Hearts Afire Read online

  An eye for an eye. Your family for mine.

  Maitlyn heard his voice, but nothing the man was saying made sense to her. She knew the voice, but she couldn’t open her eyes to put a face to it. He was telling her a story about Zak and his sister and something bad that Zak had done. She tried to tell him she didn’t know what he was talking about, but the words weren’t there.

  She could hardly breathe, and each breath she took felt as if it had to pass through thick mud to get to her lungs. Her lips were parched and cracked; her mouth was dry and her stomach was empty. Her body was hot, and all she wanted was a cool breeze to bring her some relief.

  The man was angry, screaming harsh words at her, but she didn’t have the strength to tell him his problems had nothing at all to do with her. She felt him grab her arm and try to pull her to her feet, but she could not move. Dead weight held her hostage against the floor.

  The man was still screaming about family. She tried to smile. She had family, and they loved her like she loved them. Her mind quickly escaped to images of her and Zak starting a new family. Somewhere in the clouds that filled her head footsteps echoed off in the distance, the screaming man’s voice fading with the wind. Sensing that she was alone again, Maitlyn blew a soft sigh. Within seconds, she drifted slowly back to sleep, Zak’s name a soft whisper against her lips.

  * * *

  Kendrick and a team of agents rushed into the home. “Where is she?”

  Zak passed him the photograph and the letter, briefing him on Alexander’s connection to his past. “Does anyone have eyes on him?” Zak asked.

  “He’s back on the Coastal Galaxy. It’s pulling out of port as we speak.”

  “I thought you said the intel was good? That we had eyes on her?” Zak asked.

  “It was good. They dropped her off here. We haven’t taken our eyes off this place since.”

  “Then where is she?” Zak suddenly shouted. He moved to the window to stare out of it. Across the way an old woman was standing in her front yard. When she caught sight of Zak in the window, she hurried inside her home. He turned to the real estate agent.

  “Who owns this house?”

  “The bank does.”

  “Lloyd Banks?”

  She nodded. “They own this one and many more in this neighborhood.”

  “Help me understand,” he said. “We’re sitting high up in the cliffs here, but you said this house has a basement?”

  She nodded. “This property and the others belonged to one family many, many years ago. The basements connect to a series of tunnels that run from one home to the other. A few have been concreted up but one or two are still open.”

  Zak and Kendrick both made a dash for the downstairs. The basement was damp and dark, and Kendrick tossed his friend a flashlight. “We need to split up. Keep your eyes open,” Kendrick said.

  One or two tunnels turned out to be an elaborate network of stone-walled underground tunnels. Both men ran into dead end after dead end. Just as Zak’s frustration was about to implode, Kendrick’s voice chimed in his earpiece.

  “I’ve got her!”

  * * *

  For three days straight Maitlyn slept. The doctors and nurses at IASO General Hospital in Athens were zealous in caring for her. From the moment she was admitted, Zak never left her side. He slept in the chair at her bedside.

  “You really need to go get some rest,” Kendrick admonished. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Zak shook his head. “When she wakes up, I plan to be right here.”

  Kendrick paused. “You really do love her—don’t you?”

  Zak met his friend’s stare. Kendrick held up his hand. “You don’t need to answer. I haven’t seen you look that sappy since...well, you know.”

  “I almost got her killed, too,” Zak whispered.

  Kendrick let out a heavy breath. “But you didn’t. She’s fine. You’re fine. I’m fine. Life is good.”

  “Have you told your family?”

  He shook his head. “No, and I hate it, but this will be one secret the three of us will have to take to our graves. When that cruise ship pulls out of the port in London, Maitlyn will be on it. The family and I will be there to welcome you both home.”

  Zak shook his head.

  “I’m not going back. I’m going to fly from here to Morocco and stay there for a few months.”

  Kendrick leaned forward in his seat and propped his elbows on his thighs. “Why? What about Mattie?”

  Zak stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, staring down at her. She looked peaceful, the color back in her cheeks. If she had just been asleep and not in a hospital bed, he would have climbed in by her side, cradling her in his arms. He brushed a slow hand across her cheek. She didn’t stir.

  Zak moved back to his chair; Kendrick still eyeballed him. “I put her life in danger, Kendrick. I can’t risk that happening again. I can’t lose her like I lost Debra. It will be better this way, and you know it.”

  He watched as Kendrick nodded his head in understanding. Kendrick then stood up and moved to his sister’s bedside. “Then you need to leave now before she wakes up. If she wakes up and you’re here and then you leave, it will devastate her. Leave now. The mission is finished, and I will fix the rest the best I can.”

  Chapter 17

  Maitlyn was astonished, still unable to grasp the mechanics of everything that had happened to her. Waking up to her brother by her bedside had almost given her a heart attack. But waking to Zak’s absence had broken her heart completely. She still had more questions than answers, and for the first time in a long time Kendrick seemed more motivated to respond.

  “Does anyone in the family know you work for the Secret Service?” she asked.

  “It’s a covert division of the Secret Service. An international contingency of multiple agencies.”

  Maitlyn stared at him, not amused by his correction.

  He smiled as he answered her question. “Senior does. He’s my emergency contact. And now you.”

  She shook her head. “I still can’t believe any of this,” she said throwing up her hands.

  Kendrick shrugged. “I hate that this happened to you, Mattie. Zak and I both would have done anything to stop it. But you can’t ever tell anyone. And you definitely can’t tell Mommy or even Daddy this story. No one can ever know what Zak and I do for a living.”

  “So he really didn’t win the poker tournament?”

  “No, he really won. In fact, once we put the handcuffs on Alexander Lloyd, they redirected his money right back to him. Zak’s gambling skills are why they chose him for this operation.”

  “And Alexander is really in jail?”

  “Interpol took him into custody when the ship docked in Italy. When it’s done and finished, he’ll do a minimum of thirty years to life. Frank and Gerard, as well. In addition to all the other charges we have against them, they’ll also stand trial for your kidnapping.”

  She nodded. “So, Zak was just pretending. About everything?”

  Kendrick wrapped an arm around her shoulders as tears misted in her eyes.

  “Zak had a mission to complete, and he did that. And now he’s off to his next mission. But he asked me to thank you and to tell you that he hoped your cruise was everything you had wished since that first day.”

  Maitlyn was speechless, not wanting to believe her brother’s words. That Zak wasn’t the man she’d come to know.

  * * *

  After their private flight into Heathrow Airport, a limousine had been waiting to take them to the Southampton port where the Coastal Galaxy was docked in wait. She was still not 100 percent healthy; a respiratory infection and pneumonia had ravaged her immune system. But Kendrick insisted that her cruising back to New Orleans would heal her body, her head and her hea
rt. She wanted desperately to believe him.

  Maitlyn had told her brother everything about her time with Zakaria. She’d been convinced that what they shared had been more than just a vacation fling. Nothing could have convinced her that Zak hadn’t felt the same way. Kendrick had been sympathetic, insisting that he knew Zak had not intended to purposely deceive her.

  “He’s really a good guy and a true friend,” Kendrick had said. “But he’s also great at his job and he’ll do whatever he has to.”

  “So he used me?”

  Kendrick shook his head vehemently. “I asked him to look out for you. He has a protective nature. And he liked you. He wanted you to have a great time. To take your mind off the divorce.”

  She didn’t bother to tell her brother that Zak had claimed to love her. And she didn’t tell him that she had loved him back.

  Kendrick boarded the cruise ship, and the captain stood nearby to welcome her return. Both men walked her back to the luxury suite that she had shared with Zak. Her heart sank. “I’d rather stay in my original room if that won’t be a problem,” she said.

  Simon shook his head. “No problem at all. I’ll have the staff move your things,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” Kendrick questioned. “The agency paid good money for this suite. I’d hate to see it go to waste.”

  “Mommy and Daddy paid good money for my cabin,” she answered, not bothering to add that there were too many memories of her and Zak in that room.

  Kendrick shook his head. “Okay.”

  He walked her down to her cabin and got her comfortably settled inside. Maitlyn crawled into the bed and pulled the covers up over her head.

  “Are you going to be okay, Maitlyn?” Kendrick asked in a concerned tone.

  She nodded her head but didn’t bother to lift it from beneath the blanket.

  “Are you sure?” he asked again.

  “Go, Kendrick. I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’ll see you in New Orleans.”

  He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I love you, kiddo!”

  She nodded, nothing else left for her to say.

  * * *

  “I cannot believe that you had all that time alone and didn’t get laid. That makes no sense to me,” Tarah said, helping Maitlyn unpack her luggage.

  Maitlyn shook her head, showing her annoyance. “I didn’t go on my cruise to get laid. I went to relax and revive myself.”

  “I would have gotten laid, too,” Tarah stated. “At least once. Didn’t you even try to get with Kendrick’s friend? That man was so foine!”

  For a quick moment, Maitlyn felt as if a knife had been stuck straight through her heart. The pain felt unbearable, and it took every ounce of energy she had not to burst into tears. She missed Zak. She missed him so much that every time she thought about him, hurt consumed her. She still couldn’t comprehend that what had happened between them was just him performing his job. She had trusted him and felt safe with him. He had told her he loved her, and she had believed him with every fiber of her being. It suddenly felt as if someone had reached into her chest and snatched the life from her. She doubled over in a fit of coughing, fighting to catch her breath.

  Her mother rushed in from the doorway, patting her heavily on the back. “You okay, baby. Tarah, get your sister some water, please.”

  Tarah rushed into the bathroom and grabbed a paper cup, then filled it from the faucet. She hurried back, passing the cup to her.

  Maitlyn took a sip. She took deep breaths, clearing her throat. There were tears in her eyes.

  Her mother eyed her warily. “I hate that you went on that cruise and caught a cold. Probably was that change in weather from country to country.”

  Maitlyn nodded. “I guess,” she finally said.

  “What’s this?” Tarah said, pulling a white paper bag from the inside of her luggage. She then pulled a photograph from the inner lining.

  “Oh, my!” Tarah exclaimed, turning the image for her mother to see.

  Maitlyn inhaled swiftly. She’d completely forgotten about that arrival photo, her standing in Zak’s arms. Seeing it made her want to cry all over again.

  “Isn’t that special,” Katherine crooned. “Y’all look quite nice together.”

  Maitlyn shook her head. “They took it by accident. They thought we were a couple.”

  “Well, you’d make an attractive couple. I really liked that young man. Did I tell you that your daddy and I met him when we went to visit Kendrick last year?”

  “No, you didn’t,” Maitlyn said softly.

  Her mother nodded. “I probably told Kamaya.”

  “You told me, too, Mommy,” Tarah chimed.

  “Yes, I did. He was a nice young man and not married, if I remember.”

  Tarah jumped onto the bed beside her, her legs crossed Indian-style. “Are you sure something didn’t go on with you and Mr. Sayed?” she said, bumping her shoulder against Maitlyn’s. Her grin was a mile wide as she eyed Maitlyn suspiciously.

  “So, what’s been going on since I left?” Maitlyn asked, changing the subject.

  For the next hour Maitlyn listened as her mother and sister caught her up on all the family gossip. She was excited to learn that her brother Guy and his wife, Dahlia, had learned that the baby they were expecting was actually twins.

  “Oh, how sweet!” she said. “Dahlia must be so excited.”

  Tarah nodded. “She is. You know they’d already picked out names. It was going to be Sidney if it’s a boy, after Sidney Poitier, and Cicely if it’s a girl, after Cicely Tyson. She says she has to pick out two more now, just in case she doesn’t get a boy-girl combo. Personally, I like Halle and Idris if they plan to stick to the movie star theme.”

  “I don’t know how Guy is going to do that new television show and help with the babies,” her mother mused.

  “It won’t be a problem. He’ll be done shooting by the time the babies are here, and then he’ll have six months before he has to be back for the new season,” Maitlyn offered.

  “I still think Dahlia is going to need some help. I may go to Los Angeles and stay with them for a while,” Katherine said, falling into a moment of reflection.

  Or I might, Maitlyn thought. Anything to get her mind off having two failed relationships under her belt.

  * * *

  It had been almost two months since Maitlyn had been home, and life felt brighter with each new day. Throwing herself into her work had kept her from thinking about Zak and their late summer affair. She’d finally gotten to a point where hearing his name didn’t make her want to burst into tears. Now there were moments when thinking about him brought her the sweetest pleasure. The experience had taught her much about herself, and she realized that she was even stronger than she’d realized. Despite the loss, her spirit was still intact.

  For weeks she’d been helping her brother Darryl and his fiancée, Camryn Charles, plan their wedding. They were tying the knot on New Year’s Eve with a simple ceremony and spectacular fireworks reception. The guest list included six hundred friends, family and business associates. With their busy schedules, pinning the duo down to make decisions had become quite the challenge.

  With the bride and bridesmaids dress fittings scheduled for that morning, Maitlyn knew she had to get up and get dressed. She had a long list of phone calls and confirmations to make, and intuition told her the day was going to be busier than she preferred. As she thought about all she had to do, she became exhausted.

  The following day she was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles to visit her brother Guy and meet her new niece and nephew. The twins had come a few weeks early and all the family was taking turns giving the new parents a hand. Guy was on tap for a new movie role and Maitlyn was on track to negotiate him a contract that would afford him the most time with his new family. She also nee
ded to research distributors for her sister Kamaya’s new business. Maitlyn had her hands full, and she liked it that way. As long as she kept busy, she didn’t have the time or the energy to think about what she might be missing with Zakaria Sayed. There was no place for Zak to fill all her waking thoughts. Every day she could keep it that way was a good day.

  She threw her legs off the side of her bed and sat upright. Her eyes shifted to the framed photograph on her nightstand, the image of her and Zak arriving on their cruise. That first month she’d kept it hidden away in a drawer, hating to even think about it. But now she’d set it on her nightstand and left it there. When she looked at it, she was reminded that she’d had a wonderful time and, for a few weeks, she’d felt very much loved.

  Chapter 18

  “What is wrong with you, Zakaria?” His mother threw him a concerned stare. “You haven’t been yourself for months now.”

  “I’m fine, Ommah.” Zak picked the last of the ripe lemons from the fruit trees in his mother’s courtyard.

  His father gave him a sidelong glance as Zack moved about slowly and finally dropped the bowl of fruit onto the table as he took a seat beside the older man. “Have you heard from her?” his father asked.

  Zak lifted his eyes to meet his father’s stare. He shook his head. “No, Baba. And it’s for the best.”

  His father nodded. His mother sucked her teeth as she fanned a dismissive hand. “Tch! You are wrong, son.”

  Both men turned to stare in her direction.

  “This is not best for you. You are hiding away in that house of yours. We barely see you, and when we do, you are a mere semblance of yourself. Your joy is gone. There is nothing best about that!”

  His mother rose from her seat and moved to his side. She reached down to hug his neck and kiss his cheek. “This is not best for you,” she said. Her head shaking, she waved a hand and rushed from the room, attempting to hide her tears.

  When the door to her room was closed, his father refilled both their cups with mint tea. “You really need to speak with her.”