No Way Forward Page 10

  “As much as I enjoy being right here, Zaid, we better stop. You’ve got to talk to my dad about our plan. I can’t wait for us to get out of here and on the road—or in the air. Whatever.”

  He chuckled. “Neither can I. I will convince him.”

  “Good. I’m going to HR and cancel my appointment. Ugh, I can’t believe how excited I was to try to get a job here. And Daddy actually approved it.”

  “He feels like he can keep an eye on you if you work in the company.”

  “You mean control me. Doesn’t matter. I’m going to be with you. Wait, do we know how long we’ll be away?”

  “I’m not sure. Perhaps until the trial is over. The immediate danger might pass at that point.”

  “That could be years.”

  “Are you complaining?”

  “Nope.” Her heart felt light. “Years out from under his thumb—sort of. It feels almost like when I left the first time, except I won’t have to wonder where my next meal is coming from.”

  “I hate that you had to deal with that.” He ran his hands over her back. “I will never allow you to be hungry again.”

  “Thanks. I love you.”

  “And I love you.”

  He kissed her quickly as the bell dinged and the elevator doors slid open. They separated before anyone could see them, and Zaid escorted her down the hall to Richard’s office.

  Sheila Grace, Richard’s secretary, looked up at they approached. Her gaze slid from him to Novette, and Zaid thought he saw sympathy there. Sheila was always respectful and kind to Novette, but he had never seen pity in her eyes as she observed Novette. Some sixth sense put him on guard.

  “Is he in?” Zaid said. “I need to report.”

  “He is, but he’s waiting for just you.” Sheila stood. “I’m sorry, Novette. Can you wait out here?”

  Novette waved her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m heading downstairs to HR really quick.”

  “Good idea,” the woman said right away.

  Zaid tensed even more.

  “I’ll catch you later, Zaid.”

  Novette returned the way they came, and he headed over to Richard’s door. At his knock, Richard called out that he should come in. Zaid expected Richard to be alone in his office. His personal bodyguards were never in the office with him because of the company’s strict security procedures. The bodyguards would spend their time elsewhere when Richard expected to work all day.

  As Zaid opened the door, he paused at sight of the guards. “I wanted to report in, sir, and there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

  “Shut the door, Zaid.”

  Richard held an air of reserve when dealing with Zaid, but there was always a sense of respect as well. Zaid had believed Richard depended on him as his right-hand man. Today, the chill in the air almost made Zaid shiver. Something was up.

  “Sir, I was thinking—”

  “I’m going to make this brief, Zaid. You’re fired.”

  “Wha—? I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, you don’t? Let me spell it out for you. I have reason to believe you were behind the attack on my daughter.”

  “That’s absurd, and you know it!”

  Zaid started for the desk, but the two men stepped in his path. He tried to glare them down, but neither was impressed. These men were as big as him, the one on the left bigger. He didn’t have to guess if they were as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as he was. He had sparred with both previously. Taking on both at the same time wasn’t smart.

  “If you’ll let me share what I’ve learned about that incident,” Zaid began, “I can clear up any doubts you have.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Richard held up a folder and waggled it in the air. “I can turn these documents over to the district attorney’s office, and you can be charged with a attempted kidnapping and various other crimes—enough to get you life in prison—or you can walk out of here and never come back.”

  Zaid felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. “I don’t understand what’s brought this on. Explain it to me, Richard. I’ve been faithful to you all these years. I’ve been trusted with your one most important secret.”

  Richard surged to his feet, slamming both hands on the desk. The boom of noise reverberated around the office. “Is that a threat? Are you trying to blackmail me? I’ve had greater and more powerful men than you try to bring me down using extortion. Let me tell you, it won’t work. I’ll destroy you before you can ever breathe a word against me.”

  “It wasn’t a threat.” Zaid couldn’t bring up his idea of taking Novette away to protect her. Perhaps the entire plan was just a fantasy in the first place. He should have known Richard would stand in his way. “I’m simply saying if I didn’t tell anyone about that, why would I try to hurt you by kidnapping Novette? I don’t know who’s been lying to you, but I’m surprised you would believe them.”

  Richard didn’t speak. Zaid studied the man, and the truth came to him.

  “No one told you I was behind the kidnapping.” Zaid shook his head in wonder. “You found out about us, and this is your way of removing me from her life. Do you have any idea how much she’ll hate you?”

  “Novette is no longer your concern. Get him out of here.”

  The bodyguards moved toward Zaid. He sidestepped one of them, but the other man was on him, locking his arm in a tight grip. One last time, Zaid pleaded with Richard to see reason. “Don’t do this, Richard. Can’t you see how you’re going too far? Don’t you care about what this will do to her heart?”

  “Enough!”

  The bodyguards dragged Zaid toward a different door than the one he entered by. He dropped like dead weight, upsetting their balance then came up hard and fast to head butt the guy on his left. The man fell back, but the other guard shoved Zaid to the floor and punched him in the side.

  The wind left Zaid’s lungs in a painful gush. He struggled to catch his breath and get up off the floor. Two sets of strong hands dragged him up and slammed him against the door.

  One of the men whispered in his ear. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Zaid. Let us do this, and you can figure something else out later. Please.”

  Zaid heard the sympathy in the man’s tone. He knew they didn’t suspect him of trying to hurt Novette. They were just doing their job. Some of the fight went out of his struggle as they led him through the door and down the back hallway to the freight elevator.

  “You guys know I didn’t do this, right?” Zaid asked.

  Neither man answered, but he saw it in their gazes. They would see this through. He wouldn’t be allowed to go back to find Novette and to tell her what happened. It didn’t matter. As long as she had her phone, he could call her and fill her in. Meanwhile, he would plan what to do next.

  He made a mistake when assisted Richard in bringing Novette home. He did it because he thought she was safer at home and that she could charm her dad into giving her freedom. He thought Richard loved Novette above all else. Plus, he knew about Richard’s secret and the heart that motivated him.

  Now, he wasn’t sure about anything.

  Except for my love for her. That will never change.

  Chapter 20

  Novette stepped out of the elevator onto her dad’s floor. The air of stillness made her wonder if the entire staff had gone into a meeting. She stood on tiptoe trying to catch a glimpse of anyone and strained to catch any sounds coming from the conference room area. The place was a dead zone.

  “Where the heck is everyone? Hello?”

  Her voice echoed. She kept heading toward her dad’s office and Sheila’s desk outside of it. At last she spotted the secretary, and Sheila rushed toward her.

  Sheila took Novette’s arm and spun her about. “Come with me, Novette. We have a security emergency.”

  Novette gasped. “An emergency? Are you saying someone got into the building who shouldn’t be here?”

  “Exactly. Let’s go. Your dad has ordered me to get you down to the car.”
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  Novette dragged her feet, trying to look over her shoulder. “But where are the guards, and where is Zaid?”

  “They’re taking care of the threat. Come on. Do you want them worrying about you or handling business?”

  “You’re right.” Novette stopped resisting and hurried along to the elevators. Nerves stirred inside her. She didn’t like leaving Zaid and not talking to him first. “What kind of threat are we talking about, someone trying to kill my dad like last time?”

  Sheila stabbed the button to close the elevator doors once they were inside the shaft. She seemed too distracted to answer, and Novette tapped a foot with impatience. The elevator’s dinging bell drove her insane. She resisted the temptation to go and find Zaid.

  Soon they were in the car speeding down the road. She’d had enough and searched through her purse for her phone. It wasn’t there. That’s right, she put in her pocket. She checked, and alarm bells went off in her head. The phone wasn’t in her pocket either. Where was it? Did she leave it in HR? That was possible because she had been scanning it while waiting to speak to the manager.

  “Ms. Sheila, can I use your phone real quick?”

  The secretary held up a finger just as her phone rang, and she answered. “Yes, sir. I did. Yes.”

  “Is that my dad? Let me speak to him, please.”

  Sheila ignored her and continued to speak into the phone. Novette ground her teeth. This day wasn’t going as well as she had hoped. By now, she should be headed home to pack with Zaid at her side. That is, if he convinced her dad of their plan.

  By the time they pulled into the mansion’s drive, Sheila was just finishing up her phone call. She passed the phone over to Novette, and the two of them headed into the house.

  “Daddy, what’s going on? Is everything okay? Did someone get past security at your building? And where’s Zaid? Is he safe?” She fired off question after question as she started up the stairs to her bedroom.

  “Slow down, Novette. I want to talk to you.” Her dad sounded tense, nervous even.

  She stopped on the stairs, curious about what could get him nervous. The man stared cold-blooded killers in the face and didn’t blink.

  “What do you need to talk about?” She turned around as she spoke and found her dad’s two bodyguards standing near the front door. That was weird. They should never have left his side. “Daddy, why are your guards here with me? I thought they were going to drop me off and head back.”

  “Novette, listen carefully. Zaid was behind that kidnapping. He staged the entire thing and—”

  “That’s a lie!”

  “Calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down.” She raced down the stairs, almost turning an ankle in her haste. She ran toward the front door, but both men moved into her path. Not missing a beat, she pivoted and ran to the door leading to the garage. One of the guards wrenched her hand off the knob before she could even turn it. “Get out of my way!”

  “Novette, are you there?” her dad called over the phone.

  “Daddy, you better tell your man to get out of my way right now. I mean it. You can’t keep me prisoner here.”

  “I’m not keeping you a prisoner, Novette. We’re just getting ready. That’s all.”

  “Getting ready for what? If you think you’re going to force me to marry someone against my will, you better think again. No minister is going to perform a ceremony for an unwilling bride, and a forced marriage is a crime.”

  “You know the law, do you?” His snide attitude grated on her nerves.

  “I know that much! Don’t treat me like an ignorant fool.”

  “You can stop worrying that I’ll force you to marry someone you don’t want to marry.”

  “But you’re still going to stop me from marrying someone I do want to marry? That’s it, isn’t it? You know about Zaid and me. Who told you?” Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Why am I even asking? Your employees are loyal, even to the point of kidnapping and holding me hostage.”

  At these words, she glared at the bodyguards. Neither man met her gaze, and Sheila had disappeared altogether.

  “What are you planning to do with me, Daddy? Lock me away for the rest of my life? Is that how you show love?”

  “No, of course not, dear.”

  “Don’t call me ‘dear.’ I’m not dear to you.” Her heart ached. She longed to see Zaid and know he was okay. Fear tightened her throat. Her dad might have one of the guards kill him. Would they go so far? It sickened her too much to ask.

  “I hope you’ll come to understand how much I love you, Novette.”

  “I understand you’re a sociopath.”

  “That’s not true. If I were a sociopath I wouldn’t have the capacity to love you.”

  “Oh my God, are you seriously giving me a lecture on the definition of a sociopath? Let me out of here!”

  His voice gentled, and some of the anger faded. “I want you to go pack a few things. We’re going away for a little while. It’ll take a few days for me to get my affairs in order, but then we’ll go.”

  She hesitated. This sounded like the idea she and Zaid had come up with. “Just you and me?”

  “Yes, won’t that be nice? And guess what, no work.”

  “You’re on a big case. I thought it wouldn’t be over for a long while yet.”

  “I’m going to have myself removed one way or another.”

  His words shocked her to her core. Nothing had ever come between her dad and his work. Not even her. Now he was saying he would get himself fired from his current case? Was he so desperate to control her, or did he genuinely care? Distorted love, definitely, but was he doing all this because it was how he loved her?

  “I don’t want to go away with you,” she said. “I want to live my own life and make my own choices. Why can’t you understand? Maybe you think so little of me that you think I can’t survive unless you guide my every step. And if you think I’m an idiot, why did you even adopt me?”

  He fell silent. While she waited for him to speak again, the phone buzzed in her ear. She pulled it away to check the screen, and hope rose in her gut. Zaid phoned Sheila. Without a second thought, Novette switched the calls, cutting her dad off and connecting with Zaid.

  She jetted up the stairs as she spoke. “Daddy, I believe in Zaid. I know he would never do anything to hurt me.”

  As soon as she slammed her bedroom door and locked it, she sank to the floor.

  “Zaid, it’s me. I have Sheila’s phone. Are you alright?”

  “Baby, don’t worry about me. What about you?”

  “Sheila ambushed me. She lied and said someone broke into the building. Next thing I know I’m here and Daddy’s guards are watching me. They won’t let me leave. What went wrong?”

  “I don’t know, but we don’t have much time. I love you, Novette. I promise you I had nothing to do with the kidnapping.”

  “I know, but I’m so glad you’re alive. I thought Daddy had them shoot you.”

  “I suspect they wouldn’t have gone that far.”

  “What are we going to do now? I mean I know every conceivable way to get out of this place, but those guys will probably come after me. I might not get far this time.”

  “I’m coming for you.”

  “You’ll never get past the security, and I’m not sure who to trust. I never in a million years would have thought Sheila would go along with this mess. He says we’re going away. If that happens…”

  “I’ll be there,” he emphasized. “One way or another, I’m going to get to you. What I want you to do first is—”

  The line went dead.

  “Hello? Zaid, are you there?”

  A bang against her door made her jump a foot, and she scrambled away from it, heart beating wildly. What she recognized as a simple knock came a second time, and she pressed a hand against her chest to calm down.

  “Novette, I need my phone back.” Sheila knocked again, and Novette stood to unlock the door.
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  She shoved the phone into the secretary’s hand. “Here. Are you proud of yourself, participating in a crime for my dad? Or maybe you’ve been doing it for years, and you’re used to it.”

  “Novette, don’t be so dramatic. I’m only helping your father to protect you.”

  “Protect me? That’s what you call kidnapping and holding a person hostage? Wow, he’s gone so far as to redefine laws. That’s amazing.”

  “Stop it! What do you young people know about the sacrifices we make for you?”

  “My dad isn’t sacrificing for anyone. Don’t lump him in with your challenges over Azalie.”

  Sheila raised her hand to smack Novette, but she froze and curled her fingers into her palm. With effort, she lowered her hand. That was a good thing because Novette was looking for a reason to work out her own frustrations. She could easily drop Sheila to the floor, but what would that accomplish?

  “Let me out of here, Ms. Sheila. All I want is to be able to live my own life. Is that too much to ask?”

  “It’s not fair, but you have to realize that your dad has enemies.”

  “I get that, but it shouldn’t make me a prisoner.”

  “You and he will just go away for a little while. Once he’s off this case—which I told him not to take in the first—” She stopped herself. “Once it’s over, they won’t need to target him. Plus, the police will have a chance to find the person who shot at him. Can’t you be patient that long?”

  “No.”

  “He’s doing this for you, Novette. If he only had to worry about himself, he wouldn’t even slow down for a second. He would keep working the case until his client won.”

  “His criminal client.”

  Sheila sighed. “I see that I’m not going to get through to you. All you can see is what you want. It doesn’t matter what your dad is dealing with.”

  “What is he dealing with? He’s never confided in me.”

  “I have to get back to the office. I’ve instructed the maid to bring up your lunch in a little while.”

  “So I’m remanded to my room. Is that it?”

  “You can have free rein of the mansion, but don’t try to leave. Don’t give the guys a hard time. Your dad will come home early if he can.”