Fiction — Sequel to Pride and Audacity

Crossing the Chasm — Part 5

She needed a savior — but the devil would have to do

NOTICE: Crossing the Chasm is book 2 of the Sheiks of Ahalamin series. While it reads well on its own, it is better appreciated if book one (Pride and Audacity) has been read first. The main characters of Crossing the Chasm first meet in Pride and Audacity and knowing their history will enhance your reading pleasure.

Califar stepped from the hut into the chill of the night air. His body burned with hot, raw emotion. Some he recognized, some he did not. Passion was no stranger to him, but it was a distant cousin to the uncontainable desire attacking the parameters of his honor. What honorable man wanted to gag his wife before bedding her on his wedding night?”

He groaned low and feral. Her almond-scented essence lingered on him. His tongue slid across his bottom lip. He could still taste her. Nothing could ever match the honeyed sweetness of her mouth. Its nectar drew him, enticed him, and destroyed his rigid control. Like the quicksand of the desert, his need for her could swallow him without a trace.

He walked toward the flicker of the deserted campfire at the center of the encampment and tried to focus his thoughts on his wife’s safety. That, at least, was something that could cool his blood. Jessica would never be completely safe until removed from this place.

Before the claiming ceremony, He was given a satellite phone to make arrangements for the delivery of the bride price. Rashid took his call, asking few questions. Rashid’s assurance that everything would proceed as Califar asked, satisfied Zakar. Three helicopters would arrive in two days, two for Zakar, and one to take Jessica to Ahalamin. He, on the other hand, was to stay until the fuel tankers arrived. Zakar was not about to let both his hostages go until he received his full asking price.

That part of the conversation was not as difficult as the announcement of his marriage, which resulted in a lengthy silence on the other end. Thankfully, Rashid asked only one question. What were his wishes respecting his wife’s return to Ahalamin?

He gave instructions to have her restricted to his residence and to deny any visitation until his return. Rashid seemed to understand what was not voiced. The knowledge that Jessica would be safe within his walls in two days' time, though unwillingly so, gave him some peace of mind.

The quiet surrounding him began to nag his thoughts. Something was different. Why were the guards not visible around the line of loaded trucks?

He glanced toward his quarters located on the outer edge of the camp. No guard stood near the door, a fact he only now realized.

A low groan slid across the sand toward him, the kind of sound only pain produced. He barely heard the muffled thud before the night went silent again. The hair on his neck stiffened.

He pushed a piece of wood back on the fire with his booted foot. Whatever was out there did not seem to be interested in him, and he wanted to keep it that way. He sauntered back toward the hut.

A shout, followed by rapid gunfire, splintered the night’s stillness and eliminated the need for caution. He hit the door of the hut running, but it was the percussion from the explosion behind that sent him through the opening and the door along with him.

Rapid gunfire shattered the night’s stillness. Jessica jerked to her knees. Before she could leap from the mattress, the door and half the wall imploded, bringing a staggering Califar with it. Another explosion and he was atop her. Multiple blasts, like a lit package of firecrackers, shook the ground beneath them.

He released his hold on her arms and allowed his full weight to press her down into the mattress. The movement forced the air from her lungs. She could feel his hands moving under her back, searching for something. Then she was rolled to the left as he flipped them both and brought the mattress over the top of them, affording them some protection from the burning debris blown in through the shattered wall. With his crushing weight removed, she could breathe again, barely. Smoke filled her throat and nose.

The detonations stopped. The man under her heaved his body, rolling both her and the mattress to the floor. Pinned under him again, she had just enough time to wonder if suffocating her were part of his plan before he leapt to his feet, hauling her up with him and nearly dislocating her left arm in the process.

She stood beside him, inert, dumb as a doorknob, her quick thinking ability gone. Go. Stay. Run. Walk. No two words sequenced into one reasonable action.

A heat streaked up her right leg. Looking down, she found half the mattress lying next to her in flames. In fact, every corner of the wood hut burned. Judging by the sag in the roof, they had only minutes to get out.

Califar’s arm snaked around her waist. He tugged her close and spoke next to her ear.

“Follow me and keep silent.”

Not satisfied with her acquiescence, he gave her a jolting shake. She pushed away from him and managed a week nod of her head.

His hand manacled her wrist. Unresisting, she followed as he picked his way through the burning debris toward the back window. Only a few shards of dirty glass clung to one corner of the large opening. Califar shoved a bag into her hands and the next minute, her feet left solid ground. She and the bag flew through the opening to land in a jarring heap on the hard-packed sand.

She picked herself up, rubbed her bruised hip, and turned to find Califar levering his big body through the opening he’d just tossed her through. Before she could tell him what she thought of his Knight-In-Shining-Armor technique, his fingers circled her upper arm and she was dragged into the night’s cavernous blackness.

For what seemed like hours, they maintained a jarring trek across a dark landscape. She tried to keep up, not that he gave her a choice. When he did stop, it was without warning. She stumbled and fell against his side, a small groan escaping her lips.

Like a vice, he penned her tight against his body with one hand and pressed the other hand against her mouth. He turned her slightly to the left, just enough to give her a view of the truck at the bottom of the hill and the two men beside it.

She understood the need for quiet. But, did he really need to forcefully muzzle her? Using tactics, which in the past had afforded her small victories against her bigger brothers, she bit down on the fingers pressed across her teeth.

This time, he was the one hard put to stifle a groan. He jerked his hands from her and she lost no time stepping out of his reach.

He glared at her with the promise of retribution in his molten eyes and the pout of an injured boy on his lips. He took a step toward her. She retreated. If not for the shout coming from the truck, the tactical dance might have lasted until dawn.

They hit the ground with synchronized precision, their personal battle-of-wills forgotten. The look they shared now was one of singular purpose-staying alive.

Jessica watched the scene at the bottom of the ravine. Another man slid from the truck cab to join the first two. A short burst of conversation and all three ran in the direction of the burning camp.

Califar slid his body next to hers.

“Stay here. When it’s safe, I’ll signal you.”

She eased further up on the edge of the ridge, affording her a better view of Califar’s progress. With stealth, he made his way down the hill and approached the truck. Nothing stirred. She held her breath while he eased along the side of the vehicle. He checked the cab for occupancy then opened the door.

A black-robed apparition sprung from the surrounding darkness and attacked him from behind before she could shout a warning. His body slumped, half in, and half out of the cab. His attacker left him there while he went to the back of the truck, pushed aside the canvas cover, and climbed in the back. Probably looking for something to bind Califar with, she thought.

The man climbing out of the back of the truck was a whole lot bigger than she was. Why did she always get herself into situations with no options?

She eased over the top of the ridge and, staying close to the ground, quietly scooted down the other side on her bottom.

His head pounded and the constant swaying curdled the contents of his stomach. A foul taste of bile coated his throat. Then, a familiar female voice swept over him like the bite of a sand-burdened wind.

“You’ll have to get up on the seat under your own power. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stop the truck.”

Califar raised his head and stared at the woman whose delicate hands gripped the oversized steering wheel. The worried look in her eyes contradicted the confident tone in her voice.

Deciding not to answer before he attained a dignified position, he levered himself up to sit on the seat beside her.

“I’m sorry about crumpling you up on the floor like that, but you were too heavy for me to do anything but push your lower half into the cab. Besides, I was kind of in a hurry. You’ve been out for about thirty minutes. How’s your head?”

How was his head? He wondered the same thing. Surely he was still unconscious, or halfway between that and reality. The last thing he remembered was reaching inside the truck to retrieve a rifle propped against the seat. The same rifle that now lay on the seat next to his wife. He wondered if she were as proficient with an automatic weapon as she was at driving a military transport vehicle.

She gave him a worried look. “You’re too quiet. You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. Stop the vehicle.”

“We’re not far enough away yet,” she replied, her hair bouncing with the negative shake of her head. “Better to put as much distance between us and them as possible.”

“If you do not obscure your tire tracks, they will have no trouble following us at dawn. And I need to ascertain which direction you’ve taken. We may be heading away from those who could render us aid.”

The truck continued to ramble forward. He gritted his teeth, the searing pain throbbing in his head threatened to render him insensible again. He drew a deep slow breath. There was no time to reason with her, jackals were more cooperative than this female. He reached toward the ignition switch, killed the engine, and removed the key.

The truck stopped with a lurch, throwing him forward and nearly unseating him save for the hand slammed against the windshield. This woman’s stubbornness would yet kill him.

“What did you do that for?” She reached for the keys he now held in his hand.

Ignoring her, he opened the cab door and stepped out. Each jarring step added to the pulsing pain shooting up the back of his head and pooling behind his eyes. He made his way to the back of the truck.

“I’m the woman who just saved your worthless hide, so I’d appreciate a little respect.” She stared at him with a haughty tilt of her head.

He assumed she would stay in the truck awaiting his instructions. In the future, he would need to make his wishes more clear. At least until she could acquire some semblance of common sense.

“We will not discuss this now.” He moved to the canvas flap covering the truck's cargo bed. Flipping it back, he levered himself up. Before he could tell her what he wanted her to do, she was beside him.

A sudden movement in the front of the truck bed took him by surprise. In a move born of instinct, he shoved Jessica against the sidewall and stepped in front of her, pressing back until he felt her securely behind him.

He strained to see what was in the dark corner of the truck while Jessica pounded his back. Her vocalized protest rang in his ear. The elbow she jabbed into his side found a tender spot he hadn’t known existed.

From the far end of the truck came a whimpering sound. Jessica quieted and grew still. The rifle he needed was still in the cab. The fact they were not already shot or attacked must mean whoever was in the truck bed was not armed.

He took charge. “Come forward and you will not be harmed. Do it now!” He issued the command in three native Arabic dialects.

Jessica’s warm breath grazed his neck. Then he heard soft, hesitant footsteps coming in their direction. He raised his head and tensed his muscles, ready to defend.

The little girl was almost at his feet before he noticed her in the dim pre-dawn light. She could not be more than four or five years-of-age. Her slight body trembled but she said nothing, which was a problem because he could still hear whimpering.

He spoke again, this time in a gentler voice. “Don’t be afraid. Do you have someone with you? Can you tell them to come forward?”

As fast as a blink, the child disappeared back into the dark corner. He kept still, hoping that since she was brave enough to come forward once, she would do so again.

“What did you say to her?” Jessica whispered over his shoulder. “You probably scared her to death.”

The whimpering grew louder as the child reappeared, this time holding the hand of a small boy. By the size and waddle, this was just a baby, one that, after seeing him, shattered the early dawn with his bawling.

Jessica’s heart melted at the sight of the two small children shuddering in fear before the big hulk of a man. She pushed against Califar’s back. He didn’t move.

“Stay still woman.”

“They’re just children.” She dug an elbow into his side, hoping to move him an inch or two so she could wedge herself around him. He pressed back, forcing her against the side of the truck. If he pushed again, she might topple out the side. She needed to change tactics.

“Please, Califar, the children are frightened. Let me help them.”

“If you want the children safe, you will do exactly as I say. Step down from the truck and encourage the children to come to you. Do it now.”

He moved forward, allowing her enough room to do as he asked. She eased to the back of the truck and jumped to the ground, then turned and stretched out her arms toward the two children. She expected resistance but found none. The little girl tugged the baby along as she moved forward. With considerable effort, she picked him up and dropped him out the back of the truck into Jessica’s arms, then leapt out herself.

“Secure yourselves in the cab until I have enough light to check the rest of the cargo area.” Califar jerked his head in the direction he expected her to take.

She moved around the corner of the truck carrying the baby, whose wails had subsided to soft sobs. She offered the little girl her hand, which she took, and hurried toward the cab. She placed the baby on the seat and lifted the little girl to sit beside him. Then, she grabbed the rifle and keys, locked the doors, and made her way back to the rear of the truck as the sun broke over the horizon. The blue-gray dawn faded under bright streaks of gold and magenta tinted light.

Califar no longer stood at the back of the truck, but she could hear him, or someone, moving about inside, behind the crates and boxes. She gripped the automatic rifle tighter and lifted it, not that she knew how the thing worked. But, if needed, she’d just pull the trigger and hope for the best.

Califar appeared dragging what looked to be a large folded tarpaulin. He levered himself off the back of the truck backward and hauled his cargo over the side to fall by his feet, then turned.

She’d never seen a man’s eyes double in size so quickly. That’s when she realized he was looking down the barrel of the rifle she held pointed in his direction. She wanted to laugh but opted instead to hold the rifle up a minute longer than she should have. The moment was priceless. How many times in the past had she wanted to shoot holes in his arrogant superiority? This was almost as good.

She lowered the rifle and batted her eyelashes in mock innocence. By the sour expression on his face, he wasn’t convinced.

“Why are you not in the truck as I instructed?”

“Who would rescue you in case of an ambush? I’d say that I was in the right place at the right time.” She jutted her chin forward, daring him to contradict the obvious.

He threw his spread hands heavenward, beseeching Allah for something, and then moved toward her with the speed of a bullet. A hard tug and the rifle flew from her hands. He pressed a button on the side of the weapon and tossed it on the ground behind him.

His fingers dug into her upper arms, hurting her as they squeezed. Then the earthquake began, or what felt like an earthquake. He shook her until she was sure her teeth would come loose, all the while, spouting a barrage of Arabic. Though she didn’t understand the language, she knew this wasn’t a prayer.

She kicked her right foot between his and hooked the back of his left knee. At the same time, she let her body sag, throwing off his balance as she’d expected, then yanked his knee forward with her foot. The whole move took only a second. He went down without releasing her arms, hitting the ground flat on his back. She landed on top like the second layer on a short stack of pancakes. Air whooshed from her lungs.

Bracing her hands on his muscled arms, she levered her upper body away from his. He lay still, staring up at her. His dislodged headpiece lay in the sand. A swath of black hair rested on his forehead. An inordinate desire to smooth it back into place shocked her senseless.

Dropping her gaze to his was a tactical mistake. His dark eyes burned with lethal heat. Could he have read her mind? She pushed against him, hoping to separate their bodies and gain her footing. With little effort, he held her in place.

She lost herself in the depth of his black eyes, understanding for the first time the threat she’d always felt in his presence, the sure knowledge that he could take everything: her independence, her dreams, her heart, her very soul. On some concealed level, she must have known this from the beginning. That would explain the fear that motivated her obsessed alienation of him.

The world spun out of control again as she tumbled into the sand. In a heartbeat, he’d reversed their positions. This time, she was the one who lay still beneath him. Not certain what he intended, or what he was capable of, she chose not to stoke the fire raging in his eyes. He stared at her with such intensity it stopped her breath.

His lips pulled tight as he growled his words. “You will obey.”

It was an edict, an unchangeable decree. Rebellion rose in her blood. She was any man’s equal, always had been.

“I don’t…” She jerked her head to the right, freeing her from the subjugation of his eyes. She gulped air as he laid out another command.

“You will obey me.”

His hands gripped each side of her head, forcing her to face him.

She squeaked out another denial. “I will not.”

His gaze slid down to where her breasts heaved against her thin blouse, lingered, then returned to her eyes.

“I assure you, with a woman beneath him, a man has no problem spending hours in the sand.” His hand moved under the edge of her blouse to spread across the bare skin of her stomach. He paused, giving her time to think about the implications of his words and actions.

“You will obey me willingly as you vowed. If you don’t, do not think I will not school you in the most basic ways of an obedient wife.” He lowered his head and whispered, his breath hot against her ear. “Shall I begin the lesson, or will you obey?”

Jessica closed her eyes to hide the hurtful evidence of her confusion. His dominance stripped away her practiced façade and reached all the way to her core, pushing to the surface a desire she was tired of denying. She wanted him, all of him, every stubborn, frustrating, Middle Eastern inch of him.

She trembled with intense emotion. No one who knew her would believe that the princess of New York’s Party crowd would lay beneath a man on a bed of heated sand, cowering in virginal uncertainty. She’d always kept men attentive and close, yet never succumbing to a deeper, sexual relationship, too afraid that such a commitment would reveal her weaknesses, her vulnerability, her girlish desires. She’d dated a hundred men, but none of them had prepared her for the one who molded his body to the contours of hers and demanded total capitulation.

He exhaled a long, impatient breath against her neck and the hand at her waist slid upward over her ribcage toward her breast.

“No…no, please.” She grabbed his hand and buried her face in the side of his neck. “I…I will.”

To be continued…

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