Chapter 29
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The police were all over the resort.
Detective Milcheck was there too. She had just finished speaking with him, though there wasn’t much to say.
Nasir, the prodigal son, had returned, and this new development seemed to have taken the wind out of the detective’s sails.
It was like he said: Leaving of one’s own volition was not a crime.
While Hena knew it wasn’t as simple as that, for now, at least, she had a reprieve.
No one had made much of Haris’s absence. Not yet. By the time they did, there would be no body to find. Thanks to Haris, there would also be no security footage to reveal what had happened and who she’d fled with in the darkness of night.
Lulu was asking questions, though. Hena’s disappearance.
Nasir’s return. So many things demanded answers.
Even now, her eyes flicked from Khala to Ammi.
She was definitely not buying their story of an urgent emergency room trip in the middle of all the commotion, though she wasn’t pressing quite yet.
Ammi was in her wheelchair, frail and exhausted, a shawl draped over her shoulders. The final party of the wedding week was definitely going to be a no-go. Ammi met Hena’s eyes for a second. The plea in her eyes was plain: Stay quiet.
Hena wished that were possible. It felt kinder, and it would certainly be simpler.
But ugly truths left unspoken festered. Even if there wasn’t the pressing urgency of accounting for Lucinda and others who were surely staking out the resort at this very moment, Lulu was building a hotel empire in her father’s name.
She needed to know who he was; she deserved it.
Hena would talk to her mother later today. It was time to tell Lulu. Together.
For now, Khala pushed Ammi’s wheelchair back toward the hotel. They slipped through the sliding doors.
Hena’s gaze lingered on the closed doors. Her mother was no saint, but she had tried as best as she could to protect her children. Maybe Hena could at last forgive her.
Nasir stood near the patio with his family. His eyes found Hena’s, and they reunited at a shady corner of the garden, out of earshot.
He took hold of her arms and drew her close. His grip was firm, but she noticed how his hands trembled.
“I thought I’d lost you.” His words came out hoarse.
There was no one nearby, but she spoke quietly all the same.
“He’s dead,” Hena told him.
Nasir gaped at her. Processing.
“Don’t ask me how. Don’t ask for details. Just know it’s done.”
“That’s impossible. There’s no way.” He shook his head. “You don’t know him like I do. He can shock you when you least expect it.”
“Let’s say I have firsthand knowledge that won’t be happening, and we’ll leave it at that,” she said. “He’s gone. Really.”
Nasir swayed. “It’s…it’s over?”
“I don’t know for sure. Hard to say how many others worked with him. He definitely had people staking out this property.” She eyed the premises, her nerves firing up again. “I tried to stop them, but I can’t be positive it worked.”
“He was the head of the snake. Once he’s silent long enough, word will spread.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Hope is more than I’ve had in a good long while.” He smiled. The first smile she’d seen since his return.
“Was he ever your friend?” Hena asked.
“I loved the guy,” Nasir said. “That’s why it took me so long to see what was going on.
When he took me to my first high-stakes table, I thought he was being a good friend.
He liked gambling too. Said he was getting me into exclusive clubs as a personal favor.
When he offered to loan me money the first time, I thought he was looking out for me.
The deeper I got, the more things changed.
I made the choice, though. I own it. He didn’t force me to go to those parties. He didn’t make me drop the dice…”
He trailed off, lost in thought for a moment.
“Thanks for saving me,” he said at last. “Again.”
“Let’s make this the last time?” Hena gave him a weak smile.
He reached out. Cupped her face with his rough, calloused hands.
“I love you, Hena,” he said. “I always have. I always will.”
Tears stung her eyes. She thought of their cottage with blooming azaleas in Coral Gables. There had been a whole plan. She’d thought they would grow old together.
But plans changed. Life happened.
Sometimes you couldn’t go back in time to the person you once were.
And sometimes that was for the best.
Hena loved him. She always would. But love wasn’t always enough. She took his hands and gently lowered them from her face. He understood.
“How’s Roscoe?” he asked.
“He’s great,” she told him. “I’ll send you pictures.”
“I miss that guy.”
“He’s yours,” Hena said.
“I know he’s in good hands. Maybe I can visit him sometime?”
“You can visit anytime, Nasir.”
He reached forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. They hugged. Nasir held on a moment longer than necessary—like he was memorizing the feel of her—before letting go at last.
He walked past the huddled groups scattered across the lawn. They watched him rejoin his family. The gossip about this week was going to be next-level. A scandal for the ages. But Nasir was beloved. The golden child. When all was said and done, he would be fine.
She headed back into the hotel, and her breath caught.
In the lobby, at the reception desk, was Reza.
A suitcase rested at his feet. A garment bag was draped over his arm. He thanked the woman at the front desk and pulled at his carry-on.
When he saw Hena, he paused. A flicker of guilt flashed across his face. She winced at his arm in a sling, his swollen and bruised left eye, the stiff way he was hunched over.
Seeing her stricken expression, he gave her a weary shrug. “You should have seen the other guy.”
“You’re leaving?”
“My flight’s in two hours.”
“You weren’t going to say goodbye?”
He rubbed the back of his head. “I figured you didn’t want to see me,” he said. “After what happened, I can’t blame you for being furious.”
“I’ve got some thoughts.”
“I should have told you. I wanted to from the start. Your mother wasn’t having it. Then after you and me…When Lulu found me in your room and mentioned it to your mother…”
“She fired you?” Hena guessed.
“She was pissed I was still hanging around, but I couldn’t leave. Not with everything going on. I had to tell you the truth. I was about to, but—”
“Shit hit the fan,” Hena finished for him. “You should have told me, Reza. No matter what my mother said.”
“I fucked up.” His eyes searched hers. “I hope you can forgive me.”
She considered his words. The bated breath with which he awaited her response.
“Was our hookup part of the plan?” she asked with a small smile. “Premium tier?”
“Definitely not.” He gazed at Hena intently. “Neither was falling for you.”
Her heart fluttered at this last remark.
“How unprofessional.” She threaded her fingers through his. “I guess resistance was impossible.”
His attention dropped to her hand, then lifted back to her face. “So, you don’t hate me?”
“I think that’s impossible too.”
The lobby buzzed around them. With whispers. The click of heels. The sounds of doors opening and closing. But all she saw right now was him.
“Want to go back to my suite?” she asked him. “I could use one of those famous omelets. You won’t believe the night I had.”
His hand tightened around hers. “You sure that’s a good idea? Everyone’s here. They’re definitely looking at us right now.”
“Yeah?” She moved closer. Wrapped her arms around his neck. Kissed him. “Good. Let’s give them something to talk about.”
She took him by his good arm and led him toward the VIP suites. The elevator dinged, and they stepped inside.
When the doors closed, he studied her with a pensive expression.
“What is it?” she asked. “No more secrets.”
“No secrets. Just thinking about how far Chicago is from San Francisco.”
“It’s not too bad, and I’ve heard those Chicago winters suck.”
“They do.”
“Good thing you know people in warmer climates.”
He drew her to him. “Lucky me.”
They kissed again as the elevator doors opened, stumbling into her suite. Hena leaned against the door as it clicked shut behind her. A welcome sense of peace expanded within her. She would always carry the past. There was so much still to unpack. So much grief awaited her around the corner.
But for the first time in years, the walls around her heart were gone.
Which meant, for the first time in years, she was really and truly free.