When Talib woke, the banging in his skull made him want to close his eyes again. He didn’t have that luxury. He needed to stay awake, stay focused and figure out where he was and what kind of dung pile he’d landed in.
The pain was blinding.
He gave in and briefly closed his eyes, but only in an effort to get control of the pain. When he opened them again, he could see nothing but darkness, or at least that’s what he initially thought. His eyes were barely open, not enough to get a good visual on anything—light, dark, nothing. He took conscious breaths, closed his eyes and opened them again. Wherever he was, he was in a place that smelled of dirt. Graveyard dirt. Bad image, he thought. Must, he was smelling must and lying on something hard. There was a flicker of light overhead. Where was he? How long had he been out and was he alone? They were questions that all needed to be answered before he made a move.
He remembered bits of what had happened. The man, smaller than he, had come from nowhere. He hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at him. He could have been the same man from the parking lot attack, or someone totally different. Because before he could turn and confront him, he’d been hit on the back of the head. It was only his earlier injuries that had slowed him down and allowed this to happen. After that there had been nothing, until now. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed or where he was.
He should have asked for backup. That was his oversight.
He reached up with his bound hands to where the thin line of light sifted into his prison. A board was what was over his head. He could feel the wood. From what he could piece together, it was the floor just above him, some sort of trapdoor over a shallow storage area. Had they decided that taking out the father was better than the son? His mind whirred with possibilities. Were they just taking him out, out of the way so that they could take his son next? He bit back pain and panic. He needed to get control of both his emotions and the pain.
He lay still, trying to get his bearings, trying to figure out his next move and how he was going to get out of here. He was used to thinking on his feet, but not with his head thumping the way it was. He took a breath and then another. He’d learned a long time ago that in a crisis one should get a plan together. He couldn’t burst out of his prison not knowing what lay on the other side. A thin shard of light grazed across his arm, bouncing off of broken tile just to the left of him. It was like someone had begun a cellar and then stopped and what remained was a shallow hole beneath the floor. It made no sense unless one had planned this in advance. Or was this a temporary prison? But that made no sense, either.
He stilled his thoughts, listening. There was no sound. There hadn’t been any sound in the minutes he’d been conscious. He was fairly certain that wherever he was, he was alone.
He let his thoughts shift from his current predicament to his greatest worry.
Sara. He had to get to her, to warn her. More importantly he needed to protect her, for this was much more deadly, much more immediate, than he had thought. She was all that stood between their son and danger. He knew that she’d defend him with her life. He couldn’t allow things to get to that point.
His thoughts were clearer now. They knew who he was. That was the only explanation. It had taken two attacks but their intent was to take him out. It was his own fault that they were close to succeeding. He’d let emotion fog the case and in doing that he’d underestimated the opponent. He needed to get back in the field to protect what he cherished most—his family.
* * *
“LET’S GO FOR a walk,” Sara said to Everett, who was sniffling and red-faced. She spoke to him as if he was an adult. She often did that, speaking as if he understood the idea that walks often calmed him down. Her thought was to go to the hotel gift shop, maybe even a snack shop. Whatever stores were available here, she didn’t know, as she’d had no time to explore. She was like a prisoner within the opulence of her suite. Somehow she’d never thought her visit would turn out like this. For that was all it was, a visit. She hadn’t thought beyond that. It had been a flight of desperation, a cry for help that was turning out far different than she could ever have imagined. But she hadn’t changed plans, this trip had an end date—return tickets booked and no resolution to her problem in sight. She pushed that thought from her mind.
“We’ll go to the store,” she said. In all probability they would be stores selling high-end products and designer goods. Even that would be helpful. Oddly, Everett always liked shopping. He was distracted by all the different things he saw on the shelves. It often made it a challenge for her, but it was exactly what she needed now. She imagined that the shelves might be filled with expensive trinkets. Shiny things that would only cause her grief as he reached for them, but would, more importantly, provide a distraction for him.
“Cracker,” he demanded, waving his chubby hand. He hiccupped before bursting into a fresh bout of wails.
The fridge had been restocked, but crackers hadn’t been included. She could phone and they’d be brought up immediately, but that wasn’t the point.
She smiled at Everett and he snuffled and rubbed his eyes with the back of his fists. He was in a lull. Right now, his mood could go either way.
Five minutes later they reached the main floor without incident. There, the lobby was a pleasant surprise. The staff was courteous and willing to help, and directed her to a small snack shop that carried the animal crackers Everett loved. She also found a few shops that were entertaining enough for a small boy. She let Everett walk. She held his hand but her attention was fixed on everything around her. She watched for danger, trusted no one and paid attention to her environment. Someone had tried to kidnap Everett once and she wouldn’t let it happen again.
Twenty minutes later they were heading back to their room. It was a different elevator ride than their earlier one, where Everett had hiccupped and sobbed the entire descent to the main floor. Now, he was smiling and she had managed to relax somewhat although she would never—could never—tone down her vigilance.
She stepped out of the elevator and turned to her right, heading for their suite. She passed one door, the carpet no less soft and luxurious beneath her feet than it had been the first time.
Twelve feet from her room, she stopped.
“No,” she murmured.
“No,” Everett repeated with a smile.
“Shh,” she said as she put a finger to her lips and juggled him in one arm.
He nodded his head and smiled. He was slipping from her grip. She boosted him higher and his smile broadened. He put a finger to her lips.
She left his finger there, barely noticing. Instead her gaze was caught by what she saw in front of her. She took a step backward.
The door to her hotel suite was open.
She’d shut and locked it.
Her first thought was that it could be hotel staff.
She knew that didn’t fly even as she thought it. There was no reason for them to be checking her suite. The maids did the rounds in the morning and no maid visited their suite unless requested. One had yet to be requested.
Sara started to move backward, away from the suite, away from the possibility of a threat. She was being overly cautious, but considering everything that had happened, she wasn’t taking a chance.
She looked at Everett and winked while mouthing shush. She was grateful for the silly game she’d created in the hours they’d spent alone. She had taught Everett how to play spy, and how to be extra quiet while doing so. She’d done it because of all that was happening, just in case. But to the boy it was a fun game. Now his striking, light brown eyes sparked with the anticipation of playing his new favorite game and he clamped his lips with a tiny finger on them.
She shifted him in her arms. He was almost too heavy, but she had to soldier through. She couldn’t chance putting him down. Whoever had been in her room could still be there. She’d hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. From what she could see, it was still there. She had all her important papers with her, she always did. There was nothing for them to steal but the clothes, baby things and some cosmetics and toys that Talib had had delivered early yesterday.
Something scuffled, like a footstep sliding over paper, making it rustle, and it was coming from their suite. She remembered the newspaper that Andre had brought her earlier this morning. He had laid it on a small table by the door and only an hour ago, Everett had thrown it off. She didn’t remember picking it up, she’d been distracted and...
Her thoughts broke off.
She backed up faster, smiling at Everett, being careful not to frighten him. He was still clutching an animal cracker and seemed more fascinated by the fan that turned slowly over their head than what she was frightened of. She backed away from their suite quietly and headed for the fire exit. She’d slip down that way. The elevator wasn’t a thought. The last thing she needed to do was get trapped in an elevator or caught while waiting for one.
A bang behind them made her jump as it echoed down the hallway.
“Mama!” Everett squawked.
“Shh.” She was terrified that they’d been heard. Terrified that whoever was in the room would be out here in seconds, threatening them, snatching her son from her arms.
She turned and ran.
“No,” Everett cried as he was jostled in her arms.
“Shh.”
She glanced frantically over her shoulder and her worst fears were realized. There was a flash of movement, a bulky person, a man exiting their suite. There were seconds before he would see them, come after them. To her right was the fire alarm. Should she do it? It seemed rather extreme. She looked frantically behind her and now there was clearly no choice. Briefly she met the distant look of the man who was just leaving her room. It was clear now that he was wiry rather than bulky and it was also clear that he was a threat. He glared at her before he began to move in her direction. She didn’t wait to see the distance between them being eaten up. She couldn’t run as fast as him and carry Everett. She didn’t chance another look, but swung around and pulled the fire alarm.