Page 157 of Deadly Betrayal
“Lailajan, are you certain you wantto go with them?” Khalid asked. “It will mean leaving Afghanistan,your cousins, your friends. You will never see SamirajanorGulnazjanagain.”
Laila hugged Kaden and looked up at him, hereyes silvery pools. “You said I could go with you. Do you stillmean it?”
Man, kids always got him with those puppy dogeyes. “Damn right I mean it. I’d never force you to do somethingyou don’t want, but I’d love for you to come live with me and Azitain Canada.”
Her smile lit up the room, and Kaden wasreassured. Laila would be all right. He focused on Khalid. “I thinkyou’ve got your answer.”
“Very well.” Khalid stood up, gripping hisshoulder where Tariq’s bullet had grazed him. “I will be on myway.” Before passing through the door, he paused and looked atAzita, then Laila. “Please know that I care about you both verymuch. Should you ever need me, you know where I will be.” And thenhe was gone.
Kaden hugged Azita and Laila to him and letout a huge breath. “We’ll be going home soon,” he said, kissingeach of their heads.
“Anywhere you are is home.” Azita smiledthrough her tears, and the love that shined in her eyes astoundedhim.
He had everything he needed, right here inhis arms. They’d conquered unimaginable odds. And they’dsurvived.
Chapter 37
One month later
St. Xavier, north of Montréal, Canada
As they rounded a bend in the road, a largewooden arch with the letters R and H appeared. Beneath it were bigcast-iron gates, which slowly rolled open after Kaden entered acode on a security keypad. Azita had never seen anything like thisplace.
She’d known Nic was rich, but she’d neverimagined he owned a vast stretch of almost untamed wilderness.Azita gripped the edges of her headscarf, twirling one around herindex finger until it hurt. Her stomach was a knot, and she wasmore than a little nauseated.
Although she’d already met Jake and Nic, shehad no idea how the other people in Kaden’s life would react totheir sudden marriage. Would they accept her, or would they thinkshe had taken advantage of Kaden’s kindness?
Laila’s hand snaked along the backseat andcaught Azita’s, untangling it from the scarf. Azita smiled herthanks to the girl who had, in only one short month, become thedaughter of her heart. She couldn’t love Laila more had she borneher.
Their car bumped down a long driveway towarda large house and several other buildings, the snow crunchingloudly under the tires. Azita marveled at her surroundings. Kadenhad explained that St. Xavier was a small town north of themetropolis of Montréal, which they’d passed through earlier. Azitahad learned a little French when she was in Tehran. It was enoughto read the various street signs, but she’d have to learn it farbetter before she could work here, and she’d have to go back toschool to requalify for a medical license, a challenge bothintriguing and terrifying.
Everything here was so strange, so differentfrom her life in Kabul, although the landscape did remind her ofthe eastern parts of Afghanistan with its plentiful trees, endlesssnow-covered fields, and long frozen rivers. It wasn’t as cold asshe’d expected, but then Kaden had told her the worst of the Québecwinter came in the second half of January and February.
Her gaze fixed on the view outside the car,Laila gasped. “Horses! Azitajan, Nic has horses. Do youthink he will let me pet one?”
Azita smiled at Laila wrapped in her parka,boots, and gloves. “We shall have to ask him.” Kaden had purchasedwinter gear for them on one of their stopovers between Islamabadand Montréal. The journey had seemed never-ending, yet despitetheir fatigue, she and Laila were eager to see their new home.
Kaden caught her eye in the rearview mirror.“You could have sat up here with me, you know.”
His words arrested her. Whyhadshesat in the back when she hated it so? Was it only because it wasfamiliar? She was so used to trying to hide her independent natureto avoid trouble and censure, but she wasn’t in Afghanistananymore. Here, she could be the woman she wanted to be.
She hated sitting in the back, she hatedbeing subservient, she hated not having any rights. Now she hadthem—but she wasn’t taking advantage of them; instead she wasshying away from taking what was hers. Why? Did she not believeKaden when he told her she was his equal? Did she not believe theman she loved?
Her chest squeezed painfully when she caughthis gaze in the rearview mirror. Shedidbelieve him. “Nexttime,” she told him, meaning it.
When he stopped the vehicle in front of atwo-story house and she got to see it close up, Azita took in asharp breath. It was beautiful, with its long balcony and largecurved window, through which she could see a group of men, women,and a young boy crowded together and waving.
“Looks like the welcoming committee is readyfor us,” Kaden said, laughing. He pointed to the left and namedeveryone. “That’s Nic and his fiancée, Lauren. The kid is theirson, Jason. The pretty woman with dark hair and crutches is Rachel,Nic’s sister. The tall man with long hair beside Jake is Rémi, andthat’s his fiancée, Alyssa. Rémi is Nic’s best friend. Next toAlyssa is Rémi’s cousin, Tommy, and beside him is Rachel’s nurse,Marie-Soleil.”
Nic and Rémi were hugging their women totheir sides. No one was ashamed or embarrassed, and it broughttears to Azita’s eyes. Kaden would want her to welcome his touch infront of his friends, and she wanted that too. Still, there wassomething inside her, a nasty voice that told her men shouldn’ttouch women in public. It was a voice she wanted to ignore. Sheprayed for strength.
Laila’s eyes were as round as buttons. “Willwe live with all these people, Kadenjan?”
Twisting in his seat, he pointed to a smallerhouse about a hundred meters away. “Nic, Lauren, and Jason sharethe big house with Rachel. That house right behind us is ours. Nichad it built for us.”
Azita gaped at the house. “For us?”
Kaden got a worried look in his eye. “Youdon’t like it?” he asked softly.
