“Whatever you’re thinking Sunny and I had in the past, you’re wrong,” Julian said.
“I’m wrong that you and Sunny were in a relationship, then she dumped you for your best friend and you never got over her, going as far as to blow up her relationship with Broman so she wouldn’t be happy with him? Is that wrong?” Reggie asked.
“It wasn’t … like that,” Julian said, stumbling over his words. Sunny had told Reggie more than he’d expected.
Did Sunny really think he’d sabotaged her relationship with Broman because he couldn’t take losing her? He’d kept his feelings a secret for almost their entire relationship because he wanted Broman to be happy. He would have sacrificed anything for Broman, but the problem was Broman felt the same way about him. Julian had begged Broman not to end the relationship with Sunny, reassuring him that he wouldn’t stand in the way of their love. In the end, Broman had chosen him over Sunny and walked away, refusing to love the same woman that Julian had.
But Julian knew now that what he’d felt for Sunny wasn’t love. He’d been infatuated and then he’d had his ego bruised. No woman had ever walked away from him for another man. He was the one who did the walking. Yet, Sunny had fallen for Broman and despite finding out later that they were best friends, she had begged Julian to keep their former relationship a secret. A relationship that meant nothing.
Back then it had stung.
Now, he knew she was right. A one-sided infatuation didn’t equal love. Mena Nix had shown him what it was like to love someone, truly and unconditionally, and to be loved the same way. The type of love that endured beyond the pain of disappointment and heartache. The type of love that drove him to search all of Kenya until he found Mena again.
“Since you got to Nairobi, she’s been putting more distance between us. You’ve become her priority and I’m on the back burner. Doesn’t seem like you’re just friends to me,” Reggie said.
An agent interrupted, “Chief Agent Kamau, we received intel from Timothy Irungu. An unauthorized Gulfstream landed at the family’s private airfield near the construction of the greenhouses early this morning. The Irungu security team isn’t responding to any communications and he fears they are all dead. Satellite images have captured three unidentified vehicles, all heading in that direction.”
“How far away are we from that airstrip?”
“About an hour,” the agent replied.
“One of those vehicles has got to be Tubeec with Mena,” Julian insisted.
“Is the Gulfstream still there?” Reggie asked.
“Yes, we’ve confirmed it’s still in the hangar at the airstrip,” the agent replied.
Reggie nodded, “Coordinate a three-point entry to the Irungu property near the airstrip. Four-man teams in two of the Jeeps. I will lead the way, using the most direct route in the third Jeep … with Julian.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
The hollow click of a pistol resonated near the side of Mena’s face and she grew still. A chill slithered down her spine as she turned her head toward the sound.
To her left, Hakeem rested the barrel of a gun next to the ear of Tubeec’s henchman, who kept a tight hold on her arm. His gun, connected to a strap wrapped around his chest, was near his side, out of reach.
Another quick glance to her right and she saw another man, pale with ice blue eyes. In front of her, Tubeec Hirad walked briskly down the middle of the runway toward the opening of the corrugated airplane hangar. The nose of a sleek private jet was barely discernable inside the cavernous space.
“Assad, move away from Mena now,” Hakeem barked the order.
Assad released his grip on her arm, pushing her down to the ground. Mena landed with a hard thud on the concrete, crying out from the pain detonating in her hip.
Tubeec stopped at the sound of Hakeem’s voice, turned, and watched the ambush unfold. A sly smile crossed his face as he walked toward Hakeem.
“The prodigal protégé has returned,” Tubeec said, his arms opened wide as if to hug Hakeem.
A gun blast ricocheted through the air. Assad’s body slumped to the ground. Mena held back a scream as she watched blood spewing from the man’s neck, his eyes vacant and blank as his body lay lifeless on the ground.
“Hakeem, did you really need to kill a man that was like a brother to you?” Tubeec asked, his arms falling to his side. “Come with me, let’s talk.”
“I have nothing left to say to you,” Hakeem said. Dropping the gun on the ground, he approached Tubeec and extended his arms. The two men embraced, holding each other for a long moment.
The pale man with ice blue eyes approached her slowly, squatting down next to her. “Hey, Mena. I’m Glaze. I work with Julian. I’m going to get you out of here. Don’t worry.”
Mena nodded, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Hakeem and Tubeec. They were engaged in a congenial conversation, their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders as they stood mere feet away.
“What’s going on?” Mena asked.
“Don’t worry about Hakeem. He’s not going to hurt you,” Glaze said, helping her to her feet. “Stay behind me. I need to provide backup for Hakeem. As soon as he’s done, we’ll get you out of here.”
