Alveus (ABC's Inc. Romance #1) (11 page)

“Fatiha,
I take no pleasure in another’s sorrow. You’re the same way. Look how you’ve
cared for me without thinking of the risks.”

“But
she is a nasty sow, and deserves to be taught a lesson!”

“Maybe
motherhood will change her,” Lexi insisted. “Aren’t you looking forward to
holding a sweet healthy baby in your arms?”

“I
will consider your wishes, but now I must go.” She pulled the rope back up and
tossed another bottle of water down. “Keep them hidden; I will try to come
again soon.”

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

“I
know where she is!”

Stefani
came running into the room waving a sheet of paper. “I know exactly where Lexi
is!”

Dane
caught the skeptical looks coming from her siblings and refrained from getting
too excited. Apparently she was prone to be overly dramatic. Stefani didn’t
miss their expressions and lack of enthusiasm, either.

“Fine,”
she said, “Dane?”

“Um,”
he cleared his throat, “sure Fani, tell us what you’ve got.”

“Okay,”
she threw him a hurt look; apparently he wasn’t very accomplished at hiding his
doubt in her abilities as a sleuth. It’s just that they’d been working around
the clock, getting nowhere. Here she comes breezing in with the announcement
that she singlehandedly found Lexi. Anyone would be dubious.

“When
I was modeling…”

“You
were a model?” Dane blurted out. So, that was why she was so skinny.

“I
was, for a while,” she answered, haughtily. “But that’s not the point. The
point is that I traveled around the world and met a lot of interesting models
from a lot of interesting countries.”

“And
that’s your point?” Gretchen asked disdainfully.

“If
you will let me finish,” Stefani replied testily. “I remembered a model from
Saudi Arabia and just happened to still have his number.” She looked around,
waiting for another derogatory remark. Gleaning silence, she continued. “So I
called him!”

More
silence. Everyone waited patiently.

“And…”
Stefan aided his twin with an encouraging nod.

“Oh,
and he saw her!” she proclaimed. “Rash (that’s his name, Rashid,) and his
father were invited by the sheikh of Hejd to attend the official announcement
of the next heir to the throne. It was a formal affair where Sheikh… uh,” she glanced
down at the paper in her hand, “Saleh proclaimed that his eldest son Ahmad was
to be the next ruler. And here’s the best part, he made a big flashy deal of
lavishing the crown prince with a ton of outrageously expensive gifts,
including a beautiful redhead. Those were his words, not mine – beautiful
redhead,” she explained. “And he said she was not happy to be there, but
ignored the pampered prince and stared straight ahead. If that’s not Lexi, I’ll
dress Louis up as a cat and send him to the president!”

“Louis?”
Dane asked, confused.

“Don’t
go there,” Gretchen suggested, rolling her eyes skyward.

“Camels,
seriously?” Dane huffed out his exasperation. “Great, if you want to add
another couple of weeks to our journey!”

“Well,
it’s not exactly stealth to land a plane on the sheikh’s private airstrip
without his permission,” Gretchen growled back. “I can only get us as far as the
United Arab Emirates; it’s at least another 250 to 300 miles to Hejd. If we try
flying in unauthorized they’ll shoot us down and ask questions later!”

They
were all getting testy. Dane had decided to convene in the comfort of his
apartment, that way the Carstens were only a short walk down the hall from
their individual suites. Stefani and Stefan were off chasing down their own
leads. Every idea the group had brought up was debated upon until they landed
back at square one. Was there any more secure fortress than a palace in the
middle of the largest desert on earth?

“We’ll
just have to find a way to get a royal invitation to the sheikh’s palace,” Dane
said. “Find out what he wants and make sure we have it.”

“Right…
and what keeps him from coming to us instead, for whatever the hell you think
he wants? I’ve had enough for today; I’m going to bed – goodnight!” Gretchen
left, leaving behind a wake of the same frustration they were all feeling.

“God,
no wonder she doesn’t have a man in her life,” Dane grumbled.

“I
know, right?” Greig agreed. “I love her, but sometimes I wish she would just chill.”

“I
don’t remember her being so bossy and argumentative when we were kids,” Dane
reflected. “Well, maybe bossy…” he chuckled.

“She
wasn’t before the accident,” her twin admitted. “She took on the guilt of Mom’s
death and I guess…”

“Decided
she had to take her place by telling you all what to do?” Dane finished.

“Something
like that,” Greig confessed.

Dane
got up to fix them a drink. He knew he could use one and figured since Greig
was using his wheel chair, he wouldn’t have to worry about him getting too
dizzy to make it back to his rooms. After a brisk knock on the door, Stefan
poked his head in.

“Ah,
got one for me?” he asked, when Dane turned to hand Greig a glass. Dane offered
Stefan the one he’d poured for himself and stepped back to the bar.

“Make
any progress?” he asked the younger Carsten. He took a sip from his newly
filled glass before settling in on the leather couch. Stefan sucked in a breath
after sampling his own beverage.

“Yes
I did,” he said matter-of-factly. “One of my FBI acquaintances is hooking me up
with an ex-marine/former FBI agent, who is extremely interested in our mission.
He heads his own elite team of skilled combatants whose main agenda is to crack
down on human traffickers.”

“I
don’t know,” Dane admitted dubiously. “A bunch of renegade soldiers shooting
their way into the palace compound seems like a sure way to cause Pips more
harm.”

The
two brothers exchanged a look.

“Who
said anything about storming the compound?” Stefan reasoned. “I’m just talking
about meeting the guy and hearing what he’s got to say. If he’s had experience
he can share with us, what’s the harm?”

“Have
you ever met this guy, Stef?” Greig asked.

“Saw
him at the gym once,” his brother replied. “Looked like a giant Swede: blond
hair shaved to the scalp, blue eyes, a quiet dude – seemed alright.” Stefan
shrugged. He looked at Dane and then locked eyes with his brother. “I’m picking
him up from the airport in the morning.”

Stefan
was spot-on with his description of the large man who followed him into Dane’s
office. The one thing he hadn’t mentioned was the big guy’s eyes. They were
blue, yes, but they remained veiled, hiding his thoughts as he absorbed every
nuance of the room’s interior.

“This
is Dice Fuller,” Stefan announced. “He was kind enough to offer us his help in
bringing Lexi home.” As he introduced the rest of them, Dice shook hands with
Dane and Greig, and gave polite nods to Stefani and Gretchen.

“Did
he say your name is
Dice
?” Gretchen asked.

“Yes,
ma’am,” Fuller replied.

“Is
it a nickname?” Stefani wondered.

“Yes,
ma’am,” the newcomer confirmed, without clarification. Stefani giggled and
unabashedly surveyed the man’s muscular torso.

“Okay…
now that we’ve got that settled, why don’t we fill Dice in on our progress,”
Stefan suggested.

Dane
watched Dice as he quietly listened to the details of Lexi’s disappearance,
subsequent kidnapping and resale to Sheikh Saleh of Hejd, and how they
uncovered proof of that purchase. He was shown maps of the area and a list of
airplanes at their disposal. Dice had remained silent through the entire
account, nodding his understanding at several points. Finally he spoke.

“Are
there other private residences with airstrips close to your goal?” he asked
Greig, reading from his monitor.

“Yes,”
Gretchen intervened, tapping on her tablet. Bringing up the information, she
held it out to Dice. The large man locked eyes with her before gazing down at
the screen.

“If
we could befriend one of these,” he pointed to two that seemed to be the
closest to Hejd, “perhaps we could procure their permission to land a plane…”

“Oh
my gosh,” Stefani shouted, “I completely forgot! Rash said that he had a friend
whose family owns land adjacent to Hejd. We thought that if he could invite the
sheikh’s family to a party or something, then we could sneak over and rescue
Lexi! Rash says they all have small private airstrips, how else could they make
trips into the city?”

“You
forgot
to tell us this?” Gretchen loudly accused her younger sister.

“Well,
I just found out for sure today that they were in residence, and everyone was
talking, and then Dice showed up and…”

Gretchen
put her head in her hands and shook it. Dane felt sorry for Stefani.

“That’s
a great job, Fani,” he said, pulling her into a side hug. “I don’t know what we
would have done without your help. Maybe Rash wouldn’t mind talking with me
about some of the details?” Stefani gave him a tearful nod.

“We
will need an appropriate airplane and a couple of ATV’s,” Dice said with
authority. He turned to Greig. “If you wouldn’t mind continuing your efforts to
crack through those email encryptions. I would be very appreciative. Stefan, I
would like to work with you to be assured that you can handle any interference
we may have, once we infiltrate the palace compound.”

“Wait,”
Dane challenged, “I will be the one going to the palace to get Lexi.”

“And
what about us?” Gretchen asked, surprisingly including her sister.

“You’re
staying here!” All of the men spoke in unison.

“Not
happening,” Stefani said, crossing her arms defiantly. “I’m the one who is
friends with a friend you want help from.”

“And,
I am the one who can get the equipment for crossing the desert,” Gretchen
chimed in, crossing her arms in solidarity with her sister.

“I
can get the equipment,” Stefan said.

“I
don’t know, dude,” Dane leaned in and whispered. “Your sister scares the hell
out of me.” Stefan wavered and locked eyes with Dane. They both looked to Greig
who in turn, shrugged his shoulders. The three of them turned to the spot where
Dice had been standing – he was gone.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Lexi
couldn’t seem to stop shivering. How long had she been asleep? Had she been
asleep? For that matter – was she still asleep? She checked the sun’s
reflection on the wall – afternoon. Her heart sunk; she had another long cold
night ahead of her. She had hoped to catch some warmth from the sun, and maybe
another visit from Fatiha. Closing her eyes, she curled into a tighter ball,
digging her toes into the sand.

“Lexi,
you must drink some water.”

Lexi’s
brows creased in confusion. “Mom?”

“I’m
here, precious. Drink some water.”

“I
don’t know where it is.”

“It’s
right in front of you. Open your eyes, sweet pea.”

Lexi’s
eyes were crusted shut. She rubbed her fist across them and tried again,
blinking painfully as they resisted. The view wasn’t any better with her eyes
open, dark had settled inside her prison. She reached out in front of her,
tapping the ground for the familiar shape of her water bottle, disturbing
Willie the lizard who had taken advantage of the heat from her body, before
settling her fingers around the bottle’s neck. Shaking it, she figured there
was only a few swallows left, so she took a measured sip and replaced the lid.
Lexi really wasn’t looking forward to using the bottle containing her urine.

“That’s
my big girl!”

“Daddy?”
She gazed upward at the black sky. Where are the stars? Sitting up, she leaned
her back against the wall, feeling Willie squeeze himself in behind her.
Tucking her knees to her chest, a shiver climbed up her spine and it wasn’t
from the cold. Something wasn’t right. She felt a wind spout stirring up the
sandy floor.

“Daddy,
I’m scared.”

“Be
strong my angel, Daney will find you.”

Daney
– yes, Daney always finds me when I get lost.

Lexi’s
mind floated back in time to the gully where she’d slipped and twisted her
ankle. They were playing hide and seek and she decided it would be a good place
to hide, but after she hurt her ankle she couldn’t climb up the steep incline
to get out. The night approached and she was frightened – and then Daney found
her.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Everything
was in place. All the t’s were crossed and the i’s dotted – that is before Mother
Nature threw a wrench into the works.

“A
major sandstorm has hit the UAE expecting to grip the country for two days
creating a visibility of less than 500 meters. Wind speeds of 25-35 knots are
expected.

In
Saudi Arabia, too, a government media centre warned that the kingdom would be
hit by extreme climatic conditions over the coming three days. These sandstorms
can last for several hours or sometimes even the whole day, bringing traffic to
a standstill, forcing places of work and schools to close, and significantly
increasing the number of hospitalizations. All airports will be shut down until
further notice."

Dane
sat staring at the report, incredulous. What… the… hell? Someone had paused the
screen. The room was silent. After what seemed like several minutes, he pulled
his eyes off the screen and looked around at the occupants in the room. Each
one was watching him as if they expected him to go ballistic, or something. He
narrowed his eyes at them, ending with Greig who hastily tapped at his tablet.

“It’s
confirmed,” the eldest Carsten said. “We won’t be flying in there tomorrow
morning as planned.”

Dane
closed his eyes, getting a grip on himself. It was no wonder the Carstens were
tiptoeing around him, his emotions were in turmoil. He’d never experienced
anything similar in his life – and he didn’t like it. Dane preferred to be in
control, always, and in every situation.

“Alright,”
he said. “There’s nothing we can do about it. Call whomever you have to in
order to reschedule, and then get some rest. As soon as we get the go sign,
we’re heading in.” He opened the door to usher them out. “And don’t forget to keep
Pips in your prayers.”

Lying
in bed that night, Dane rehashed the plan for the hundredth time. He could find
no flaws in it.

A
Dr. Badr owned the adjacent property to Hejd and was very hospitable to their
needs. Since he was moving his family back to the city for the winter months,
it was their tradition to throw an end of season party, inviting neighbors and
friends over for a farewell bash.  The timing was perfect. Rash would bring the
Carstens as his guests, where they could keep an eye on the royal family, while
Dice and Dane unloaded the gear from the plane and drove the ATV’s to the edge
of the sheikh’s compound. There, Dr. Badr would have men waiting with horses,
providing a more stealth entrance onto the palace grounds.

They
would all be outfitted with radio communications via earbuds; keeping in touch
should anything go wrong. Greig was staying in Frankfurt, watching their
progress via satellite, listening in and keeping them informed on each other’s
progress. Rash had given them as much description as he could about the palace
grounds, which Greig made into a sketchy map to guide Dice and Dane. The idea
was to steer away from the royal areas, which was pretty much everything on the
map, and find their way into the servant’s wing. Rash pointed out where he guessed
would be the concubine housing.

Dane
hated the thought of anyone touching Lexi. Strange how empty his bed felt, as
his thoughts replayed the memory of her sleeping beside him. His Sleeping
Beauty. Whose bed was she keeping warm tonight?