Authors: Lizzie Lynn Lee
Arcan Rarh.
She missed him terribly; she could feel herself slowly withering.
Her train of thought was disrupted when someone opened the door. She was surprised when she saw her oldest brother, Fatah, enter the room. Fatah was the appointed heir of the family, and he would take over the family business when their father retired. Her brother had spent half his life abroad studying. Yazmina only saw him during the holidays. Even though they’d rarely met in person, Fatah was the one who paid attention to her the most. He called and wrote to her quite often.
Yazmina sensed that her brother was beyond angry even though he didn’t show it. Fatah was a master at concealing his feelings. He grabbed a chair and dragged it next to the mattress. For a long moment, he only sat and stared at her without a word. Yazmina couldn’t meet his accusing eyes. She’d rather have Fatah shouting at her or something. This silent treatment was slowly killing her.
After a few minutes, her brother finally spoke. “
Hal ante fassida? Are you tainted?”
Out of nowhere, a surge of anger rose in her throat. She met her brother’s eyes evenly. “I’m not tainted. I gave myself to a man I loved. He’s my future husband.”
“Did an Imam marry the two of you?”
“We didn’t have the opportunity.”
“Then what you did is
zinah
. You know what happens to a woman who commits
zinah
.”
“Fine. Stone me to death. I have no regrets for what I have done. I have nothing to live for anymore. The men you hired killed him.”
Fatah’s face darkened. “Foolish girl. If you hadn’t run away from home, none of this would’ve happened. As we speak, Father is being treated in the hospital. He had a heart attack. All because of what you did.”
Yazmina fell into silence. She should be worried about her father’s condition, but strangely she didn’t feel anything.
“Well?” Fatah pressed. “You have nothing to say?”
Yazmina looked up. “You expect my sympathy, Brother? Father traded me for a horse to a man old enough to be our grandfather. So forgive me if I don’t feel anything if Father is ill because of me.”
Her brother’s jaw twitched. “You stupid girl. You don’t know his plan. You think Father would gladly give you to those Bedu without reservation? Father had a plan to make Jabbur divorce you. Now, because of what you did, Father is losing face to Chief Jabbur. Not only that, you also dishonored our family with your actions.”
“Father planned to make Jabbur divorce me? When? After he ravaged me? After I bore him a child? A real father wouldn’t trade his daughter in the first place. A real father would have protected me from those kinds of men. I am a human being, not cattle you can trade for your own profit!”
Fatah backhanded her. “It would still be better than the
zinah
you committed!”
Yazmina closed her eyes. Her cheek stung from the slap. “I don’t care anymore!” She was exhausted beyond words—emotionally and physically. “Do as you will, Brother. I’ll gladly take the punishment for my actions.”
Fatah made a noise of disgust and got up from the chair immediately. “Jabbur’s people will come in two days. I hope Father will be well enough to talk to them. Your fate will be decided then.”
She snapped her eyes open. “What will become of me?”
“I don’t know, Sister
.
I truly don’t.”
Fatah left the room and locked the door from the outside.
Yazmina fell back onto the mattress. She wanted to cry, but there were no more tears left. The pain in her heart gradually turned into numbness.
She thought of Arcan. His smile. His tender touches. The way he loved her, and the way he made her feel special and protected.
Arcan, I’m sorry…
The thing she regretted the most was that she didn’t have the chance to say goodbye.
Chapter Seven
Arcan slept for a couple more hours. Cole had sneaked him some buns and a protein drink so he could recover faster. Arcan had demolished everything and was letting his cells regenerate and repair his injuries. He stirred awake when Cole was arguing with some people that sounded like the police. The doctor who treated him backed Cole up, saying that the patient was heavily sedated and in no condition to answer any questions. Arcan grinned in secret. Beneath the bloodstained bandages, all of the bullet wounds had already knitted closed. Another hour, and he’d be able to shift.
Cole and the doctor conversed for a few more minutes. The doctor excused himself to treat other patients.
Arcan opened his eyes. “Were they the police?”
“Yeah. How are you feeling? Can you walk yet?”
“I can.”
How about your injuries?”
“I think they already closed, but I can’t shift yet.”
“Then we better get you out of here. If the doctor finds out you healed at this rate, they’ll hold you and use you as an experimental subject.”
“Ain’t that peachy?” Arcan sat up. He ripped the clear plastic that covered the IV needle and pulled it out of his vein. Cole turned off the heart-monitoring device. Arcan pulled the nodes from his chest and also yanked the oxygen tubes from his nostrils.
Cole opened the overnight bag he’d brought and laid out some undergarments, clothes, and for some reason, a pair of work boots.
Arcan picked up the clothes and frowned. “Seriously? A janitor uniform?”
Cole made a face. “I’d swap it for a doctor’s jacket, but you’ll look suspicious. Ever see a movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger played a doctor?”
“He played a kindergarten teacher before,” Arcan argued as he dressed up.
“Yeah, and we know how convincing he was.”
“Shut up.”
Cole opened the door and took a peek outside. “You ready?”
Arcan nodded.
“The nurses’ station is fifteen feet to the left. Unfortunately, you have to walk past them to get to the elevator. I’ll distract them so you can pass by. Wait for my signal.”
“Roger that.”
Cole adjusted his tie and smoothed out the creases of his custom made Saville Row suit. Among the pride, Cole was the master of flirting. Arcan peered from the slightly ajar door as Cole sauntered to the nurses’ station. As expected, the nurse in charge immediately fussed over Cole. The Casanova seemed to be complaining about his elbow. He rolled up his sleeve and made the nurse take a closer look.
As soon as the nurse was preoccupied, Cole signaled him with his free hand.
Arcan walked out. He hunched so he didn’t look as tall as his normal height. When he walked past the nurses’ station, Cole whined in such a way that the nurse only focused on Cole.
Arcan grinned. Cole was such a flirty bastard.
He got into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Two minutes later, the heat and the bright sun welcomed him outside.
He strode to the nearest flowerbed and pretended to pick up some weeds so he wouldn’t look suspicious while he waited for his cousin, but Cole took his sweet time charming the nurse, and Arcan started to get impatient. He still felt weak from his injuries. And above all, he was famished. The bread he’d eaten earlier didn’t help much. The beastly part of him needed sustenance. Preferably steaks. Rare. And a lot of them.
Somebody cleared his throat behind him.
It was Cole. “If you were my gardener, I’d fire you on the spot. You’re pulling the flowers instead of the weeds.”
“Shut up. They all look the same to me.” He shoved the stuff he’d picked into the bushes and dusted his hands. “Did you drive here or come by taxi?”
“A friend of mine drove me.” Cole put his hands into his trouser pockets, a habit of his if he was waiting for someone. “Ah, there he is.”
A black SUV with dark tinted windows pulled up to the curb. Arcan followed Cole into the vehicle. The car lurched onto the street, leaving the hospital building behind.
For the next two days, Arcan spent most of his time recuperating from his injuries. The pride had made a base camp in Cole’s friend’s house in Al-Bashra. The whole pride had come to help, including Jennifer, the alpha’s mate, who was currently five months’ pregnant.
Caly, Jax’s mate, had a long connection to the Army and was able to recruit several former Rangers for Yazmina’s retrieval. Since this was a mixed operation, Cyeon had agreed that the pride wouldn’t go lion.
One of the former Rangers, Brent Waggoner, was an intel specialist. He went undercover to gather information about Yazmina and the men who’d shot Arcan. Forty-eight hours later, he returned.
“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Brent asked Cyeon when they were all assembled in the living room.
“What’s the bad news?” said Cyeon.
“The bad news is I know the people who took the Princess.”
The team had nicknamed Yazmina “the Princess” because she was a daughter of a sheikh. In the Arab world, the title of sheikh was bestowed on the leader of a tribe who carried royal blood. And the Al-Rahad family had close connections to the Saudi ruling dynasty.
“Then what’s the good news?” asked Cyeon.
“The Princess is all right. She’s being detained in the family compound downtown. It would be impossible to penetrate the compound without having a lot of firepower. However, I learned that they plan to move the Princess to Jebeel Hafeet, on the outskirts of Al-Ain, home of the Bedouin chief, at six hundred hours. The convoy will be in three SUVs.” Brent laid out a map and circled a few spots. “These are the most likely routes they’ll take. I suggest we ambush them here.” Brent marked the spot with an X.
The others studied Brent’s plan.
“Who are the people who took Yazmina?” asked Arcan. “I doubt they’re regular Joes.”
“They’re Blue Ocean contractors. They’re pros. Their base is in Arkansas, and I heard they got a big contract from the government during the height of the Iraq War. Since the government pulled troops out of Iraq, the work is dwindling, and I guess they’ll take any kind of gig they can get.”
“Blue Ocean?” Cyeon repeated. “Are they good?”
“They’re excellent, even though they aren’t as big as Blackwater was. I know the owner, son of a bitch named Gant, only recruits the best talent.”
“What are the odds we’ll be able to retrieve Yazmina?” Arcan asked.
“I’d say about sixty-percent. I bet all my ten fingers they haven’t anticipated pros like us ambushing the convoy and retrieving the Princess. If we have ten more men, our odds will increase exponentially.”
“I think our odds will be better. I know someone who has some highly trained animals that can assist in this operation,” said Cyeon.
Arcan couldn’t help but smile. Alpha had found a way to go lion after all.
“What kind of animals?” Brent didn’t look too sure.
“Lions. Big bad lions.”
“Those animals are going to be slaughtered by the Blue Ocean contractors.”
“Like I said, the animals are highly trained. They’re smart enough not to be caught in the middle of a firestorm.”
Brent and the other former Rangers looked at one another.
“Are these animals insured? We don’t want to be stuck with a heavy penalty if these animals get shot.”
“Leave that to me,” said Cyeon. “You handle the main operation, and I’ll enlist the help in this retrieval operation.”
Chapter Eight
On the second day on her confinement, Fatah finally told her of their plan. Chief Jabbur wanted Yazmina no matter what. Fatah explained that Chief Jabbur was willing to forgive Yazmina’s offense, as he was looking for an ally to strengthen his tribe. Having an Al-Rahad as one of his wives would give him a certain prestige and elevate his status.
Daneem, her second oldest brother, preached to her that she should be thankful that a man like Chief Jabbur had shown them his generous mercy. Without Chief Jabbur’s generosity, Yazmina would likely spend the rest of her life being shunned. She’d brought disgrace upon the family.
They woke her up early on the day of the move. Her brother packed her with the mercenaries in one of three SUVs. She was dressed in complete abaya and niqāb—only her eyes were visible.
She sat quietly in the back seat of the SUV. No one talked to her. No one was permitted to do so.
They left the compound a little after six. The temperature was nice, but it was a bit cloudy. Yazmina knew it wouldn’t be long. Once they entered the desert, only arid wind and dry heat would be their companions.
She thought of Arcan as they rode towards the Bedouin home.
The pain in her heart became unbearable. She made a vow to not let Jabbur touch her. She didn’t care about the consequences. She’d given her heart and body to Arcan—no other man could take her.
The journey seemed like forever. The heat rose as the sun moved toward its zenith. They’d left the city limits a while ago and they were in the midst of a rural area. Yazmina predicted that they’d reach their destination after sunset.
The SUV slowed to a halt. Yazmina wondered what was going on. The SUV behind her beeped twice. One man got out of the vehicle and shouted to the driver in the front.
“What’s the hold up?”
“I can’t move. There are some animals blocking the road. Lions.”
“
What’s
blocking the road?”
“Lions!”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
Yazmina’s driver grumbled. “What the hell is going on?”
She perked up when she heard the word “lions.” Could it be? Had Arcan come to help her?
Is it really him?
She tried to pry the window open to see what was going on, but had no luck. The window was stuck, and she wasn’t strong enough to break it.
Then the gunfire started.
Instinctively, she ducked. The glass shattered over her head. There were shouts and the roar of animals. She could only guess at the carnage taking place outside.
More men screamed in pain. The smell of burnt ammo reached her nose. The fight was on, but she couldn’t summon the courage to take a peek. It would be foolish to put herself in the line of fire.
“Yazmina…”
She became puzzled. It felt like someone had spoken inside her head.
“Yazmina!”
She searched for the owner of the voice. It was Arcan. He was near.