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Chapter Nine
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Iagreed tothis, but I sure as hell wish I knew where they’re taking me. Not that I have any way to let Bennett or anyone else know what the fuck is going on. All Alex could do was hope Bennett had been close by and watched when they left the hotel. Without his SAT phone or regular cell phone, there would be no way to communicate except through the goons driving.
If he did have his phone, he’d tell Bennett to stay on task, keep Myla safe. The goal had changed since they last spoke. He needed to locate Ziva. If what the manager told him was true, he was on his way to meet her. That seemed far-fetched because for the last eight hours he’d been riding around in the back of a black Lincoln Town Car. The island wasn’t big enough to take that long to go from one end to the other. They were stalling for some reason. He’d played their game long enough. If they kept driving for much longer, it would become nightfall, and he wanted to arrive in the light of day to have a clue as to where he was.
Alex was pretty good with tracking his bearings. These guys were intentionally stalling. There were only a few reasons why they’d delay like that. Either they don’t have Ziva, or something’s happened to her, and they’re trying to find a suitable substitute. Good luck. She’s... like no one I’ve ever met before.
She’s... important to me.
There was something so unique about her. Ever since she stumbled into him several days before, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. He’d wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her then and there. Yet, he hadn’t allowed himself to be distracted by her loveliness. And a distraction was exactly what she turned out to be.
Even now, when he was supposed to be meeting Brice and Dean, Alex couldn’t focus on anything but Ziva. For all he cared, his brothers could board their jet and head back to the States. He wasn’t going anywhere until he had Ziva safe with him. If anything’s happened to her, I’m not returning. I’m going down, taking out as many of these bastards as I can.
“You do know where we’re going, right?” Alex asked as they passed the same building for the third time.
“We’re waiting on instructions.”
“Here’s one. Stop this fucking car and let me out. I’m a busy man and don’t have time for your boss’s games,” Alex said. He needed to get to where they were holding Ziva. His gut told him she was alive and close by.
“It won’t be much longer.”
“Pull over now!” Alex needed these guys nervous about him changing his mind. That a major deal was falling through. If he was correct, they’d panic and call the boss for direction.
Sure enough, one guy pulled out his phone. He rattled off in Tabiqian. Alex didn’t need to know what was said. The guy’s body language said he’d just got his ass chewed out.
“You will be at your destination in a few minutes.”
Gee, we’re that close? How surprising is that?Alex shot the guy a look that probably matched what his boss had just said. He mumbled something under his breath in Tabiqian again as they turned away from the city.
Making their way down a long winding road, they came to a house that didn’t fit with what he’d seen so far on the island. There was a massive iron gate with two guards stationed at the entrance, dressed in black, and each armed with an M-16. The car slowly drove to the gate and stopped. The driver rolled down his dark tinted window and whispered something to the guard, who then peered into the backseat.
The guard glared at Alex as though trying to intimidate him. Alex wanted to meet his stare and tell him to fuck off but needed to remind himself he was playing a role here. One that required him to cave to the bastard. It wasn’t easy, but he forced himself to look away first. Enjoy it now. Next time we meet, I promise, I won’t be looking away.
Once the guard was satisfied Alex wasn’t a threat, he straightened and waved the vehicle through. As they moved forward, the massive house became clearer. This wasn’t just anyone’s home. Was it possible he’d just found the location of the big boss? It was what he wanted, but now he was looking for something much more valuable to him. Ziva.
If this was the big boss’s place, why would they have Ziva there? Alex knew what attracted her to him, but he knew they weren’t looking at her for the same thing. He had a sinking feeling about this. If she was here, it wasn’t to provide him with a good time. He actually hoped not to see Ziva.
Before they made it to the top of the hill, he saw a guard tower, much like the one at the prison. This one was staffed, and he sensed a gun trained on him. Alex started mentally preparing himself for a hostile welcome. Maybe I wasn’t so smooth with the manager after all. But he had no problem taking my money. That bastard will pay.
They were still en route to the house when Alex looked down to the city below. If he hadn’t known what Tabiq was all about, he would’ve thought it was a vacation place. The sight was spectacular. Is this what you dream of when you think of home, Ziva? A place where families can raise their children, without living in fear from the government? The hillside was covered with flowers in all directions, and the town was surrounded by lush green trees. It’s a wonderful dream, Ziva. Don’t give it up. It’s your home. Fight for what you want it to be.
That seemed simple, coming from a man who lived in a country that had more comforts than anyone could ask for. But for Alex, he wasn’t thinking about the places he lived, as much as he was the family he’d come from. Like the view below, it appeared to be ideal. It was the farthest thing from the truth. If it hadn’t been for James Henderson having more money than God, he was sure the state would’ve knocked on their door and taken them away from their father. How any of his siblings survived the mental and physical abuse was beyond him. He thought about them and was amazed at what they had overcome. Alex, however, had never dealt with the grief and pain. Instead, he’d buried the pain in his stories. It made for great writing, but it left him one fucked-up individual. Fucked-up just like Tabiq. I bet Ziva would look at me and see something redeemable, too. She’d be just as wrong as she is about Tabiq. Some things are too broken to be fixed. I’m one of them.
He’d figured that out long ago. Everyone thought he was a deadbeat. They weren’t far off, he was just dead on the inside. That’s why he’d chosen the career he had. It gave him the escape from the truth he needed. If he hadn’t, his family probably wouldn’t speak to him. Instead, they all thought he was carefree, cracking a joke about everything. In reality, he struggled daily to find good in the god-awful world he’d had the misfortune to grow up in.
Looking once again to the city, he thought about Ziva. Here she was, a woman who had faced such adversity and hadn’t hardened her heart. If anything, it molded her into the strong, loving, compassionate woman she was today. When Myla told him what Ziva had done, risking her life to protect those who had no one to fight for them, he wished he were half the human she was.
He was here to find his mother. Yes, he also wanted to crush the bastards. He’d even contemplated blowing this hellhole off the planet. But Ziva wasn’t like that. She wasn’t crushing the bad; she had searched for the good. And she was making a difference. More than I will ever do. My quest is completely self-focused. Something I wanted to do for me. She is thinking of everyone but herself.
He respected what she was trying to do, but he couldn’t have her life in danger each day. If Myla hadn’t come to him, Ziva would’ve been... killed. It was that simple. No one would ask any questions or care.
But I’m asking. I care. I need you to know that, Ziva. Someone cares very much.That was something he intended to make crystal clear when he set eyes upon her again.
The car finally stopped at the entrance of what he’d thought was just a home, but up close it was more like a fortress. There were iron bars on all the windows and doors. A burly man with evil in his eyes and a scar on his face came out the front door, carrying an M-16. This tense, heavily armed moment was not the welcoming committee one would expect after paying two million dollars for five nights with a woman. Yeah. They know what I’m up to. Fuck! And they know I want Ziva. He knew exactly why he was taken there. They were going to use Ziva to extort money from him. Alex wished it were as simple as they were planning on her sleeping with him. He knew that wasn’t the case. That could’ve taken place at the hotel.
As he got out of the car and followed the guard inside, his fears were confirmed. Ziva was standing inside, hands behind her back, a blindfold over her eyes, and a gag in her mouth. Alex wanted to call out to her, let her know he was there and everything would be all right. His gut told him she didn’t know who was there. Sorry, but it’s best to keep it that way for now.
