Blue-Haired Muslim

Epilogue

(10 Years Later)

     Sam parked his car in his driveway and jogged up the front steps. He had hurried home when his father called, telling him he was worried about someone. He unlocked the front door and ran his hand over his short hair. He now had a small blue streak hidden in the thick locks of his hair. He was an adult now, but he'd never forget his mother because he was a part of her. That advice from a very special woman was something he kept close to his heart.

     "Assalamu alaikum, family," Sam bellowed once he entered the house. "Dad? Dad?"

     "Walaikum assalam, son. Go talk to your mom. She's worried," Max whispered once he gave his son a hug. 

     Sam frowned and ran upstairs to the family study. His house was now much larger than the one he had ten years ago. They needed the upgrade once his family grew. He knocked on the thick maple wood door and called out, 

     "Mom? Are you in here?" 

     "Yes. Come in. I'm on the phone," a gentle, yet authoratative voice replied from the other side. 

     Sam opened the door and entered the pristine study. A large oak desk sat in the middle of the study while maps and books lined the neat shelves on the walls. A tall woman wearing a tan hijab sat with  her hip perched on the edge of the desk with her cell phone up to her ear. She had a look of worry on her face. Sam's eyes connected with lively jade orbs and he smiled to relieve some of the tension. The woman smiled, waving the young adult over before running her hand over Sam's hair in a loving, motherly fashion. 

     "I'll send him. Sam usually knows where she is" the woman sighed before hanging up. She looked at Sam fondly. "How is my handsome son? Why doesn't he visit more often?" 

     "Probably because my mom wasn't home? How was the Pentagon?" Sam asked before draping his arm around the older woman's shoulders. 

     "I'm getting too old for this chain-of-command crap. I have more important things to do," the woman sighed before patting Sam's back and standing up. 

     "You're General Rana Hashemi-Jameson. You're the first female Muslim general in the history of the US. You're a role model, Mom. You can't shirk responsibilities," Sam reminded Rana.

     "Yet, I couldn't save my little brother," Rana whispered sadly. Sam frowned. Dawood Khan was taken into custody nearly ten years ago after a massive terrorist attack. No one had heard from him since and the government kept insinuating that he was dead. However, there was a witness who was there at the time and she had seen Dawood survive the attacks.

     "Is Khadijah missing again?" Sam asked. He knew that Rana only called him home from work if Khadijah couldn't be located. HE knew exactly where she was, but he had sworn he wouldn't share her hiding spot. The little girl he once knew was nowhere to be seen now. Khadijah had witnessed the way her father had been dragged away from the terror hit theme park. She was the only witness and she had only been five years old.

     "Her mother is worried sick. I know that you know where she is. Please tell her to go home," Rana whispered. 

     **************

     Sam knocked on the small hatch. He was now at a small hill located at the vast acres that comprised of the private property that Ahmed's family shared with Dawood's. It was completely isolated from the rest of society. Ruby, Ahmed's wife had hired guards from Pakistan to patrol the area since so many people wanted to hurt Dawood's family. The government had blamed the terrorist attack on Dawood, but Sam couldn't believe that for a second. 

     A green light turned on at the top of the hatch, and Sam heard a few locking mechanisms whirl below his feet. The hatch opened and a beautiful young teenager with long dark hair, fair skin, and deep blue eyes climbed out. She frowned at Sam and kicked the hatch close before hiding it with a patch of grass that seemed to be made for that very reason. 

     "Did Mama send you, Sam Bhai?" The teenager asked using the Urdu word for "brother" as an addition to Sam's name. 

     "Technically, no. Your mom called my mom, who in turn sent me," Sam explained with a smile. "Khadijah, why don't you tell your mom about this place? It's a masterpiece. An underground bunker built by you." 

     "Because I don't want mom to know what I do here," Khadijah whispered. "I love her and I don't want her to be accused of aiding me in doing anything illegal." 

     "ARE you doing anything illegal?" Sam asked in suspicion.

     "No. I'M not, but the Russians might be. I gave a worldwide call for help on all hacker networks. I told them to find Baba. They will, Sam Bhai. I know they will," Khadijah whispered. 

     Sam looked at the hardened teen in front of him and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The young woman looked up and clenched her teeth. She had been such a bright child who had turned angry and dark towards the world that shunned her. Sam was her confidant, who supported her in her search for her father. 

     "As long as they can't pin this on you, Khadijah. I don't want anything to happen to my little sister. As long as you're safe, I'm with you. We'll find Uncle Dawood, even if we have to use the Russians," Sam nodded in determination. 

THE END

Thank you everyone that joined me on this journey through Sam's life. If you love Sam, Khadijah, and all the characters in this series, I urge you to read the first book in the series that inspired this book, "The Dangers of Islam: The Terrorist." It's FREE on Wattpad or you can buy a paperback on Amazon. 

If you've read that, then please continue the series with "The Dangers of Islam: The Imam" which follows Nedim's life after the event of "The Dangers of Islam: The Terrorist." 

Again, THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE. I love the comments you all leave and read each one. Your votes encourage me and your shares humble me. 

Jazakhallah Khair everyone!