The Libra Affair by Daco Read Free Book Online Page B

some money on the counter and quickly caught up with her. “Jordan,” he repeated as he rolled around in front of her and stared into her face.
    She quickly diverted her eyes down, playing the part of a woman taken aback by a male stranger who had inappropriately approached her.
    â€œI’m sorry,” he said to her. “I thought you were — ”
    She kept up the act and cringed as she drew away from him. The Roosari and prayer dress along with the brown eyes had thrown him, but she wondered for how long.
    Not ten seconds later, he called after her again. “Ma’am.”
    She had her answer — it hadn’t taken long for him to piece together something was amiss.
    When he caught up with her again, he said, “Can I ask you a question?”
    She tried to keep moving, maintaining the stride of an elderly woman. A group of Middle Eastern men at a coffee stand noticed them.
    â€œJust a — ”
    Ben stopped speaking all of a sudden.
    Not facing him, Jordan quickly made her way back to the waiting area where she took a seat between two couples. She knew he hadn’t given up, not yet. Not after she saw that look in his eyes; the determined expression he wore when working his science or fixing a failed appliance.
    If she’d just been able to get the passport. It had to be stashed inside his duffel bag, which meant she’d have to create a diversion to get inside it.
    A quieted voice spoke from behind her — one she recognized from between a set of sheets, one that had whispered to her at the height of her ecstasy. It was a voice that felt like her own; it was a voice that was a part of her. She only wished she’d had the courage to tell him exactly how she felt; she wished she could have.
    â€œI know it’s you,” Ben said to her.
    She felt her heart skip a beat.
How?
she thought. She glanced at the couples on each side of her. They were both engaged in conversation.
    â€œYou think I wouldn’t know you?” he said softly.
    His words danced all over her mind.
    â€œI’d know you anywhere,” he said.
    She was cornered. He wasn’t going to give up, not without giving it a good fight. She glanced over her shoulder; he was seated right behind her. “How?” she asked him.
    â€œScent.” The lone word flowed from his lips as though he had just kissed her.
    Jordan rose from her seat. She was back to square one: confront, divert, or eliminate. With the airliner now boarding, it was time for her to make a definitive move.
    Ben followed her as she led them away from the waiting area.
    When they reached the concourse intersection, she stopped and faced him. “Ben, I’m going to cut to the chase here. Do you have a ticket to Tehran?”
    â€œAs a matter of fact, I do.”
    â€œYou can’t get on that flight.”
    â€œWho are you, Jordan? And why are you dressed like that? You’re not Iranian, are you?”
    â€œActually I am an Iranian citizen,” she replied.
    He shook his head, not wanting to believe her.
    â€œI’m going home for a visit,” she added.
    â€œYou certainly don’t look Iranian to me,” he said in a serious tone, staring her dead in the eye, not blinking once.
    â€œLooks, well, looks can be deceiving,” she said to him and then repeated the same words to him in Farsi to prove her point.
    â€œYes, looks can definitely be deceiving. So answer me this — ” He paused. “Why the brown contact lenses?”
    â€œMen in my culture, they don’t believe women with blue eyes are virtuous,” she said. “We’re considered devils, inbred with Westerners. When I’m alone, it’s easier to travel this way.” She hoped he would buy the mumbo-jumbo.
    But he scoffed.
    And before he could challenge her on point, she turned the tables on him and put him on the spot. “Why are you following me? We broke up,