The moment Xander’s boots touched the ground, he was running. Ignoring the commotion as the security guards, unarmed with their hands over their heads, were rounded up and gathered near the villa, he headed for the olive trees. Looking past the foliage, he focused on the white columns rising above the treetops. There. That was where he’d seen the figure standing. It had been impossible to tell if it had been Leila or not. His pulse raced, urging him to hurry. He climbed the smooth stone steps and skidded to a stop between the pillars.
In a clearing within a circle of olive trees, a boy sat on the ground, his head buried between his knees, next to the motionless form of a woman. Xander’s stomach turned to lead. Sami.
Oh, please, no. He swallowed hard, then took a few steps closer until the woman’s face came into view. His body went cold. Aisha. Judging from the pool of blood, her pale skin, and sagging jaw, she’d only been dead for several minutes.
“Sami,” Xander rasped.
The boy’s head shot up, his cheeks damp. He recoiled at the sight of Xander and scooted away.
Xander frowned, bewildered by Sami’s reaction. Then he remembered that he still had the goggles and helmet on. He knelt in the dirt next to Sami and slid his gear off, uncovering his face.
Sami’s mouth dropped. A second later, he leaped up and threw his arms around Xander’s neck, clinging tight.
Xander winced as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, then patted the boy’s back, unsure what he should say or do. As much as he wanted answers, he couldn’t ask while Sami cried. He’d find out what happened another way.
“Everything will be all right,” he murmured, though he wasn’t sure he believed that himself. They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound were the shouts echoing across the island and the wind teasing the olive branches.
Sami shifted, drawing Xander’s attention back to him. The boy looked up at him, his eyes red and cheeks wet. “Dad shot her,” the boy choked out. “He killed Mom.”
Xander froze. This was worse than he thought. Just get him out of here. Holding Sami with his good arm, he stood and carried him to the villa. Sami kept his face buried in Xander’s shoulder.
The path took him to a terracotta patio, past an unfinished pool, and led him to a large glass sliding door that stood open. Xander walked into a kitchen where a group of four servants lingered by the counter, their faces a mixture of shock and confusion. They watched him with wide eyes as he approached.
He looked them over—four women wearing simple black dresses, their hair pulled back neatly. He wasn’t sure what their roles were, but he deemed them harmless.
“Can one of you stay with him?” he asked.
A lady nodded and led Xander down a hall and into a bedroom. The bed was covered with a dark blue comforter, the nightstand empty. Aside from a bookshelf filled with comic books and encyclopedias, the room had no other decorations. Xander assumed it must be Sami’s room. A little boring, but the boy had only been here a week.
Xander set Sami on the bed, but he wouldn’t let go, squeezing his arms tighter around Xander’s neck. Xander swallowed against the hard lump in his throat. He rubbed Sami’s back, then slowly peeled off the boy’s arms and knelt on the floor beside him.
“Are you hurt?”
The boy kept his gaze lowered and shook his head. Xander let out a sigh. Not wanting to press Sami for information, he’d try to find out what happened from the adults. But first, he needed to make sure Leila was even alive.
“I need to find your sister,” he said. “I’ll be back soon. Will you be okay here for a few minutes?”
Sami glanced away.
With no time to waste, Xander would have to take that as a yes. He strode out the door, then paused in front of the lady lingering in the hallway just outside. “He does not leave this room, understood?” he said firmly.
The lady nodded and walked into the bedroom. She silently sat on the mattress next to Sami, wrapping a comforting arm around the boy’s shoulders.
Confident Sami would be looked after, Xander headed back outside.
Now to find Leila.
As he left the patio and walked into the grove of olive trees, he passed the group of security guards, all sitting in a row, waiting, their weapons confiscated.
A few officers stood guard, one of them Jones. Jones glared at him and Xander didn’t miss the flick of his eyes, making sure Xander’s hands were empty. Keeping his distance from Jones, Xander stopped next to the operational manager and asked for the 411.
“Ten guards rounded up so far,” Andrikopoulos told him. “No sign of Al-Rashid. About to send a team into the tunnel system. He’s probably down there. Haven’t found her yet?”
Xander shook his head and explained the situation with Aisha and Sami.
Andrikopoulos nodded and took a step toward the line of guards. “All right. What happened to the dead woman? Where’s your boss?”
Xander couldn’t stay to listen. If Leila wasn’t in the house or on the grounds, she must have gone underground. He pivoted and ran.
He found his way back to the ruins and scanned the clearing. A few officers lingered near Aisha, who had been covered with a blanket. He sped around the other side of the columns. A set of angled double doors stood open, a string of lights illuminating the steps that led beneath the ruins. He ducked through the doorway and took the steps, two at a time.
Another doorway waited below, a yawning black mouth. He slowed, wishing he’d ignored the orders not to take a gun. It wasn’t Leila or Soliman he was afraid of, but a jumpy guard could be his biggest problem. But he couldn’t risk causing more trouble than he already had. Fighting the urge to find himself a weapon, his mouth was dry as he ran into the darkness.
CHAPTER 39
Leila eased a staircase door open. This tunnel looked promising. The network of corridors twisted and turned like a maze. All she could remember was to go down four levels. She was certain that was where the storage rooms had been but finding the stairs had been a task of its own. She waited for any noises, and when the tunnel remained silent for thirty seconds, she slipped from the doorway and hurried down the hall.
Finally, she came to the door of her makeshift cell, still open a crack. The door next to it was closed, and Soliman was silent. She pulled out the keyring she had snagged from the guard and fumbled through the keys, unsure which one to use.
“Professor?” she called out, not wanting him to think she was one of the guards. She picked a random key and tried to stick it into the lock. It didn’t fit.
“Leila?” Soliman said through the door. “Is everything all right?”
All right? No. Faris might be gone, but nothing was all right. She didn’t think it ever would be again. Her mind knew this, but deep down, she had yet to accept it. She kept pushing the thoughts away, making sure they didn’t reach her heart. Not yet. She wasn’t ready. She had no idea how she was going to recover from all this once it hit her full force. She gritted her teeth and tried another key. It didn’t fit, either.
“We’re getting out of here,” she said, then tried another key. No fit. They jingled as she picked out a different one.
“What’s going on? Did you talk to Al-Rashid? Do you have the phone? Are you alone?”
