Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) (18 page)

“Cool! Will they be here today?”

“What? No, I just sent the invitation—”

“Then,” Beckie said, grasping Amy’s arm and propelling her toward her mother, “take your girl and get the fuck outta here.” She gave Amy an embarrassed look. “Oops, sorry for the language.”

 The girl laughed. “It’s okay. I’m home-schooled, you know.” She took Millie’s hand. “See you later.”

Beckie walked the hallway to Ian’s room. Ian answered her knock, echoed in Boynton’s British accent. She opened the door to tell them, “I’ll wait down the hall ’til you’re done, Maurice. No, no, it’s not a problem. I got to see him yesterday more than anyone except Millie. It’s your turn.” Ignoring his continued protest, she waved and left the room.

Boynton came out ten minutes later and thanked her. She shrugged him off and explained about Noorah’s siblings, and then the dinner with Amy. He was quick to agree that any combination of the Egyptian kids she thought useful would be welcome as long as she was also in residence. “Appearances, you know.”

Beckie doubted as much as she could that anyone would find Boynton… well, anything but absolutely proper, no matter what. And then realized the source of his concern: that he might be seen as taking advantage of his above reproach reputation. Oh, well, that problem’s easy enough to avoid. Maybe Shalin will take them while I’m gone.

With Ian, she spent a minute in frenetic kissing before leaning back and enjoying him visually. The bandage had been cut back, a little, and everything else about him appeared wonderful.

“How’s the headache?”

“Better than Millie led me to believe.” He smiled up at her. “I believe I will be allowed to sit up while you fill in the many details you obviously omitted yesterday.” His smile became a knowing grin. “Also, the young lady may find some of them interesting. Her memory, unsurprisingly, is not all it was.”

Beckie turned to stare at Noorah, who was almost covered by her sheet. She’d burrowed under the cover until nothing but two black eyes and tousled back hair peeked out.

“Good morning, Noorah. How do you feel?”

“I am confused, Miss. My… hand… it itches… but…” She broke down in choking sobs.

“I think the review can wait, okay?”

Ian nodded and pressed his call button.

Beckie took the girl in a loose hug and tried to comfort her. The embrace had had a beneficial effect by the time the orderly pushed through the door with a panicked expression on her face. Beckie ignored Ian and the orderly as they negotiated the need for a sedative to reduce Noorah’s fears and anxiety. By the time the nurse returned with an injection, Noorah was almost calm, holding her handless arm out for them to observe.

“It won’t put her out, right?” Beckie said. Reassured, she moved to allow the orderly to give Noorah the shot.

The nurse made a notation on the tablet computer attached to the bed. “It’ll take effect in a minute or two.”

“Thanks,” Beckie echoed Ian as the nurse left.

“So…” Beckie smiled at Noorah again. “Do you think you’re up for this? I can roll Ian further away and not bother you.”

“I think I… I will be okay, Miss. Already I feel… I don’t have the words to say…”

“Fuzzy? Like everything’s okay, nothing matters?”

“Yes! Much like that!”

“That’s the meds. Should also reduce the feelings from your… hand,” she finished, annoyed that she’d mentioned it.

“The itching has almost stopped. Why does it do that, do you know?”

Ian smiled. “The nerves still function between your wrist and your brain. One is perhaps a little irritated, and the message it sends is interpreted as an itch.”

“I suppose that’s good, in a way,” Noorah said. “Will it stop?”

“Sometimes it does, but sometimes not. Fitting a prosthetic hand—”

“Prostetic? What is that?”

“Prosthetic,” Beckie said. “Artificial. Mechanical. The doctor and I were talking about that yesterday and I ‘spect she’ll be in later to discuss it with you.” She looked back to Ian. “But you were saying?”

“The work involved in fitting the hand often has an effect, too. Again, it may be—”

“Good or bad, I’ll bet,” Beckie said with a grimace.

“Indeed.”

Beckie threw Ian another look of joy before turning back to Noorah. “Anyway, the doctor’ll tell you about that, everything she knows, both good and bad, so she can help you make a decision. We’ll help too, if you want.”

“Thank you, Miss—”

Beckie turned a stern gaze on Noorah. “Will you please call me Beckie?”

The girl almost dove back under the covers, but caught herself. “Yes, Miss— Beckie.”

“That’s better, thank you. Would you mind if I sat up here?” She patted Ian’s bed next to his thigh. “And we were gonna fix it so you could sit up a little, too.”

After arranging the three more or less comfortably, Beckie told the story of Beckie and Noorah as she recalled it.

Her prognostication was fulfilled; Beckie was run out of Ian’s room at quarter of four. Millie was smiling and chipper when she entered to say Amy Rose was anxiously waiting for four-thirty. Go Shen, Ian’s head of security at the Nest, arrived while Beckie was laughing with Millie and Ian; he had undertaken the protection of both Ian and Noorah. Beckie left once Shen assured her no one would hurt either of them.

Back in Ian’s house—she still wasn’t ready to call it hers—Boynton told her Xia had brought Tahirah to stay with Beckie; Nasir had settled with Xia. Boynton offered her the chance to change his menu for the evening: he offered to grill hamburgers and they could have french fries, too. They agreed soda would be excellent and Beckie decided to have Tahirah join them, too. “If she hasn’t eaten?”

“She looks to have missed several meals, if you don’t mind my saying so. I will make sure everything we offer her suits.”

“That’s great. Shalin can help with it, too.” He nodded and left for the kitchen.

She found Xia helping Tahirah settle in. “Do you want to stay to dinner, Xia? Amy Rose will be here and I hope Tahirah will sit with us as well, stuffing herself full of burgers.”

“Ooo! Boynton’s burgers are legendary. But no, thanks. I have to get back.”

Beckie and Tahirah left Xia at the front door and continued to the lanai where Boynton was laying the table.

“This looks very nice, Maurice, thank you,” Beckie said. She directed Tahirah to the far chair and started to sit herself.

As she did, Boynton said, “I believe Miss Ardan is just approaching.”

Beckie ran to the front door to welcome the girl. Amy hurried up the walk, her brown hair blowing in the breeze. Like Beckie, she wore shorts and a tee-shirt. Wow, Beckie thought, nice tan. And her legs are sooo long, she’s way taller than me! Millie’s gonna be worried about her soon! Beckie could see she had her mother’s hazel eyes. The girls exchanged a quick hug. “Maurice’s set us up on the lanai and Tahirah’s already there, so we should get moving.”

Boynton greeted them with the small smile Beckie had come to depend on. “Here are your drinks. The burgers will be ready eight minutes after you tell me to prepare them.”

“Thanks very much,” Beckie said. “I think we’ll talk a few minutes. But won’t you join us?” Though it was obvious Boynton would rather do almost anything else, she wanted to offer.

His expression, corners of his lips curving up and little lines at the corners of his eyes, argued that he understood her. “No, thank you, Beckie. I have a few things to do for Mr. Jamse, after our meeting.” He turned to go, then faced back. “Call me when you’re nigh ready, then.”

Beckie nodded as she stood and took a seat at the table. Her guests were silent, eyes wide. She smiled and introduced the girls. “Amy, meet Tahirah. Tahirah, this is Amy. Tahirah’s from Egypt, she’s Noorah’s sister. Noorah’s the girl your mom and Doctor Krishna have been working with in the hospital.

“Tahirah, Amy’s mom is our doctor, here. She takes care of us and anyone we bring here. Like Noorah.

“You guys are about the same age, but with wildly different upbringing.

“Tahirah, one of our people is Muslim, too, so Maurice checked with her to make sure the food we offer you is okay.
Halal
, I think he said.” Tahirah nodded and Beckie continued, “You’ll meet her, too, later.”

With that brief introduction, Beckie and Amy fell into conversation which became ever less strained the longer it went on. However, Beckie soon noticed that Tahirah wasn’t speaking; she was just sitting still. She nodded when Beckie asked if she was okay.

“No, I mean, really.” She sat back in her chair and gave Amy a look. “And why would she be okay? I mean, damn, I ‘liberated’ her without even saying ‘Mother, may I?’ That’s liberate in the worst possible way. We invaded her tent, threw her into a helicopter and flew away. More like abduct. Not only her, either.”

“Wow.”

“Please, Miss…”

Don’t want to go too far, Beckie thought. Even though it’s all true. “I remember from school, some foreign exchange students…”

She described foreign exchange programs for both Tahirah and Amy.

“With that as background in mind, the point is that those kids volunteered to leave home and visit, and almost all of them were shy and reserved the first few days they were there. Here’s Tahirah, and Nasir, too. They didn’t volunteer.” She took Tahirah’s hand. “So we’ll spend a couple days trying to make you feel comfortable before I worry that you’re not all sunshine and good times.”

By the time Boynton had cleared the table and offered after-dinner sodas, the three girls were almost comfortable with each other. Once he left, Beckie rolled out her plan.

“I’d like your help, Amy,” Beckie said. “To keep Tahirah from getting bored and lost, running around here.”

Both girls looked at her, wonder in their eyes.

“It’s an island! How lost can she get?” Amy asked with a laugh.

“Okay, okay. To keep track of her. Can’t get away with anything,” she groused, but with a smile. “And when Noorah can get out of the hospital, can you two keep track of her, too?”

“I don’t mind,” Amy said, “but I’ll bet Mom has a cow. Something about me watching out for…” She shied away from Tahirah with a gesture so obviously faked that Beckie began to giggle before she continued. “… terrorist teen-age girls who have nothing but
jihad
… Is that the way you say it?”

But Beckie was laughing and Tahirah was staring. Neither was listening. When Beckie’s giggles faded, she took Amy’s hands. “We’ll call her soon. She’ll be wondering just what you and I are doing tonight anyway.”

“Yeah. She was a little nervous when I left. Let’s not call too soon, okay?”

Tahirah confirmed the confusion on her face. “But why—”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be clear after we talk with Amy’s mom.”

Tahirah nodded, though her frown remained. “Miss—”

Beckie put her glass down. “Please. Beckie.”

“Yes, Miss… Beckie. When Miss Xia and I were waiting, she told me you asked about Nasir?”

Beckie nodded.

Tahirah bowed her head and the next words came haltingly: “I do not want this… interrogation of my brother.” She drew her hands up as if to protect herself.

She’s not as subservient as I thought. Good. But I guess I still represent death. “Wait a second. No one’s gonna hurt you. Or Nasir, either.” As Beckie continued, Tahirah put her hands down and peered up from under her eyebrows. “I want to protect the three of you, and your mother, if I can. So, what he said to Xia confused me.” She rubbed her forehead. “Understanding it better might help, that’s all.”

Tahirah didn’t respond, but she did sit up straighter.

Beckie and Amy continued to talk for a few minutes, unsuccessfully attempting to draw Tahirah in, though the girl had finished her meal.

Eventually, they finished their dessert and Beckie leaned back, musing for several moments before grinning at the girls. “Okay. Amy, call your mom and ask her to come over, please.”

Millie Ardan was at the door sooner than Beckie had expected until she considered the doctor’s motivation. Then she guessed, to Amy alone, that Millie had been hiding just down the path and “she only waited long enough that we wouldn’t be suspicious.”

“No,” Amy’d replied, “that’d be too much, even for her. Now, if you were a guy…”

Beckie laughed again.

Boynton greeted the doctor and provided tea and more soda. “Shalin called earlier. She would talk with Tahirah in the morning, if you wish?” he said, looking at the girl.

“Shalin’s the one I mentioned before,” Beckie said. “She’s one of our team and she is Muslim. I’m sure she just wants to make sure you feel as comfortable as you can, having been snatched out of your life and dumped here with a bunch of heathens. Infidels, Noorah says.”

With a nod, Tahirah agreed.

“Now, Doctor Ardan—”

“I think you can call me Millie.”

“Well, thank you. I appreciate that, especially after I grabbed your daughter out from under your thumb for a wild dinner—”

“Of hamburgers and Coke. She got Boynton to make burgers for us!”

Millie was taken aback by Amy’s outburst, and Beckie hurried to consolidate her position.

“It wasn’t hard, and they were excellent. But… Why I asked Amy to call you… I’d like Amy to shepherd Tahirah and Noorah around while I’m—”

“That’s… I’m not sure…”

“We guessed that, and that’s why you’re here. So you can say why it bothers you and I can see if there’s a way to relax you.”

Millie sat back in her chair. After a long searching look, she said, “I do welcome the chance for Amy to learn more about others, particularly when they have both so much and so little in common.

“The fear… I’m worried that someone’s going… Can we talk, alone?”

“No. Well, we can, sure, but I’m going to repeat everything to them anyway. I think they need to be aware of what’s happening. If your concern is what I think, having both of them, and Noorah later, understand it might motivate them to have a… less carefree attitude.”

“Oh. Well, I suppose that’s possible, even with teens.

“I’m worried, as you are, I’m sure, that someone will try to finish what they started with Noorah. I don’t want Amy caught between their tribe and Shen’s team if and when they show up.” She sat forward with a half-smile curving her lips. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Make me feel comfortable.”