BLOOD BY THE HAND OF GUILT

Chapter Twenty

The following day, Leia woke up to the vibration of her cell phone only to realise she had slept on the desk with her head on the table. She lifted her head and picked her cell phone just before the call ended. She called back.

"Hey sleepy head, hope you're having fun"

It was Kaia.

"Hi Kaia"

"I knew it, you're still asleep, tell me what has Dave got you doing, you should be taking a break"

"Yeah I know"

A knock came on her door…

"Leia?" It was Rye.

"Hold up,…" She said to Kaia and called Rye to come in. Rye entered.

"Hi"

"Hey" Leia responded with a smile.

"Mom thought I should bring your breakfast up"

"Oh, tell her I said thanks"

"Sure" Rye said and placed the tray on the desk then she smiled and walked out.

"Dave's sister?" Kaia asked over the phone.

"No niece, she is so adorable actually"

"You guys try to have fun"

"We will, Kaia we have so much to talk about when I return, so much you wouldn’t believe"

"Then get back quick, I can't wait" Kaia said.

"Okay"

"Do send me pictures, loads of them"

"I will, gotta go now, take care of yourself and be safe"

"You too, love you"

"Love you too bug" Leia said and hang up.

Her laptop signaled her that her battery was low, calling her attention to what her assignment was about. Khalid Aziz.

Leia had done a lot of research on him, found out he was a former Harvard student, a brilliant one at that. His area of expertise was Economics but he had a degree is Aeronautical engineering. Apparently he had a thing for flying. He was a naturally talented business man but fit for the military. He had quite an interesting CV and had worked with top Aviation companies, and at some point interned with the Senator of Oregon, had worked in Capitol Hill and became a political advisor to the governor of New York and that was a stepping stone to his political career.

He had been married once to an American Patricia Curnow a model who was more of a trophy than a companion. She was interested only in the fame and only attended programmes that gave her a shift on the Fashion scoreboards and guaranteed her face on the front cover of top magazines. She had nothing significant to offer him. They never had children and divorce was not so much of a big deal as long as she still got paid for being his wife foe some time.

Khalid was a man with the looks with a love for sports, Leia herself was a fan of basketball, she love dto watch the kids in her hood play in Florida and she was pretty good at shooting hoops too.

Then the idea hit her. It was insane but it could work.

She needed to play her cards right.

Leia took a quick shower and joined the others downstairs only to find them all standing around the couich.

"You should rest" Jamal said.

"Do you feel dizzy, nauseous?" Dave asked.

"No, no I'm fine" Ruth who lay on the couch replied.

"What's going on?"

"She just passed out"

"You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Sara asked.

"No Sara, really I am fine"

Leia got closer.

"Maybe she needs to take a pregnancy test" Gerard said out of the blue and all eyes turned to him.

"Jesus!" Sara exclaimed.

"He's right, maybe you should"

"I am not pregnant guys"

"then we should go for a checkup, I insist" Jamal said. Ruth sighed but said nothing.

"I'll get the keys" Jamal said and walked away.

They all saw them to the car and watched as they drove away.

"Gotta take Rye to her reading club sessions"

"And I would plan something for later, we could go to the movies or on a picnic, or to the park"

"Sounds like a nice idea" Dave seconded Sara's suggestion.

They followed her in. Dave and Leia walked into the kitchen, sat at the counter and prepared themselves some coffee.

"So, any plans yet?"

"Actually yeah, did some research and this is what I found" Leia hopped off the stool, got her laptop and walked back into the kitchen where Dave was pouring the coffee into coffee mugs.

"Sugar?"

"Yep"

"Cream?"

"No" Leia said as she typed then turned the screen to face him.

"He would be in New York next month, enough time to plan right?"

"What is the plan?"

"I'm going to meet him, earn his trust, get his attention and he is going to bring me to his father. I will earn the Sheik's trust too and just when everything seems perfect I would hit him where it hurts most"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"More than anything, it is what I live for"

"A man who takes the path of vengeance should dig two graves, heard of that?" Dave questioned.

"Vengeance?, no Dave, this is retribution"

"Is there a difference?"

"Yep"

"You tell me"

"All I am saying is ever since this man came into our lives, all he has ever done is wreck havoc, he has destroyed and torn families apart, not anymore"

"Maybe he is a changed person"

"I doubt that, a person like him does not change"

"It is possible"

"Dave, why are you suddenly defending him"

"I just don't want you to get trapped in something that will jeopardize your future"

She chuckled.

"I'm serious"

"Dave, I have walked through hell barefooted do you think a scorpion's lair is enough to put me on my death bed"

"Just be careful okay, I won't stop you, I know you too well to even try but if this is going to get you into trouble….."

"I am a big girl Dave and I have to do this, I believe it is why I survived"

"So your plan is to kill the Sheik?"

"I am not like him Dave, kill somebody, really?"

That was when she remembered she was likely to have blood on her hands. Kaseem and the soldier at the camp. She swallowed hard.

Maybe I am like them. She thought.

"This is going to affect your work and school"

"It is a risk I have to take"

Dave sighed. She turned to him and took his hand.

"I know you are worried but I have to do this……for my mom, my dad, my people, they need to return from exile, many Jews have left their home because of the terror, Sefrou I am afraid is nothing like it used to be, I need to go back and change that"

"Okay" Dave said. Leia smiled.