Horror washes over me. My heartbeat thunders in my ears. He is too happy. Smug. Triumphant, even.
“Wh-what did you do?” I do not want to hear the answer. But Nomar saved me. He loved me. I owe him this much. I owe him so much more.
“Three of them are locked in an inescapable room under the kitchen. Two minutes ago, the fourth man entered the house.” Raziq slips his phone from his pocket and makes a call.
A fireball explodes on the screen. Then another. And another. The flames lick up the walls. Windows shatter. In seconds, the blaze is so bright, it hurts my eyes. “No!”
I drop Mateen’s hand and lunge for Raziq. But one of his men shoves me back.
“You killed them!” My grief is a physical weight, stealing the only shred of hope I had left. Mateen throws his arms around my waist. His body shakes with each noisy sob.
“The punishment for adultery is stoning,” Raziq says with a shrug. “I merely carried it out in a unique manner.”
I rub my son’s back. The blisters on my fingers tear open. The tiny shards of pain are so much less than I deserve. Leo. Griff. Austin. Nomar. They are dead because of me.
“You did not need to make your nephew watch!”
“He needs to learn that actions have consequences. Stop crying, Mateen. You are almost a man and you will act like one.”
Mateen swipes at his cheeks, but his tears do not slow. “Nomar was nice,” he says softly. “I wishhewas my uncle, not you.”
The sliver of my heart not already broken shatters into dust. Nomar could have been so much more to my son. Maybe even a father one day.
The anger etched on Raziq’s face terrifies me. “Do not make him watch any more of this. Take us to his room. Please.”
“No. He will watch until he can do so calmly.” Raziq crosses his arms over his chest, ignoring the horrors behind him so he can glare at Mateen.
I should say something. Try to calm my son, but I cannot tear my gaze away from the fire. The house yawns, the walls expanding for a brief moment before half the structure collapses.
A flicker of movement at the corner of the property distracts me. Then another. Four shadowy figures creep along the outside of the stone wall. The first one is a full head shorter than the others. Nomar?
Raziq turns toward the screen. If he sees them—if I am right and they are alive—he will never stop hunting them.
“I thought my husband was a monster,” I say sharply. “He was a saint compared to you.”
His hand flies, catching me across the cheek with such force, the room spins, and I fall to my knees.
“You will respect me or you will never see your son again!”
No!
I cannot let him separate me from Mateen. “I am sorry. Please, forgive me. I will do anything to stay with him. Anything!” Bowing my head, I extend my arms and prostrate myself in front of him. The act of submission revolts me, but what choice do I have?
“Get up,” he orders. When I do, he steps so close, I can smell the garlic on his breath. “I am a man of my word, Lisette. So I will let you stay with Mateen tonight. But if you ever raise your voice to me again, it will be the last time.”
Mateen buries his face against my side and I put my arm around him.
“Take them to the boy’s room. Fajr is in five hours. He needs his rest.” With a wave of his hand, Raziq dismisses us. His men herd us back down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and into a bedroom. The moment the lockthunks, Mateen throws himself onto the mattress and starts to cry once more.
* * *
I ripthe cape from my head and toss it into the corner. Dark spots float in my vision. My back burns with every breath, but I cannot let the pain stop me. Not yet. My son needs me.
“Mateen? Look at me,mon bébé.”
“Uncle Raziq killed Nomar,” he wails.
Easing my hip onto the bed, I squeeze his shoulder and drop my voice to a whisper. “I am going to tell you a secret, but I need you to promise me you will never tell your uncle or any of his men. Can you do that?”
