Told y'all to expect another chapter right? Here's the chapter then😁⭐️🎈❤️
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Karim heard Basmah scream.
He had to do something now.
"Marilyn, wait! Please no!"
"Hold." Marilyn stopped her people from shooting.
She turned her attention to Karim fully.
"How do you know my name?" She arched a brow.
Even her men knew her as M. Or just Lyn to people she was closer to. No one knew her name. Just a few people. Her family, who were all basically dead and...
"I'm with..."
"Z."
Karim didn't expect her to know what he was going to say but she did. Bella just watched on. Confused as ever. But Basmah's mouth fell.
This was the proof she needed. For someone to admit they knew Z.
And yet it seemed Karim knew everything already. He did say it was a thing of Zaira's past and had nothing to do with him and her but she didn't think he knew the whole truth. So why did she bother then? Why did she put so many lives at risk just to prove something to a man she's barely known for a few months? Or for her own selfish needs.
"Yes. I'm with Z." Karim nodded.
"And Z told you to attack my home?"
"No. No. She warned me against it. But I needed to get my friend out. That's why I didn't listen."
"Why is she coming out now? Since she was made to leave no one's known her whereabouts and now she pops up from nowhere affiliated with a rich man? Just the Zaira I know."
She was made to leave? By who? Where did she go? What was she hiding?
"Who made her leave?"
"So nosey. I can't say. But just so you know, there are bigger people upstairs than me. Z should know that more than me."
"Which people?" Karim was asking too many questions.
"I'm not at liberty to say. That is if I even knew." She stood up from her chair and walked straight to Karim meanwhile Bella had her rifle pointed right at her.
She came closer to Karim and whispered.
"But just something to keep you open about being friends with Z. Stay away from her. She knows people in places a girl like her shouldn't know."
She stepped back.
"A favor for a favor. Let them go."
The men put their guns away.
But Bella couldn't drop her gun. What just happened? Did Karim just talk his way out of them being killed?
"Tell Z, I'd love to catch up. She's busy with work stuff and all but a day wouldn't change anything. I implore her to spare a day for her poor big sister." She turned away from them.
Zaira had a job? What job? All she did was sleep and eat all day. Or? Right?
"I can't just let you leave." Bella stopped her.
"Oh you will. I let you go because of a favor I owed a dear friend. But if you shoot, I shoot, we both shoot. People die. I think that's a fight for another day. Don't you think so, Fantasma ?"
Fantasma??? Ghost?
"You know who I am?" Bella asked.
"I can tell a hit woman when I see one. Especially if she's a legend." She opened a door Karim hadn't seen before.
"I'm sure you know the way out. We'll meet again, I'm sure." She smiled and walked out followed by all her men. The last man to leave was the man holding Basmah.
He let her go and she fell to the ground. She was that weak. Karim moved to her and held her up.
"You came to save me?" Basmah looked at him.
"Your parents were worried." Karim simply said as he helped her walk.
His uncle was currently standing by his aunt as they looked at Karim confused as ever.
"I'm sorry." She apologized.
"I didn't peg you to be this stupid." Karim said to her without looking at her.
"I know I shouldn't have. But I needed to prove to you..."
"You needed to prove nothing to me. You wanted to prove to yourself that you could destroy her just as you thought she destroyed you. You're weak, tired and probably even sick. Stay away from her, Basmah." Karim sighed. He looked behind him and his aunt and uncle were not so close to him.
"Stay away from my wife. This is the last time I'm telling you this. If you don't I'm sorry but you'll push me to tell your parents everything. If it will keep you safe. Trust me. I will. Stay. Away. From. My. Wife. And Stay away from me too."
Basmah couldn't say a word. All she did was let the tears flow. Before they got outside though she found something to say.
"I pray she doesn't break you. I pray you're in love with her as you claim and I pray she's changed too. But if she does hurt you, remember I'll always be around." Basmah wiped her eyes with her free hand which wasn't holding unto Karim.
"Thank you. But I'm fine."
His uncle came to them and pointed to a car waiting down the road.
"They'll take care of her. Get her to her parents too."
"Don't tell your parents about me being involved in anything." Karim informed her.
She only nodded and Karim help her to the car. There was a lady who had a first aid box by her at the back seat.
"We'll take care of the rest." The lady said as the car sped off.
Karim sighed and began walking to the van they had brought. He didn't want to spare his aunt or uncle even a glance.
"Walk however far you want. You've still got a lot of explaining to do about whatever went down back there." His uncle said out to him.
He knew it was just a matter of time.
**
"Wait. Let me get this straight." His uncle stopped his explanation.
"Your wife, Zaira, was involved with the cartel a few years back and that's how she knew Marilyn or whatever her name is. And Basmah, your supposed friend who's very much in love with you, was conned one time by the said wife, and to prove it to you she dug into the history of a drug cartel, only to be caught. And your dumb ass tries to save her all alone and you almost get caught but we save you and now you save our lives being mentioning your wife's nname to a bunch of wanted criminals we're supposed to take care of but now are gone with the wind?"
"Basically." Karim nodded. So maybe he had left out the part about blackmail but everything else he had told them.
"And you didn't think to tell your parents your wife was part of a ring?" Dean raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.
"Then they wouldn't have agreed to the wedding."
"Isn't that the best thing?"
"No. I admit, Zaira is not the best person but she's changed. She even saved us indirectly. She's not the girl in the cartel anymore. She's just my wife. And...and I love her so please don't tell my parents. They'll get really pissed."
"They have a right to. I know I'd get very angry if Nick lied about something like this to us. But you're right. She did save us. And because of that and that alone, we will not tell your parents anything. Yet. But if she steps out of line one bit and I have the slightest hint that she's trouble for you and Samia, I'll be the one to snap her neck. I'll snap her neck faster than Dean can dial your father's number." Bella said with no hint of joking.
Was that a threat? But it didn't feel like a threat to him. It felt like a protective statement. They'd keep him safe. And maybe it was good. If Zaira took things too far to put Samia in danger at least he knew there were people who would watch out for them.
"Don't worry. She won't." Karim vowed.
He missed Samia already and he just wanted to get back home as soon as possible.
"And can I get training from you guys too? Like how to shoot and stuff."
"Shoot? Guns? Your dad's not going to like that." Dean shook his head.
"He doesn't have to know. And I thought you said I don't have any idea how to fight to protect. Samia is in my care and if for no one in the world, I'd want to protect her. She's my life." Karim smiled.
He would do anything for Samia.
He just had to get home now.
Marilyn told him to stay away from Zaira but why?
He only wished Marilyn could have been more specific.
She was very evasive in her answers and not because she was protecting Zaira. She wasn't supposed to say more than she was allowed.
Who were the big people upstairs then and what did they want with Zaira?
~
When Karim entered his house the next day, the smell of food was the first thing to hit him. He walked towards the kitchen and met Zaira coming out with a relieved smile.
"You're okay. I'm so happy. I'm making lunch. Since it's not ready you can go wash up first then by the time you're..."
Before she could finish her speech Karim walked to her and hugged her.
She was take aback for a moment.
"Thank you." Karim said to her.
"For what?" Zaira was confused.
"You saved us."
The things he had to do to make stuff right. He needed patience the most.
Slowly the muddy pool becomes a river...
"You saved me." Karim whispered.
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I know it's short but please accept my apology chapter 😁😬😭😂😂
I couldn't leave y'all hanging like that 🥴😁
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