Heroes Never Die (19 page)

“I don’t see why not.  But you will need an escort.  And you are not permitted to talk to men!”

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” she assured him, willing to promise anything for her freedom.

“After breakfast, I want to have sex with you.  Then you are free to go.”

Waves of nauseating pain ripped through
Stephanie’s insides.  She pushed her cereal bowl away and held her stomach.  She felt sick enough to vomit again.

“Come now,” he scolded.  “You can’t put me off forever.”

I’m sure going to try, she thought as she forced a pleasant smile.

The phone rang, but Abdullah ignored it.  He seemed eager to go to the bedroom.  His servant brought him the phone.  “It is your brother,” he announced in Arabic.  Abdullah took the phone.  His brother’s timing left much to be desired.

Stephanie listened to Abdullah’s end of the conversation.  “Tareef,” Abdullah answered, speaking in Arabic.  “How is it with you?”

Abdullah lowered his brow.  “If you are referring to my new wife, I already told you she is harmless.  And when we return, I expect you to accept her as
a member of the royal household.”

“Very well then…I have yet to give my bride her wedding gift.  Do me the favor of contacting our broker in Switzerland.  Tell him I want an emerald necklace – something unique.”
  Abdullah was silent for a moment.  Stephanie wondered what Tareef had said that upset him.  “How big is the reservoir?” he finally asked.  Abdullah’s face flushed with anger.  “I will not let the United States get away with this,” he threatened.  “Tell the Russian ambassador that his troops are free to occupy our air base.  I want the American forces surrounded on all sides.”  Stephanie’s insides screamed with alarm.  His brutal stand had just become deadly.

Visibly disturbed, Abdullah put the phone on the table.  Stephanie already knew her opinion wouldn’t be considered credible, but she still felt compelled to persuade him to at least keep his air base neutral.  “Something wrong?” she asked, hoping he would talk openly to her.

“Plenty,” he bellowed as he bolted toward the living room.

Stephanie followed him.  “Is there anything I can do?”

“Huh,” he mocked.  “You’re a woman.  What can you do?”

She graciously ignored the insult.  “I can listen.”

“I have decided to give the Russians control of my air base.”

She knew it was coming, and yet, she was shocked.  “You can’t do that,” she argued.  “Your decision will cause the United States to lose the war.”

“That’s exactly what I want to happen,” he yelled.

His hostility was alarming.  “But why?  The United States has never done anything to hurt you.”

“Your country has done more than enough to hurt me.  They made a secret deal with Israel to control the world’s supply of oil, all while coyly playing up to me so that I would allow them to occupy my air base.  And I promise, America is going to pay for trying to destroy me.”

“You have it all wrong, Abdullah.  The United States is honorable in all of its dealings with other nations.  She would never try to destroy you.”

“Then you have been brainwashed.  America is my enemy, and the day we defeat her is the day my country will have a great celebration.”

He had just made a hostile statement against her country, and
Stephanie was going to fight back.  “You are wrong if you think the United States can be defeated.  The United States is a peace loving, tolerant nation, but if you back her into a corner, she’ll come against you like a ball of fire from hell.”

“That’s enough!” he thundered.

“It’s not enough until I’m through saying what I have to say!” she yelled.

Abdullah pulled back his arm and slammed his powerful fist into Stephanie’s face.  She toppled to the floor, moaning with pain.  Blood poured from her nose and mouth.  Then the light in the room darkened.

“Get up and go to the bedroom,” he growled.  “And stay there until I decide what to do with you.”  His voice sounded like distant thunder rumbling from the next room.

Stephanie struggled to pull herself to her feet.  Her crisp white blouse was stained red.  She cupped her hand over her mouth to catch the blood and staggered to bedroom.  She held onto the wall for support as she made her way to the bathroom.  Blood spattered the sink.  She soaked a cloth with cold water and pressed it against her torn mouth.  She stared at her reflection in the mirror.  Her cheek was branded with an imprint of
Abdullah’s hand and her eye was already swollen and bruised.  She dropped to the floor and squeezed the cloth over her mouth to muffle her screams.  She had never been so violated in all her life and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

Chapter Eighteen:

The next morning, Stephanie was still being kept isolated in the bedroom.  Abdullah had not made any attempt to talk to her, but with two other wives along to keep him satisfied, he could keep her locked up for as long as he wanted.
  She dressed for the day in an ivory-colored silk blouse and a navy linen skirt, and then she stretched out across the bed and held a cold cloth over the side of her face.  Her jaw was so swollen and bruised that it hurt to open her mouth, but the real pain came from her feeling of helplessness.  She wondered whether Kyle was trying to come up with a plan to save her.  It would be impossible to slip her a weapon, but they might send someone else to make the hit and rescue her at the same time.  She had not heard from Marcus, and even if he had tried to call, Abdullah would not permit her to talk to him.  She had no idea what was going on, and the thought crossed her mind that she had been forgotten.  All she could do was wait and hope that help arrived before she was forced to return to Saudi Arabia.

Stephanie suddenly heard laughter coming from the beach.  Laughter – she had almost forgotten how wonderful it sounded.  She pulled herself up from the bed and walked outside onto the terrace.  She looked down at the beach and saw some men playing a challenging game of volleyball in the white sand.  She leaned against the railing and watched the game, and for a moment she was able to ignore the pain of being trapped inside someone else’s world.

As one of the players jumped into the air to slam the ball, he caught a glimpse of Stephanie standing on the terrace.  The ball flew over his head, but the miss never fazed him.

One of the men cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled up to her.  “What’s your name?”

Stephanie analyzed the situation.  She wondered whether he could help her off of the island, but if she was caught talking to him, she would be severely punished.

“Can you hear me?” the man yelled.  Stephanie discreetly nodded.  “Then tell me your name.”

The man continued to press Stephanie for her name.  “My name is Rudy.  What’s yours?”  Stephanie wanted to tell him she needed help, but if she yelled down to him, it would attract unwanted attention.

“Don’t be shy,” Rudy persisted.  “Come down here so I can get to know you.”

Abdullah suddenly stormed out onto the terrace, catching Stephanie by surprise.  He grabbed her arm and shoved her back inside.  Terrified that he would strike her again, Stephanie slid down the wall and buried her head under her arms.  Abdullah reached down for her arm and jerked her to her feet.  “Don’t hit me,” she screamed, still holding her arms over her head.

Abdullah shook her shoulders with brute force.  “Didn’t I warn you not to talk to men?”

“I didn’t say a word to them,” she cried.  “I swear I didn’t.”

“You were flirting with them,” he accused.

“No,” she cried even harder, bracing herself for another blow.  “I was watching them play volleyball.”

Abdullah grabbed her hair and jerked her head loose from her arms.  He pulled her head backward and raised his powerful fist to strike
her, but his fist froze mid-air and he slowly lowered his arm.  “Don’t ever disobey me again,” he warned as he gently touched her bruised cheek with his huge hand.  Her body trembled beneath his touch.  His fanatical shifts in behavior were confusing.  She was beginning to feel as crazy as he was.

“We are leaving for Saudi Arabia tomorrow,” he announced.  “Once you are around other Saudi women, it will be easier for you to learn our ways.”

He had just sentenced her to a life worse than death.  “But I thought you were going to allow me to cover the election results.”

“I am anxious to negotiate a formal agreement with Russia.  Your editor will have to send someone else.”

“But, but,” she sputtered, knowing she had to escape.  “We just got here, and you promised I could go shopping.”

“And I will keep my promise.  I will take you myself.  You can buy whatever makes you happy.”

Stephanie’s torn mouth quivered with a nervous smile.  “Does that mean your guards will be with us?”

“You should be used to them by now,” he said.  “Go dry your eyes while I make the arrangements for the day.”

Stephanie’s eyes followed him out of the room.  His guards would shoot her if she tried to run away, but guards or no guards, she had to find a way to escape.

Chapter Nineteen:

It was difficult to concentrate on all of the lovely bottles of perfume the sales clerk had set on the counter when the only thing Stephanie could think of was how she was going to escape.  She looked out of the large window of the quaint perfumery in the shopping district and noticed a dumpster near the alley next to the store.  She just needed to excuse herself to the restroom, hope it had a window to crawl through, and then hide in the dumpster until it was safe.  It was far from ideal, but it was her only hope.

Abdullah encouraged her to try every scent.  He was desperately trying to make amends, and if she had asked for the entire store, he would have gladly bought it for her.

Stephanie glanced at the three guards standing behind her.  Then she looked out of the window again to see whether the dumpster was hidden from their view.  She noticed a beggar trudging by the window.  His shoulders were slouched, his clothes were tattered and dirty, and his hair was unkempt.  Somehow though, he looked strangely familiar.  The beggar stopped and peered through the window at her with sad eyes.  She almost lost her composure.  The beggar was Zach.  Then he disappeared.

Stephanie jerked her focus away from the window and tried to remain calm.  Another man appeared in the corner of her eye, and she looked toward the window to see who he was.  His back was to her, but again his form was familiar.  He was dressed in tourist attire, but he looked more like he was going to a Hawaiian luau.  He bought a newspaper from the machine on the sidewalk and turned toward the window with his face hidden behind the newspaper.  He casually glanced up to see if Stephanie had noticed him.  She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.  The tourist was Matt.

Matt discreetly nodded to let her know that something was about to go down.  Then he leaned against the newspaper machine and read his paper.

Abdullah made a sizeable purchase, and a servant carried all of the shopping bags to the waiting limousine.  Then one of the guards stepped out to the sidewalk and positioned himself between the tourist and the door.  Stephanie walked outside next.  Before Abdullah and the other two guards had a chance to exit, Matt rattled his newspaper to signal Zach to make his move.  The noise distracted the single guard, and he turned and glared at Matt.  Zach jumped out from the side of the building and bolted toward Stephanie, knocking her down and snatching her purse as he did, and then he bolted toward the alley to get away.  The guard spun around and saw the beggar running away with the sultana’s purse.  He raised his weapon and aimed to fire.

Matt quickly jumped to Zach’s rescue.  “I’ll get him,” he shouted as he ran after Zach, thro
wing his newspaper into the air and scattering the pages to create another distraction.  Stephanie created another disturbance by crying out with pain.  Abdullah stepped outside with a look of confusion.  He reached for her hand and helped her to her feet.  Her palms were scraped and bleeding.  By the time the other two guards stepped outside, the scene was muddled in chaos.

Matt headed straight for Stephanie to return her purse, but a guard cut him off.  The guard took her purse and handed it to Stephanie.  Her purse felt about three pounds heavier.  She was holding her weapon.

Abdullah began to shout orders in Arabic.  Then he pointed in the direction where Zach had run.  Two guards raced off to apprehend Zach, but Matt instantly distracted them to allow Zach to get away.  “Wait!” he shouted.  The guards came to a halt.  “Don’t I get a reward or something?”

“How much do you want?” Abdullah asked as though he were offended by the request.

Matt stalled for time until he knew that Zach was safe.  “I don’t want money,” he finally said, pretending to be stupid.  “But your daughter sure is pretty.  I’d like to take her out on a date.”

Abdullah’s eyes flared with anger.  A guard rammed the butt of his weapon into Matt’s gut, knocking him to the ground.  Abdullah took Stephanie by the arm and quickly led her away.  Two guards followed them, and one stayed behind and held his weapon on Matt.  Stephanie turned around to see if Matt was safe.  He stared into the barrel and then held up his hands.  “Relax, buddy, I was planning
to have her home by midnight.”