The Sheik’s Vow (The Billionaire’s Club #13)

Chapter 8

Riaz relaxed, grateful that she was willing to trust him enough to explain the monsters from her past. He couldn’t do anything to help her if she didn’t trust him. He understood that the trust only went so far. If he let her down in any way, she would run. Even more worrisome, Kaia had been running for a long time, much longer than he’d originally suspected. He’d discovered that fact after a quick conversation with Zayed before they’d departed from Pitra. So if she were to leave him, he doubted that even his special forces teams would be able to find her.

They all sat down at the polished conference table and Dihrain, his head of security, closed the door. Now it was just Kaia, himself, and Dihrain in the room, as well as the dogs.

“ Dibi! Marta !” Riaz called out and he pointed his finger towards the floor at his side. The dogs immediately moved to his feet and sat on the floor. “ Mumtaz ,” he told the dogs, praising their manners and adding pets for each of them. After a few tail wags, the dogs settled down, sniffing the air experimentally as they both laid their giant heads down on their outstretched paws.

“Their names are Dibi and Marta?” Kaia asked, trying to translate. She and her sister had learned French, Spanish, and Arabic while they were growing up, as well as a bit of Mandarin. But some words confused her. Tara had learned languages more easily than Kaia, but they’d both considered the skill something worth learning.

“Yes. They are pretty spoiled most of the time, but excellent guards.”

“They roam the palace gardens at night?”

Riaz shook his head. “No, they stay with me inside.” He glanced down at the animals and scratched their heads. “Like I said, they are a bit spoiled.”

Kaia eyed their enormous heads and fluffy ears. Their brown and black fur looked rough, but she’d touched them and found they were much softer than she’d originally suspected. “They are huge.”

Dihrain shifted in his chair and clicked his pen, indicating that he was ready to start the meeting. “Ms. Treon, I understand that you might be in danger. Can you explain how and why?”

Turning away from the dogs, she straightened up and laid her hands on the polished wood table. Kaia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. This was the point when she admitted everything to Riaz and he would discover that her past was too much, even for him.

But if speaking the truth, if admitting to her humiliating past would set her free, then she’d do it.

She felt something brush against her and jumped. Pushing away from the table, she looked down to discover that one of the dogs, the one with the black spot over his forehead and pointy ear, was resting his muzzle on her knee.

“What’s he doing?” she gasped, remaining very still, wondering if the dog was going to bite her. He didn’t look as if that was his intent.

“She,” Riaz corrected. “That’s Marta. They are incredibly sensitive to my emotions. You must have impressed them when you stood in front of me, ready to protect me. They usually don’t take to strangers at all.”

“I’m…grateful?” she murmured, not sure what to do about the ca nine’s head on her knee.

“Don’t worry about Marta. They won’t hurt you now, but I’ll put them outside if you are too afraid of them.”

Kaia remembered the way the dogs had raced down the hallway, eager to be near Riaz. Their adoration for the man was obvious. No way would she make them leave the room just because she was nervous.

“That’s okay,” she whispered, then lifted her eyes, trying to ignore the snout resting on her leg.

Dihrain continued with his questions. “Could you explain the danger? Once I know what the problem is, I can work with my team to create a plan of action.”

“There’s no action that your team needs to develop,” Kaia replied. “First of all, I don’t think there’s much you can do.” She laid her hands flat on the table. Slowly, she took a deep breath, then looked at Riaz and Dihrain, trying to get them to understand. “And secondly, this isn’t your problem. It’s mine. I haven’t quite figured out how to stop Ethan Howell, but I’ve been accumulating data for the past several years about his illegal activities.”

“If you have evidence of his illegal activities, why haven’t you gone to the police?” Dihrain wanted to know.

She smiled gently at him. He looked like a taller, thinner version of a bulldog. His face was sort of smashed, with a bulbous nose and ears that sprouted too far out from his head. The short haircut emphasized his ears, as well as the worry lines on his forehead. But there was a sharp intelligence in his dark eyes and power in his body. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Riaz, but he looked like he could take down a tank without breaking a sweat.

“Because I think that the police are involved somehow.” She curled her fingers into fists, then hid them in her lap. “Not all of the police. Just, maybe, the top echelon on the police force close to Todras, Kentucky.” She sighed heavily. “I went to them to ask for help initially.” She looked down at the table, absently reaching out to stroke the furry head that nudged her thigh. Scratching the dog’s ears actually soothed some of the pain from those old wounds. “Eventually, I’ll figure out what he’s up to and I can take that evidence to authorities that aren’t under Ethan’s influence.”

Dihrain glanced over at Riaz, who immediately took control of the conversation.

“Kaia, if the police are involved, then that’s even more reason for us to help out.” Riaz looked at her intently. “I have connections and power, Kaia. Please, fill in the gaps for us. Tell us what you know and let us help you.”

Kaia stared at the two men, then at the closed door.

Immediately, Riaz realized where her mind had gone. “Would you feel more comfortable if the door was open?”

She thought about it, her eyes darting to the door once again, but in the end, she straightened her shoulders and shook her head. Riaz admired her strength as well as the bouncing curls that danced around her shoulders whenever she moved. He doubted that Kaia had any idea of her appeal. And that appeal wasn’t due just to her lovely green eyes, the adorable nose…he suddenly realized that she had a spray of freckles across her nose. He’d noticed the freckles on Tara, but not on Kaia. However, the two were related so it made sense that they had similar skin tones. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed her freckles until now because he’d been so fascinated by her personality. Or maybe it was because of her expressive, green eyes. Either way, he liked the freckles.

“I was born into a very religious family,” she began slowly, looking down at the table. When she lifted her eyes, he’d expected tears at the retelling of her painful past. But her eyes were dry. Riaz saw only fury. “When I say ‘very religious’, I don’t mean just going to church every Sunday and saying grace before meals. The whole community was part of our congregation. We went to church every morning and evening. The Sunday service was several hours long and ended with a meal that the women spent several hours the day before preparing.” She paused, but neither Dihrain nor Riaz asked any questions. Yet. “The members of the community all led what most would consider a traditional family lifestyle, but it was more than that. The leader of the group,” she stopped and looked thoughtfully out the window, “I’m not going to call it a church anymore.” She paused, thinking through something before continuing. “I’ve spent time out in the world now, and what Ethan Howell commands his congregation to do is not a religion. It’s his personal fiefdom.”

Kaia stopped suddenly and looked under the table. Had she been petting the dog this whole time? Marta was leaning against Kaia’s legs, clearly trying to comfort her.

Kaia cleared her throat, not pushing the dog away and Riaz didn’t give the order for Marta to come back to him. Marta must be sensing the same thing that he and Dihrain were witnessing. This was an emotional conversation for Kaia.

“Please go on,” Riaz urged.

Kaia took a deep breath and continued. “It wasn’t just the daily church attendance, which was required even if we were sick. Ethan claimed that the lord would heal a person’s body faster if they were properly dedicated to their prayers.” She sighed. “I know now that Ethan required everyone to attend church morning and night, so he could keep tabs on everyone. It was his way of taking attendance as well as keeping people busy and exhausted, so that they didn’t have time to gossip. If everyone was in church in the morning, then working the fields or the shops all day, there was no time to gripe about whatever was happening in the community.”

“You keep using the term community. Can you explain more about that?” Dihrain asked.

Kaia nodded and paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing. “Ethan Howell inherited a large tract of land from his father, who had built a massive fortune as a coal mine owner. I don’t know if you’re aware of the American coal mining industry back in the early nineteen hundreds, but the coal mine owners were corrupt, evil people who oppressed the workers and created a system where the workers couldn’t afford to leave. The mine owners didn’t even pay their workers. The miners were given script money that could be used to buy food and necessities at the grocery store, which was also owned by the mining company.”

“I’ve heard about the way that the mine owners controlled their workers,” Riaz replied.

“Good. So, you understand where Ethan got the idea for building up his own village.” Kaia nodded, tucking some curls behind her ear in a futile attempt to control them. “Ethan Howell adopted some of his father’s methods, and he added a facade of religion extremism over his efforts. He somehow convinced a small group of people that he knew the ‘true’ way to achieve holiness.”

“I’m guessing his methods weren’t legal?” Dihrain asked.

Kaia didn’t answer. She stared blankly at the table, unaware of her fingers tangling in Marta’s fur. She stroked the dog’s ears and down her neck. She felt another weight against the opposite side of her legs. The feeling of being surrounded by a pair of dogs that were basically hugging her, was soothing. The warmth and weight of the dogs gave her the strength to continue telling her story.

“Women were required to cook and clean the house daily. The men were required to work in the fields or raise animals for food. Everyone starts work before dawn. At seven every morning, the wives and daughters would bring food out to the fields for the men. At eight o’clock, every member of the community was expected to be in the community center for a sermon. Afterwards, women worked in the fields next to their husbands, only coming home to start dinner preparations. After dinner, the women cleaned the house again before meeting for a bible study. The men would gather either at Ethan’s house or at the church for another service or a meeting.” She shuddered. “The men’s early evening meetings were to discuss the women’s behaviors. Specifically, anything that they hadn’t done exactly right, according to the husband or father.” Her voice faltered towards the end of that statement.

Dihrain and Riaz looked at each other, both of them understanding that this meeting, and the deficiencies that were discussed, were the crux of the abuse. Riaz looked back at Kaia, who had a hand on each of the dogs now, soothing them as they soothed her. “What were some of the reasons a man would find his wife’s or his daughter’s behavior lacking?”

Kaia shrugged one shoulder as she stared at a spot in the middle of the table. “If she didn’t bow her head low enough when she served her husband. If the food wasn’t prepared to her husband’s liking. If there was any dust in the house at the end of the day.” She paused, shuddering again. “If the husband felt lust for his wife.” She paused, squeezing her eyes shut. “Or any female in the community.”

“That’s–”

Kaia didn’t wait for Riaz to finish. She interrupted him, saying, “If the man felt lust for a woman in general.”

“Why the hell would that be the fault of the woman?”

Dibi and Marta shifted their body weight, nuzzling her hands, urging her to continue petting them. She did, and the stroking of their fur soothed the welter of emotions inside of her as the memories assaulted her.

She took in a deep breath, then continued. “If a man felt lust for his wife, she was beaten for being sinful. If a man felt lust for another woman, his wife was beaten for not servicing her husband’s lust adequately. If a man had lustful thoughts for one of the other daughters in the community, and he wasn’t married, then he reported his lustful thoughts to Ethan. The man was beaten, then forced to marry the girl.” She lifted her eyes, the green irises shimmering with tears. “It didn’t matter how old the girl was. My sister was wedded to a man at the age of twelve because Elijah had seen her walking down the street with her arms filled with fresh bread. Officially, Ethan told the community that the marriage was because their farms were adjacent to each other, so it made sense to connect the two and ensure that the land stayed in the family.” She snorted with disgust. “I know that the true reason is because the ass admitted that he’d had lustful thoughts for Tara, so Ethan mandated that he wed her.”

“At twelve ?” Riaz hissed, obviously appalled.

“Yes,” she replied, then hiccupped. “I couldn’t get her away before the ceremony, but I waited until Tara was sent to Elijah’s bedroom. I got her out of his house and we hid until Ethan and the other men stopped looking for us.”

Riaz and Dihrain were appalled and furious now and Kaia felt a grim satisfaction.

“That’s…disgusting! A twelve year old is a child!”

“There were other men who married girls younger than twelve,” Kaia whispered. She lifted her eyes. “Ethan is a pedophile, among his other vices. So he recognized the look in other men’s faces, then tempted them to join his community. He told the men that he could show them the way to holiness and still allow them to ‘rejoice’ in their temptations.”

Dihrain’s pen slid across the paper in a violent line. Kaia didn’t know what he’d written.

“Wait,” Riaz said, his voice softly furious. “You are older than Kaia. Were you married off?”

She shook her head and this time, she didn’t bother to tuck her curls back. She leaned forward, letting her hair screen her face as she continued to stroke the dogs.

“Ethan Howell took a personal interest in me. I know now that he didn’t reserve his lust just for me, but I was his personal goal. One day, he explained to me that I would be his wife and he had this…alarmingly creepy look in his eyes.” She looked directly at Riaz. “Creepier than normal. I can’t really describe it, but the expression on his face warned me that I wasn’t going to like what he wanted from me.”

“What did your parents say?”

“My mother had already passed away. She died of a mysterious disease. Ethan told the community that she wasn’t faithful enough, which was why she’d passed.” There was a long silence, then she continued. “One night, before Ethan could do more to me, I ran. I hid in the barn, and when the men started searching for me, I ran to the woods, hiding up in the trees. ”

“Why?”

“Because I knew what Ethan was going to do to me.”

“What was his plan?”

She squeezed her eyes closed briefly. Then continued. “He…liked…the beatings,” she whispered, her words strangled as she tried to explain. “He would watch the other men beat their wives.” She cleared her throat. “They weren’t called beatings, by the way. They were referred to as ‘discipline’. Ethan explained that the men needed to discipline their wives in order to keep them holy.”

“So, this man’s plan was an all-encompassing justification for his perversions.” Riaz said the words that Kaia had thought so many times.

“Yes.”

“How did you escape?”

“I ran from the village. We were way out in farm country, so there were several barns around. I hid in the barns. When the families would go out, I’d sneak into their homes and get food, clothing. Whatever I needed to survive.”

“You ran away?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t go very far. I needed to stay close for Tara.” She smiled slightly. “And Tara helped by sneaking food and blankets to me.” She looked up into Riaz’s dark eyes. “We were a team. Tara will tell you that I saved her from a horrible fate, being married at twelve. But the truth is, Tara also saved me so many times.”

“You didn’t…?”

She shook her head and Riaz stopped.

“I earned money by babysitting. That helped. I saved enough to buy a bike. That allowed me to get a job in the nearby town.” She lifted her eyes and, for the first time since she started telling the story, there was a tiny smile on her face. “The job was in a drug store that also printed photos. They also sold inexpensive cameras.”

Riaz’s concern increased. “You didn’t…?”

She chuckled, but had to wipe away another tear. “I did. I snuck back to Ethan’s house and took pictures of him doing disgusting things with various women. It took me a while, but I finally discovered that the man has a secret room in his house. Also, I figured out where he went every day, because he didn’t work on the farms like the other men did.”

Riaz and Dihrain both leaned forward. “Where did he go?”

Her grin widened. “Mostly bars, but he also visited prostitutes. Some of those women, he convinced to join his community, using the allure of redemption and a simple life. He bragged that the community members took care of each other. If someone was hungry, the others in the community fed them.” She sighed and shook her head. “The truth was, he controlled every aspect of every person’s life.”

“What did you do with the pictures?”

“Nothing at first. Then, I slipped the pictures to the others in the community.” Her shoulders slumped. “He told the members that the images were fakes and that he’d sent the pictures to everyone. He convinced them that he was testing their loyalty, trying to determine who were the true believers. That’s when he started claiming he was a prophet, which heightened his power over everyone.”

Dihrain chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s actually brilliant, in a maniacal sort of way.

“What happened next?” Riaz prompted.

She shrugged. “Technology got better. Since I lived in barns, I started to save money from my job at the store and my babysitting money. That allowed me to purchase better technology. I got several wireless cameras, hiding them around Ethan’s house and in the community center. I captured images of Ethan doing truly cruel things to women. There’s a room in his house that no one else knows about. There are whips, chains, manacles, and some tools that I don’t recognize.”

“So, the man is a con artist and a sadist,” Dihrain said slowly. “Why didn’t you take your information to the authorities?”

Kaia laughed. “Because Ethan controls the money in the village. The farmers bring all of their grain, corn, vegetables, and the livestock to him. He then takes everything to the local cooperatives. He tells everyone that he puts the money into a bank account that is owned by the community. But in reality, he’s stolen it. He doles out whatever the members need. He builds their houses, controls the food supply by bringing in canned goods and meats, eggs, whatever he thinks the members need, they are completely reliant on him. If Ethan doesn’t think that someone is holy enough, they might not get food for a few days.”

“What about the children?”

“The kids suffer along with the parents. It’s another way that Ethan controls the families.”

“And the authorities?”

“Well, Ethan has convinced the police that his members are holy, so the police don’t get involved since there are no crimes being committed that they can see. I also discovered that Ethan donates large sums of money to the members of the state legislature, so they keep their noses out of Ethan’s business.” She kissed Marta’s nose, who whined encouragingly at her. “Who was I going to ask for help? I took the pictures of Ethan’s disgusting habits to the police, but they said he wasn’t breaking any laws. Apparently, women get manacled in bondage play all the time.”

“ Consensual bondage play,” Riaz snarled. “From what you’ve told us, nothing this man does sounds consensual.”

Dihrain nodded. He’d been taking notes in a big notebook. “I need you to give me more information on his security measures. And the layout of both the village and his house. We’ll get satellite images of the area, but give me more details, please. ”

Kaia stared at the man for a long moment, stunned by what his questions implied. “But…?”

Riaz shook his head. “Dihrain, why don’t you get your team started on the images and begin working on a plan? I need to speak with Kaia alone for a minute.”

Dihrain didn’t hesitate. He stood up, collected his notes and pen, then hurried from the conference room.

Riaz eyed her for a long moment. “I think you need a break.” He walked around to her, then crouched low. “How about a walk?”

Kaia liked the idea, but then looked down. Dibi and Marta had their heads nuzzled against her thighs and they’d pressed their bodies as close to her as they could manage.

She laughed softly, still stroking their furry heads. “I don’t think I can move,” she admitted.

“They’ve adopted you,” Riaz announced, chuckling as he stroked Dibi’s back.

One of the dogs, Kaia wasn’t sure which, let out a happy huff. As she smiled down at the dogs, she felt Riaz touch her cheek.

The sensation felt so good, so perfectly pure, that it startled her. She didn’t want to move for fear of losing his touch.

“I’m so sorry about what you went through as a child, Kaia.”

She shrugged, scratching Marta behind her ears. “I survived.”

He shook his head. “Children struggle all over the world, but that doesn’t make it right.”

Kaia licked her lips and nodded. “I know.”

“I’d like to make it up to you.”

“Make what up to me?’ she asked, laughing when Dibi nudged her hand with his wet nose. Apparently, Kaia had stopped scratching his ears.

“I want to give you all the happiness that you missed out on as a child.”

Kaia couldn’t stop the warmth from surrounding her heart with those words. “I…that’s…not necessary.”

“How about if we start with a walk? I can introduce you to the horses and,” he glanced down at the dogs. “Perhaps we could even find a few…” he paused meaningfully and both dogs lifted their heads, mouths slightly open and intelligent eyes gazing longingly up at him. “Kittens.”

As soon as he said the word, Dibi and Marta raced out from under the table, spinning around and dancing with enthusiasm. They seemed to turn into eager puppies right before their eyes. It was an intriguing sight!

Riaz laughed, reaching down to stroke both dogs as he turned to look at Kaia. “These two love the kittens. Wait until you see them interact.”

Kaia stood up slowly, surprised at how stiff she was. “I thought that dogs and cats were mortal enemies?”

“I used to think so as well. Until these two came into my life.” Riaz lifted his hand, doing the first signal again. Both dogs immediately stopped spinning and sat back on their haunches, watching attentively as they waited for their next command.

“This should be interesting,” she said with a chuckle.

They left the conference room through a different door and entered a new hallway. This one was just as beautifully decorated, but with different scenes.

Kaia walked beside Riaz, still reeling from everything she’d told him. After being rejected by the police, Kaia had never spoken to anyone else about Ethan’s cruelty or the life she and Tara had endured. She’d learned the hard way that people didn’t really care when someone was in trouble, unless it affected them as well. But she’d continued collecting information.

And she still had cameras in place. It was astonishing to her that Ethan hadn’t ever found her cameras. It wasn’t as if she were some sort of master spy. She’d hidden the cameras as well as she could, but a less arrogant person would have found them by now. It was a testament to how confident Ethan was in his position and how comfortable he was with the people he’d bribed over the years, that he’d never bothered to look for cameras. Of course, Kaia moved them around whenever Ethan had gone on his day trips. It was easy enough to get into his house since he didn’t bother to lock his doors.

And that was yet another reason why the police hadn’t bothered with anyone in the community. No one locked their doors. The police were stunned initially, but Ethan explained that, if anyone needed to steal something from one of his congregants, they could have it.

Sighing, Kaia closed her eyes, trying to stop the flow of memories from the past. She was here in a beautiful country with the warm sunshine streaming down on her. No one knew where she was and she had at least one, maybe two days, to revel in the freedom of not having to look over her shoulder.

The dogs kept pace beside her and Riaz, and now Kaia was able to see their guard dog personas. They never moved ahead of her or Riaz, and they were very careful to stay out of the path of the bodyguards, who also surrounded Riaz. The dogs constantly swiveled their heads, scanning for threats. They were obvious in their efforts while the bodyguards seemed oblivious to potential threats. However, Kaia knew from talking with Tara over the previous few days that the guards were always looking, whispering into their hidden microphones, and surveying whatever area she or Zayed were in.

“You are a natural leader, Kaia,” he observed, interrupting the silence between them.

Kaia glanced at him in surprise, not sure where he’d gotten that impression. “I’m not!” she replied vehemently. “I ran when I should have stayed to protect my sister. I was a coward when I should have remained and fought for the rights of everyone in that town. All the women are repeatedly abused and the men…!” She shook her head and shuddered. “I think some of the men are being abused as well, but they won’t stand up for themselves either.” She reached down to pat Dibi, who snuffled her hand while accepting her affection. “They are all brainwashed. So, even if I were to somehow get rid of Ethan, he has everyone in that town so completely awed and controlled by his power, I suspect that they would simply find a new person to follow.”

“You might be right. Have you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?”

She glanced at him again, then stared straight ahead, keeping her hand on Dibi’s shoulder. “The idea that victims fall in love with their kidnappers?”

“Yes, but it’s more complicated and can be broader than just kidnap victims.” He looked down and smiled at the way Dibi walked close to Kaia, sensing that she needed him within touching distance. “It isn’t love. Stockholm Syndrome is the brain’s coping mechanism during abuse. The victims have to believe, and maybe even fool themselves into thinking, that they are in love with their abuser.”

“That’s very sad,” she whispered, then nodded slowly. “But you’re right – and I can see that in the women I left behind.”

A dark eyebrow lifted at her words. “You’ve kept in contact with them?”

Kaia realized what she’d just revealed and suddenly shut down. “I thought you were going to show me the kittens,” she prompted.

At the last word, Dibi and Marta again became excited, dancing around, eager to see the kittens.

Riaz lifted a finger and the dogs settled, although Dibi whimpered for a moment before Riaz gave him “the look”.

Riaz looked at her, ignoring the animals for a long moment. “You don’t yet trust me,” he stated, nodding slightly. “That’s fine. I will earn your trust.” He gestured towards the end of the hallway. “The…” he glanced down at the dogs, both of whom waited eagerly, ne arly drooling at the anticipated command, “stables await.”

Kaia couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the dogs’ eagerness. They raced down the hallway, obviously eager to get to their feline friends.

When they reached the main path to the stables, the dogs halted, waiting for permission. Riaz reached into his pocket and pulled out two treats. “ Mumtaz ,” he soothed, giving each of them a treat at the same time. The dogs carefully accepted the treat, then stood up, ready for battle.

Riaz opened the door, lifted a finger, and froze. Dibi and Marta waited, watching his finger for the sign. “ Yadhhab! ” he called out, telling them to go.

The dogs didn’t hesitate. They sprinted off, tails wagging as they headed for the stables, which were situated down a long, shaded pathway.

“They are beautiful animals,” she said, trailing behind the dogs beside Riaz. They weren’t classically pretty animals, like cocker spaniels or golden retrievers. Dibi and Marta were similar to their owner. Riaz wasn’t a classically handsome man. But there was something about him, something in his personality or in the confident way he moved and spoke, that was incredibly appealing.

“I agree.” He glanced playfully her. “I thought you were afraid of animals.”

Kaia shrugged, walking beside him as she lifted her face to the warmth of the sunshine. The sun was setting and the heat slowly dissipating. It would be chilly by the time the sun set for the night.

“I’m just not used to being around animals, that’s all. Once I knew that they were safe, then I…enjoyed them!” She said that last with surprise.