Page 27 of Wait for Me

“I cannot leave you, your highness.”

Your highness?

Marie’s face was still turned toward the three boys at play. She smiled and clapped along when Jonas cheered, like she wasn’t paying attention to the two women at her table.

“If you give me back my phone, I will call Zaid to get my camera,” Aliyah suggested.

If you give me back my phone…

Marie pretended she didn’t understand their conversation in Arabic. She didn’t even look at Aliyah, but she could sense that the princess’s voice was somewhat under duress.

It struck Marie as strange. Why was Aliyah not allowed her own phone?

Is she a prisoner? Surely not on a cruise ship.

The translator called the man named Zaid. “I don’t know where it is. Look for it. I cannot leave here, and Abdul is still playing.”

A few minutes later, one of the three guards, whom Marie had seen at the poolside the day before, walked into the playroom. He was carrying a GoPro camera. He glanced at Marie, then at Aliyah and her aide.

Marie tried to commit his name and face to memory. Zaid.

She wondered what sort of photos were in the GoPro camera—

Stop!

I’m on holiday—vacation—whatever!

“Mommy, look!” Jonas waved what looked like a clump of Lego blocks stuck together. “Guess what this is?”

Oh, no. Don’t make me guess, son.“Uh…a ball?”

“Noooo…” Jonas looked hurt, as though his mom had to guess it right at first try.

“I’ll take a picture of it.” Marie walked toward Jonas, snapping away with her iPhone.

“Is it a boat?” She walked around Jonas, taking more photos—with Aliyah and her escorts around her at the table.

“Nooo, Mommy. Guess again.” Jonas made a whooshing sound.

“A plane?” Snap. Snap.

Jonas made a face at his poor mom. “A helicopter!”

Marie laughed. “I would never have guessed.”

Snap. Snap.

She pocketed her phone as soon as the man—Zaid, right—started walking toward her. She quickly knelt down by Jonas. “Want me to build a plane?”

Jonas nodded his head vigorously. “Then we can have an air battle!”

Marie sat right in the middle of the group of kids, picked up a few Lego blocks and tried to make the best of it. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Zaid backing off.

Aliyah was saying something to him, but Marie couldn’t hear her, on account of the noisy kids.

When she showed her Lego pieces to her son, Marie stole a look past his ears.

The assistant motioned for Zaid to leave the room.

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