Page 106 of Lau Ahi
“Again, these are just words.”
“Our family has always held political power within the region. It is the reason I fought. The reason I was willing to die on the battlefield.”
“So what is this for?”
His eyes were lowered in shame. “Because of my cowardice. I left a friend behind to earn money to fund a revolution that was being defiled from the inside. The fight was already over because the fix was in. My brother in arms died, his daughter stolen as his wife betrayed him. I owe him a life’s debt. His daughter has since been found and his traitorous wife has been sent to hell on earth thanks toShâh Afshin.”
Now I was even more intrigued because rarely did I ever hear anyone address Afshin by his Persian title. Being Xerxes’ uncle made him someone under our protection. He was now the King of Persia and I wondered why he was handling things for William Avery. “Wait, how do you know Afshin?”
“My friend the cause of my shame, his daughter now goes by Diana Bailey. She is the wife of—”
It clicked immediately and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before.
“Adam Hartison. Which means you asked Midas for a favor and Afshin delivered on the strength of his nephew. Small world indeed.”
He smiled his agreement and I was sure he was even more comfortable now with the situation. “We have kept in touch and he knew of my issues in Eritrea. I knew nothing of how he got rid of my previous problem but I have had no problems. He must have felt he owed me because when I spoke of needing help he gave nothing away. But apparently someone was put in contact with someone else and the elders agreed to speak to me. That is how all of this came about.”
“You repaying a debt to a friend.”
He nodded again almost as surprised as I was at our connections that went back years before we realized. “All we wanted was to see our home freed. The UCAA do not feel as though we are worth the risk because of the lack of consistency. We have natural resources but we lack the amounts and the willingness to allow outside interests to come in and treat our people as slaves. Eritrea currently imports more than it exports so we aren’t nearly as self-sufficient as we need to be. These investments will allow innovation to flourish without having to hand it over to the government.”
“And again, you feel like money is the answer.”
“Only for this problem. The idea of funding a kind that is no longer only getting the minimum of food so they can go forth and be better for our country is my reward. He would’ve stayed and fought and if I do this—”
“You’ll no longer feel the unnecessary shame of having left him behind.” It weighed heavily on him despite how confident he seemed.
“It’s a burden that will never leave despite the kindness of your words. I know some things could’ve been different and I hate they weren’t.”
“Fair enough.”
“So, have I met with your approval or do you have further questions for me?” He smiled unbothered by the paces I’d put him through. The sign of a man with nothing to hide.
“We should be good for now.”
“For what it’s worth I appreciate your concern. It shows the type of man that you are and I’m grateful that you’re the one who will be the person Semira will have to lean on.”
“If you think your daughter would ever need to lean on me you must not know her well enough.”
William finished his drink quickly and grimaced at the burn. “And if you think I haven’t seen every facet of thatfiery personality to know what it is I speak of, then you’ve underestimated me.”
“Only time will tell.”
“Perhaps. But that time is drawing much nearer than you think. We will be flying in and staying at the venue. The last thing I want is for my wife to irritate Asha before the nuptials. I’ll do my best to keep her out of your hair.”
ON THE CASE
ORI
“You trust him?”
We’d sent that church up in flames and were now in Midas’ private office in his uptown Warren location. It was the same place where Xerx and Vanya got married and was the easiest location for all of us to catch a chopper to the private airport. Dinner last night had felt like a glimpse into my life after I got rid of the government as my overseer and I had to admit, it felt good. Even more reason for me to get this case done and marriage completed. I’d missed out on moments like this with my brothers more often than not and I didn’t want it to continue to happen.
“Cou, do I trust anyone outside of this room?” I was eased back in my seat relaxed, despite knowing we still had more work to do. Truthfully, it felt like a boys’ trip when we got together to put in work. Every murder solidified our bond and I was grateful for it.
“Well, you do in fact.”
I turned to the other voice that had spoken up and my narrowed eyes conveyed my confusion at his assertion.
