Final Vow (11 page)

“What did you find?”

“Nothing. But, as I walked out of her apartment I stopped on the street to think. It dawned on me then. Where do you go to get information on anything happening in the town?”

“The café,” they said together.

“I found three bugs. One in the kitchen and two in the dining room,” Nabi told him as he pulled out his cell phone and showed him pictures of the bugs.

“Did you leave them?”

“Yes. I thought it better Sergei doesn’t know we found them. It could somehow help us in the future.”

“Good thinking. You’ve come a long way this past year.” Ahmed tried not to laugh
as the compliment left a shocked and then excited look on Nabi’s face. He was a good kid. The only thing Ahmed had found that scared him was when the town pressed in on him. But the boy had held his ground both times.

“Thank you, sir
.”

“Have you found anything on Sergei’s location?” Nabi’s excitement faded and Ahmed had his answer. “Keep on it. Hack the satellites if you have to. I know the U
.S. government must have an idea where he is.”

“I’ve contacted everyone I kno
w in the underground world trying to find him. Between your name and my father’s, I have a lot of informants looking for him. We’ll find him.”

Ahmed looked at his watch. “
I have to pick up Bridget for dinner. We’ll be at my place. Come get me if you find anything.”

Nabi gave him a determined nod. “We won’t let anything happen to Miss Springer. She’s one remarkab
le woman.”

“That she is. Thank you, Nabi.” Ahmed headed to his car as the other gua
rds came back into the cottage.

As Ahmed
drove toward town, he thought about how Nabi had arrived in Keeneston. Nabi’s father was Jamal’s top man back in Rahmi. Jamal had called Ahmed a year ago to discuss one of the king’s visits to Keeneston. During the conversation, he had complained about the overly serious pup who wanted to be the next Ahmed. Jamal has scoffed at it since Nabi was tall and rail-thin and too green to be of any use.

Ahmed had felt for him. He knew what it was like to want to please and
have no one pay any attention to you except to criticize. So he had told Jamal to send Nabi to him. After spending some time with the boy, Ahmed had discovered that Nabi had a knack for finding information. He took his job seriously, and as he kept to Ahmed’s fitness routine, he kept growing stronger and more confident. Nabi was also, much to Ahmed’s chagrin, almost as good a shot as he was.

He parked his car on Main Street and stepped out.
He looked down the street and saw the café lights were off. Katelyn must not have had her baby yet. Everyone was moving on with life—getting married and having children. Ahmed felt as if he were running in mud. He was torn between finding a future with Bridget and living in the past. Revenge had been the only thing that had kept him going for all these years. What would he be without it and how could he expect to just forget it? No, Sergei had to die.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The old federal
-style house Ahmed lived in was in direct contrast to his outer appearance. It was filled with bright colors and beautiful pictures. Zoti thumped his tail from where he lay on the couch as Bridget made her way toward the kitchen. Ahmed had been different when he’d picked her up. It was as if he were somewhere else. He’d been quiet, but every touch conveyed something more.

A plate of cheese and two glasses of wine sat on the island in the middle of his kitchen.
She took a seat on one of the stools and watched him stir some kind of sauce. “Smells great.”

“Thank you. I guess I’m still thinking of Italy. I thought I’d make some pasta tonight.”

“It’s perfect. It’s so nice of you to cook dinner for me.”

“With Katelyn still in labor
, the town is pretty much shut down. Plus it’s nice to be here with just you. I have gotten used to having you all to myself. I have to share when we’re at the café, and I really do not like to share.” Bridget almost forgot how to swallow her wine as he gave her a heated look before flashing a smile that had her melting.

“I guess I’ll tell my other dates that.”

Ahmed’s hand tightened on his wine glass. “What other dates?”

Bridget bur
st out laughing.

“Funny. How should I get my payback?”
The laughter died in her throat at the sound of his silken voice as he stalked toward her.

“By cooking me dinner?” s
he asked lamely as she tried to swallow.

“I’m suddenly hungry for something else.”
In one swift move, Ahmed lifted her onto the granite countertop, his lips coming down onto hers. He spread her legs and stepped between them, immediately pulling her against him. She could feel how hungry he was for her as she rocked against him. When her breasts filled his hands, she no longer cared about dinner.

Bridget lay on the couch with her head in Ahmed’s lap as a movie played, unwatched, on the television. She was so used to taking care of herself; it felt strange to be taken care of. No man had ever cooked a romantic dinner for her before. And certainly, no one had ever made love to her the way Ahmed did.

“Ahmed?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“Were you happy before Sergei came into your life? What were you like?”

“I was happy, but I was also naïve.”

“And then Sergei changed all that?”

“No, my father did when he forced me to marry Paulina. I went from living life to just trying to survive it. When Kedar was born, I thought I had something to live for again.”

“And then Sergei took him from you.” Bridget paused
, thinking about what Ahmed must have gone through. “Did you go after him then?”

“No. Mo took me to England. I learned, I trained
, and then I went after him when Mo told me Sarif was harboring him.”

“You went to
Sergei?”

“Of course. I was young and angry. I thought since I’d become a man and trained with the best soldiers in Europe
, I was unstoppable. I was on a mission to teach Sarif and Sergei a lesson. I thought I could kill them both, even though King Ali Rahman had forbidden it. Mo begged me not to go, but I didn’t listen.”

“What happened?” Bridget asked as a f
eeling of dread came over her.

“Sergei captured me. I was chained in a room with no food. I was tortured for days. Then he made a mistake. He thought I was so weak I couldn’t fight
, so he didn’t chain me back up. When the guards came in a little while later, I managed to escape.”

“And so your need for revenge grew.” Bridget understood, but she didn’t like it. The first rule of being a good soldier was to leave your emotions at the door. It was why men didn’t like working with her
at first. They thought she would get emotional in battle. “You’re never going to let him go, are you?

“Not until he’s dead. It must not have been easy for you either. There aren’t too many
men who do what you do, let alone a woman.”

Bridget allowed him to change the subject. “It
hasn’t. But it’s also rewarding. I had to get used to the hazing, the teasing, the objectifying.”

“How did you do that?” Bridget felt him tense under her. Talking of something that happened
to her years ago bothered him more than talking about being tortured.

“I didn’t turn them in. I didn’t complain
. I kicked their asses during training and on the job. I was a good soldier, but as a woman I was not allowed to be on the front line. I knew I could do more good in combat situations by working private security. Working with my dog on the front lines for one month I saved more lives than I had in the four years I was in the service.

“By then I had proven myself
, and the other soldiers treated me as just one of the guys. I know more dirty jokes than any person should. I could also teach Henry some pick-up lines he could never come close to thinking of,” Bridget laughed. Ahmed relaxed again and she snuggled closer to him.

“Where is Marko?”

“My parents are taking care of him. I knew I would be traveling a lot right now and Marshall said the sheriff’s department didn’t need him at the moment, so he got to go with my dad and be completely spoiled.”

“Where are your parents?”

“Outside D.C. in Virginia. They just moved there a couple months ago for my dad’s job.”

“What doe
s he do?”

Bridget w
as about to tell him about her father, the general, when Zoti leaped off the couch a moment before there was a knock at the door. “I’m sorry, my dear. Will you excuse me?”

Bridget sat up and watched Ahmed open the door. Nabi stood
there with some papers and leaned close to Ahmed, whispering. Ahmed said something back and then turned to her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nabi will drive you home. I have some work I must see to.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you for a wonderful night. I’ll see you tomorrow at the regular time for hand-to-hand training?”

“Yes, but what is it?”

“Nothing, just something for Mo.”

Bridget lowered her voice so Nabi wouldn’t hear
. “You know that’s not the truth. What is it?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. You know I’ll take care of everything. Good night, my dear.” Ahmed kissed her forehead and turned to Nabi. “Please see her safely inside.” And with that Bridget watched Ahmed stride from t
he house and into the darkness.

Ahmed took a deep breath to stop the anger flowing through him. One of Nabi’s sources had come through with a bit of gossip he hoped Ahmed would pay for. Nabi, knowing Ahmed never paid for information, threatened the man instead. He had caved and given Nabi the information he’d heard. There had been a request to find and kill a very specific dog: a dog belonging to one Bridget Springer. If the owner could be captured, then there would be a bonus. But only if she was alive.

It wouldn’t take much to make it disappear. A couple
of well-placed calls with a carefully made threat or two would have people getting worried about fulfilling the request. To make sure, Ahmed was getting on a plane and taking a quick trip to New York City. The source of this information was there and had the ear of some very nasty people. Rats really. They preyed on the weak, but when someone stronger threatened them, they scattered back into the shadows where they belonged.

“I ha
ve already called for the pilot. He will meet you at the airport. Take the helicopter to the plane; it is faster,” Mo said as he walked out of the shadows next to his house.

“Nabi told you?”

“He thought you might want to apply some pressure to let everyone know you were serious about leaving Bridget alone. Ahmed, it’s time. You need to find a way to end this. You know what’s next, don’t you?” Mo put a hand on his shoulder and Ahmed gave a barely conceivable nod. The same image that had been haunting him in his nightmares flashed into his head. It was the image of Sergei pulling a knife from Bridget’s heart.

“I won’t let it get that far. He’ll never get close enough to take her from me.
I’m not sitting back waiting anymore. I’m going after him, even if it means I never come back. I just have to find him.”

“Hopefully
, you will find something in New York. Keep me updated. As always, I am here if you need me.”

“Thank you. I don’t want Bridget to know I’m gone. She’ll worry. Or worse, she’ll follow. If I’m not back
by the time she visits tomorrow, make something up, please.”

“I
will look after her. Be safe, my friend.”

Ahmed opened the door to the helicopter and turned it on. He’d be in New York in just a couple hours. After he finished with that little rat
, no one would come near Bridget or Marko again.

Nabi refused to let Bridget into her apartment. She was fuming as she stopped behind him on the metal stairs leading to her kitchen door. He pulled out a gun and then motioned for her to hand him the keys.

“Is this really necessary?”

“Please, do not worry. I will protect you tonight,” Nabi proclaimed to her as if he had just told her the nightly special at the café.

“You will protect m
e? From what?” Bridget snorted.

“Intruders. Ahmed asked me to see you safely home
. Making sure your home is safe is part of that assignment—including changing this dead light bulb. It is hard to see anything. You could fall down the stairs,” Nabi explained to her as if she didn’t know that.

“Would you like to borrow my gun? It is more powerful than yours,” Bridget said sweetly as she pulled out her gun and smiled at Nabi. “It’s okay. Most men don’t know how to admit a woman is
better at protecting someone than they are. I can wait a minute while it soaks in.”

“Oh
, it is not that. I know how very accomplished you are,” Nabi reassured her.

“Then what is it?”

“Simple. Ahmed would kill me if I didn’t make sure everything was safe inside. I really don’t want to make him mad.”

Bridget let out a sigh
. “Fine. I know how he gets. All quiet and pouty.”

She heard Nabi snort. “Pouty? You may h
ave seen him irritated. He gives this face, right?” Nabi gave his impression of Ahmed when he was exasperated and Bridget tossed back her head and laughed.

“That’s it exactly
.”

“Well, that’s not him mad. When he’s mad
, he sets his jaw, narrows his eyes, and becomes so silent and stiff, you’d think he was a statue until he makes his move on the person who upset him. Trust me, you don’t want to be that person.” Nabi unlocked the door and then paused. Bridget stopped laughing as Nabi cocked his head. “Someone’s coming.”

Bridget didn’t have a chance to say anything. Nabi was surprisingly fast as he shoved her through the door and slammed it shut. He pushed her into the kitchen and to the floor behind the small island. “Stay here.”

Nabi crouched down in her dark apartment and darted for the kitchen door. He pressed his back against it and cocked his gun. The sound of feet climbing the stairs reached her ears. Bridget checked her magazine to make sure it was full for the multiple people making their way toward the door and stood up so she could aim at the door.

There was the sound of someone pressing against the
glass and then she heard muffled voices through the thick door. The doorknob turned and she saw Nabi pushing against the door. “Does anyone have a key? They unlocked the door.”

“No. They must have found my hide-a-key,” Bridget whispered as the door was pushed open a crack before
Nabi was able to slam it shut.

“On the count of three
, I am going to roll away from the door. It’ll pop open and they’ll fall through. Cover me, okay?” Nabi asked as he pushed the door closed again. Bridget gave a single nod and bent down. She used the island for cover and the counter to steady her aim. “One-two-three!”

Nabi leaped away from the do
or and it flung open. There was screaming as the dark figures fell into her kitchen in a heap. “Freeze,” she and Nabi yelled as they leveled their guns on them.

“Okay, but if Daisy Mae doesn’t move
, she’s going to squash the cupcakes.”

“And I’m
sorry, dear. I’m afraid I spilled some leftover soup on your floor.”

“At least I saved the casserole.”

Bridget lowered her gun and flicked on the lights. She was greeted with the sight of a tangled mess of Rose sisters balancing food in their hands. “You know, you could have knocked.”

“We looked i
n the window. No lights were on so we figured you were with Ahmed. We were just going to leave this extra food on the counter for you,” Miss Violet explained as if it were no big deal Nabi was standing there with a gun still in his hands.

“My
, that's a small gun you have,” Miss Lily clucked at Nabi as she went about cleaning up the spilled soup. “Have you seen Edna’s big gun? That’s a real gun.”