10 Minutes

"you are nothing if not lucky"

The morning was sunny and bright after days of late spring rain. In just a few weeks the summer heat would spread across the country just as the summer tourists would be arriving in droves. Emre sat in traffic willing the notorious Istanbul parade of honking horns to subside. His head was pounding from a headache and a sleepless night. The car hummed as the ac cooled down the interior but his body felt heated and restless. He and Metin were set to meet with Can and Sanem at Metins office to discuss the strategy they would take defending Can against the case built against him. He had already been instructed not to leave the country and had his passport confiscated as well as his personal assets frozen. Metin was certain that all of this was the work of Yigit but proving it would take time and a miracle.The "miracle" they needed had arrived in the form of Sanems former benefactor and Can's romantic rival. Alejandro Karaja had provided Emre with enough details related to Yigit that it could give Metin the edge he needed. At first Emre had been suspicious at Alejandro's unexpected arrival. As the two men spoke and Alex revealed why he was there, Emre had no reason to doubt the man's integrity and reason for helping the man who took away the woman he still loved. Now, as the traffic inched along he could only hope that his brother in law, Can Divit, would maintain his composure when finding out who it was that was potentially saving his neck.

Sanem held Can's hand tightly as they entered the office. She smiled at Metins legal assistant and took a moment to appraise the woman who had quietly made an impression on the long time bachelor and her trusted friend. Metin had only spoken about her once or twice but his face seemed to take on a far away look, as if though he could see her before him. Sanem smiled at the woman who by all accounts was very accomplished and ambitious.
Perhaps when this was all over they might all go out for dinner together. They were escorted into Metins conference room where he was waiting for them. He waved them in while he continued to speak to someone on his cell phone. As they sat down he hung up and stood up to greet them with a hug and kiss for her and a slap on the back for Can. She found it mildly entertaining that even though Metin and Can were lifelong friends, Can still managed to pull a frown when Metin kissed her cheeks in greeting. Would he ever learn to drop his guard when it came to any man not her relative expressing a modicum of affection? Perhaps if the the man in question were not 6 feet tall, handsome and dressed to the nines with not a hair out of place. She grinned at the thought knowing that contrary to her fiancés absurd notions not all men were vying for her affections. He knew full well her heart, mind and body belonged to him. In the next moment however the image of Yigit's face materialized in her minds eye and she visibly shivered. That man was looking for something worse entirely. He had a vendetta against Can and that had somehow transferred onto her. Can still wasn't aware of all the details related to the time when she had been spying on Yigit and his misbegotten attempts to lure her away from Can. He had tried multiple times to slander Can, to insinuate Can was a womanizer and a cheat as well as find ways to get her alone with him. She hadn't realized she was playing such a dangerous game until it all exploded in her face. She mentally shook herself out of that frame of mind and set her thoughts on why there were here. Turning to her left she noticed that Can hadn't taken a seat but was pacing casually along the far wall by the windows facing the busy city center below them. "Can...come Sevgilim, sit down, Emre will be here soon".  Can looked back at her and she could see in his eyes that he was worried and was trying as hard as he knew how to not show it. He walked slowly toward her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, before saying, "I need a strong Turkish coffee bebek, I'll be right back. Can I get you one, or you Metin?". Sanem watched Metin wave him away while she nodded yes. He squeezed her shoulder and walked out of the room. Sanem turned to Metin with her own worried look on her face.
"Metin? Please tell me you have something that will help us, help Can. He didn't kill that woman or father her child. Yigit is behind all of this. I know that and you know that, so why can't he be arrested for questioning or something. There must be a link to him and the Italian woman!" Her voice had risen enough to make Metin walk over to her and sit by her, taking her hand in his own. "Sanem, we have something new. Something strong, that will enable me to turn the attention onto Yigit. However the information come's from... well I wanted to tell you and Can together once Emre got here... but it seems the traffic is worse than normal". Sanem searched Metins eyes for a clue as to what he meant. "Sanem, we have knowledge that Yigit was in Costa Rica shortly after Can arrived". Sanem's eyes opened wide as she nodded her head in disbelief. "How...how do you know this? When was he there... was he looking for me or Can?" Metin saw the fear rise in Sanem's eyes and squeezed her hands again. "Sanem the information..." but before he could finish his sentence the door opened and Emre walked through the door. Sanem's eyes lit up at seeing her brother but when he stopped just past the threshold and turned back toward the doorway Sanem turned her eyes there, nothing could have prepared or surprised her more than seeing Alejandro Karaja walk through the door and back into her life.