“Who’s there?”

Jenna could have died of fear right there. Both hands clamped over her mouth, she lay flat on her stomach, her forehead pressed against the bottom of the grate. She felt tears well up in her eyes, and her shoulders trembled.

“Search the building!” she heard one of the voices down below say. “Make sure the—” and then, she didn't understand the rest of the sentence. She heard footsteps and shouts down the hall.

She had to move, fast. 

Stuffing the notebook in her pocket, Jenna curled herself up, rolled over, and straightened out as quietly, and as quickly, as she could. When she was facing the other way, she started to shuffle on her hands and knees back through the vent.

She almost cried out when she heard someone banging on the vent where she just had been. Angry voices carried through the vents, and Jenna felt her heart hammer against her chest.

There was a sharp grinding from the grate, and she realized as she turned around the corner of the vent that they were trying to pry it open.

They know I’m in here!

Continuing on her frantic, shuffling escape, she heard voices shouting to each other down below, most likely trying to search other sections of the vents. She didn't care so much about making sound now, because her only concern was making it out alive.

She could see the light at the end of the grate—she was nearly outside!

Jenna crawled as fast as she could, gasping for air, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, when suddenly, a huge crash sounded behind her, knocking her sideways against the vent.

When she pulled herself back up onto all fours, she saw that one of the grates along the vent had been shoved inward, and a thick, hairy arm was reaching around inside.

Jenna couldn't help it; she screamed. As soon as she did, she silenced herself, and turned back toward the grate. She rammed her shoulder against it, thankful that they hadn't screwed it back in and locked her inside. It didn't take more than two shoves against it before it tumbled to the ground.

She looked outside, and saw Balal standing there, a slender, scared-looking blonde woman dressed in blue beside him, her cheeks burning red.

“Jenna! Hurry!” Balal hissed as he ran to stand below the window.

“Balal, they know!”

“I know!” he replied, and he opened his arms, waving them up at her.

“Come on. Just let go; I’ll catch you!”

Jenna didn't hesitate. She tumbled through the air and landed safe in his strong arms. He set her on her feet, and then grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go!” he cried, and he reached for the other woman's hand, pulling them both away from the mansion, back over the dune.

There were shouts coming from there now, and Jenna shrieked when she heard a gunshot ring through the air.

Balal hoisted the blonde up and almost shoved her inside the Jeep before he reached behind him and scooped Jenna up in his arms. He swung into the back of the Jeep and then shouted at his drivers to get out of there, fast.

They took off through the pitch black desert, and with trembling hands, Jenna clicked her seatbelt in. Balal situated himself in the trunk, facing the rear of the Jeep, holding a small pistol out and scanning the horizon, bumping along with the SUV as if he did this every day.

The blonde woman, seated beside Jenna, was sobbing uncontrollably. Her hair had come out of its pretty pin and was flying wildly all over her face.

Jenna yanked the mask from her head and reached over to her, taking her hands in her own. The woman tried to pull away until she looked up and saw Jenna without the mask. Fear and hopelessness were evident on the blonde’s pretty face, and Jenna's heart ached for her.

“Don't worry,” Jenna shouted over the din of the Jeep's engine. “You're safe now. We came to rescue you!”

The woman's bottom lip trembled, and she threw herself into Jenna's arms and began to cry again. Jenna held her close, and let her cry. She understood how she was feeling—she had been in the exact same position only a few days ago.

“Okay,” Balal said, sliding back into his seat and pulling the mask off of his face. “I think we lost them. Good work, Hanan.”

The man driving acknowledged him with a wave of his hand and started to slow down, ever so slightly, before pulling onto a road.

As Balal gently explained everything to the blonde, Jenna felt like she was looking at a reflection of herself just the other day. The woman's eyes were bulging and red, and her face was streaked with tear stains. She kept looking over at Jenna, as if to verify what Balal was saying.

Then, the woman reacted in fear to all of them, saying, not without reason, that she had no idea if what they were telling her was the truth.

“How do I know that you aren't lying to me?”

Jenna reached over and took the woman's hand in hers.

“Because I was in your place just yesterday,” she said softly.

The woman's eyes grew wide, and she searched Jenna’s face.

“I’m not being forced to tell you any of this. I teamed up with your rescuers here to help save women like us who’ve been kidnapped and sent to auction.”

Color came back to the woman’s face little by little, and she looked back at Balal.

“Where are you taking me?”

Balal gestured to a sign along the road, just as he had done with Jenna.

Jenna grinned to herself. Well, he certainly has good timing, doesn't he?

The first sign for the airport appeared, and the woman shook her head.

“You're letting me go?”

“Of course,” Balal said. “That’s our job, after all.”

The woman sat back in stunned silence.

“I…” She hesitated, and looked at Jenna. “I thought I was going to die there.”

Jenna's heart constricted in her chest. “I know exactly what you mean,” she replied quietly. “I had almost given up, too.”

The woman looked up at Balal, her eyes shining with tears. “Thank you. I don't know how I could ever repay you.”

Balal shook his head. “When you tell your family what happened, then just tell them that a group who believes in justice, above all, set things right.”

The woman studied his face, and Jenna felt a twinge of jealousy. It was brief, but Jenna noticed it. And it surprised her. She could see the same admiration in the blonde's eyes that she felt toward Balal. How could she not? He was her savior, her rescuer. She would never forget the handsome sheikh who had spoken to her with gentle words and admirable principles.

Jenna felt ashamed, suddenly. Was she acting like a little girl, swooning over a man who a dozen others had swooned over? Did she think that she was somehow special, that she was different?

They pulled into the airport, and Balal walked the blonde inside, just as he would have done if Jenna hadn’t chosen to stay. Part of her realized that it wasn’t too late; she could get out right now and choose to go home. Balal would understood, she knew, and not stand in her way.

Was that what she wanted, though?

No. She knew it almost immediately. She knew she would regret it as soon as her plane left the ground.