Chapter 14: "Questionable Loyalties"

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April 13th, 2019

"Thank God you're safe!" Burak Kaka lowered the gun in relief. "Where'd you guys go?! I told you to --"

He stopped when Zayn firmly placed himself between The Green Coat and Salma.

"We could ask you the same." Zayn challenged.

The air in the room changed as Burak sized him up, a slow smirk appeared on his face. Like an ant trying to head-butt an elephant, the Green Coat most definitely found his challenger laughable.

"I'm not answerable to you, foreigner." He scoffed, and with a wave of his hand, like flicking a pest away, he dismissed him and turned to Salma.

Zayn narrowed his eyes.

"Princess, we need --"

"Where were you?" Salma interrupted sharply.

Burak paused, taking a second or two to comprehend the fact that he had been questioned. Only this time, there was this adoration in his smile and look. Almost as if he had found a cute baby who had learned a cuss word.

"There're men in the forest," he replied with a polite respectfulness. "I don't know how they got here but they did. I was on the watch when I saw one lurking around the back. After taking him out, I did a quick search. There's a body in the forest. If the men are Tor Gul then there's a third party involvement. Someone took him out --"

"There isn't," Salma replied, not impressed by his tale. Burak raised a brow. "I took him out when he attacked Zayn."

Burak blinked then grinned brightly.

"Wow!" He chuckled. "What am I doing here if you can handle them? Can I perhaps go on a leave? It's been a while. Your dad --"

"Burak kaka!" Salma stopped him, not humored.

"Right." He tried to hide his excitement. "But we need to leave."

"Her father said we have to stay," Zayn returned.

"We'll be dead by the morning."

"I don't trust you!"

"Is it Tor Gul assassins?" Salma asked, itching to know more.

"Assassins they looked like, Tor Gul they aren't," Burak replied, ignoring Zayn once more. "They're not someone I know. Like I said there's third party involvement."

"They hired someone?"

"Possible," Burak replied, studying the barrel of his gun. "Let's not stay here to find out, shall we?"

Before Salma could agree or disagree, she found herself getting dragged into the bedroom by her arm.

Zayn slammed the door shut.

"What do you think you're doing?" Salma rounded on him.

"I need a word with you," Zayn said, looking dead serious. "You can't possibly trust him with this!"

"Excuse me?" Salma all but breathed out her surprise. She stood her ground with her arms folded in a stubborn defiance.

"Do you realize he's an agent?!" Zayn tried to put his point across.

"And?" Salma raised a brow.

"You don't get it!" Zayn argued. "They're shady people. Agents switch sides faster than --"

"Are you seriously trying to convince me that Burak Kaka is a traitor?" Salma searched his eyes. Was he on drugs?

"Exactly!" Zayn replied.

Salma just looked at him like he had grown a horn or something.

"Look, Bee, you trust him. I get it," Zayn tried to make her understand. "He's your father's friend. I understand that, but your father said you had to stay hidden --"

The door swung open, cutting Zayn off.

"If you're done with your sweet talk, we're on the clock!" Burak tapped his wrist at Salma and ignored Zayn - again.

"There's no we." Zayn stepped in front of Salma. "You want to leave, you can leave. She stays here with me."

"Princess? I --"

"You don't decide for me," Salma spoke up. The two men look at each other and then at her, not sure who she was talking about. "If I want to go, I'll go."

Burak smiled triumphantly.

"Bee --"

"Relax, if the princess wants to go, she leaves and I follow," Burak said lazily. "After all, I'm the one who's protecting her."

"It's quite clear which one of us is protecting her," Zayn replied tersely.

"I don't need either of you to protect me," Salma interjected. "I can take care of myself."

"Of course!" Burak smiled at her. "We raise strong Queens in Sthooriya."

"I think that's quite enough." Salma frowned at the Green Coat playfully.

Burak laughed and leaned away from the door-frame.

"Get going then." He smiled before turning to Zayn who was glaring him down. "You'll learn. Never order a Queen around."

"I said that's quite enough, Kaka!" Salma said, embarrassed.

"Yes ma'am," he quickly agreed, and with a quick salute, he left.

Salma closed her eyes, feeling mortified. How could a top notch Green Coat be such a troll sometimes. She turned to Zayn, who was looking at her feeling resigned and betrayed.

"Well, I am going with that guy." Salma shrugged.

"You can't," Zayn said as a last resort. "He's not your Mahram."

"I know." Salma smiled over her shoulder as she started walking away. "That's why you're coming with me."

Zayn watched her disappear through the door with his lips parted in disbelief.

"Damn it!" He sighed as he hurried after the stubborn fool that he had fallen so hard for.

***

"Let me go!" Salma growled. Wrenching one of her hand free, she coiled it into a fist and charged it towards the Tor Gul guard's face.

He growled like a wounded dog. The other one managed to restrain her by twisting her arms behind her back. Just when Salma thought they would start beating her up to force her to stop struggling, the front door was thrown open.

"What is going on?!" Her father's voice made all three of them halt their struggle. The confusion in his eyes gave way to alarm when they rested over Salma being dragged by the two men. "What in the world --? That's my daughter! Let her go!"

He rushed forth and snatched Salma out of their rough grasp. The commotion attracted an audience.

"Wayee!" Ghamey's mother placed a shocked hand over her chest. "Is that Salma? Coming home at this late hour? No wonder the guards mistook her for some --"

"My car broke down!" Salma quickly made up.

She looked up to see Ghamey and his parents eyeing her with much distaste, while aunt Farhiya and her mother looked panicked to see her. A girl staying out alone after dark was unheard of in the Tor Gul tribe. It was obvious they were thinking all kinds of horrible things about her. A shiver raked Salma's spine. She glanced at her father out of corner of her eyes. She had not had a chance to think it through when she suddenly ran out of her hiding spot to enter the house.

January, 25, 2021

Earlier, when they had gotten back, they were faced by Spogmae on the way. The Green Coat would not hear of Salma's return back to the house. On duty, she was no longer charming. She was just straight out intimidating. So when she point-blank refused to allow her to go past her, Salma had no choice but do what she said. Burak had a very fiery exchange of words with his colleague.

"Who's team are you on, Tufan?!" Spogmae spat at him. "Commander very clearly said Salma was not to be in the city while the negotiations were being held."

Zayn looked extremely smug to see Spogmae agree with him.

"The Commander very obviously miscalculated by sending us off!" Burak retaliated. "There was an ambush. Princess had to fight them off herself!"

Spogmae's stiffened. She was clearly not expecting to hear of the attack. With her shoulders straight and hands clasped her back, her sharp eyes shifted to Salma.

"Is that true?" She raised a brow.

"Yes," Salma replied. "Zayn was attacked. I had to help him."

Spogmae's gaze turned to Zayn, then her, then back at him.

"And you two are absolutely sure he wasn't playing the attacker?" She jerked her head towards Burak.

"Yeah it was me." Burak rolled his eyes. "What're you going to do about it?"

"I never saw him," Zayn admitted. "He attacked me from behind."

"Your style, isn't it?" Spogmae cocked her head at Burak. "Was it a choke-hold?"

"Yes," Zayn replied.

"Salma?"

"It was dark. I couldn't see," Salma replied honestly.

"So it could be our esteemed agent here, could it not?" Spogmae drawled.

"Yes," Zayn said, just as Salma said "No."

Burak flashed her with a huge grin.

"I'm honored princess," he said, putting a hand over his heart and bowing, doing the avyallah.

Salma realized Spogmae was eyeing them both with a questioning look. Zayn and Salma exchanged a glance.

"He wasn't in the cottage when we returned," Zayn said. "Also, he insisted on bringing Bee back when her father had clearly said not to."

"But I slammed the attacker with a rock and hit his face many times," Salma defended Agent Burak. "When Burak Kaka came back he didn't have a single bruise."

"Hear, hear!" the Green Coat said.

"Salma," Spogmae said calmly. "Do you know what Tufan is known for?"

Salma looked puzzled. For being effortlessly cool?

"Disguises," Spogmae replied. "He's the master of disguise. You would meet him every day in your street and never think twice about it."

"I can turn into a turtle," Burak whispered to her. Salma barely stifled the giggle. "Also," he continued loudly. "She's the master of manipulation. Don't let her play with your head."

"I happen to agree with her," Zayn added.

"Irrelevant and dim people are easy targets for my colleague," Burak Kaka returned.

"Tufan!" Spogmae chastised.

"Luckily, Princess here is smart," he continued, ignoring Spogmae. "And, I have a theory. If we're looking for moles within the group. Here's one. Mr. Harris fits the bill."

"Excuse me?" Zayn narrowed his eyes.

"You lead her into the forest where your compatriots were ready to attack her." Burak Kaka said. "Then when she kicked ass, you lead her back in, where another dimwit was waiting for her. You realized I had already taken him out so you tried to force her to stay and send me away --"

"Burak Kaka, come on!" Salma chuckled. She had realized the Green Coat was big on trolling Zayn, and judging from Zayn's murderous glare, he had fallen right into the Green Coat's trap.

"Just sayin'. If we're spinning stories, we can spin it anyway to pin anyone." Burak shrugged and turned to Spogmae. "So what's the plan?"

"I'm going home," Salma said.

"No."

Salma sighed at the Lady Green Coat's 'no bullshit' tone.

"I have to," Salma replied.

"N-"

"She might be right," Burak cut her in. "We might have to reassess the situation. If they had us locked by the cross-wires, who's to say home-base isn't locked too. The intelligence we received was short and vague. Also they're not expecting us so we're safe."

Spogmae considered her colleague's analysis.

"I strongly disagree," Zayn voiced his opinion to Burak's greatest annoyance. "Bee's the prime target. Allowing them to have access to her --"

"We'll go," Spogmae announced, much to everyone's surprise. "But just to keep a watch from the distance."

"Fair enough," Burak quickly agreed.

"Salma stays with me," Spogmae added. "No games, Burak."

"Whatever." Burak muttered and turned to leave.

Salma frowned.

"You really don't trust him?" she asked Spogmae.

"We deal with dirty business," Spogmae said as they walked towards the car. "Anyone can be compromised."

"Don't let her into your head, Princess!" Burak called. "She's nuts!"

Salma chuckled when Spogmae sighed and shook her head at her colleague's antics.

Zayn looked around in defeat as the Agents filed into a car, closely followed by Salma. He could not understand why they were willingly entering a trap.

Twenty minutes later, they were spying on the meeting in the sitting room through the window from the backyard. Spogmae and Burak had quietly knocked out a couple of the Tor Gul spies and guards around the house and taken their positions themselves, along with Zayn and Salma. The guards at the front of the house were left undisturbed to not arouse suspicion. Everything was as Spogmae had planned until Salma suddenly made a run for it. She knew the two agents would restrain Zayn, and they would not follow her themself to avoid exposure. Except her plan failed when she got jumped by the two Tor Gul guards at the front of her house when she tried entering the front door.

And now she was in trouble.

"Bring her in!" Ghamey's father said.

Salma felt her father's firm hand drop on her shoulder. He led her into the house. Her insides quivered with unease at the sight that met her the moment she stepped into the sitting room.

There, sitting on the couch in all his grandeur, with a heavy black turban and a matching cloak, was the wrinkled, old nightmare that marred her sleep.

Agha Barlas Gul.

Author's Note:

Damnnnn! 😰What did she just do?!😱😱😱 That's right, another dun, dun dunnnn!🤣

What do you think will happen now? 🤔

Also, what are these two Green Coats up to. So Shady!☠️

Right, comment, vote and share to rank the story in top 100 in its genre for a patron exclusive scene. Also, visit my Patreon page (link in bio) to read ahead and read more. 🤗

Lots of Love

J.