by Jamie Ott
“Maddie, you need to leave,” Joe told her.
She got up and put on her robe, when suddenly the door burst open and she screamed in alarm.
“AAhhh!” she screamed gutturally.
She opened her eyes and sat up.
Michael stood in the doorway.
“Hurry, get up and get dressed, we’re being attacked!”
“What do you mean?”
The answer came a second later, as the sound of gunshots came from below.
She jumped out of bed, drew back the curtain but couldn’t see anything.
“Don’t waste time! Get dressed, now! And stay out of the window!”
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
She put on her shoes and pants, and then they ran down the hall.
In the background, Maddie heard more gun shots, followed by a scream.
“This way!” said Michael, who yanked her by the arm as she was about to go down the stairs.
Maddie followed him further down the hall, to another staircase that went straight to a set of side doors in the dance hall. Then Adele appeared, waving her arms and said, “No, the other way!”
They followed her to the opposite end of the hall, to the winding stair case that went to the kitchen.
Maddie gasped at the sight: Flour hazed the air; pots were smashed all over the floor; the fruit baskets had been overturned.
“Careful,” said Michael, who walked across the sugar covered floor, trying not to slip.
He opened the back door. More shouting and gunfire was heard, from the front entrance.
Maddie wondered if she should try to make a run for it. What if they were there to save her? She turned, about to run to the front of the house, but Michael pulled her back.
“I know you don’t trust me but I swear to you, these men are not here to rescue you. They’re here to kill you. Stay with us and I’ll let you go, but for now, you must trust me!”
Maddie conceded and they stepped through the backdoor.
Instead of running, they stood, facing the red door to the right, under the kitchen’s stone archway. Adele sifted through a ring of keys.
Once they were on the other side of the red door, Maddie was taken aback. Instead of a broom closet, there was a hall that extended for quite a few yards: it was thin, dark, and a little scary.
“What is this place? Are we going to hide here?” Maddie whispered.
“We’re inside the outside manor wall,” Adele replied. “Come on.”
They disappeared into the darkness. The only way Maddie knew Michael and Adele were still in front of her was because Michael held her arm. Occasionally, splashes of light leaked through cracks in the wall, and gleamed off spider webs.
Maddie stumbled a few times. As she groped the wall for support, bugs crushed under her hands. Several times, she brushed what she assumed were spiders off of her arms and face. A few things even crawled down her shirt. But she did her best not scream.
After a few quick moments, they came upon a door. Adele sifted through keys again. Finally, she found the right one, stuck it in and turned the bolt.
Despite it being pitch black, the smell told her that they’d entered the horse stalls, on the other side of the property. There was another door across the room.
“Oh, no!” whispered Adele. “I’m not sure that I have the right key!”
Shots fired through the window and they all hit the ground. Then the door opened and in walked a masked man in jeans and a plain white tee shirt. At first, he couldn’t see them all on the floor, which allowed them to take advantage of the split second they had.
The man walked a few feet into the room. Michael slid his arm around his neck, and tightened his grip into a chokehold. Maddie picked up a shovel that rested in the corner of the room, raised it high and slammed it onto the man’s arms.
A shot fired when the gun slammed to the floor. The guy slipped out of Michael’s grip, and tried to reach for the gun. Maddie kicked it across the room. Michael punched the man in the kidney, and he fell to the floor, writhing.
Adele shouted, “I got it! Let’s go!”
They hurried back into the dark wall, locking the door behind them. Gun shots drilled the door, from the other side.
Up ahead, moonlight shined through a tiny window, revealing an array of cars. Maddie realized it was another garage, and that was where everyone parked their vehicles.
Adele pressed a button on a remote that dangled from her key chain. A dark SUV beeped, and they got in. Michael, who was in the driver’s seat, took the keys from Adele. A second later, a garage door opened and they sped out onto a dirt road.
“Okay!” Maddie screamed at them, “What is going on? Please don’t say that you’ll tell me later!”
“Those men are here to kill us,” Adele said, turning in the passenger’s seat.
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out! When did you get back from your trip?”
“Earlier this evening.”
“And, Anna?”
“She’s with her father.”
“What about Julian and Marie?”
“Marie got out just fine. Julian’s still in town,” said Michael.
“Where are we going?”
“To visit an old friend; there, all your questions will be answered.”
“I want answers, now, like how do you know my husband?”
“Perhaps you should ask yourself this: How well do you know your husband?” Michael replied.
“That’s it! Pull the car over, now!” she yelled.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Maddie,” said Adele. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. Do you really want to be stuck out here all night?”
Maddie turned her head and raged in silence.
After an hour or so, the car slowed down before turning onto another dirt road.
“Do you hear that?” asked Adele. “It sounds like there’s a party.”
Maddie heard it, too: music, talking, and laughter echoing through the trees.
Up ahead, rows upon rows of cars were parked side by side in the dirt. Michael parked the SUV and they got out.
Amidst a white stucco wall was an enormous house. At the gate, Michael pressed a red button, and the door opened automatically.
“Whose house is this?” asked Maddie.
“An old friend of your father’s.”
“What lies you tell. I don’t believe you.”
“Earl Baldric Engelard is your dad, yes?”
They followed him up a cement path.
“Who lives here, then?”
“You’re about to find out.”
They walked up a set of steps, over a threshold and into the house.
Inside, people mingled everywhere. Wait staff carried drinks, and in the far corner was a buffet table. In each corner of the room, men in black stood, watching everyone.
Michael pulled out his cell phone and texted a message.
“Why won’t you answer any of my questions! I don’t whoever it is we’re about to see. Why should I believe anything he says?”
He received a response on his phone, and said, “Come on.”
Maddie followed him and Adele to the back of the house, into a large office.
An old man in a suit sat a desk, drinking. Two men in black stood beside him.
“Lucian,” he said with a light French accent. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“Hello, old friend!”
Briefly, they embraced.
“How have you been?”
“Oh, well, not so good. Can we talk a moment?”
“Sure,” the man said. He set down his drink and they walked to the far corner of the room where they whispered. Then the man left the room and Michael rejoined Maddie and Adele.
“You’re name’s Lucian?” asked Maddie.
The man walked back into the room.
“Well, Maddie, you’ve sure grown up. Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked Michael.
“Excuse me, have we m
et?”
The man didn’t reply. He sat behind the desk and said, “Well, I know you’re in trouble. I wish that I could help, especially in consideration of the friendship your father’s meant to me. I’ve always thought of you like a nephew. After all, your fathers and I grew up together, went to La Sorbonne and built our fortunes together from nothing. But this fight between you and Baldric must stay between you and him. I can’t afford to get involved. A few months ago, I almost had my citizenship revoked. I’m clean now and wish to stay that way.”
“Is that why you have men with guns guarding your home? Is it because you’re clean?” asked Michael angrily.
“Look, I understand that you want to protect what your father left you. If you survive this, cleanly, I’ll invest with you, but that’s all I can do. I’m sorry.”
The man walked out of the room.
Back outside the gate, Maddie said, “You said all my questions, here, would be answered!”
“His name is Sean Basteau. That man was a friend of my father’s, and of your father’s. They all grew up and were college buddies at Sorbonne.”
“That’s impossible. My father is from Worcester.”
“Did you really not pay attention to what that man said? He said they went to school and built their fortunes together.”
“He was wrong; he has the wrong man. You must have me and my husband pegged by mistake.”
At that point, Michael’s face turned red and his eyes bulged. Yet, he said calmly, “I’ve told you nothing but truth since we met. You never believe me, and you still don’t. So there’s no point in continuing. You can go now; best of luck to you.”
He and Adele turned and headed back to the car.
“So, wait, you’re just going to leave me here at some strange party in the middle of nowhere?”
“Well, what do you want me to do? I need to look after myself and Adele; I don’t have time to waste, trying to convince you.”
“Alright, I understand, but you can’t just leave her here,” said Adele. “At least, let’s take her somewhere she can get a safe ride home.”
“FIIIIINE!” he shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. Both Maddie and Adele jumped. “Get in the car and let’s go!!”
After they pulled back out onto the road, Maddie leant forward and asked, “So, what do I call you? Michael, Lucian or Asshole?”
Michael punched the gas and they sped off. Maddie slammed into the back seat.
~~~
They drove the dark roads for a few hours in silence. Adele snored, lightly, in her seat. Maddie stewed over Michael’s words.
“You’re really not going to tell me anything else, then? So far, you’ve blamed this mess on my husband and father; two of the most important people in my life.”
“I don’t know that much.”
“How is that possible?”
“Joe will tell you that when we find him.”
Sometime later, Michael said, “I think someone’s following us. Can you look? They’ve turned their lights down, but I keep seeing shadows back there.”
She turned onto her knees and looked out of the back.
“Get down, you idiot! When I said turn and look, I meant inconspicuously.”
Next second, lights glared from down the road. A dark car sped up to them.
“Bang up job, Elmo. Now they know we saw them!” said Michael.
When the car got closer, they started shooting.
Adele woke from her slumber, shrieking.
“What’s going …?” she asked, but seemed to get caught off mid sentence. A bullet had sped through the back window. Maddie was sprayed with a wet substance; some of which got in her mouth and tasted salty.
“Adeeeeele!”
“Shut up!” Michael shouted.
Maddie leant forward to get a closer look at Adele. Michael pushed her back into her seat.
“What are you, stupid? Stay down!”
Michael slammed on his breaks. Maddie rolled forward onto the floor. A second later, the car that followed them slammed into their rear, crunching the trunk of the car flat and blocking the view of the rear window.
Michael sped off, saying, “We’ve lost them. They’re stranded.”
He continued for some miles, before turning off onto a road. Michael stopped at the side of the road, unlocked the door and pushed Adele out.
“What are you doing? You can’t leave her here!
“The bullet went through her head. Come look,” he said, beckoning her with his hand.
She got out of the car. Her eyes were open, a hole in her head, and clearly dead.
“Oh, Adele,” she cried. “Why do they want us dead?”
“I don’t know why. As I’ve said, I don’t know all that’s going on. All I agreed to do was have you here for a few weeks. Joe was going to come get you when the time was right, and that was all.”
“That doesn’t make sense! How could you agree to something like that?”
“Because I needed money to save my father’s house.”
A tow truck sped past them.
“We’d better get out of here. They’re probably going to help those guys.”
They continued on the road for another few hours before coming upon a town. Spotting an all night pharmacy, Michael pulled over and purchased cleaning supplies. Maddie tried to help him clean the car; instead, she vomited all over the seat.
“Do you mind? I have to drive this vehicle. I don’t want to be smelling puke. You sit there and I’ll clean.”
It was almost 1 am when he finished. “Well, I guess this is it. We should part ways, here, I think.”
He looked at his cell phone.
“I’ll call you a cab.”
Maddie’s temper flared like never before.
“So you’re just gonna leave me here? In the dark and cold?”
“Keep your voice down!”
“I’m tired, I have no clothes and no money! It could be hours before a cab makes it here. In little places like this, cab companies don’t work this early in the morning.”
Michael actually looked as though he felt bad for a moment. He turned around on foot, taking in the barren place. Empty fields of yellow grass surrounded them; a heavy blanket of fog moved slowly over the tiny strip of closed businesses. It was so dark that not even the stars could be seen.
“Okay, I’ll put you up for the night but in the morning, you’re on your own.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Maddie sat in the back of the car to avoid sitting in the wet passenger seat. They drove ten miles up the road to an old tavern. She seethed all the way, thinking about how Michael didn’t care about her well-being. How else could he just leave her there? Strangely, this really hurt her.
The tavern was tacky looking and made to imitate old western décor. The sleepy desk clerk led them into a room that was decked out with yellowed wall paper and furnishings. The carpet was a dirty reddish color that pushed out air with each step. Maddie didn’t dare remove her socks.
Maddie sat on the bed and watched Michael get undressed and disappear into the bathroom. The sound of the shower came on.
Her body ached from being scared. She stretched out on the lumpy bed and was almost off to sleep when she had a question.
She walked into the bathroom.
“Hey!”
Michael jumped and dropped the little soap.
“Jesus!” he said and bent down to pick it up. Maddie’s eyes followed him down to the floor and noticed how round his butt was when tensed from a standing over position.
“Why did that guy call you Lucian?”
“Do we have to go through this, now?”
“Just answer the question. Who are you?”
“I am Lucian Marcon, born and raised in Paris until I was twelve. Upon which, my father moved us to the United States. I couldn’t very well go around with a name like Lucian. My peers made fun of me and no one understood it, so I go by Michael.”
And your father wen
t to Sorbonne with that man?”
”Anton Marcon; he was a banker. Anton, Baldric and Sean were pretty tight, growing up.”
“Will you stop saying that? My father didn’t study in Paris. He studied at Cambridge.”
“Baldric Engelard at Cambridge? Yeah, sure, whatever you say. Can I have some privacy?”
She rolled her eyes and closed the door when, suddenly, something he said hit her. How did he know her father’s last name?
She opened the bathroom door again.
“How do you know my father’s name?”
“Get out!!” he shouted.
Maddie flinched and closed the door.
She lay on the bed and dozed off. She didn’t even feel Michael climb into the bed next to her.
Immediately, she slipped into nightmare images of her father and husband. They were both conspiring to have her killed. Maddie was scared for her life. Her father’s scowling face kept appearing. In the dream, she told herself she’d always known he was sinister, but chose to ignore it. Don’t trust him, she said to herself.
Then Joe came into the picture. They made love that first night in the desert. And though he told her he loved her, her dream-self told her he lied. Joe kissed her neck; the heat of his chest warmed her naked breasts. Maddie moaned aloud and turned over onto her side. The dream continued and Maddie tossed and turned.
“Maddie,” someone called.
Her eyes opened. “What is it?”
“You’re moving too much. I can’t sleep.”
She pulled his face to hers and kissed him, deeply. Although she didn’t know it, Michael hoped this would happen; that maybe she’d forgive him for the mess they were in.
Maddie’s kisses were loving and genuine, but in her mind, she thought only of Joe.
“You’re not mad at me?” asked Michael.
Still half asleep, she said, “Of course not, Joe.”
Michael rolled over.
Time to Go Home
Chapter 8
The sun bled through her eyelids; the sound of roosters cawed from somewhere in the neighborhood. The clock said 7 am.
Michael sat on the edge of the bed. He took off his shoes and socks, followed by the blood sprayed tee shirt.
