Chapter 31
Nolan was wound so tightly he couldn’t sit still. He was supposed to be the clueless date. Instead, he felt so stiff and on guard he could barely walk through the room without using his body to try to completely cover Helena’s.
Tears were shed and Lamya and Abu learned that Ayman was the newest member on the board with the least interest in finding the lost heirs.
He never asked, nor seemed to care, about their location.
He simply wanted to make as much money as possible and had gotten Zarifa and Marwan to join him in cutting corners on development projects and paying employees less so that the board could pocket more money.
Of course, it wasn’t all Ayman. Zarifa was the accountant after all and Marwan voted with them.
The board was fractured. Yana and Eufrasia never thought Garang could be working with one of the board members. But once it was brought up, it didn’t seem too far-fetched to either of them.
“We’re so glad you’re safe,” Yana said for at least the tenth time. “Your mother left me with her notes on the company, and I’ve saved them for you all these years.”
Similarly, Eufrasia had taken to Abu as if he were his own child. Abu glowed as he heard stories of his father and mother. The entire lunch was healing for not only Lamya and Abu, but for everyone there.
“Let us sign the paperwork,” Helena told Lamya. They’d prepared a declaration of leadership that would be sent as a press release once today was over, declaring that the Ismail family was back in charge of not only T.K. Sudanese International Group, but A.O. Mining and A.O. Petroleum.
The signing was witnessed by, and then signed on behalf of the board, by Yana and Eufrasia.
“Should we join you when you meet the others?” Yana asked. “We want to show them that we support you.”
Lamya reached out and placed her hand on Yana’s shoulder. “Thank you, but we need to do this alone. We know we have your support.”
“Be safe, please. We can’t lose you now that we’ve found you,” Eufrasia told them as he hugged them.
Helena looked to the door. It was time to go to Desert Sun Farm.
Zarifa’s plane had been delayed, so that meant Ayman was next up.
He had just arrived and already there was tension building.
The man didn’t seem thrilled to be there and he certainly wasn’t appreciating the basic questions the townspeople were asking.
“It’s time to go,” Helena whispered to Lamya as Nolan put his hand on Abu to signal the same.
“Any sign of Garang or his men?” Kuol asked as he used his body to block Lamya and his cousins, as they all got into an SUV driven by Kori.
“They’re hanging outside of town. About a mile away. But they appear to be waiting for something,” Kori told them.
“Can’t you take them out now?” Fiza asked, clearly nervous.
“Yes, but we don’t have confirmation that Garang is with them and we also don’t have confirmation on which board member is pulling the strings. So, we wait. You’re all doing well. If you get scared for any reason, come talk with any of us. We will keep you safe.”
Nolan took Helena’s hand in his and held it during the short drive to the farm. Cars were lined up and a party was in full swing when they arrived. Soldiers were dressed as partygoers, but that didn’t ease Nolan’s mind. He wanted this over and everyone safe.
Nolan opened the door and looked around before holding out his hand for Helena. They got out of the SUV first then the rest of the group followed with Kori escorting Lamya inside.
Ayman was easy to find. He was an arrogant prick. The prickiness rolled off him in waves, even as he talked to the Rahmi royal family. Princess Dani’s lips were pursed and the matriarch of the family looked ready to grab the nearest decorative dagger from the wall and stab him with it.
Ayman turned when they entered and his eyes immediately went to Lamya. There was a flash of appreciation in which Lamya leaned instinctively closer to Kori for protection.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Helena muttered beside Nolan before releasing his hand and striding toward Ayman. “I’m Helena Diakos. I’m the attorney representing Lamya and Abu.” She stood in his way so he could no longer watch Lamya as Abu stepped forward to join her.
“Helena, it’s nice to put a face with a name. I hear you’re the driving force behind Garang’s Red Notice, which allows the Ismails to come back into power. Aren’t you clever?”
“I hear you’re clever with cutting costs for the developments that have been undertaken during my absence.
” Lamya stood side by side with her brother and Helena as she challenged him, but Nolan did a double-take.
He couldn’t tell if she was talking down to him or approving of him.
Her tone was condescending yet the smile said she approved.
“That’s not a nice way to start our new budding relationship.” Ayman smirked, but it wasn’t in a sexy way. It was in a way that made Nolan want to lift him up by his throat and toss him out of the mansion.
“Oh! Did you take that as a negative? I’m so sorry.
It was actually a compliment,” Lamya said with a smile that she clearly didn’t mean to anyone who actually knew her.
But it fooled Ayman. “Let’s start our new relationship off on the right foot and sign the declaration.
It will hold such weight with your name attached to it.
I have looked into you. Under your stewardship, the board has been able to adapt to the changing times and needs.
I’m young and don’t have experience, but I’m sure you can teach me.
I especially need help with the board. I don’t know who to trust.”
“Yana and Eufrasia are so behind the times they wouldn’t know progress if it slapped them in the face. You need to take my advice on how to restructure the board.”
Lamya smiled, but didn’t comment as she signed the declaration and then handed the pen to Ayman.
According to her parents’ wills, she didn’t need the majority of the board to take over, but now she had it anyway.
The board members had signed their own death warrant.
Ayman set down the pen and turned to her.
“Who do you recommend taking their places?” Lamya asked as soon as the clapping was over.
“I have two names,” Ayman told her, launching into a spiel that Nolan couldn’t follow simply because he didn’t know the players or the businesses. However, he saw Greer’s team working on their phones and knew they’d have answers soon enough.
“But what should we do about the Garang problem?” Abu asked, interrupting Ayman talking about how great he is and how he should become president of the board while Lamya settles in.
“What Garang problem? Just hire security. You obviously have it here, just bring it to South Sudan.”
Nolan stepped away as the Royal family filled in to help Lamya and Abu in dealing with Ayman in a diplomatic way. Kori was in the corner talking to Kellen Avent. “What’s the read on this one?” Nolan asked.
“He’s a pretentious asshole who is embezzling money from the company,” Kellen told Nolan. “Let’s see what happens when he’s confronted by that.”
Kellen, a former Secret Service agent, was really good at whispering things during the middle of a conversation. He headed over to Lamya, bent, and whispered the information to her all while Ayman ignored him as just another random security guard.
“Ayman,” Lamya said, taking Kellen’s phone from him and turning it to the man she was about to fire. “It looks as if you owe the company six million dollars.”
Ayman laughed. Lamya didn’t. “What’s this? You’re not in charge of the company. You don’t have the records. Are you making this up?”
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. I have all the records going back seventeen years.
It’s taken my team a couple of days to go through them all.
What I couldn’t get on my own, Yana and Eufrasia brought me.
I just saw them, where they too signed off on me taking control of the board.
Which means, even if there was a challenge to my leadership, it would be majority rules three to two since you also signed your approval.
So, Ayman, I expect your resignation and the six million dollars before you leave Keeneston. ”
“Or what? You’re nothing but a little girl playing dress-up in a world she knows nothing about.”
“But it is a world I know about and that young woman is the fastest learner I’ve ever seen.
Much like her mother, I would guess.” Sebastian Abel’s voice was cool with a disinterested threat.
“Unlike you, I don’t need to introduce myself.
So, do what the young lady says.” Sebastian didn’t need to level threats.
He was above that. His reputation was fierce and ruthless and he always followed through.
Even Ayman, a half a world away, would know that.
“I’m not dignifying this with a response.” Ayman tried to walk away, but Kori placed his hand on his shoulder and simply shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but you’re on Rahmi soil and a criminal allegation has been leveled against you. You’re being detained until this matter is resolved.”
“You can’t do that!”
Kori smiled his best Ahmed smile as two other soldiers came to assist in taking Ayman to the interrogation room. “We’ll find out what he knows about Garang,” Kori promised. “The men we’ve been watching are on the move, so they’re either coming here or to the training center.”
“Then let’s get to the training center. There are more toys,” Kellen told them.
Marwan greeted Lamya and Abu at the “conference center” with a huge smile and gifts. It was not what Nolan expected after reports of numerous SUVs making their way through the streets of Keeneston heading their way. He signed the declaration without a second thought.
Lamya had the votes, even though she didn’t need them, so Marwan was surprised when Yana and Eufrasia made an appearance moments after Lamya and Abu. He instantly went on guard. “I thought you said I was the only one to know about your being here.”
“I lied,” Lamya told him calmly. “Someone is working with Garang and I think that someone is you.”
Marwan’s silver hair stood out against his dark skin as his forehead wrinkled in shock. “Why would you think I would ever work with that murderer? It’s probably that jackass, Ayman. I think he’s been stealing from the company, but I can’t prove it.”
“Well, I told each person a different place to meet me, yet Garang’s men are on their way here now.
That tells me you sold me out even if Ayman is an ass and is currently being held for embezzling from my company.
” Lamya may act calm, but Nolan saw the way her fingers gripped the extra fabric of her dress.
“I’m involved in shipping. You probably don’t know that, but that’s my role with your company—logistics. I would never work with someone who has cost us such losses as Garang when he was a pirate. This just shows you are not ready to take over the company.”
A loud explosion rocked the outdoors. Lamya reached for Kuol as Xander and Logan—two of Greer’s men who were with her—prepared to attack and defend.
Nolan headed to the window and looked out. An SUV was on fire and Bella was taking aim at another one. She shot the rocket, but it missed by a few yards. Earth exploded and the SUV swerved. The driver jerked too hard and the SUV flipped.
The Davies brothers swarmed the SUV along with Pam using a giant fist battering ram attached to the front of her Hummer. Pam fisted the SUV, sending it spinning as men flew out of the broken windows in all directions.
Helena gripped his hand as they watched the Davies brothers fight men a third of their age. “They’re grandfathers, right?”
“Yeah, and those two are grandmothers,” he said, pointing to two of their wives who had joined in.
One of the men took off running, but Pam chased after him in the Hummer. However, one of Bridget’s military dogs got to him first. Everyone gasped as the dog took the man down.
“Sorry, Marwan,” Lamya told him. “Your plan didn’t work.”
“This wasn’t my plan!” Marwan yelled.
“You’ve been trying to take over the board and fire us for years. You like to tell everyone you’re the head of the board,” Yana said, confronting him.
“Stop,” Lamya said, holding up her hand. “We end this now. Get Ayman and bring him to the café. We’ll hold a board meeting and get to the bottom of everything. First, let me see what Zarifa has to say about how she overlooked six million dollars missing from the accounts.”
“Maybe you are more like your mother than I thought. That’s a solid plan,” Marwan told her, but he was surrounded by two of the Davies cousins, one a U.S. Marshal and the other the local head of the FBI.