Page 17 of Under the Arabian Sky

I looked out the window at the rolling dunes stretching all the way to the heat-rippled horizon. “Me too.”

Up ahead, a rocky outcrop appeared, jutting out of the sand, jagged and inhospitable, like a piece of the moon had broken off and crashed in the desert.

“There,” said Tariq. “That’s the perfect place for her.”

He veered toward the rocks, confidently steering his way through the sand. I figured he had done this trek a thousand times before.

He pulled his Jeep to a halt next to the rocks and climbed out. “Are you coming?”

“Out there? With the snakes?”

“You’re an arenologist, aren’t you? I thought you’d be used to desert life.”

“Like I said, I prefer to think of myself as an office-bound scientist.”

“Suit yourself. But setting a falcon free… watching her spread her wings and look up at the sky, knowing it’s the one place she belongs… it’s one of life’s great experiences.”

Tariq reached across me for the glove compartment, his hand noticeably brushing my knee.

“Excuse me,” he said.

“Of course,” I replied with a gulp, the thrill of his touch something I pretended to shrug off.

He retrieved a pair of thick leather gloves, stepped out of the car, opened the back door and pulled out the large cage containing the hooded bird.

The falcon gave another ear-piercing shriek before Tariq carried the cage out into the heat.

Was this really going to be one of life’s great experiences? My curiosity quickly got the better of me and I jumped out of the Jeep to find out, watching my every step in case a killer reptile slid across my path.

At the rocks, Tariq sat the cage down then looked back to see me following him. “You changed your mind.”

“Well, it wasn’t on the brochure, but I thought, what the hell.”

He smiled. “I’m glad.”

The falcon squawked again and again, no doubt feeling the sun on her feathers, no doubt smelling the scent of her surroundings.

Tariq donned the leather gloves, then gently open the door to the cage and reached inside, untying the strap of the hood and slowly pulling it from the bird’s head.

The falcon blinked back the bright light and shrieked with even more excitement.

Tariq took off the gloves and dropped them on the sand before he retreated from the cage, stepping backward…

Stepping toward me.

He backed slowly up against me.

I wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, until he reached behind him to find my hips. Ever so carefully he took hold of both my hips in his hands, guiding me backward, standing in front to protect me should the falcon decide to turn on his rescuer and attack.

As Tariq’s hands held onto my hips, I caught my breath.

My heart pounded in my chest.

I exhaled ever so slowly, trying desperately not to quiver, knowing he could feel my breath on the back of his neck.

He stopped… but he did not let go of my hips.

“This is far enough,” he whispered.

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