AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nodded. “I actually called the police station earlier this morning. We’re good concerning them, too. Now, you eat. I’ll just head to my place and pack some things. It shouldn’t take me long.”
Slade came back through the front door and Zain kissed the top of my head as he walked in that direction. Though I knew he wanted to kiss my mouth before he left, the Master within him left my skin tingling. His behavior was in contrast to the way he was acting. The respect he had for my brother was evident.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to grab some clothes from my place real quick.”
“Take Marcio with you as a precaution.”
Neither men paused in walking while they spoke.
“Got it.” Zain disappeared out the front door and my brother pulled out the stool next to mine and sat down. I popped his hand as he reached toward my plate, taking a grape.
“You sure he’s the one you want? You’re still young. There’s plenty of time and men out there.”
I spun on the stool to face him. “Men that would die for me? Men who would kill for me?” My head shook. “I love him, Slade.”
His eyebrows drew in. “Why did you never say anything to me? Why not tell me about him? Did you really think I wouldn’t have understood?”
“No. If I would have confessed something to that magnitude, we both know you would have freaked out at the mere thought. Even now, I can see how uncomfortable you are around him. You like him, but there’s something holding you back. So, what is it?”
The sound of a door opening had both of us turning toward Mary as she exited their room.
“I like Zain, don’t get me wrong. I just want what’s best for you. He loves you, that’s clear as day to me. But he’s not like most men, Lily. What if he can’t hold a job? The guy is a killer, not an accountant. He might not adjust well to this life. What happens to the two of you then?”
My head lowered at his words. He had a point. “He’ll do fine,” I said, looking back up. “He’ll excel at anything he gets handed. That’s just who Zain is. If, for some reason, it doesn’t work out at Slade Industries, he and I will take it from there. Don’t worry yourself. We’re both adults. Let us handle it.”
Slade stayed silent and stood as Mary approached. He turned, wrapping his arms around her and leading her to the seat he just stood from. Dark circles were prominent below her eyes and I nearly gasped at how weak she appeared. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. Their nearly silent conversation seemed to last minutes as I picked at my food. When he straightened, I gave her my attention.
“Mary, you okay?”
Her fingers weaved through her hair while she forced a smile. It was so badly done that she let it fall and replaced it with a frown. “I’m not going to lie, I feel like shit. I was up sick again last night. I’m exhausted, but I’m so tired of trying to sleep. I’m calling the doctor today. I can’t keep doing this.”
For Mary to admit her true state, I knew it had to be bad. My eyes rose to Slade and I suddenly realized where the majority of his stress was coming from.
“Just keep the fluids going. Don’t get dehydrated, it’ll make things worse. Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Sometimes those can make the sickness worse at first. At least, that’s what I…heard.” I slowed, catching myself. My hand reached for the glass of orange juice and I took a big drink. I hadn’t heard. It was my own personal experience. Zain had been so excited to bring me those prenatal vitamins, but when the sickness got worse, he cursed the day he got them. Fluid intake helped, but how sick I’d become made it hard to continue helping girls.
“You keep talking with so much knowledge. Who have you known that’s pregnant? You stay in here most of the time.” Slade said, confused.
I took another drink, slower this time. When I turned to him, I noticed Mary was staring at me inquisitively, too. My heart sank and pain filled my chest. How different our lives would be had I left Afghanistan pregnant. No…Zain would have never allowed that. He would have died trying to keep me.
“A slave. I helped deliver her baby.”
“Deliver…?” My brother’s eyes went wide as he stared at me.
Grapes rolled on the plate as I pushed it away. “Yes, she was lucky. Not many of them made it past the first trimester with the beatings they received. Most were intentional. I think they called it population control. Anyway, it’s not important.”
“Wait,” my brother said, narrowing his eyes. “You mean, they beat the slaves to abort the babies?”
This was getting way too close to parts I didn’t feel comfortable talking about. I stood, placing the back part of the barstool in front of my chest. Whether it was to guard myself from the pain I’d lived, I wasn’t sure.
“Yes. They did that quite often. There were a decent number of girls there.”
“How many?” Mary’s hand shot up. “Forgive me. I’ve never wanted to pry. It shouldn’t start now. I’m sure you don’t want to relive this. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”
How many? Too many. “When I left there were nine amongst Zain’s three uncles and his father. They had multiple slaves. But the girls were never allowed to be together. They almost always got into trouble and that wasn’t good for anyone.”
Mary’s fingers pressed over her lips. “Nine girls. Between four men?”
“I thought Zain had four uncles and then there was the father?” Slade asked.
