I've Been Waiting for You

by Mary Moriarty

  * * * * * * * *

  Odin felt his phone, saw it was Sally and picked it up. “Yeah, honey?” he was making a cup of coffee, and as he listened his thoughts became wild. All he could hear was Arabic screaming, though it was muffled. He couldn’t hear Sally but all of a sudden he heard Olivia and she didn’t sound happy.

  “What the hell did you put in my face? My head is killing me. Oh my God, you have Sally.”

  Odin heard someone say “Shut her up,” in Arabic. He put his phone on mute and yelled for Thor as he ran for the security computer. He hit a few keys and knew he had activated the alarm.

  Thor was in his Jag, on his way to meet up with Olivia, and give her a ride to her first class when the alarm went off. He didn’t have to be told what was happening. He slammed the gear into drive and let the big car take off. He was screaming around the corner when he saw a woman stuffed into a late model sedan. He wasn’t sure what Sally had been wearing, knowing it wasn’t Olivia, but he knew whatever the alarm was about it was happening right down the road.

  The car leaped forward and Thor was pulling a Glock and a tracking device out of his locked box as he drove. He was almost up to the car that he was sure had at least one of the girls. Thor saw it had rental plates on. He made a mental note of the number when all of a sudden a jogger ran out in front of him. He slammed on his breaks and the car veered around the next corner. He put the car in park and jumped out. He saw a few college guys standing there their mouths hanging open. One yelled, “Someone took the girls, Olivia and Sally.”

  Thor yelled as he ran. “Watch the car and I’ll pay you guys.”

  Thor ran, and was almost near enough. He saw a lot of movement going on in the backseat. It must be Olivia. If the situation weren’t so dire he would have smiled because he knew she was probably giving them a fit right now. He made a flying leap and hit the sedan’s roof. He let a tracker slam on the roof and then he pile drove his fist with his Glock through the back window. He heard Sally’s scream and then words that chilled him.

  “Do that, you cursed infidel fool, and I will put a bullet through both of their skulls!” To prove his point the man yanked Olivia by her hair and pointed the gun to her head. She screamed and her eyes were wild. Thor saw pain and fear in her eyes.

  Thor then looked at the kidnapper in the eyes. “Should the girls come to any harm, you will wish you, your family, anyone who you have ever come in contact with, had never been born. Nothing will stop us from hunting you down like dogs that you are. We will take revenge. Stop now, and maybe I won’t hunt you like an animal. Continue, and you are dead men.”

  He looked at Olivia one last time, saw Sally coming to and moving. Heard her whimper.

  “Don’t worry Olivia, we will get you and Sally back.”

  Sally was picking her head up when she felt a slap and a push. Olivia screamed again and Sally was sure Olivia was lashing out. She still couldn’t see. Her eyes stung and her head was splitting but she could hear and feel Olivia.

  She heard a stream of Arabic again and the car flew around a corner and then another. She made out that they were going to the airport but nothing more since her Arabic was rusty. She had been studying the language for a year. She heard another woman cry and wondered if there was someone else. She heard the man next to her tell the driver to shut the one in the front up. She heard a slap and then whimpering.

  Thor let his hand slip and he slid off the back of the car. Just as he hit the pavement Odin came running up behind him.

  “What happened, why did you let them get away?”

  Thor stood, head down, “They had a gun to Olivia’s head, there wasn’t much I could do.” He stood up and looked his brother in the eyes. Saw them turning an angry shade of blood red. “I saw Sally, she appeared to be knocked out, but coming to.”

  Odin placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. You did well. We will get them back and kill some terrorists in the process.”

  * * * * * * * *

  Katherine clutched at her belly as she watched Colum, his father, and Travis suit up. Weapons were being inspected and re-inspected. Elsabet came up behind Katherine and wrapped her arms around her. “There is nothing you or I can do. This is a battle our men will fight without us.”

  Katherine felt so vulnerable at this moment. She had the strength to wipe out a whole nest of terrorists but not with the baby almost ready to be born. Then she would have to constantly feed.

  Colum looked down at his wife. “We will get her and Olivia back, don’t worry.” He took Katherine in his arms. “All the women are here. Don’t worry, if this is a ruse to leave you unprotected, they will never know what hit them should they try to attack. You are to live below ground, you and the boys until we return.”

  Katherine nodded her head which lay on Colum’s chest. She breathed his scent in deeply, not knowing when she would feel his body or smell his delightful scent again.

  Colum let his finger slip under her chin. “A week at the most, my kitten. We will be back soon and in plenty of time for the birth of our baby.”

  Katherine felt the baby kick a few times, steady rabbit kicks as she called them. She watched as Colum bent and talked low soothing sounds to her stomach. Covering her belly with his hand he gave it one final kiss and then caught Katherine’s lips up in a savage kiss.

  Katherine watched as the men walked out of the house and then she and the boys along with the women went to the bottom levels of their home.

  * * * * * * * *

  Odin got into the pilot’s seat of his Lear Jet. Thor threw their gear into the back. Odin talked with the tower and heard they would be cleared for take-off in ten minutes. Thor pushed the talk button on his phone.

  “Yes, we are ready for take-off, Uncle. Yes, we are meeting you all at Fort Drum. Yes, Wheeler Sack Army Air Field. Yes,” he typed something into the computer that he had on his lap, “yes, we’re at T.F. Green Airport. Do you see the map I am bringing up? I put a tracking devise on the car that took the girls. Yes, it stopped here but now we are tracking Sally’s phone. She has a GPS in it, plus her iPod. I’ve sent her messages but still nothing. OK, we are ready for take-off. See you soon.”

  Odin taxied the Lear and they were behind two other small planes. “Once we get in the air, take the controls brother. I want to do a little investigative work.”

  Thor was listening to air traffic along with his brother.

  As they took off, Odin looked at the slip of paper that the young men who went to school with his Sally had given them. It had the license plate number for the car that the girls had been taken in. Checking it out before they had taken off, he found out what he suspected. They were apparently dealing with same terror cell that had sent men to kidnap and kill their Queen, Katherine. They had a few bases that they moved back and forth between. He was going to make sure, before they were too far into their flight overseas, that he found out which base they were going to.

  * * * * * * * *

  Sally sat with her hands tied in front of her. She sat across the aisle from Olivia, who was looking more furious than she had ever seen her. The woman who had helped the men was really a prisoner, like themselves, and she sat next to Sally right now. Other than the three of them, there was no one else in the cabin of the plane as they flew to wherever.

  “This is my little girl, if it wasn’t for her I would kill those men, but they hold her and will kill her or worse.”

  Sally looked at the photo. She turned her head to the young woman. She had removed her head covering after the men had left them. “What do you think they will do with Olivia and me?”

  The young woman looked over at them. Her face looked tired and haggard. “Slave. That’s what I have been for the last three years, when they caught my little girl and me in the market. She was only three at the time.”

  Sally leaned into the woman. “What’s your name? Where are you from?”

  “Houda,” her voice was flat, “from Tunisia.”

  �
��Well, don’t worry we will get out of this.”

  The woman turned tired eyes to Sally. “How do you think we will get out of this? Maybe someone will pay a ransom for you, after all, who was that giant, that the men kept calling a demon?”

  “That was Thor. He was once my bodyguard along with his brother. Now he dates my best friend over there.”

  Olivia looked up, half asleep, her face all smeared with her mascara. “If I ever see him again I will never complain about him being over protective again.”

  Sally had been fiddling with her wrist and the rope that tied them. “I need to go pee.”

  Houda pushed a button. “Wait, they will come, I will take you.”

  Sure enough a man came out of the cockpit. “What do you want?”

  “She has to go relive herself.”

  “Then take her.”

  Houda looked at the man, trying to feel brave. “But she can’t with her hands tied.”

  The man came up to the two. He saw the other girl, the chubby one, was still sleeping. “OK, you go. I will remove the ties until you come back and then I will wake your friend here and have her go after. We will be landing in four hours.”

  Olivia looked up at Sally as the man untied Sally’s wrist. She made motions for Sally to leave her wrist not so tight after finishing in the bathroom, so when the guy tied her up again she may be able to get out of it. She saw Sally smile. She closed her eyes again as the man stood up.

  Let him think I’m was still asleep.

  Sally went to the bathroom, closed and locked the door, while Houda stayed out by the door. She thought about what the man had said. Not too smart mentioning how much longer their flight was.

  She dug in her bag and found her purse and while she sat on the toilet, she texted Odin.

  Odin, it’s me Sally. I am OK so far, on a plane for who knows where. Olivia is fine. I hope she behaves. The woman with us is also a captive. She says there are a lot like her, us. Also there are children. They want to sell us for slaves. Do you think we will be OK? Are you all coming for us?

  She pressed send and then went pee. She heard voices. Houda was trying to block the door but the head guy came up.

  “Why are you still standing here?” He started to bang on the door. “Hey you, get out now.”

  Sally saw a message come from Odin.

  Baby we are coming for you, hang in there. You mean the world and then some. I didn’t wait all these years to lose you now. Keep a cool head and know you all will be rescued.”

  Sally shut her phone and put it at the bottom of her purse. She pulled out a tampon and walked out of the bathroom. Waving the tampon. “Do you have any of these? I really need a box of them.” She knew that would make him scurry.

  The man bounced back against the opposite wall. “Keep that thing away from me. No, we have none of those things on this plane, you will have to wait till we land, which will be four more hours.”

  Sally looked at him in disgust and turned and went back into the bathroom and locked the door in behind her. She could hear the captor protesting. She rustled paper while she dug her phone out.

  She sent a text to Odin. Definitely four more hours till we land. I just found out.

  She rustled some more paper, grumbled and waited.

  Good Girl! Stay safe, take no unnecessary risks. Keep your eyes and ears open.

  Chapter 8

  All the men sat side by side and across from each other in the C-17. Their ETA for landing was 0100 hours. Odin sat with his head back. He heard his men talking in low voices. Colum and his father, along with Uncle Travis sat up towards the front. Odin tried to picture Sally. He saw her and her smile as she looked over at him as they cooked; the look on her face as she slept after they made love. The small sounds she always made. How she would fit her body in tightly next to his, wrapping her small, slender legs around his big one.

  How was it both she and Olivia had slipped out without either him or Thor being with them?

  Then her scent met his nostril. He growled.

  Thor looked over at his brother. “What’s that all about?”

  Odin’s eyes opened, grabbing his laptop, he opened it up and came to the page that would track Sally’s phone. It was pinpointing her location. He could tell they had landed, some quick figuring told him they were due to land about fifty miles west. But at this moment they were right overhead.

  Odin got up and walked over to Colum. “Sire, look at our position, we are right above them.”

  Colum looked at the screen. Looking up he saw the shade of Odin’s eyes. There was nothing more dangerous than a vampire who’d had his mate taken from him. Her blood was calling him. “You tracked her without the computer didn’t you?”

  Odin nodded. “I smelled her scent before I even opened my laptop.”

  A human who sat to the right of Colum, watched Odin. “How is it that you can do that? We must be 20,000 feet up.”

  Odin smiled but it wasn’t one of happiness. It was a rueful smile. “We’re mated. I can track her anywhere, unless she is under the ocean’s depths. Then it will just slow me to some degree.”

  The human named Brent, shook his head. “I’m glad you aren’t hunting me.”

  A few others as they were going over their packs nodded in agreement. “This is the side to be on, for sure.”

  * * * * * * * *

  Olivia sat down on the floor. Around her were women who had clustered near the newcomers. They sat talking as they stared at Olivia. Olivia was going to go through her purse when she thought that might not be a good idea. Who knew what these women would do to gain favor with their captors? So she secured her purse around her chest.

  Sally watched her friend as she leaned against the wall. Houda came in with her little girl, holding her tight.

  “Is this your little girl, Houda?”

  Houda sat down on the floor and pulled her daughter down on her lap. “Yes, this is Fatima. She was named after my mother.”

  Fatima looked shyly at Sally and then reached over and touched her hair. “Your hair is bright.”

  Sally smiled at the little girl’s description. “That’s a new way of putting it. Do you want a piece of gum?” She rummaged in her backpack and going by feeling, she found the pack of gum. Holding it out, Sally watched as Fatima looked first at the gum and then at her mother. Houda said something in Arabic and nudged the little girl.

  Fatima took the piece of gum and opening it slowly she put the piece up to her nose. “It smells like fruit.” She bit off a little piece then wrapped up the rest, pocketing it.

  Sally leaned into Houda and watched as Olivia crawled up to her. “Is there a bathroom I can use?”

  Houda got up and reached for Sally’s hand. “Come, I will show you around.” She put her little girl on the mat. “Sleep. Daybreak isn’t for a couple more hours.”

  Houda showed her the few rooms they were allowed to stay in. Once a day, sometimes two times, they were brought out and allowed to go in the courtyard, Sally was told, “Maybe with you here, though, you won’t be allowed to go outside.”

  Sally looked in the kitchen, if that’s what you could call it, a place that look like hibachis inside a counter. Pans and a bag of flour stood on the floor. Sally saw a mouse scurry to a corner. She shuddered.

  “Where’s the bathroom?”

  Houda took her hand. They came to the bathroom, a hole in the floor to relieve themselves. A water tank that she knew was for bathing. The water didn’t smell fresh. They both stood there, Sally looked at the water, then at Houda. “Do they leave you alone?”

  “Most of the time. They don’t care about us, but you and your friend, I am afraid it will be different.”

  Sally pulled Houda in and closed and locked the door. She opened her purse and felt around and found her flashlight. Turning it on, she found her phone. Looking at it she saw it had one bar for reception. “We’re going to get out of here. I promise. My family will come for Olivia and me. I already told them about you
and your little girl.”

  Sally typed out a text message tried to send it. The message wouldn’t send. Sally swore.

  “Here, Houda, hold this.” Sally climbed up on the tank and then taking her phone stood on the edge of the tank and pointed the phone out the window. She hit send again.

  “Did it send?” Houda whispered?

  Sally watched the screen and then saw it had sent.

  “Yes,” she stood there waiting to see if they would get a message back. “I’m going to erase these messages in case this gets confiscated.”

  Houda stood listening against the door, then glanced up to Sally. “How is your family going to get all the women out? There are twenty of us plus five children and one newborn.”

  Sally held up her finger. She typed out another message.

  Odin, 20 women, five children and one newborn… I need you and Father…

  * * * * * * * *

  Odin’s phone vibrated as he sat next to the Colum, talking over plans. They would be landing in ten minutes. From there they would transfer to a helicopter to get as close as possible. Pushing a button he saw it was a message from Sally. “It’s from Sally.”

  Everyone sat up and stopped talking at the mention of the King and Queen’s daughter. “She says she and Olivia are fine.” He read the next one. “20 women, 5 children and a newborn.”

  Quickly ignoring the men and his brother trying to find out more, he typed out a message.

  I know this isn’t the time to tell you, it should be in person. You and I, in bed or on a walk, but I love you...I am coming and it can be an army of women and children we have to rescue, we will get you all. Stay safe and don’t take any unnecessary risks. We have your location and are near. Flying over you as I text. Stay alert!

  Colum looked at his future son-in-law and knew anything that got in his way was going to be destroyed. “We’ll get her back.”

  For the first time in almost one thousand years, Odin felt fear. “Sire, what if we don’t?”