Captured Hearts Book 1 in the Heart Series - Wattys 2015 Winner

Chapter 24

"Please tell me why I have neither Jenna, Muhsin, and no one knows where Omar is? Are all of the men I have working for me idiots!?" Jamaal exclaimed, taking an angry drag from the lit cigarette in his hand.

"Hey, I did my job, I gunned the bodyguard." Louis said from where he sat on the couch and Jamaal shot him an agitated glance.

"And he lived!"

Louis shrugged.

"Not my fault Hud's sister was a doctor. He should have warned us."

As all eyes turned towards him he resisted the urge to run away. Jamaal had called an emergency meeting, and he had managed to slip away under the pretense of going to the grocery store. He couldn't stay long, as now everyone was expecting him to return with ice cream.

"Well red snake," Jamaal said sarcastically as he put out his cigarette, and the other men snickered. "You're the one who has full on access, yet you are not really being much help. Do you know where Omar is?"

Lie.

"No."

Jamaal kicked the table in front of him.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed. "Hudayfah must be hiding him somewhere." Jamaal turned his gaze back towards him. "Find him. How is Jenna doing?"

He swallowed deeply.

"She's fine."

Jamaal smiled slightly.

"She will be more than fine once I have her." He lit another cigarette, and blew a ring into the air. "Hudayfah doesn't deserve her. Just the thought that he gets to touch her and hold her makes me sick! She needs a real man. I want her. Now." He stood up, and began to pace back and forth across the room. "Today is the launch of Hudayfah's new product, they are having a big party tonight, and I assume he is taking her?"

He nodded.

"I think so."

"You want us to grab her boss?" Issam, one of the other men asked, and Jamaal shook his head.

"Oh no. I have a plan for her. But I don't want Hudayfah to have a good time tonight." He gave a slightly sinister smile. "Some of you are going to crash this party, and cause chaos."

His heart began to pound in his chest.

No! They couldn't do this to Hudayfah!

"Why do you hate Hudayfah so much? Just because he is married to Jenna?" he asked, and Jamaal took a few steps until he was practically in his face.

"That's one reason." He blew out a stream of smoke into his face, causing him to choke, and his eyes to water and burn. "But he was also once the best friend I ever had."

***

"It is a wonderful honor today for me to introduce this great man. It is not often that we get him here in New York, and I confess to freaking out just a little bit when I was told he was attending tonight's festivities." The room laughed. "Let's give a round of applause for Hudayfah Sulayman!"

The room erupted into cheers as Hudayfah let go of Jenna's hand and walked up to the podium. They had just arrived at the banquet hall, and so far Jenna was feeling overwhelmed. People everywhere were taking their pictures, pausing to ask Hudayfah questions and for quotes. She hadn't realized it before, but her husband was famous! She couldn't help but think of how handsome he looked up there as he stepped up to the microphone, and she felt the butterflies return.

"Welcome! Welcome to all of you! On behalf of myself and my new bride, I thank each and every one of you for coming tonight!" his said, his deep voice booming over the room.