Chapter 13 Hope you are all enjoying. Please review the story Thank you very much!!

Syed pretended he hadn't seen Roxy as he walked out of Walford station. She saw him though and called out.

"Syed! Where's Christian? Oh my god I haven't seen you two for ages…"

Syed cut her short.

"Christian's not with me Roxy, I'm here alone. Look I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude but I can't stop right now."

He walked away quickly not looking back. Roxy called after him,

"Say hi to Christian for me won't you?"

At the mention of Christian's name, Syed felt sick His body instantly ached for him, but his thoughts were still full of the voices of condemnation.

He had barely slept for two nights and was not in a good state. He had phoned Shabnam's mobile and he knew his mother was now home from the hospital, but Shabnam had asked him not to come as she felt it would upset everyone. He came anyway but didn't go to the house, sleeping in another dingy bed and breakfast. He didn't know where to turn. He had wandered along the high street that first morning back in Walford like a man lost. His mind was in turmoil and the lack of sleep wasn't helping. He felt unclean. He sat on a bench and put his head in his hands. He felt like an outsider. He was no longer part of his family. God had turned his back on him. He knew if he was honest, that Islam wholly condemned him. That there was really no other interpretation; Islam clearly stated that homosexuality was one of the worst sins, punishable by death. It was seen as the road to endless torment of the soul.

Syed felt as if he had entered that torment from the minute he had met Christian. Until Christian, he had had feelings and sometimes he had acted upon them, but he had asked for forgiveness and told himself each time that it wouldn't happen again. Christian was different. His feelings for Christian consumed him. Christian had entered his mind and heart in a way no other person, man or woman ever had. He remembered a line he had read in a text condemning homosexuality on the internet. He had been reading site after site trying to find anything that could support him. Anything that might help him understand the nature of the love he felt. He needed something to help him find the strength to stand by the truth of his feelings. What he and Christian shared had the quality of something beautiful and precious, why was it so sinful? He found neither support nor understanding. Nothing that gave him peace. Only condemnation and revulsion. The line had read, 'the sperm of his partner takes over his heart and soul as poison takes over the body." He felt poisoned. He felt as if he couldn't make any decisions any more, that he needed help, but had no idea where he could go or who might listen. He stayed in the bed and breakfast for six nights and barely slept any of them, punishing himself by virtually not eating and obsessively thinking about what he believed he had done to his family.

Waking up on his seventh day in Walford, he decided to go to Mosque. He would pray for help. He would keep praying until that help came. He would turn to God. Only God could help him... He washed properly for the first time that week, shaved carefully and put on fresh clothes. Leaving the bed and breakfast he walked quickly, with purpose, one thought in his mind.

Qadim was coming out of the tailors and saw him crossing the street. Making a quick phone call he followed Syed, making sure he was not seen. Syed barely noticed his surroundings. He had only one purpose, to meet with God. Within minutes, a silver BMW with blacked out windows pulled into the main street. Driving past Syed, it pulled up a few hundred yards ahead. As Syed reached the side of the car the back and front doors opened and two men got out and began to walk either side of him. One of the men moved in right next to him and Syed felt something hard push into his back

"If you call out I'll fucking kill you."

"What?!"

"That's a gun in your back, so you stay calm and you won't get hurt – my friend would like a little talk with you so keep walking. In a minute, a car will pull up and we will get in it okay? If you pull anything I'll kill you. That's a promise."

Syed felt his body go into panic. He'd had so little food or sleep the whole thing seemed completely surreal. He could barely take in what was happening and before he knew it, the car pulled up and he was in the back seat. The guy with the gun now held it openly at his head.

"So Syed!" said a voice from the front of the car.

"Mr Shah!" Syed recognized Qadim's voice instantly.

"You know Syed I always knew there was something not quite right about you. Now I know just how right I was. My instincts never fail. I have met many types of men in my life Syed and I had my suspicions from the moment I set eyes on you. Amira is not feeling so good by the way. That girl loved you. Too bad for you. As far as I am concerned Syed, she had a lucky escape. Sadly for you she feels different. She is very upset. You hurt her. You must have lied to her very convincingly. I don't take that lightly Syed. I only have one daughter. In this country it is against the law to do what I would like to do to you to make you understand just how filthy you are. It's a shame because there are other places where I would be applauded for doing God's work. We are here though and I would spend my life in prison and after one visit, frankly I'm not keen to repeat. So what to do? Maybe I could hire my friends here to do the job for me?"

Syed moved and began to speak but the gun was pushed against his skull and the man holding it looked him in the eye and he saw the intent.

"What do you think Syed? What should I do? I can't just let it go. How about that lover of yours? Maybe we should find him first and talk with both of you? Perhaps we should pay him a visit?"

"No!" said Syed

"Such devotion!"

Qadim laughed and the three other men in the car laughed with him.

"It's a pity you didn't show that concern for my daughter. I don't know what to do with you Syed but I can tell you, I really want to hurt you and the filthy dog you've been lying with. How to do it without causing problems for myself?

He shook his head and looked down. After a minute he said,

"Give my friend there your mobile phone Syed."

"Look Mr Shah... "

Syed received a vicious punch to the ribs..

"The phone Syed."

Syed held it out and Qadim took it.

"Now let's call… Christian is it? Yes, lets call Christian and see what he would do to save his filthy loverboy."

"Mr Shah I…"

Another vicious punch split Syed's lip and he felt like he'd got whiplash.

"Syed the rule is, I do the talking and you only speak if I ask you to."

Qadim scrolled through Syed's contacts until he came to Christian's name. Syed's heart was beating and he felt desperate to stop what was happening. He was terrified that Christian might be hurt. Then Qadim was talking and Syed was beside himself. He couldn't collect his thoughts and the gun was pushed viciously against his head again and its owner shook his head and put his finger to his lips.

"Ah hello I wonder, is that Christian I'm speaking to? Ah good. I have a little problem Christian. I have a friend of yours here who is in a spot of bother. Maybe you know him…Syed? No, don't worry he's not hurt, well not yet- Look I'm going to get straight to the point. If you want to see him alive again, you don't talk to any one and I promise you, one whiff of the police and you'll regret it. You don't need to know me Christian , not yet. You come to Crook lane, near Whitechapel Corner and you meet me at the Odeon cinema, tomorrow evening at ten thirty. I promise I won't hurt him, unless of course he does something stupid."

Syed suddenly started shouting.

"Christian no! Don't come! Christian no!"

The blows to his head from the butt of the gun knocked him unconscious.

"Like I said I won't lay a finger on him. We've just had to ask him to be quiet. Just be there. It is not money I want Christian – I'd just like to talk to the two of you together. A little proposition I'd like to make… No police... No one else. I'll see you then…"