The Colonel's Daughter (21 page)

* * * * *

Chapter Nine

Dallas stood inside the mud-walled operations center. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and clenched the satellite phone.

“General, I know where Abby is. She wrote me an email.”

“Look son, this situation has spilled over and fallen into the hands of other government agencies. It’s beyond my control now. I can’t send you anywhere without a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit.”

“Yes sir.” Dallas’s voice was toneless.

“Here’s what I can do for you, Dallas. I’m going to grant you an emergency leave. Go and do whatever you need to do. But you’re on your own son.”

“Thank you sir.” Dallas’s chin quivered.

* * * * *

Dinner was served in the blue dining room surrounded by walls framed in gold. Abby looked around the long table that was positioned low to the ground. She was surrounded by strangers speaking in Arabic. She examined the shimmering crystals on the chandelier.
What if the Indian ladies are right? What if I’m pregnant?
She thought.

“My darling, tell me what’s on your mind. It’s not becoming of a lady to just stare blankly.” Maurice took a bite of his steak.

Abby clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes. She thought about Dallas. She yearned for his email. She faked an animated face. “Maurice, I was thinking about our wedding. I really want the three ladies that are assigned to my living quarters, to be there.”

“Of course they will be there. They will help dress you. They’re your servants. You forget you will be living like royalty.”

“I didn’t forget.” She stuttered. “I want them to be like my bridesmaids.”

“You want servants to be your bridesmaids?”

“They’re my friends.”

“You don’t make friends with the help, absolutely not.”

“Then who will be my bridesmaids?”

“Sabrina and Simone.”

“Your lovers? That is so tacky Maurice, really.”

“You will not speak to me that way at the dinner table.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I really loved that boutique and I wanted to go back to pick out some bridesmaid dresses.”

“Very well you can go tomorrow and take Sabrina and Simone with you.”

“Will you be going with us?”

“I will be busy planning our desert safari. We are going to have a traditional Bedouin style dinner by moonlight in celebration of our engagement.”

“We’re going out to the desert?”

“We are going to take an overnight trip and you can experience the sunset with me from the camp. I can be a romantic guy you know.”

“But Maurice you know that I haven’t been feeling well. What if I get sick out there in the sand? Can’t you postpone the trip a little longer? Please Maurice.”

“No. This is a special trip for us. Plus I’m looking forward to the sand surfing and the belly dancers.” He spoke to the men at the table in Arabic and they all laughed and grunted and laughed some more.

“If I may be excused, I want to go and tell Sabrina and Simone about our trip to the Boutique.”

Maurice gripped Abby’s wrist. “You may be excused. You may go to your Boutique tomorrow but if you so dare as to attempt an escape.” He exhaled. “It will break my heart but I will kill you. I have people watching closely. You will not get far from me in this city. Is that understood?”

Abby averted her eyes and nodded.

* * * * *

The lights dimmed in first class and a flight attendant handed Dallas an extra pillow. He reclined his seat and refreshed the page on his laptop. While massaging his forehead with his fingertips he noticed an incoming message. It was from a good friend from the department of Information Technology. He had traced Abby’s email to an IP address coming from a store in Dubai Mall. He thanked his contact and gave his eyes a rest.

Suddenly his satellite phone buzzed. Keeping his eyes closed, he switched on the headset.

“Yeah?” Dallas’s voice was monotone.

Javi’s voice echoed. “I’m in NY already. I’ll be on the next flight out to Dubai.”

“Javi, I just got a location for the IP address on the email.”

“You sound like you’re half asleep man. We can talk later.”

“I haven’t slept in three days bro.” Dallas yawned.

“Yeah, I hear ya.”

“How are Jasmine and the kid doing?”

“I put all their stuff in a U Haul and drove it down to Miami. Jasmine was too scared to stay in Tampa. I’m buying her a house on the beach. Hey remember Sgt. Louie?”

“Yeah, I remember the Sarge. He was always bragging about how you saved his life.”

“When I was stuck in that spider hole with Louie, he’s not much of a talker but he was shitting bricks…and he said if I got us out of there alive, he would give me his house in Miami Beach. I wasn’t gonna take his house, bro. But he kept saying, even a lifer needs a place to getaway. So I called him up yesterday and offered to pay him cash and he gave me a good deal.”

“I thought Louie lived in Boston?”

“He does. He had the Miami Beach house up for rent so I moved Jasmine and Samantha in there.”

“Listen to you…Captain Santos is settling down?” Dallas chuckled.

* * * * *

The boutique was filled with women dressed in black gowns. Samira escorted Abby and her two companions towards to the large fitting area in the back.

Abby fidgeted with her fingernails. “Samira, first I would like to take a look at the selection you have on the computer.”

“Absolutely Abigail, I will be right back.”

Simone grabbed Sabrina by the hand and they both trotted over to a glass display of twenty-four karat gold jewelry.

“Abby, why don’t you come over here? This is what we want.”

Abby approached Sabrina and helped her tuck a strand of her blonde hair into her head covering.

“How do you continue to stay with Maurice after he hurt you that way? I saw your face the other night, Sabrina.”

“That is none of your business. You’re only saying that because you want Maurice to yourself. Well you’re the one that needs to get out of the picture.” Her squinted eyes traveled up and down Abby. “Simone and I have no idea what he sees in you.”

A skeletal Samira set up her laptop at the coffee table, in front of the lounging chairs, in the fitting room.

“Samira,” Abby motioned, “My bridesmaids would like to pick out some jewelry. They can get whatever they want. I’m sure Maurice won’t mind.”

“Of course, let me show you two our most exquisite collection.”

Abby quickly logged into her email and gasped. Dallas had responded. Her pulse accelerated and she drew short breaths. She clicked on the reply button.

Tomorrow we are going on a desert safari. We are going to have a traditional Bedouin style dinner by moonlight and we’ll camp over night in the tents. Maurice also mentioned sand surfing. There is a company that holds this type of tour.

He keeps propositioning me. If I don’t sleep with him, he’s going to kill me. I’m scared Dallas.

She quickly closed the browser and deleted browsing history.

“I found the dresses.” Abby enlarged the picture of the first bridesmaid model she saw.

* * * * *

Dallas wandered around the boutique dressed in jeans and a white-collar shirt. He looked at the face of every woman that wore a black gown.

Staring at Dallas, Samira tapped her cheek with her bony finger. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for a woman.”

“I’m sorry but the women that come into my shop are all taken.”

Dallas smiled. “Her name is Abigail.”

“And you think I’m going to tell you about another man’s bride to be? I think you need to get out of here before I call the authorities.” Samira crossed her arms.

“Listen to me…Abigail has been in your shop. She’s in a lot of danger. It’s very important that I find her.”

“Really? You think I don’t watch the news. I know who you are cowboy.” She lifted her penciled eyebrow.

“Then you must know that Maurice is a dangerous criminal. And I need to get to Abigail before he kills her.”

“The brides who shop at my boutique are very happy women. If there was any one in distress coming here, I would know.” She looked at Dallas from head to toe. “And why would I tell you?”

“Alright,” Dallas hung his head and exhaled. “Here’s my number if you happen to change your mind.” His smile was tight-lipped as he stepped outside the boutique and paced. He went up the escalator for a bird’s-eye view. With his elbow on the second-floor glass railing, he leaned forward watching the people as they entered and exited the boutique.

Abby glanced at the shimmering necklace around Simone’s neck. “That looks so pretty on you Simone. I would definitely want you to wear that beautifully intricate piece with your bridesmaid dress.” Abby strained her eyebrows.

In the fitting room, Samira opened her thin arms and purred as she admired a dressed up Abby and the two concubines. “Oh, you three ladies look magnificent. I absolutely adore weddings. Abigail, your face is glowing.” She put her emaciated fingers on Abby’s chin. “Don’t let anything get in the way of this tremendously happy occasion.” She patted Abby’s chin.

Dallas rubbed his blood shot eyes. He straightened his shoulders and observed two men strut into the boutique. He studied their physique concealed by their long white garment and headdress.

Loud garbled sounds coming from a different group of men in long robes caught his attention. He noticed two police officers among the crowd and moved behind the emergency exit. He slowly peered around the wall and saw them walking briskly in his direction.
Don’t tell me that woman called the police. What the hell can she accuse me of doing? This can turn out to be a nightmare-waste of valuable time
, he thought.

He peered around the wall to check on the boutique entrance. He focused on three women in dark gowns exiting with the two males. Suddenly he was shoved back by a teenage boy who ran into him on his way to the stairwell. Dallas reacted by pinning the boy against the wall scraping his back.

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down, alright?” The smell of musk forced Dallas to exhale coughing.

“Let me go man.” The boy flipped his black hair uncovering an eye.

“You speak English?” Dallas loosened his grip.

“Yeah, now let me go, man. They’re after me.”

“What’d you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Listen kid, they’re yelling something out there. What are they saying?”

“I don’t know man. I think they saw me kiss my girlfriend.”

“Is that it?”

“Yeah man. They’re strict as hell here. They got it in for me already, though. They busted me last week for wearing shorts.”

Dallas chuckled and released his grip. The boy bolted down the stairs as the group trotted after him. Dallas staggered around the wall searching for the three women he had seen leaving the boutique. He leaned over to examine the mall’s ground level then pounded his fist against the railing.

Abby waited in the Rolls Royce as she listened to Sabrina and Simone arguing over a dropped shopping bag. Maurice’s men filled the trunk while trying to quiet the women. Abby looked out her window and noticed a young boy hiding behind her door. He looked at her and pressed his finger to his lips.

Suddenly her driver pushed the boy aside yelling, “Hemshi, hemshi!”

While driving away, Abby’s eyes followed the boy as he crouched behind a black BMW.

Dallas trotted down the stairs and into the parking lot while on his satellite phone. “What’s up Javi? You landed. When do I pick you up?”

Javi’s voice came on the line. “Dallas, before you pick me up. I need you to tell me that you did not find a single pick-up truck in this entire city.”

“I’ll have you know they’re the best choice to drive over the sand dunes they got here. And you underestimate me brother. I have contacts of my own you know. I could’ve found a pick-up truck if I had wanted to. You forget that I got a distant cousin who’s a commercial pilot for the UAE. But for your sake Javi I’m using my cousin’s BMW.”

“Who the hell’s going to be driving over sand dunes? They got highways Dallas. Just come pick me up man.”

Dallas scrambled for the car key in his pocket and heard thump. He circled the black BMW and saw the teenage boy hunkering down.

“Listen kid, they stopped looking for you. They were just trying to scare you. Now go home.”

“I’m waiting for my dad.”

“Well get out of the way then.”

“Why? This is my dad’s car.”

“Your dad? No this is my cousin, William’s car.”

“William Moor?” The boy asked as he stood up.