Ally sat in the chair Shariff slid out for her and watched him set the cups for the tea. With Alyah and the child safely off the property, the path she couldn’t see before had emerged. Hope fluttered its wings deep within her stomach. Farah had the ring. Eddie would find his sister and the baby and get them to a safe place, even if it killed him in the process. Reviewing the mental checklist of lives relieved the heavy weight she carried. Now the only thing she needed to do was to keep herself alive. She eyed the man pouring her chai. That required convincing him she cared.
She stared at the plate of food in front of her and picked up an orange colored sweet and showed it to him. “Ledus were your brother’s favorite.”
The steam of the fresh tea swirled up when Shariff poured her a cup. “Must run in the family. It’s mine and my father’s, too.”
She returned it to the plate. “He smashed one on my face. It was the moment he told me he killed Umber.” She looked over Shariff. “One of the boys he’d adopted.”
Shariff paused mid-pour before topping off his cup with the sweet cream drink.
“I’ve detested them ever since,” she said.
He sat beside her and squeezed her knee.
She reached for her tea and took a sip. A warm mix of sweet cream, cardamom, and a hint of ginger exploded in her mouth. “Was your big brother like your father?”
His smile faltered as he looked out in the distance. “Unfortunately, yes, which is why I would sneak away and wander the grounds whenever either was around. They were both arseholes.”
“And when I meet the asshole today, what am I supposed to do?”
He nodded and grabbed a snack from the plate. “You’re a bit of a miracle to him. Up until a few months ago, the world believed you died in the explosion. And now here you are, a survivor of the unsurvivable.”
Their chairs were positioned so close to each other that when he leaned back, his knee hit hers. “He wants to know if his precious son survived as well.”
Ally grabbed a banana from the pile. “And you want me to…?”
He smiled and pressed his hand to his chest. “Rip his heart out piece by piece.”
She peeled down the protective layer of the fruit. “I do that by telling him I murdered his son.”
Shariff grabbed a slice of apple from the plate and bit into it. “Yes.”
He left out the part where his father would then proceed to kill her. She took a bite of the sweet, white meat and forced it down her throat. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to rip his heart out. Risked your life, your freedom to please him. A man who sent you away at six years of age and never looked back until you were valuable enough for him to care about.”
Shariff reached over, grabbed the orange ledu, and popped the entire thing in his mouth. “And it will all be worth it,” he mumbled through his food.
“From the way you describe her, your mother wasn’t like him. Which means you don’t need to be like him either.” Ally took another bite of her breakfast and pretended not to notice the way he tensed.
He laughed and grabbed his teacup. “And that served her well, didn’t it?”
“It gave her you.” She turned and watched him finish off the drink. “Do you really think your brother’s and father’s lives turned out better? Love is a powerful force, Shariff. It’s what makes this life worth living and dying for. Look at Sayeed. There wasn’t a soul on this planet who loved him.”
“Not true. There is a soul who loved him. Still loves him.” He waved at the driveway. “Speak of the devil.”
The motors of the gate buzzed as it opened a second time. She tensed until she saw the servants walking down the path to the house.
He reached for her free hand in her lap and weaved his cold fingers through her clammy ones. “Getting nervous, are we?”
“I’m supposed to confess to murdering Sayeed, and we both know your father will then kill me. I think I’m allowed to be nervous.”
She watched the people downstairs while he laughed. The woman in floral yellow met the group of servants and gave them their morning orders, rushing them to start their work because Shariff’s father would arrive very soon. “You still haven’t told me what else you want me to do.”
“Nothing more. You’ve already done the rest,” he said. Ally stiffened when Shariff squeezed her knee. “Have you met Parsa?”
She raised a questioning brow at him. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.
He pointed his cup at the woman in yellow below. “She has been with my family since I was a baby.”
“I’ve seen her around but no.”
“She mentioned you paid Bhaabi a visit yesterday, and how the poor woman’s been nervous ever since.”
Ally felt his eyes probing her, scanning for a reaction. She kept her features as relaxed as possible.
His grip on her palm tightened. “The odd part was after your chat with Bhaabi, she asked Parsa to schedule a car and driver. Any reason why she would do such a thing?”
Her body chilled. Ally shrugged and took another bite of her banana.
“Alyah doesn’t speak English.” His brows lowered. “Do you by any chance speak Urdu?”
“Not a word.” She tossed the peel on the table. “I think my presence makes her jumpy.” She smiled. “After all, I was dead to her until a few days ago.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Of course.” He rose from his seat and poured her and himself another serving of chai. “The problem was finding someone who would come so early.”
Ally stared at her drink, her fingers digging into her skin.
“Fortunately, I called a friend of mine to drive them.” He picked up his cup and looked over at her. “Do you remember the man who met you in the German airport?”
Her heart pulsed inside her ears as his words sunk in.
His phone rang. Shariff pulled it out and glanced at the screen as he talked to her. “Well, he happened to be in town and was kind enough to drive her, which means you’re off the hook. Your third task of getting rid of Alyah Bhaabi is being completed as we speak.” He rose to his feet and flashed her the still ringing device. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”
Getting rid of Alyah Bhaabi? Numb, Ally stayed in her seat long after he’d left the balcony. The sound of the gates started up again. She rose to her feet and walked to the barrier. The same car, which drove away with Alyah and Aadam pulled into the drive and parked. Bashar climbed out of the driver’s seat. She grabbed the railing for support at the sight of him. He looked up at her and smiled before opening the back passenger door.
The world began to spin around her and her knees weakened. She leaned against the barrier for support. Parsa rushed to the vehicle. She reached in and lifted Aadam out of the car. The boy wrapped his little arms around her neck and his legs around her waist. His tiny voice filled the courtyard as he talked about his trip.
Ally scanned the vehicle for additional passengers, her pulse rising each time she found nothing.
“Chacha! I ate ice cream for breakfast!” Aadam squealed.
Shariff wandered onto the driveway and took the happy child into his own arms.
While the child described his early morning treat, the car drove away.
“Sara Mommy,” the child waved.
Unable to respond, Ally helplessly watched Shariff carry the child inside as two other cars pulled up. Doors opened and their occupants exited. The first man to climb out caught her attention and made it impossible for her to look away.
Razaa.