The Criminal's Love

Chapter 31

~~~~~Walid~~~~~

Picking up my prayer beads from the dresser, I turned around and went up to the bed. I stood by the bed a few minutes, watching Jasmin sleep. The sun was falling on her face, making it glow even more than it usually did. I would never get enough of her.

I left the room and looked for Ariana. I found her in the terrace with Rashid. Upon noticing me, both of them jolted away from each other.

"I was just..." Rashid trailed off, scratching the back of his head when I approached them.

"You were just what?" I asked, purposely disturbing him.

Even though the two of them were engaged, Rashid held his distance from her. The reason to that was obviously me. He respected me enough to not get close to her before their wedding. And I respected him for that because I didn't want him to cling to her.

However, them meeting now and then sometimes didn't bother me. I trusted both of them.

"I'll be outside." Rashid said, running a hand through his hair before quickly disappearing from my sight.

I looked at Ariana who's eyes were glued to the floor in front of her. I handed her Jasmin's phone and when we were done talking, I left the house. Pasha, Isak and Rashid were already standing by my car.

"Did he arrive?" I asked, approaching them.

"Yes, we emptied the hammam and took him there." Isak replied. "But, another thing. We found this with Jalil. Maybe you'd want to look into it." He held out a ring in front of me.

Frowning, I took it and pushed it into my pocket before getting in the car. Pasha joined me and I drove towards the bazaar with Rashid and Isak following behind.

"The news hasn't reached Asaf, has it?" I asked, glancing at Pasha who was busy cleaning his revolver.

"Not yet, hopefully it'll stay like that until Kamran is out of here."

"It has to." I took a left and entered the street leading to the bazaar.

"All these years and we still don't know why Asaf is after Kamran's life. What could they possibly be fighting about?" Pasha's eyebrows furrowed as he spoke.

"Doesn't matter. I need Kamran alive. I wouldn't give a f*ck what Asaf wants and why." I said, a little bit of lies hiding in my words. I needed Kamran alive...for now.

Stopping the car a bit away from the hammam, I stepped down and looked around. Isak and Rashid arrived as well and we made our way towards the hammam.

The few residents of the area stopped what they were doing upon noticing us and they started shouting their greetings. I nodded at them in return.

Another man was sitting on the side, playing the instrument tanbur in hopes of earning some money. "Do you want to earn a good tip? Let's go we're going to the hammam!" Pasha pulled the man with him.

We entered the first room and I looked at the weapons that Kamran and his men had handed over.

I nodded at the guys and soon enough we pulled out all our weapons as well. Everyone stilled upon noticing Pasha pull out his shoes to reveal two pocket knives hiding there.

"What? A man can get kidnapped! They could come handy then." He shrugged when he noticed our looks.

Sometimes I wondered why he was my right hand but then again, his sharp mind could cover for the dim-witted personality of his.