Don't hate me for this. Nadir wanted some screen-time, and the man has been patient.

Chapter 34

"I'm ready," Christine said, giving Nadir approval to speak openly in front of the two other women in the room.

But before he could say anything more, Anna interjected, rising from the bed to place a fist on either of her hips. It was a stance Christine knew well.

"Listen here, young lady. I don't know what kind of game you've been playing here, but this insanity stops now."

"It isn't a game, Mama," Christine said, rounding on her. "I'm not laughing at all about this. I'm being completely serious!"

"'False pretenses?'" Anna repeated, echoing Nadir's choice of words. "Paranoia? Secrets? What kind of mess have you gotten into, Chrissie? I thought I raised you with a stronger head on your shoulders than this. After everything you've been through over the past two years, I thought you had come out on the other side able to make good choices. This," here she pointed at Nadir, "is showing me that I was wrong to think you could handle being out on your own."

Christine didn't even know where to begin. She could feel her temper rising, her face flushing with rage. How dare her mother bring up her illness. But even through her anger, she felt a sharp sting of hurt from Anna's words.

"You don't have a clue what you're talking about!" she sputtered. "You have no idea what I've been through-"

Anna cut her off. "I'm trying to be understanding. I really am, but-"

"If you really loved me, you'd support me in anything-"

"Christine!"

"Mama!"

"Enough!" Nadir's bellow took them by surprise, most of all Christine who had never heard him raise his voice to her. Stunned, she sat back upon the bed, barely noticing that her mother had rejoined her so that all three women stared up at him.

"I don't have any time for such squabbling," he continued, still stern but without shouting. "We could all be in danger here, so we have no time for anymore needless fighting! You two may sit there in silence while I talk with Christine, or you may leave."

He waited for their response, and one by one, the three women nodded. His bearded face softened, and he seemed to finally relax again. "I apologize for my tone," he added. "However, nothing you hear in this room may be repeated elsewhere, for everyone's sake. Do you understand?"

They both murmured that they did.

Christine swallowed. "We're in danger?" she said, voice suddenly hoarse.

He went to his coat and fetched a piece of paper folded into a small square. As he unfolded it, she caught sight of a black and white photograph of a young woman in a fancy dress, an expensive cuff around one wrist, a small purse around the other. She was stepping out of a sleek black car pulled to the side of a busy New York street.

Christine recognized herself immediately. She took the picture from him with shaking hands. "Where did you get this?"

"It popped up during my surveillance of… the men hunting Erik." Anna parted her lips to interject, but he cast her a narrow-eyed look, and she wisely thought better of it. "We thought we had covered all of our trails. Darius had no idea you were in New York, after all, didn't even know you existed, so he couldn't have told them anything. All they knew was that Erik went to Le Nuit that night, which is why he was attacked there."

"By only the one man."

"Who Erik… took care of." Christine could tell Nadir was shifting his words, trying his best not to reveal too much to the two women sitting to either side of her. "Who knows how they caught wind of you," he said, shifting his feet in agitation. "Maybe someone at the restaurant gave your description, maybe a server overheard the two of you talking about the opera. However they did it, they figured out that a young woman matching your description had indeed gone to the opera that night. Luckily, this is the only photograph of you they have from the cameras in front of the opera house, and it's far enough away that I hope they can't use any type of facial recognition software to pinpoint who you are."

"But if they did?" she asked, wide-eyed.

His shoulders slumped. "We didn't use your name for anything in New York, but they would have an easy time tracking you in Boston. I did put the cruise cabin in your name so you could pass through customs, and I'm sure you used your own name to fly from Switzerland to here, right?"

She nodded. "I've only used cash since I arrived in Sweden, though."

His rubbed at his chin, thoughtfully. "What about this hotel room?"

"I didn't put it in my real name." She flushed a bit, but she had to tell him. It had been a moment of indulgence, done while her heart was sick, and she hadn't thought anyone would find out. "I checked in as Christine Garnier."

Meg and her mother wouldn't know the significance of that, but Nadir did. He gave her a soft smile. "Not his real last name, but one he often uses."

"What is his real name?"

"By Allah, I doubt he even knows himself!" Nadir huffed a breath, straightening so quickly, his spine cracked. "How much have you told them about your relationship with Erik?" he asked, gesturing at the two women.

"Enough," she said, jutting out her chin.

"Very well. Do you want to marry Erik?"

With no hesitation, she answered, "I do."

"Are you sure? Please think hard on your answer, because I can make this all go away. I can get you and yours back to the States and set you up with a new name and a new, safe life. I can let Erik know what happened, and over time, he would understand your decision."

"Christine," her mother began, speaking for the first time in a while. "Maybe you should-"

Christine held up a hand, cutting her off. She rose from the bed to stand in front of Nadir, looking straight into his large brown eyes. Taking his hands in both of hers, she gave them a squeeze, feeling his callouses from the years he had lived before she'd even been alive. "I appreciate your offer, Nadir, but I decided a long time ago that I didn't want safe anymore. I want Erik, and all that goes along with him."

His warm breath fanned her face as he exhaled. Had he been holding his breath? Was he… relieved? "I vow to never let Erik forget how lucky of a man he is."

She gave a small smile. "Neither will I. So what do we do now?"

"We find Erik." He gestured around them. "Has he come here? Contacted you at all?"

"No, he hasn't."

Nadir frowned at that. "Nothing at all?"

"Nothing, Nadir."

The Iranian began to pace, folding his arms and pressing the pad of one of his thumbs against his mouth. She watched him in silence, realizing he needed some space to think. At one point, he lifted the edge of the curtain to peer outside. The slanting rain hadn't let up at all.

On the bed, Meg and Anna sat silently, shooting each other weighty glances now and again. At one point, Christine offered them both a cup of water, and Meg caught her arm.

"You've got to be crazy," she whispered fiercely, her eyes focused on the pacing man lost in thought. "We need to get the hell out of here."

Christine pursed her lips and whispered back, "I don't expect you to understand right now, but if you were able to meet Erik, I think you would. He loves me, and I love him, and because of that, I'm willing to do whatever I have to do."

Still walking back and forth in front of them, Nadir muttered to himself, "The man isn't doing at all what I predicted. I thought for sure he would follow Christine. Where are you, Erik?" He suddenly halted, turning his attention back to them. "I see I'll have to do this on my own."

"Do what?" Christine asked.

"Knock these men off your trail." He bit at the pad of his thumb, brow furrowed. "I haven't many options left to me. I can't offer myself up to them – I have lived under my own name for a decade, so they have always known where I was and how to find me. It's not me that they want."

"They want Erik."

"Of course. Back in Iran, I helped him escape when the situation became too dangerous. The Shah and his supporters had no proof of this, but the suspicion alone was enough to send me to their prison for five years, until their regime finally fully collapsed. In that time, Erik didn't try to free me – he didn't know I was in prison, but they didn't know that. I'm not worth anything to them now."

She thought for a moment. "What about the money? Could you give it all back?"

"Not enough," he said, shaking his head. "They'd never accept that alone now. But I think I know what to do. This would be easier with his help, of course, but I'll have to make do for now. Come here, my dear girl."

She did, standing in front of him. He grasped her shoulders, large hands warm and heavy. "I need you to decide what path you want to take now. Option number one: I buy you a ticket back to Boston and set you up with a new identity. I already have a new passport ready for you in my coat."

That took her aback. He really had come prepared for that possibility. But she was already shaking her head before he even mentioned the passport. "No way."

"I deduced as much. Okay, option number two: You go back to the safe house in Switzerland and wait until all of this settles down. Erik isn't there; I've already checked. But we can meet you there once I find him."

She shook her head again. "I'm not going back there. I don't want to hide anymore."

He sighed. "Option number three: you stay here and wait."

She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, which was still slightly damp around the collar from the rain. "And what if you never find him? Would I wait here forever? I'm so tired of waiting while you two skirt around behind my back. Give me another option!"

"Fine, child! Number four: you help me find him."

This one, she liked. She could already feel herself relaxing, although her body threatened another jolt of adrenalin at the prospect of actually being involved in this plot. Finally, she could be useful. "How would I do that?"

"Erik obviously doesn't want to be found. He's not at any haunt I've searched, and if he has followed you here, he's not showing himself. We have to give him a reason to approach you, and draw his attention to you somehow."

"Aren't you afraid he'll be discovered by the Shah's men?"

"Not unless he does something stupid. The only reason they found him the first time was because of Darius's betrayal. Also, you'll be traveling under a pseudonym." His hands tightened on her shoulders. "I can't lie, though, Christine. This isn't exactly the easiest nor safest option. You'll need to travel about, not staying anywhere for more than a few days."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "I already said I'd do it!"

He released her, striding to his coat and fishing out a sealed envelope. Inside, she found a passport with her picture and the name Chrissie Day.

"I've had this for a while, actually," he said. "Erik insisted, but I never had the chance to give it to you. The name is similar to yours, and therefore, easier to remember. However, traveling around Europe alone won't draw him out, nor will it give him a reason to contact you explicitly. I understand that you two did not part on good terms."

"No, we didn't." She didn't want to dredge up the details again, not after she had already explained her final moments with Erik to her mother and Meg. "I don't even know if he would want to see me."

"Then we must give him a reason. Do you have any ideas? I'm not saying you need to engage in any risky behavior, but he needs to hear about your whereabouts somehow."

But Christine's mind was already spinning with her next plan. From the moment Nadir had said she needed to get Erik's attention, she'd known exactly what she needed to do.

"Oh, Nadir, I know what will get me noticed by him."

"What will you do?" Nadir said, as though afraid to ask.

Her grin contained only a touch of actual mirth. "I'll sing."

Quickly, Christine and Nadir worked out the details of their arrangement. She would travel across Europe, flying in a set pattern so Nadir could track her movements if necessary. She would spend three or four days at each location, singing at various open mics, most of which she could easily search for on the Internet. Christine and Meg also had different contacts in the theatre world that they could both use to set Christine up with small gigs, such as opening up for another band.

"You should let me take a video of you singing," Meg chimed in. "I could post it to YouTube back home. Your voice is so different now, Chris, so marvelous, that I bet you'd get killer hits in no time."

Christine nodded. "Any kind of online buzz would help."

While they had planned her route, Nadir had been mostly silent. Now he interjected, frowning, "While I admit your voice is beyond beautiful, how do you know this will flush him out?"

"I don't for sure," Christine admitted. "But Erik and I have this… connection through music. If he gets even a small hint that I'm singing in public, I think he will try to listen. All I need to do is get close enough to talk to him, even for a moment, right? I really believe this will work.

Nadir sighed heavily. "Then we need to get you on the next flight to Madrid, using your new passport. You can begin there. Most importantly, you must get far away from Sweden."

Anna stood, her face pinched. "I'm going with her."

"Me too!" Meg agreed.

At the same time, both Nadir and Christine protested.

Nadir held up a hand. "If the situation becomes dangerous, it is much easier for me to make one woman disappear rather than three. I simply can't have all three of you traipsing about Europe, not while things are so volatile."

"Chrissie," Anna pleaded, taking hold of her hand. "You can't really go through with this."

Christine gave her a hug, holding her mother tightly. "I love him, Mama. I can't explain how much I do, but I would never be happy without him. If only you could meet him, you would understand the magnetism between us, how we are drawn together. I have to at least try."

She felt her mom shudder in her arms, then relax just a fraction. "For the first time, you seem like you know what you really want."

"I do."

Meg joined them, looping an arm with Christine's. "Say your Parisian man follows you after all. Say you're able to talk with him. What then?"

Christine looked over their shoulders at Nadir. "That's where he comes in."

"Alas, this is true," Nadir hummed as he shook out his wet coat. "Assuming you are able to contact him, he should be willing to help me. Have him contact me, and together, we should be able to finish this."

Christine was seized with a sudden realization. "You're going after them, aren't you? The way Erik did back in New York."

"We have tried every other option already." Nadir drew himself up, standing tall, looking every bit the Iranian gentleman who once could have led the police force of a powerful, displaced Shah. "They started this - they brought the war back to us. The time for hiding is over, Christine. I hope you can understand that, and, in time, forgive me."

Back in New York, the mere thought of killing someone else had sickened her, even if it was in self-defense, even if the man might have deserved it. Even if the people you murdered were horrible people, wasn't it still murder? However, it was clear to her now that these men weren't willing to let the past go, despite how much effort Nadir and Erik had spent. They didn't want money – they wanted Erik's head, and she would now do everything within her own power to see they never got him.

He was her man, after all.

Her own readiness to let Nadir take these final steps, when she had once had such harsh words for Erik for the same behavior, startled her at first. However, a calm settled about her. These men weren't only just threatening Nadir and Erik, two men she loved. They were threatening her, and in time, they would go after her mother and Meg.

Christine shook her head. "I already have forgiven you."

She wasn't sure if she expected that to relax Nadir or not. His jaw tightened at her words. Maybe he was also realizing the road that Christine was now willing to cross with them.

"Christine," he began, voice thick.

"Hush, old man," she said, trying to keep her tone light. She winked at him to cover up the rush of tears to her own eyes. "What's the final piece in our plan? I find Erik, tell him what you're doing, and then what?"

He cleared his throat. "You immediately get yourself to safety."

Her brow furrowed. "Not Switzerland again!"

"Actually, I had another place in mind, closer to my own home and completely impenetrable. Someplace you have been before, in fact."

Her mind spun. Where was he… Oh. "You mean-"

"Exactly. Where it all began."

They spoke for a while with Anna and Meg, mostly making sure the two women were clear on their own roles to play. Anna agreed to go home to Boston, but only on the condition that Christine call her as soon anything changed. Meg also would return to her new home in Paris, and Christine had an especially important job for her to do. Meg seemed more than happy to help her out in this.

Nadir fetched a tiny laptop from his bag. After some time in silence, during which he typed furiously upon the keyboard, he announced, "Two tickets for both of you, early in the morning. Lucky enough the planes weren't full, though I could have taken care of that if needed."

"So soon?" bemoaned Anna.

"Not soon enough," he said, shutting the laptop. "I suggest you both catch a cab back to the airport at once. Christine shouldn't attract too much attention while she's still in this country under her real name."

The goodbyes were drawn-out and tear-filled. Christine had only just gotten her mother and friend back, and now they were about to separated again, this time for who knew how long. But this was for their safety more than anything, and she needed to be able to focus on her upcoming task. She couldn't let them distract her while trying to draw out Erik with her singing.

Christine promised to keep in touch with both, this time from a more secure cell phone Nadir gave her.

Even faced with the upcoming difficulties, she felt like she could breathe a relieved sigh at last. She had given the truth to both her mother and Meg, and both women had come out at least grudgingly accepting of the decisions she had made. She was actually rather surprised that things had gone as well as they had.

But when she excused herself to the bathroom for a moment, she caught sight of herself in the mirror above the sink. Her eyes were wide and red, her hair wild, and she saw what they must have seen.

She was on the brink of a meltdown.

Nadir was still standing in the middle of the room when she emerged. "Until we can get you out of Sweden, I should stay nearby." He gestured at the floor. "Would this be too inappropriate for you?"

"Nadir, you're not sleeping on the floor." She tossed back the bed's covers, revealing the split down the middle. "This double bed is just two twins put together. I insist you take one."

His lips twisted. "Very well." Together, they pulled the twin beds apart, one on either side of the cramped room.

She went back into the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and change into her most decent pair of pajamas. She left on her bra as well, feeling so weird to take it off in front of him. Of course, this was Nadir, Erik's friend, and her friend as well. So often he reminded her of her own father. Since he had no family himself, maybe they could fill that void within each other.

She got under the blankets as Nadir took his turn in the bathroom. When he came out, he had taken off his button-down shirt and belt, leaving him in slacks and a thin undershirt. He stretched atop his blankets. After a moment, he turned off the lamp between them, throwing them into near total darkness. She heard the sounds of him shifting in bed, rearranging blankets.

For a while, they both laid there in silence. Then, Nadir spoke softly, "I will do everything within my power to see this through to the end."

Her lips parted to reply, but her throat suddenly constricted. Finally, she was able to say, "What if I find him, and he doesn't want me anymore?"

She heard him turn toward her. "Christine!"

"That's what I worry about, though. You didn't see his face when I told him I couldn't marry him. I even tried to explain that I only meant not right now, but he couldn't move beyond my first two words. I worry that he hasn't shown up here because he's decided to give up on me. What if – what if he's moved on?"

Nadir's voice was sharp, cutting through the darkness. "After all of my years with Erik, I can tell you with assurance: he has most definitely not moved on."

"Then where is he?"

"Likely fuming or laying low until he recovers emotionally enough to come after you. You have changed him, my dear girl. There will be no going back for him now."

Nadir spoke with such calm sincerity that Christine almost fully believed him. But as she drifted off to sleep, with Nadir's heavy breathing coming from across the room, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Erik might truly be finished with her.

That night, she dreamed that Erik's white masked face was looming beside her as she slept. The dream was so real, for a moment she thought she could smell his unique scent and feel his overwhelming presence near her bed.

She woke to no sign he had been there, her face bathed in tears.

Buckle your seatbelts and get some wine for the next chapter!