The Sheikh's Pregnant Bride (The Jawhara Sheikhs 1)

Chapter 9

“Shira, have a great time,” Erin told her cousin, outside the baggage drop off at Reagan National.

“I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see Kale.” Shira had spoken to Kale at least once a day since his sudden departure for Jawhara.

“I’m sure he’s excited to see you as well.” Erin tried to keep the note of jealousy from seeping through in her voice. She envied her cousin and the relationship she was building with Kale. Unfortunately, she and Kam’s relationship didn’t seem to be one. Outside of speaking to him the morning the driver had arrived, she hadn’t heard from him since and it had been two weeks.

She had resisted the urge to have Shira ask Kale about Kam, wanting him to contact her on his own. She kept telling herself that he was busy running a country and that his silence wasn’t intentional. Her mind was only just barely buying it two weeks later.

“I wish you were coming with me,” Shira told her, hugging her one final time.

“I have so much going on here, you know that isn’t possible.”

Shira nodded, “I know. But wouldn’t it be fun?”

Erin nodded, “Probably. Send me an email letting me know you arrived, okay?”

“I will. Oh, that’s my flight, gotta go.”

“Be careful.”

“I will. Love you,” Shira called, walking backwards several steps, before turning and heading towards security.

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“Bye,” Erin whispered, suddenly feeling very lonely. Turning back towards the town car, she allowed the driver to open the door. Sitting in the back of the sleek car, she tried not to let depression grab ahold of her. Shira had worked hard and deserved every good thing that came her way.

“Take me to the office, please.” She didn’t need to go back to the Charity Foundation, but also didn’t want to go home and be by herself. There were several new cases that had arrived at the shelter and she planned to immerse herself in work until these unwanted feelings of loneliness fled.

Arriving at the foundation’s office an hour later, she noticed that everyone seemed to have gone home for the day. The driver let her out right in front of the main doors, and she used her keys to unlock the doors and headed towards her office. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t remember to re-lock the front doors.

Erin prepared the restraining orders for the new mother who had arrived at the shelter the night before. It seemed that her husband had lost his job and decided to take his frustration out on his wife and six-year old daughter. Both had needed medical treatment and were currently being sheltered in a safe house located across the river in Virginia.

Erin had just finished electronically filing the necessary paperwork when she heard a noise in the hallway. Deciding that one of her co-workers must have forgotten something, she rose from behind her desk and headed towards the foyer.

Rounding the corner, she was alarmed to see a strange man, looking very similar to the description the newest recipient of the foundation’s hospitality had provided of her abusive husband. “Excuse me? We’re already closed. The office will be open again tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock.”

“Where is my wife?” the strange man growled, menace evident in both his voice and body language.

Erin took a step back, hoping to put the front counter between her and the man. If she could get to the phone, she could depress the panic button and the local police department would be notified by the silent alarm system.

Seeing her retreat, the man quickly cut her off, preventing her from reaching the counter. “I’m going to ask one more time – where is my wife?”

“I’m sorry sir. I don’t believe I know your wife. Why would you think she would be here?”

“Listen you bitch, I know she came here. I want her home and I want her home now. I want my kid as well.”

Erin was starting to panic when she caught sight of Talib slipping through the front doors. She struggled to keep from calling to him, seeing that he was sneaking up on her would-be assailant.

In mere seconds, the man was laying on the floor, unconscious and she was speaking with the local 911 dispatcher. Talib was also on the phone, no doubt speaking to Kam and informing him of the situation.

By the time the police had taken her and Talib’s statements, she was so exhausted she headed straight home. Her phone rang repeatedly, but Erin didn’t want to speak with anyone at the moment. Especially Kam!

The feelings of exhaustion had been getting worse all week long, but she chalked it up to a stressful workload. Even the excitement of the afternoon hadn’t been capable of dispelling the tiredness she was feeling.

Hearing the phone ring once again, she unplugged the cord and headed to bed. Things would look better in the morning; they always did.

Chapter 10