CHAPTER | TWENTY | ALIZA | POV

It had been five minutes since that look of fear had crossed Isa's eyes and walked out of the door. There was nothing I could do other than sit there and be strong for not just myself but him too; so I kept the tears in but silently prayed to Allah to keep him safe. 

Now I was huddled up in a ball on the couch thinking of endless scenarios that could happen tonight and none of them was something I liked. Isa wasn't going to be going through this alone though and I had already decided that, but I had to wait at least another twenty minutes before I could set out to find this old warehouse where everything would be happening tonight.

All in all I was sure there was going to be blood shed tonight, no matter whose it was, someone would be injured tonight. There could be the possibility where that wouldn't happen, but who am I kidding? The intense ticking of the clock brought me out of my thoughts and got me pacing back and forth between the two couches laid out. 

Something big was going to happen and Isa seriously expected me to stay here and wait for his arrival back home? That thought only angered me though as I stopped walking and sat back down with my legs crossed Indian style. Ten minutes had now successfully passed by but the other ten was still taking long to go by.

'And endure patiently, your patience is not but from Allah. (16:127)'. The verse rang through my head and surely enough the lack of patience that I had was now beginning to grow. Alas, I wish the nervousness would fade too but it also grew.

I knew though that it wasn't out of pity that I was feeling like this because for me to feel like this for anyone would mean that I truly loved them. Thinking back to our times together, I wish that I could have told Isa what he really meant to me. Not just saying 'I love you' but even more, like how I'm blessed to be married to such a man. 

These opportunities in life don't just come and go and they're never perfect either. I love a boy with a dark past and that past could either be completely forgotten about from this night forward or I could be losing the boy that I love. Those thoughts certainly didn't help me any further but as soon as I glanced towards the clock I could see that the minutes had passed by and it was safe for me to get out of this hotel room and go look for this warehouse they were at. 

Not bothering to mess about with finding my clothes, I just slipped on a hijab and my coat with shoes. I might be witnessing murder tonight; I doubt a Gucci dress would do the scene justice. 

The hotel was more or less silent when I got out the room but there was still people walking about when I got down to the lobby. Truthfully not many people glanced my way, which I was glad for but I needed to start asking directions sooner or later before I get myself lost in this city. 

"Aliza what are you doing out here?" I spun around to be met with Mohammed and mentally groaned. Of course Isa would have someone watching over me, why didn't I think of it before?

I took a deep breath and began, "Look Mohammed I really need to get to Isa okay? I know you're going to tell me to back inside or whatever but this is important! Imagine if you're wife was in this situation, I doubt you would just leave her there and know whether or not she would be coming back!" By now some tears had leaked out both because I needed Isa here with me and also to try and convince Mohammed to let me go. 

"I see your point. If he asks, say you knocked me out. I know you're capable of it anyway." He smiled slyly before leading to the way to what I presumed was the warehouse. 

"By the way, thanks for doing this. I owe you one." He simply laughed me off and continued keeping his pace, which I found hard to keep up with, and carried on walking. The night had a bad atmosphere surrounding it as if it knows something big, or rather bad, was going to be happening tonight. Our walk was silent but very long. 

I had urges to ask if he knew what would be happening tonight or if he knew anything about Alex either. Apart from Adam, Mohammed had been by Isa's side for a long time and I've noticed that ever since I joined the family. If there was anything going on with Isa then surely Mohammed was the one to go to for answers and whether he likes it or not, it will be out anyway. Suddenly my train of thoughts were gone as we came to a stop in front of a very creepy looking building - in other words, the warehouse. It was just like I expected it to be: tall, dangerous and somehow very dark. 

"How do you want to do this then?" I was taken back by his question because to be honest I hadn't even thought of what I was meant to be doing here. Just the thought of coming here and somehow helping Isa seemed right to me but now we need to come up with a plan. After several minutes of both of us being silent, an idea struck to mind and a creepy looking smile found it's way onto my face. 

"I've got it. Is there some kind of back entrance where we can get in and listen to what they're talking about?" I asked Mohammed hopefully. He had a thinking face on which I could partially see from the dim street lamp above us. 

"Yeah, follow me." So again we began walking, though this time we went past the warehouse completely but I didn't question him on this since he knew the way round here, not me. 

The street the warehouse is on was now behind us and we were now heading into a alleyway with countless homeless cats staring in our direction. It was wet and dirty but I didn't mind. The sooner we get out this alleyway though, the better. 

"Okay, we're going to have to climb over this fence right here, okay?" I had to squint my eyes a little to make out the wired fence just a little ahead of us. 

"How do you expect a pregnant woman to climb a fence?!" I hissed at him and resisted the urge to smack his arm for being so silly. He didn't seem fazed though, 

"By climbing this ladder and getting to the other side." His shoulders simply shrugged while I wondered how equipped this alleyway happened to be - first a fence to get right to the back of the warehouse and then a ladder to actually get over the fence. 

"Okay, well do you want to go first then?" I asked him, still whispering in the cold. 

"Nope. Its always been ladies first." I sighed but nonetheless took a step on the ladder that Mohammed was holding in place for me. As the steps got higher, I began getting a bit scared but if I wanted to help Isa then this was the way to do it. Pregnant and breaking in to building that looked like it just came out of the Exorsist. 

Finally I had reached the top of the ladder and seeing that there was a recycling dustbin just on the other side, I put my foot on top and carefully got to the other side and jumped down on to the floor. I was finally in to the other side and now had to wait patiently for Mohammed to get over the fence too. 

"Good job, now lets get going. Its getting colder." We both nodded at each other and almost tiptoed over to what I think was the back entrance. Before we got any further to it though, I could see two guards standing there protecting the door. We both stopped and hid behind another recycling box that was there. 

"What should we do?!" Mohammed almost sounded as if he was panicking which was strange seeing he had always been known for being calm. Now I wasn't a person for violence but seeing and empty glass bottle there lying on the floor gave me an idea. 

"May Allah forgive me. Okay here is what, we're going to have to get really close to those two men and this might or might not work considering I've seen it in the movies but we're going to smash their heads with that bottle okay?" Everything came out in a rush and all in one breath but it seemed as if he had understood what I had just said because he now had the empty  glass bottle in his hands. 

Again our nodding procedure and silently we began walking close to the two men without letting them see us. We were now on the wall, creeping up to the two men when I heard two groans and before I knew it, two bodies had fallen to the ground. I gasped when I saw that Mohammed had already done the job without me knowing. 

"How did you do that?!" I asked quite impressed as I saw him fumble around the mens pockets looking for the key to open the door.

He got up a second later with the key in his hand and faced me, "I took karate throughout middle school and they taught us how to sneak up on people." I actually was impressed and watched him open the metal door and slipped inside as soon as it was open. 

It was quite dark in here but there was enough light coming from somewhere that I could see where I was going. Behind me I could hear the footsteps of Mohammed walking behind me and I'm guessing he must have closed the door behind him before coming in. Voices became louder with every step I took and my heart sank when I heard the familiar voice of Isa speaking to someone. 

"Aliza stop here. We need to think what we're going to do." He was right, my idea only consisted of entering in the back way and listening to what they were talking about. But now we had to think of a way to actually get Isa out of there and as for Alex - well I think a jail cell would do him some wonders. Looking around me, a contraption above the room Alex and Isa was in caught my eye. 

"Dude, what was this place before it got closed down?" I asked with my eyes now scanning the rest of the surrounding to see that there were other machines here too. 

"It was a factory for making Barbie's." We both stifled a laugh at that but cautious of not getting caught I got up and began reading the poster that was on the walls which explained what the machines did. 

"Mohammed come here." Getting up, he walked over to where I was standing. "Look it says here that the machine above their heard is to shoot glitter out. And the ones just on the side to where they're standing shoots out some blinding chemical." 

Mohammed looked at me not knowing what I was talking about so talking a deep breath I began explaining to him. "If you can sneak over to the machine with the chemical and pull the leaver just when they're turned round then you can blind Alex. There's even a hose to point at him. While there's a massacre of shouting and everything I'll pull down the leaver for the glitter and it says here that it will stick to almost anything." I finished half explaining what to do and looked at him while he processed everything I just said to him. 

"Okay so I see where you're coming from but what are we going to do after that?" I had already thought about that part beforehand and this was the exciting part for me. 

"While Alex and his gang are being blinded by the chemical, I'll call the police and they should be here to take Alex." I inwardly smiled at myself for my plan and even though it wasn't the best, I had a feeling that it would work to an extent. 

"Damn, I knew Isa did a good thing by marrying you. Here's what, we'll call the police now and tell them the situation so they can cooperate." Thinking about it, I said yes and watched him dial the number for the police and whispered harshly at them. 

I was glad that no one had heard us yet or even found the two unconscious men outside lying on the floor. Mohammed signalled to me from the other side if the room and I mentally groaned at how sly he was when moving around and that he was already by the chemical machine. I moved a bit closer to the scene and lifted my hand up so Mohammed could see to wait for a while; I wanted to know what they were talking about. 

"Just let it go Alex. It was never my fault and you know it!" Isa was speaking through his teeth and had an expression that could literally kill someone right now. 

"That may be so, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay for ditching the gang. You know the punishment is death." I was now mad as ever and signalled to Mohammed to start up the machine.

In a matter of seconds screams were erupted and I smiled happily to myself that they were to be temporarily blinded and so I pulled the leaver and without fail, the laugh that erupted from my mouth was very loud indeed. The doors to the warehouse had also been somehow broken down and in came the police, rounding every one of Alex's gang members up.

The hiding place I was in didn't do justice to the scene that was happening before my eyes and so I got up and walked into the clearing where every one was. A lot of men were being handcuffed and cusses were being thrown to random people, but mostly Isa and the police that were trying to calm them down.

Isa looked as shocked as anyone else in the room and it was fair to say that he didn't expect anything like this to be happening tonight. Shaking my head, I went over to him and somehow that shocked expression intensified as he took in the fact that his pregnant wife was standing right there in front of him. I merely smiled at him and gave him a hug - I was just glad that he was okay. Alhamdulilah.

"Did you do this?" He asked as we broke from the hug and I sheepishly smiled and shrugged my shoulders at him. It was a little insulting to think that I would have just stayed home and not help him out.

"Excuse me Miss but we would like to thank you for calling us here. We've been trying to catch this man for over six years now and you've made our lives much easier." The police officer said to us and after all the questioning that took almost forever, we were free to go.

Mohammed had disappeared with the officers so now it was just me and Isa. I had noticed when it stroked midnight a few minutes ago that it was now my birthday and I was officially nineteen years old.

"That was brave of you to do that tonight Ali - but never again!" I didn't bother protesting because we would never have to do that again if the problem was now officially solved and luckily it actually was.

"I know, but how can you think I wouldn't have helped you tonight?" I asked with a smile. By now I was way tired about everything we had done and accomplished tonight. 

We broke into an old warehouse that used to manufacture Barbie's, (you may laugh) temporarily blinded over twenty men and poured glitter on them and landed them in jail cell's which hopefully they won't be able to get out of for a very long time. This was a little too much for a pregnant woman to handle especially on the morning of her birthday.

"Babe what happened to the pink promise we made about you not interfering? And I just didn't want you hurt okay?" He gave me a peck on my forehead and I couldn't have been happier to have been back in this hotel and just jump on the bed and sleep my heart out until I wanted to wake up.

"Sorry but you tend to forget those stuff when the love of your life might have gotten murdered tonight. Please forgive for wanting to save your life." I said in a sarcastic way and entered the empty elevator. I was currently holding back the yawn that was about to come out.

"The love of your life?" The humour was gone from his voice and he somewhat sounded surprised that I had just called him that.

The elevator dinged to a stop and I took hold of his hand and walked back to our apartment. "Yes, you happen to be the love of my life. At first when you asked for my hand in marriage I was a little tempted to say 'no' because I had no idea who you were and what kind of person you were. Then we got married and we got closer that we can almost hold our child in our arms. You proved yourself to be someone who I've always waited patiently for and I'm glad I did because even though we've gone through a heap of mess, I've seen that you'll always stick by us and if I said I love you more than anything or anyone else then that would be lying. That space is reserved for Allah but He's sent you down for me so that you can be someone I love just as equally."

The tears was now falling freely on my face and I had no idea what to do now, so instead I walked inside to the bedroom and curled up so that I was warm and away from Isa. A minute later though the door had opened and I was being pulled up from the position that I was in.

"Aliza if I could tell you how much I've began to love you then I wouldn't know where to start. Remember when I told you that someday I would have an answer to say why I married you? Well now I do and the reason seems pointless because when I first saw you at my sister's wedding, what captivated me was your sparkling green eyes. They were full of life and somehow I imagined that those eyes would help me through the toughest of times - and they did. My life was a complete mess before you came along and it wasn't even because of what happened in Venice. All my life everything was planned out for me and having you with me made me realise how it all added up to having you by my side." 

My breath was caught up in my throat but I managed to say something, "I love you Isa Jameel Ibne Ismael Ali and I'm never leaving you." I hugged the life out of him and heard him chuckle before saying the same back at me.

"Now go to sleep, I can tell you're tired and after what you just did you deserve some rest." I listened to him and fell asleep with his arm around my waist and that was the best feeling ever: knowing that the person you love, love's you back and is going to be there with you until you live.

***

My sides were being shaken by someone and even though I was tired out of my mind, I still obeyed and got up from bed while stretching and rubbing my now red eyes. I made a mental note to myself to never go to bed that late again because honestly, I felt sore and I just want to go back to bed.

"Don't even think about going back to bed. You need to blow out the candles first." That was the first time I looked over at Isa properly to see that in his hands he was holding a chocolate birthday cake with about nineteen candles on and it looked absolutely amazing and delicious.

The fact that it was my birthday had completely gone out of my brain and I was genuinely surprised that he had remembered.

"Do I have to?" I asked but still proceeded to blow out the candles on the cake which Isa laughed at. It took a while for all the candles to be completely blown out, but we got there in the end.

"Happy birthday and I know we shouldn't be celebrating, but I couldn't resist buying the cake for you." I was cutting the cake as he said that and rolling my eyes I said thank you and placed a piece of cake in his mouth for him to eat while he did the same to me.

"I hate having to rush you, but we're going home today and we gotta get to the airport in an hour." He smiled sheepishly and helped me up from the bed and helped me to gain my balance on the floor.

He left me to get changed as soon as I was okay and I began getting out my sweater and jeans and put them on. The hijab that I was wearing was now scattered on the bed and taking it in my hands, I secured it around my head before placing all my other item of clothing that I brought with me in the bag.

Isa had already packed his things by the looks of it and to be honest I was restless to be going back home. England was a great place and the things that had happened here has made our lives much easier, but I still yearned for the comfort of being back home in our house where we can be ourselves.

"Let's go then." I said to Isa and he smiled whilst finally leading the way home.

***

Asaalamalikum guys thank you for being so patient with me while I uploaded and Happy Holidays to everyone! I can officially say that they're problems are now over! Who's happy to know that?!

Dedicated to @BlissfulDream who's just started writing a book and oh my Allah! Go check it out :)

Have a Good Day and May God Bless You All.