Lexi sat on one of the cushioned wooden benches and watched Colton while he paced the small courtyard near the room where Sara treated Bret. On any other night, the swaying potted palm trees, sand-colored walls and colorful rugs lit by a row of lanterns would have been inviting. Even the cool breeze blowing in from the desert across the open space was the perfect temperature. But not tonight. Instead the tangible tension hanging in the air had become an unrelenting reminder that they might have escaped Salif’s men but their ordeal was not over.
Colton combed his fingers through his hair. “I keep thinking about how ironic it would be for Bret to survive being taken hostage in the middle of the Sahara by a group of insurgents only to die from a scorpion bite.”
Lexi shifted her seat, wishing she could reassure him that everything would be okay. “Don’t even go there, Colton—”
“I just wish I knew that he was going to survive this.” He stopped in front of her and caught her gaze in the yellow glow of the lanterns. “Becca—his wife—didn’t want him to come here. She was afraid something was going to happen to him. I just kept telling her to stop worrying. And then all of this happened.”
“And you somehow feel that it’s your fault,” she said, stating the obvious.
“Yes—”
“But it’s not.” She stood up in front of him and brushed her fingers against his forearm. “You didn’t cause any of this. If anything, you’re the hero. If you hadn’t risked your life to save Bret today, there’s no telling what those men would have done to him. To both of us.”
She could see the lingering reflection of guilt in his eyes. But it was more than that. The stress of the past few weeks were evident from the deep, furrowed lines across his forehead and the slight tinge of gray showing at his temple. Whether it was his fault or not, he clearly felt responsible.
He shoved his hands into his front pockets and shrugged. “Maybe you’re right, but I was the one who convinced him to come. My sister hates to travel, but Bret had always wanted to come to Africa. And for me...I wanted someone in my family to see where I was working and get a feeling of what it was like here on a day-to-day basis. I just never expected things to turn out like this.”
“That’s the thing. None of us ever expects tragedy. But even knowing that things do go wrong sometimes doesn’t mean we hide from life. Look at your own life. You haven’t exactly done that by coming here. And as for Bret, he could have been in a car wreck back home, or injured in a construction accident...”
His jaw tensed and he started pacing again. “Maybe, but I also know how hard this ordeal has been for Becca and Noah. If I don’t end up bringing him home now after everything he’s gone through...”
The wooden door behind them creaked open, pausing their conversation. A woman wearing a loose traditional dress in bright oranges and reds opened the door and motioned for them to come inside.
Lexi stepped inside behind Colton, then glanced around the room at the yellow painted walls. There were large windows, to catch the breeze she imagined, and large, colorful rugs on the tiled floor. The ceilings—built with several wooden beams—were at least seven feet tall. Bret lay sleeping on a bed in the middle of the room beneath a mosquito net that had been tied back. The only light came from two lanterns hanging beside the bed that left dark shadows in the corners of the room.
“How is he?” Colton asked, stepping beside the bed.
“Very weak, but his breathing is more regular, and I believe the pain has lessened. He finally fell asleep a few minutes ago.”
“So he’s going to be all right?”
She nodded. “He will need to rest and eat to gain his strength, but yes, there is no reason to believe he won’t recover completely.”
“What did you give him?” Colton asked.
Sara picked up a gourd the size of a small melon from a worn basket on the floor next to the bed. “It’s milky sap is often used by my people to treat scorpion bites.”
“What’s it called?” Lexi took the offered gourd from the woman and held it up to the light in front of her.
“We call it Alkhad. It is a desert plant. You can’t eat it, but it is good for healing and cleansing of the body.”
Lexi ran her fingers across the rough surface of the gourd, then handed it back to the older woman, curious to know more. But it wasn’t as if she could Google the name. Somehow the thought made her chuckle. Here they were in the middle of the Sahara, miles from any major town. The whole situation just seemed so unreal. Which was why laughing seemed better than crying.
Sara dropped the gourd back into the basket, then turned to Colton. “Issa told me he was taken by one of Salif’s men.”
“That’s who Issa believes is responsible. They kept him captive for almost two months.”
“That explains in part why he reacted more severely to the sting. His body is weaker than most. It is also why he needs rest. He will need to stay here for a few days in order for him to gain his strength back.”
Colton glanced at Lexi. “I’m not sure we can do that. We need to leave the country as soon as possible. Salif’s men are out there looking for us.”
Sara didn’t look convinced. “It would not be safe for him to travel. I’ve also given him something to help with the pain and to ensure he sleeps, but his body needs rest.”
“What can we do to help Bret in the meantime?” Lexi asked. They would have to discuss their options, but no one was going anywhere tonight.
“Get some rest yourselves,” she said. “I will stay with him tonight, though it is unlikely he will wake up. In the morning, I will have some rice and meat sauce prepared for when he wakes up. He should eat a small amount at first, slowly increasing. And he needs to drink, as well. In a few days, once his strength has begun to return, he should be ready to leave.”
In a few days?
She caught the shadow that crossed Colton’s face. What if they didn’t have a few days? What if Salif’s men managed to track them down here at the Kasbah or on the way to meet the plane?
Lexi turned around as Issa slipped into the room behind them. “How is he?”
“Still weak,” Colton said, “but Sara believes he will be fine after a few days of rest.”
“I knew Sara could help. Her traditional healing practices are known throughout the region.” Issa turned to Lexi. “And how are you feeling?”
“Tired, yet relieved to be here.”
Relieved to finally be safe.
She wondered how much time had passed since they’d snatched her. Thirty, forty hours? It seemed more like a blur of days instead. And as far as she knew, her family had no idea she’d been taken by Salif’s men. Her best friend Micah had to be wondering why she wasn’t answering her emails. With Micah’s wedding in less than a week, she knew her friend was probably wondering why she hadn’t heard from her. And then there was Trent. She had no idea where her brother was or if he had any intention of coming forward to the men who’d taken her.
“I have explained to them that he is too weak to travel,” Sara said.
Issa’s frown deepened. “I understand your concerns, Sara, and the three of you are welcome to stay as long as you need, but if Salif or his men were to try and search here...I’m not sure we could keep you safe.”
“Which is why we need to leave the country.” Colton turned to Lexi. “What do you think?”
She bit her lip, mulling over their limited options. “I agree that it doesn’t seem wise to stay here. Not when we know they are still looking for us. If your team could pick us up tomorrow, we could wait in Morocco a few days for him to recover.”
Issa nodded. “It’s a good option and probably less of a risk than staying here.”
“And while we’re there, I can try to track down Trent.”
Lexi hesitated at the comment. She’d purposely avoided dwelling on what her brother had supposedly done. Maybe it was partly because she still didn’t want to believe he’d knowingly put her in danger by coming to stay with her—causing her capture. But in her heart, she knew it was true. Which was why she needed to find him and make sure he made things right with the men after him. Surely someone at the embassy would have contacts and could check to see where he’d flown out of in the last forty-eight hours. Of course if he was running, he was going to be doing everything possible not to be found.
* * *
Colton caught the flicker of pain in Lexi’s expression. Bret had been abducted by strangers, but she’d been betrayed by her own brother. If a reunion with Trent did take place, it was going to be anything but happy.
“Lexi?” he said. “I know this is a different situation you’re facing with your brother—”
“I’m okay.” She nodded her head and lifted her chin slightly. “I’d rather not think about Trent right now. We just need to concentrate on making sure Bret gets well, and that we all get to safety. I’ll deal with what my brother did as soon as I can find him.”
“She’s right, Colton.” Issa clasped Colton’s forearm. “There’s really nothing more any of us can do here. Sara will stay with him while my wife has dinner prepared for us. So come with me. I’ll take you up to our apartment now.”
Colton and Lexi followed Issa through the darkened maze of tiny medieval passageways. With only a few lanterns and the light of the moon to guide their way along the uneven ground, they passed by whitewashed walls that were painted halfway up in a deep blue.
“A person could get lost in here,” Colton said as they took yet another turn.
“Kasbahs were originally built to be fortified cities. An enemy, even if he could breach the walls or perhaps one of the heavy wooden doors, would quickly get confused.”
“How long has your family lived here?” Lexi asked.
“I am the fourth generation. My great-grandfather lived here with his wives—
“Wives?” Lexi asked. “How many did he have?”
“I’m not even sure how many there were, but the long, narrow passages and dozens of rooms were built to do more than just keep out an adversary. It was also to keep all the wives separated,” Issa said. “I’m sure you can imagine what it was like for a man to have numerous families. Apparently it caused less problems if they didn’t have to see each other.”
Colton chuckled at the thought. As far as he was concerned, one wife was plenty. In fact, he found it hard to imagine how any man would even want to deal with more than one woman.
Not that he was interested in finding a wife.
He glanced at Lexi, who was keeping up beside him, clearly trying to take in everything around her. He ducked as Isaa led them up a windy, steep staircase that led to a flat roof and the smell of simmering vegetables and meat.
“This is where I live with my family. In the daytime, you can watch the desert for miles. Tonight it’s the stars that seem to go on forever,” Issa said.
“Wow.” Lexi walked to the half wall surrounding the space. He watched the wind blowing through her hair as she looked up at the sky and the brilliance of God’s masterpiece. “This is beautiful.”
“The meal is almost ready, but first I have something for you.” He picked up a small black box sitting in a cushioned alcove. “I thought you might want to call your family.”
“A satellite phone?” Lexi turned around.
“Surprised?” Issa asked.
“I admit I assumed we were too remote for things like this. Even in the city where I’ve been living, cell phone service is spotty at best in some of the places where I work.”
“It’s solar powered,” Issa said, “which means you can use it just about anywhere. And while there have been a few times when the atmosphere interferes with the reception, I’ve never been without service for long. You’d be amazed at how we are able to keep up with technology out here. Satellite television, phones. Last year I even joined Facebook.”
“I can’t tell you how grateful we are for your help,” Colton said, taking the phone and turning to Lexi. “Why don’t you call your father first? Even assuming he doesn’t know what has happened, you can let him know you’re well.”
She smiled at him as she took the phone, but he didn’t miss the shadow that crossed her face. Telling her father what had happened, along with the fact that her stepbrother was missing, wasn’t going to be easy.
“Dad...” she said, once the call had gone through. “It’s Lexi.”
Colton moved to the other side of the roof with Issa to give her some privacy.
“She’s a beautiful woman, though I’m assuming you already noticed?”
Colton looked up at the stars that seemed close enough to reach out and grab, surprised at Issa’s forwardness. “Yes.”
“You do know that a good woman is worth more than a hundred camels, don’t you?” Issa asked.
“Is that one of your tribe’s proverbs?” Colton asked, resting his elbows against the ledge and smiling at the comparison.
“No. Just what I’ve learned from experience. A wife who can cook a mouthwatering stew, keep her tongue from speaking lies and survive hardships by your side is worth her weight in gold, as I believe the English expression goes. Either way, I think for you, it would be hard to find a woman better than Lexi.”
“I barely know her,” Colton said, still grinning.
“That is true, but a woman who leaves her home and travels in order to help others must have an extraordinary heart. Besides that, it would seem that the two of you have quite a few things in common.”
He couldn’t argue, except he wasn’t looking for a relationship. He glanced across the rooftop to where she was talking animatedly. Of course if he were looking, he’d definitely want someone like Lexi.
“Colton?”
Lexi walked toward him. He shook off the attraction he admittedly felt. Hadn’t he learned his lesson with Maggie?
“Did your father know?” he asked.
She nodded. “One of my coworkers who saw me taken called him a few hours ago and told him what had happened. But of course the details were sketchy and no one really knew what had happened. To say that he was relieved to hear my voice is an understatement.”
Her hands shook as she gave him the phone.
“Are you okay?” he asked, catching her gaze.
She clenched her fingers tight and pulled her hands against her sides. “Yeah, I guess... It’s just that when I told him what happened it seemed so real. And on top of that, I suppose, it made me realize how fortunate I am that I’m here and alive.”
“I can’t stop thinking about that, as well. Despite all the continuing issues.”
He felt again the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her that she was okay. That he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that the men who took her never had a chance to come near her again. Instead he took a step back and drew in a deep breath.
“He promised to get in touch with my coworkers and let them know I’m okay,” she said.
“And your brother?” Colton asked, wondering if he should broach the subject. “Has he heard from him?”
She shook her head. “Not in several days. He has no idea where he might be.”
“Okay. Then I’ll call Becca and let her know what’s going on.”
Colton dialed his sister’s number, then waited for the call to go through. He glanced out across the endless sea of desert beneath the moonlight. It was remarkable he was able to even make this phone call. Especially since this was the moment he’d been praying for the past few weeks. The chance to call Becca and tell her that the nightmare was almost over.
“Hello?”
“Becca, it’s Colton. I’m still in Africa...” There was static on the line. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes... Colton...but Bret—”
“I’m with him now,” Colton said, debating how much information to give Becca.
“He’s with you?”
“The plan worked. He’s safe.”
All she really needed to know was that Bret was alive and going to be all right. Everything else—the plane crash, the scorpion sting and the fact that the men who took him were still out there looking for him—would only make her worry more. “Long story short, we’re at a Kasbah in the middle of the desert, planning to fly out in the morning.”
“I thought you were flying straight to Morocco today?” she asked.
“There have been a few...complications, which means it might take us a day or two longer to get home, but we’re on our way.”
Even with the static he could tell she was crying. “Becca, what’s wrong?”
There was a long pause on the line.
“What if he’s still not safe? What if Noah and I aren’t safe?”
“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“I received a phone call a couple hours ago from the same men who first demanded the ransom. The two million dollars they asked for...they still want it. And if they don’t get it in the next forty-eight hours they threatened to come after Noah and I here in the States.”