by Diana Scott
“Where is she? Either you tell me what you did to her, or I'll kill you right here.”
Reed approached with his chair as he coolly watched the scene.
“If you want him to talk you should let go of his throat,” Blackman spoke with such serenity that he managed to distract him.
The aggrieved man seized the opportunity and beat the Italian to the ground. They were both breathing agitated when Suraj sat on him, immobilizing him with an arm wrapped around his neck.
“Now you're going to tell me what the fuck is wrong with you.”
Maurizio twisted himself trying to move, but Suraj's arm tightened his neck until he almost hanged him.
“I'll tell you the same thing I told him: either you strangle him or you let him speak but both are not possible,” Suraj smiled at his friend as he released the Italian with total parsimony.
Maurizio regained his air by coughing and trying to speak.
“Where is she? I don't care how fucked up you are, I'll make a deal if you give her to me.”
Reed and Suraj looked at each other without a clue of what the inspector was saying.
“Release her and I promise you immunity!”
“Italian, what the fuck are you talking about?” Reed asked between curious and angry.
“An hour ago, Cleopatra's jewels were stolen from Tina Collection.,” Reed didn't answer, he knew exactly who the author was.
“We have nothing to do with that, you can go and wait for Internal Affairs. To accuse a superior is something serious,” Suraj spoke confident but Maurizio exploded with rage and threw himself at him again.
“You corrupt bastard! Tell me where she is or I swear to you...”
“We told you that we don't know anything about the jewels and I recommend you come back next time with a court order if you don't want to...” Reed didn't finish talking when Maurizio erupted in rage.
“I don't want the Jewels. I want her!” Suraj stopped fighting instantly and Reed felt the sky falling on him. The worst omens were coming true and he thought he couldn't bear it.
“Yes, she was in the gallery when they stole. Those sons of bitches took her...” Maurizio spoke in tears as he spat blood from his lip
“That's impossible, it's Saturday, Anne doesn't work on Saturday,” Reed spoke desperately. It couldn't be true.
“This Saturday she did,” answered furious.
Maurizio didn't know whether or not he could trust those two. Checking out Kumar's story would take days, even weeks, and he didn't have that much time. Those bastards took Anne and he had to rescue her before the worst could happen to her.
The inspector looked at the sheds waiting for the signal. If everything went as planned, Suraj would appear with the woman and then he could act. He looked again and again at the clock, his men would take at least half an hour to arrive, he had no time, he should act alone. He looked at the sky and saw how it began to darken, closed his eyes and prayed for the life of the woman who had unwittingly captured his heart. He looked into the distance and distinguished a figure. It had to be them. It was time to act.
Six hours earlier
“Bruce, I wasn't expecting you. Who is this man? But what...”
I try to make myself clear when the firm and hard hand of that man hits me in the face and manages to knock me down. I want to sit up but my head turns disoriented. I try to ask for help but the blurred images confuse me. I try to get up but I am unable to coordinate my movements. I rub my jaw and the metallic taste of blood covers my lip. I look up and see my old mentor with a satisfied smile.
“Bruce...? What is going on?” Fearful words barely come out of my throat.
I rest my hand on the ground to get up but a first kick unbalances me while a second kick bends me in two. I scream in pain and fright but it's impossible for anyone to hear me. It's Saturday and the gallery is closed. I twist on the floor and am unable to understand anything. Bruce is my friend, he has always been my mentor. This can't be happening to me. At some point I will have to wake up.
Tears stream down my face as I try to regain air after the blow to the center of my stomach. That man holds me by my hair and lifts me up in merciless volandas. I feel that this is my end.
“You fucking whore! Where are they?!”
“I don't know what you're talking about...” I answer with lack of strength while I am being pulled from one side to the other.
“Anne, let me introduce you to my friend, his name is Falconi and he doesn't like you at all. You see, when he wants to, he can be very aggressive so I advise you to answer if you don't want to suffer too much. We want to know where have they taken them.”
“Why are you doing this to me? You and I were friends...” I say controlling the cough caused by the blood in my throat.
“Friends?” Falconi's laughter resounds cold in the office. “Watchmaker doesn't even love his mother.”
“Watchmaker?”
My head breaks as I try to find explanations. Is Bruce the Watchmaker? That's impossible, he's an academic man, very prestigious, why would he do something like that? I look up and only need to look him once in the eye to see what I had never seen before. Greed.
“It has always been you... the thefts, the closeness of the jewels, the knowledge of each piece, the monetary value of the unknown, that could only be known by a professional, someone with real knowledge, someone like... you.”
“I see that you have finally awakened. Silly illusion, did you think I was helping you out of affection? Your knowledge was necessary to recognize the true relics. If it wasn't for John, I would have killed you years ago.”
“John?”
“Yes dear, your husband and I were partners but I'm afraid his high aspirations forced me to send him to the other world.”
“Did you kill John?”
“That idiot tried to rob me, and that's impossible. No one deceives the Watchmaker.”
I close my eyes trying to digest but the pain of the blows hardly allow me to think.
“And now that it's all clear, where are Cleopatra's fucking jewels?”! Falconi pulls my hair and drags me to the carpet without letting me move.
“Those jewels don't exist!” I scream as I try to get rid of their grip.
“What a son of a bitch, you'll see.”
The man is holding me tight, he wants to kill me but I want to live. Maybe I'll die today but I'll do it fighting. John taught me to take blows and the years showed me that only I am the owner of my freedom. I intend to fight until death picks me up.
I scratch, scream and kick while Falconi promises revenge.
“Wait! If she faints, she won't tell us anything,” Watchmaker stops him with his hand held high.
“Little bitch, we'll give you a second chance. Tell us where the jewels are and we promise you won't suffer.”
“Fuck you! You wretched son of a bitch,” I'm crying, but I'm angry.
“You stubborn bitch, we know they were in the chamber but they took them. Tell us where to or I'll cut you right here!”
Falconi squeezes me around the neck, leaving me almost breathless. If I take them there I might have a chance. There is a contact alarm that I could activate without being seen.
“All right, all right, you win, I'll take you to the camera,” I answer while I kick Falconi to release me.
“You'll see, Anne, it turns out that we've already entered and there's nothing.”
“That's impossible, my card is the only one with access permission.”
“You mean this one?” He says as she rolls it between her fingers.
“You stole it from my purse!.... But you don't know how...”
“What did I steal from your purse? Ugh, dear stupid, you should be more careful with who you sleep with.”
“What are you saying?”
“Stupid bitch, Blackman took it from you at night while he was fucking you and you haven't even noticed,” Falconi throws a thunderous laughter. That man is the fucking master.
“What? What are you...?”
“What else would I have hired him for if it wasn't for discovering the jewels? Did you really believe all that relic stuff for Stonebridge?” Bruce laughs with a cold, evil laugh. “For all I care, that museum can disappear tomorrow. All I'm interested in is the millions of pounds we'll pluck from the insurance.”
“That's not possible, not Reed...
The forces begin to abandon me and reason makes my ideas clearer and clearer. I try to deny it, but his words resound in my head. How's the new job? How are these discoveries going?
“He couldn't...”
“And whose idea do you think it was to steal your card from your purse?”
“Yes, everything would have been perfect if those jewels were where they should be but they're not and I'm starting to get impatient. Anne, I repeat it to you for the last time, tell me where they are if you don't want to see my friend more angry than he is.”
I close my eyes destroyed by betrayal. The blow of knowing that Bruce, my friend and mentor is Watchmaker, does not compare to the disappointment of feeling that the only man you ever loved only used you to steal some stupid jewelry. Tears cover me and stain with the red of my own blood.
“I don't know anything about those jewels...” I answer shattered.
I can't tell them that Solange moved them only yesterday. As long as I have information, I can negotiate for my life.
“You'll talk.”
“I don't know anything, I swear,” I lie while I receive another slap.
The pain is so strong that my muscles don't respond and the pain of betrayal robs me of my last desire to live.
“We are leaving. Put her in the van through the back door.”
“Shall we take her?” Falconi asks curious.
We'll throw her on the tracks and get rid of her. It's of no use to us.
Falconi binds my hands and although I resist, the forces weaken me and I fall headfirst in a van that closes behind me with force. Think Anne, think, this can't be the end, God, not like this!
A mobile rings and I hear only a few words in the distance. I think my eardrum has broken because of the power of the blows.
“Turn towards the harbour.”
“Why?”
“Blackman asks to take her right now. He'll make her talk.”
“And how does he know we have her?”
“That doesn't matter, we'll take her and he'll get what we're looking for, then we'll see how we get rid of the body.”
I hear his name and sorrow takes hold of my heart. I want to scream, hit, cry and push but my body decides that it’s not for many revenges. My breathing is heavy and darkness begins to envelop me. I try to resist, I caress my neck to stay awake but I am only able to feel the warmth of the blood by touching my fingers. The darkness envelops me little by little and I am only able to call him in a desperate attempt to save me.
“Reed... Why?”
Run
Anne passed out and the swelling in her face was much more than just bruises. The nose was probably broken and the lower lip was broken too. The blood mixed with the salt of the tears had dried leaving a haggard and totally disfigured face.
Blackman entered through the door as soon as he felt them enter the shed and he almost became the angel of death if it wasn’t for Suraj who held him by the shoulder. He wanted to howl like a wounded wolf, he wanted to get involved in a fight until those two bastards were completely dry. His girl was devastated, but he would kill them, reduce them to bits and feed the rats with their rotten body.
“She's alive. That's all that matters,” his friend muttered in an almost imperceptible voice.
“Fucking sons of a bitch, I won't stop until I kill them with my own hands.”
“Let's get her out of here first. Then I'll help you.”
Reed tried to regain some sanity because when he saw her, he felt that she was losing any sign of reasoning. Anne, his Anne, had a shattered face and clothes made of rags. It was stained with blood everywhere. The purple of the bruises was beginning to appear and Reed could feel his guts stirring in disgust. He wanted to run to her side, hug her and beat those sons of bitches to death.
If the hate for Falconi had always been unforgettable, now it was irremediable. He would kill him and hell would receive them both. That son of a bitch would never again take advantage of a woman, much less his own.
As soon as his legs responded, he wore the marching brace thanks to the bandages that Raymond put on him to cover his bloody sores. The lacerations were open, but they stopped hurting as soon as he saw her lying on the floor. He walked and knelt beside her, trying to control his most murderous impulses.
“What have you done to her?”
“This fucking bitch wouldn't talk.”
Anne woke up slowly and tried to look at the voices but her eyes were too swollen. She could barely recognize shadows.
“And how you want her to talk!” Reed shouted furiously at Falconi, who was not afraid of his threatening screams.
“What's the matter, Blackman? Do you care about her?”
“Don't be stupid! In this state it's impossible for her to tell us anything. Most likely she won't even be able to open her mouth,” Suraj replied with a thick, cold voice that Anne could barely recognize him.
They talked as the badly wounded woman tried to regain consciousness. She didn't know where she was, but she did know who she was with. Suraj and Reed spoke of her as totally expendable. Maurizio was right and she couldn’t accept it. Suraj was a corrupt and Reed a bloody thief.
The cold of fear began to envelop her. Those men only wanted her to know where Cleopatra's Jewels were hiding, once they knew they would kill her without consideration. For a moment, as they say in the books, she felt life passing her by, like a cloud of images. Memories flowed quickly through her head trying to say goodbye: her mother kissing her before going to bed, that warm embrace from her father, her sister's childlike smile and the lack of her teeth, her aunt's teachings: "There are women who were born to survive and there are others who were born to fly. You are one of those who does not fear heights. Fly Anne, don't give up... don't give up...".
Aunt Elsa's advice echoed in her head and she knew she had to try. Reed had deceived her, he lied to her, he deluded her with a love that had never existed but she had to try, she had to live. She still had a lot to live.
Blackman was the biggest asshole, son of a bitch she had ever met, even more than John but that didn't matter anymore. She had to live for them, for Jane, for Aunt Elsa, for Solange and for all those who really loved her. She had to live or die fighting.
The men were arguing when she rose from the ground to two hands and tried to stand up. Her chest hurt from the kicks and her eyes were barely focused but none of that mattered to her. "Fly Anne, don't give up..." I won't do it, Aunt Elsa, I won't do it.
“I know where the Jewels are.”
Her voice was low and throaty but the men managed to listen to her and turn to look at her.
“Where?” Falconi asked with interest.
“That's a lie,” Reed nodded confidently.
Anne felt the pain of betrayal split her in two but in less than a few seconds she managed to recover. Her life was at stake.
“I'll tell you, but on one condition.”
“She only seeks his freedom,” Reed affirmed furiously and Suraj supported him in his affirmations.
Anne thought she would faint at that very moment. Reed didn't want to give her a chance. He wanted to see her dead.
“Maybe you're right, but what do you lose by listening to me?” She put her eyes on the tall bundle of shiny black hair that she imagined that would be Blackman.
“Speak up,” Bruce said confidently.
“Take me back to the Gallery and I'll show you where it is.”
“Tell us here,” Falconi threatened furiously.
“No, in the gallery.”
Reed instantly understood her plan and wanted to kiss her proudly. T
hat woman had turned it upside down from the first moment he saw her. Her beauty was undeniable but her intelligence dazzled much more than the precious green of her eyes. Anne wanted to step into the vault and sound the silent alarms behind the door. The idea was good but too desperate. She couldn't afford it.
“She's lying," he answered for sure.
“How do you know it?” Falconi threatened with his gaze.
“Don't be an idiot. There's nothing in the vault, she's just trying to buy time.”
“No! I swear, we'll find them there. I'll show you.”
Bruce and Falconi doubted the decision and Anne tried to be more convincing. Her life was at stake.
“I swear, behind the camera there is a safe hidden. That's where the Jewels hide.”
“Then we’ll kill you now,” Falconi spoke happily.
No, they can't... And why not? Because not! Anne asked herself, trying to find an answer to her terrible mistake. God! Give me a little help, even if it's not just one.
“We must get rid of her right now,” Reed affirmed, taking with him the watchmaker's approval.
His eyesight was barely able to distinguish figures but the voice was unmistakable. Reed was sending her straight to the slaughterhouse.
“No! I don't lie, I can show you where they are. Without me you will never get them.”
Anne's strangled and desperate voice ended up convincing the men, Blackman was right. The woman was lying in a desperate act.
“I'd better get rid of her,” Suraj rushed to hold her arm to take her out of the room when Falconi raised his hand to stop him.
“Not you, let one of my boys kill her.”
He lifted a finger and a Goliath from the door approached willingly.
“Luka will make her enjoy her last moments.”
The giant smiled and Reed felt her skin freeze instantly. He must think of something, but soon. He thought and thought but couldn't find the solution. Luka was trying to drag Anne towards the door but the woman was resisting the blow of kicks and blows into the air using her last strength.
“Please don't! Reed do something! Don't let them kill me... please. Help me!”
