Sequoia Valley: Risk (Free Preview)

10

Jeremy Quinn looked worse than Jâsim remembered of him. That facade of high-class charm had faded away to reveal the monster beneath. His lips were curled into a sneer as cold blue eyes stared across the table at Jâsim, taking in his Sudanese attire. 

Jâsim wasn’t sure what had possessed him to come to the Sequoia Valley Jail; what had made it necessary to see the monster who had made Aileen the defenseless, terrified woman she was. But he’d needed to; to look into the eyes of the man and know he hadn’t won, that he wouldn’t win. 

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Jeremy sneered. “I should have known.”

“Me?” Jâsim asked. Does he know I gave her the place? How does he know? I stayed away from her. 

“The one who convinced her to dress up in that ridiculous garb,” Jeremy stated. “She told me there wasn’t anyone, but I know better. She was never faithful.”

Jâsim didn’t react. He could have denied the accusation. He had absolutely nothing to do with Aileen’s recent clothing choices or anything else she’d chosen to do. But he wasn’t going to waste his breath on Jeremy.

“How did you find her?” he asked instead. He needed to know how Jeremy had tracked her down to his place so easily.

“Because she’s a fool,” Jeremy replied. “I always told her she was stupid...”

Jâsim tamped down his anger. Just like Fareed, he thought. By the end of Sumayyah’s marriage, his sister hadn’t believed her own worth. This man had done the same to Aileen. But it wouldn’t serve him to lose his temper. 

“I didn’t ask what you think of her,” Jâsim said slowly, trying to sound unruffled. “I want to know how you found her.”

“I saw her at the park,” Jeremy said. “Stupid fool sat there for hours watching the children play. Then I followed her home. I went back when it was late so that no one would be awake.” He shrugged dismissively as if he was speaking of the weather instead of how he’d broken into a woman’s living quarters and attacked her. “But I was wrong.”

“I see.” Jâsim felt sympathetic toward Aileen. She’d spent a day trying to live normally and had paid the price. “You’re a monster,” he declared. “This is how you treat someone you should have been taking care of. You disgust me.” Then he stood, nodding toward the guard. “We’re done here.”

“She’ll get tired of you soon enough and come crawling back to me,” Jeremy called to his back. “She never left, until you gave her ideas. She won’t be able to live like your kind for very long. She’ll realize what she had with me was much better. You’ll see!”

Jâsim rolled his eyes, unable to believe how delusional the man was. He actually thinks she’d go back to him after all he’s done? What kind of fantasy world is he living in? 

He was let out of the visitor’s room and then left the jail. Once he got into his car and was back on the road, he checked the time. Morning visiting hours at the hospital hadn’t ended yet, so he turned the car in that direction. When he arrived, he turned into the parking lot, pulled into an empty space, and parked the car. Then he removed a set of keys from the glove box and switched off the car. 

He found Aileen’s new location easily. When he stepped into the ward, she was the only one without visitors at her section. She was sitting up in the bed, now more modestly dressed in a gown that covered her entirely and a hijâb, reading a book. 

He couldn’t help wondering about her purpose in continuing to cover if she had no reason to hide her identity anymore. But he didn’t voice any of his questions. Instead, he placed the keys on the adjustable table meant to hold the serving trays for patients’ food, which was at the right side of the bed. 

“Here are the apartment keys,” he said without preamble. “I changed the locks.” He’d done a lot more than change the locks. With the assistance of both José and Ashley he’d made a few changes to help Aileen feel welcome when she returned to her apartment, which would be sometime tomorrow according to Dr. Warren’s prognosis. 

She glanced up, eyes wide with surprise. “Thank you,” she finally said after several moments of awkward silence that made an escape look tempting. 

He nodded and made to leave. One glance had assured him she was recovering well, and he had delivered the keys. There was no reason for him to remain—until she spoke. 

“I want to become Muslim. How do I do that?”

So taken by surprise, he froze. Finally, he turned toward her. She was watching him expectantly, certain he held the answer before he’d even said a word. 

“You have to believe that there is none worthy of worship except Allâh, the one true God, and that Muhammad is His messenger,” he said. Because he wasn’t sure if she’d held Christian beliefs before, he added, “And that Jesus His messenger. You have to believe it in your heart and declare it with your tongue.”

“That’s it?” she asked. “No rituals?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No rituals. Do you want me to walk you through it?”

Hope and gratitude played across her face. “Would you?”

He nodded. He was no imâm, but converting to Islâm didn’t require one. He pulled the chair a respectful distance away from the bed and sat, relieved the open curtain prevented them from being truly alone. “Repeat after me.”

Jâsim first led her through the Arabic shahâdah, which she of course butchered quite spectacularly. Then he made her repeat the English meaning to make sure she clearly understood what she was committing herself to. If it had been done in a masjid, it would have been followed with loud cries of takbeer and Allâhu akbar as well as hugs and congratulations from her fellow Muslimât; but it was just the two of them in a hospital ward, so it was carried out quietly and ended with silence. Then he stood up to depart. 

“That’s all?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “Now you’re Muslim. Your sins have been wiped away, your slate is clean, and you can start over.”

“Really?” she asked. 

“Truly,” he replied. “When someone embraces Islâm, they are forgiven for every sin that was committed before Islâm. Anything you did before this moment has been forgiven.”

“What about all the rules I should follow and stuff?” she asked, sounding intimidated and uncertain. 

“One step at a time,” he advised her, just as he’d once advised James when he’d been similarly intimidated and worried about falling short. “Don’t overwhelm yourself. Focus on what is the most important. The first thing you should do is learn to pray. Everything else will fall into place in time.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Then he finally left, still pondering over the unexpected incident that had occurred. 

Six years ago, he had stood in support as James Curtis had taken shahâdah and changed his life. Today, he had been both witness and guide in helping Aileen do the same. 

“Allâhu akbar,” he said to himself as he exited the hospital and headed toward his car. 

Truly, it was only through Allâh Aileen had found guidance. Just the slightest alteration in the course of her life and she may have never found Islâm at all.