“Of course I am! This is my ship, and she has never failed me. Trust me.” The Bedouin takes some things out of his bag and gets ready to leave.
“Tell me, how can I help?” I feel useless here.
“You focus on being a man for the rest of the trip. If anyone stops us, you don’t talk. You are a mute. Do you have anything to cover your face with?”
“Yes.”
“Then we will be okay.”
The ship cruises and I sit in a corner looking at the starry night sky. A few hours go by, and we are now in open sea. The wind isn’t helping, making everything colder around us. I throw every piece of clothing I have on me, but it’s not enough, and I’m shivering. My muscles are going numb.
“Hang in there, American Girl, the sun will be out in a couple of hours. You will get warmer then,” he says and I nod. “If you are hungry, there are some cans of food in there. They are not the junk food you are used to, but believe me, they are much better.” He smiles.
“You are a guy who likes to have an opinion on everything, right?” I complain as I search through the bag.
“Oui, I like to talk about stuff I don’t really know.” He scoffs, “Tell me something. You are suicidal, no?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know why an American woman would want to go to the middle of Saudi.” The water hits the hull of the ship violently.
“Maybe for the same reason a Frenchman lives around these parts. Shouldn’t you be having a coffee and enjoying a croissant under the Eiffel Tower?” I taunt him.
“Not this Frenchman. I can never go back. I’m not welcome there,” he confesses with sadness.
“Oh…”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
RAGE
The gavel hits the table.
A vote is passed.
A decision has been made.
Boots stomp heavily on the floor paired with chairs being dragged back, as my brothers stand up and leave. They are tired, I can’t blame them. We’ve been debating for hours. What we decided might bring chaos, but it’s a chance we have all agreed to take.
I stand up and my VP stops me mid-way.
“Prez, now that we are doing this, I will need you to be more involved with us. You know how and why I am saying this.”
Yeah, Sarah…
“That’s nearing its end. Don’t you worry about it.”
“Do we have an end date?”
“It’s going to be a couple more days, then it’s done. For good,” I assure him.
“Great. It’s going to be good to have you back one hundred percent of the time.” He pats me on the shoulder as he adds, “Even if that’s too much for some.” We both chuckle.
I leave the church and walk straight to my office. I need a status update.
Vik is in the hallway holding his cell, showing a video to someone. I get closer, and I hear the other person laughing.
“What the fuck…” Vik’s and Carter’s bodies jerk as they hear the anger in my voice. “You were supposed to be covering for me. What the fuck are you doing out here?”
