Edge of Courage (Edge Security Series Book 5) (24 page)

S
arah sat
in the conference room and stared at the monitor Charlie had set up for her and Dylan. It had been a week since she’d declared her love for Dylan and she’d treasured every minute of it.

“They should be coming on line in a moment,” Charlie said. “I’ll leave you guys alone.”

“Do you think she’s okay?” Sarah said after Charlie had left.

Dylan snorted. “Who would have thought you were such a marshmallow inside?”

She punched his arm. “Don’t go telling my secret to anyone.”

Dylan grinned. “Not me, Agent Ice. I live to serve.”

The nickname no longer wounded her. And she smiled at the gorgeous man who leaned toward her. “Sounds promising.”

His kiss took her breath as always and she willingly lost herself in the heat that engulfed her.

“
Qobla?
” A young girl’s laughter filled the room.

She and Dylan broke apart, though Dylan kept an arm around her shoulders. Jalila sat facing her monitor from the refugee camp in Iraq.

“Jalila? It’s so good to see you,” Sarah said in Arabic. And it was. Jalila had lost the thinness in her cheeks in the past month, and had gained some weight back. Her smile was bright.

Sarah and Jalila chatted about the refugee camp. Jalila and her sister waited to be reunited with their aunt and uncle who lived outside of the war zone.

“Soon we will be with our family,” Jalila said. “Thank you, Sarah. Thank you both.”

Sarah’s heart twisted at the thought of never seeing Jalila again. This girl who’d taught her to open herself up to Dylan and to love.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Dylan squeezed her shoulders. “They’ll be okay,” he said to her in English before looking at Jalila. “It was great to see you, but it’s time to say good-bye, kid.”

“F-uck,” Jalila responded.

Dylan rolled his eyes and Sarah laughed. After they said their good-byes, Dylan gave her a short kiss. “It’s good to see you smile.”

Joy blossomed inside Sarah. The girls were safe and somehow this wondrous man loved her.

Loved
her
.

Her smile widened. “Let’s go home.”

A
s-salamu alaykum
:
an Arabic/Islamic greeting. “Peace be unto you.” (Pronounced as-salam-u-alay-koom)

Wa-alaikum salaam:
the appropriate response to the above greeting. “And upon you be peace.”

Insha’Allah
: God willing

Jazak’ Allahu khair:
may Allah reward you for the good – an expression of thanks.

Adhan:
call to prayer

al-Khansa
Brigade: female unit of morality police

Ayreh Feek:
fuck you

Chay
: tea

Da’esh:
derogatory Arabic name for ISIS

Dishdasha:
men’s traditional long garment.

Fatah
: girl (sounds like fetah)

Hajji Badah
: Cardamon cookie

Hisbah:
morality police

Istikan
: small glass cup used for tea.

Kafir:
infidel, disbeliever

Kleicha
: a cookie where date paste is enveloped in a flaky, buttery dough

Kuffar:
infidel

Kufi
: short brimless cap worn by men (skullcap).

Mahram:
male guardian of a female when she goes out. Either a family member or a husband.

Mehr:
the payment (dowry) a groom pays to the bride in a Muslim marriage

Nikah:
Muslim wedding

Qahwa:
coffee

Qobla:
kiss

Rakats
: refers to a single unit of Islamic prayers. Each daily prayer has a different number of obligatory rakats.

Sabaya:
slave (war booty/captured women)

Sadiq:
friend

Shukraan:
thank you

Ta-aal:
come out

Tosbeheena ‘ala khair:
goodnight

Ya Sharmouta:
you bitch

E
dge of Control
- Book 1

Edge of Reason
- Book 2

Edge of Danger
- Book 3

Edge of the Season
- Book 4 - A Holiday Novella

C
oming Soon
!

Edge of Honor - Book 6 - Fall 2016

T
hank
you so much for reading Edge of Courage. It means so much to an author to be able to share their stories with others. If you enjoyed mine then I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy the book too. You can do this by telling a friend, or writing a review on either Amazon or Goodreads.

C
ontact
Me

I love getting email from readers. Please feel free to contact me.
[email protected]

N
ewsletter

If you want more of the E.D.G.E. Security series then sign up for my
newsletter
(click here)
to stay up to date on new releases. Or you can go to my web site.
www.trishloye.com

T
here are
as always so many people to thank.

This story wouldn’t have seen the light of day without the fine editing skills of Tiffany Yates Martin and Jen Blood, and copy-editing by Faith Williams.

This story took much longer to write and edit than previous stories. I have to thank my besties Elena Aitken, Steena Holmes, and Daire St. Denis. Without their words of encouragement, I wouldn’t have hit publish on this book.

As always my husband Patrick makes the list. Thanks for threatening to burn my Writer T-shirts. I needed to hear that.

And a huge thanks to my readers. Your emails and nice reviews keep me going. I am so thrilled that my stories are engaging for you. Without you, I wouldn’t be following my dream. Thank you!