Captured: The Sheik's Bride Ch. 06

Two weeks passed before Leanna got the courage to try and escape. Finally she asked Khadeem if she could go visit the town and go shopping. He agreed, but insisted Ella and two body guards accompany her. She wasn't going to complain, she was just going to have to find out a way to disappear and get to the airport.

When they left to go shopping she was a bundle of nerves. She needed to get back home and fast; she was starting to like this place and her husband to much. Granted, she was happy that he had bought her instead of some other men so she could complete their harem. She knew she could easily love Khadeem, and that thought scared her witless, she wasn't going to risk loving this man, he had way to much power, and she knew he would eventually tire of her, and when he did, she knew she would be heartbroken.

With these thoughts racing through her head as they toured the town Leanna tried to keep herself calm, tried to think of a way to escape. A plan formed in her mind while they were weaving between the booths and tents. All she needed to do was get behind the booths to get out of sight, then walk down the alley behind the booths and get a ride from the street at the end of the alley.

She decided her best course would be to go to the bathroom. So she went, leaving the guards and Ella standing at a booth nearby waiting for her. She couldn't have had any better luck. She entered the bathroom and waited a minute before she peeked out. Their backs were turned. Breathing a sigh of relief she slowly crept behind one of the tent booths. She quickened her pace and practically ran down the alley. When she got to the end of the alley she was lucky enough to find someone emerging from a taxi. She got in and gave the driver her destination. As the town passed by she finally was able to breathe. She couldn't believe her luck. Now all she had to do was get to the airport and on a plane home.

When the airport came into sight she got out the money Khadeem had given her to go shopping. She paid the driver and exited the car. She approached the desk and inquired after the next flight back to the east coast of the United States. The next flight they had with available tickets was in two hours. Resigned to waiting she ordered a drink and sat down. The minutes seemed to take forever to tick by, but finally it was time to get in line. Pulling out her passport that she had found had been given to Khadeem she waited in line.

Twenty minutes later she was on the plane. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. Her nerves were stretched thin, she was waiting for Khadeem to appear at any moment and drag her back to the palace. Slowly the plane left the runway and she could breathe again. She refused to examine the reason why she hadn't just e-mailed her family, she wasn't willing to admit that she wanted to prolong her stay here, refused to think that somehow she would miss this place, and more importantly...her husband.

---- Khadeem was frantic. She had escaped, somehow she had gotten out of Ella and his guards sight and slipped away. He had everyone out on the look for her, himself included. Somehow he knew she would go to the airport, and he was right. She had taken a flight out to the United States, headed for Newark Airport in NJ. He called his people off of the search, and gave the pilot to his private jet the heads up; they were leaving in three hours for the United States.

He went back to the palace and packed. His two bodyguards and Ella would accompany him. Finally they were headed back to the airport and quickly boarded his plane. Khadeem couldn't sit, he found himself getting up and pacing. He went into the cockpit and traded places with his pilot and drove the jet himself. Six hours later they landed in Newark, four hours behind Leanna's plane.

Though he wanted to immediately start searching for his wife he knew he couldn't, it was two in the morning, searching would have to wait until tomorrow. Resigned, Khadeem paced the hotel room he had arranged to stay at. He couldn't sleep until he had his wife back where she belonged, by his side.

---- She was home. Leanna marveled at the fact that her plan had worked. As she drove towards her home in NJ in the car she rented she kept thanking god that she had gotten away. She was just liking it there way to much. She didn't know why Khadeem had wanted to buy her, let alone marry her. She had never considered herself attractive, in middle school and high school she hadn't once had a date. Not that she found it surprising; she'd had acne for the duration of her school years, though it had finally cleared up when she turned twenty. Sure she'd had plenty of crushes, but never once had one of the boys she'd liked returned her feelings. A few times she'd asked someone out, but after being rejected so many times she just gave up and bore her crushes in silence.

She had hated school; most people made fun of her because of her acne, or didn't want to be associated with her because of it. Though she did have friends she never really got close to any of them bar Callie, she was just as horse crazy as Leanna. They had met at a local horse show when they were sixteen and had contacted each other a few times over the years. They really became close when Callie had moved up to New Jersey to escape her abusive father. They had gone to the same college and rode at the same barn. Both girls were extremely insecure, Callie had had the same skin problems as Leanna and they both found comfort in the fact that they weren't alone.

Even though Callie was a great friend Leanna was still miserable. Sometimes she just wanted to cry when she saw couples together holding hands or kissing, wondering why she couldn't have anyone like that. All she wanted was to be loved for who she was. She had given up that dream after college when she still had no dates, burying herself in her work with the horses, desperately keeping the loneliness at bay, though not very successfully. Many nights she had gone home and locked herself in her room and cried for hours on end, asking God why she couldn't find someone to love her, begging Him for someone.

Then she had gone to Zariff and was captured and sold to Khadeem. Though she had hated the thought of being enslaved, was furious of the thought, Khadeem had taken the wind out of her sails by marrying her. Albeit she hadn't wanted to have anything to do with him, during the two weeks that the wedding was being prepared she found her animosity disappearing. Call her weak, she didn't care. Khadeem had actually seemed to find her attractive and she had soaked it up like a flower does a spring rain. Despite what had happened she wouldn't trade those feverish nights for anything, she doubted she'd ever have anymore, so she would just have to live on memories.

Coming out of her reverie Leanna realized she was close to home. Another five minutes of driving and she was sitting in her driveway wondering what to tell her family, she had been gone for three weeks longer than she was supposed to be, and knew her family would be worried about her.

As she stepped out of the car she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned towards the barn where she saw her oldest brother Kade striding towards her.

"Where have you been? We've been worried sick." He demanded.

She smiled faintly, she was the baby of the family, and the only girl to boot, all three of her brothers were extremely protective of her and she knew they would be going crazy not knowing where she was.

"I decided to stay for a couple more weeks," she said simply. She wondered why she didn't tell him the truth but wasn't going to examine the thought at the moment.

"Well, you could have at least told us you were staying longer, everyone has been worried sick wondering where you were, Moms been crying every night wondering where you were." He said shortly.

Before she could respond she heard the screen door to the house slam shut and found herself engulfed in her mothers embrace. She had needed this; Leanna found herself clinging to her mother letting all her fears slip away. She started sobbing; part relief for being home, part sadness for leaving behind the one man who had found her desirable, God must just hate her.

"Evie, why did you just run out of here like the hounds of hell were-"

Leanna looked up and her teary eyes saw her father striding quickly towards her. Her mother let her go and wiped away her own tears while Leanna was once again engulfed in a hug. She buried her face in her fathers chest sobbing like a lost child; now that she had started she couldn't seem to stop. Her father picked her up and carried her into the house, her mother and Kade following close behind him. Setting her down gently on the couch he got a tissue and handed it to her. Mumbling a thank you she blew her nose and tried to compose herself. Finally when she though she had a decent control over her emotions and looked up to find that her other two brothers had joined the rest of the family. Her two other brothers Sebastian and Daniel, better known as Devil and Demon were both talking at once, giving her the same lecture she had gotten from Kade.

It was to much, she started crying again.

"Enough," her father said and picked her up. "You need to rest for awhile, it looks like you haven't been sleeping well."

With that he carried her up the stairs and put her down gently on her bed. He turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand.

"Da-dad, could you or mom stay with me?" She pleaded.

"I will," her mother stated from the doorway.

Her father nodded and with one last hard hug he left her bedroom.

"Why don't you get changed into something more comfortable dear."

Leanna nodded and grabbed some night clothes out of her drawers. She changed out of her jeans and shirt, glad that she had thought to get some normal clothes before she faced her family, and changed into a large shirt and sweats. She walked back into the bedroom and let her mother tuck her into bed. She was given a glass of water and some pills, to help her sleep. Her mother sat on the bed with her stroking her hair keeping a constant eye on her daughter like she expected her to disappear if she looked away.

Slowly Leanna calmed down enough to yawn. Sighing she burrowed under the covers, and ignoring the feeling that the bed felt empty without Khadeem in it, fell asleep.