onto the offensive pieces of cords as they loosened off her.
“You must be thirsty,” he muttered, running the ropes through his hands.
He rose up and poured her a glass of water and then ambled up to her with it.
She glanced hesitantly at the glass and then him.
“Here,” he said, handing the glass over to her.
She took it, her hands trembling lightly from the fear his cold stare invoked in her. She sipped from it, keeping an attentive eye on him as she did. Would he turn just as Mateen did? Would he try to beat her up next?
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She didn’t reply, dipping her finger into the water and running it along her parched lips, dampening it. She glanced back up at him and she froze. His gaze was riveted to her lips. She tensed. He had saved her from Mateen. But who would save her from him?
“Freba,” she mumbled with a little quiver. “Where is she?” Her voice croaked from the dryness caught in her throat but she didn’t care. Freba was the only person she felt safe around for the moment. And she couldn’t help feeling clingy over her.
He stepped back from her. “Freba’s back at the house you were held in. She is needed there.”
“Is that far from here?”
“We’re in Kandahar. A good day’s drive from Paktika.”
“Paktika?”
“Where Freba is.”
Her lips trembled. She was alone again. Her eyes scanned the room with increasing alarm. Her breath caught in her throat and she clung to the base of her throat. She felt something caught in it, blocking her airway. She gasped for air and he rushed up to her, grasping her shoulders.
“What’s wrong?” he ordered.
But she shook him off her, racing blindly towards the door. He ran after her, only just managing to pull her away before she could reach for the door knob. She slapped him away hard as she cried loudly.
“Stop,” he said, trying to keep her still, but she flung her hands wildly at him.
“Let me go! Let me go!” she screamed at him.
“Nora, stop. Stop!” He slapped her hard across the face, felling her to the floor. “Stop!” He pointed angrily at her.
HAPTER 5
She crouched, pulling her legs up to her chest, as she lay on the floor, crying. “Please, I… want… Freba.” She shivered, unable to string her words into one complete sentence.
She didn’t understand why she was sobbing over a woman she hardly knew. But just knowing Freba would no longer be at reach when she needed her almost felt as if the woman had died.
Adam ran his hands through his hair with frustration. “Well, that’s not going to happen. Now, unless you want to be bound back again, I advise you shut up and behave.”
He moved away, pouring himself a glass of cold tea. He ambled up to the windows, staring outside it as he slowly downed his tea.
She lay there, on the tiled floor of this strange bedroom, sniveling. Everything was so gaudy and garish about it. Right from the iridescent curtains to the flamboyant bedspread. Whoever had decorated it was trying desperately to escape the dullness that lay outside this room, and in the process stuffed it with as much color as it could possibly take, inevitably drowning it.
“Sit up,” he commanded.
She realized he had been waiting for her to calm down from her fit over the loss of Freba. She pulled herself up slowly, trembling.
He glared down at her on the floor. “Get up onto the bed.”
She backed away further from him nervously. Why did he want her on the bed? He was not going to…
“Get on the bed!” he demanded. “I’m not going to ask you a third time. We don’t put our women on a pedestal here like you’d expect back home. So when I tell you to move, you do!”
“No,” she mumbled. Stop it, Nora. Don’t do it? Are you crazy? Why are you standing up against him?
“What?” he asked in slight disbelief.
“No,” she repeated, lifting up her chin defiantly at him.
His eyes darkened, burning with rage. He marched up to her in two
“You must be thirsty,” he muttered, running the ropes through his hands.
He rose up and poured her a glass of water and then ambled up to her with it.
She glanced hesitantly at the glass and then him.
“Here,” he said, handing the glass over to her.
She took it, her hands trembling lightly from the fear his cold stare invoked in her. She sipped from it, keeping an attentive eye on him as she did. Would he turn just as Mateen did? Would he try to beat her up next?
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She didn’t reply, dipping her finger into the water and running it along her parched lips, dampening it. She glanced back up at him and she froze. His gaze was riveted to her lips. She tensed. He had saved her from Mateen. But who would save her from him?
“Freba,” she mumbled with a little quiver. “Where is she?” Her voice croaked from the dryness caught in her throat but she didn’t care. Freba was the only person she felt safe around for the moment. And she couldn’t help feeling clingy over her.
He stepped back from her. “Freba’s back at the house you were held in. She is needed there.”
“Is that far from here?”
“We’re in Kandahar. A good day’s drive from Paktika.”
“Paktika?”
“Where Freba is.”
Her lips trembled. She was alone again. Her eyes scanned the room with increasing alarm. Her breath caught in her throat and she clung to the base of her throat. She felt something caught in it, blocking her airway. She gasped for air and he rushed up to her, grasping her shoulders.
“What’s wrong?” he ordered.
But she shook him off her, racing blindly towards the door. He ran after her, only just managing to pull her away before she could reach for the door knob. She slapped him away hard as she cried loudly.
“Stop,” he said, trying to keep her still, but she flung her hands wildly at him.
“Let me go! Let me go!” she screamed at him.
“Nora, stop. Stop!” He slapped her hard across the face, felling her to the floor. “Stop!” He pointed angrily at her.
HAPTER 5
She crouched, pulling her legs up to her chest, as she lay on the floor, crying. “Please, I… want… Freba.” She shivered, unable to string her words into one complete sentence.
She didn’t understand why she was sobbing over a woman she hardly knew. But just knowing Freba would no longer be at reach when she needed her almost felt as if the woman had died.
Adam ran his hands through his hair with frustration. “Well, that’s not going to happen. Now, unless you want to be bound back again, I advise you shut up and behave.”
He moved away, pouring himself a glass of cold tea. He ambled up to the windows, staring outside it as he slowly downed his tea.
She lay there, on the tiled floor of this strange bedroom, sniveling. Everything was so gaudy and garish about it. Right from the iridescent curtains to the flamboyant bedspread. Whoever had decorated it was trying desperately to escape the dullness that lay outside this room, and in the process stuffed it with as much color as it could possibly take, inevitably drowning it.
“Sit up,” he commanded.
She realized he had been waiting for her to calm down from her fit over the loss of Freba. She pulled herself up slowly, trembling.
He glared down at her on the floor. “Get up onto the bed.”
She backed away further from him nervously. Why did he want her on the bed? He was not going to…
“Get on the bed!” he demanded. “I’m not going to ask you a third time. We don’t put our women on a pedestal here like you’d expect back home. So when I tell you to move, you do!”
“No,” she mumbled. Stop it, Nora. Don’t do it? Are you crazy? Why are you standing up against him?
“What?” he asked in slight disbelief.
“No,” she repeated, lifting up her chin defiantly at him.
His eyes darkened, burning with rage. He marched up to her in two
Similar Books
