Britney’s project for work was coming along very well and her company said they were pleased with her progress. She had been focused on her job and had not bothered or pursued Scott lately. It was just a front. When alone, she would smile at how clever she was, at the seductive methods and schemes to get him into her bed and have what she really wanted. Britney still wanted Scott.
Back in Ohio, Katie and the girls’ summer break of camping and having fun came to an end. They all returned to school and their everyday routine. Katie loved her summer with the girls and also loved the chance to be with her students again.
Late, Friday afternoon, Scott and Britney were at her office. He performed all the security checks, had spoken to other guards and detailed which route to use back to the hotel. He walked into her office to ask how much longer she would be working.
“About an hour,” she responded.
Scott knew he needed gas and the tank was a little lower than usual. This city was not a good place to run out. He told her he would fill it up and come right back to collect her. The station was five minutes away. He checked the car before he stepped in and drove off. When he arrived, he was shocked. The station was deserted! It was evident it had been attacked. Windows were boarded up from what seemed to be heavy gun fire or a small explosion. Bullet holes peppered the walls and most of the pumps. This kind of thing happened so often, it had not been reported. From the looks of it, the attack was a few days ago. He knew there was nothing he could do. He did not get out of his car, but continued to drive further to find another station. He knew Britney would be ready to leave soon and was unguarded at her office.
He found himself in unfamiliar territory, miles away from the known area. As he looked for a place to turn around, he heard what seemed to be a popping sound coming from the back of the car. He turned around to locate the origin, just as the back windshield shattered. “Shit,” he thought, the sound was gunfire! He could see a guy leaning out of the window of the car directly behind, shooting at him. Scott floored the gas pedal and tried to outrun his attackers, still heading into an area he did not know. It was going to be tricky. He turned down small streets, making quick sharp turns, but he could not lose them and they were still firing at him. He realized it would be a struggle to lose them if he could not fire back… and, he was low on gas. He spotted an alleyway. It was a good position to stop the car and give him some cover. Scott spun the car around at the entrance to the alley, coming to a complete standstill. Grabbing his gun, he jumped out of his car and started to fire at the car and men that were firing at him. He shot out the front tires and front windshield; the oncoming car came to an abrupt stop. He didn’t believe he hit them. Four well-armed, masked men, all with silenced, automatic-weapons got out and took-up positions behind their car. As they continued firing at him, Scott knew he was outnumbered. His car was being shot up badly. He decided it was time to make a move. He shot a few rounds to force them to take cover, and backed down the alley. It was hot and the bright sun was making him squint. There were sounds of people shouting in the distance and the smell of burning rubber was strong. As he moved away, he tried to work out if they were the ones he felt had been watching him, or maybe a new bunch targeted him when he was looking around at the shot up gas station.
He dismissed his thoughts. The most important thing right now was that Britney was on her own and he needed to get back. She’d have expected him by now and she’d panic. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to make a phone call as he was being followed too closely and being shot at. He turned the next corner and crouched down, waiting to see if they still followed him down the last alley. Soon, he got his answer. Two men came running down the alley towards him. Scott set his sights and squeezed the trigger, twice, taking them both down. The other two stopped, looked and retreated. They began to look for cover to continue their assault, he didn’t have time nor did he want to get involved in this. He needed to get back to Britney’s office, so he moved quickly through the network of alleyways. There were many kids that played in the alleys. He felt terrible that he had to shoot. He hated it! He just wanted to get out of there. After he rested for a minute, when he thought he was out of immediate danger, he reached for his phone. “Yer have tae be kidding me!” It must have fallen out of his pocket again! He couldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t risk going back towards his car. He knew he must try to get back quickly; he couldn’t be that far away, maybe two or three miles. He knew that he’d recognize something soon and would find his way.
Scott had been gone for an hour now and Britney was worried. She knew something went wrong and remembered the emergency plans Scott drilled into her. She called Tom and told him what happened. He told her he was on the way and about forty-five minutes later, he arrived at her office.
“Still no sign of him?” Tom asked, as Britney approached.
“No. Scott hasn’t called yet. The gas station is only a few minutes away. Something must have happened.”
“Britney, show me where the gas station is.”
They left the office and took Tom’s car, arriving at the gas station within just a couple of minutes, it was destroyed. Tom got out briefly having a look around.
“Well, he certainly didn’t get gas here. This place has been like this for a while. Has he been anywhere else around here to get gas that you know of?”
“No. I don’t think so. This is the only place we ever got gas around here.”
“He must have gone to look for another station. I suppose he could have run out of gas if he didn’t find one in time, but surely he would have called,” Tom said, getting back into the car.
“I suppose so.”
“We’ll drive down this road for a couple of miles. Hopefully, we will find him. If not, I’ll take you back to your hotel and we’ll start a search.”
“I want to help search.”
“That’s very nice of you, but I feel a lot more comfortable with you safe in the hotel. Besides, it is one less person for us to look after.”
She was not happy, but did not argue. There was no point. Nothing she could say would make any man like Tom realize that she could be useful. They found no sign of Scott’s car. Tom turned around and drove Britney back to the hotel and stayed to organize a search party.
About the time Tom and Britney arrived at the hotel, Scott struck up a conversation with a local group of men near a café. He never interacted with the locals; it was easier to blend in. But, today, he needed help. This particular group of people seemed friendly and willing to help. They did not speak much English and his knowledge of their language was limited. He seemed to somehow relay that he needed to use a phone that could call America. One of the locals said he knew someone who had a cell phone that you could call America on and he went to find him. Scott was wary, but desperate and they seemed to have good intentions. He made them understand he was willing to barter in exchange for the use of their phone and they were very excited. He needed to call Katie because he did not know Tom’s or Britney’s number off the top of his head. All of his information was in his cell phone, another reason he was so angry he had dropped it again. He would have to call Katie and ask her to get a message to Tom. He did not want to do it this way, but there was no other choice. A few minutes later, the local man came back with a big, older man. He kept saying that his phone called America. Scott offered to trade one of his knives to make a quick call and the man agreed.
“Hello,” answered Katie, sounding happy.
“Katie, listen tae me! This is important! I only have a minute. If yer can, get a pen and write some information doon.”
“Okay, I have one here. What’s wrong, Scott?”
“Katie, I got ambushed and I’m oot on foot, but I’m fine. Dinnae worry aboot me. I need yer tae call Tom and let him know that he needs tae send someone tae Britney’s office tae get her. I lost my phone with all my numbers on it and all I knew was yer number. I’m borrowing a local guy’s phone and he’s going tae want it back pretty so
on. Tell Tom that I’m going tae make my way back to her office, but I dinnae how long I’ll be, as there are people following me. As I said, I’m sorry fer doing this tae yer and I really am fine, I’ll talk tae yer later. I love yer.”
Katie didn’t get the chance to say anything back. She was writing as fast as he was talking and as he was saying the last few words, she could hear many foreign voices in the background and they sounded angry. She was scared, but he said not to worry, that he was okay and that she needed to call Tom. Scott gave her his number for emergency purposes so she called him immediately.
“Hello.”
“Hi, is this Tom?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“Tom. This is Katie Johnson.”
“Katie, I was about to call you. I’m here with Britney at the hotel. We are concerned about Scott, and…,” he was interrupted.
“Tom, he just called me. He was ambushed and doesn’t have his phone. He said he was borrowing a local man’s phone, he was on foot and he wanted you to send someone to Britney’s office to get her, but I suppose you already have her if you’re there at the hotel with her. He also said he was fine and he was going to head back to her office, but didn’t know how long it would take because there were people after him.”
“Oh, Katie, that’s great news! We know he’s okay then. I’ll get someone back up to that area to look for him and even if they don’t find him. I’ll make sure there’s someone there to meet him when he gets back to Britney’s office.”
“Thanks, Tom. Please keep in touch and keep me updated.”
“I will, Katie. Same with you, please call me if you hear from him again. Thank you, bye.”
Tom turned to Britney who had come to stand next to him after hearing him talking to Katie.
“He’s okay. He was attacked, but it sounds like he’s trying to get back to your office.”
“That’s a relief. How did he call Katie?”
“He borrowed a local person’s phone. Scott will tell us what happened, when we find him.”
“Are you going back?”
“Yes. I have to go. I don’t have any guards to spare tonight.”
“Can I come with you?”
“I don’t like it, but you’re going to have to. Come on, let’s go find him.”
It took forty minutes for them to get back to her office. It was after 9:00 p.m. and dark. There was no sign of Scott yet, so they went inside the building and waited in her office.
“I really want to go out and look for him, but I can’t leave you and I have nobody free to watch you,” Tom said, to her as she sat down.
“I’m a big girl.”
“Not here, you’re not! You need a babysitter, just like everyone else, who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
Britney found his attitude quite patronizing. He was not at all like Scott.
“I just want him to be safe,” she said.
“Me too, but even if I went and looked for him, he would be impossible to find. He will make his way through the shadows for cover. Finding Scott right now, would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He is a highly-trained Special Forces soldier. If Scott Maclaren does not want to be found, he will not be found. Trust me, Britney he knows what he’s doing. He will turn up soon.”
“I hope you’re right.”
About twenty minutes later, Britney was startled by a tapping sound on her window. It was Scott. He arrived at the office building, saw that her light was on, looked through the window and saw her and Tom. He moved quickly to the main door, pulled it open and met them in just inside the lobby.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” said Britney, as she hugged him.
“I’m fine. Did Katie call yer, Tom? I managed tae call her and asked her tae tell yer what happened.”
“She did. I had already picked up Britney when Katie called me. It was good we knew where you were heading, though. Britney was already with me when she called.”
“Scott, I remembered what you told me when I first got here. If we ever got split up and something didn’t seem right, I was to call Tom,” Britney said.
“That’s guid. I’m glad yer okay. I was worried aboot yer being on yer own.”
“So, what happened, Scott?” asked Tom.
“I went tae get gas, but our normal station was completely destroyed so I searched fer another one. A car with a number of masked men started shooting at me. They blew oot my back window and hit the car several times. They used silencers, Tom. I did nae realize they were shooting at me, until the car was hit a few times. I tried but could nae lose them. I bailed oot of the car, took cover and shot back. I hit two of them. As soon as I got the opportunity, I left the area. But, the others followed fer a while. I managed tae finally lose them in the back streets. When it was safe, I tried tae call yer, and realized I’d lost my phone. It must have fallen oot of my pocket when I jumped oot of the car or when I was running doon the street, taking cover and returning fire. I dinnae know. I managed tae talk some locals into using their phone. Katie’s number was the only one I could remember.”
“Do you remember exactly where the car is? We’ll can try and retrieve it tomorrow,” said Tom.
“Aye, I think so.”
“Good. Well Scott, you’ve had a busy night. So, let’s get you back to your hotel and we’ll take care of all the other things tomorrow.”
“I need a better place tae keep my phone. My pockets are just nae cutting it.” Scott and Tom both laughed.
“Yes, you do, but everything worked out okay. You did everything right again! You trained your client well. In the thick of it, you got a message to us about where you were ultimately heading. There’s not much you can do about being attacked by a car full of armed men. So, we lost another car, but that’s pretty normal for this city. I’m really glad you’re on our side, Scott.”
“Thanks, Tom.”
“I’m pretty sure Britney’s a big fan of yours too. She was very worried about you. I think you’ve made a good impression,” Tom said, as he smiled at Scott.
“Aye. We get along fine, most of the time that is.” he said, with emphasis and a smile.
Britney was a little embarrassed. She didn’t realize it was obvious that she liked Scott, but she didn’t really care.
Half an hour later, Tom dropped them back at the hotel. He would return in the morning, so he and Scott could locate the abandoned, shot-up car. Scott was very tired and moved slowly as he and Britney made their way back to the suite.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, as they entered the room.
“I’m okay. Just a wee bit tired. I think I’ll just have some water and then go tae bed.”
“Scott, go ahead and sit down. I’ll get you some water.”
He sat down on the couch and stretched out. It had been a long, eventful night and he was tired and aching. Britney brought him a bottle of water and sat beside him.
“You look like you’re in pain. Where are you hurting?”
“I’m aching all over. I’ll be fine, though. I just need a wee bit of water and some guid sleep.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nae, it’s fine, I’m just tired.”
“You look so tense,” she almost whispered, when she noticed Scott’s eyes were almost shut. She leaned closer and started to massage his shoulders. He moved forward and she knew he intended to stand up. This was her chance! She was aware he wanted her to stop, but, it must have felt good; he hadn’t gotten up or moved her hands. Maybe, this is what he needed. She relished the thought that she found his moment of weakness. She moved her body closer to his. His head tipped slightly forward, her hands moved from his shoulders up and alongside his neck. As her fingers pressed deep into his muscles, she felt him relax under her touch.
“Thanks fer that. It did help,” he said, as he abruptly stood up and walked away. He knew that he should have stopped her straight away and felt guilty. She would get the wrong impression. He was exhausted, bu
t that was not an excuse in his eyes.
“Where are you going? I’m not done. I have really strong hands and I can help you relax. I can finish...”
“I know yer have strong hands. Yer did a guid job. I appreciate it, but I should really go tae bed now and call Katie.”
“Let me give you a real massage all over. You can use my phone to call Katie.”
“Nae, it’s fine. I’ll use the room phone. It will be a quick call tae tell her I’m okay.”
“What are you scared of, Scott? I just want you to feel better. I realize it’s been a hard night.”
“I’m nae scared. I just dinnae want tae encourage yer or lead yer on,” he stated, as he dialed Katie’s number.
“Hello,” Katie answered nervously.
“Hey, baby. Just letting yer know I’m fine and back at the hotel. I dinnae have my phone back yet, so I’m using the hotel phone. I cannae talk fer long, so, I will explain everything tomorrow.
“You scared me again! But I’m just glad you’re okay. How are you feeling?”
“I’m pretty tired. It was a long night.”
“I bet it was. Tell me everything when you can.”
“I will. But, reet now, I need tae go tae sleep. I love yer.”
“Love you too. Goodnight and sleep well.”
Scott put the phone down and looked at Britney who was sulking.
“I’m going tae bed now. See yer tomorrow.”
“You’re sure you don’t want me to give you a massage? Scott, you do need it. Believe me, I know. Your shoulders are very tight.”
“Aye, I’m sure. I dinnae doubt fer a minute that it would feel guid, but it would nae be the reet thing tae do. Just try and get some sleep and I’ll see yer tomorrow.”
“Okay, then. Goodnight.”
She was disappointed. Her hands were on his shoulders and she knew he was enjoying it. If only he’d have stayed sitting there a little longer. She’d have relaxed him and moved on to other areas. It was a start.
Chapter 16
KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal Page 15
