She smiled and took the mask. The men left with his men, and Salama slid her hand away. I couldn't tell why my heart was broken in that instance. I wanted to be held by her again, and I needed to be held by her again. It felt right.
"What was that all about?"
"Thank you for playing along."
"Welcome.
"Aliyan kinda threatened me. He seemed irritated."
"With good reason."
"Are you okay?" she said, holding me, "Any gunshots?"
"I'm well," I replied, stepping away.
"Salama, I need to tell you something."
"Jee..."
"Later," Aliyan said with a troop of men behind him, "The city needs you."
Chapter 6
We arrived in the inner city, waiting for the temporary mafia leader. He had threatened to kill the majority of the people in the town if we didn't comply. His mask was on, and it wasn't as creepy as the ones the spies wore. Then again, we were the bad guys at some point.
"I'm not here to chat with you, but there's no way that she married you," he replied, handing me a file, "I did a background check; she's unmarried and in no way involved in politics."
The smart prick.
"What do you want."
"We conclude that you've kidnapped her,
"bring her back to us tonight or face the consequences."
"It's just not on paper. It doesn't imply that we aren't married."
"Show me the marriage contract then?
"I'm the temporary leader for a reason.
"Don't waste any more of my time."
He got onto his motorbike and left...
I guess some people must die for me to have her. And I would burn the entire island down for her.
"What do we do,
"I say we return her; we`ll get her back."
"And what if we don't...
"I waited years for her to come to me...and now that I have her, no one gets her."
"I think you're forgetting that she's a mafia. We have so many beautiful spy woman
"Why must you have her?"
"To get father back.
"Besides, she's a deskmate I never stopped thinking about."
*
He snagged me and covered me with his coat. His chest pressed against my face, and his arms clasped me tightly. He had saved me...again. I doubt that he remembers the first time, but we'll both remember this time.
There was a bomb alert near the train station that afternoon. I don't know how he did it or how he knew about it, but he arrived on time—saved me from the commotion while the spies defused the bomb.
It was unexpected. One second, an announcement appeared on the advertisement screens, and the next, they told us to run or die.
Adam flew away with me at hand and held onto me when we landed on the tower's roof. It felt right, so good. In my grandmother's arms, I felt as safe as a child. And in his arms, I felt the same. He handed me a cup of hot chocolate when we settled into his office. His tablet was at hand, his hair was messy, and his shirt was undone. He looked like a hero. He placed my life before his yet again.
We hadn't spoken about what he needed to tell me that day. I had no courage to bring it up; in fact, I acted like none of it happened. I didn't want to know the truth, nor did I want to know who Adam was. I wanted to be left alone, to live the life I had prayed for years.
That, however difficult, was living with a man who attracted the worst of karma into my life.
I was cold, not because of the bomb alert or shock, but because it was cold; my heart had frozen all thought, all feeling. Adam didn't speak, but I could tell he was also disdained. Aloof and detached from reality.
"Thank you, Adam, I...I owe you one."
"Salama. DO NOT BE SO STUBBORN when I ask you to go with me. Your life is very precious."
"I understand. I'll stop...being so stubborn."
So much went wrong on that night.
We had argued about a deadline, and I had said many bitter things. I had also asked that he leave me alone and professed that I would make my own way home and that I did not need him to protect or care for me. Because it was a façade. I didn't care about his relationship with my grandmother.
I didn't care about anything then, and after tossing all the files I had worked on that night, I stormed out of the building.
After storming out, I booked my ticket at the train station. Ignoring the sirens, but as soon as I got close to the train, Adam pulled me away, and I was in his arms before the train went into flames. Killing everyone in and around it. Dammed mafias. My father's men.
They put me back where I had run from.
"You're beautiful," he said, wrapping his coat around me, "You look gorgeous tonight."
"Did the fumes get to you?" I asked.
"Perhaps."
"Looks like it," I replied, covering myself.
"Why are you being this way?
"I'm being my nicest to you."
"I don't know, maybe it's because you're treating my life and backstory like some cliffhanger. Do you plan on actually telling me who I am."
"I want to, I really do..."
"But you can't."
"I know telling you will make all of this easier; what if you run away? What if I lose you again."
"Again?"
"Salama, even if I told you, it won't make any sense to you.
"There's so much I want to tell you."
"There you guys are; we've been worried sick," Aliyan said, calling the doctor in. " Is everything okay?"
"You have the worst possible timing," Adam said.
"It's okay we were just leaving."
"You can't.
"They bombed Adam`s penthouse moments after the incident here.
"They aren't happy about the marriage and want you back."
"I thought this was over," I replied, placing my cup down, "I need my parents to come back."
"We both do," Adam replied.
"They'll calm down if you take your grandmother to them.
"She's mobile now," Aliyan said.
"It's not safe, and you know it," Adam snapped at Aliyan, "I get that she's a mafia, and you've been trained to hate and kill each and every one of them, but I know for a fact that you didn't learn inhumanity from me."
"Spies don't believe in humanity," he replied. "You decide and let me know before I take matters into my own hands."
Adam and I followed. They had destroyed most of the city. It looked like the lines were now blurred, and the vision of the spies no longer mattered. They were no longer in pain. They now had hate filled visions.
Adam didn't say much as he drove us to Grandmother. I still needed to know so much, but clearly, the universe was against me knowing. There was a song on the radio, something about a distant lover and waiting several lifetimes for them to return. Love is such a painful thing, yet i wanted it so badly.
"We`re here, your grandmother's new hideout."
"A weird shed?"
"Wait until you see inside."
punching in a pin code, the door opened.
It was stunning. A fully equipped hideout. Why would he trust my grandmother and me with such information?
"You brought her!"
I smiled, embracing her.
"I see you've met Adam. How is he?"
"Oh, just lovely grandmother," I replied, giving him the finger.
"Have a seat, my baby; Adam, bring us some tea, will you."
"We can't stay for long,
"They bombed my penthouse and demanded that Salama come and claim her parent's place."
"They know about her?"
He nodded before explaining what had happened at the house raid. I had never seen grandmother so tensed up.
"They bombed the city, but that against the semi-treaty of keeping all war near the border."
"There isn't much left of mafia territory.
"The spies breached the agreement first."
"And as always, we, the mafias, endured until you took something valuable from us, aka my beloved granddaughter."
"I love how you guys are talking about me and not to me, when clearly I am the solution to all of this supposed blood bath."
"Yes, you are," Adam said, taking my hand.
"Remove my daughter's hand from yours, you filthy spy..."
"Father..."
"Salama..."
"Shush Yasin, that's her future husband," a woman said, grabbing his arm. "Come out, Daniyaal. Your long-lost playmate is finally back."
"They arent married yet, he needs to follow our rules."
"Sorry, sir."
"It's lord Yasin to you.
"I am the king, after all."
"Right, Adam, come meet your inlaws..."
"I thought..."
"They were lost?"
"Well, like I said earlier, put on the tea.
"We`ll be here for a while."