Tagan's Child (31 page)

“Can you
describe the human you saw two days ago?” Ahran asked, towering
over the man who leant nonchalantly against the bar. He didn’t
appear in the least bit intimidated by Ahran’s size.

“Now why would
I do that?” The landlord replied with a sneer. There was something
about him that oozed menace.

“Because I am
asking you nicely,” Ahran said with forced patience.

The landlord
snarled something at Ahran in Ramian and started to walk away from
us. Before I knew what had happened, the man slammed backwards over
the bar. Ahran gripped his throat, the tips of his thumb and
fingers disappearing into the soft tissue below the man’s jaw.
Ahran’s body was coiled with barely contained violence and he was
speaking to the landlord in a low, threatening voice. It turned out
that Ahran was more than a match in the menace stakes as he held
the disagreeable little pit-bull against the bar. The landlord
struggled for breath, his face getting redder and redder. I
nervously looked around to see if anyone was about to leap to his
rescue but everyone had suddenly begun to mind their own business,
carrying on with their conversations as if Ahran and the landlord
were invisible. The barmaid glanced over disinterestedly as she
dried a glass and I gave her a weak apologetic smile. She didn’t
respond and just carried on with what she was doing. How often had
she witnessed something like this? Come to think of it, how often
had anyone here witnessed a scene like this? I marvelled at how
Ramians could think that humans were primitive and inferior. This
place was unsophisticated and intimidating and they were clearly
used to violence. They were no more evolved than some of the
low-lifes on Earth.

Just as I was
beginning to think that Ahran’s hand had been around the landlord’s
neck for a bit too long, he straightened and released him. The
landlord made an attempt to look unruffled but he was visibly
shaken, his shifty eyes scanning the bar to see if anyone had
noticed the humiliating exchange. He eyed Ahran with thinly veiled
contempt although there was a hint of wary deference that hadn’t
been there before.

He snapped at
the barmaid and she disappeared out the back.

Ahran took my
elbow and steered me towards an empty table in the corner.

Once we were
sat down, I leant towards him. “What did you say to him?” I
whispered.

“I explained
that we wanted to find out where Toby’s kidnappers may have taken
him and made it clear that if he prevented us from making our
enquiries then I would make sure he’d be in no condition to run a
business.”

I got the
impression that Ahran was being less graphic than he had been with
the landlord. I’d had glimpses of this side of Ahran and they were
so at odds with what I knew of him.

“Why are we
sitting here?”

“He has sent
for one of the girls who spent the evening with Bazeera’s men
whilst they stayed here.”

“This place is
a brothel?” I squeaked

“Not strictly,
but if any of the clientele require female company,” he said
delicately, “then the landlord can arrange it.”

“Bloody hell!
Toby spent the night in a brothel,” I hissed. “Jesus Ahran! I
thought Ramia was supposed to be some kind of Utopia but not only
are your people capable of kidnapping an innocent child, they don’t
think twice about bringing him to a place like this.” The thought
of Toby spending the night here made my blood run cold.

“I didn’t say
all Ramians were perfect, some are just as open to criminal
activity and depravity as Sapiens are.”

“Huh!” I looked
away in disgust. The thought that Toby, through no fault of his
own, was tangled up in this mess made me feel sick to my
stomach.

A tired looking
brunette, who had to be in her late thirties, dressed in a short
denim skirt and tight fitting t-shirt approached our table. Ahran
stood up and pulled out a chair. The woman looked at him in
surprise. Was she so unused to a man showing her any manners? She
gave him a genuine smile which made her look ten years younger. She
sat down and folded her hands in her lap. I immediately felt sorry
for her. What kind of life did she have here?

Ahran spoke to
her in Ramian and she nodded her head.

“Please speak
in English then so that this lady can understand what you are
saying.”

“Did you see
the human boy that was with the two men you…” he paused trying not
to offend her, “entertained the other night?” Ahran asked.

“Yes, he sit
over there,” she said in broken English and pointed to a table that
was at the opposite end of the bar to the dancing podium. I was
thankful for small mercies.

“Did he look
okay?” I interjected, wanting some shred of hope that he was
alright.

She shrugged.
She said something to Ahran in Ramian and he translated for me.

Ahran
hesitated. “She said he looked pale and tired.”

I put my hand
to my mouth to stifle a sob.

“Did he go with
her and the men upstairs?” I asked falteringly.

“No!” The woman
spat, clearly offended.

She leant
towards me. “I do not choose this,” she said gesturing around her,
“but my children, they have to eat.” Her eyes bored into me.

I regretted
questioning her judgement. “I’m sorry. It’s just that little boy
you saw is the only family I have,” I said.

“This is no
place for children,” she said, as if it was my fault Toby had been
here.

“Did either of
the men mention where they were going?” Ahran asked, breaking the
tension between me and the woman.

Her eyes darted
over to the landlord who was now behind the bar serving somebody
before bringing her attention back to Ahran. She sat back and
folded her arms across her chest. Whatever she knew she wasn’t
telling us anymore.

Ahran reached
into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He laid a note on the
table in front of her and she quickly picked it up, but not before
darting another look to her boss to check he wasn’t watching. He
was talking to one of the punters sitting at the bar and had
seemingly forgotten we were still here. I didn’t blame her, this
poor woman was trapped in this dreadful place and she clearly
needed all the money she could get.

She spoke
quickly and quietly in Ramian.

“She says that
they didn’t say much, one of the men used his cell phone a couple
of times and she heard him mention, ‘the Island’,” Ahran said,
acting as interpreter.

“Do you know
what island they were talking about?” I asked the woman.

She shook her
head.

“Thank you, you
have been very helpful.” Ahran shook her hand and surreptitiously
handed her another note.

“I hope you
find the boy,” she said, standing up and looking at me with
pity.

I gave her a
shaky smile. She made her way back to the bar and sat on a stool.
The landlord spoke to her and she nodded at whatever he had said.
They both turned in our direction.

“Come on, let’s
get out of here,” Ahran said, standing up.

I was more than
happy to do as he suggested and he guided me back through the bar
with his hand at the small of my back. Out of the corner of my eye
I could see the landlord scowling at us. I half expected a mob of
thugs waiting for us outside, but the street was quiet.

“Do you think
they’ve taken Toby to this island she mentioned?” I asked once we
were inside the car.

“It would seem
likely.”

“Do you know
where it is?”

To my dismay,
Ahran shook his head. “No, but I know someone who might,” he said.
“I have a friend who lives not too far from here. We used to work
together. If anyone knows anything about a mysterious island
belonging to Bazeera, he will.”

“Can we go
there tonight?” I asked hopefully.

“It’s late, I
think we should find somewhere to stay and go there tomorrow,” he
replied.

I couldn’t help
feeling disappointed that I would have to wait until the morning
before we could follow our latest lead.

“Did you see
anywhere where we could stay?” I asked.

“We passed a
large hotel about four kilometres back, we might be able to get a
room there,” he replied.

“That’s good,”
I said wearily.

We drove to the
hotel and parked in the car park out the back. It must have been
one or two in the morning and I was doubtful we would get a room at
this time of night, but the young, and remarkably cheerful, lad at
the night desk informed us that they had one double left. We
checked in and headed up to our room which turned out to be a
little tired looking, but comfortable and clean. My heart skipped a
beat as I eyed the double bed. In spite of my tiredness, I knew I
wouldn’t be able to resist Ahran if he came near me.

I quickly
showered and cleaned my teeth and in under ten minutes I was
crawling into bed. The sheets smelt fresh and homely. I closed my
eyes, my heart pounding as I waited for Ahran to shower but when he
came out of the bathroom, he didn’t get into bed. Instead, he went
to the wardrobe and pulled out some bedding. It was clear he was
about to make a bed up on the floor.

I couldn’t let
him give up a night in a comfortable bed especially after having
driven almost non-stop since this morning. “You don’t have to sleep
on the floor,” I said, sitting up and feeling not a little bit
rejected.

“I think it’s
better for both of us if I do,” he said as he laid the blanket and
pillow on the floor at the bottom of the bed. His hair was wet and
he was just wearing his boxers. My hands itched to touch him.

“We are both
exhausted and need a good night’s sleep,” I argued, suddenly
panicked by the thought that I wouldn’t be spending the night in
his arms.

“I’ll get more
sleep on the floor.”

His words
stung.

“Oh, okay,” I
said, trying to keep the hurt from my voice. I knew he needed to
rest but the thought that he didn’t actually want to share a bed
hadn’t occurred to me. He’d had a day to reconsider his feelings,
maybe he’d realised that not only did he not want to be with
Talina, but I wasn’t what he wanted either.

“Try and get
some sleep,” he said as he settled down into his makeshift bed.

I could feel
tears pooling in my eyes. He had obviously realised that our
situation was hopeless. I reached over and switched off the
lamp.

“Night Ahran,”
I said in a small voice.

“Night
Sophie.”

I lay on my
back staring into the darkness as tears slid silently down my
cheeks. I missed Toby so much and after this evening feared for his
safety even more, but I was also terrified that as a result of my
stupid insecurities I had lost Ahran for good.

*****

I came to with
a jolt. One minute I had been fast asleep on the floor wrapped in
Ahran’s warm arms and the next minute I was lying there cold and
alone, squinting in the darkened room wondering where he had
gone.

“Ahran?” I sat
up my eyes searching for him.

I struggled to
make sense of the situation. At what point had I got into bed with
him? And why was he aiming a gun at the door? He turned towards me
and put a forefinger to his lips, silently warning me to keep
quiet.

A tap came from
the other side. In the blink of an eye he pulled the door open and
pointed the gun at the head of the person standing in the doorway.
I squeezed my eyes tight shut expecting to hear the dull thud of
the stun gun.

“Elaya!” he
exclaimed.

My eyes sprang
open.

“Hello brother,
do you always greet your guests looking like that?” Elaya’s husky
voice drifted through the open door. All I could see was Ahran’s
semi-naked body silhouetted by the light coming from the hall.

“I, er…come
in,” he said grabbing his jeans. Elaya came into the room and shut
the door behind her. Once he was more decent he hugged his
sister.

My relief at
seeing Elaya and not one of Bazeera’s trained killers turned to
acute embarrassment when I realized what it must have looked like
to her. I was also scantily dressed, sitting on the floor in a
makeshift bed. I pulled the blanket up to my chin self-consciously.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I blurted out in my
embarrassment.

Elaya arched an
eyebrow and looked at her brother. Why did I have to go and say
something like that? I not only looked guilty, I sounded guilty. If
I had kept my mouth shut we could have got away with it looking
like I had slept on the floor and Ahran had slept in the bed.
“Excuse me a minute,” I said, fumbling for my clothes before
dashing into the bathroom.

I couldn’t
remember getting into bed with Ahran. I had obviously gone to him
in my sleep when my conscience couldn’t argue. And now Elaya had
all but walked in on us. It was just too embarrassing for words. I
quickly got dressed and wondered how she had found us. I hesitated
before re-joining them, it was no good hiding out in the bathroom.
I took a deep breath and went back into the bedroom.

Ahran had
opened the curtains and was sat on the bed with his long legs
stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He was fully
dressed now in jeans and a t-shirt. Elaya looked incredible even
after her ordeal at Toby’s school. She wore a skin tight black roll
neck sweater and a pair of tight fitting black jeans that clung to
her angular yet womanly figure, she reminded me of a spiky haired
Catwoman. Ahran and his family really were spectacular looking.

She came
towards me and gave me a brief hug. “Ahran tells me you’ve had a
difficult time.”

“Yes, it’s not
been easy,” I replied.

“I’m just
pleased you are both okay.” She turned back to Ahran. “I knew you
were still on the move because of the tracking device in your phone
but for some reason I couldn’t get through to you.” She seemed to
be ignoring the fact that she had just found me and her brother in
bed together. I silently thanked her for not saying anything.