Dark Desires: Deliverance (7 page)

He didn't miss the
roll of her eyes when he stated his wishes. Why Kamal could not enjoy the sole
company of his wife
Zanaib
was beyond him. She was a
submissive, quiet woman who was raised to be the wife of an important man and
essentially she knew her place and what her role required.
Keyaan
never had any issues with her, then again, they had not held a conversation
either which was fine by him. He walked forward and lowered his voice so that
she knew how serious he was in this moment. "Do not test me,
Gaby,
you don't want to see the kind of man I am when I'm
pushed to my limit." This was the first time
Keyaan
had called her Gaby and she did not like it. It felt like a threat and sent a
shiver down her spine.

"
Halas
!
Come here
Habibti
." Kamal stood up and
pulled Gaby to his side. "I don't know what is going on with you and that
woman or why you have brought her here but it can't be good. No one from my
house will interfere but don't involve us in any of the feuds or mind-games you
are playing with God
knows
who." He knew his
brother was a sycophant of sorts but his games were hitting a little too close
to home. He would not allow any of the women under his care to get hurt because
of the megalomaniac mentality that his brother had developed over the past
decade.

"Careful
brother…"

"
Habibi
, can I have a few private words with
you?"

Keyaan
walked out of the room and Kamal followed, closing the dining hall doors behind
them. "Why is that woman even here? She will never accept being second and
she is driving everyone mad except you. If you thought with something other
than your cock you would see that and end this farce you and her have
going."

"Don't tell me
what I should or shouldn't do. That is not your place."

"Oh! I forgot I
was talking to my perfect little brother."

Kamal didn't want to
venture down the path of this conversation. It had always been a point of
contention when they were growing up. In their parents' eyes,
Keyaan
had been raised to be a leader and a ruler. His
future was mapped out for him and every aspect of his life was controlled by
what needed to be done to ensure he had been adequately prepared when the time
came. Kamal, however, did not have such a heavy burden to carry. He was able to
grow up somewhat normally without the added pressure. He forged his own destiny
and become his own man. They had gone back and forth on this topic, exchanging
words and fists and Kamal was tired of it. Taking a deep breath to calm himself
he pushed on in an effort to get to the bottom of what was going on with his
brother.

"Does that woman
you keep locked away in the west wing have anything to do with Ay-?"

Keyaan
interjected before Kamal could mention her name. "Don't talk about things
you don't know and will never understand."

"I know that
what you went through was not easy and you're right, I don't understand. What I
do know is that you have been on edge since she arrived and some of your
behaviour mimics that of the broken man I pieced together all those years ago.
I have watched you become almost unrecognizable as the years have passed but I
need you to pull yourself together. You need to figure out a new way to cope
because right now, you are unravelling."

"NO!" He
did not need a lecture from his little brother. "Just stay out of my
business. One thing you and Gaby have in
common,
is
that you know how to unnecessarily push my buttons." With that, he turned
to leave.

Keyaan
knew that something was wrong when he had entered the dining hall and Gaby was
missing. She was never far from his brother's side unless there were pressing
matters she was not at liberty to attend. He was grateful for the peace until
his brother asked after her. It struck him as strange because they were
clairvoyant when it came to the others whereabouts, a habit they had developed
in their college years. A memory came to him in that moment. It was either
yesterday or the day before that she asked him about who was in the west wing.
Gaby never talked to him, let alone asked him anything that could be milked out
of her lover. He had ignored her, not wanting to open the gate to her or
Kamal's scrutiny. He excused himself and went to check whether his suspicions
were correct.

He was furious at
Gaby for dragging his name through the. He was picturing himself from Valerie’s
point of view, through her innocent eyes he was indeed a monster, thank God she
didn’t know to what extent. He wished he had had the opportunity to play on her
insecurities and drive a wedge between her and her Russian lover. Now that
Gabriella had stuck herself where she didn't belong and opened her big mouth to
denigrate his character – she would be weary of him. He punched the wall next
to him which drew a concerned look from his guard who knew better than to ask.
Sometimes he forgot he was always being followed.
Fuck! It's back to the
drawing board.

The day after
Gabriella had invited herself into Val's room things had changed and not for
the better.  All meals were brought in exclusively by Moe. This was at the
explicit order of
Keyaan
and she was beginning to
realise that his rule was law. She had ample time on her hands and that only led
to reflections.
Reflections of memories and her life in
general.
In the beginning, she had been scared and worried for her
safety and return home. That soon abated once she had been lulled into the
routine of - breakfast, time alone, lunch, time alone, dinner, more time alone
and then finally when she slept.

She thought about her
family, her friends and then Vlad. Lately, she couldn't get him out of her mind
which was both a good thing and also the cause of her worst lows. Her memories
of the passionate, possessive man she had come to love were the best. They gave
her hope that this terrible time in her life would come to an end. But when her
memories turned on her, in an accusatory like fashion, by showing him as this
cold man who took what he wanted and sometimes disregarded her feelings, then
she hated him. Based on her sour mood she hated him right now and cursed the
day she walked into that particular bar and opened her big, brazen mouth to
pick-up the gorgeous man.
Devil in a fucking Sunday Hat
.

A knock on the door
sounded before Mohammed unlocked it and pushed the dinner trolley in. Ever
since finding out from Gaby that he was "the biggest softy", she had
tried conversing with him. Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten to know him beyond
salutations. He pushed the tray next to the coffee table while she got up from
the bed to take her seat on the Ottoman. 

"Thank you,
Moe."

"You're
welcome."

"Do you mind if
I call you Moe?"

"No."

This was as far as
she had planned their conversation, but she did not wish to spend another day
in her own company. "Stay, have dinner with me."

"I can't."

The invite had been a
bit of a stretch.
If you don't try you'll never know.
Taking a deep
breath she took a different approach as she saw him heading towards the door.
"If you're my personal guard, then surely you should be where I am? What's
the difference between you being out there and you being in here?"

Moe was on his way
out when her questions halted his steps. He turned back to answer her. "My
job is not only to make sure you don't get out but also to ensure that no-one
comes in."

The answer had caught
Val off guard. She had been so fixated on her escape from this hellhole that
she failed to consider the equal opportunity that someone might take trying to
get in on account of rescuing her. She then thought back to Gaby's short visit
and the look of unadulterated rage on
Keyaan's
face
when he had walked in on them. Maybe he was also meant to keep unwanted guests
from coming in as well. After a few beats of silence, she saw him heading for
the door once more.

"When do you
sleep?" she quickly asked in an effort to keep him with her longer.

"Once I've made
sure you've had your dinner and the next guard has taken over my post for the
night shift."

"Okay." She
couldn't think of anything else to say. "Have a goodnight."

"You too"
with a courteous bow of his head he finally walked out and locked the door
behind him.

She groaned in
frustration at what an epic failure that attempt had been. She had to come up
with a better list of questions, something like a script, if she was ever going
to get him to really talk to her. As she tucked into dinner, she thought of
what normal people talked about. What were general conversation starters? Then
it hit her. She would ask him about his family or his accomplishments.
Gabriella had mentioned that he was in the military among many other things
that she hoped to use to her advantage. Smiling she ate her food while playing
out the next hypothetical conversation they may have.

Keyaan
had been thinking about Valerie more and more lately. After discovering
Gabriella in her room, he had put the whole house under strict directions -
no-one was to enter her room except Mohammed. He trusted his guard explicitly.
He was a good soldier, the best.

For the first time,
in a very long time, he took off the gold chain that hung around his neck and
slotted the key it contained into the top drawer of his ornate, office desk. He
pulled out the framed picture of the woman who haunted him.
My
sweet Ayana
.
He knew she was gone and that he could never replace
her, but there was something about Valerie that made all the deeply suppressed
memories rush to the forefront. It revived a part of him he thought long dead.
At the same time, it vexed him beyond reason.

It wasn't the fact
that both Valerie and Ayana were black women. He knew that without a doubt
because Gabriella was black as well, yet she couldn't be more different. In
fact, he couldn't wait for the day that he saw the back of her. Returning the
photograph to its locked shrine, he logged into his security feed to see how
his exquisite prisoner was fairing. The monotonous clips showed that she didn't
do anything extraordinary. All things considered, there wasn't much for her to
do. He should have felt contrite for what he had done - getting an innocent
woman involved in a business that had absolutely nothing to do with her. He
should have been filled with a modicum of regret, but he felt nothing. She was
clothed, fed and in a comfortable residence. It was a far better existence than
most people had in the world, let alone prisoners.

Something in the clip
caught his attention. It was Mohammed talking to Valerie. A brief exchange but
it left her smiling.
Why is she smiling? What did he say to her?
He did
not like the look of things and would get to the bottom of what their little
discussion had been about. He called out to his guard, Khalil, who stood on the
other side of the door.

"Yes Your
Highness" he replied as he stood to attention before his king, looking
ahead but not directly at the man he addressed.

"I need to see
Mohammed.
Now."

Without a word he
turned to find the man the king had requested. He could not leave his post as
the king's shadow and personal guard, so from the other side of the door, he radioed
in one of the security to summon Mohammed to the king's office. A few minutes
later, he led him in and walked back out.

Moe had been in his
room preparing for bed when he got the call. Located outside the palace walls were
outhouses that lodged the staff. Luckily he had not changed out of his uniform
and was able to make a speedy appearance. If the sheik wanted to see him then
it must have been of grave importance. He stood at attention waiting to hear
why he had been summoned.

Keyaan
didn't say anything for a long moment. Instead, he stared at his trusted guard
with cool eyes that would cut any man to size. "What have you and Valerie
been talking about?"

Moe's lashes
fluttered at the question. He thought of the brief words that had passed
between them as of today, yet could not think of anything he had said that
would be considered out of line. "Just general pleasantries," he
replied after a moment of thought.

"Why is
that?"

He was getting
nervous. The beads of sweat gathered on his brow and his heart rate picked up.
"Sir?" he asked, reverting back to his army ways of addressing his
superiors.

"Why is it that
you exchange general pleasantries? What is it that you normally say to each
other?"
Keyaan's
voice was deceptively calm.

Mohammed couldn't
decide whether this inquisition was routine or whether it would determine the
sentence for whatever crime it was that he had committed. He went with his
instinct and reported the events of the day impassively. "S-she learned my
name after Gabriella brought her dinner last night. Starting this morning, she
has addressed me by my name. She greets me when I enter her room, and thanks me
for the meals I bring in and the dishes I clear out once she is done. This
evening she wanted me to join her for dinner, but I declined. I told her that
my post was at her door. Before today, she was a quiet and reserved
woman." He had given a brief summary, similar to those of army reports.

"Very
well."
Keyaan
had
watched their small talks with the sound clip on after sending for Mohammed.
This little exercise was to gauge whether his guard would tell him the truth
and to what extent. He was glad he'd passed the covert test. "Just don't
let her get out of hand."

"Understood."
He gave a respectful bow, the same bow he had given Valerie.
Keyaan
realised that the gesture was a part of Mohammed's
impeccable training rather than a suspicious signal that passed between the
two.

"Goodnight."
The man was dismissed when
Keyaan
turned his
attention back to the laptop on his desk.
"This evening she wanted me
to join her for dinner"
… his mind began to churn on an idea. He had
been trying to formulate a way to gain Valerie's trust after Gabriella had sown
her seeds of discourse. The more he stared at the screen, the clearer his path
became. He shut down his laptop and got up to retire for the night.

Val was in bed. Other
than the couch, using the bathroom or pacing the floors, there was no other
place she could be. She had started sleeping in the nude so that she could hand
wash her clothing to dry overnight. She thought again of the object of her
affection and simultaneous loathing – Vlad. Was he also thinking of her? Did he
miss her as much as she did him? She shut her eyes to her surroundings and felt
his phantom lips trailing a path down her body. God, she missed him – all of
him. No matter how furious she was with the predicament he had gotten her into,
she could never hate that magnificent, hard and erotic part of him.

She heard the door
unlock and swing open. This was strange, definitely not part of the routine she
was indoctrinated into. She kept still and feigned sleep, remaining alert to
what was happening around her. The muffled footsteps on the Persian carpet made
their way towards her. They stopped right in front of her but she refused to
open her eyes.
Please go away, please go away,
please
go away
, she chanted in a prayer-like fashion. After a few excruciating
minutes of trying to keep her breathing steady, and inhibiting any eye movement
from behind her closed lids, the intruder retreated away from the bed and
walked back out. She took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart and
finally opened her eyes. Her senses were on high alert. The only remnant of the
stranger that had come in was the distinct smell of sandalwood and vanilla that
permeated the air.

*****

Andrei heard the bell
ring while making his way back to the guest-house-turned-operation-centre. He
had just retrieved another bottle from the basement wine cellar. He was by no
means an alcoholic but Vlad was driving him to drink more than usual. Looking
through the monitor of the newly installed camera, he saw three young women
waiting outside. Maybe his brothers had decided they were all due for a
well-deserved break – he sure as hell needed one. He buzzed them in, turned on
the charm and opened the front door, the bottle still in hand.

"Hello
ladies" he gave a devil-may-care smile.

"We're here to
see Val" Macy stated, in a tone that brooked no argument.

The smile that had
been playing on Andrei's lips fell as quickly as it had appeared when he
realised that what he had been expecting, and what he got, was the polar
opposite. He was not very adept at dealing with people unless he was giving
orders, tempting them into a business deal or charming their underwear off.
Gathering that he would not be able to apply his aforementioned skills in this
particular situation he decided to get Vlad. He would know how he wanted this
problem handled.

"Hold on a
second." He left them at the door as he headed out to the guesthouse in
search of his brother, placing the wine bottle on the counter along the way.

Macy was not going to
wait a minute longer. It had been over a week since she'd last spoken to one of
her closest friends and when Natasha called her up in a panic, she gathered the
girls - Tony included, and made her way to the beach house. She hadn't met the
man that was putting Val through the emotional ringer. One minute she was so
caught up in him that she completely forgot about attending their bi-weekly
lunches and in the next, she came back to them looking like a lost puppy. A few
days that, she found out that Valerie was moving in with him via her brunch
invitation. She would not be able to determine what was up or down with the
couple until she saw them for herself.

They had passed by
her old house and found that her room was packed with boxes and none of her
housemates had seen her since she last came in to arrange the move. Valerie had
become scarce over the past few months. Nevertheless, she knew her friend and
she knew Val would never be so careless as to leave her things behind.
Something was going on and she doubted any of it was good. She planned to get
to the bottom of it today.  Not waiting for an invitation, she let herself
in with her friends following closely behind.