Sweet Temptation

Kopano quickly waves the man away and lifts Z into a sitting position, frowning. He murmurs gruffly as he coaxes her arms through. She tries to scoot away, but he follows and ignores her groaning protests until she’s completely dressed.

All the while I’m silently chanting for everyone to hurry so we can get the fuck out of this hellhole. In the loose pocket of my cotton bottoms I feel my satellite phone vibrate. I take a quick peek and silently curse. It’s from Flynn.

Think I have a tail but they haven’t come n sight. Also getting strange looks from 2 locals.

I give Kope the we-need-to-hurry eye and he nods imperceptibly.

Before the guy in charge is finished fondling the cash, Kopano scoops Zania into his arms. She tries to struggle, but he grips her tighter and murmurs in Arabic for her to be still.

The man on the floor lifts his gaze from the money to give Kopano an evil grin of satisfaction. Kope glowers and says something about our weapons. Another man comes in with Kope’s gun and my knives. I quickly take them and follow Kope as he exits, passing the men on the way out. They’re huddled around the cash, grinning like they’ve won the lottery. One man drags himself away to escort us.

I’ve almost forgotten about Flynn until distant sounds ring out inside my bubble of extended hearing. Arabic words, spoken in a questioning tone. The scooter starting up. Footsteps running against dirt. Yells and grunts. Sounds of fighting.

Shite! My palms start to sweat. I want to get out there and help Flynn, but I can’t with this machine-gun maniac at our heels. Suddenly the fighting quiets and I hear the scooter zoom away in the opposite direction. Maybe Flynn’s escaped.

We get out of the compound and into the car, where Kope lays Zania in the backseat. As soon as we’re on the road I sign to Kopano that Flynn’s been discovered. We’re trying to decide if we should go to him as Zania begins to moan.

“Drink,” she whispers in Arabic. Her voice is scratchy.

I unscrew the cap off a bottle of water and lean back, fitting it into her hand as she lies there. She takes one look at it through her swollen, purpled eyes and throws the damn thing back at me. Water goes everywhere before I grab it.

Right. Not the type of drink she’s after.

It’s clear we can’t go traipsing through the unknown hills searching for Flynn when we’ve got Zania to deal with. Kope and I agree that Flynn likely got away and will meet us later. We hope.

I look at Z’s thin arms where she’s curled on the backseat. She’s emaciated. I pull a protein bar from my bag and open it.

“I need you to eat this.” I gently nudge her forearm.

At my touch, she balls tighter and screams in heavily accented English, “Don’t touch me!”

“Zania, I want to help you. Please. You need to eat.”

“Leave me the hell alone!”

I hold out the food again. “I won’t touch you again, I swear. But you need food—” She smacks the protein bar from my hand and it falls to the dirty car floor. I sigh and look to Kope, who’s cringing at my failed efforts. Then I remember the pictures I took with Anna just before I left, for this very purpose.

I pull out my phone and hold out the screen for her to see. “Look, Z. Do you remember Anna? Here we are together. I am her ally, just like you. Just like Kope.” She glances at it and eyes me suspiciously.

Kope picks up on this and begins talking to her in Arabic as he drives. I imagine he’s telling her she’s safe now. Reminding her who he is, and explaining who I am. I hear him say Anna’s name.

She seems almost calm, until her whole body begins to convulse.

I curse under my breath. “I think she’s having withdrawals or something.”

Kope’s eyebrows knit together and he drives faster. I’ve no clue what to do. She dry heaves over the side of the seat, but there’s nothing in her stomach to purge. I watch helplessly.

“The hotel is near,” Kope says. “Two minutes.”

We get back to the seedy hotel, and Kope tells her she must walk on her own so we don’t draw much attention, even though it’s dark and not well lit. Her slow gait is painful to watch. Thankfully the small walk from the car to the side door doesn’t earn any unwanted attention. We use our hearing to hide around a corner until our hall is clear, then we get her to the room.

The daughter of Sonellion is wrecked. She walks with a limp from her injuries, but she won’t let us close enough to see what needs fixing. I run her a hot bath, but she sits on the floor of the bathroom shaking uncontrollably, begging for a drink.

“Maybe we should give her one—” I begin, but Kope cuts me off.

“No.”

I wish Anna was here. Zania groans and begins a chattering murmur that rakes my ears. God, she’s suffering.

“Just one fucking drink,” I whisper to Kope, but he is adamant.

“In the end it will only make her want more. She has to make it through this.”

Zania snarls at him in Arabic.

I squat next to her. “Please, Z. We need to get you out of here before your father returns. You need to eat something so you can be stronger, so you can heal.”

She looks at me, really looks at me, for the first time. “One drink,” she says softly. She’s so pathetic. I want to give in because I’m weak and I keep wondering if one will really hurt. Perhaps it would calm her. But I can feel Kopano’s eyes glaring down at us. What would Anna do? I attempt to channel her positive energy before I speak again.