Twisted Chapter 18

"Agony, will someone tell me what the fuck is going on and why you brought the whole club here? I don't need help making this bastard hurt," I groused.

"We know that. We wanted to be here when Wire shared what he found on the bastard's laptop," Agony said somberly.

I glanced at Wire. He wasn't smiling. In fact, none of them were. Turning to Faheem, I snarled, "Am I gonna have to kill you, fuckhead?"

He shivered and tried to shrink back, but he was sitting in a chair, and there was no place for him to go. Facing Wire again, I nodded. "Tell me."

"I broke his password protection. You need to read it for yourself. Let me see that laptop of his," Wire said to Mace, who handed it over without a word. It only took a minute at most for him to have it up, and then he handed it to me. I swiftly began to read the documents he had opened. As I did, my fury built and built. It was all I could do to keep from throwing the damn thing across the room into the wall. When I finished, I was livid. My heart was pounding.

I looked at my brothers. They were gathered around me, not saying a word. I handed the laptop to Mace so he could read the files, too. It was obvious the others already knew what was in the file. "Were there any other videos of her?" I asked Wire hoarsely.

He nodded. "He had well over a dozen of them. Thank God none were ever taken in the privacy of the house. I bet he would've if he found a way to get inside and do it. He not only watched her outside in the yard but also when she picked the kids up from school and when she was around town. They're all dated in the past year-and-a-half. Also, it seems he was the one to instigate Mr. Arnold to insist on changing her contract with him. He informed him he would soon be marrying her and promised he'd make her sign the new one."

Letting loose the growl I'd been holding in, I let my temper go as well. My club moved out of the way so I could get to him. He was whimpering behind his gag. I ripped it off as savagely as possible. He cried out. I got in his face and bellowed.

"You piece of worthless shit! It's not bad enough you spied on her, used her image while you listened to porn so you could jack off, and put your nose in her professional business, was it? No, you had to do that after arranging to have her brother and sister-in-law murdered! Why? Why did you have them killed?"

All he would do was whimper. He refused to answer. I reached behind my back and took out my knife. I carried it along with my gun. It was a toss-up which I wanted to use on him first. Before I was able to stab him, Agony stopped me. I glared at him.

"Don't give me that look. I'm not trying to save his worthless hide. I just want you to take a minute and think. Should Zahirah have the chance to question him herself? Don't you think he owes her that much?" he asked. I shook my head in denial. I didn't want her anywhere near him.

"He's got a point. As much as we always want to protect our women and kids, this is something we have to think about. When it hits this close, do you protect her until it's done? Or do you allow her to take revenge?" Dare added.

There were more murmurs from my brothers. I did n't want to listen, but what my president and VP said was sinking in despite how hard I didn't want it to. I began to pace like a caged animal with my head down, contemplating it. I don't know how long I paced before I made my decision. I checked the room. "She can't come alone. She has no idea how to get here anyway. And I don't want to leave the other women or the kids without Atticus or Bodie for protection."

"I'll go get her. It shouldn't take long. You call her and let her know I'm coming. I'll be back as fast as I can," Mace offered.

Knowing if I waited, I might change my mind, I gave him a chin lift. "Thanks, Mace. Go. Make sure the kids know to stick to the house until we get home."

"I will," was all he said before he left. Wanting privacy for my call, I climbed the steps to the cabin above. I shut the trap door and then placed the call. She answered it so fast it was as if she knew to expect it.

"Are you alright?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm unharmed. Baby, I hate to ask you this, but I need you to come to where I'm at. Mace is coming to get you. Make sure the kids stay there. They'll be safe. I wouldn't usually ask this, but I think in this case it's best."

"Okay," she said slowly. "Can I ask why you think you need me this time? And where are you?"

"Mace will explain where he's bringing you when he comes to get you. As for why, it pertains to Faheem and what we discovered about him tonight."

"You went to see him? Brody, why? You know he'll call the cops as soon as he gets a chance." she exclaimed worriedly.

"No, he won't. Please, I don't want to get into it over the phone. Just come with Mace or give me your permission to handle things without you and explain after the fact."

"No, if you called, then it must be serious. I'll come. Just don't do anything until I get there. How long should I expect it to take for Mace to get here?"

"Twenty minutes, give or take a few. Thank you, baby. I swear, I'll tell you everything when you arrive. Love you."

"I love you too, Brody. See you soon. Bye," she added.

"Bye."

Not wanting to be tempted to end him before she got here, I stayed upstairs. I went outside to wait after I sent a text to Agony informing him what I was doing. No one came to bother me. I wore a path in the dirt. I kept it up until I saw lights coming up the long dirt driveway. When I did, I partially sagged in relief, but I wasn't able to relax completely. I still had to tell her the devastating news. I could only try to imagine how hard it would hit her.

When the truck came to a stop, she jumped out before Mace shut off the engine and came running to me. I met her partway and lifted her off the ground to hug her. I gave her a kiss that I knew was tinged with desperation. When I let go, she was scanning me with a frown on her face. Mace passed us and went inside after giving me a nod.

"Okay, before we go in, I need you to know that if you want to leave at any time, tell me. It won't upset me. In fact, I'd love it."

"I promise. Take me inside, and let's get this over with. The suspense is killing me," she pleaded.

Taking her hand, I led her inside and then to the trap door. I saw the surprise on her face. "Send her down, we've got her," Knight yelled.

I let her go first so I could shut the door. At the bottom, I noticed she was scanning the room, taking it all in. There was a wall of my brothers in front of her. As I joined her, they moved, revealing Faheem tied to his chair. As soon as he saw her, he started pleading.

"Please, Zahirah, don't let them kill me. I'm sorry. It was never supposed to be like this."

She marched over to him. "What wasn't supposed to get to this? Tell me. There's a damn good reason why Twisted and his club would be holding you and asking me to come here in the middle of the night."

He fell silent. Turning her back on him, she faced me. "I need you to tell me what the hell he did."

Hating to do it but knowing I had to, I told her about the trip to his place and how we discovered he had a video of her. I left out the part about him touching himself to it. From there, Wire told her he was able to break through, and he found disturbing information. When we got to that part, I handed her the laptop so she could read the files I had. I stood behind her with my hands on her shoulders, trying to lend support to her. The keening wail she let out when she discovered he was responsible for the death of Zafir and Nova was heartbreaking.

I wrapped her in my arms. When she was done wailing, she was sobbing. I stood her up and turned her around so I could hold her better. A couple of minutes passed as she cried, and then she abruptly stopped. Her head snapped up, and I saw fire in her dark eyes. She pushed on my chest, so I let go of her. She stomped over to Faheem.

"Look at me, you missasa al-zip, cocksucker," she screamed. She lashed out, slapping his face. His head snapped to the side from the force of it. It was no light girly slap. Her handprint instantly appeared in red on his cheek.

"Zahirah, please," he begged.

"Don't you dare beg me for anything, you bastard. You killed my brother and sister! You took Aliya and Arif's parents away from them. Why? I want you to tell me why!" she screamed louder.

He hung his head. The next thing I knew, she pulled her Shibriya dagger out from under her top. She put it against his throat. My brothers all murmured in surprise. Honestly, I wasn't a bit shocked to see it.

"You'll tell me right now, or so help me Allah , I will render a thousand cuts and watch you slowly and in agony bleed out. When you're dead, I'll ensure you do not receive any of the funeral rites. No bathing, enshrouding, reciting of the funeral prayer, and your body will be buried with your back to Mecca," she hissed.

Other than the cuts, none of it sounded terrible to me, but to him, it must've been because he began to wail in Arabic. She responded back. We had no idea what they were saying, but whatever it was, she was furious, and he was terrified and begging. Suddenly, she flicked the dagger and sliced a cut across his cheek.

"Don't you dare speak to me in our mother tongue, unworthy animal. Let all of them hear what you have to confess, you dog! Tell them what you just told me. Now!!"

He shook his head no, but when she cut the opposite cheek, he broke down and confessed. "There was no agreement. I lied." He stopped. She prodded him in the stomach with the tip of the Shibriya. She drew blood. It made him continue.

"Zayyir and my ab had no agreement, although Ab loved Zahirah and Zafir more than he loved me. He always asked why I wasn't more like them. After they were both brought here, Ab helped to get them established, and Zayyir died. All his money became theirs. It was cleverly invested, but I knew it existed. After all those years of helping them, they never thought of giving us any of that money! We earned it.

"I suggested that a marriage would be ideal between her and me to my ab and Zafir. They both told me not to be ridiculous. I kept telling them it was what their ab wanted, and when it didn't work, I thought I could make Zafir see reason. Only he laughed at me and then said he knew why I wanted the marriage. It was about money, and he informed me he would make sure I never saw a dime of it. I couldn't let that stand, so when they went to Qatar, it wasn't hard to arrange for someone to sabotage their plane."

At this point, though my ire was building, Zahirah's was beyond mine. She let out what could only be called a battle cry and effortlessly flicked her dagger around, creating multiple cuts on him. He cried out in pain. When she stopped, she was breathing hard, and the fury on her face was scary.

"Finish it," she hissed.

"I thought with them gone and her alone with the children, she'd seek me out to help her. I told my ab to plan the wedding. He kept insisting she wouldn't do it and asking me why I was pushing for it. Somehow, I don't know how he figured out I had them killed. He confronted me and said he wouldn't let me marry her and he would make sure I paid for my crime. I had no choice but to protect myself."

"He killed his own ab ! Three people are dead because of his greed. All for money, he thinks, is substantial, it seems. Just how much money do you think is invested?" she snarled at him.

"Enough to live like a sheik according to your ab . I know it has to be millions. I wouldn't have ever had to worry about money again."

The laugh that spilled from her lips was a cackle almost, the kind an evil witch might make. She stared at him. "You're a fool, Faheem. The money you killed for was a few hundred thousand dollars. It was our ab's life savings and what he got from selling off his home and possessions in Qatar. He talked about living like a sheik because he felt living in America made everyone like one, but not in a monetary way."

Faheem was shaking his head adamantly. "No, you're lying. It's way more than that. I don't know why you live as if you don't have wealth. Look at the jewelry you design. All that gold and jewels. You need me to show you how to spend it."

"May Azreal not retrieve your soul from Dunya. When you die, I will ensure the ghusl and Janazah aren't performed. And may Munkar and Nakir test you for the rest of eternity, and you never leave Barzakh," she told him.

"Don't say that!" he cried.

"Babe, what are those things you just mentioned?" I asked her cautiously.

"I'm sorry, Aziz . I forgot. Azreal is the angel of death sent by Allah to retrieve your soul when you die. Dunya is what this world is called in Islam. A ghusl is the purification ritual done on the body, and Janazah is the funeral prayer. Once buried, after those are done, two more angels, Nakir and Munkar, visit the dead and test your faith. They determine if you rest in peace until judgment day or you'll be severely punished until Allah says otherwise. This is known as entering Barzakh, the barrier separating your soul from the living and the hereafter. Since he committed such sins, this will be a torturous time. It's less than he deserves, but it'll have to do."

I knew her heart was breaking over the revelation about her family, and maybe I should've done it differently, but no matter how she found out, it would've devastated her. I edged closer so I could whisper in her ear again, "Is there anything else you need to say or do? If not, why don't we get you out of here?"

"There's just one more thing, then I'll go."

"Okay, what is it?"

She replied, but not in the way I anticipated at all. She lunged forward and thrust her dagger into his gut. It went in up to the hilt super easily. That was how sharp she had it. Contrary to what you might think, it wasn't easy to penetrate the body with a knife. It took force. Once in, she said something in Arabic and then twisted it before pulling it out. The blood poured from the wound. There was no doubt it was a fatal wound. There was no prolonging his demise.

It was dead silent in there. She'd stunned us all. Before I could say anything, she turned to face us. "To translate, qud tataven fe al-jahim means may you rot in hell. I'm ready. Do what you will with his disgraced carcass. He doesn't deserve to have the rituals performed."

As soon as she finished saying that, she drooped. I knew she was done. Faheem was wailing and crying out in Arabic as he bled out. Wrapping an arm around her, I took her to a sink we had nearby. I washed not only her dagger but her hands. She never said a word. When I led her out, the guys were giving me nods and sympathetic looks, but she was blind to them. She was lost in her own world. I only prayed she wouldn't be haunted by what she did. It was hard to take a life, even when you knew the person deserved it.