Rami leaned back in his chair, and put his feet up on Hudayfah's desk before taking a huge bite out of his ice cream cone.

"Are you seriously eating an ice cream cone?" Hudayfah asked in annoyance, and his friend grinned before extending his hand.

"Want a bite?"

"No I do not want a bite."

"Want a lick?"

"Come on Rami."

Rami grinned, and resumed eating his ice cream.

"So did you touch bases with the boys?"

Rami nodded.

"I got a hold of Hassan, Ramzy, and Faris. I couldn't reach Omar though."

Hudayfah frowned.

"How many times did you try?"

"Three."

His frown deepened.

"You think he is okay?"

Rami shrugged.

"I hope so."

Hudayfah stroked a hand over his beard thoughtfully before turning back to his computer.

"Now Mahmood and his people caught the men the second they stepped out of the airport."

Rami let out a low whistle.

"That's impressive. Was there trouble?"

"They put up a fight of course, but eventually Hamoudi and the others restrained them. Unfortunately they aren't talking."

"So we still don't know what they want?"

Hudayfah turned to look at his friend sharply.

"What do you think they want? He wants my wife!"

Rami winced.

"Does she know?"

"Of course not. And there will be no reason for her to ever know. We are going to put an end to this once and for all."

"What do you think they were going to do if you had gone to Egypt?"

Hudayfah raked a hand through his hair.

"I don't even want to think about it. They probably would have kidnapped her, or worse."

Rami winced again.

"Poor Jen."

"Did you just call her Jen?"

Rami grinned.

"Yeah. I like it."

Hudayfah stared at him for a few seconds before smiling slightly.

"I do too." He said with a shake of his head. "Now we know what he wants, but we don't know what he will do to get it, nor do we know what it will take to stop him. And that's what scares me."

"You think you can pay him off?"

"I don't know. I finished paying what Muhsin owes but as you know the conditions in the first place didn't just include money so in his eyes, Muhsin still owes him."

"He wouldn't dare touch them while you are married to Jenna."

Hudayfah shrugged.

"He is getting desperate. I don't know what he would dare to do."

Rami sighed, and popped the last of the cone in his mouth.

"We will have to increase security at their house."

"We already have four men living across the street. Any more, and it will raise suspicion." Hudayfah said before letting out a large yawn.

Rami grinned largely.

"Tired Hud? Guess its been a good honeymoon." He said teasingly, and Hudayfah glared at him.

"Shut up. She keeps me up all night with these bad dreams of hers. I don't mind comforting her but I wish I could stop them once and for all."

"Oh that reminds me, I found out why she is having them." He grinned sheepishly as Hudayfah glared at him.

"And you didn't see fit to tell me earlier!?"

"Sorry I was otherwise occupied protecting you and your wife from stalker killers!"

Hudayfah waved a hand in the air, before suppressing another yawn.

"Sorry. Why is she having them?"

Rami put his feet down, and leaned forward as if it was a big secret.

"When she was thirteen she witnessed her uncle get killed."

Hudayfah's jaw dropped.

"What!?"

Rami nodded.

"Yeah it was a huge thing. Her mom's brother was involved in some shady stuff, and apparently he ended up biting off more than he could chew. He ratted out the leader of the little group, and the guy not only got arrested but got the death penalty. That didn't go over well with his men, and Jenna's uncle fled his city, thinking he was safe with Jenna's family, but the men followed him and one day attacked him. Jenna was the only one there at the time, and saw them blow her uncle's head clean off."

"Ya Allah!" Hudayfah exclaimed, feeling his heart go out to his wife. No wonder she woke up screaming, to be a witness to such a horrific thing!

"It gets worse," Rami added, "as she was the only one there when the cops showed up, they badgered her for months on end and she was so traumatized that she stopped talking."

"What do you mean stopped talking?"

"Like literally stopped talking. According to her shrink records she stopped talking for almost a year."

"How did you get access to her shrink records?" Hudayfah asked with a raised eyebrow, and Rami grinned.

"He you told me to do what I had to do to find out! Anyways, once she stopped talking, the cops ruled her as mentally unstable."

"Ya Allah." Hudayfah muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Why did they make her see a shrink?"

"Wouldn't you need to see someone? Apparently these dreams started taking over her every waking moment, and combine it with her not talking, and the horror of what she had experienced, and it would have practically been neglect not to send her to someone!"

Hudayfah nodded, deep in thought.

"You know what worries me, is that Muhsin might be in deeper than we thought. If his Uncle could get in such trouble that he got himself killed, it doesn't seem like Muhsin is far behind."

"Especially with how many times you've had to save him." Rami said with a snort, and Hudayfah sighed.

"Maybe we need to keep tabs on him."

"You aren't already?" Rami asked in surprise, and Hudayfah shook his head.

"Jenna and the rest of her family have been my main concern. That little punk is pretty low on my list."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We need to get to Jamaal. I don't want to play his games anymore with him sending his men at us. I want to have a face to face talk with him to hash things out." He turned back to his screen, studying the updates his men had sent him, when there was a soft knock at the door, and he quickly shut off the screen.

"Come in." he called, and as Jenna's head poked around the corner, he felt his heart speed up like it usually did when she was around. It had been a few days since their little talk, and thing were a little bit better between them. She let him hug her in the morning when Rami ate breakfast with them, and they did hold hands when they went out, though so far they had only gone to the grocery store.

It wasn't as much as he would have liked, but it was a start!

"Salaam boys." She said with a smile.

"Walaikumasalaam Jenna. What can I do for you?" Hudayfah asked, and she smiled prettily as she stepped closer to his desk.

"Dinner is ready." She said, and he smiled.

"Aw JazakallahuKhairan. It smells wonderful." He said kissing her hand and she blushed slightly. It was a sight Hudayfah never tired of.

"I'll give you two a minute and go wash up." Rami said with a grin, and once he had left Jenna turned to Hudayfah, smiling shyly.

"I was wondering if it would be okay if we went out tomorrow."

He looked at her in surprise, before nodding.

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

She shrugged slightly.

"Dinner and a movie maybe?"

He smiled mischievously.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

She laughed, blushing slightly.

"I guess I am."

"Well I accept. Thank you for asking! Just let me know which movie you want to see, and what time it starts, and we can do dinner either before or after."

She smiled, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Are you one of those macho men who flinch at the words romantic comedy?"

He laughed loudly, and she smiled to hear it.

"Whatever you want to watch, I will watch with you."

She smiled again.

"Are you going to come eat?"

He shut off his computer and stood, extending his hand towards her. She look at it for a moment before taking it, and he felt the familiar thrill of her touch flood through him.

*** Rami tugged his hood over his face, shoved his hands in his pockets, closed the door and began to walk down the sidewalk. It was a windy day and looked like rain, but he didn't mind too much. He was on a mission and needed to be able to slip in and out of crowds easily, so taking a car would be out of the question. Especially one of Hudayfah's cars which were flashy and expensive, and would draw attention for sure.

As he waited at the crosswalk with about a hundred other people, his eyes roved around his surroundings anxiously. It wouldn't be too long before they figured out where Hudayfah lived, and he needed to scope out the area and fast. He crossed to the other side of the street, and as he took a seat at a nearby café that afforded him the perfect view of the street in front of Hudayfah's building, he ordered a coffee and a breakfast Panini with a blueberry muffin. Jenna had made chocolate chip pancakes, turkey bacon, and eggs and it had been hard for Rami to drag himself out of the house before eating, but he needed to get a move on. Plus he felt kind of weird around the newlyweds. He knew that they were trying, but it was obvious they still were awkward around each other and he felt like a burden, even though it was Hudayfah's fault for not telling her. He had tried to tell Hudayfah to just give it up but he was being stubborn. He wanted Jenna to love him so badly, that it made Rami's heart hurt on behalf of his friend.

It didn't seem like she would be coming around anytime soon.

As the waiter brought him his meal, he began to eat, scanning the view in front of him every minute or so. He was looking out for any suspicious looking people, or people who were lingering in front of the building that they currently lived in. They had not heard anything from Jamaal or his men in a week and while others might think that was a good sign, Hudayfah and Rami knew better. It only meant that they were preparing to strike hard and were just getting ready for it.

As he cut into his Panini, his mind began to wander to how Jamaal was getting the inside information. Without a doubt he knew there had to be a traitor in their midst, and while Hudayfah wasn't so sure as he didn't want to think badly of his friends, Rami knew that even the best people could make mistakes and if they were desperate enough, they could be bribed. He didn't think any of Hud's men had anything that they could be blackmailed with, so it made more sense to think they just needed, or wanted the money. He had his suspicions of who it could be, but he didn't want to say anything in case he was wrong. He would just have to pay more attention when they were all together.

He hoped they would be able to leave New York soon. It didn't matter to him if they went to Egypt or back home to Arizona, he was getting restless just sitting around in the house and he was itching to get out and find a solution. To him there were two options, wait until Jamaal's men strike and try to hurt Jenna and Hudayfah, or put a stop to things before they began, and Rami was a take action kind of man.

He had just finished drinking his coffee when a black car pulled up to the curb outside the building, and he watched anxiously as three men stepped out. He was out of his seat in a flash as he recognized one of them from the airport, and he threw a fistful of money on the table before dashing out of the café. He had to stop at the crosswalk, and as he waited impatiently for the lights to change, he kept his eyes glued on them and when they came up to the security guard, he gave a sigh of relief. The security in Hudayfah's building was tough, and even residents had to show ID's to get in if they forgot their keys.

However he felt his blood run cold as he saw money exchange hands, and just as the security guard opened the door for them, the light turned in his favor, and he dashed across the street, trying to fight his way through the sea of people. By the time he reached the building, the men had already disappeared inside, and after grilling the startled guard about where they were going, he dashed up the stairs towards the apartment, hoping he wasn't too late.

"Hud? HUDAYFAH!? JENNA!?" he called anxiously, and when no response came, his stomach sank and he ran from room to room searching for them. When he finally came upon Hudayfah in his bedroom he almost cried in relief.

"Rami what's wrong?" Hudayfah asked in concern.

"Jamaal's men are in this building. They came inside a few minutes before I did and now I cant find Jenna." He breathed, and Hudayfah's face paled before he pushed past Rami, calling her name frantically. A few minutes later he returned, his face in a panic.

"Rami she isn't here. Where is she? They took her. Ya Allah what do we do?!" he exclaimed, and Rami had to bite back a curse at the thought that he had failed his friend so badly.

"Alright let me call the boys and see who has connections here to start looking. You start looking through the building they couldn't have gotten far." Rami said pulling out his phone, yet before they could execute their plan, Jenna appeared from the backyard, a bouquet of roses in her hands.

"The flowers are lovely out in the garden!" she exclaimed, and as she looked up with a smile, Hudayfah rushed at her, pulling her tightly to his chest, and holding her in place, and even from where Rami stood, he could see that his friend was trembling.

"Are you okay?" Hudayfah asked in a panic, and he put his hands on her cheeks peering intently into her face.

"I'm fine," she said a bit startled, "are you okay?"

"Oh Jenna," he exclaimed pulling her back to his chest, and she shot Rami a confused glance, "I was so worried."

"Why were you worried? What's going on? Hudayfah I am fine!" she said with a laugh as he kissed her head, and though he released her from his hold, he took her hand in his, his whole face showing how obviously shaken he was.

"I couldn't find you."

She glared at him suspiciously.

"That's it? You couldn't find me yet are acting like you thought something bad had happened?" she asked, and when he merely shrugged, she let out a sigh.

"Okay then. Well I am fine, thank you for worrying about me. I am going to go clean up the kitchen." Hudayfah must have really been looking rattled to her because she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, before heading towards the kitchen, and Rami suppressed an amused smile as his friend touched the place she had kissed. Once she was out of earshot, Hudayfah swung around to face Rami.

"What do we do!? They could still be in here. How did they get in in the first place?"

"They bribed the security guard."

"Dang it!" Hudayfah exclaimed, and he raked a hand through his hair. "We need to leave. Right now."

"I am not sure that is the best option."

"Seriously Rami? People who are after my wife are in this building right now, and you want us to stay here?!"

"Where else will we go!? Also we have no idea where they are! They could have rented out their own apartment and are watching us. They will know when we leave, and will follow us wherever we go."

"So what do you propose we do?"

"We send for more guys from back home, and don't let Jenna out of our sight. We cant let them run our lives Hud."

"I understand what you are saying, but I cant risk anything happening to her Rami. She is my life." Hudayfah said quietly, and Rami felt a pang for his friend. There was not yet the affection Hudayfah felt for his wife coming from her, and he didn't want to see Hudayfah get hurt.

"Nothing will happen InshaAllah. I will look out for her."

And he swore that to the best of his ability, and with Allah swt's help, Jenna would be kept safe.

***

Jenna ran the last of the dishes under the stream of water and placed them in the dishwasher before closing the door and pressing start. She had been startled by Hudayfah's intense reaction to not being able to find her, and she had a feeling that it wasn't merely that he had misplaced her, but it had to do with the Muhsin's acquaintances. But as Rami was there she understood why he didn't say anything, she would just have to talk to him later tonight when they were alone.

As she dried her hands on the kitchen towel, she blushed slightly, as remembered Hudayfah's lips on her. It hadn't made that much of an impact when he kissed her head as she was wearing her Hijab, but it was the gesture in itself. It was stupid of her to have enjoyed his embrace when she was pushing him away so desperately when they were alone. Lately she had taken to avoiding him altogether because of the feelings his touch evoked in her. They were feelings she didn't want to be feeling, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop them. She had to admit the truth, she was starting to like her husband.

As she glanced around the kitchen making sure everything was in place, she remembered that today was the day the water guy came with the refill, and she had fifteen minutes to put it outside. She picked up the empty container, and moved to the front door, and as she opened it, she let out a soft gasp as a strange man stood in front of it.

"AsalamuAlaikum." He said smoothly, and she tried to calm her beating heart.

"Walaikumasalaam!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"I am sorry to have startled you," he said in a slightly accented voice that she couldn't place, "but I just moved in with my brothers. My name is Laith. Are you Mrs. Sulayman?" he asked with a smile, and she smiled back.

"Yes I am."

His smiled flashed.

"Excellent. Imagine our delight at hearing there was another Muslim family in the building!"

"Well welcome," she exclaimed, "which apartment did you move into?" she asked, and he waved his hand in the air.

"Oh around. You live here with your husband?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yes his name is Hudayfah."

"How nice."

"Would you like to meet him now? I can call him."

Laith shook his head.

"I really must be going, my brothers are waiting, but tell your husband I look forward to meeting him, and it was wonderful to make your acquaintance at last."