Illusion

by J. S. Cooper

  “I do like whiskey—Yes!” he exclaimed.

  “Wow, you really like whiskey.”

  “No, no, I can see.” He was excited. “Shit.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed. I knew exactly what the ‘shit’ was about.

  “Where the fuck are we?” He sounded worried, and I knew he was thinking what I was thinking. How the hell were we going to get off this island?

  “So about that whiskey . . . ?” I tried to crack a joke as we sat there in silence. Come to think of it, as much as I didn’t like Jakob, I was glad I wasn’t here by myself. If I were alone, I’d be sobbing already. “Do you think this is like that movie?”

  “What movie?” he finally asked. “Swiss Family Robinson?”

  “No, that crazy movie where that guy is pretending he’s dead, but really he’s waiting to see what happens.”

  “I have no idea what movie you’re talking about.”

  “Saw. That’s the name of the movie.”

  “Weren’t they in a locked room?” He sounded confused.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “So?”

  “In case it escaped you, we’re not in a room.”

  “I know that,” I huffed. “I just meant, do you think that someone put us here so they can watch us, like some sort of experiment?”

  “You mean, like It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World?”

  “What?” I was surprised at his response. I didn’t know many people who’d watched that movie. In fact I didn’t know many men that enjoyed movies that didn’t have explosions and sex.

  “They made a remake. Um, I think it’s called Rat Race.”

  “The movie with Whoopi Goldberg?”

  “Yeah. These rich men send a bunch of idiots on a quest around the country and place bets on what they think will happen.”

  “I know. I saw it.” I grinned to myself. I bet I’d seen every movie he could think of.

  “So, you think we’re being watched? Do you think there are cameras watching our every move?”

  “Shit, that sounds a bit like The Truman Show!” I exclaimed. “Or Hostel.” I shivered. “Shit, if it’s Hostel, we’re so dead. That movie was so scary. I thought I was going to—”

  “Bianca, as impressed as I am by your knowledge of movies, I’m afraid I have more pressing concerns on my mind.” His voice sounded superior as he cut me off, and I stuck my tongue out at the sea. “For the record, I don’t think there are cameras watching us.”

  “For the record, neither do I. And yes, I do know a lot about movies. I know a lot because I’m a movie critic.” Okay, so maybe I wasn’t exactly a critic. All I really did was watch a lot of free movies and write synopses, but I wasn’t about to admit that.

  “Oh?” He sounded impressed for a second. “For the New York Times?”

  “No.” I muttered. “They aren’t the only newspaper that reviews movies.”

  “Okay,” I could tell that he was trying to be patient with me. “Let’s try to focus on the matter at hand right now and we can talk about movies once we’re out of these ropes.” I could feel my face burning at his words. He was such an arrogant jerk. “Let’s try to stand up.” He continued.

  “And go where?”

  “We need to walk and see if we can find a rock.”

  “I already told you that all I can see is sand and water.”

  “And?”

  “And so that means I’m not seeing any rocks.”

  “Well, if we keep sitting on our fat asses, we’re not going to see anything.”

  “Are you calling me fat?”

  “Oh my God, you’re not going to be that girl.”

  “What girl?”

  “Lean back against me and let’s slowly try to stand up.”

  “What girl?”

  “Bianca,” he groaned. “Please, let’s just try to stand up.”

  “You’re not all that yourself, you know,” I blurted out, and he laughed.

  “One, two, three.” He leaned back into me and struggled to stand up. “You have to attempt to stand as well.”

  “You didn’t say ‘go.’ ”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t say ‘one, two, three, go.’ ”

  “Are you joking?” He sounded exasperated, and I grinned. Take that, Jakob. You’re not the only one who can be difficult.

  “Do it like this: One, two, three, go.” I leaned back into him and tried to stand up. At first, I thought we weren’t going to make it, but then he pressed his back against mine, hard and still.

  “Lean back into me. Let me act as your support. Trust me, Bianca. You need to trust me.” His voice was gentle. “That’s it. Press your weight against me. Don’t try to balance on your own two feet.”

  “If I wasn’t a klutz, I’d take offense to that statement,” I responded as I pressed against him again and shimmied up.

  There was a point where I thought I was going to fall right back down, but Jakob seemed to sense it, because he shifted his position to support more of my weight.

  “I did it!” I was exuberant as I stood on my two feet. For a couple of minutes, I forgot that I was suspicious of him.

  “Yes, we did.” His voice was full of humor, and I smiled reluctantly. “Good job.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Yes, we did.”

  “It’s okay. It’s amazing how much help I can be in a pinch.” Then he started moving. “Come on. Let’s see what we can find.”

  I was silent as we hobbled down the beach. I turned slightly so that I could see what was on the other side, and my stomach dropped. There was nothing but jungle behind us.

  “So do you think this is a deserted island, or are we at the edge of some primitive country?” I asked softly as I took in the lushness behind me.

  It was beautiful, really scenic, and I knew that if I’d been looking at a photo of the setting, I would have been impressed. I might even have made a comment about wishing I could visit. Now that I was here, though, there was no place I’d rather not be.

  “I have no idea.” He shook his head, and his ass rubbed against my back. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “So we have two options,” he said, and stopped walking. “We can venture into the bush and see what we find there, or we can go into the ocean.”

  “You think we should drown ourselves?” My voice was loud with shock.“No.” He paused. “There may be rocks on the ocean floor.”

  “Oh.” I stared at the ocean and nodded. “That’s true. I didn’t think about that. I should have though. The last time I went to the beach, I cut my big toe on a rock. I was so scared, because it started bleeding, and I was scared that a shark would smell the blood and come after me . . .” My voice trailed off as I realized that I was babbling. It was another negative trait of mine—oversharing when nervous. I felt my lips twitching in fear as I thought about how little I really knew about Jakob. This was not the time to let down my guard.

  “So, Jakob,” I asked hesitantly. “You seem like you have a lot of knowledge on how to get out of ropes.”

  “Yeah, I play with them a lot.”

  “You play with ropes?”

  “It can be fun.” His voice dropped. “Sexy even. The texture makes for a good way to—”

  “I’m not asking about your sex life.”

  “We learned a lot about ropes when I was in the Scouts and when I took sailing lessons.” He continued as if I hadn’t just embarrassed myself by bringing up sex. “Though, I’d be down to experiment with them in the bedroom.”

  My body reacted involuntarily to his comment. I think the combination of the sun, dehydration, hunger, and closeness was getting to me. My legs trembled as we stood there pressed against each other. I didn’t bother responding to him. I had nothing to say, and I was scared that I’d say something too flirty. I didn’t want to flirt with this man. I didn’t even know who he was. I didn’t know why we were here together. I knew that while my guard was partially down, I couldn’t let it down all the way, not
until I’d gotten to the bottom of why we were both here.

  “So, yeah,” he continued. “We can either try the ocean or we can see what awaits us in the bush. I’m pretty sure I’m seeing some coconut trees. They have sharp husks that fall off all the time. We can try cutting the rope that way.”

  “I don’t know.” I shivered as I stared at the deep, dark trees. “What if there’s something in there?”

  “Something like what?”

  “I don’t know.” I bit my lower lip, and my mind flew to the TV show Lost. Growing up with a father who was an inventor and becoming an avid movie watcher had helped me to have a very active imagination.

  “Bianca, you can tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “How do you know I’m thinking anything?” I burst out.

  “I can tell.” His voice changed. “Now tell me.”

  “I don’t want you to laugh or tell me I watch too much TV.”

  “Fine.” His voice was sharp.

  “Have you ever seen Lost?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re worried that polar bears or smoke monsters are in there?” He sounded incredulous.

  “Well, you never know.”

  “So you want to try the ocean?”

  “Well, I don’t know.” I stared at the calm water and sighed. “What if the current gets rough, or what if a shark comes?”

  “We’re going to have to take that chance.”

  “Let’s try the ocean,” I decided after looking at the mysterious jungle behind us. “I can kick a polar bear, but I don’t know what to do with smoke monsters.”

  “Or hyenas, or wild boar, or monkeys, I assume.”

  “Thanks for that,” I hissed, and shivered. He laughed then, and I felt my insides softening at the sound of his voice. “I’m glad I’m not alone,” I said softly as we walked to the ocean.

  I was being only slightly honest. The other part of me was being calculating. I wanted him to think that I trusted him. I wanted him to think I was glad he was there. Once he thought my walls were down, he might lower his walls as well.

  “I’m glad you’re not alone as well. Solitude is overrated,” he agreed, though, I couldn’t tell if he felt any closer to me. We continued shuffling along the sand and then stopped as we reached the water. “Okay, are you ready?”

  “I guess so.” I nodded and then paused. “Oh, shit. I just realized we’re going to get wet.”

  “And?”

  “We can catch a cold if we keep wet clothes on. And we’ll be really uncomfortable in wet clothes—they’ll feel so heavy on our bodies.”

  “It’s like one hundred degrees out, Bianca. I’m pretty sure our clothes will dry out quickly. And if they don’t, we can just take them off and let them dry.”

  “What? I can’t take my clothes off.” I trembled at the thought of disrobing in front of him. He was a stranger to me. He couldn’t see me almost naked. No matter how handsome he was.

  I took a deep breath as I thought of the note. Was this a part of the master plan? I thought about David then. Handsome and not-really-with-it David. He’d be so angry if he knew that I was about to get almost naked with a guy I’d just met. I’d been with him for six months and he hadn’t even gotten that far. Though he knew that I wanted information about his family business, he didn’t know that our entire meeting and relationship had been orchestrated by me.

  “Let’s do this. Okay, Bianca?”

  “Okay.” We waded into the water and walked around, trying to find a rock with our feet.

  “So tell me about yourself,” he said after a few minutes of splashing around. The ocean floor was soft and sandy, and I felt frustrated. Where were the rocks when I needed them?

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Describe yourself to me.”

  “You’ve already seen me.” I was hesitant and too embarrassed to say more. “Twice now.”

  “I barely saw you.” His voice was casual. “I can’t really remember what you look like.”

  “I’m pretty average.” I shrugged.

  “Tell me.”

  “Well, you can already tell I’m about five six, not as skinny as a model.” I paused and waited for him to say something in response, but he didn’t. “I’ve got really dark brown hair and greenish eyes.”

  “Greenish?”

  “Well, they’re a brown-green.”

  “Hazel?”

  “No.” I stopped and dragged my big toe through the sand. “Hold on. I think I felt something,” I muttered, and held my breath. “False alarm.” I sighed. “Anyway, my eyes sometimes look green and sometimes look light brown.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “Yes.” I laughed. “It’s your turn.”

  “My turn?”

  “Tell me about you.”

  “You saw me though. And the fact that you recognized me from the coffee shop means you do remember what I look like.”

  “Barely. I can’t really remember what you look like,” I lied as an image of his handsome face flashed through my mind. “I just recognized your blue eyes, that’s all.”

  “Well, as you can tell, I’m tall, dark, and handsome. The doctor would probably say I’m six two. I weigh in at a respectable two hundred pounds. Most of it is pure muscle.”

  I rolled my eyes at his comment. He certainly wasn’t on the modest side.

  “I’ve got dark brown hair, that’s almost black and blue eyes that twinkle in the sunlight.”

  “Are you joking?” I groaned.

  “Well, you asked.” He laughed.

  “I wasn’t asking you to give me your online dating profile.”

  “I don’t date online.”

  “Of course you don’t.” I made a face and looked down at the water.

  “Do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Date online?”

  “I have in the past.” I cringed. “There are too many psychos online though.”

  “Yeah, but I’m sure there are some nice guys as well. My brother dates online.”

  “Good for him.”

  “He doesn’t seem to have any problems.”

  “Well, I think it’s easier for men. They have all the pickings. It’s us women who have to scramble.”

  “You have to be careful online. You never know who you’re going to meet.” His words seemed casual, but I heard a hidden meaning behind them.

  “You never know who you’re going to meet in real life either.”

  “True,” he agreed. “You never really know what someone’s intentions are, do you?”

  “No,” I responded. “No, you don’t.”

  I thought back to Matt and how my life had taken a disturbing twist after talking to him. I had no proof that he was related to any of the crazy events that had happened, but I had my suspicions. I really hoped that Rosie had paid attention when I’d read her the e-mails I’d received. If she was okay, that could be vital information for her to give the police, now that I’d been kidnapped.

  “I’m sure you do fine.” Jakob interrupted my thoughts. “A beautiful girl like you must have all the men lining up.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I mean, what with your winning personality, love of all movies and monster TV shows, and your green-brown eyes, well, I don’t know how any guy could turn you away.”

  “Very funny.” I laughed slightly. “You forgot to add that I’m so captivating that someone chose to kidnap me.”

  “It must be because you’re an heiress.”

  “Trust me. I’m not an heiress.” I sighed. “So either they kidnapped the wrong person or they took me for another reason.”

  “Yeah, who knows.” His voice was curious. “Why do you think you were being followed?”

  “I’m not really sure.” I lied, not willing to tell him everything. “I think it has something to do with a research project I was involved with.”

  “Ooh, political investigation? That sort of stuff? Is the mayor taking bribes or something?”
<
br />   “No, nothing like that.” I chuckled slightly. It seemed like Jakob had an even greater imagination than I did. “Why do you think they took you?”

  “You mean, aside from my good looks?” He sighed. “Or aside from them thinking I know you?”

  “Yeah, aside from your good looks, Don Juan.”

  “I don’t know.” He sighed. “I really don’t. Unless you orchestrated it so you could have your wicked way with me.”

  “Uh-huh.” I laughed. “That’s it.”

  “You didn’t have to kidnap me,” he continued. “I would have said yes without this elaborate plot.”

  “Yes to what?”

  “Your seducing me.”

  “You wish,” I gasped, and my face went red.

  “I’m joking.” His voice turned serious. “I’m rich. Very rich. If I wasn’t kidnapped because of you, then I’m pretty sure I was kidnapped because I have money.”

  “I knew you were rich!” I exclaimed, and then I remembered what had made me pause earlier. He’d called himself charming. It reminded me of the letter I’d received back in my apartment that night. What had it said again? Beauty and Charm. One survives. One is destroyed. What are your odds? It flashed through my mind, and I wondered if that had been a warning. “Do you have a private jet?” I asked him softly, my mind wandering quickly, trying to make connections.

  “Why do you ask?” His voice was very monotone, and I felt his back tense.

  “I was just curious,” I replied nonchalantly.

  “How did you know I was rich?”

  “You’re wearing a Rolex, right?” I frowned, and reminded myself to be more cautious when voicing my thoughts. I didn’t want to make him suspicious of me and I didn’t want to give anything away, in case this was a setup. I was worried that I was asking the wrong questions. I suspected he either thought I was a gold digger or feared my questions were revealing too much.

  “I didn’t realize you noticed.”

  “Sorry. I just remembered seeing it as you got out of the car.” I thought back to that moment. It seemed so long ago now. “I remember it gleaming,” I explained. “I noticed the face, though I guess I’m just now processing it. My ex had a Rolex as well.”