Stolen by the Sheik (Black Towers Book 2) (9 page)

N
ayo couldn’t help
the uneasy feeling he felt as he positioned himself next to Liv on the couch. He could practically feel her hurt and confusion and wished there was something he could do to ease her shock. Deema and Vi took the love seat opposite them and snuggled together like long-time lovers.

“Things are different in our country,” Deema said as she took Vi’s hand. “Women do not have a right to choose their husbands.”

“Or chose not to have a husband at all, but a wife,” Vi said as she kissed Deema’s hand.

“Deema and I were promised to each other when we were children,” Nayo said as he slid his arm around Liv’s shoulders.

“Why?”

“For political reasons. Our families are two of the oldest and most powerful in our country.” She sighed and averted her gaze. “I was barely a year old.”

“A year old?” Liv asked.

“And I was not much older.” He tightened his grip around Liv’s shoulders. “Our fathers agreed that it would be best if we both attended university outside of the country and used the opportunity to learn different cultures.”

“They hoped that we could use what we learned when we finally took our places and ruled as one.”

Nayo rubbed Liv’s shoulder as he spoke. “She’s to finish at UCLA next month. Then she’ll return and we’ll be married.”

“But you don’t love each other.”

“Love has nothing got do with it,” Vi explained. “It’s different over there. Women are used as property.”

“You could refuse.”

Deema shook her head. “Women are stoned and disfigured for denying their intended.”

Liv widened her eyes in shock. “But Nayo would never do anything.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Nayo said. “But that doesn’t mean that someone else in my family wouldn’t.”

“Or one of your family’s supporters.” Deema shook her head. “To deny him would bring shame upon him and his family. How could Nayo hope to hold onto his family’s power when he was shunned by a mere woman? No, Nayo’s hands were tied as much as mine.”

“Our fathers were the one who orchestrated the union,” Nayo added. “Saying no would not only be disrespectful, but cast their own power into question as well.”

“Everything would begin to unravel,” Deema agreed.

“So what do you do?” Liv asked.

“We try to enjoy the time we have together,” Vi said as she put her arm around Deema. “We survive by not thinking too much about the future.”

“You said that Deema not marrying you will bring you shame. . .” Liv said.

“Yes.”

She turned in his arms to face him. “But what about what is happening now? Doesn’t these bomb threats bring shame to your family as well?”

“It will, if my father should hear about it.” Nayo pressed his lips together for a moment in thought. “But I’ll deal with that later.”

“I wish I could do something,
Amri
,” Deema said. “You don’t deserve this.”

He looked at her and Vi and was struck by their closeness. Right under his nose, his fiancée had found something that he had been lacking his entire life: acceptance. Nayo took in how close they were sitting, and how Vi looked at Deema as if the Arab woman was her whole world. He wondered if anyone would ever come to look that way at him, too.

“Nayo?” Liv asked. “Are you all right?”

“Perhaps we should get something to eat,” Vi suggested. “I always find it hard brainstorming on an empty stomach.”

“I’ll go with you,” Deema offered. “Perhaps I can go down to the docks and speak with the charity there that works to help assimilate immigrants to American culture. He might have some ideas on how to help.”

“Thank you.” Nayo stood and hugged Deema. “This means a lot to me.”

“You would do the same for me.” She patted his back and turned to go.

“Just one more question,” Liv said as she stood and positioned herself next to Nayo.

“Yes?” Deema asked.

“How did you find us?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Vi answered. “We used Deema’s phone.”

“Vi is a tech major,” Deema explained. “I had already been in contact with Nayo several times before today, so she used his cell number to track his location.”

“Couldn’t others do the same?”

“They probably could if they knew who he was—but they don’t,” Vi said.

“But they might find out,” Liv said.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Liv nodded to Deema. “All the same, you better give them your phone. We don’t want to take any chances.”

“I thought you wanted me to speak with the police?”

“She’s right,” Deema said. “You want to speak to the press and the officers on your own terms.” She held out her hand.

Nayo pulled out his phone. “You had better just toss it somewhere.”

“I will.”

As Vi and Deema left, Nayo found himself envious of them. All of his life he had been looking to fill the emptiness inside of his soul, and here his fiancée had found that for herself. As long as she stayed in the States, she didn’t have to worry about protocol or tradition. She could be herself and choose to love whomever she wished. Perhaps, once he got out of this mess, he could do the same.

He glanced over at Liv. Ever since he had seen her in that office building, he had been attracted to her. He had no idea why he had decided to approach her, but he was glad he did. He admired her intelligence and resourcefulness. A lesser woman would have crumbled under the fear and stress. Instead of wringing her hands, she was helping to protect him by getting rid of his phone.

The more time he spent with Olivia, the more he was fascinated by her. The only question was, did Liv feel the same about him?

“I don’t like this.” Liv rubbed her arms, as if a chill had entered the room.

“Come here.” When she didn’t move, he closed the distance between them and put his arm around her. She immediately opened up to him, sliding her arms around his waist. It felt good, and part of him wished that they could stay like that forever.

It was a foolish wish, he knew. Even if he was to get out of this mess, there was no guarantee his stubborn father would ever let him out of his marriage, let alone accept his dating an American. There was just too much to consider anything long term, so he was going to do his best to live in the moment, especially since he wasn’t sure how many moments he had left.

“I can’t keep doing this, Nayo.”

“I know.”

“If you can’t go to the police, then what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,
habibti.
But don’t you worry, I’ll think of something.” He hoped.

She leaned back enough to look up into his face. “You look exhausted.”

He chuckled. “So do you.”

“My old professor used to say that if you squeezed a problem too hard, the solution will slip through your fingers.”

He raised his brow. “I don’t follow.”

She smiled. “It meant that sometimes we should take a step back and gain some perspective. Perhaps a solution will present itself.”

“You mean, take a break?”

She shrugged. “I think Violet’s right. It’s difficult to think on an empty stomach, which gives us some time to kill before they get back with food.” She said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

“Is that so? Whatever did you have in mind,
Habibti?
”

“Guess,” she said as said as she pushed up on her tip toes and planted a soft kiss on his lips, sliding her hands down to grab his backside.

“I think I like this old professor of yours,” Nayo said as he leaned down and deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue and slowly sweeping it into her mouth with deep, purposeful caresses.

As the kiss intensified, he moved her backwards until they reached the couch, where he sat down and pulled her into his lap. She straddled him, legs on either side of his, as she ran her hands over his strong shoulders and then threaded them up through the hair on the back of his head.

Breaking the kiss, Liv reached down and grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head and leaving herself exposed to Nayo’s intense stare.

“Mine,” he growled. He leaned forward and captured her breast with his mouth, rolling her nipple with his tongue, gently biting down with his teeth. He ran his hands up her sides and started to knead her breasts as he worked them over with his mouth, trailing kisses in between as he moved from one to the other.

“Don’t stop,” Liv said. She tossed her head back and her long red hair cascaded down her back. She started to move her hips over his, rubbing herself on his hard cock, craving sensation on her clit.

“I want you to touch yourself, Olivia,” Nayo ordered. She brought her head back up to look him in the eyes, hesitating to do as he asked.

“Reach your hand down and slide your finger in between your slick folds. Do it now, Olivia.”

Liv lowered her eyes and started to run her hand down her torso.

“Remember, eyes on me,” he demanded.

She lifted her eyes to meet his just as her hand reached the waist of her pants. Eyes locked on his, she slid her hand inside until she reached her pussy and parted her damp folds with her finger, sliding it up until she reached her sweet spot. She let out a moan as she started to circle her clit, slowly building the pressure.

Nayo leaned back into the couch to watch as she pleasured herself, pulling his cock out of his pants and rubbing his hand over his length as he did.

“Touch me, Nayo,” Liv begged. “I’m so close.” She felt her orgasm rising from the touch of her own hand and wanted more. He obliged, returning his attention to her breasts as she moved her finger from her clit, sliding it down until she reached her opening and pushed her finger inside. She removed her finger, sliding it all the way back up to rub her clit, and then back down inside of her. She repeated this motion over and over, sliding her finger back up to her clit every time she removed it from inside of her, increasing her speed as her orgasm grew. Liv’s body was wound so tight she thought it might shatter when her orgasm finally hit.

“Come for me, now,” Nayo said as he grabbed both of her breasts and pinched her nipples hard between his fingers, trailing kisses all over her chest. The pain mixed with pleasure made her scream out his name as her body convulsed, her orgasm crashing over her like water being freed from a dam. Wave after wave it came as she rode her hand, until finally she stilled, her breath coming in heavy pants.

“That was incredible, but I need to feel you inside of me,” she said between breaths.

Nayo crashed his mouth into hers, ripping off her pants in one swift movement as he did. She had barely recovered from her orgasm when he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her hips up to hover over the head of his painfully hard cock and then slammed her down hard. Holding her in place with his cock buried deep inside her, he started to roll her hips over him, the tip of his cock so deep she could feel it hitting her on the inside.

She started to move her hips faster over him, in an almost frenzied state, building both their orgasms higher and higher until finally it snapped and sent them spiraling together. She rode his cock until their bodies could take no more and they collapsed together onto the couch.

N
ayo had never been more
content in his entire life. If the world could just stay away for a few more hours, or better yet indefinitely, he’d be a happy man.

“Do you hear that?” Liv asked.

Nayo groaned and lifted his head from her shoulder. “Hear what?”

“Listen.” She frowned and fell silent. “Hear it?”

“It sounded like a motor.”

“And voices.”

Nayo carefully extracted himself from her arms and threw on his jeans. No, it couldn’t be. His heart beat double time as he made his way over to the window and peered through the curtain. Dozens of flashing lights temporarily blinded him. When his vision cleared, he saw Deema and Vi, standing outside the apartment complex, arguing with several police officers.

“Oh my God,” Liv said, coming up from behind. “They found us.” She put her hand on his arm and drew him away from the window. “We need to run.”

“No,” he said as he pulled on his shirt. “I’m tired of running.”

“But—”

“No buts. You were right. I can’t run forever, and the sooner I face this, the sooner we both can put this all behind us.”

Liv toyed with her hair as she watched him put on his sneakers. “Do you think that they’ll believe you?”

“I don’t know,” he lied. “It’s possible. I have to try, don’t you think?” He knew very well what was going to happen, but he wasn’t going to put Liv in any more danger than she was already in. There was Deema to consider as well. He knew her father well enough to know that the ties between their families would be forever broken if his precious daughter ended up in jail on his account.

“Nayef Darzi?”

Nayo pulled Liv close and kissed her hard on the lips. “Whatever happens, don’t do anything heroic, okay?”

“Mr. Darzi, I know you’re in here.”

“Promise me.”

“I-I promise.” Liv wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Good.” He kissed her hard, sweeping his tongue inside of her mouth and committing her sweet taste to memory. It was probably the last time he was going to be able to hold a woman. He wanted to make it count.

“Nayef Darzi! This is the police.”

Nayo let go of Liv and turned away. With swift, purposeful strides, he left the room, knowing that if he looked at her one more time he was going to lose his resolve.

He made it to the top of the stairs and held up his hands in surrender. “I’m here.”

“Where?”

“Don’t come down here, Nayo!” Deema said.

Slowly he made his way down the steps. He turned the corner and saw Deema and Violet sitting on the couch. Both of them were frozen in fear.

“Are you two all right?”

Two men came out of nowhere and leveled their guns at his chest. “Put your hands up!” one of them yelled.

Nayo slowly raised his hands in the air. “I am innocent.”

“We’ll let the courts decide. For now, you have the right to remain silent. . .”

Nayo steeled his jaw as they read him his rights and cuffed his hands behind his back.

“You can’t do this,” Liv’s voice echoed from the stairs. “He’s innocent.”

“His guilt or innocence is not for us to judge,” one of the police officers said. “He will go to trial, same as anyone else.”

“The trial will be a joke.” She hurried down the stairs as one of the cops tugged on his arm.

“Come on, Mr. Darzi. We’re going to take a ride down to the station.”

“No.” Liv held onto his other arm, pulling him in the other direction. “You have no right to arrest him.”

“Ma’am. Please.”

“Liv.” Nayo tried to calm her, but it was hard with his hands bound. “Liv, look at me.”

She stopped tugging on his arm and looked up into his face.

“It will be okay.”

“No, it won’t. You and I both know it won’t be.”

“It will.” He bent over and kissed her forehead. “Everything will work out for the best. You’ll see.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and he wanted more than anything to be able to wipe them away. Instead he kissed one lone tear and tried to put on a brave face.

“Remember your promise, Olivia. No heroics.”

“No heroics.” She let go of his arm. “But if you think that I’m going to just sit back and watch them crucify you—”

“Come on, buddy.” The cop pulled on his arm, leading him away. Nayo let them steer him toward the front door, hoping that Liv would someday understand his actions.

“Nayo.” Deema stepped into his path and placed her hands on his chest. He looked into her face, and saw the anguish in her features.

“You stupid, stupid man,” she said. “If you just stayed home like your father wanted, none of this would have happened.”

“Deema.” He took in a deep breath to steady his voice and saw the unshed tears in her eyes. Her emotion touched him, even though he knew it came more from a sense of duty and honor than love. “I couldn’t stay home any more than you could. You came to America to find yourself.” He glanced over at Violet. “And you have done it. You are a beautiful woman, who would have been miserable married to me.”

She laughed through her tears. “Yes, I would have.”

“We’re a lot alike in that way. I came to America to find myself, too.” He glanced at Liv. “And, like you, I think I’ve finally done it.”

Deema looked over at Liv. “I’m happy for you.”

“And I you.” He pressed his cheek to the top of her head. “Take care of her for me, Deema. Olivia has this way of finding trouble—”

“I will, I promise.” She curled his fingers into his shirt. “Take care of yourself.”

“You, too.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“All right now, that’s enough.” The cop pulled his arm and dragged him out onto into the driveway.

“There’s no need to be rough, you know,” Nayo said.

The cop flashed him an irritated look as he opened the cruiser door. “We’ll see.” He put his hand on Nayo’s head and pushed him into the car. Nayo stumbled inside and curled his feet up into his chest just before the door slammed into his face.

The cops laughed and joked for a couple of seconds, probably about the great catch they had just made. Nayo resisted the temptation to look back at the house. He didn’t want to see Liv looking at him. He didn’t know if his heart could take any more of her tears.

When the officers finally climbed into the front and turned on the engine, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost over.

“Don’t forget to take the back way to the station,” one of the cops said.

“Right,” said the other. “We’ll want to avoid the angry mob out front.”

“The whole terrorist thing has people really worked up, eh? They’re out for vengeance, want to make sure we do this right.” “Oh, we’ll do it right,” the driver said as he shifted the cruiser into gear. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Darzi?” He glanced over his shoulder to the suspect in the back.

Nayo couldn’t be sure. but he swore he saw a brief flash of nerves, maybe even fear, come over the cop’s features. He knew then that they really believed he was the terrorist behind these threats. No one was going to listen to him, hear his innocence. They needed someone to hang to dry for this. Appease the people. There would be outrage if they let him go, guilty or not.

“We’re going to be fucking heroes,” the passenger said.

Both cops started laughing as the driver pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street. Nayo risked a glance back at Cole’s place and swore he saw Liv standing in the living room window.

“Just stay safe,
habibti.”
That was all that mattered.“We have to do something,” Liv said as she stared through the window at the police car pulling out of the driveway.

“I know, but what?” Deema shuddered and wrapped her arms around her middle.

“Maybe you could speak to his family.”

“No,” Violet said as she took Deema’s arm. “She won’t go back there. You can’t make her.”

“It’s okay, Vi.” Deema patted her hand. “It would be of no use. His father would go crazy. Imprisoning his son would be a grave insult not only to his father, but mine as well. Nayo comes from a proud family. It could be enough to push our people to war.”

“Damn.” Liv rubbed her arm and tried to think of something she could do to help. “Would marrying him help?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you saying that because it’s true, or because you don’t want to marry him?” She turned to face Deema. “Because if marrying him could spare him some of this pain…”“

“I’m not heartless, Olivia. I don’t want to marry him, but I don’t want to see him suffer, either.” She let out a long breath. “Nayo has always been kind to me. It isn’t his fault that we are both stuck in this horrible arrangement.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just frustrated.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

Liv ran her hand over her face and began to pace as Violet led Deema over to the couch.

“Please, sit,” Vi said. “You look as white as a sheet.”

“I can’t sit while Nayo is in trouble,” Deema said. “Part of this is my fault.”

“You had nothing to do with it.” Violet fisted her hands. “Nothing at all.” She turned to Liv. “And I don’t see the big deal. They’ll ask a few questions and put him in jail for a little bit. Once they realize he’s innocent, they’ll have to let him go.”

Liv stopped pacing and stared. “You honestly think that’s all that will happen?” When Vi gave her a blank stare, she continued. “People are scared. There is one thing that unifies the people in this country more than any other, and that is fear of a terrorist attack.”

“But they will have a trial...”

“He might not make it to trial,” Liv said.

“Accidents happen,” Deema whispered as she sat down on the couch.

“Exactly. These cops are itching to close a case. When that happens, sometimes they will overlook the fact that the evidence is circumstantial.”

“They’d never do that.”

“Do you want to take that chance? These guys are under enormous pressure. If Nayo isn’t their terrorist, they basically need to start over at square one. Neither their bosses nor the public will be very happy with them.”

Vi turned to Deema. “I didn’t know.”

Deema patted the cushion next to her. “It’s okay, Vi. It wasn’t as if there was anything you could have done to stop it.”

Vi sat down and folded her hands in her lap as she digested all of this information. “I really thought that they’d just lock him away until everything got cleared up.”

“Yeah, just like they did to that marathon bomber up in Boston.” Liv shook her head and resumed her pacing.

“Why don’t I go fix us some food,” Vi said, pushing off the couch. She wanted to get away from this conversation and do something useful instead.

“Thanks, Vi.” Deema said, giving her hand a quick squeeze as she walked by. “Perhaps we could just go down there and explain the situation,” Deema suggested after a long moment.

Liv shook her head. “I tried that. It didn’t work.” She began to pace. “I think the only way we can truly help him is if we find this person who is impersonating him and bring him to justice.” She stopped in front of Deema. “Was there anyone in particular who had in in for Nayo?”

“Had it in?”

“Wanted to see him suffer.”

Deema frowned for a moment in thought. “There are many people. His family holds a lot of power in our country. There are many who wish that power for themselves.”

“But killing Nayo does nothing while his father is still alive.”

“Yes, but his father is old and hard to touch without going through numerous bodyguards. Nayo was never one for formality. He would be much easier to reach.” She thought for a moment. “There would be ceremony and protocol for his funeral. The killers would know where his father was at certain times and could set up an assassination. . .”

“But if Nayo and his father died, wouldn’t his brother be next in line?”

Deema thought for a moment. “His brother is out of the country with the radicals. It would be very easy for an accident to happen out in the desert while they were training. . .”

“That’s true. Something still doesn’t add up, though.” Liv rubbed her temples and headed out of the living room. “Follow me.”

“Where are we going?” Deema asked as she stood.

“To the computer. There has to be something that we’re missing.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Violet shouted as she made her way back into the living room, almost bumping right into Liv and causing her to jump. “Oh sorry. I didn’t realize you were right there,” Vi said.

“That’s okay.” Liv focused on her breathing until her heartbeat began to slow.

“There wasn’t much to work with in the kitchen,” Violet said. “But I was able to put together a salad. Anyone want some?”

“Not now, Vi,” Deema said. “Liv might have a way to save Nayo.”

Vi frowned. “But the food will go bad—“

“Later, Vi.” Deema turned to Liv. “Let’s go.

Liv led the way to the computer, where she sifted through Nayo’s notes and articles. After a few moments, Deema pulled up a chair and they both began searching in earnest. Vi came in periodically, muttering under her breath that they were making too much of a fuss, and she was sure that the police were going to operate by the book, but for the most part she left them alone.

“It has to be his brother,” Liv said after a few hours went by. “There’s no other explanation.”

“No.” Deema shook her head. “It can’t be.”

“Why?”

“Jamal may be radical, but he has strong ties to family. He, more than Nayo, is deeply rooted in tradition. He knows that if Nayo does or is found incapacitated and can’t take over the throne, his family’s fragile hold on the country will fall apart.”

“But he will be next in line.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Deema said. “Jamal is a conceited man. I can’t see him doing something like this and not claiming responsibility. It would gain him power with his radical group. Besides, he hasn’t been in the capital for years. He’s been spending his time in Iran. . .” Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat. “While the group he is with is radical, they are very weak. I don’t see them as having the funds to pull something like this off.”

“So we are back to square one,” Liv said. “We have nothing.”

“Let me see.” Deema turned the computer toward her and played the news reel once more. “There.” She stopped on a shot taken outside the Chinese Theater.