miriam took one look at Seth’s face and knew that he was seeing the futures.
Her knees weakened, relieved. She’d been here before with Seth, staring into what appeared to be a box canyon without escape. Yet what once terrified her now delighted her. A silly grin nudged her lips.
Seth winked at her, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
“Change of plans, my friend.”
Omar lowered the phone. Her father’s voice sounded distorted through the small speaker. Seth lifted the knife awkwardly, only mildly threatening. “Phone, please.”
“You think your knife threatens—”
Seth snatched up the phone before Omar could finish. He brought the device to his mouth.
“I’m terribly sorry, Sheik, but I have to terminate this call for a few minutes. The prince will call you back momentarily, and I promise you he’ll straighten everything out then. Your daughter will be fine. I love her, you know. Crazy but true. And I wouldn’t storm the palace if I were you. Not just yet.”
He flipped the phone closed.
The silence in the room hummed. Omar stood motionless and unsure what to make of Seth’s commandeering.
“Checkmate,” Seth said. “Your thoughts aren’t technically futures, so I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I know dozens of things you would try given the chance. If I’m right, one thing you will do is jump me. And although you’re slightly stronger than I, I know what your moves might be, and I know exactly how to hurt you despite the fact that I’ve never thrown a punch in my life. I may even kill you.”
“You’re bluffing,” Omar said, doubt weighting his words.
“I assume you’re hoping that your men will come crashing through that door about now, but I can assure you that there’s no possibility of that for some time. You sent them packing, and they fear you. Terribly sorry.”
Omar’s hands gathered to fists. “You think this frightens me? That you can manipulate me with this nonsense?”
“I would be careful,” Miriam said, surging with confidence. “I’ve seen Seth at work. He can defeat you with one hand.” The words tasted delicious in her mouth.
Omar’s face twisted, and for an instant she wondered if her taunting had been unwise. What if there were no future in which they survived?
“Miriam,” Seth said. “As much as you’re enjoying this, we’re running out of time. As I see it, we have about thirty seconds. Do you mind turning away? This will get ugly.”
Ugly? “You don’t want me to watch?”
“Exactly. If you don’t mind. I’m not normally given to violence, and I’m not sure I like the idea of your watching.” He glanced at her and she saw that he was serious.
The scene felt surreal, Seth facing off with Omar, announcing that he was about to hurt him, taking the time to insist she hide her eyes.
“Just turn around,” he said.
She backed up.
“Maybe a quick kiss first,” Seth said.
Omar snorted and lunged.
“Stay!” Seth said, shoving the knife forward. Omar paused, struggling to maintain his control.
“Kiss, princess,” Seth said.
She looked at Omar. Yes, why not? With Seth, nothing was by accident, including a kiss. This was her part in delivering justice. She broke eye contact with Omar just long enough to kiss Seth tenderly on the cheek, then smiled at Omar. It was a pleasure to play her part.
Seth slipped the cell phone into her hands. “Hit the callback button when I say.”
Omar roared. Miriam took the phone, turned from them, and walked to the corner.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Omar,” Seth said. “So I apologize in advance. There are two ways we can do this. You can attack me, or I can attack you. And if you’re wondering, I’m talking matter-of-factly like this to unnerve you. It’ll work to my advantage, even though you already know that I’m manipulating you. Foresight is such a wonderful thing.”
“One call and my men will be here. Do you think you can overcome twenty men?”
“I don’t know. It’s not in the futures so I haven’t seen it. They won’t come. Unfortunately for you, they’re in their cars. A Mercedes is amazingly well insulated. I’m afraid you’re stranded with me, lover boy.”
Omar did not respond.
“Well, should I run at you?” Seth said. “Or should I just provoke you into—”
A loud grunt made Miriam flinch. She glanced around and saw that Omar had thrown himself at Seth. Omar was a trained warrior. He looked like a demon descending on Seth, who stood without defending himself. She averted her eyes, like a schoolgirl caught peeking.
The cabin filled with sounds of heavy breathing and crashing, followed by a tremendous thump and a grunt. Silence.
Miriam could contain herself no longer. She turned.
Omar was on his belly, face pressed into the floorboards, one arm twisted behind his back. He was gulping for breath. Seth’s knee pinned Omar’s back. He’d bent the man’s arm at an unnatural angle with one hand, and with the other he pressed the tip of the knife into Omar’s spine, where his neck met his shoulders.
“Now you listen to me!” Seth snarled. The anger in his tone made Miriam consider turning around again.
“The world doesn’t need killers like you. Saudi Arabia doesn’t need killers like you.” Seth bent over so that his mouth was close to Omar’s ear. He applied pressure to the blade and the man groaned.
“Miriam doesn’t need or want you. And I know it comes as a shock to you, but women are not dogs! You, on the other hand, might be one.” Seth pressed the blade again. Omar whimpered. A bead of sweat dropped from Seth’s chin and splashed on the man’s neck.
“I’m not a violent man, I’m really not, but I swear . . .” He ground his teeth. “You make me sick!” Seth took a deep breath, calming himself.
“Call your father, Miriam.”
She lifted the phone and pressed the callback button.
“You forced Miriam to marry you against her will,” Seth said. “Now I’m going to force you to divorce her against your will. As far as we’re concerned, she’s not married, but we’re going to make it official.”
He looked at Miriam, eyes glazed. “You aren’t supposed to be looking.”
She loved him more in that moment than ever before. The phone rang on the other end.
“This blade is very close to your spinal cord, Omar,” Seth said. “If you turn or lift, it will sever your nerves and leave you a quadriplegic. Do you want to spend the rest of your days in a wheelchair?”
The sheik answered the phone.
“Father?”
“Miriam! What’s the meaning—”
“I will never give Omar a child, Father. Never! I have refused him, and if he ever tries to touch me again, I will kill him!” She knew where Seth was headed and decided to assist.
“Omar despises me and wishes to divorce me,” she said.
Silence.
“That’s right, Omar,” Seth said quietly. “You will divorce Miriam now. You will speak it into the phone and the sheik will be your witness. If you hesitate, I will drive the knife in. Do you understand? You’ll never touch another woman as long as you live.”
Omar moaned again and Miriam wondered if he might pass out from the pain.
“Omar cannot divorce you!” Her father had come to himself. “It will ruin everything!”
“It will not ruin me!” Miriam said.
Omar groaned.
Seth nodded at the phone, and Miriam held it to his ear. “If Omar doesn’t divorce your daughter, he will leave here an invalid. There will be no son. Either way. Accept the will of God, Abu al-Asamm.”
Miriam lowered the phone to Omar’s lips. The man’s eyes were round with terror. His nostrils flared with each breath, and a string of spittle ran from his mouth to the floor.
“Say it!”
Omar closed his mouth and then opened it, speechless.
“Have it your way,” Seth said.
“I divorce you,” Omar said in a barely audible groan.
“Again,” Seth said. “I divorce you, Miriam.”
“I divorce you . . .”
“Miriam.”
“Miriam.”
“Again. I divorce your daughter, Abu Ali al-Asamm.”
Miriam heard her father’s voice objecting on the cell phone’s speaker.
“I divorce your daughter, Abu Ali al-Asamm.”
A wave of relief flooded Miriam. Three times in front of witnesses. The law was fulfilled. She was free. The only way for Omar to reclaim her was to go through another ceremony. She snapped the phone closed on the sheik’s protests.
Seth hesitated, staring at the back of Omar’s head. He withdrew the knife, flipped it, and brought the butt down on Omar’s head, hard. The man relaxed.
“Sorry about that,” Seth said to the unconscious figure.
He jumped up. “They’re coming out of the cars now. When they see me, they’ll fire. Count to five and then run out to our car. They won’t fire on you.”
“They won’t hit you?”
“In three out of four futures they miss.”
“The car’s out of gas!”
“We have enough for what we need. You just keep moving. They’ll go for the tires, but that’s not where our danger lies. Just do exactly what I say.”
“So there is danger? Real danger?”
“There’s always danger.” Seth kissed her firmly on the lips. “I love you, princess.”