Abducted

by Tikiri

  Under the robe, I crossed my fingers.

  “Hey,” Luc said with a sigh. “Look, I overreacted in there. I know you’re not a thief. It’s Zero who’s always stealing from me, tu sais? Makes me paranoid.”

  I shrugged and spread my hands wide to say, “I understand. No hard feelings.” I hoped he understood.

  But I didn’t have time to waste—I had important things to do. I gave a slight bow to both and looked for the exit. My bow didn’t go unnoticed. I saw how both Luc’s and Tetyana’s eyebrows shot up. Note to self, I thought, Bibi doesn’t bow or curtsy. I headed toward an open doorway that looked like it led to the main part of the house.

  “Something’s wrong,” I heard Luc whisper behind me.

  “Snorted your friggin’ stuff, that’s what,” Tetyana whispered hoarsely back.

  I heard a chair being moved, then shuffling footsteps. Are they following me?

  But I didn’t look back. Whatever happens, I’ve got to go ahead with this. Trembling under the robe, I took one step forward, then another. I’d managed to straighten the robe while I pretend-prayed in the little room, but it was still hard to see through the veil. If there was any piece of clothing superbly designed to constrict a person’s senses and movements, this had to be it. Bibi wasn’t that much taller than me, so the robe fit, somewhat. Still, I stumbled forward, handicapped.

  The kitchen doorway opened to a small foyer of sorts. It was dark here, but I could see the peeling yellow wallpaper and the stains on the orange carpet. The whole house smelled moldy, like it had been left to decay for years, maybe even decades. Holding the robe up with both hands so as not to trip, I climbed up the wooden stairway.

  I came to a landing which opened to three doors and another staircase that went up to the third floor. Somewhere nearby, a TV blared. It was a football game. Does everyone in this country watch soccer?

  I tiptoed quietly over to the door where the TV noise was coming from and peeked in. It was a small sitting room with one stained velour couch. Here, Vlad was sitting with his feet up on the coffee table, snoring loudly, dribbling spit from the corner of his mouth. One hand was holding a TV remote and the other a huge black handgun.

  I turned around and looked up at the rickety stairway curling upward. Katy’s up there on the third floor. That’s where the scarf was tied. Hanging on to the loose railing with one hand and holding up the robe with the other, I waddled up, making out each step through the narrow slit. How does Bibi do this every day?

  It was a relief to get to the third landing without bumping into anyone. I had so little visibility, I had to turn around to see fully where I was. There were three doors on this floor, and all were closed. She’s in one of them. I tried to remember which window Katy’s scarf had been tied to but after two minutes of trying, I realized my spatial abilities were as bad as a bat’s in daylight. I’ll have to try all three rooms.

  Except for the TV noise from downstairs, there was not a sound in the house. I took a deep breath and reached for the first door. If anyone other than Katy’s in there, I’ll have to pretend I’m Bibi. Act confused, close the door, and walk away.

  I turned the knob. It didn’t budge. I tried it again. The door was locked.

  I stepped up to the second door and turned the knob. To my surprise, this door slid open. I squinted through the slit. The room was empty, apart from clothes, dirty plates, glasses and a used condom strewn around the floor. I shuddered in disgust. I peered at the window and I felt my heart leap. Katy’s scarf was tied to its bars. Where is she? Did they take her elsewhere?

  I closed the door and stepped to the third room. This door was unlocked as well. I opened it and looked inside.

  Win! She was lying on an unmade bed, her face paler than before. Is she sleeping? Is she alive? I stepped inside to take a closer look. I walked toward the bed and knelt down. I put a hand on her neck to find a pulse. It was weak, but she was still breathing.

  “Win!” I whispered. “Win! Wake up!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Win didn’t move. Her face looked deathly pale, like the blood had drained from her.

  I reached over and touched her arm. It was unusually cold. She whimpered in her sleep and moved away from me.

  A rustle nearby made me look up. Other than Win, I was alone in the room. There was barely enough space here to fit the bed and a chair. There can’t be anyone else in here, can there?

  But a funny feeling came to me, a feeling in my bones. There’s someone else in here. My heart beat a little faster. I scanned the room carefully. There was not even a wardrobe where anyone could hide. There were no other doors than the one I came in through. What’s that noise? I looked at Win. She was still sleeping, or unconscious.

  Again, the rustle. I froze. It was closer to me this time.

  I stood slowly and backed away from the bed, toward the door, glancing around the room as I did. The rustle again. Is that coming from under the bed? It was only when I had my back to the door that curiosity overcame fear. I bent down and peeked under Win’s bed.

  Two familiar green eyes glared at me from under the bed.

  “Katy!” my muffled voice came through the veil.

  I bounded toward the bed, but the robe got the better of me. I tripped and came crashing to the ground. I didn’t have time to register the pain, but my head was now level with Katy’s.

  “Katy!” I said, trying to reach out to her, but she’d skedaddled to the other end of the bed and was staring at me with horror in her eyes. Why isn’t she—? That was when I realized she wasn’t seeing me.

  I scrambled to my feet and pulled off the robe, or tried to. It had not been easy to put this thing on, but it was harder to get it off. I twirled around and around trying to find an opening, but instead managed to shroud myself like an Egyptian mummy. My anklet jingled madly as I tried to get out of the knot I’d tied myself into.

  “Asha?” It was Katy’s voice. I stopped moving. “That you?”

  “Yes, it’s me!” I mumbled desperately through the cloth. “It’s me! Are you okay? Help me get out of this!”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “Shhh,” she said. “Don’t move.”

  She pulled on the cloth, nudging gently this way and that, unraveling me from my mess. When she finally pulled the robe off, I saw in front of me the redhead I’d been searching for. Katy’s hair looked like an angry sun surrounding her head, and her green eyes stared at me in disbelief.

  “What are you doing under that—”

  I flung myself on her and gave her a tight hug. We stood together, half-sobbing, half-laughing.

  “I saw your scarf,” I said, wiping my eyes.

  “So it worked?”

  I pointed at the scratch marks on her face. “Did they hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “I screamed and kicked and yelled so much, he left me and said if I screamed again, he’d shoot me.”

  “Oh my god!”

  “So I said, go ahead. I’d rather be dead but I won’t die quietly. That stopped him. He thinks I’m totally mad. He walked out yelling all the bad things he’d do to me and slammed the door, forgetting to lock it.”

  “Was it Vlad or Zero?”

  “Who?”

  “Is it the guy who took you from the airport? That’s Zero.”

  “Yes, that’s him. The tall, dark guy in the suit.” She looked worried. “Are there more?”

  “There are two of them and one has a big gun,” I said. “Plus there are two more people. One’s a girl a bit older than us, and there’s this guy, but I don’t know what they do here.”

  “How did you find me?” Katy asked. “And how did you get in here?”

  “Long story,” I said. “Let’s get out of here first, shall we?”

  Win whimpered. We looked at the lifeless body on the bed.

  “I think she’s been drugged,” Katy said.

  “Poor Win,” I said, kneeling at the edge of the bed.

  “You know her?”


  The image of Win getting kicked was all too fresh in my mind. “He was going to beat her proper if I hadn’t come out screaming.”

  “Oh my god, this poor girl.” Katy sat down on the bed and reached out to touch Win’s hand. “She helped me.”

  “How?”

  “After the man left, I slipped out of the room to find an escape route and came in here. She was here, and told me to hide under her bed till night. Then she fainted.”

  “We can’t leave her here,” I said.

  Katy nodded. “I don’t wanna go without her either.”

  We sat and stared at Win for a minute, trying to think of our next steps. Something bothered me, and I had to ask. “Hey, Katy,” I said, “why didn’t you answer me when that man was pulling you away at the airport? Why didn’t you try to get away? I was literally screaming at you.”

  “I dunno,” Katy said, shaking her head. “I don’t remember anything. I didn’t even hear you. I was talking to this man one minute and the next minute, the world went black.”

  “Chlo-ro-form.” Tetyana’s voice was deadpan.

  We spun around. Tetyana and Luc were standing by the door. Katy and I’d been so engrossed in our conversation, we’d not even heard them come in. The two were staring pointedly at us. Oh my god, I forgot to lock the door.

  “I told you she wasn’t Bibi,” Luc said, without taking his eyes off me.

  “Who are you?” Tetyana asked.

  I had to think fast. I looked over at her. Her face was blank. Does she work for those men? The more mysterious I made myself, the more leverage I’d have, I thought. I pulled my shoulders back and sat up straight.

  “It doesn’t matter who I am,” I said in a voice that projected far more confidence than I felt. “But I’ll tell you what really matters.” I paused for effect.

  Luc and Tetyana gave each other a quick glance.

  “If you don’t let us leave right now, the police will be here in an instant,” I said, with my chest puffed out. My phone was still dead. I didn’t know if Katy’s was working, but maybe the threat alone would subdue them. At least, that’s what I hoped.

  “You can call anyone you want,” Tetyana said, in her impassive voice. “Just be ready because Zero’s going to shoot you first when he hears them coming.”

  It was my turn to be surprised. Tetyana didn’t seem fazed one bit. “Does he know I’m not Bibi?” I asked.

  Tetyana shook her head. “Don’t think so. If he did, he’d already be here screaming at you with his gun. We won’t be chatting, that’s for sure.”

  “He’s sleeping in his room now, but he can wake any minute,” Luc said. “And he sleeps with his gun.”

  I looked at Luc. Is he on their side too? They were both blocking our only way out, and neither looked like they planned on budging.

  “If I pay you,” I said, speaking slowly, “will you help us get out of here quietly?”

  Tetyana didn’t hesitate. “How much?”

  “Five hundred dollars.” Next to me, Katy drew her breath in. I hoped to god she still had the money packet in her jacket.

  Tetyana threw her head back and laughed hoarsely.

  “Shhh,” I said. “Do you want to wake up those men?”

  “You want me to risk my life for friggin’ five hundred bucks?”

  “One thousand then,” I said, keeping my gaze steady. “In dollars.” There was no reason to specify we had only Canadian dollars on us. “And you’ll help Win get out, too,” I said, pointing at the girl in the bed.

  “That’s not a lot of money for a hell of a lot of work,” Tetyana said, but she was no longer laughing.

  “If you can guarantee our safety out and help us carry her out, I’m willing to consider adding more to that,” I said.

  Tetyana’s eyes narrowed. “Who do you two work for, and how come you have that much money on you?”

  Before I could think of a smart answer, a loud bang erupted from below us. Everyone in the room jumped, startled.

  The noise reverberated throughout the house so loudly, I felt the walls shake. Then, just as quickly, the house plummeted into an eerie, ominous silence. No one moved. No one even breathed.

  Tetyana’s face had gone pale.

  “Mon dieu,” Luc said, his eyes wide with fear. “Gunshot.”

  Part THREE

  Bad is never good until worse happens.

  Danish Proverb

  Chapter Seventeen

  I stared as Tetyana pulled a miniature phone from her skimpy bra.

  “What’s going on?” I said.

  “Put on Bibi’s robe!” Tetyana commanded.

  “I don’t think….”

  “No time to think,” she snapped, her eyes boring into mine. She pointed at the door. “That was a gunshot. Wanna get into more trouble? Put that thing on now.”

  Is she friend or foe? I couldn’t figure it out, but I hesitated only a moment. I took a deep breath and pulled the black cloth over my head with Katy’s help. I couldn’t see much, but I could smell the fear in the house. Whatever was going on, I thought, being disguised as the robed woman had its advantages.

  Tetyana stepped toward the door, motioning to us. “Follow me!” she whispered. Before she could reach the doorknob, the door crashed open, hitting her on the head. She jumped back, with her hand on her forehead.

  It was Vlad. He stomped in, waving his handgun, looking like a demented zombie on the run. His hair stood up like it had been electrified. His bloodshot eyes flashed maniacally. It was hard to imagine that only a few minutes ago, I’d seen him sleeping in a La-Z-Boy, his feet up and with a football game on.

  “They come!” Vlad’s hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold on to the gun. I didn’t know what was worse, a thug with a gun who had it all together or a thug with a gun who looked like he’d just lost it.

  “Who fired that shot?” Tetyana said.

  “You know what stupid son-of-ass Zero do?” Vlad spat out the words. Rivers of sweat ran down his reddened face. “You know what he do right now?”

  “Tell me!” Tetyana said.

  “This plainclothes cop checking ’round and see him. He ask questions. And you know what that idiot do? Pissed as hell, he shoots him. What the fuck was he thinking?” His face flushed a deep red.

  “Zero shot a cop?” Tetyana asked, incredulous. Luc drew in his breath. Katy and I looked at each other.

  “Now, he in trouble. I in trouble. You in trouble. All fucked up!” Vlad shouted, waving his gun indiscriminately at the floor, the ceiling, the bed, and every one of us. A nerve on his neck had begun to pulse. No one budged. Everyone had their eyes on that wavering gun. Everywhere that gun pointed, our eyes followed.

  “Where’s he now?” Tetyana asked.

  “Downstairs. Woke me up, that bastard. Still pissed. Couldn’t walk. I help him put body in the basement.”

  “You brought the body into the house?” Tetyana’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “What the hell I supposed to do?” Vlad looked like he was about to explode. “Wait till somebody found fucking dead bobby outside? Jeezus fuck!”

  He turned to Katy, who was huddled next to me near Win’s bed. “This your fault!” he hissed, raising his gun and pointing it at her. “You started this! All this trouble happen only after American called.”

  Katy recoiled, and brought her hands to her chest as if to protect herself. It only took me a second to remember who I was now. I stepped out, pushed Katy behind me, and spread my arms out, as if the black robe would stop a bullet. It would go through me first, then her. But he won’t shoot his own team, would he? Or would he?

  Vlad’s face transformed from pink to a deep shade of purple. The gun in his hands shook even more.

  “For fuck’s sake, Vlad, calm down,” Tetyana snapped.

  “Calm down?” He spun to look at her, the gun pointing at the floor now. “Don’t tell me the fuck to calm down!” White froth was coming out of the corners of his mouth.

&nbs
p; “We’ve got to get out before the police come,” Luc said in a quiet voice.

  “Settle down, Vlad,” Tetyana said. “And put that thing away. I got this.”

  Either she had ovaries of titanium or she knew something we didn’t.

  Tetyana gave a knowing nod to Luc. He straightened up. “I’ll get the girls,” he said, walking to the door. Something told me they’d both gone through this routine before. Neither looked frightened as much as apprehensive.

  “Get the trucks ready too,” Tetyana said to Luc before he walked out of the room.

  That calmed Vlad down. With a grunt, he pulled a phone out of his pocket, cursing under his breath. I noticed his oversized fingers shaking as he dialed. Now that he was occupied with something other than us, Tetyana quietly motioned to us to follow her out. Katy and I tiptoed behind her.

  “Wait here,” she whispered as we stepped out to the landing.

  “What about Win?” I said, pointing to the room we’d just vacated. “We can’t leave her with that loose nut and his gun.”

  Tetyana gave me a funny look as if to say, What do you care?

  “She’ll be taken care of. They won’t leave her here to talk to cops.”

  “What do you mean taken care of?” My voice rose. “Are they going to kill her?” I made a move toward the room, but Tetyana grabbed me. She bent down, so her eyes were level with mine. “Those idiots just killed a cop. They won’t touch her. Luc’s gonna take care of Win. She won’t get hurt. Promise.”

  I looked into her green eyes. They were wide open, still hiding something, but honest. I nodded. I had no choice. She let go of my arm.

  “And please don’t run down,” she said. “What’s downstairs is going to be worse, if you’re not with me.”

  She sashayed over to the first door, the one that had been locked, took a key from her bra, opened it and disappeared inside. Katy and I huddled near the stairways, waiting for her.

  From where we stood, we could hear Vlad on the phone, shouting, cursing at someone. Snippets of words shot out every few seconds like bullets from an angry gun. Pigs. Passports. Truck. Girls. It was clear things weren’t going well for him, which meant things weren’t going to go well for us either.