The Equalisers: A Soldier's Oath

The second man, who wore a similar uniform to the first, looked at Willow and said, “Madam, you will need to come with me.”

Chapter Six

Willow knew what it was to be afraid. She’d been afraid many times in the past year, but not once had she been as terrified as she was at that moment.

“Is something wrong?”

She looked from the customs officer waiting for her to follow him to the man next to her who’d asked the question, his tone clearly impatient.

“Whatever the problem,” Anders added firmly, “you’ll need to explain it to me as well as my wife.”

Willow held her breath, prayed there was merely a misunderstanding.

“There is no problem, sir,” the officer assured him. “We select individuals at random for questioning. This is a security measure that is perfectly legal and of only minor inconvenience, I assure you.”

Anders nodded. “Fine, but I insist on being present. Do you have a law against that?”

“No, sir. This way, please.”

The wave of relief that rushed over her made Willow sway ever so slightly. She did not want to do this alone.

Anders placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her in the direction the officer had already taken. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, “this won’t take long.”

Her entire being gravitated toward him and the protection he offered. It had been so long since anyone had protected her in any way. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed someone to take care of her until that moment.

The interview room was small. It reminded Willow of the rooms where suspects were taken in the television cop shows. Anders sat next to her at the small table. The officer took a seat on the opposite side.

“You stated that you are in Kuwait on business.” This the officer said to Anders.

“Yes,” Anders responded. “I’m an international Realtor. I have a client who is interested in office space here. I’ve contacted a local agent.” He reached into his pocket and removed a business card and offered it to the officer. “He’ll be showing me a couple of spaces later this morning. I’m sure he’ll be happy to verify that for you if you find it necessary to call.”

It was the middle of the night. Willow didn’t know who Anders’s contact was, but surely he was in bed.

“Have you been to Kuwait before?”

There was no doubt as to whom this question was directed. The officer’s gaze bored straight into hers.

“No.” She tried to swallow the emotion tightening in her throat. “This is my first visit.” Anders had instructed her on what she should say if the subject came up. She hadn’t expected it to come up only minutes after her arrival in the country.

“You’ve been here before.”

That too-familiar fear paralyzed her for two beats before the officer turned his attention to Anders.

“Have you not?” he pressed.

“Yes,” Anders confirmed. “Several times.”

Another uniformed man entered the room. He deposited Willow’s purse and carry-on bag onto the table. He placed Anders’s briefcase there as well.

The officer handed both passports to Anders. “I hope your visit is productive and enjoyable.”

Willow’s heart rate didn’t return to normal until they had exited the terminal and picked up the rental car. As much as she wanted to close her eyes and block the memories bombarding her, she couldn’t. She couldn’t ignore the details of the place she had called home for three years or the incident that had just occurred, reminding her that this was not America.

“Are you okay?”

She inhaled deeply and let the breath out to clear her head. “I’m fine.” It was a lie, but she didn’t need him feeling sorry for her. She needed to be strong. She needed to focus on getting her son back. The memories, the fear, all of it would do nothing but distract her.

After a few miles of silence, he said, “Just so you know, that little intimidation episode back there might have had more to do with me than some random selection.”

The lights of Kuwait City in the distance held her attention for a moment before she turned to the driver. “Why do you say that?”

“I’m ex-military. I was in and out of this territory dozens of times. My name might have triggered a security check.”

“If you knew that was a possibility, why didn’t you use an alias?” Spencer Anders appeared far too smart to make a misstep that glaringly obvious.

“I wanted them to associate you with me. Any suspicions will be on me, not you.”

“Oh.” Wow. Another one of his protective measures. She couldn’t help being surprised all over again at having someone take steps to shelter her. “Thank you.”

He didn’t say more so Willow opted not to. Instead she focused on surveying the city. The lights were gorgeous, but she knew from experience that the true beauty of Kuwait City could only be seen by day. A heady mix of market bazaars and gleaming skyscrapers along a glistening coast. The mosques and souks and other sandy traces of bygone Bedouin days awaited the wanderings of tourists. No matter how much emotional stress she’d endured here she knew that beyond the glitzy opulence lay a deep sense of traditional values and warm Arabic hospitality.

She had loved this city with its diversity of people and richness of culture. It was only the man who’d brought her here that she despised. They wouldn’t pass his residence en route to the hotel. Like the other wealthy residents, his massive villa lay in the Suilhibikat area closer to the heart of the city. Kuwait boasted the wealthiest population in the world; thankfully most were kind and generous people.

The situation Willow found herself in now was her own mistake. If she hadn’t let love blind her four years ago she might have taken the time to consider the laws that could possibly come into play in her future. But she hadn’t dreamed things would go wrong and that the child she hadn’t known she would have would become a pawn in the ugly battle.

REGISTERING at the hotel at 2:00 a.m. took little time since there wasn’t a line of arriving patrons. Spencer tipped the bellhop generously and closed the door behind him. When he turned around he found Willow standing in the middle of the room staring at the bed.

“There’s only one bed.”

True. “Remember, we’re traveling as husband and wife. Our cover needs to appear realistic.”

His reminder didn’t erase the frown from her face, but she did seem to relax fractionally.

“It’s a big bed,” he added with a sweep of his hand to indicate the king-size width.

The frown eased into more of a neutral line. “It is big.”

At least that was settled.

“Did you want to use the shower first?” After the long hours of travel, he was definitely ready for a shower.

She waved him off. “You go ahead. I’ll…” Her shoulders lifted and fell. “… unpack a few things.”

At past two in the morning he wasn’t about to argue. He waited until he’d gotten inside the bathroom with the door closed before he stripped. It felt good to peel off the clothes wrinkled by too many hours sitting on a plane or in an airport.

He turned on the water and gathered the complimentary soap and shampoo and a towel before climbing beneath the hot spray. Closing his eyes, he just stood there for a couple of minutes and let his body absorb the heavenly heat.

When he’d managed to prod his brain back into action he started the cleansing routine, but a part of his mind kept going back to those tension-filled minutes at the airport.