Set by Alessa Thorn

20

Ayla couldn't concentrate on Asclepius's notes, so she went back to the library to find something else to read.

Set's library had everything from ancient treatises of the stars to shelves of modern fiction paperbacks. He read widely and deeply, and Ayla lost hours amongst the stacks.

Ayla was out by the river in the late afternoon when a black helicopter flew low overhead and landed in the village. She hurried towards it, and for a split second, she thought Set had returned in style.

One look at the group of men stepping out of the cabin had her freezing mid-step and ducking behind a palm tree. They had guns slung over their shoulders and were scanning the crowd.

"We aren't here to hurt anyone," their leader called out as the roar of the helicopter engine died away. "We just want Ayla Neilos, and if you don't hand her over, we will start going through your houses one by one."

Ayla's heart thundered in her ears as she crouched down lower. How had they found her? Had something happened to Set? Ayla pushed the thought away, refusing to let her worry for him grow. Set was more than capable of looking after himself.

An explosion had people screaming, racing towards a house that was burning. The leader produced a megaphone.

"Ayla Neilos! We know you are here. Come out, and no one else needs to get hurt."

"We don't know who you are after! There's no one by that name here," Miryam shouted. Ayla bit back a scream as someone backhanded Miryam, sending her sprawling to the dirt.

Without another warning, the leader of the men pulled a boy from the crowd and shot him in the shoulder.

"I'm here! Stop!" Ayla shouted over the cries of the crowd. She ran towards them, skidding to the ground to put pressure over the boy's wound. Blood spilled over her hands as she pulled the scarf from her shoulders and bound it as tightly as she could around him.

"You see? All you people need is the right motivation," the man said. He waved at his men, and they dragged Ayla away. She kicked out at them as they grabbed her legs and carried her to the waiting helicopter. The sharp point of the blade pressed under her chin.

"Stop it, doctor. I was told to take you as civilly as possible, and I’d hate for you to make me break my word. This village has already paid enough for harboring you today. Do you want them to lose another one of their houses? Because they will if you fight us in any way."

"You fucking bastard. When Set learns of this, you're going to be dead," Ayla snarled as she was buckled into her seat. Her blood-stained hands were pressed together and handcuffs snapped over her wrists.

"I don't think any of us is going to worry about Set Akhom. He takes his orders like the rest of us," the man said. "Sit back and relax, doctor. We will be in Cairo soon. Don't get any ideas about trying to escape either. We can always find our way back to that shit hole we found you in."

Ayla stared out the window at the burning black smoke rising from the village and had to swallow down the bile burning her throat. She had to hope that they would get the boy to a hospital, that they wouldn't turn on Set for her presence bringing such chaos. She gave the men beside her a cold smile.

They were so wrong if they thought Set would let them get away with any of this. He loved Naqada, and they had invaded his home. They were dead men walking.

* * *

Ayla hada black bag shoved over her head as they landed in Cairo that night. She was bundled into the back of a car, the men around her ignoring her as they gossiped about lovers and the latest sporting results.

When they stopped sometime later, Ayla heard the sounds of a water fountain and smelled night-blooming jasmine. She was pushed into a chair, her hands secured on the arms before the bag was yanked off her head.

Ayla blinked against the sudden light. When her vision cleared, she realized she was sitting at a table, surrounded by chairs, next to a pool. A tiled path led to the glass doors of a palatial mansion lit up with warm lighting. Ayla's eyes focused on the elegant man dressed in a cream linen suit sitting opposite her. He looked like a very well-paid accountant with neatly groomed black hair and a movie star smile.

"Doctor Neilos, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last," he greeted warmly. Ayla's blood went cold. She recognized that smooth, cultured voice.

"I wish I could say the same, Abasi," she replied.

His charming smile widened. "Kader said you were smart, but not smart enough to stay hidden."

"I was doing just fine until your thugs turned up and started shooting children," Ayla snapped.

Kader laughed. "Oh, Ayla, you led us right to you. Or are you forgetting about the phone call you made to your friend Pierre?"

Ayla started shaking, and she fought to steady her breathing. "That was days ago, and I never told him where I was."

"You didn't have to. I put a tap on his phone, and when I had time to check it yesterday, there you were. Set always uses burner phones or I would’ve had you days ago. I thought he would have brought you to us by now, but it looks like the brute has a soft spot for you."

"When he finds out what you have done, and he will, there isn't going to be enough of you left to bury," Ayla promised him.

"Set will obey whoever is in charge, and after tonight, that's going to be me. You know, I really have you to thank for making this happen, Ayla," Abasi said, looking as smug as a cat. "Kader put me in charge of the finances, so I went looking for leverage. And you know what I found? Payments of medical bills. I found your mother not long after. One look at your photo, and I knew you were Kader's bastard daughter. I sat on the information for years, waiting for the right moment to present itself."

"You're the one that told Moussa about me."

"Of course I did. I couldn't act openly."

"You should be paying closer attention to his fate. Yours is going to be worse, traitor," Ayla replied.

"Moussa was a means to an end. An end that came more swiftly than anticipated because of fucking Set. You should not idealize him as some hero that's going to come and save you, princess. He's a monster, but he's our monster. He's already proven he'll do anything to protect you. I heard it in his voice the first time he spoke of you. Now, I can see why," Abasi said, looking her over. Ayla's skin crawled, and she struggled against her bonds again.

"He'll do anything I say just to keep you safe. I knew you were going to be useful, but to be Set's trigger as well as Kader's? You're invaluable, my dear, and when I take over Cairo this evening, I'll have you to thank for it."

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" Ayla hissed, yanking against the cuffs again. "It doesn't matter what you have done or how clever you think your plans are. None of it is going to save you from Set's wrath."

"Set is a mercenary. A highly effective one, I'll give you that, but still just a thug with a gun. He'll work for the highest bidder like he always has. A pretty pair of tits like yourself isn't going to change that no matter what lies he told you to get between your thighs."

My Ayla. Ayla could feel Set's lips on hers, felt his strength, and knew that what they had between them was no lie. She could almost hear him whisper in his husky voice, Malikati, you know I'm coming for you.

Ayla began to laugh, a crazy big laugh that she couldn't hold in. It wasn't a stress laugh; it was pure humor at the sheer audacity and arrogance of the man in front of her.

"Stop laughing at me," Abasi snarled.

"I can't help it. You know Moussa had over a hundred men trying to protect him when Set came for him. How many do you have in this stunning mansion of yours?" she asked and laughed harder when Abasi flushed red. "You think you're so clever tracking me down through bank records that you've orchestrated this takeover of Kader's territory, and yet, you've failed to uncover the most obvious secret in front of your dumb face."

"And what is that, princess?" Abasi asked through clenched teeth.

Ayla gave him a patient stare. "You have no idea who Set is, do you?"

"Enlighten me if you think you know better."

"No, I think I'm going to relax and enjoy the show." Ayla leaned back in her chair, a smile on her face and rage in her eyes. "He's going to be here by dawn, and you're going to wish you had never whispered my name to Moussa."