Page 135 of Deadly Betrayal
Khalid’s eyes widened, and the person he’dbeen speaking with whirled around. Jake.
“Jake? What’s going on?”
“Seems our friend here made a deal to getShahram’s body back.”
Shock speared down his spine. Kaden glancedat the shrouded body. “You checked?”
“It’s him,” Jake said.
“Where are Tariq’s men?” Frustrated andworried, he raked a hand through his hair. Some advance warningwould have been nice. “Why the fuck didn’t you call?”
Jake crossed his arms. “To answer your firstquestion, airport security detained them for failing to declare thecorpse in their luggage. Mr. Big Shot here”—he jerked his thumb atKhalid—“got the body released for burial.” Then stepping closer,Jake reached into the pocket of Kaden’s jacket and yanked out hisphone. “I did call, but you didn’t answer.” Turning the phonetoward Kaden, he showed him the missed call notifications. He’dcalled three times.
Feeling like a jerk, Kaden took the phoneback. “Shit. I tried to put it on vibrate and must have hit silentinstead.”
“Mm-hmm. What do we do now?”
Ignoring Khalid, Kaden rolled his shoulders.“Now we bury them both.” He walked over to Azita and rested a handon her shoulder. “Khalid retrieved Shahram’s body. I don’t knowwhat deal he made.”
She shook her head. “I do not care what hedid. The only important thing is that now I can bury mybrother.”
They walked over to the other procession andAzita carefully peeled back a corner of the sheet covering thebody. “It is him,” she whispered. When her legs gave out, Kadengrabbed her waist. She began reciting the Prayer for the Dead, andShahram’s carriers, all local men, joined in. Jake went to takeKaden’s place, supporting Freba as the soldiers followed Shahram’sbody into the graveyard. Kaden, Azita, and Laila entered last, withKhalid on the girl’s other side, holding her hand.
Themullahwho’d married them barelytwo hours before stood between two open graves. The dual processionstopped when it reached him. He spoke to the mourners and recitedthe Prayer for the Dead again. Kaden stood silently, while Azitaand Laila hugged each other. The girl was sobbing openly, hershoulders hitching, while Azita had no expression save the pain inher eyes and the tears on her cheeks.
For his part, Kaden was jumpy. The graveyardwas too exposed, the circumstances unsecured now that severalunknown men had entered into the mix. When the prayer ended, themullahinstructed the men to lower the bodies into thegraves with their feet facing Mecca.
Taking turns, Azita, Khalid, and Lailastepped up to the graves and tossed a handful of dirt onto thebodies to symbolically bury them. Azita and Laila came back tostand beside Kaden, while the cemetery workers filled the graves.When they were done, Khalid retrieved a box that had sat off to theside. He brought it to Laila and Azita. It contained several claypots with candles. They each took two and placed them among therocks the workers had laid over the graves, then they lit thecandles and stepped back, holding hands.
Kaden watched everything, each muscle in hisbody tense. He didn’t know how Khalid had pulled off gettingShahram’s body back, and he didn’t trust the man at all. The manwas clearly doing everything in his power to worm his way back intoAzita’s good graces.
Fat chance.Touching the ring on hisfinger, the ring Azita had put there as a symbol of theircommitment to each other, Kaden made a vow. He’d move heaven andearth, take on any battle, any war, do whatever it took to keepAzita and Laila safe. No one would ever hurt them again.
Khalid bristled with impatience as themullahspoke with Laila and Azita, offering them words ofsolace. Laila clung to Azita as if she alone anchored her to theworld of the living. He felt bad for the girl. It was difficult tolose both parents in one year, especially at such a young age. ButLaila was a woman now, soon to have a family of her own. Of course,he’d be more careful in his next choice of husband for her.Anything to keep Azita happy.
When themullahwent to speak with theAmerican and his fellow bodyguard, Khalid gently took Azita’s arm.“My dear, you look tired. I’ve rented us some rooms nearby. Afteryou and Laila have rested for a few days, we will go backhome.”
Azita stared at him, seemingly dumbstruck.“Home?”
He smiled and squeezed her arm. “It’s alwaysbeen your home, only now, you’ll be there as my wife.”
“Your wife?”
Annoyed by her constant repetition of hiswords, he forced himself to smile even more broadly. “Sweet, naïveAzita. I forgive you for everything. We are meant to be together. Iknow it, you know it, and Faroukh knew it. That’s why he marriedyou. He wanted to give me time to get over what had happened so Icould see you. Truly see the wonderful woman that you are.” He ranhis knuckles over her cheek. “I see you now, Azitajan.”
A hand, brutal and hard, captured his arm.“Don’t fucking touch her.”
The American’s pale skin was red with angeras his eyes drilled into Khalid’s face. The other bodyguard and themen in military attire circled around them like a pack of wolves.But Khalid was no doe. No one tried to intimidate him and got awaywith it. He glared at the American. “She is my fiancée. Whathappens between us is none of your concern.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, asshole.” TheAmerican pulled Azita to his side. Khalid’s heart clenched as sheseemed to go rather willingly. The man’s lips pulled back. “Azitais mywifenow, and everything about her concerns me.”
“Your wife?” Khalid sputtered. Impossible.Azita was his ward. He had to agree to any marriage.
Azita glanced at Kaden, who smiled in return.She stood straighter and boldly looked Khalid in the eye. “We weremarried earlier today.”
Khalid shook his head. He wasn’t losing hernow. “That cannot be.”
“Believe it,” the American said. His cockyself-assured attitude burned a hole right through Khalid’s gut.
