| The Sheiks Of Kumar - Part II The Warrior By CJ |
| Chapter 3 He was certain he had only been asleep for a short while when he heard shouts outside the open study window. A few horses from the stables squealed with agitation and Rafee quickly awakened. Though he was exhausted, Rafee had been cursed, or blessed depending on the situation, with being able to easily awaken from his slumber. The slightest noise could at times wake him when there was a sense of urgency, as with these cries that were filtering up from the stables three hundred yards below. He immediately jumped from the couch and moved to the window. He saw Nikash and Tara down by the stable barn, calling for him and bright orange flames licking the far end of the structure that housed the estate’s prize Arabian horses. “Nikash!” Rafee yelled back to signal his brother then he turned and raced down the hall toward his room all the while calling for Devesh to wake up. Rafee grabbed a pair of tennis shoes from his room and nearly collided with Devesh on his way back out. “What is it Rafee?” Devesh inquired. “Call for help. The stables are on fire. I am going to assist Nikash,” he said hurriedly and then sprinted out of the house. Just as he reached the stables, he watched as his brother ran into the barn. He called for him again, but his brother could be more stubborn than he at times could be and the man ignored his call and continued into the burning and smoking building. The fire had not yet spread past the end of the barn, but it was growing with fury. Quickly surveying their surroundings, Rafee saw Tara holding her sister on the gravel drive between their cottage and the barn. Little Jenny was crying for Nik and Tara looked more frightened than any woman should. It was then that Rafee realized the woman might truly harbor feelings for his brother for no one could fake such distress. Another figure sprinted out of the house in jeans and his baggy sweatshirt and headed right for the barn entrance. Instinctively, Rafee caught Shawna around the waist and halted her headlong run into danger. He wasn’t sure why he stopped her, after all, she was obviously a capable woman. But something intuitive had taken hold of him and he hauled her against him. “Let go, Rafee, I have to help Nik with the horses,” Shawna insisted. “No, you will not. Go open a paddock gate and help heard the horses. But do not get yourself trampled,” he said as he nearly tossed her in the direction of the white fenced paddocks a hundred yards from the barn before he dashed into the burning building. He passed Nik inside the wide cement center of the stables. He was leading his feisty black stallion Raja with a makeshift blindfold over his eyes. The animal was strong and high spirited and if Nik had merely released the animal from the barn, he would have no doubt trampled everyone outside. “I’ll take care of Raja,” Nik shouted over the growing din. He coughed and wiped at the black soot forming on his face. “You open all the stall doors and force the horses into the drive. They will follow Raja into the paddock.” Rafee nodded and started for the first stall door. “Be careful, Rafee, and do not remain in here too long,” Nik yelled back. Rafee turned to nod at his brother again, but the black stallion was now bucking and kicking wildly. It would take all of Nik’s concentration to handle the stallion. Rafee moved quickly as he unlatched each horse stall and pulled the horses out by their halters and pushed them in the direction of the large open barn door. He was glad there were so few inside—only three not counting Nik’s stallion that was now outside. One of the horses he freed he knew was the prize mare of the stables—Mystic. She was the only horse that stubbornly refused to leave and after the other horses had trotted out the front door, Rafee had to grab her halter and drag her behind him. He could feel his lungs filling with smoke and his eyes stinging. Sweat poured down his face from the intense heat and by the time he reached the safety of the outside, he was amazed at how quickly the fire had spread. A few more minutes inside and he would have been in grave danger. In the far off distance he heard sirens and someone took Mystic from him when he exited. He was a bit dazed and was certain it was only the effects of the smoke. He forced deep, cool breaths into his lungs and he coughed and coughed with each fresh lung full. “Rafee,” Nik said as he moved to his brother’s side. “Are you all right?” Rafee nodded and asked, “Are all the horses safe?” “Yes. Most were not in the barn tonight,” Nik said. “Good,” Rafee said. Nik patted his brother on the arm one last time before he moved off toward Tara and Jenny. Rafee walked to a paddock fence and leaned against it, still trying to clear his lungs of smoke. He saw Jamaal, Devesh and Omar, the large man in charge of estate security, flushing Mystic into the paddock with the other horses and watched as all the horses fled to the furthest point of the paddock, away from the fire. They would be safe in the paddock, but Rafee wondered just how much of the stable building would be spared. “You all right, Raf?” a woman’s voice inquired. There was only one person who called him that and he was surprised she was inquiring of his health at all. “Fine,” he drawled as he glanced over at Shawna, then coughed again. “You don’t sound fine,” she argued. He said nothing but found that he was slightly relieved that she looked completely healthy and had obeyed his order to stay out of the barn. Finally feeling the sting begin to leave his lungs, Rafee straightened and watched as red fire trucks pulled onto the gravel drive. Men began shouting out orders, and he looked on with interest as the firemen performed their duties. Shawna remained beside him, watching silently until she suddenly spoke up, “What you did was pretty brave, saving the horses and all. Tara would have been heartbroken if anything had happened to them.” He glanced over at her and watched as she smiled slightly. It was a sweet smile, almost shy even. But then her mood changed and she added sarcastically, “Although, you didn’t have to toss me out of the barn. I could have helped, you know.” Rafee could have easily retorted and insulted her with one of his corrosive comments, but he was not in the mood for such bickering. Instead, he said diplomatically, “Perhaps. But then who would have opened the gate for the horses?” Shawna appeared to have accepted this explanation and slapped him with comradery on the shoulder. “Make sure you have one of the rescue guys check you out for smoke inhalation before they leave,” she suggested then walked off to join Nik and Tara. And that was one suggestion he obeyed. The ambulance that accompanied the fire trucks checked both he and Nik over and verified that they were in good health. Although they did not suggest running into a burning barn again. Rafee ignored their reprimand and left to join the group that was forming near the barn entrance. He could smell the effects of the fire lingering heavy in the night air and a far off coyote cried in the surrounding darkness. The animal’s cry reminded him of the night sounds in Kumar and he was suddenly overburdened with all this responsibilities and worries. His family needed him in Kumar, yet Nikash needed him here. And this fire, though its source was yet undetermined, only compounded all that had happened these past few weeks. Though he loved his duties and was perfectly suited for them, he sometimes wished he had help. Taking on such deeds for family, country and company were often times overwhelming—even for a man of his fortitude. “My preliminary findings are a bit concerning,” Fire Lieutenant Jeff Moore, whom Tara apparently knew, was explaining as Rafee joined the group. Everyone from the estate, minus Devesh and Jamaal who were tending to the horses and checking them over for any injuries, was present as the lieutenant spoke. “I’ll have to wait until morning to determine the exact cause of the fire but it would look as if it was a wiring problem.” “But our wiring is practically brand new,” Tara told him. “You inspected it last year when the contractor was putting in our new lighting system, remember?” Lieutenant Moore had nodded his agreement, then stated, “I think it was rigged to spark. I found some wires pulled from the wall in the end socket and they look like they had been tampered with.” Rafee’s instincts kicked in and he scanned each person as they heard the news. His father had warned him that trouble could follow them to California and Rafee was beginning to think he was correct. Everything had started nearly a month ago while during an OPEC meeting in Kumar, his father had received an anonymous threat. Protests and threats were often common place during OPEC meetings no matter where they were held, but this threat had nothing to do with environmental groups or oil interests. It was solely personal and dealing with conflicts related only to the history of their municipality. Since that time, two more threats had been sent, each one more demanding than the next. The family had been working diligently to try and discover their source, but each threat was so ambiguous as to its origin that little had been found. It had Rafee confused because he usually could track down the source of any threat. And their company received many. It was the name of the game in the international oil business. Add to the mix a Middle Eastern royal family, and the Armanjanis were hot commodities. But the trouble in Kumar seemed so distant. Could it really have followed them to California, or was the fire nothing more than an accident? “Arson?” Nik asked, shocked. “But why? Who?” The lieutenant shrugged. “Can’t say, sir. But give me a few days to look this barn over. In the meantime, keep the horses in the paddocks. I won’t take too long with my investigation.” Nik agreed with the man’s assessment and though Rafee would have been more insistent for information, he realized the bureaucracies in America took time to move. The information from the Fire Department would come in due time. Until then, Rafee had a feeling things were not quite right on this estate. Just as Nikash had insisted earlier this evening, Rafee was finally starting to agree. “Tara,” Nik spoke up as the firemen revved their trucks to leave. “Come to the house with me, please, and lets talk.” Tara had agreed and everyone ventured up to the main house. It was obvious Nik and Tara wanted to be alone for a while, so Rafee escorted Shawna and Jenny in the opposite direction, while Nik took Tara to his study. “I should really put Jenny to sleep,” Shawna was saying as the young girl leaned against her, her face weary. “Do you have an extra bedroom?” “Certainly,” Rafee answered, opening the door to the bedroom to the right of his. It was the room that had a connecting door to his bathroom and was directly across from Devesh’s. If Jenny needed anything in the middle of the night, one of them would surely hear her. “Thanks,” Shawna returned politely and began to enter the room. Rafee halted her with a hand to her shoulder. “When you are finished, we need to talk. Its time you told me what’s going on around here. I have a feeling that is what Ms. Malone is doing right now with Nikash.” Shawna sighed, obviously hesitant. But then her eyes scanned him with respect and she nodded. “Good. I am going to shower. Meet me in my room,” he instructed and then moved away, ready to close the door on a few issues and return to Kumar. ** “Weren’t they brave tonight?” Jenny asked wearily as she crawled into bed in the guestroom. “Nik and Rafee. The way they just ran right into the barn to get the horses out.” “Yes, very brave,” Shawna agreed. And she really did agree. Most people wouldn’t act quite so gallant, or so idiotic either. She smiled at that, for she had almost charged headlong into the fire as well. If Rafee hadn’t caught her, she’d feel like barbecue herself right now. She settled Jenny into bed and the child quickly nodded off. Shawna yawned, exhausted beyond belief. She’d just been getting ready for bed, when Nik had banged on the door insisting to speak with Tara. And then not five minutes later, the cry of “fire” had rang out. Aside from the nap today in Rafee’s room, she had slept little. Speaking of Rafee, she was supposed to talk with him. She didn’t want to divulge all of Tara’s secrets, but she had a feeling Tara was doing that right now with Nik. So she would oblige Rafee because he would find out eventually either way. Hearing the water running through the bathroom door, Shawna took the route through the hallway and entered Rafee’s room. It was as she had left it this afternoon with the one curtain untied and the beige velour blanket tossed upon the bedspread. She folded the blanket and placed it at the foot of the bed, then retied the curtain. Although, she really would have loved to have seen the bed all curtained off like a child’s fort. But this was not her room and she suspected Rafee would not appreciate her rearranging things. She yawned again and flopped down on the bed. She figured it would take Rafee a long while to wash the soot from his skin and the smell of burning wood from his hair. As it was, she could still smell a hint of the fire upon her own clothes and she had not even entered the barn. She really had to stop thinking about that fire, she reasoned. But it was difficult, for the announcement from the fire inspector about possible arson had her again thinking of Gabe Bryant and the stolen money. Villa Serena was suddenly full of several mysteries and she was burdened with how she was supposed to solve them all herself. Closing her eyes, Shawna tried not to think about the mysteries. She knew from experience that one had to take a break. Thinking too much could ruin a case. Getting away from a query usually led to the answer. But with this mystery, Shawna realized she would need more than a break to piece it all together. “Falling asleep again?” a man’s voice questioned, breaking into her thoughts or lack of thoughts as she’d been drifting off. Shawna opened her eyes and found Rafee looming above her next to the bed. His hair was damp and tousled and he wore faded Levi’s and a nondescript T-shirt. His golden eyes were laughing at her from his perch. Shawna stretched her arms over her head and again realized how incredibly comfortable this bed was. She could really opt to sleep there all night if it weren’t for the fact that it belonged to Rafee. “Sorry,” she said, “but I really do love your bed.” An evil glint entered his eyes and he returned, “So many women have professed before.” Shawna was not shocked by his words, for she had figured it quite possible that he was an international playboy. He had all the qualifications; money, looks, attitude and style. But she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she believed his words. “Yeah, right,” she drawled with disbelief. Placing his hands on either side of her as he leaned down, Rafee asked, “You don’t believe me? Shall I prove to you otherwise?” He was in no mood for taunts or quarrels and would stand up to any challenge she threw his way. And though he wasn’t attracted to her, or at least he didn’t think he was attracted to her, he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to prove her wrong about anything. And as she gazed up at him with wide, green eyes, he almost laughed. He’d caught her off guard again, just as off guard as the sight of her baby blue bikini hanging in his shower had caught him just minutes ago. She’d left it there from this afternoon and he’d quickly tossed it onto the counter for the sight of it had him wondering about his resolve to not find her appealing. Suddenly, Shawna moved away from him, pushing his arm out of the way and fleeing to the other side of the bed. She would push this dare only so far. She had no doubts that Rafee was experienced in the ways of the bedroom. And because of that, if she played this game, he would see just how inexperienced she was. Not since college had she experimented beyond the goodnight kiss and even that one escapade had not been note worthy. She would not put herself in the position with Rafee where he would see any of her inadequacies. “Sorry,” she told him. “Maybe some other time, like when hell freezes over.” He laughed and for once it was genuine. Was he laughing at her words or at the fact that she’d fled like a child? “Good,” he said as he sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard. “Because I would rather hear about what mysteries have been growing on this estate. Surely those intrigues would hold my attention longer than you.” His insults were always plentiful, and Shawna returned, “I see you really do know how to charm the ladies. What do you do, anyhow, Raf, insult them into bed with you?” He turned his head and glanced at her as she sat diagonally away from him, as far away as she could get on the bed. “Is hell growing colder now?” he questioned. “No,” Shawna returned. “Then do not think I insult anyone into bed. My insults are only reserved for you, not anyone I have plans to charm,” he replied. They could have gone back and forth all night. But Shawna was too tired to sit and think up more creative ways to degrade the man, so instead she asked, “Are we going to discuss what’s going on around here? Or would you rather insult each other all night?” She laid down across the bottom of the bed and propped her head up on and elbow. “’Cause if that’s the case, wake me when you’re finished.” “As much as I would enjoy such a night with you, Ms. Patrick, I am more concerned about my brother’s estate. Proceed.” “All right, but please drop the Ms. Patrick. After all the insults we’ve thrown around, such a formality sounds odd,” Shawna requested. “Then please refrain from using Raf, that is not my name,” he requested in return. “All right,” Shawna said, then began to explain to Rafee about the estate, Walter Malone and Gabe Bryant. “So what you are telling me,” Rafee interrupted to ask after several minutes, “is that Tara has no designs on Mr. Bryant at all? That it was all an act?” “Yes,” Shawna answered. “We have to find a legal way to prove that Gabe Bryant stole her father’s money and getting close to Gabe is the fastest and easiest way.” “And why were you enlisted with this chore?” he inquired. “Surely there must be proper authorities in this country to handle Tara’s problem.” “I’m a private investigator,” Shawna revealed. “I have my own practice in San Francisco. I’ve done things like this before. Granted, not quite as big as this, but I’ve solved similar cases.” “Private investigator?” Rafee asked with shock. “I guess I should have figured as much.” He smiled at her for a moment and commented, “Then we have much more in common than what I first thought.” “I suppose we do similar work,” Shawna allowed. “And is it common in this country to use a private investigator instead of the authorities?” “Sometimes. It depends on the circumstances of the crime. If Tara were to turn her suspicions over to the police, they would simply question Gabe, turn him on to everything that we knew and that would be the end of that. The police can’t do much in cases like this unless there is solid evidence. Once I get the solid evidence, then I’ll contact the authorities.” Rafee nodded, having heard such rumors about the authorities in America and then inquired, “Why did Tara not inform Nikash? Surely she should have known that he would have offered his assistance. If he had known all this, it would have saved us all so much trouble.” “I know,” Shawna agreed. “And I told Tara to tell him. I mean, its obvious she’s head over heals for the guy. But she was too proud. Losing her heritage was devastating. And she was afraid Nik would feel guilty for having bought her estate.” Such games women played! Rafee felt a retort growing in his mind and he drawled lowly, “Women.” Immediately jumping to her friend’s defense, Shawna said, “Hey, she was trying to protect your brother. Don’t be such a jerk about it.” “Jerk?” “Yes, moron, idiot, loser…you get the idea,” Shawna explained. Rafee did like all the euphemisms in this culture. Its slang was endless and the more of it he learned, the more humorous he found it. And this woman apparently knew all the American slang. “Indeed, I do,” he drawled. Shawna would have thrown more niceties his way, only there was a knock on his door. She quickly sat up and was glad she had for the last thing she wanted was for Tara and Nik to see her lounging on Rafee’s bed. “Rafee, Shawna,” Nik said as he entered, holding hands with Tara. “Tara has been telling me quite a bit about the happenings around here.” “Yes, I have heard quite a bit myself,” Rafee added. “Then you are aware of everything?” Nik inquired. Rafee stood and answered, “Yes, I believe I am.” “If it is true that Mr. Bryant has stolen Tara’s money, we cannot allow him to prevail,” Nik said. “That’s why I have a request to make.” There was something about the way Nik’s brown eyes surveyed she and Rafee both that made Shawna cringe. What he was going to request she was not going to like. “I want both you, Shawna, and my brother to work together. From what Tara has told me, and from what I know of Rafee, it is obvious your minds work alike. Perhaps Mr. Bryant will have met his match with you two.” Slowly, Shawna turned her eyes to Rafee. He did the same. They looked one another over carefully as though they were lifelong enemies. “But what about Kumar?” Rafee finally asked his brother. “I am aware of events back home, Rafee,” Nik acknowledged. “However, this fire tonight has me greatly concerned. I do not know if it was an accident or connected to something else. Connected to things with Mr. Bryant, or connected with Kumar. That is why I need you here. Father has ample help in Kumar.” “Shawna?” Tara inquired. “How about you?” Shawna was positive Rafee was excellent at what he did. His mind was quick and his manner, confident. But could they work together without annihilating one another? “Well, I guess I could use some fresh ideas. But if we can’t get along, the deal’s off,” Shawna said. “Rafee?” Nik asked. He would do this only because his brother was asking. What he wouldn’t do for family! Reluctantly, Rafee said, “I will work with Ms. Pa…with Shawna. But just as she has already said, if we cannot get along, I will go home.” “That is all I can ask,” Nik said. He started to leave then added, “Tara and I will keep our relationship quite for a while longer in case you need to keep Mr. Bryant in our good graces. But do not take too long, for we would like to plan a wedding as soon as possible.” They exited the room and Rafee quipped, “You and I working together! A wedding! What next?” “Hell could freeze over,” Shawna added with humor, remembering her comment to him earlier. And her humor actually worked. Rafee’s face broke and he grinned at her. “I suppose things are not all that bad, then, for hell is still hot,” he remarked. “See, this working together won’t be so bad. I do have a good sense of humor, otherwise I may have just taken offense to what you said.” She again laid on the bed and said, “But right now I’m too tired to take offense to anything.” She didn’t even have time to close her eyes before Rafee’s hand was clasping her wrist and hauling her to her feet. “No sleeping, Shawna, we have much to do. You have a week’s head start on me. You must catch me up on all that you know,” Rafee said. “At this hour?” Rafee himself had not slept in a very long while, but he was running on adrenaline. The fire and the news of the conspiracy had him filled with ideas and he wanted to get a jump on this case immediately. He exited the room, Shawna being dragged behind him. “The sooner we solve this, the sooner I’m out of your life,” Rafee told her. Passing him in the hall and beating him to the stairs, Shawna said, “In that case, what are we waiting for?” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Warrior - Chapter 4 |