‘It’s the road to the old palace. That’s Hari’s joke. He’s taking us to join the harem—he probably thinks that’s where all the women should be.’
The idea that they were going somewhere specific seemed to calm Tasnim and she rested her head back against the seat, wriggled around to get comfortable, and promptly fell asleep.
Leaving Marni alone with nothing but her memories of what had happened before she’d left the hospital—memories she didn’t want, things she most definitely didn’t want to think about.
She thought of Pop instead, of how he must be feeling, picturing him in the CCU, all wired up to machines, tubes anchoring him to his bed. How he’d hate it, being so helpless, so reliant on others. Hopefully he wouldn’t be conscious enough to be aware of it.
Her heart ached for him, but Nelson would be there…
The car stopped, but definitely not at any palace for, looking around, Marni could see nothing but desert and more desert, and perhaps a cloud of dust, just visible in the distance, gradually revealing another vehicle as it came into the beams of the headlights.
Hari got out of the car and opened Marni’s door.
‘You will die in the desert if you do anything foolish,’ he said, startling Marni so much she could only stare at him.
‘Die?’ she finally echoed weakly. ‘But you’re Hari, Nimr’s brother, why would you want us to die?’
‘I don’t want you to die, I’m just telling you what would happen if you ran off into the desert,’ he said, shifting uneasily, and looking anxiously towards the approaching vehicle. ‘Fawzi will explain.’
‘Have we been kidnapped?’ Marni asked, and Hari looked even more embarrassed.
‘Not for money,’ he finally blurted out. ‘We wouldn’t do anything like that.’
‘Is that supposed to make me feel better?’ Marni demanded, but Hari had moved away from her and didn’t reply.
The other vehicle was pulling up now, off the road but close enough for Marni to see it was a big four-wheel drive painted in the sandy camouflage colours of desert war vehicles.
‘Here’s Fawzi now,’ Hari said, with such evident relief that Marni knew that whatever was going on, it was Fawzi who was the organiser—Hari was the weak link, should she and Tasnim need one.
‘You’re talking to her,’ Fawzi said as he strode towards them. ‘I said no communication.’
‘But she asked—’ Hari began.
‘Bah!’ his brother said. ‘Just get her in the car and no talking. Where’s Tasnim?’
‘She’s asleep.’ Marni answered for the younger brother. ‘And she’s eight months pregnant so whatever arrangements you’ve been making, I do hope you’ve got an obstetrician or a midwife on hand because an upset like this could bring on the birth any minute.’
Even in the dim light shed by the muted headlights she could see Hari’s face pale, but Fawzi only swore—well, Marni imagined he was swearing—and waved at his brother to get her into the bigger vehicle.
‘No, I’ll wake Tasnim and help her,’ Marni said, thinking she could slide in beside Tasnim and they could both refuse to budge. She doubted the young men would drag them out forcefully, their inbred respect for women too powerful to overcome. ‘You don’t want her going into shock,’ she added, for good measure.
Both brothers looked concerned this time, and Marni realised, whatever was going on, and whatever they intended doing, she could use Tasnim’s condition as a weapon against them.
Weapon! Was that a gun stuck in the belt of Fawzi’s tunic?
If it was, then refusing to leave this car and get into the other one was no longer an option.
Marni frowned at him.
‘Is that a gun?’ she asked, and heard the incredulity in her voice.
He glanced down at it, telling her all she needed to know.
‘Then hide it somewhere else on your person. The last thing Tasnim needs is to see people with guns!’
Especially young foolish people, she thought but didn’t say.
The two young men began muttering at each other, Hari obviously getting more and more upset about the situation, but Fawzi seemed able to calm him in some way.
Marni slid back into the car and shook Tasnim awake.
‘We’ve met up with Fawzi and have to get into his car,’ she told the sleep-bewildered woman. ‘I’m sure they don’t intend to harm us because every time I mention your pregnancy they get worried. Let’s just go along with things for now. I’m here with you and I’ll look after you, whatever happens.’
Tasnim’s reaction was to burst into tears, which was hardly helpful, but eventually Marni got her transferred to the other vehicle, needing the help of both their kidnappers to get the heavily pregnant woman up into the high-set four-wheel drive.