“Nasir—”
“They kill me and it’s over. It’s as simple as that. Honestly, I’m tired of running.”
“Nasir. That’s insane. You’re not thinking clearly.”
“They promised it would be quick. I’ve made my peace.”
They promised it would be quick?
“I don’t care if you’re fine with it, I’m not fine with it!” Her voice rose.
“This is how it has to be.”
He looked serene. Broken but calm. Before she could press further, his phone buzzed. He looked down. His expression darkened.
“What is it?” she asked.
He fidgeted. Then—“You’re not safe here.”
“What do you mean?” Her pulse stuttered. His expression had gone from weary but calm to tense in a matter of seconds. What kind of message did he get? “You said they weren’t after me.”
“Should we really take someone like this at their word?” He shoved his phone in his pocket and drew a shaky breath. “There were other ways to fuck with me. Irum’s here too. But it’s only been you.”
He moved to the French doors in the back. The ones leading to the back gardens and pathways. He scanned the scenery before shifting his focus to the conference door.
“Every way out has some risk,” he muttered. “Leaving the way you came is the best bet. More eyes mean more safety. Besides, if we step out together, no one will notice you. All eyes will be on me.”
“Wh-What are you saying?” Hena stammered.
“Lay low. For a little while. Until this blows over.”
“Nasir, do you hear yourself?”
“Look! I haven’t—I haven’t thought this all through, okay? I just know as long as you’re here, you’re in danger. Here, take my car, it’s not like I’ll be needing it.”
He fished his car keys out of his pants pocket. His sunglasses slipped out as he shoved the keys toward her.
“It’s a black Honda. Toward the back. Make sure no one is following you. They’ll be focused on me first. You’ll get a head start.”
Hena’s head spun.
“And then?” she asked. “What next? I’m supposed to go on the run? Hide out in a different motel each night and sleep with one eye open?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry, Hena. I—I just know being here isn’t safe.”
Her attention dropped to the fallen sunglasses. Leaning down, she picked them up. They were oversized. Tacky. Not his style. Unease crawled up her spine. The man from Las Olas. The one Kiran had mentioned.
“You were at Las Olas,” Hena whispered.
He nodded. “I was hoping to catch you at one of the outings. I had to warn you, but I didn’t trust calling you on the phone. They could have tapped it.”
Hena turned the sunglasses over in her hands. Fragmentsof the fortune teller’s words passed over her:Darkness obscures their face…someone tried to hurt you.
The fortune teller’s prophecies were a party trick, Hena reminded herself. This was just her nerves. Reza getting in her head.
She didn’t care what anyone said. Nasir would never hurt her. There was so much she could doubt, but never his love for her. Yet as he moved closer, she found herself involuntarily taking a step back.
She’d said something else, too, the fortune teller: