Captive- Veiled Desires Read Online Free PDF Page B

Freba!”
     
     
     

     
     
     
     
    The door flung open wildly. The man was back and he was raging.
    He charged up to Mateen and pulled him away, swinging his fist against his face.
    The blow cut the corner of Mateen’s lips and Mateen riled. He tripped the man’s legs, felling him to the ground. They tussled, each trying to subdue the other.
    Freba ran up to Nora, cowering on the floor and quickly covered her with a blanket.
    Finally, the man overcame Mateen, hitting him squarely in the face repeatedly. Mateen swore at him and the man rose up with anger, pulling out his knife.
    Was he going to kill Mateen? Nora shivered. But then he turned towards her, his knife ready to slit her throat. Her eyes widened in panic.
    Freba cried, shaking her head.
    Nora shifted, trying to crawl, trying to run. But her body froze, confused with the instructions she was desperately trying to give it.
    He pulled her legs, bringing her closer to him.
    “Freba?” she begged, looking at the woman.
    But Freba had turned away, sobbing into her shawl.
    Why wouldn’t Freba do anything? Why won’t she stand up to the man like she did to Mateen?
    The man grabbed her hair and swung his knife. Nora pulled in a deep breath, waiting for its steel sharp blade to slice open her flesh.
    The man threw her back instead and she opened her eyes to find him holding a lock of her hair.
    He swore at Mateen, brandishing the lock in his face.
    Mateen paled, scrambling to his feet. He glanced threateningly at the two women and then limped out of the room.
    The man hung his head and then let out an angry scream that chilled her spine.
    “Freba?” she whispered, turning to the woman. Something happened. She couldn’t quite figure what that was though.
    “Sshh,” Freba whispered in her comforting voice again. “It’s gonna be okay.”
     
     
     

     
     
     
    Two hours ago
     
    Adam sat on the floor, watching Freba turn another thin bread in the hearth.
    “Thanks for letting me know, Freba,” he said. “You did the right thing.”
    She pulled out the bread and flipped it into a plate. “I don’t question why you men do what you do. But that poor woman should not have been beaten like that by Mateen. She can’t be convicted a spy until you have proof. The problem with Mateen is he fails to understand this.” She shook her head. “I never believed in Darul-Ilhaam until you led it. It was only about the drugs and the guns. But you make us believe that we do all this so we can help our people. To bring them out of slavery and poverty. With you as the leader, I know you will make Darul-Ilhaam stand for justice.”
    “You put too much faith in me, Freba. I am only a man.”
    “You are an angel, Adam Afridi. Mateen, on the other hand, is the devil incarnate. He makes me very uneasy. I don’t like that he’s your right-hand man. He cannot be trusted.”
    Adam tensed, his temples pulsating fervently. He pushed his plate of food aside and wiped his hands on a towel.
    “You haven’t finished,” Freba said, looking disapprovingly at the left-over in his plate.
    “I’m not hungry.” He paused. “Has the woman eaten?”
    “Nora? No.”
    “Give it to her.”
    Freba picked up his plate and placed a freshly toasted bread into it. “Nora… do you think she’s a spy?”
    “I don’t know, Freba,” he said slowly. “I’ll just have to find out.” He looked up at the woman who seemed genuinely concerned for her new-found friend. He hoped she didn’t get too attached to her. In the instance the woman was indeed a spy, he would have to arrange to dispose of her.
    Freba was older than he by about seven years. But the desert, poverty and hard labor had taken its toll on her body, aging her drastically. The wrinkles in the corners of her eyes were deep, her skin was dry and her face displayed a troubled history. After having lost her husband and two sons to the war, she sought refuge with Darul-Ilhaam as its maid.
    When Adam had met her ten years ago as