Payback - John Hayes Series 06 (2020), стр. 29

“But what gives them the right to take women as slaves, to rape them? Some of them are only twelve or thirteen years old.”

“They are a gift from God.” Naeem sighed. “It is written. Allah, subhanahu wa-ta’ala says so. ‘Successful are the believers who guard their chastity, except from their wives or that their right hands possess, for then they are free from blame.’ We possess them, so it’s allowed.”

“And you believe this?” Mia’s voice rose.

“Quiet.” Naeem glared at her. “It’s in the book.”

“What has happened to you, Naeem? This is not the Islam you taught me. What happened to loving all, to doing good? The book also says, ‘Do good; indeed, Allah, peace be upon him, loves the doers of good.’ What about that? And the Prophet, peace be upon him, himself said, ‘A man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world.’ Do you really think keeping young girls as slaves is doing good?”

Mia could see a vein pulsing in Naeem’s neck as he glared at her.

“We are doing good. By expelling the kuffaar from this land. These...”—he jerked his head toward the Yazidi women—“are our reward.”

“Is that what I am to you? A reward?”

“No.” Naeem looked away. He glanced around the room again, at the men resting on one side, the women huddled to gather on the other. “You are the mother of my daughter.”

“And if I didn’t have a daughter?”

Naeem didn’t answer, his eyes back on Malak’s face, rocking her gently.

Mia sank back into angry silence. She couldn’t believe how much Naeem had changed. He was so different when they met back in Australia. It seemed unreal as if she had imagined the entire thing. She again searched her heart for any trace of the love she held before, but it wasn’t there. She was used to him, and she relied on him to keep her safe, but love? No way. She had to leave him. Thank Allah for Uncle Steve. She couldn’t stay in a relationship like this or live in a place where human life was considered worthless if you dared to believe in something else. Uncle Steve. Oh no!

She looked at her watch again, and her heart sank. In all the activity of the fighters arriving, she had forgotten about Steve’s call. It was well past the time when she was supposed to have turned the phone on.

“Naeem,” she whispered.

He looked up from Malak.

“Uncle Steve was supposed to call. But...” Her eyes darted around the room. “I can’t turn the phone on.”

Naeem widened his eyes in warning and shook his head. “No, don’t let anyone find out about the phone. Especially Abu Mujahid.” He chewed his lip. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”

Naeem flinched at a sound behind him. He turned to see a fighter standing up. The man stretched, then walked over to the women. He looked down on them for a moment, then reached out his hand and grabbed one of the girls. Mia searched for her name; Nour, she was seventeen. He pulled her away from the others and dragged her to her feet. She didn’t make a sound, didn’t fight back, just allowed herself to be pulled along like a rag doll. He pushed her out the door and upstairs, to a chorus of jibes and sniggers from the other men.

Mia shuddered. Whatever she now thought of Naeem, at least he had kept her protected from this sort of thing.

“Why can’t we be alone again? Like before. Why are these men here?”

“Keep your voice down.” Naeem shot her an angry look, looking over his shoulder to make sure no-one had heard. Looking back at Mia, he continued, “It’s not like before... we are...” He lowered his voice. “Losing. The Russians are coming. We all have to stick together now.”

“What do you mean losing?”

“Why do you think we have to run in the middle of the night? Almost all the territory we won has been taken back by the government forces and the Russians.” He looked down at the baby in his arms and whispered, “Soon, we will have nowhere to go.”

“Then what will happen to us?”

Naeem didn’t answer at first. When he spoke, it was a whisper, “That is why we have to leave.”

Mia watched him as he stared at Malak. The sooner Uncle Steve came and got them, the better.

They stayed like that, both watching Malak sleep as one by one, the men stood and took a woman from the room, only to return a short while later, their smiling faces in complete contrast with the downcast, shamed looks of the women. The women took it without complaint, without protest, like zombies, retreating into themselves.

The only one who didn’t partake was Abu Mujahid. He sat cradling his now clean AKM in his lap, and every time Mia looked up, she could feel his eyes boring into her as if he was waiting to pounce.