“Right here on this sofa,” Douglas concurred. “I was frustrated as hell. I mean, she kept offering me wishes. I didn’t want any damned wishes, I just wanted my kids back.”
“I finally got him tosaythat,” Jacinth said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Once he did, I was able to get things rolling.”
“What she means is, fifteen minutes later the phone rang, and it was my PI, the guy I’d had looking for my kids for two years. The cops in California had called him saying they had found them.”
Naomi blinked. “Wow! That fast?”
“It was easy because Douglas already had things in place. The investigator, the kids’ pictures out there all over the country,” Jacinth explained. “Because he’d already done that, it was a simple magic that had anyone who knew the children would see their picture… whether a spot on television, or a milk carton, or a flyer somewhere… recognize them, and call the authorities.”
Douglas nodded. “And the cops in California acted fast. The lady who called it in was actually babysitting them at the time. The cops got there before Lilian, my ex-wife. And the next morning, Jacinth and I were on a plane to California.”
Talya gave a happy little wriggle. “She didn’t… you know… ‘poof’ you there?”
“Not that I’d thought of that at the time, but we’d still have flown. I needed to be sure everything was on the up-and-up,” Douglas explained. “To have an official paper trail of me flying across country. We went and got Benny and Molly, and, well, here we are.”
“Wow, that’s awesome.” Naomi grinned, charmed by the story.
“It really is,” enthused Talya. She bounced off the sofa. “Okay, now I gotta get to my homework.”
Jacinth arched one delicate brow. “Homework? On a Saturday night.”
Talya bit her lip, but her eyes danced. “I’m gonna Zoom with some of my friends.”
Laughing, Jacinth brought her hands together in another clap. The silver walls of her teapot disappeared, and they were back in the living room again. Jacinth waved one hand toward the hallway, and with a grin, Talya took off, presumably for her bedroom to talk to her friends.
“She sounds as American as apple pie,” Liam observed. “You’d never know she was born and raised in Morocco.”
Douglas seemed to growl under his breath, and Jacinth leaned into him, kissing his cheek.
“We’ve got her safe and sound,” she said softly, before returning her attention to Liam. “Television. Lots and lots of television, there in the compound. The women and children were rarely allowed out of the compound, and there was little for them to do. Also, English was the language spoken there, not Arabic as you would think.”
“None of them actually were Arabic, in fact,” Douglas nodded. “Stephen, the leader, was in fact American, as well as most of those higher up in the organization. There were a few from Africa… Kenya, South Africa, Namibia.. And some from Egypt and India.”
Jacinth nudged him with her elbow. “Egypt is in Africa,” she reminded him.
“Yes, but it’s generally considered the Middle East.”
Liam flashed Naomi a grin as the couple launched into a debate over whether Egypt was part of the Middle East or Africa. She giggled, but couldn’t help sighing a little, watching Douglas and Jacinth interact. They interacted seamlessly, as if they’d known each other all their lives. There were the little smiles and touches, quick exchanges of glances in silent communication. Naomi envied them helplessly. She’d wanted this so badly all her life. Someone to care for, who cared for her. A happily ever after. Her cat agreed, purring, and projected an image of laying across Liam’s knees getting tummy rubs. Damned cat.
Jacinth brought their debate.. which had turned into more of an argument… to an abrupt end, turning her attention to Naomi.
“Naomi! Let’s talk about you. Now that you’re out of the zoo, and we’ve convinced you that you won’t turn into a soul-less psychopathic killer, what are your plans?”
Naomi stared at her, her mind going completely blank. “Uhhh…”
The Djinn’s expression swiftly changed from mischievous to contrition. “Too soon to joke about it?”
Liam reached over to take Naomi’s hand in a comforting clasp. “Maybe once she actually believes it won’t happen.”
“Fair enough. Let’s back up. So! Naomi! What are your plans now, going forward?”
Oh, right. Naomi collected her thoughts.
“I have to get a job first, obviously. I’ve applications out to libraries all around the area.Then once I land a job, I’ll start looking for an apartment.” She ran her fingers through her hair nervously. “I actually could afford an apartment now, but I figure without a job no one would accept me as a tenant, at least, not any reputable place. I actually have a lot of money saved.” She shrugged a little, looking down. “I always thought… you know… so, anyway, there wasn’t any point buying anything I’d have to leave behind. I didn’t bother getting credit cards, and didn’t even have student loans to deal with, so I saved most all of what I made since leaving college, except for what I needed to live on.”
Douglas’ brows raised. “No student loans at all?”
Naomi smiled faintly. “Library sciences. I got a full ride for my B.A. Everything was covered, including textbooks.”
