Page 41 of Saving Salem
“My thanks, Mr. Boudreau, Mr. Carpenter, but Abdullah wishes his location to remain undisclosed for the next few days, but he will be contacting you to discuss any testimony you may need, both for the custody case as well as criminal prosecution. He must consider how this will affect his younger sister, who knows nothing about any of her family’s machinations.”
“Please let him know, if there is any way we can assist him, do not hesitate to get in touch.”
Hassan bowed his head to Samuel in response to his words, turned, and walked out the door, disappearing from view.
“That was…unexpected.” Chance crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Samuel. “Hassan ben Saeed. Do you have any idea who he is?”
Samuel simply quirked a brow and smirked. Yeah, he knew.
“I have a question. When do we arrest Sayifa and Rashid? I want to be there, to look her in the face when she realizes she’s lost.” Jack’s voice came out in a low growl, his anger rising to the surface at how close he’d come to losing Salem and Chloe.
“Sorry, they’ve already been taken into custody by the Feds. They grabbed them both the minute their plane landed. With all the evidence Hassan willingly provided, Abdullah agreeing to testify against his family, they will never be free again. No matter how much you want to take matters into your own hands, Jack, it’s over.”
Jack hadn’t been paying much attention to Nate during this exchange, until he started laughing. That was when Jack noted the tablet in his hand. He turned it so Jack could see what was on the screen.
An older woman dressed in Arab garb struggled in the grasp of two men in suits, fighting and screaming at the top of her lungs. They were at what looked like the tarmac of a private airport, because a Gulfstream was in the background. He couldn’t hear the sound, but he’d bet the agents detaining her were getting an earful. Behind her, standing stoically in a dark-colored suit was the man he assumed was Rashid Amir, handcuffs encircling his wrists. He looked resigned to the situation, while his mother continued to rant.
It was a beautiful sight.
“How?”
“Had Stefan tap into the feed at the private airport outside New Orleans, it’s the same one we use. He recorded this so we’d have it for posterity. I say this is a job well done. Yeah, team.” Nate handed the tablet to Jack. “Take this and show it to Salem. Give her the closure she needs to know she and Chloe are safe.”
“I…I can’t thank you guys enough for everything you’ve done.” Jack stared down at the screen, watching the scene unfolding, trying to wrap his head around the fact that it was over.
The big question was, what happened now?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Salem stood inthe kitchen, watching the timer count down on the oven. She’d been baking for the past three hours, needing something to keep herself occupied. Jack was downstairs going over every detail of the Amir case, making sure all the I’s were dotted and the T’s crossed to finally make this nightmare end.
It seemed impossible for it to be over. Sayifa and Rashid were in jail. Chance stated the case against them was airtight; there was no wiggle room for them to escape the multitude of charges against them. They’d ruined so many lives, not just hers. Finding out what they’d done to Abdullah, simply because he didn’t agree with their vendetta against her, that was beyond cruel.
She was finally free. Free to live her life with Chloe, without any kind of threat hanging over her head. The possibilities were endless, she could have anything she wanted. Be anything she wanted.
The ding of the timer interrupted her thoughts, and she pulled the banana bread out, setting it on the counter to cool. She’d also made cupcakes and brownies with walnuts and chocolate chips. The baking session wasn’t because she wanted sweets. It had been something to avoid looking at her life.
To be more specific, the possibility of a life without Jack. She’d come to depend on him. Not in an I-can’t-live-without-you-because-I’m-so-weak kind of way. It was more of an I don’t want to live without you because I’m so deeply in love with you it’s hard to breathe.
There. It was the plain, unvarnished truth. She loved him. Wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Wanted him to stay her husband, Chloe’s father. The man whose arms she fell asleep in every night and whose arms she woke up in every morning. How had it happened so fast? She’d thought her impulsive days were behind here. Hadn’t she learned her lesson with Tarik?
Jack was nothing like Tarik. Tarik’s pretty lies, the charm, the roses and candlelight had all been an elaborate lie to get her into his bed, under his control. Jack never tried to control her. Didn’t try to sway her with things, stuff that didn’t matter. No, he did the little things. Held her hand when she wasn’t expecting it. Smoothed her hair away from her face when she automatically hid the scar on her cheek. Held her at night when she was scared.
The front door opened and Jack came in, catching her gaze and he smiled. Sometimes he’d smile and her breath would catch in her throat, because it was unexpected and yet so real, so authentic, nothing hidden, no expectations, simply a joy of life. Being with Jack was making her come alive again, when she hadn’t felt anything for a long time.
“Just finished talking to Chance’s contact at the State Department. I swear, for somebody who lives in a small Texas town, Chance Boudreau has some interesting connections. Between him and Samuel, I think we’ve covered every base. Sayifa and Rashid will be arraigned tomorrow. I guarantee they will not be granted bail. I didn’t know if you wanted to go, like for closure.”
She thought about it for a second before shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so. I’m done. Let someone else deal with them. I want to put the Amirs behind me, start living again.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” He reached onto the counter and pinched off a corner of the brownie, popping it in his mouth. “Umm, I had no idea you were such a good baker.”
She chuckled, swatting at his hand. “It’s simple, open a box and mix the ingredients. But I needed something to occupy my time. Chloe’s down for her nap, and I…” She trailed off. How should she broach the subject of wanting to know what he wanted to do about their marriage? Did he want out now that the danger to her and Chloe was past? It didn’t seem right or fair to ask him to give up his life for her. As much as she loved him—and she did—she wouldn’t hold him in this marriage if he didn’t feel the same.
“Jack—”
“Salem,” he said at the same time, then laughed. “Go ahead.”
“Let’s sit.” Taking his hand, she walked over to the sofa, pulling him down beside her. “I think we should talk about us.”
