Freedom Does Matter (Mercenaries Book 2) (25 page)

“Mr. Wu will deliver these to the court tomorrow morning and register the claim so everyone will honor the agreement.”

When al-Kassis had left, Beckie turned to Al Hosni. “May Haleef join me for dinner? Assuming he would like to?”

“That will be his decision. I am not pleased with all his ideas, but he has delivered the chance to have our land repay our efforts, and allow us to keep our honor with al-Kassis.” He stood, then looked at Haleef and sighed. “It comes from educating him, I suppose. Both men and women come out of university much changed.” He nodded to Beckie. “As did you, I suspect.”

“Sheikh, I am still very much a work in progress, as my fiancé and my parents would agree. I hope… No matter. Haleef?”

“I am yours to command, Miss.”

“No.” Beckie repressed a giggle as she turned to Kevin. “How long to get back to the hotel?”

“Half-hour, probably.”

“If it will suit you, Haleef, we could have dinner at the Marriott? About half-past eight?”

“I will be there, Miss.”

“And the name is Beckie. At worst, Rebecca. No more ‘Miss.’ The negotiations are over.” She walked over to Kevin as he ushered them all into the corridor. Dan slipped in behind to collect the documents, then followed them out.

Back in her room, Beckie stripped out of her suit and sprawled on the bed. I hope they can keep it going. She lay still a few more moments, then, before Kevin or Sue came knocking on the door, she roused herself and went to her closet for clothes. Black slacks made a good contrast with the lilac silk blouse that her mother had given her.

I have plenty of time to call Ian before I meet Haleef. She removed her phone from its case and dialed.

The noises sounded like the call was being routed via the Moon. Beckie refigured the time at the Nest to make sure Ian wouldn’t be asleep. Not unless he’s begun taking naps. She snickered at the thought.

“Hello, Rebecca.”

“Ian! God, it’s good to hear you.”

“You’ve only been gone since Friday, and—”

“And nearly been killed!” she protested. “Don’t make me angry, Ian.” This isn’t… “I love you. How are you feeling? Everything all right?”

“Everything is fine absent the fact that you are six thousand miles away, and I am here with a headache. You?”

“The negotiations are done, finally. I ran over a few days, but I told them we’d hold the fee. Dan’s making copies and he’ll deliver them to the courts tomorrow and make sure everything’s registered. And—”

“Excellent! So you’ll be returning then?”

“Well… Yes. But I’m meeting Haleef Al Hosni for dinner tonight.”

She spent the next five minutes reviewing Haleef’s story and his apparent wishes.

“I dislike this, Rebecca. We do not have sufficient information to trust this… young man. Noorah is from the same extended family. Why do you think it will be…safe to be alone with him?”

“You’d have to see him, talk to him, to understand. He’s studying in England, and… Wait. Why do you think I’ll be alone with him? Neither Sue nor Kevin would ever allow that! Kevin’s already made the arrangements. They will be a couple tables over, behind Haleef, watching. I expect he’ll have some Al Hosni bodyguards nearby, too. The sheikh isn’t that trusting.”

“Much better, though I still am uneasy.” He stopped; his pause gave Beckie her own sense of unease. “Consider whether you should act as… as mediator in an alleged
affaire de coeur
. Especially when the lady has no knowledge or, if I may be so bold, need at this point for such an involvement. How old is she?”

“Old enough to be raped and left for dead!”

“Granted. Another reason to be wary. Traditions die hard, even in the spring of an English university.”

“I know. I’m sorry…” She fell back on the bed and stifled a sniffle. “This is hard, Ian. I just want to be home with you, and I want to do the right thing… for everybody. And I can’t always see what that might be.”

“Have dinner. Listen to him, but promise only what you can deliver. Then, get back here, please.”

“I will, I promise. Kevin talked to Jean-Luc earlier, and he can’t fly before tomorrow morning anyway. Log hours. He just landed after Sam’s delivery.”

She ended the call seconds before the rap on the door. Kevin told her he and Sue were headed to the restaurant; she had ten minutes before Haleef was due.

At the table, Beckie raised her glass to touch it to Haleef’s when he proposed a toast to the agreement she’d helped conclude, then sipped. He’d given her a complimentary look when she’d stepped away from the elevator, and was willing to take the table she’d selected in the outdoor Egyptian themed restaurant.

After a few words of small talk—they’d done those to death in the conference room—Beckie sat up. When Haleef’s eyes widened, she said. “I have a question for you. It may well define the rest of our… partnership.” She stopped until he nodded. The anxiety in his eyes pleased her. Good. He’s serious. “Who’s to blame when a girl is born?”

His jaw dropped, but in just a moment he’d caught himself. She waited for his response, sipping her wine.

He rallied, leaning back, relaxing. “It’s a trick question, isn’t it? Like, ‘Have you left off beating your wife?’”

Beckie smiled as she guessed he understood.

“No one is to blame when a girl is born, same as when a boy is born. Either is a cause for rejoicing. And while the
mullahs
don’t agree, yet, a child’s sex is determined by the… male contribution to the embryo.” His cheeks flushed as he spoke.

“Good. But do you really believe that?”

“I think so. While my early training…” He leaned forward, elbow on the table, chin on his hand. “My early training was… traditional, I suppose.” His eyes met Beckie’s, then he dropped his gaze again. “And traditional means women are no better than second class, with all the other baggage.” He looked up at her with a questioning expression. “That passed quickly once I got to school in England. Grandfather sent our family to live there, to educate my brothers and my sister and me in more Western ways while not giving up the Islamic tradition.

“It was a short lesson, for me anyway, that girls, women, are far from second class, and that Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, and all other religions, too, I suppose, are fantasies, arranged to keep people in line and feeling good about themselves.”

Beckie leaned forward, more than she’d planned. “I don’t know if I can go that far,” she said. “Even if we leave…” She sat back. “No. That’s not the point I was making. I’m trying to see if you’ve left the traditional lifestyle behind. Because Noorah damn sure doesn’t need any more dominance. She’s had too much for two lifetimes.”

“I understand. I can only say I have been educated and what I’ve learned has more validity to me than what I learned earlier.” He stopped to sip his sparkling water. “Still, some things are hard to change.” He tipped his head toward the liter bottle of Perrier standing beside his dish.

Beckie caught the implication and with a smile, nodded agreement. “I’m all for keeping the good and intelligent parts of any belief system. Thou shalt not kill. Or covet your neighbors’ possessions or wife. Or husband.” She rubbed her hand across her eyes. “Damn. This wasn’t where I wanted to go, either. I’m trying to see if you’re looking for a fling. A one night stand, as we say.”

Haleef laughed at Beckie’s words. “Well, I will be honest. I’ve had one or two of those… before my sister found out and boxed my ears!”

“Maybe I should be talking to her, then?”

He blanched. “No, please no. I’d…”

“Older sister, then?”

“Twin. Older by five minutes, Mother said.”

“I’ll meet her later.” Beckie sat back, sipping the last of her wine. The observant waiter approached to offer a new glass, but Beckie asked for her own bottle of Perrier. While she waited, she reflected on the little she’d learned. He’s still thinking ‘men first,’ though he’s trying to tone it down. Or do I just hope that, so he’ll be safe for Noorah? Across the table Haleef was attempting to still his nervous energy. With the fresh glass filled and the bottle standing by her spoon, she smiled. “What haven’t I asked that I ought to?”

His skittish posture gave way to surprise. “I don’t understand, Beckie. Or rather…” as her meaning came to him, “I don’t know what to say. There are so many things… my education, my family, the business…” He smiled as he turned Beckie’s question back to her. “What should I tell you that I haven’t?”

Wondering if she was about to step on a land mine of epic proportions… Don’t forget, he has his own motivations here, in everything he tells me. She said, “Why do you think Sheikh Abdul-Bari Sedki wanted both our negotiators killed?”

Haleef’s confusion didn’t look contrived. “Both negotiators?”

Beckie nodded. “Ian first, and me second. Remember that as we go on.”

“I was only aware of… Ian, you say?” She nodded as he continued, “The first negotiator. There was a story that Sedki seeks the land over which the negotiations—”

“Right. I heard that also. But I’m leery of it now. While the agreement isn’t complete until it’s registered, it’s under control…” I hope! she thought. “… and for the past couple weeks, nothing. No attempts. Why? What’s going on?”

“Two weeks? But Sedki has been…”

Beckie waited but Haleef didn’t continue. “Sedki has been what?”

“Two days after the tsunami…”

“What? He got killed? What?”

“He went, with men from his tribe… to London. I was…”

Okay, that confirms it; he was the Sedki on that itinerary. Suddenly Beckie felt a chill. “You were… What?”

He paced his words; Beckie’s tension increased with each one. “He asked me to go with him.”

“Oh.” Beckie cast a glance in Sue’s direction, but shook her head when the woman started to rise.

Haleef looked up, his expression relaxing. “Yes. Grandfather asked me to stay. Because I had been examining the land, he said.” He reached across the table to touch her hand while a faint smile curved his lips. “I think now I have something of value to you, as you have something of value to me.”

“Why… What do you think I’d value?” She throttled her annoyance. “No. Let’s finish eating. Then you can say what you think I value.”

Beckie ordered a traditional grilled shrimp dish; it was excellent. When she laid her fork down, she sipped her tea and waited for Haleef. He finished his lamb and glanced back at her; he raised his eyebrows as he met her gaze.

“Okay, Haleef, what is it you think I need to know?”

“What will happen.”

“Huh?” Beckie shook her head and the waiter sheered off, tucking the desert menus away. She giggled internally before again focusing on Haleef. “That doesn’t make sense. ‘What will happen?’ What do you mean?”

“It did not make sense before you told me you were also a target. I was told… Well, it doesn’t matter. This is what I have to offer. In exchange for seeing Noorah.”

Beckie thought for a moment, humming as she did. “Okay, maybe I’d like to know more about what’s going to happen.”

The man relaxed, smiling. “I’ll tell you as soon as you say I can see Noorah. What was planned for her, and as an extra, what Sedki is doing in London.”

Beckie waved to the waiter; she asked for the check and more tea. He looked very much askance when she took the bill and signed it to her room, but said nothing.

“Thank you for not protesting.”

“I expected it to be a test. I hope I passed.”

She agreed with a small smile. Behind him, Sue and Kevin were preparing to leave. “Let’s walk through the casino. Should be noisy enough to cover our conversation.”

Haleef nodded with a grin and stood to offer his hand.

The casino was smaller than Beckie expected, but the slot machines were sufficiently noisy to serve her purpose. She took Haleef’s arm under hers and they stood, apparently taken by the bright lights, the ringing of electronic bells and the frequent clatter of tokens.

“I can only talk with Noorah. If she chooses not to see you, that will be the end of it. I can’t do any more.” She faced him, clenching the lapels of his jacket, hoping onlookers might mistake it for an intimate gesture. If they don’t look at my face. “But I have no intention of doing even that unless you tell me everything.” The look in Haleef’s eyes told her he’d understood her.

“But…”

She decided he was temporizing; she said, “I’ve got too much skin in this game to go off without… What!” she snarled.

“‘Skin in this game?’”

She yanked his lapels together and snorted once. “I’ve got too much at stake to go ahead without knowing
every
thing. My fiancé’s been shot, I’ve been attacked in my bed. And you want… The girl you want to… to woo, Sedki’s responsible for her being raped and mutilated! And you want to bargain! Pfaugh! I’m out of here. I’ll find him myself!” She threw his jacket back at him and walked toward the exit.

“No!” He ran after her and caught her arm. “Please don’t. I… I’m no good at negotiation. I’ll tell you what I can about him. You already know he’s noxious. Please.”

His beaten look was just enough. “Hmpf. Maybe I’ll reconsider.” She turned to straighten his jacket. Just like a girlfriend. Ha! She took his elbow and walked along the row of slots. “Once you tell me that your sister’s warning still holds.”

He looked at her for a second, then smiled though he wasn’t calm. “Yes. I wish our meeting may lead to a… a relationship. While Noorah is stunning, I want to explore her mind. I hope that we could…” Even in the colored lights of the slot machines, Beckie could see Haleef’s blush. “… enjoy each other… physically. Eventually.”

She smiled and chuckled under her breath. No need to embarrass him any more. “That’s fair. Now…” Again, she faced him. “She’s thirteen, with damn-all in the way of schooling, formal, at least. If your Grandfather didn’t tell you, she’s the one who tried to kill us.” She stepped close to Haleef and whispered, “She believes her failure is the reason her hand was hacked off and she was raped and pretty much left to die.” She drew back. “Must have been about the time Sedki went to London, just after the tsunami.”

She touched his chin and he closed his mouth. And kept it closed. She went on, “So, maybe that’s what you thought you could tell me?”