Updated A/N this seems as good a place as any to end this fic so that is exactly what I'm doing. I had plans for it but I got muddled and now I hate this one. Thanks for reading
The tires spun in the dirt as she tried to make the car move too fast too soon. The men now running towards the car were getting closer.
"Maria, get us out of here!"
"I'm trying for fuck's sake, give me a chance!" Finally getting the car under control after one more sharp turn, which almost slammed the back wheels into a tree, showering their pursuers with dirt they moved off. "Where are Ben and Sophia?"
"Both dead as we all will be if we don't get moving."
Risking a quick glance over her shoulder she could see the younger of the three men grimace.
"My leg is bleeding bad but I don't think I got hit."
In the rear view mirror she caught sight of headlights coming after them through the trees, "They will likely chase us for hours and a high speed chase would draw all sorts of attention. Are you boys in the mood to take a chance?"
Altaïr's head popped up from his inspection of Kadar's wound. "What do you have in mind?"
After rounding the corner, she shut off the lights and headed deeper into the forest, leaving the dirt road behind them. Driving slowly and relying far more on luck than skill she passed as many trees as she dared before she brought the car to a complete stop. Every head in the car looked behind them as they watched the lights appear at the top of the hill they had just left behind. One by one passed them by.
"How long should we sit here?"
"Wait a few more minutes to be as sure as we can then we can move again."
It was Kadar who spoke and Maria had to grin at the boy, he was bleeding badly yet still thought with a clear head. The Al Sayf boys had balls of steel.
Nobody spoke as they continued watching the road behind them and Maria sat alone in front clutching the wheel, waiting for her hands to stop shaking.
"Are you alright?" Altaïr's hand touched her arm and she turned her head to see him only inches from her.
"I'm fine considering how fucked up this is. What about you?"
He nodded and told her the story of Sophia's betrayal and subsequent redemption, "We are lucky to be alive and Kadar looks like he will be fine so yes, considering how fucked up this could have been, I am grateful it wasn't worse."
They took a different route back to the motorway, deciding not to return to the hotel. Malik made a few calls and had someone go there for them, dressed as staff, to see if their belongings - mostly the laptop - could be retrieved. They were close to London when he received a call to tell him all the items had been taken, the rooms were devoid of even the most basic of personal items.
"Will they get a lot of information for the laptop?"
"Nope our tech guys are good at this sort of thing. Any wrong password will activate a virus which will render it useless. Any attempt to hack it will end with the same result."
They talked about James asking her for any information which would help, "He spent some time in the Congo, or at least he said he did but other than that our talks were mostly banal chatter. That man from the pictures, the vicar from the church... do you think he is keeping up that charade?"
"He is being watched already. As soon as you told us his whereabouts, he put him under surveillance."
She chuckled and when Altaïr, who had joined her in the front of the car, raised his eyebrows at her all she could say was, "This is all very cloak and dagger I feel as though I just wandered into a TV show."
They stopped at another small generic hotel and booked in with one of their many "dodgy cards". Maria was once again left with no personal possessions– only this time her companions were in the same boat and since misery does indeed love company, this detail made her own circumstances a little easier to bear.
Malik lasted all of 20 minutes before the idea of not having anything clean to his name drove him to distraction. "Maria I'm about to embark on credit card fraud on a massive scale– would you care to join me?"
Lifting her head from the laminated hotel info sheet she grinned. "It would be rude not too really." The idea of them returning with another bra fit for a glamour model was all the encouragement she needed. "Sleep first or shall we go now?"
"We'll go now–I can't bear the idea of sleeping in these clothes."
"Just make sure you get things for us too I have a hole in my last pair of trousers." Kadar poked a finger through the bullet hole in his combats and chuckled.
Altaïr scowled at the finger wiggling just beside his head. "Do you want me to clean this wound or not?"
Kadar tried to look offended but having your trousers round your ankles tends to make any attempt at serious fail badly. "Fine I was just making a point no need to be so uptight."
Altaïr had finished cleaning the young novice's leg – thankfully nothing more than a flesh wound– and had moved to the other room they had rented to await Maria's return. She and Malik had been gone for hours, and the longer he had to sit and wait for them with nothing to do, the more agitated he became.
The previous night had gone badly and they would need to plan their next move carefully but he had no doubt they would recover and find the men they sought. That thought led directly to James Turner, the man who had tried to endear himself to Maria. The assassin gritted his teeth at the idea of him being alone with her, pretending to be friendly and all the while plotting how best to use her. He was not a jealous man by nature, but thinking about them being alone caused him a surprising amount of discomfort. However, he told himself it was perfectly natural to feel possessive and protective about the woman who was carrying your child.
His child, their child... In spite of everything that was going on, he couldn't feel badly about the situation. He would, in effect, be taking them both to the heart of a war zone. But his entire life had been lived on the edge of society, never entirely safe and seldom peaceful, so he had no doubt with his help they would adapt to their new life quickly. From what he could gather, her life had been a different matter; sheltered and somewhat spoiled, he knew there were more than a few shocks in store for Maria once they returned to Syria, but she had proved to be a person of real strength. She would handle it fine and they would be together.
The door handle jiggling, rudely dragged him from his musings. Crossing the room to unlock the door, he smiled because this change, however unexpected, was more than welcome. Opening the door to the smiling face of the woman responsible for these changes, he stepped aside to let her enter.
"We stopped and got something to eat– there is food in the next room if you want to go eat." Putting the bags on the foot of the bed she began looking at their contents. "We got you a few bits and pieces but you will have to try most of it on to see if –"
He caught her hand and pulled her toward him. "Come here and give me a proper greeting."
She chuckled when she felt his rough stubble brush against her face. "You really should go eat before it gets cold."
"I'm not hungry – well not for food at least." His words were spoken against her flesh, his breath stroked the tiny hairs on her cheek making her tremble.
"Can I assume that you plan on sharing this room with me then?"
She felt him nod against her shoulder as his mouth began to explore her neck.
"I plan on sharing far more than a room with you Maria."
His hands moved against the fabric of her dress as he began to gather it between his fingers to lift it from her body. Her own arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers tangled with his tousled hair as his mouth moved back to her face to claim her lips in a soft kiss. Her lips parted and his tongue swept past her teeth, brushing light strokes against her own. She lifted her arms and let him ease the dress over her head, closing her eyes when she felt him step back from her to look at the body he had just exposed.
She heard his breath hitch, then his voice, "Look at me Maria."
Opening her eyes, she smiled softly; fully aware she was blushing standing all but naked before his greedy eyes. He returned her smile and dropped to his knees before moving her briefs down her legs and helping her step out of them. Closing her eyes again, she tried to ignore how ill at ease she felt as he took in her form. Then she felt his arms slide around her waist as his mouth dropped tiny kisses on her stomach. With every passing second, her discomfort lessened, and she slowly began to relax.
He worked his way back up her body, and her fingers began to fight with the fastenings of his shirt. Once more face-to-face, he grinned when the last few buttons wouldn't cooperate with her coaxing and she cursed. Undoing them himself, he dropped the garment to the floor and undid the buttons on his jeans. Letting them join his shirt on the ground, he stepped out of them and moved forward to his woman, taking her in his arms he held her tight against his body. Their mouths united in a hard kiss as her hands wandered over his muscled back, leaving a trail of heat, which coursed over his flesh and cajoled his senses. Her soft moans increased in volume as his fingers explored her body, finding her sensitive spots.
Breathing hard she said, "Is it okay for us to be doing this?"
He stopped kissing her and moved to look at her face. "I would never hurt you."
Steering them to the top of the bed, he lowered her onto the soft mattress before joining her. "I'll go slow and easy. It will be fine, and if it's not, we can stop, yes?"
She smiled as he positioned himself over her and felt his feet unceremoniously kick the bags to the floor. For a second everything felt unreal and, sure she was dreaming this, reached out and took his face in her hands. "I can hardly believe you're here with me– I'm worried I'll close my eyes and you'll be gone. I was so alone without you."
He could understand both the sentiment and the pained expression, which briefly flitted across her face. For someone whose presence in his life could be measured in days, he had felt her absence keenly; she would never know how much self-control it took not to throw caution to the wind, and drag her back into his messy life just for the sake of having her with him.
Brushing stray strands of hair from her cheeks, he whispered, "We are together now, and nothing will take me from your side Maria."
He kissed her deliberately softly, forcing himself to maintain a slow, comfortable pace but his desire to once more join with her and claim her as his was proving almost impossible to ignore. He felt her hands on his hips tugging his into place between her legs, and he penetrated her with real care, keeping his movements steady and gentle.
She sighed and finally felt brave enough to close her eyes, allowing the soft waves of pleasure begin to wash over her body. When she moved her hips against his, demanding harder thrusts, she felt him groan.
"Do you feel alright?"
Alright was perhaps the understatement of the decade. The first tiny sparks of orgasm she felt coming to life in her groin were not even close to being the most important part of this. The joy of being with him, of feeling his breath against her skin, and his flesh beneath her hands was immeasurable. For the first time in her life she was truly happy. All she could offer by way of a reply was to smile and nod, almost sure she would cry if she gave voice to her feelings.
His beautiful exotic voice whispered in her ear as his strokes became firmer, transporting her from a dingy hotel room to a land of warm winds and fragrant blossoms. A land currently being ravaged by conflict and strife, but it had felt like home to her almost as soon as she stepped onto the soil. She would return there with him soon, to fight for peace and for the right to have their child grow there safely.
Thanks to juno57 for being a diamond and beta reading this chapter for me. If you haven't already seen them you should wander to her FF page and read her fics, you won't regret it :)