"Am I dead?" I ask, a sudden rush of sorrow filling me. I must be dead. I never got to say goodbye to Azula or Samirah. Never got to thank Arman for all he's done. Never realized that my last moment with Declan would be our final time together.
My chest squeezes with grief.
My father reaches out to take my hands into his. Real. Everything feels so real. My family was never super religious, but I did have hopes that one day I'd be reunited with all the people I’d lost. Maybe one day I'd eventually be reunited with everyone who is left. Everyone who gets to live, while I remain...as a spirit? Is that what I am? "Am I a ghost?" I ask my father, realizing he never answered my first question.
He lifts our entangled hands and presses a kiss to mine. "You are not dead. Nor are you a spirit."
"So, I'm hallucinating? Great. That's exactly what I need right now," I deadpan.
He snorts so endearingly, I let myself believe this is real. "You're not hallucinating, but you are dreaming. I can't stay long but I am here to tell you that help is on the way. So, you need to get ready, Zahra. You need to fight. Just keep fighting…so you can live. Don’t forget to live."
His voice starts to fade, as does the image of him. My father's skin starts to glow brighter and brighter until I'm nearly blinded by the light. The sound of an explosion has me up on my feet, and the next thing I know, I’m being pulled out of the darkness.
48
DECLAN
“There it is, Boss.” Connor points at the container ship two hundred feet away from us on the dock. “It’s not as guarded as I thought it would be.”
“Likely because they want to blend in with the other ships,” I grunt, ready to cut down anyone and anything that gets in my way.
Arman had been right. Cyrus is hiding away in a docked ship just off the coast of the Persian Gulf. We'd taken a quick flight to Bandar Abbas, the closest port city, overnight while our retrieval plan. My uncle Lorkan informed me that this was one of Naser's favorite cities in Iran. My uncle, father, and Naser would take a boat out to Hormuz Island, hike along the rainbow mountains, and discuss a better future for us. I have no doubts that Cyrus chose to dock here as a sick way of mocking Naser. Another thing he’d pay for.
“Mind if I do the honors, pretty boy?” Azula licks her lips, gently pushing Connor out of the way. She positions her gun, and a breath later, I watch as body after body drops into the harbor.
We all pull out our binoculars and check for any stray guards we may have left alive. Connor gives the all clear and we start barreling toward the ship. Connor uses an industrial grade laser to cut through a large metal door on the side of the ship, allowing us to enter.
“The main security unit is in that room, according to the map Arman found.” Connor nods his chin toward the farthest back corner of the ship.
“Kill any soldier who gets in our way. I have no room in my cells for traitors,” I growl at the group of men and women behind me. We’d enlisted all the elite members of my firing squad for this mission.
One by one, members of our unit stalk down the hall, killing anyone and anything we see.
My heart feels like it stops when we reach the end of the murky hall. All that’s left between me and Zahra is this thick metal door.
Connor reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small grenade, waiting for us all to tighten our masks before letting it fly.
The detonation rocks the boat, and we all brace ourselves as the metal wall in front of us slowly disintegrates.
"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Connor shouts to all the soldiers behind me, gesturing toward Cyrus’ soldiers who come flying out of the room.
The sound of bullets flying fills the ship. Azula, Lorkan, Aidan, and I head inside. I had debated whether or not to bring Aidan with me. Frankly, I wanted to leave him back in Istanbul, but Arman claimed we may be able to use him to our advantage. Aidan knows the real Cyrus better than any of us does.
"BOSS, THEY'RE IN HERE!" Connor calls out from the control room.
I push through everyone and everything in my way, notstopping for a second until my eyes lock onto her. Zahra. My sweet, strong, courageous wife is laid out on the floor, while one of the medic soldiers inspects her.
"Her pulse is steady, and breathing is fine, but it looks like she's been drugged with something because her motor skills are definitely off.” The medic informs me as Azula and Aidan run in behind me. Azula scans the room and snarls as she sees Cyrus sitting in the corner, handcuffed and shackled. We had done it. We had won.
Zahra groans, struggling to stand up on her feet. I move to give her support, but she keeps shoving me away, which feels like a knife to the heart. I try to remind myself that she's drugged right now and probably doesn't realize what she's doing. Or who I am. The last thing I want is to make her feel even more traumatized than she already is by forcing her.
She uses a chair nearby to prop herself up. "It's…a…trap..." she mumbles, moving away from me. "It's a trap..."
"No, it's not a trap, Zahra, it's me. I'm here to help?—"
"You should really listen to your wife, Declan." Cyrus smirks, tossing his handcuffs to the side, aiming his gun at Zahra's chest, and pulling the trigger.
"NO!" I scream as Azula rushes to tackle him to the ground, but it's too late. The pop of the gun hits my ears seconds before Azula wrestles Cyrus to the floor. I watch in horror as Zahra falls to the ground...with Aidan on top of her.
