“He said, ‘I’ve seen pictures of the Jihan, sir, and she doesn’t appear to have sails.’” Malik laughed, then added, “He loves what he does. I respect that.”

Jenna felt a little better. One thing, at least, was working out. And it was a hopeful sign, too, that Malik and Laila were acting like father and daughter again. Not so long ago, Laila had hated Malik—as Karim now seemed to hate Jenna.

O

Brad was in for the weekend as always, flying from Boston late Friday, returning late Sunday. In his quiet way, he had made acquaintances among the guards and police and did little things that made imprisonment a bit less onerous for Jenna and the others—for example, the chocolate cake that mysteriously materialized on Latronia’s birthday.

Characteristically, he was more restrained than Malik in analyzing the Karim situation. “We knew it would be tough when we took this route. Karim was in a difficult, rebellious phase to begin with. It may get worse before it gets better—but it will get better. It’s just going to take time. What we need to prepare ourselves for is the possibility that it may take a lot of time.”

It was true, Jenna knew, but it wasn’t enough. Even Brad’s, “I love you,” as he rose to go wasn’t enough—not here, not across a table in this harsh, sterile place, under cold fluorescent lights and the eyes of the guards. What she needed was his strong, gentle touch, his arms around her, his words whispered against her skin.

And she needed her son.

She was counting on Toni. Toni would know how to handle Karim. Hadn’t she been through something equally tough, maybe even tougher, with her own sons? And Jabr. Jabr was like a force of nature. Together, they would bring Karim back to her.

O

One look at Toni’s face told Jenna that she had been dreaming again, foolishly dreaming.

“What happened?”

“We found him. That’s the good news. It wasn’t hard. He was crashing at Josh Chandler’s apartment, sleeping on the couch, that kind of thing. Strictly temporary.”

Obviously, Josh had moved out of the Chandler house, but Jenna couldn’t think about that. “You saw him? You talked with him?”

“Oh, sure. That’s kind of the bad news. He let us in, very polite, but he didn’t want to hear anything we had to say. He told us he’d made his plans and didn’t intend to change them.”

“What plans?”

Toni looked straight at her, breaking the news. “Jenna, he says he’s going to al-Remal—permanently. He’s just waiting for the paperwork to go through, some confusion over his legal identity. Supposedly, some of his relatives—his father’s people—are taking care of it. He said it wouldn’t be more than a few days.”

A few days. Her son would be lost to her in a few days.