by Mandy Baggot
*
Her legs were shaking, but she tried not to show any sign that she knew what was about to happen. Besides, Nathan didn’t really know. It wasn’t as if he knew the man. He could be wrong. Just because the man looked Asian didn’t mean he was a terrorist. You couldn’t make a judgment about a person like that. In fact, she was pretty sure you could be fined heavily for making a judgment like that.
And the man was smiling, now, and not in a particularly creepy way. Did terrorists only smile in a creepy way? The only pictures she had seen on television had terrorists snarling as they carried RPGs. She only knew that abbreviation because she’d watched The Hurt Locker.
The man opened a door to a room on their left. ‘This way, Miss Raine,’ he said.
‘Is this right?’ Autumn asked. ‘I thought everyone was going in the other direction.’
She didn’t know why she had questioned him. If Nathan was right, it was blatantly obvious why he was leading her away from the crowds, but if she didn’t know this, she would have asked the question. Wouldn’t she?
‘To avoid the crowds, for privacy for you,’ the man replied, unfazed.
Autumn stopped. She couldn’t do this. What was she thinking? She was about to step into a room, possibly filled with people with guns who might shoot her on sight. And what of Nathan? They wanted her, not him. If this didn’t go right, they would shoot him, here, now, no questions asked. She couldn’t let that happen. She loved her father, but…
‘This is a short cut to the best seats. We’ll be sitting near Blu’s wife. You can tell her everything you need to say,’ Nathan encouraged.
His eyes told her to move forward, to accept both their fates, but what was the right thing to do?
‘Blu would be so proud of you for being here, for doing this. You told me what sort of man he was. Don’t be afraid and… try to remember everything we talked about,’ Nathan told her.
She swallowed and leveled a smile at the usher. She walked forward and past him, to enter the room.
On that first step, the whack on the back of her head took her breath and consciousness away. Then everything went black.
Thirty-Three
They tied a sack around her head, and she screamed as strong fingers clenched her arms, wrenching them backwards, pinning them together. Her hands were bound behind her back. She was helpless. She felt brickwork against her shoulder blades, and she fell to the ground, banging her elbow on the stone floor.
‘Nathan!’ she screamed.
She couldn’t hear anything apart from shouting in a foreign tongue, one she didn’t recognize. How many people were in the room? Was that Nathan’s voice talking in that foreign language? What was he saying? What were any of them saying? Perhaps she should get up, there was no one holding her. How did you get up when your hands were tied behind your back?
‘Kill him!’
That was English, and she knew what it meant. Nausea flooded her gut.
‘No! No! One… two… three… four… five,’ Autumn yelled.
There was a gunshot, then another, followed by a third. Then something fell to the ground beside her. She felt the warmth of it on her leg. What was it? Was it a body? Was it Nathan? She didn’t dare breathe, she didn’t dare move, because if she did, she might move nearer to whatever was next to her. Man? Beast? Inanimate object? Her bodyguard?
*
Sweat trickled down his forehead as he held his hands behind the back of his head and attempted to save his own life. Right now, he wasn’t concerned for Autumn. For a while, until Rick O’Toole broke his cover, she was an asset to them. But he needed to be an asset, too, so when they got what they wanted, he could get Autumn out of the situation—alive.
‘Who are you?’
The man asking the question was obviously the leader of the group sent to take Autumn. He was tall, dark-haired, olive-skinned, clean-shaven, and wore khaki fatigues over which was a yellow and black shawl. As-Wana’s ‘uniform’.
There were four others in the room: the usher, two identical-looking men who had to be brothers, and the guy he’d shot. He’d drawn to kill him, but Nathan had beaten him to it. It could have gone one of two ways. It might have triggered a blood bath, or it could start negotiations. So far he was still breathing.
‘I’m Nathan Regan, Autumn’s partner. I run an international software company called Drive.’
‘Kill him!’ the leader ordered the usher.
‘No! Nathan! No! Please!’ Autumn screamed, struggling to move from her position on the floor.
The usher lifted his gun.
‘All right! All right! My name’s Nathan Regan. I was employed as a bodyguard to protect Miss Raine, Autumn.’
‘You work for the British government, like her mother,’ the group leader surmised.
‘No, I work for myself.’
‘You say you are employed. Who employs you?’
‘I work freelance.’
He didn’t have much time, but neither did they. In no more than a few minutes, the police would be here, responding to the noise and the gunshots. He just needed to drag this out, let them waste a bit of time, until they had no choice but to take him. Curiosity would hopefully get the better of them.
‘We should go,’ one of the brothers suggested, looking at his watch.
‘Yes, we should go. Asif, kill him,’
‘No!’ Autumn screeched.
A primal, gut-wrenching sound came out of her mouth. Nathan swallowed and closed his eyes, waiting to hear the click of the gun as it pressed against the back of his head.
‘Wait! He has information,’ Autumn yelled. ‘Don’t kill him! He has information, government information, he told me. You told me!’
‘Don’t listen to her. She’s lying,’ Nathan responded.
‘I’m not lying! I swear! He told me! He, er, used to work with someone called… Nigel someone… Nigel… Nigel Farlow!’
Nathan chanced a look at the group leader and saw that the name dropping of an infamous ex-colleague and double agent had done the trick.
‘Fucking hell! You stupid bitch!’ Nathan yelled.
The leader checked his watch. ‘Asif,’ he ordered, ‘get him a hood and get them both in the van. We have to move, now!’
‘What have you done?! Stupid, stupid bitch!’ Nathan ranted as he watched Autumn being hauled to her feet.
As the hood was pulled over his face, he let out a breath of relief and smiled to himself. She’d waited until exactly the right moment and saved his life, just like he’d told her she could.
*
‘Are you okay? Did they hurt you?’ Nathan asked, as soon as they were locked in.
It felt surreal, being herded into the back of a van, wearing a hood over your face with your hands tied. Had anyone seen them being taken from the back of the church? Where did Tawanda think they were? Could they get in touch with her somehow? She would be so worried.
She shifted on the benchseat, trying to make herself a little more comfortable. From the projection of his voice, she gauged Nathan was opposite her.
She couldn’t see anything, but she could smell fish. Of all the vans for her to be stuck in, it had to be one used to transport fish. She hated fish, and now she was walking their walk, albeit alive.
‘I’m okay, I think. I hit my elbow on the floor. I’m okay, I mean, I’m here and you’re here and we’re in a fish van,’ she stated, her voice wobbling with emotion.
‘We can’t talk here,’ Nathan told her.
‘I know.’
‘You are so brave,’ he whispered to her.
A shiver ran through her body. ‘I’m terrified.’
The van shook slightly, then she felt him sit down on her bench, shifting himself up until he was next to her. His thigh pressed against hers and she closed her eyes and drank in the warm feeling and reassurance the touch gave her.
‘It will all be over soon,’ he reassured.
She wished she could see his face. What if she never saw his face
again? What if they never got to take the hoods from their heads before the end… whatever end it was. She might never get to look into his eyes again, or touch his mouth with hers.
Unable to hold it in any longer, she let out a sob and bent forward, trying to rest her chest on her knees.
‘Listen to me, Autumn. You have to stay strong. You mustn’t let them see you weak or they will play on it. You can do it. I know you can. You don’t think you’re a strong person, but I’m telling you, you are.’
‘You’re just saying that to make me feel better. I’ve seen films, you know. The big, strong, sexy soldier looks after the weak, vulnerable heroine and tells her she could rule the world with nothing but a lip gloss and a supermarket loyalty card if she put her mind to it.’
‘Humor in these situations is essential,’ he told her.
‘I want to see your face. I can’t see anything. Are we both trussed up like Jason in Friday the 13th Part Three?’
‘Sack present and correct.’
‘Where do you think they’re taking us?’
‘I don’t know,’ he told her, ‘but wherever it is, as soon as this van starts up, I want you to count.’
Thirty-Four
She’d counted to 3584 before the van came to a halt. She had to add an additional number to bring it up to five. The fact they had stopped scared her more than the not knowing where they were. Stopping meant something new was going to happen, and as she still had her hands bound and a sack over her head, it wasn’t likely to be good.
‘It will be okay,’ Nathan reassured, as if reading her thoughts.
She felt him leave her side and move back over to the opposite bench.
‘Three thousand, five hundred and eighty-five seconds, approximately, if I counted right,’ she said, hearing a door slam shut from the direction of the front of the vehicle.
‘I trust that you counted right. Almost an hour away from the church.’
‘But which direction?’
‘I don’t know, but when we’re able to get in contact with Matthews, it should narrow it down, as much as we can narrow it down. They took my phone.’
She swallowed and tried to blink to gain some vision. It was useless. She couldn’t see a thing, eyes open or shut.
‘Matthews is the only one I trust right now. He’ll be able to help. He has contacts everywhere.’
The van door slid open and light from outside flooded in. It hurt her eyes and made her acutely aware of how dark the van had actually been.
‘Out!’ the leader’s voice beckoned.
Autumn tried to stand, but she had trouble with her balance. She had spots before her eyes now, and double vision, if you could have double vision when all you could see was material.
‘Asif! Get them down!’
Autumn shuffled forward, unsure where the edge of the van was. Then she caught her shoe on something and fell forward, headfirst.
Her body hit the floor of the van, sending a shockwave through the vehicle, making it sway.
‘What’s happened? What have you done to her? Autumn!’ Nathan yelled.
Her cheek took the impact, and she let out a yelp as pain traveled up the side of her face. She wasn’t going to cry. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. She took a breath and tried to focus on holding it in, attempting to block out the fact her cheek was throbbing.
‘Get her up, Asif, and, Iqbal, get the soldier,’ the leader instructed.
‘Autumn,’ Nathan called.
‘Oh shut up, for God’s sake!’ Autumn shouted. ‘You’re not my bodyguard anymore! I’ve got nothing to say to you! I should have let them kill you!’
She bit her lip and hoped that outburst had helped to convince their captors their relationship was turbulent.
As the pain moved up around her jaw, she counted in her head. Two hands grabbed her waist and pulled her down from the vehicle.
*
He was a fucking idiot. He couldn’t let them see any concern he had for Autumn or they were both doomed. They needed to be housed in the same place now that they had reached their destination. If they were separated, they were done for. He needed this to go as planned. He needed them to follow the international terrorist handbook. He should be second-guessing their every move, but at the moment, all he could think about was what Autumn was going through. He’d been taken hostage a handful of times, and it was tough, not just physically, but mentally. If you lost composure, if you lost sight of what you needed to do, you put your life in danger. He wasn’t so concerned about his life, but he didn’t want to put Autumn in that position. At the moment, he was doing a great job of putting her right in the danger zone.
He was dragged down out of the van where he received a kick to the back that almost felled him. It took the air from his lungs momentarily, and he had to cough to restore breathing.
‘Take them to the holding room. We can’t start until Tariq gets here,’ the leader stated.
Asif, Iqbal and Tariq. He had three names of people involved in As-Wana, but not the leader’s name… yet.
*
The pain in her jaw wasn’t rescinding, and walking only made it worse. With every step, it jolted and sent a ripple of pain across the affected area. Whenever she slowed, she received a poke to her back with what felt like a broom handle. She imagined it was the barrel of a rifle, or perhaps the blunt end of a machete. Envisioning a broom handle was much less disconcerting.
‘In!’ Asif’s voice ordered her.
She couldn’t see where she was going, but a swift prod to the small of her back sent her forward in the desired direction.
Was it a room? What were they going to do here? Was this where she made a video begging her father to rescue her? Was that information even correct? What if her mother was wrong? What if this wasn’t about her father, at all? Was she doing this for some other cause unbeknown to her or anyone else? Would she be aiding and abetting terrorism? Those thoughts rattled around her head, engulfing her brain. She couldn’t think. Was this right?
‘Sit down. We will come for you,’ the leader shouted.
The next sound she heard was a door slamming shut and three bolts being drawn across it. Four… five.
The silence was deafening. Where was she? She knew this was what was going to happen when she made the decision to return, but it was real. It had happened. She was a hostage. Her whole body shook and she couldn’t stop it.
‘Autumn, it’s okay, I’m here,’ Nathan said.
She was whimpering, like some pathetic, abandoned kitten, and she couldn’t stop. Hearing him almost made it worse because she couldn’t see him. She wanted so much to see him, to look into his eyes and have him tell her everything was going to be all right.
*
‘Come on, it’s okay, sit down,’ he said as he reached for her.
With his foot, he found the wall, then with his body, he helped her lower herself to the floor. He moved in close to her and felt her quiver.
‘I thought I could do this, but I don’t know if I can,’ she said through her tears. ‘I’m scared, and we don’t know what’s going to happen.’
‘Sshh, listen. We do know what’s going to happen. They’re going to come back later and take you to another room. Don’t be afraid. They’re going to make you do a video plea for your release, addressing your father. When they’ve done that, they’ll come and torture me for information. I will give them some, eventually, nothing that’s worth anything, but hopefully, I’ll buy us the night.’
That was his plan anyway. Of course, if what he told them wasn’t authenticated somehow, they might just kill him.
‘Hopefully? What does that mean?’ Autumn asked.
He let out a breath. ‘You know what it means, but that’s a risk we have to take.’
‘You’d die for me?’
‘Yes.’
He felt her put her head on his shoulder, and, through the material of the sack, he could smell the coconut and vanilla scent of her hair. He sucked in the frag
rance and let it evoke memories of their nights together.
‘I’ve never met anyone like you,’ she whispered.
‘I’ve never met anyone like you,’ he replied.
The sound of the bolts being drawn back had him scrambling away from her, moving farther along the wall to the corner.
The door opened and someone entered on soft-soled shoes. Asif.
‘Water! You must drink!’ he barked.
The sound of something being thrown into the middle of the floor filled the air. The door closed and the bolts were replaced.
‘What is it?’ Autumn asked.
Nathan slid back to her. ‘I’m guessing a bottle of water.’
‘I’m really thirsty.’
He sighed. ‘Yeah, but if they really wanted us to drink it, they would have untied our hands.’
Thirty-Five
He had no concept of time. It went so slowly when you had nothing to occupy it. Or did it? He didn’t know, that was the whole point. He couldn’t tell. Autumn was still shaking next to him, and he didn’t want to do anything yet to alleviate their comfort. He needed the group to believe they were cooperating, and that meant toeing the line until Autumn made that video plea, at least.
‘Talk to me, please. It’s too quiet when we don’t talk,’ she told him.
‘I was going to suggest I-Spy, but we’re limited on options,’ he responded.
‘That’s almost funny.’
‘Humor in adversity is on day one of the surviving-a-kidnapping training course.’
‘Really? What’s on day two? Getting your good side when filming the video plea?’
‘No, that’s on day one, too.’
He felt her shoulders shake, this time not with cold or fear, but with laughter.
‘This is stupid! This is the most ridiculous situation I’ve ever been in! This week I should be appearing on websites and TV shows trying to win support for the awards, reaching out to fans, ordering them in a subtle, subliminal way to buy my album. That’s almost like performing hypnotism sometimes.’
‘It sounds like you’d almost prefer to be here,’ he stated.
