Part 43 (1/2)

s.h.i.+t. Am I that easy to read now?

”I wanted to do this.” Haris ran his finger across Tyler's mouth. ”I don't care that you can't do it back. When you're a famous rock star, I'll expect the latest Rolex and to be flown to Paris for the weekend.”

Tyler smiled.

”There's one more present.” Haris reached behind him and pulled out a flat rectangle.

Tyler sat up and took it. It felt like a picture frame. He ripped it open, a.s.suming it would be one of him or him and Haris, but the breath froze in his lungs as he looked at the photographs. Four in a line. His brother, his sister, his mother and then him. Tears sprang into his eyes. ”How?” he choked out.

”I contacted your school to get the photos of your brother and sister and you. The one of your mother I had from the newspaper.”

”I can't... It's... Thank you,” Tyler whispered.

”You're welcome.”

Tears welled as he looked at his family and he swallowed hard.

”Think we deserve some champagne?” Haris asked. ”Bucks Fizz, at least.”

”Bucks Fizz sounds good. We can use that bottle of Cristal. I'll go and open it.”

Tyler fled laughing as Haris raced after him. ”Touch that bottle and I'll shave off your eyebrows when you're asleep.”

The day was almost perfect, Tyler thought. He wished Haris hadn't bought the watch. How would he ever dare wear it? It had to have cost thousands. That was the problem. Plus the skiing and the trip to New York. Tyler felt as if he was being bought all over again. Haris had already bought him for four months and while Tyler wouldn't take the money now even if it had been offered, he still wanted to give back the twenty thousand Haris had paid at auction, plus the ten he'd put in his bank account. The rock star dream was exactly that, a fantasy. The reality was it would take Tyler a lifetime working some crummy job to repay the money.

What he'd secretly hoped for this Christmas was the contract ripped in half. But that hadn't happened. He'd also hoped for the words 'I love you' wrapped in a parcel. But that hadn't happened either.

He'd wait until the contract was up. But what would he do if the words never came?

Later that afternoon, Haris lay slouched on the sofa next to Tyler who was fast asleep. He suspected Wilson was asleep downstairs. He'd produced a fantastic Christmas dinner and they'd all eaten too much, including Alcide who'd been fed bits of turkey under the table by all three of them. Tyler had insisted Wilson join them for the meal, and Haris felt bad about the times he'd disappeared with his plate into the living room without even thinking what Wilson might be doing.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. When he saw who was calling, his heart dropped into his stomach. Haris extricated himself from Tyler's legs and took the phone into his study.

”h.e.l.lo,” he said. ”As-salam 'alayk.u.m.”

”Wa'alayk.u.m as-salam,” said his brother, Adil.

Please don't tell me father is dead. Not today.

”Do you have Skype?” Adil asked.

”Yes. Under Haris Evans.”

”I'll send you an invite to connect. Call me.” He cut the connection.

Haris opened his laptop and waited for it to come out of its dormant state. His call was answered almost immediately and then his father's face filled the screen.

”Happy Christmas, Haris.”

”You don't celebrate Christmas,” Haris blurted.

”No, but when your mother was alive we did, and I saw your tree.”

”How are you?”

”I have good days and bad days. This is a good day, especially since I've seen you.”

”How...” Haris's voice trailed off.

”Your brothers are in the other room. They'll talk to you in a moment. Tell me what you've done today.”

Haris saw his father's pleasure in hearing about the silly gifts they'd bought and he found himself telling him about the watch.

”I think I made a mistake. It was too expensive.”

”But the pleasure is also in giving. I hope you made it clear you didn't expect the gift to be reciprocated.”

”Of course.” But he hadn't, had he? He'd made some joke about Tyler buying him a Rolex when he was a rock star.

When his father grew tired, Malik took his place.

”Can you talk freely?” Haris asked.

”They're in the other room so you can say what you like.”

”If you'd wanted me dead, you should have done it yourself.”

Malik gave a short laugh. ”You're right, of course. You're always right, even though you've not even been here for half of my life. Imagine living with 'Your brother wouldn't have done that. Your brother would have seen that coming.' I thought you wouldn't see Ras.h.i.+d coming. This business is mine. I built it up. I won't-”

”Shut the f.u.c.k up, Malik. I'm a multimillionaire. I don't need more money. I have more than I can spend. But let father have this. The belief that he pa.s.ses his hard work to all his sons. Treat him with respect in his last days. Be there for him. Be there because I can't be.”

Malik exhaled. ”I'm sorry.”

”So you said. Words are cheap. I wish I could believe you, but you tried to kill me and someone dear to me, and Tyler's friend might easily have died. The police in the UK are not looking for you. They don't know your name, not from me, nor from Tyler. But you cost a man his life, just as I cost him his freedom. I can only imagine what it was like to spend so long in a Saudi jail. If I'd been more careful to give you the slip that day, none of this would have happened.”

”I wors.h.i.+pped you.”

”I know you did,” Haris said gently. ”But I am what I am. Let this be over between us.”

”Adil wants to talk to you.”

Haris chewed his lip. He could never trust Malik, but then he'd thought that since the day he understood what the word trust truly meant. If his brother could betray him, he could trust no one.

”Haris?”

Haris's eyes opened wide. It was like looking into his mother's face-her eyes.