The Alliance

Chapter 20

"Well, we might as well leave Ebrahim. Seems like they're more than alright." My face flushed at Ayzal's voice. I take back what I said about getting away with murder.

I ignore Imaan's hand as I help myself up, I notice the look of hurt appear on her face when I do and for some reason instantly feel bad. "What are you guys doing here?" I ask, the question directed to Imaan's parents.

"We were alerted about the break-in and came as soon as we could." Ayzal spoke up. "We thought we'd find you two injured at least- not in a closet doing Allah knows what."

"Nothing." I hastily speak up. "We weren't doing anything." Neither of them seem to believe me as Ayzal hums noncommittally, leading us out of the guest bedroom.

"The bodies are downstairs." Ebrahim answers my silent question reading my mind, before I get the chance to voice my confusion to the upstairs is spotless. I nod at him before following them downstairs.

We're all sat in the informal living area after looking at the bodies to see if we could identify them or if they were at least men we recognized. After establishing that we both hadn't seen them before we settled down in the living room. Ayzal sitting on the arm of Ebrahim's armchair and Imaan and I on the loveseat.

My eyes watch the burning fire sitting below the black screen of the motionless television as I get lost in thought. The vivid memory of Imaan and I in that closet is a constant. The way I can't help but get hot and bothered forces me to accept the fact that I find Imaan attractive.

Very attractive. Like if her parents didn't interrupt us I would've gotten her naked attractive. It doesn't help that she's sitting so close. I can practically feel her body heat and am aware of every move that she makes. I want her.

The sound of her voice breaks me out of thought. "Ariah, we have to pack." She explains, seeing as I'm very much stuck in a daze.

"Pack?" I question earning a very sexy chuckle from her.

"Yes, 'pack'." She confirms, tilting her head. "Were you not listening?" I'm barely even listening now. I shake my head. "We're going to be staying with my parents for a while. Just until this whole thing gets sorted out." I nod slowly in understanding. Have her eyes always had golden specks in them?

"Okay." I stand up from the seat. Leading us upstairs. Gosh it sounds so dirty when I put it like that.

Once we reach the top of the stairs, out of her parent's view I wish she would kiss me. But she's a fool and she doesn't.

It rubs me the wrong way when she silently enters her own room leaving me in the hallway. I let out a huff and head to my own room packing my essentials and clothing into a large suitcase and a duffle bag.

I'm halfway down the stairs when Imaan appears at the bottom. "You do know that there's an elevator, right?" I breathe out a breath.

"No." I sit on my suitcase. "No, I did not know that."

She laughs before taking the steps two at a time until she reaches me. "Hi."

"Hi." I smile amused.

"Let me help." She offers her hand and I willingly place the shoulder strap of my full, black duffle on it. Watching her arms flex as she picks it up effortlessly.

"Thank you." I thank her softly. My face hot as I skip down the stairs to her parents that are deep in conversation by the huge front door.

Ebrahim catches sight of me first. "Ariah." He smiles. "Imaan just went looking for you. Where are your bags?"

We all hear Imaan before we see her. "What do you have in here?" She grunts. "And when I said help, I didn't mean-"

"Oh, hush Imaan." Her father interrupts her. "And hurry up, the cars outside waiting." I silently laugh at her pouting face before walking out of the house and into the chilly night. As Ebrahim mentioned there's a sleek black SUV idling in front of the steps that we all climb into, Imaan's parents take the first row of seats leaving us to jump in the back.

I stumble into the seat, my hand on the headrest stabling the rest of my body that lands exactly where it's wanted to be the whole night. On Imaan's lap.

"This is new." I bite my lip as she whispers into my ear. Her mouth tentative as she presses wet kisses down my neck, and I can't help but slowly grind my hips into her.

That is until I let out a yelp when she throws me onto the other seat on the other side of the car leaving the one in between us empty. I glare at her before following her line of sight and deciding maybe it was for the best for her father not to witness that.

As a result, the car drive is silent. Sleep seemingly catching up to me as I can barely keep my eyes open to stare out of the window of the moving car and am operating on autopilot when we finally arrive at the mansion thats sheer size baffles me every time.

"I had a room upstairs prepared for you guys." Ayzal speaks up. "It's on the east wing, you'll find the door open. Tomorrow they're going to begin the investigation and look for any slip up those men may have made."

"They should start looking into anyone that had access to the front gate." I cover my mouth with my hand when I let out an uncontrollable yawn. "They only tripped the house alarm."

Ayzal looks impressed- if I do say so myself. "Okay." She trails off before speaking up again. "Ariah you could help lead the investigation, if you're up for it?" I perk up at the sound of a task. Finally. These past few weeks have been quite literally torture with nothing to do.

"You're really going to trust her with that?" I glare at Imaan.

"She was to be assigned to a task anyway." Ayzal shrugs her shoulders. "It would be better if we gradually integrate her into the family business wouldn't it?" I smile victoriously at her sarcastic tone and at the roll of Imaan's eyes.

"Come on Ariah, dinner's still being warmed up but in the meantime I'm sure I have some baby pictures of Imaan laying around here somewhere." I laugh at that, following her. A part of me eager to see what Imaan looked like as a child.

Imaan was fucking adorable. I- unfortunately- have no bad things to say. I barely paid attention to my food as I ate flipping through the thick albums that were filled to the brim with pictures of her, hell I would've still been looking at them now if I wasn't completely drained. My social battery was running in the negatives too.

I got into bed that unfairly felt so much more comfortable than the one I'd been sleeping in. I stretched myself out like a starfish and my eyes had just begun to flutter closed when I hear the clearing of a throat.

I cracked one eye open with a deadpan look on my face.

"Not this again." She groaned as she grabbed her pillow. "But the bed is so big. I wouldn't even touch you."

"The couch looks pretty sizeable too." I responded. It wasn't that I didn't trust her- even though I didn't- I didn't trust myself not to touch her. Today had been enough proof that I tended to act impulsively around her.

I dismissed the feeling of guilt as I opted for going to sleep than watch her make her bed- I mean couch.

If only I could keep my hands to myself.