Abigail – The Avenging Agent: The agent appears again Read Free Page B

tidily rolled shrouds that looked
as if they wound around a corpse but were empty.
    * * *
     
     
     
     

A i s h a
     
    “Hi, Abigail!” she
heard
                “Yes,
what?” she replied and turned around, and blushed when she realized that she
had forgotten again.
                “Oh, it’s
difficult to overcome the instinct and even harder to get used to my new name”
she declared when Barak approached her.  He embraced her shoulders and laughed,
saying:
                “Let’s agree that if it depended on me I would only let you err
one more time.”
                “Only one?”
                “Believe
me, that’s one time too many because out there, where it counts, you wouldn’t
even get a single chance.  Just one mistake could steal your fate.
                “Oh, I
know.”
                “No, we think you’re taking
this too lightly so, we’ve brought someone in to help you.”  He said and
stepped back.
     A curly-headed man
appeared from behind him.  The t-shirt he wore barely covered his broad chest
and revealed his powerful muscular arms. In spite of his solid body, there was
something gentle about him because his curls and the expression in his eyes
softened the physical impression he made.  As he drew closer, she expected to
hear him speak gently and was surprised by the subdued tones of his voice.
                “Hello, my name is Khalil
and I know that you’re called Rania.
    Abigail noticed his brown eyes and tried
to recall what was so familiar about their expression and suddenly remembered. 
He resembled Sharif, who had rescued her from captivity and died in the
operation to release her.  She would never forget that expression.
                “Mush mumkin!”
(It’s impossible!) Burst out of her mouth in Arabic and she saw it sparked a
reaction in the man’s eyes.
                “What is
your connection to Sharif?” She asked quietly.
                “I’m his
brother.”
                “What?!
Good God!  Why didn’t you say so?”
                “I didn’t
think it would matter to anyone.”
                “I don’t believe it!” she
cried out, hugged him then immediately withdrew in embarrassment and asked:
                “Did you
know who I am and what your brother, Sharif, did for me?”
                “Yes.”
                “Is that
why you’re here?”
                “That’s
almost right.”
                “Then why,
exactly?”
                “He contributed
in his way, and I contribute in mine.”
                “Wow!  Seeing but not
believing!” she said emotionally and was insulted when he announced:
    “Enough, we’re wasting time,” and
pushed her.  She fell flat on the floor and yelled:
    “Are you crazy?!”
    “No,” he said and stared down at
her.
    “I also don’t understand how you
managed till now,” he said in his deep bass voice.
    “Is that the way to fall?!”
    “You’re insane!”
    She got up and dusted off her
clothes.
                “Sharif would not be proud of you,” she
claimed, “he didn’t save us just to have us meet his idiot brother. What’s
more, he would never hit a woman.”
    Khalil laughed out loud and even appeared
to enjoy the situation.  At that moment, Barak approached them and saw how
angry Abigail was.
                “I see you’ve become
acquainted.  But that’s all for today.  You will meet again, same place,
tomorrow morning.”
                “That’s out of the question!” Abigail
sputtered.
    Barak turned from Abigail to Khalil.
 Then Khalil spoke in his deep voice:
    “Perhaps it is
unfortunate that I came today, but I know that Sharif would not have tried to
save people who weren’t intrinsically moral.  I’m certain of that.”
    “Who is