She paused on the ladder, her knuckles white. Their eyes connected; his demanding that she return; hers filled with pain, longing, and regret.
“Goodbye, Junayd. Thank you for patching me up,” she murmured.
She loosened her grip and slid down the ladder. When her feet hit the lower platform of the fire escape, pain exploded through her side. She relished the throbbing spears. They reminded her of what her world should feel like. She belonged to the streets, in the shadows. Junayd was the sun and the sand.
* * *
Junayd slammed his palm down on the ledge. Rage choked him. Not at her, but at himself for letting her slip through his fingersagainafter he'd just sworn that he would make it conclude differently this time. He reached for his phone.
He made the call and gave his orders in a low voice. Midnight reached the alley entrance and paused, looking up at him. His heart ached when she lowered her head and took off at a brisk walk.
Yahya stepped out of the shadows and disappeared after her. Grim satisfaction filled him. Yahya was the best tracker in Jawahir. They had known each other since they were boys. The man would do whatever he had to in order to keep her safe.
”We cannot ignore fate,raqisat alqamar,"he murmured. "If you will not take care of yourself, it is my duty to take care of you.”
This would be tricky, but he was a powerful man and he had the resources to pull it off. Pulling his phone out again, he waited for his twin to pick up.
“Please tell me that you found her and you just wanted to let me know that you now are going to have a life that doesn’t include interrupting me at all hours of the day and night,” Jameel groaned.
“You can sleep when you are dead. Besides, I know you seldom sleep at night. You are probably on the internet with that little hacker you are fascinated with—”
“What if I was?” Jameel grumbled under his breath.
“—and yes, I found her,” he said.
“I'm happy for you, brother, but what do you need from me? Permission to have an affair? I don’t recall you ever having so much trouble with a woman—or at least you never called me about it,” Jameel said.
“I want your advice. You’ve worked with Tarek more than I have. You are familiar with how people function under the radar.”
Silence on the other end made him grip his cell phone harder.
“I have a question," Jameel finally replied. "Does Midnight know what you are about to do? I’m just wondering if I’m about to become part of some international incident.”
“How can it be an international incident if she doesn’t exist?” Junayd hedged.
“Let me guess, you are going to kidnap her and you need a passport, driver’s license, marriage certificate—and the Jawahir army? There are easier ways to court someone, brother. Have you tried flowers?”
Junayd grinned. “A passport and marriage certificate would be good. The armymightbe necessary, but I’ll hold off on it until she tries to kill me.”
Jameel choked on a laugh and whistled softly. "I was so sure you were the level-headed one when you decided to focus on medicine, the safest career of all,” he said.
“Safest? Do you know how many diseases I’m exposed to? You are the one who stays in a dark cell all day long,” Junayd retorted.
“Listen, do you even have a photo of your mystery lady? That helps when forging documents—if you were actually serious about that,” Jameel replied.
“No photo yet, but I will. You can get the process rolling,” he said.
“And whatexactlyis the plan here?” Jameel curiously asked.
"You had it right the first time. Kidnapping. She'll thank me later… if she doesn’t kill me first."
Ten
Nasir, Jawahir:
Rashid al Hamid listened to the man on the other end of the phone. Andrius Bronislav was not a man he wanted to double-cross. The man had proven how far-reaching his power was when he broke Rashid out of prison. A lifelong sentence for trying to overthrow the royal family had been reduced to just three years when Colin Coldhouse and his mercenaries easily overpowered the prison guards and security system.
In return for his freedom, Rashid had become indebted to Bronislav. The understanding was that Bronislav would kill King Melik Saif-Ad-Din, his four sons, and any potential heirs, leaving Rashid to inherit the throne of Jawahir.