LIMITLESS

Chapter XXIX

Rayan ran for a while. She finally made it to a grocery a safe distance away from the motel. She saw a Somali lady pushing a cart.

"Auntie, can I please use your phone just for a few seconds?" she asked.

"Okay." the woman said as she took her cell phone out. Rayan quickly dialed the first number she could remember, which was her father's. He picked up on the first ring.

"Abo, I'm coming home." she said, even before saying hello.

"Rayan!" he yelled. The whole room gasped. They had assumed that the guys had killed Rayan too. "Oh my God, Rayan you're safe."

"Abo, I was set up." she said as she cried. "But I'm coming home, I have money and I'm going to take a plane."

"I want to talk to her!" she heard Asad yell. He grabbed the phone. "Rayan, are you safe?" he asked.

"I think so." she said. "I'll be home very soon. I just need to get to the airport."

"Would you rather me come and get you?"

"No, a plane would be much faster. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. I have to go now, bye." she said. "I'll call you again later." The woman listened to her conversation in confusion. "Auntie, how close is the nearest airport?"

"It's pretty far. Do you want me to take you?" she asked.

"Yes please. That would mean the world."

"Okay, we'll go as soon as I check out."  the woman said.
 
                                ...

Rayan bought a plane ticket with Liban's money and was back in Columbus within an hour. Asad, Samiya, Hani, her father, and even her mother all showed up to the airport to pick her up. Asad and her father bursted into tears as soon as they saw her. Nobody had ever seen Rayan that rough before. Her hair was a mess, she was still in the same clothes she left in, and her face looked exhausted. She quickly ran into both of their arms and cried. She cried because she thought she was never going to see them again. She cried because she was happy that she was finally safe again with her family. She ran to Hani, who was holding her baby, and hugged her too. She grabbed Samiya and held her in her arms, she had been yearning to do that since the moment that she stepped off of the plane. She looked over at her mother, and even though nobody told her, she knew exactly who she was. Despite her resentment, she still embraced her mother and kissed her on the cheek. But their happy moment was quickly interrupted by the voice of an officer.

"I'm going to need to ask you a few questions about the guys that kidnapped you. Would that be okay?" he asked.

                                  ...

One year later

Rayan's family caught her up on what happened the same night that she came home. She had yet to visit Omar in jail or contact him at all. After the police pieced everything together, Bayden was also arrested. But nothing happened to Ibrahim or the other guys that kidnapped her.

Rayan and her family assumed that Hakeem was in on it. Bayden and Omar told the police that Hakeem had created the plan with them. Rayan nor her family ever found out that he gave his life up in hopes of freeing Rayan.

Rayan was trying her best to form a relationship with her mother. She saw her as more of a friend than a mother. In Rayan's eyes, her father would always be her number one parent.

Hani and Rayan were best friends again. She never returned to the UAE and she spent a lot of her time at Rayan and Asad's place. Samiya loved her, also. Their friendship was back to normal and it felt nice to have a friend that she could have someone to trust, besides Asad, again.

Rayan and Asad's marriage was going well. They didn't talk about the month that Rayan was gone often. She never went into details about it, and he never pressured her. He told her that she would never have to tell him about anything that happened while she was gone. She sometimes felt the urge to tell him about Liban and the events in the motel room. But she decided it was best to hold her tongue. He was dead and gone, and she was relieved that she would never have to dig up that can of worms again.

Rayan, Asad, and Hani were all in the living room watching the news. Samiya was running around and making a lot of noise to the point that Asad couldn't hear what the reporting was saying.

"Sami, can you please quiet down?" he begged.

"No." she smiled and continued to run around. Rayan stood up and picked her up. She sat her on her lap in an attempt to calm her down. That's when they heard a knock at the door.

"Thay must be my dad." she said. "I'll get it."

"No, I got it." Asad said. "Just get her to quiet down." He stood up and opened the door. A man that he never saw before stood in front of him.

"Is Rayan here?" the guy asked.

"Who are you?" Asad asked. He moved out of the way so that the people in the living room could see him. "Rayan, do you know this guy?" he asked. Rayan looked up and almost dropped Samiya.

"Asad, close the door!" she screamed. But it was too late. Liban was already in the apartment. He slammed the door and stood in front of it with his gun out. Despite the confusion she was feeling, Rayan was terrified to her core.

"You never thought you'd see me again, huh?" he asked.