Page 106 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
Chapter Twenty-two
At five thirty, Fazil’s phone rang. He pried himself off of the hotel pillow and looked at the screen before answering.
“Hey.”
“Z? Are you okay?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” He hiccupped a laugh that was more of a sob. “You, Sam, Eli...”
“Jesus. Are you drunk?”
“God, no. I wish I were, but Justin has me on a flight at six fucking thirty tomorrow morning. If I drink, I’ll miss the plane.” Not that he hadn’t thought about losing himself in a bottle. “Please come over.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Room three-twenty-six.”
“Same hotel?”
“Yep.”
The sound of an engine starting. “Hang on. I’ll be there soon.”
“Good.” He slid the phone back onto the nightstand.
He wasn’t religious. He knew how to pray and had memorized enough Arabic to do so, but he’d never learned to read Arabic. He’d read the Quran in both Turkish and English and even prayed in the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. But even more so than his parents, he lived, happily, in the secular world.
Seeing those pages had embedded fear into his bones. He could ignore the stupid camel and pig jokes. Not this. All his life, there’d been twinges and reminders that he wasn’t Christian and notquitewhite, but he’d never felt more alien in the country of his birth until that moment.
He also felt a kinship to Eli’s rage and sadness, and marveled at the man’s restraint. Stubble scratched at his hand when he scrubbed his face.
Should have left Seattle with Eli. He’d been too wrapped up in Todd to even consider it.
Fuck. Drinking was sounding more like a good idea. He could stay up until he had to leave for the airport, right? Fazil shut his eyes.
He started when someone knocked on his door moments later, except a glance at his phone told him it had been forty-five minutes. He stumbled to the door, opened it, and there was Todd.
“Shit, Z.” Todd took him into his arms, which was good because the shaking had returned. “Come on, let’s sit down.”
“Sure. I just woke up. I think.”
Todd sat him down on the edge of the bed and peered at him, concern etched in every line on his face. “You’re sure you haven’t been...” The line between his brow deepened. “Have you had dinner?”
He hadn’t had breakfast. “I haven’t eaten.”
“At all?” Todd glanced at his watch. “Jesus, dude. Do you do this often? Not eat?” Todd picked up the in-room dining menu, scanned it, and tossed it back on the desk.
He had to think about that. “Maybe? When I’m stressed.” The last thing he wanted when his stomach churned was food.
Todd picked up the keycard to the room. “Come on. Let’s get some food that doesn’t cost way the hell too much and get your things from my place.”
“Fine.” Except he didn’t want to leave the room, didn’t want to do anything. He sat, staring at the floor while the world rotated.
Todd knelt before him and took his hands. “Fazil.”
He met Todd’s eyes, and his moistened. “No, I’mnotokay.”
“I gathered that.” Todd massaged the backs of his hands. “You don’t have to be. I’m not fine with any of this, either.”
