never think to seek us out at Lake Natron.”
“In that case, let’s head out.”
They drove out of Arusha toward the unknown. It should have been terrifying, and yet, as she glanced at Grayson’s profile, she’d never felt safer.
“How did you find me?”
“Aquarius tracked your cell phone.”
Her eyes widened. “Thank goodness I had it on me.”
“No shit. I would have arrived sooner, but the roads were a little crazy. Apparently, that late at night, traffic rules are optional.”
A good thing she’d not woken a few minutes sooner or Grayson would have barged in on a much different scenario.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“Anytime. I’m just sorry it even happened. I should have protected you better.”
“Hardly your fault. It was ill luck I ran into Hassan in the first place.”
“Well, hopefully, it’s the last we’ll see of him. Now, why don’t you try and get some sleep?”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. I napped pretty good on the plane, and besides, me Zodiac Warrior, me strong.” He mocked himself, and she couldn’t help but smile.
No way would she be able to sleep, but with the panic having faded, the long day of travelling, and just having Grayson near soon had her slumbering. She woke to find herself drooling on his shoulder, the vehicle stopped as Grayson took a turn getting some rest.
She studied him in repose, morning having arrived and, despite the cloudy sky, making it light enough for her to see the strong features that some might call brutish.
A tough-looking man, and yet a gentle one, as well, with morals and a sense of honor that didn’t have him hesitating to come to her aid.
Tonight marked the first time someone rescued her.
In the past, she’d been the one to always save herself.
First when she’d scrimped and saved money to leave Afghanistan and head to Europe to get an education.
Struggling to overcome the language and culture barrier on her own while remaining firm with her parents—and other meddling family members—about her decision to stay in Europe even after she graduated.
She’d escaped an untenable marriage and avoided a life of servitude and violence.
So much she’d done on her own, and almost destroyed in one instant.
Thankfully, Grayson had been around to play hero because Leila didn’t doubt without his intervention, she’d have died.
But it wasn’t gratitude that had her wondering what it would be like to kiss his lips.
It wasn’t a need to thank that stirred desire in her.
Plain and simple, Leila liked Grayson as a woman liked a man.
It astonished and frightened, for she’d convinced herself she was fine alone. Didn’t need friends or sex… or love.
It turned out she still wanted those things; she’d just been waiting for the right person to make her feel alive again.
With that realization came angst, though. What if her feelings were one-sided?
“Everything okay?” Grayson spoke suddenly and startled her.
“Fine. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Bah. I only meant to shut my eyes for twenty minutes. Instead, it’s been an hour. Half the morning is gone.”
She giggled. “It’s barely past seven. How far are we from the lake?”
“I drove about three hours, so another two, I think, if I didn’t mess up.”
“I thought it only took about three hours from Arusha?”
“I took a scenic detour in case we were followed.”
“Good thinking.”
“You hungry?”
“Famished.”
“I grabbed some stuff at a gas station about an hour ago.”
“Gas station food?” she queried as he half turned in his seat to grab a plastic bag.
“The guy swore it was made just that morning by his wife.”
Leila peeked inside the bag and cooed. “You did good,” she declared, pulling out some mandazi, which many likened to a donut. Grayson even bought a jar of jam to dip the fried dough in, as well as some bottles of juice.
As they ate, the clouds parted, allowing sunshine to spill through, illuminating the landscape and bringing to life the vibrant colors.
“Damn, that’s beautiful,” he exclaimed.
“Never seen the sun before?” she couldn’t help but tease.
“Don’t laugh, but I actually didn’t—not very often, anyway. Most days I was already on the ice or in the gym before the sun rose and often left after dark.”
“The life of a workaholic. I get it. I’m guilty of it too,” she admitted with a laugh.
“I think we should make a point of trying to get out and enjoy a few rays every day. I’ll drag you out of your lab if needed. Or maybe we’ll get up early to catch a sunrise.”
“Or we could just lie in bed to enjoy it since my window faces east.” A rather strong hint that brought a big smile to his face.
“I love the way you think.” His remark brought heat to her cheeks. Guess her interest might not be one-sided.
“We should get going,” she stated, hating to ruin the moment.
But he saved it by adding, “Yeah, because the faster we get done with this mission, the sooner we can check out that sunrise together.”