Chapter 12—Sheiks VIII by CJ

It had taken him months to convince Cindy to see him again.  Not that he’d begged her, but when he’d last run out on their date eight months ago, she’d told him not-so-politely when he’d finally called days later that she’d never give him a shot again.  So he’d let it rest, gone back to his usual routine and line-up of girls and then run into Cindy on the jogging course again.

The first week she’d told him where to go.  The second week she’d simply given him the cold shoulder.  After two months of seeing him each morning jogging, she’d finally melted that ice and agreed to a date.  And now, she was sitting across from him at the cozy little French restaurant, low-cut dress barely covering her chest, blond hair piled in curls on her head and a bare foot running further and further up his leg.  Yep, Billy was finally going to get lucky and it had only taken him eight months!

“I’m really, really glad I finally relented and decided to go on this date with you, Billy,” Cindy was cooing, her full, pink-painted lips forming the words so well Billy was nearly drooling in his wine.  “I suppose I shouldn’t have gotten so upset about the last one.  You did say it was a family emergency.”

“Yes, and my family has them often,” he explained simply.  “But…not tonight.”

She giggled and ran her finger around the rim of her glass while her foot slid up to his thigh and he shuddered.  Oh, if only Joseph were here to see him score this one!  He’d left his pager at home, his phone was turned off and he was simply going to enjoy the date tonight that he’d worked awfully hard for.

Yet what man wouldn’t have begged Cindy for the date?  She was hot.  Damned hot and that was how Billy liked them.  Hot, easy and available.  Brains and ambition weren’t such an issue with him, not like they’d been with Joseph.  And as for his eldest brother Eddie, heck, he’d gone for responsible and sweet.  Nope, Billy was the last of the Patricks not tied down with spouses or kids and he was going to live his life to the fullest.

Then a set of government credentials fell in front of his face and he swallowed with severe disappointment.

“Detective Billy Patrick?” a male voice asked and Billy took the credentials in his hand and looked it over carefully.  “The Company” was in town and he knew exactly what that meant.  It had something to do with either the war in Johar or with his sister and niece.  Either way, he certainly was not getting lucky tonight.

“Uh, yes,” Billy answered as two men dressed in dark suits flanked him on either side.

“You need to come with us,” the CIA men stated bluntly and Cindy piped up, “Hey, wait a minute, he’s a cop.  You can’t just take him away.”

“Government business, ma’am,” one of the men said and Billy groaned.

“Right now?” Billy asked.  “It can’t wait…three hours?”

“Right now.”

“Hell,” Billy cursed, then threw down money for the bill and tip and handed another couple of bills to Cindy.  “Sorry, doll, you’re gonna have to call for a cab.”

“But…” she was sputtering, her pretty face turning red with anger.  “A cab?”

“I’ve gotta go,” Billy insisted.

“A cab!” Cindy screeched and in that moment, as heads in the restaurant turned, Billy was suddenly glad to be leaving with the government men.  “You’ll never get another shot, Billy Patrick, if you walk out that door.”

He walked out the door next to the men saying, “Thanks a heap, guys,” and headed right for his convertible Camero.

“We’re driving,” one of the men said and Billy grumbled, “I can’t leave my car here.”

“Call someone to pick it up.”

Billy gritted his teeth, phoned Eddie to come get the car, and then got into the back of the black sedan.  “What’s this all about, boys?” he demanded the moment they were driving.

“Agent Snow,” was all they said and Billy suddenly thought of Shawna and Kess.  This wasn’t about the war in Johar, it was about his family and suddenly he didn’t feel quite so bad about leaving Cindy.  She’d turned into a wicked witch the moment he’d gotten up to leave anyhow.  More than likely she wouldn’t have turned out to be much fun in the long-run.

As for his sister, he’d wondered over the months how she and Kess were fairing.  Rafee had died and that had been a huge shocker.  What had been even worse was hearing no word from Shawna.  Was she okay, was she ever going to come home, was she still safe?  He assumed she was safe because of who she’d left with.  He’d heard through the law enforcement channels that Agent Snow was one of the best.  He prayed that was so and that tonight’s little interruption was just Shawna’s way of saying let’s have a family reunion.

He was taken to a nearby military base and loaded onto a plane with the two GI men.  They flew for a few hours, landed in a large city airport, then took another non-descript sedan.  From the signs on the roadway, Billy could make-out they were in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he was sorry he had only a leather jacket to wear in this cold fall weather.  But when they halted in front of a hospital, Billy suddenly forgot all about the city, his date and the weather.  All he could think was that something horrible had befallen Shawna or Kess.

“In there,” the driver stated, still not having ever given Billy his name, and Billy slid out of the car and walked through the sliding doors.  The sedan slipped away into the night.

“Just leave me here, boys,” Billy drawled to himself and stood in the bright lights of the waiting area of the hospital, looking around for any sign of Shawna, Kess or Agent Snow.

“They’re fine,” announced a male voice from behind and Billy turned to see a scruffy Agent Snow sitting in a waiting chair.  He wore a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, top buttons undone and navy blue slacks.  His short hair was ruffled as if he’d run his hands through it too often in the night and a light stubble of beard shadowed his face in these early morning hours.

“Snow,” Billy announced as he turned toward the man.  “What’s this all about?”

“I thought Shawna needed some family around.  You were the clear choice seeing how you’re not at war or tied down with a passel of your own children.”

The man remained seated, his brown eyes worried, yet his outward demeanor showing nothing.

“Get to the point, Agent Snow,” Billy growled, tired of the run-around the CIA had given him all night.

“The point is your sister went into premature labor tonight.  She hasn’t had the baby yet, they’ve stalled the labor.  But they need her to stay here for at least two weeks, they fear if she leaves it’ll trigger the labor again.  She doesn’t want to listen to them or to me.  Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

“Baby?” Billy asked, still stuck on the news that Shawna was even pregnant.  He counted the months.  How long had Rafee been gone?  He narrowed his eyes and glared down at Agent Snow. 

As if reading his mind, the man explained, “Its Rafee’s baby.  A boy.”

“And Kess?”

“She’s with friends of ours.  She’s safe.”

Billy balked at the way Agent Snow threw out the word “ours” like he was somehow connected to Shawna.  Then again, he had been living with Shawna and Kess for a long while now, perhaps he had cause to use the word “ours.”

“So why won’t Shawna listen to reason here?” Billy asked the man and Agent Snow stood, gathered his suit jacket and tie and answered, “Because she’s in a hurry to get over to Johar as soon as possible and seek revenge for her husband’s death.”

**

Shawna awoke, exhausted.  Her body ached from the contractions she’d experienced and her head felt fuzzy from the drugs she’d been given to stop the labor.  Oh, God, she was scared and because she’d been scared, she knew she’d said some things that had more than likely sent Marcus off the deep end.

“Fine,” she recalled telling him while the doctors had buzzed around her, “if the baby wants to come now, that just means we’ll be able to leave for Johar that much sooner.”

“Shawna,” Marcus had chastised, his brown eyes filling with concern and genuine worry, “don’t talk like that.  Just think about the baby.”

“He’ll be fine,” she had insisted.  “He has to be.”

“It was more than likely all that training you did…we did.  I’ll blame myself forever if anything goes wrong.  And if everything turns out fine, I really think I’m going to have to refuse to take you to Johar.”

Those had been the words that had set Shawna off.  She knew why he had said them, he’d just been worried.  Heck, she was worried and though she had argued with the doctors about staying in the hospital for two weeks longer, just to ensure that if the baby came prematurely it wasn’t too premature, she knew she wasn’t going to defy them.  This was the health of her baby, of course she’d do what she had to do.

Then, however, under the stress and pain, she’d blurted out to Marcus, “I never said I’d marry you, Marcus, don’t think you own me already.”

The pain and hurt that had crossed his face caused her to curse quietly and scrub at her hair.  She hadn’t meant to hurt him, hadn’t meant to take her anxiety out on him.  But she had, and as she glanced around the darkened room, she noticed he wasn’t there for her to apologize to.  She wondered if he ever would be.

A masculine figure entered her room quietly and she immediately asked, “Marcus?”

“No, sis, it’s me.”  Billy’s voice stunned her, but she was so glad to hear him.

“Billy?  Oh, thank God you’re here,” Shawna blurted out and immediately her brother rushed to her, sat on the side of her hospital bed and took her into his arms.

She cried then.  It was easy to let it all out with her family and having Billy at her side was more precious a gift than she could have asked for.

“Hey, Shawna, its okay.  The doctors say everything will be fine as long as you just rest for a few weeks.  All right?” Billy told her.

Shawna nodded.

“What?  No argument?” Billy questioned her.

“No argument,” she sniffed.

Billy reached down to her belly then and patted the large bulge.  “I can’t believe…I mean…why didn’t you tell any of us?”

“I found out, then Rafee died and…Billy, I’ve been through so much.  The entire Armanjani family has.”

Billy nodded and looked somber in the dim light.  “I’m still so stunned about Rafee.  I never thought…”  He shook his head and didn’t have to finish his thought.  Everyone was disbelieving that Rafee had died…that he could have died.

“I still miss him,” Shawna confessed, “but he left me with two wonderful children and a good man to look after us.”

“Who?  Agent Snow?”

Shawna nodded.  “He asked me to marry him, Billy.  I don’t know what to say.”

She felt her brother still, heard him take in a quick breath and she pushed back in her bed and reached for the side table light to illuminate his face better.  She wanted to read his eyes, to see his reaction because she had a feeling he wasn’t exactly pleased.

“What’s wrong?  You don’t like Marcus?” Shawna asked.

“I don’t know him,” Billy insisted.

“He loves Kess and I and this baby,” Shawna defended.

Billy hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and said, “He did look a mess when I just saw him.  And he sent for me.  Must mean he cares.  But after Rafee…how…Rafee was…one of a kind.”

Shawna smiled reassuringly at her brother.  She knew what he was trying to say.  How could she love anyone else after loving a man as unique as Rafee?

“I will always love Rafee.  But I also came to realize over the course of the past eight months that I can learn to love other people.  I can be happy with someone else, with another life.  Otherwise…what would I be?  I’d just be a shell of a person always loving a ghost.  And I can’t love a ghost.  My children can’t love a ghost.  I have to move on.  And Marcus…he’s great.”

“Does that mean you are going to marry him?” Billy asked.

“I don’t know.  There are some things I must do first.  I can’t answer him until then.”

“Things you have to do first?  Like take off to a war zone?”

**

Kamila looked pale but determined not to cry as she closed the conference room door and made her announcement that another of their men was lost.  Jazmin sucked in a quick breath of surprise at hearing Kamila’s words and then glanced around at all the other women.  Victoria kept her cool façade, Maria was visibly shaken and Aria was shaking her head as if to say, “Not another one of the men.”  Yet it was obvious the war in Johar had taken its toll once again on the Armanjani family and all Jazmin could do was pray that it wasn’t her husband this time.

And when Kamila knelt before Aria and Jazmin heard her cousin’s quiet yet anguished sobs of disbelief, Jazmin felt selfish for feeling joyous that it wasn’t Joseph.

It was Aasim.  Wonderfully poised and sturdy Aasim who had always been Aria’s rock, who had been Aria’s only love when she’d first laid eyes on him when she was just seventeen.  They’d been married since Aria was eighteen, had a child by the time she was nineteen and as often as people thought it had all happened too soon for the young couple, they had always been happy, always been strong together.  Now Aria’s two children were fatherless, just like Shawna’s daughter Kess was, and Jazmin wished she knew how to fight, knew how to command a military for she wanted nothing more than to seek revenge upon Johar’s king.

She fully understood why the men had felt compelled to go off and fight though many of them had little or no military training.  She completely saw now why Anika, her sweet younger sister, had refused to come with them to Paris and remained by her husband’s side in a dirty war.  It was all about protecting your family and your country and as more and more of the Armanjani family perished in this stupid, silly war, Jazmin wondered how many more would die.

**

Anika felt an inkling of satisfaction that her shots with both a rifle and pistol were improving drastically.  When she’d first started practicing, she’d barely been able to hit a wide target and certainly couldn’t hold up the front sites of the rifle with her left hand for more than a shot or two at a time.  Now, however, she was pretty proficient, could hit the target almost always within acceptable range and the weight of the rifle was no longer a problem for her to support.  Yep, she was getting pretty darn good!

She walked into her tent which was always home despite the location in the desert and listened to the far off sounds of warfare.  It had been a strange war with troops moving toward Johar’s capital city and then retreating when Johar’s forces would counter.  Anika wondered if that was the way all battles went in history, but she’d never really paid enough attention to military history in school to answer that question.  After this experience, however, she may just want to know.

Razi entered not a moment after her and smiled that sexy smile of his.  He was wearing a side-arm, as usual, and always looked rugged and ready to fight in his tan-colored uniform.  Their marriage thus far had not been typical of newlyweds and Anika wondered if it ever would.  After the war would come rebuilding Johar and then Razi ruling and retooling his government and…the list when on and on in Anika’s head and she selfishly wished for things to be the way they had been two years before when Razi had told her he loved her and she had foolishly insisted she still wanted Devesh.  If only she had chosen wisely then, she and Razi would have had those two years together and perhaps he would have told her who he really was and they could have headed off his twisted, evil brother then…instead of fighting for their lives now.

“I saw you practicing today,” Razi mentioned as he moved in front of her and placed his hands on her waist.  “You’ve gotten very good.”

He leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek and Anika giggled then replied arrogantly, “I have gotten rather good, haven’t I?”

She was about to lean in for more affection when out of the corner of her eye she spotted movement at the tent flap opening.  Hadn’t Razi closed in when he’d come in?  Or was it just the wind?

But the day had been deadly silent, devoid of any breeze, and when Anika then saw a shadow enter the tent, unannounced, she had a sinking feeling in her gut that something wasn’t right.  And when a gun raised, she reacted without thinking and yanked Razi’s gun from his holster, dropped to a knee and fired around her husband.  The bang was deafening in the confines of the tent and the shadow fell with only a quiet groan and upon realizing just what she had done, Anika gasped and dropped the handgun at Razi’s feet.

“What the…?” Razi questioned as he knelt down next to Anika, pulled her into his arms and reholstered his gun.  His eyes traveled toward the body and Anika heard him curse quietly.

“I’m…sorry,” Anika cried softly.  “I thought…oh no, did I kill him?”

“Stay here,” Razi ordered her gently as footsteps and yelling men began to be heard outside the tent.  He moved toward the body of the soldier who had a gun in his hand, but who had never gotten a round off. 

“I don’t recognize him, Anika.  He wasn’t one of my officers and no one else would dare enter our tent…unless….”

Anika heard the curious tone in Razi’s voice and she stood quickly and demanded, “Unless what?”

“Unless this man was sent by Jabbar to kill me.”

It shouldn’t have surprised Anika to hear her husband’s words for Jabbar was a maniac, but she gasped just the same.

“He sent someone to kill you?” Anika asked.

Razi nodded.  “That’s what the intel said anyhow.”

“Intel?  You had intel like that and you didn’t bother telling me?”

“Why worry you?  Obviously you took care of it,” Razi drawled with sarcasm just as Colonel Bishr entered the tent.

“Prince Abdul, are you hurt?” the colonel asked and Razi shook his head.

“This man, however, is dead,” Razi announced dryly.

The colonel’s eyes surveyed the man and he shook his head.  “He is not one of ours, I am sure.  You killed him?”

“Anika did,” Razi said and then he smiled at her as if to tell her everything was all right.

Still she was shaking, never having thought she’d ever have to take a life.  But instinct had taken over and she knew she’d do it the same way if she had to.

“I suppose all that shooting practice paid off then,” the colonel said with a grin, then he ordered to the men outside.  “Remove this assassin and send his dead body back to King Jabbar!  Let the king know that he cannot kill our prince so easily as this.”

**

Shawna didn’t even attempt to lie and Billy cursed and moved away from her.

“Damn it all, Shawna, you can’t go waltzing off into a war zone,” Billy demanded.

“Oh, yes I can, Billy, and you certainly cannot stop me.  Joseph’s there, Rafee was there…why shouldn’t I be allowed to go?  Because I’m a woman?”

She was such an exasperating woman!  Billy wondered how in the world her husband had ever put up with her.  And he wasn’t worried about her because of some chauvinistic sense of pride, no he was worried about her because she was his family.  And if Joseph had consulted with him before he had run off to that damned war, he would have given him the same advice not to go.

“No, because you’re my sister, and because that war already claimed your husband…already claimed the father of your children!  What will happen to Kess and that child you’re about to have if you die too?” Billy challenged.

With an arrogant smirk, Shawna replied, “Nothing will happen to me.  I’m not going into battle, I’m just going in to assassinate one man.  Don’t think I’m stupid enough to hang around any battle field dodging long-range missiles and hand grenades.  I’m going to one place and one place only…the Johar Palace.”

“You’re an idiot, Shawna!  And if Agent Snow is taking you along, he’s an idiot too!”

Unfazed, Shawna rolled her eyes.

“You sound like Joseph.  And I’m going.  If I don’t, I’ll never be able to live with myself…never be able to move on.  And I want to move on with my life, Billy…for the kids…I have to.  Don’t you know what its like to be stuck and never be able to move on?” 

Before he had a chance to answer her, she insisted, “Of course you don’t because you live too free of a life with no cares in the world.  I had a husband who I loved completely and who loved me completely and he was taken away from me too soon.  I have to do this for him…don’t you understand?”

The pleading look in her eyes, her words, did make him understand.  Still, he was worried about her welfare, afraid to lose his sister.  Yet the need to close that chapter in her life was so obvious to him now.  Rafee had been such a charismatic, strong and vivacious man that Billy feared Shawna would never be over him unless she did this.  And though she could get hurt, though she could die, a broken spirit would be more devastating to her in the long run.

Finally nodding, Billy said, “I understand.  But at least wait until this little baby is healthy and strong enough for you to leave.”

“Of course I will.”

Just as she said those words, Agent Snow entered the room.  He nodded to Billy then gave a thin smile to Shawna.

“Hey, doll, how’re you doing?” he asked her.

Shawna smiled brightly and held out her hand to him.  Billy was impressed at how calm she was, at how in control she was just eight months after Rafee’s death.  He had a feeling Snow had a lot to do with Shawna’s demeanor now.  As difficult as it was for Billy to picture his sister with anyone other than Rafee, he had to admit that Agent Snow ran a close second.

“I’m doing fine.  And don’t worry, Marcus, I’m not running out of the hospital until the doctors tell me to,” she said.

Marcus sighed and sat down on the edge of Shawna’s bed.  “Thank God, I didn’t want to have to bring in the handcuffs and call for more backup.”

“Yes, Eddie would have no doubt tried to tackle me,” Shawna quipped and Billy imagined that madhouse had his eldest brother been called.

“So…” Marcus began as if he were going to say something serious, then he glanced over his shoulder at Billy and Billy had the feeling Snow wanted him gone.

“How about if I step out into the hall and give my sergeant a call.  I think I’ll hang around for a few days if that’s okay with you guys,” Billy announced.

“Fine,” the CIA man answered as if he approved completely and Billy left the couple behind.

Strange, he thought, how everything was changing so rapidly and leaving him behind.  How strange.

**

Shawna squeezed his hand when her brother left and it brought Marcus’s attention back to her.  Marcus was so relieved that all was settled now.  For a few hours there he’d feared for the baby and for Shawna, picturing her refusing to obey the doctors even for the sake of her baby.  If that had turned out to be the case, Marcus was positive he’d have to have the woman committed.  But it was obvious now it had only been the situation and that seeing her brother had certainly calmed her.

“I’m really sorry about how I talked to you during all the…labor stuff with the baby.  I remembered when I was giving birth to Kess, I was pretty rude to Rafee as well.  Something about all that pain…”

“Hey, forget about it,” Marcus insisted and pulled her hand to his lips.  He kissed her hand, squeezed it, and then sighed.  “I just want that little guy to be all right.”

“He will be,” Shawna insisted with a reassuring smile.  “But I think this just goes to show how much like his father he’ll be.  Impatient little man, isn’t he?”

Marcus chuckled.  “Trying to get out and be born before his time.  Yep, just like Rafee.”

They grew quiet for a moment, as was always the case when Rafee’s name was mentioned, then Shawna broached the subject that had been nagging at Marcus all night.  What would she say about his proposal of marriage?

“I think we have a few more things to discuss,” Shawna began.  “Well, one thing in particular.”

“You don’t have to…I was rash.  It was too soon…I’m sorry,” he returned, hoping it hadn’t been his question that had started the early labor. 

“No, you weren’t too rash,” Shawna insisted, cutting him off.  “You love me, you love the kids…we all love you.  But…could you do me a favor and hold on to that ring until we return from Johar?  Then I can give you my answer.”

**

Isis slipped into his arms in the now quiet cave network and kissed his mouth hungrily.  This war was totally destroying Samad’s sex life for it was rare that he and Isis were ever alone or ever had any place private enough to be intimate.  The rebels she had known for years were like her family and everyone was always around…during meals, during the day, during the night.

But thinking of his own needs was rather selfish and since meeting Isis, Samad had tried not to be so selfish.  Since meeting her, he had developed a sense of…dare he say it?…political justice and civil duty.

“When this war is over,” Isis began, “will you stay in Johar with me?”

“I don’t have anything better to do,” he joked as he kissed her neck and she wiggled away from him.

“Be serious, Samad,” Isis insisted.

“I am.  I don’t have anything better to do…so I suppose that means I’ll help you in your endeavors to help the less fortunate.”

She finally relented with a smile and said, “I suppose that’ll have to do for now.  Besides, I can barely see into my future when this war is so…crazy.”

“Yes, crazy,” Samad remarked with sarcasm.  “It’s simultaneously killing my family members and then resurrecting them into gods.”

“Rafee is no god, he is simply a very powerful and influential man,” Isis replied.  “And I wish you would stop worrying so much about him and his marriage and worry more about finding us some privacy so I can have my way with you.”

Samad chuckled and tugged Isis against him.  He felt her body through the traditional garb she wore and tried to put his cousin and Shawna out of his mind.  But as usual, it didn’t work.

“But he needs to tell Shawna he’s alive.”  Samad gently pushed Isis away from him and the woman rolled her eyes and sighed with exasperation. 

“He has to do what he feels is best.  My brother is dangerous,” Isis argued.

“Shawna can be protected from Jabbar.  But right now…I know her heart is smashed.  Who’s going to protect her from that?”

“I don’t know, that CIA agent seemed pretty capable,” Isis replied and when Samad countered with, “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Isis laughed at him. 

“You worry too much, Samad.  Now…where were we?”

Just as Isis found Samad’s arms again, footsteps came hurrying down the corridor.  Samad cursed and let Isis go just as an out-of-breath man halted in front of them and announced, “Princess Isis…the Jeep…it was…attacked.  Ali just radioed us.  He’s hurt…badly…and everyone else is dead.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Sheiks VIII: Return of the Prince – Chapter 13