Giancarlo's point of contact arrived minutes before the sun displayed it wonderful array of colors in the early morning sky. There was a crisp chill in the air. He could see small clouds of smoke followed by the duo of camels trekking towards him. A man sat atop one of them. When they were within a few feet of the campsite he halted them and got down form the large beast.
He spoke in a foreign tongue and patted both camels on the head and they did not move from where he had left them. He wore the traditional Arabic desert wardrobe. He extended his arm and Giancarlo shook it and pulled him into a hug. Waleed had been one of his long time friends. They had bonded over the American stock trade and mechanical engineering.
How both of them had ended up in the north African desert at his moment was beyond them. Both were successful, and wealthy men in their own right. The desert called each man for a different reason.
"My friend. It is good to see you." He spoke in English. His accent was thick.
"Thank you, for doing this for me.Me and my fiancee' appreciate you helping us on such short notice." Giancarlo thanked Waleed.
"It is the least I can do. Technially, I owe you. You saved my ass a time or two at boarding school. I want to return the favor so my debt can be cleared." Waleed joked.
That statement had been true Both were foreign teen boys residing at a prodominantly British school. The future dukes and counts were anything but welcoming. Giancarlo could recall getting into a fight at least twice a week. 90% of those fights Waleed would be fighting alongside him, sometimes back to back. They fought and eventually earned those snobby royals approval, but he would never forget how it had toughened him and Waleed up in a way that bordered on abuse.
"I understand." Giancarlo reached into his pants pocket and pulled out keys and a roll of American one hundred dollar bills. He extended his hand, and Waleed took the items.
He continued, "The jeep has a full tank of gas. I will need you to secure a small apartment. Secluded. Can you do that for me?" He asked him.
"Yes. It may take a few days for the apartment, but yes,I can get it done." Waleed assured him.
"Sounds like a plan. We will be back in three days. We have a priest waiting for us over the dunes and into...." A monostary.
"Take my blessings with you, and may your marriage be filled with passion and love. I will plan a wedding party in you and your bride's honor. Come find me." Waleed smiled.
WIth those words he walked over to the jeep, got inside, started the engine and drove away. When he was a good distance away Giancarlo decided to re-start the campfire. They didn't have to rush at this moment.They had time. Not much, but enough not to rush.
Giancarlo had a sole mission on his mind. Marry Shawna and keep her away from that bastard. Waleed had given them a blessing of passion and marriage. The words brought a frown to his usually smooth, chiseled features. Shawna hated him, and that was putting it mildly. He had tried talking to her, but the fire in her eyes told him she was livid. He had pictured all of this going differently.
When the drugs had worn off and he saw the recognition dawn on her face. He could see the emotions at play. First, it was recognition. Recognition quickly turned to anger. Anger quickly turned to hate.
She hated him...still. After all this time. He had thought he was giving her space to calm down, but looking back on it now, the years of radio silence between them, without him reaching out or apologizing hadn't had the effect he initially thought it would, which was calm down the negativity in their connection and ultimately heal their issues. That old adage was failing him miserably at the moment. It would seem with time the wound had festered and made them both sick. Shawna refused to talk about what really happened between them.
Citing she could no longer recall because it had been so long ago and her newfound happiness overshadowed anything they would have had. That was her life without him in it. He couldn't deny he enjoy gagging her mouth once she started trying to talk about that bastard. Even if he hadn't already had it in for her almost husband, he still would have hated to hear her speak about any man the way she had spoke about him. She was his.
She had just forgot. He told himself. Everything would work, he reassured himself as he made himself busy stoking the small flame to a low fire. When he was satisfied with it he placed a wire grate over it. Atop that, he placed a small silver coffee pot.
It only took a few seconds for it to begin to steam. He poured himself a cup into a small mug. Blowing hard and fast over the hot coffee to cool it, seconds later Giancarlo took a sip of the coffee. The liquid alerting his senses and giving him a burst of energy only caffeine can. Yes, everything would be alright.
Shawna Awoke startled by a loud braying noise. She was almost certain it was not a Donkey. She tried to close her eyes and go back to the place where she was on her honeymoon with her new husband, not stranded in the desert.She was wide awake at that thought. This was real.
Shawna was still stranded here with Giancarlo. She had hoped she was dreaming, or having some type of mental break, but she felt the chill of the desert air through her tent walls. Shawna could not deny this was still her reality. She didn't want to wake up. She was so angry.
Why was Giancarlo doing this to her? Why was he punishing her? She had tried so hard to move on past their fling. Even when he had brought it up yesterday she had pretended she didn't remember. She knew that he knew she was lying.
Shawna didn't care. She was going to make him pay for this. She had decided on getting her revenge. She would wait for the right time. He wouldn't see it coming...