“Yeah, we talked.” Leila swallowed down the tightness in her throat. “I’m alone.” This time, the key went in and turned. Once the lock clicked, Leila threw the door open.
The room looked similar to her cell with a few empty crates and buckets. The professor stood under the yellow glow of the light bulb, and Leila swallowed a gasp. She wouldn’t have recognized him on the street. Gray hairs covered his upper lip and chin, his cheekbones stuck out, the sides of his thinned-out hair long and unkempt. Purple shadows darkened the skin beneath his bloodshot eyes. She knew all too well what must be going through his mind.
Soliman stepped out of his prison and placed a hand on her shoulder. The corners of his eyes crinkled in a sad smile. “Thank you for coming back for me.”
Leila suppressed a grimace at the smell that followed him. “I wouldn’t have left you down here. Are you okay?”
He seemed to have not heard her question. “Did you get the phone?” he asked, his voice urgent.
Leila nodded as she pulled it out of her pocket. “Faris tried to force me to dial the number.” Her voice cracked. And she would be dead right now if Aisha hadn’t— No. She couldn’t think about that. Not yet.
“He did?” Soliman’s eyes widened. He took the phone and glanced it over, turned on the screen, and scrolled through. “He was trying to pin it on you. On us.”
“Yeah. It worked pretty well too. He’s got visitors.”
“Oh?”
“They looked military. I couldn’t tell you which.”
Soliman stared at the phone contemplatively. Then he nodded. “All right. Let’s go.” He turned and walked briskly down the corridor. Leila trailed behind him, glad she finally wasn’t alone. She scanned the hallway, certain a guard would appear at any moment.
The professor opened the door to a stairwell and slipped inside. Leila followed, let the door slam shut behind her, and frowned. Soliman started down the steps.
“Where are you going?” she asked as she followed. “Everyone’s upstairs.”
“There’s something you need to see,” he said over his shoulder as he arrived on the landing. He put his hand on the door handle, then paused. “Do you have a gun with you?”
Leila nodded, wondering what else Faris could have possibly been hiding.
“Give it to me, just in case there are more guards in here.”
“Wait, what are we doing?” She slipped the firearm from her belt and handed it over, happy to finally get rid of the thing. She hoped she never had to touch one again.
Soliman held the gun ready, then put a finger to his lips and eased the door open.
A yawning cave gaped before them, the ceiling as high as a three-story house. The wooden stairs at their feet led down to a dock on a narrow river that flowed around a bend and to the sea. Water lapped at the rocky walls as a small yacht bobbed gently in the waves. Through the mouth of the cave reverberated the distant drone of the helicopters. They were probably still circling the island.
Soliman started down the stairs. Just as Leila set foot on the top step, a man’s voice shouted, “Stop!”
A guard ran across the dock toward them, gun drawn.
Without slowing, Soliman quietly took aim with one hand and fired one round. The guard crumpled to the ground.
Nice shot. Leila’s mouth dropped open. She had no idea he could be that cold. But then again, these people had kept him locked up for three days.
Soliman stepped over the guard and continued to the yacht. Leila shook her head, realizing what Soliman was up to. He had his mind set on escape. She hadn’t been clear enough that it would be safe to turn themselves in and explain everything. She hurried after him, her footfalls sounding hollow as she pounded down the dock.
“Wait,” she called as Soliman climbed the ladder into the yacht.
He stopped at the top of the ladder and glanced over his shoulder. “There’s no time.” He swung his leg over the rail and landed on the deck.
“Professor, stop.” She paused beneath him and rubbed her throbbing temples. “We can’t run. They’ve got helicopters. They’ve got guns. We’re not going to escape them. But it doesn’t matter. We don’t need to. We’ve got the phone now. They can trace that to Faris. You’ll be cleared.”
Soliman didn’t seem to be listening. He turned away and ran into the wheelhouse. A moment later, the engine grumbled to life. Leila sighed and grabbed both sides of the ladder. She was halfway up when Soliman peered over the railing.
“Untie the ropes.”
Leila shook her head. “Trying to run won’t make them be nicer to you. It only makes you look guilty.”
Soliman’s expression darkened, his jaw tight. His eyes flashed with a fury that made Leila’s breath catch in her throat.
He pointed the gun at her. “I said untie the ropes.”
Her body went cold. Why wouldn’t he listen? Not taking her eyes off the barrel, she climbed down and walked over to the ropes. Her hands shook as she unwrapped the first line from the mooring post and let it drop to the ground. She ran to the next, the rope taut as the yacht pulled away from the dock. She tugged at it, but it was too tight to untie.
Soliman watched her from the railing, the gun still trained on her. “Hurry up,” he barked.
“I can’t. It’s stuck.”
Eyes narrowed, he reached to the side, held up an axe, then tossed it.
Leila stepped back, just as the blade sank into the planks where she had been standing. She ripped it from the wood and weighed it in her hand.
“Cut the rope. Now. Before I shoot.”
Not again. Leila shook her head, panic thudding in her chest. Why was he doing this? He wasn’t going to get far. Clenching her teeth, she swung the axe and chopped through the rope, just as the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs met her ears. They had company.
The yacht floated away from the dock and panic drummed inside her chest. No, Soliman wouldn’t get far, but she couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk him disappearing again. Not when he still had that phone. She should never have let go of it.
