Finally, she smiled at him. “I’m fine, and you need to get some rest.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever rest again,” he said grimly, running his hands through his hair and rumpling the tresses into further disarray.
She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “You will. And you’ll get back to work. ”
He flipped over his hand and clasped hers. “While you were taking your bath, we learned who was behind the kidnapping.”
“You don’t have to tell me. One or more of the members of the Parliament who disagreed with us getting married?”
He laughed bitterly. “I wish. Then this wouldn’t be so hard.”
“I don’t understand…”
“This person needed money for a major project that they couldn’t finance on their own, and unbeknownst to me, they had already burned bridges with other investors. That bit of information was kept quiet at his request because he is part of the royal family. In essence, he was over-leveraged, and dishonest about his capabilities. This was an act of desperation to get the funding he needed.” He looked steadily at her, telepathically conveying the answer.
Her heart filled with dismay when she immediately guessed the culprit. “Farouk.”
“Yes,” Wasim said in a defeated voice.
His brother-in-law and close friend had orchestrated a kidnapping to finance his business deal and prop up his faltering business.
“What does this mean?” Imani asked.
“He must suffer the same justice as the others he convinced to do this with him. Men who were promised money, who saw this as an opportunity to elevate their status by improving their finances.”
“But why me?”
“Because he knew I would do anything to get you back. Because he knew that you were the one thing I couldn’t lose. My love, my life, my soul.”
His words warmed her heart. “Where are the men now?”
“They’ve all been imprisoned and await trial and judgment.”
She knew what judgment would be meted out. Like in her own country, bringing harm to any member of the royal family was a crime punishable by death.
“What about Yasmin?” she asked tentatively.
Wasim withdrew his hand. He shook his head. “She’s not involved. I’ve already questioned her, and I believe her. She was completely shocked by his actions and devastated he would lie and go to such lengths to finance the deal.”
“Are you certain you want to give him the same punishment?”
He looked her squarely in the eye. “The law is the law.”
“But you are the ultimate authority. Think about Yasmin, Malak, and the new baby. Yes, he was wrong, and he should be punished, but I wasn’t harmed.”
“He took you,” Wasim said, his eyes going wide. He obviously couldn’t believe her stance on the matter, and neither could she.
But her concern wasn’t for Farouk. She was worried about his family and the families of the men who’d helped him. They’d all suffer and she hated that.
“What if he’d injured you beyond the bruises? What if he’d hurt our child?”
“But he didn’t. Wasim, he’s your brother-in-law, and Yasmin is your sister.”
“And you are my wife and carry my child.”
“And what if I forgive him? All of them?” Imani asked.
“That is your choice. It is not mine.” Wasim lifted up her hand and kissed the inside of her bruised wrist. “This conversation is over. I have made my decision. We won’t talk about their judgment anymore.”
