Double Agent

by J. P. Nicholas

  I took the same thing from you that you took from me. If you want it back, you must pay the fee. No, not in money because that would be lame. You must pay the fee by playing my game.

  Something to remember me by,

  -C

  Who is C? What did C take from me? What did I take from C? Quickly, I look at the other four pieces of paper. The only things on them were riddles. Of fucking course. They read:

  WHO: There is a place we go for a walk, the children play and we can talk, find this place if you want a lark, the answer you seek is the…

  WHAT: The rich men want it, the wise men know it, the poor all need it, and the kind men show it.

  WHEN: What time belongs to men twice a day?

  WHERE: I'm always there, some distance away, somewhere between land or sea and sky I lay, you may move towards me, yet distant I stay.

  This cannot fucking be happening right now. I've never been any good at solving riddles. In truth, I have always hated them. I immediately pick up my phone and dial the doorman in the lobby. No answer.

  I head down to the lobby and find him knocked unconscious on the floor. This is starting to become too real. There is a note taped to his chest.

  9-1-1 is no fun. Call them and I'll run. Then you'll be too late. And seal your fate.

  I whip out my phone and call my team. I need my best minds on this case.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Aaron

  Delores, Timothy, Ree, and I all gather on the floor of my living room. All five pieces of paper are sprawled out across the floor.

  "Any ideas? Suggestions? I'm completely clueless here." Ree is the first to speak up.

  "I suggest that we solve them in this order. When, where, what, and then who. We need to solve when first so we know exactly how much time we have to figure all this out. Then we need to know where to go to end this nightmare. Who is confusing. Will it tell us who they are? I don't think they would go through all this trouble just to throw it all away with one riddle. She is going to want you to solve all of them, not just one."

  "What makes you think it's a she?" Ree flashes me her are-you-serious glare.

  "With all the women you've managed to piss off over the years, I can guarantee that it's a woman. No to mention she signed it with, 'something to remember me by.' Those are the exact last words that hundreds of women heard from you right before you vanished from their lives forever. Or did you forget that?"

  "Good point. So, let's start with when. What time belongs to men twice a day?" Delores clears her throat before she speaks.

  "It has to be a specific time. Well, every time on a clock happens twice a day, unless you use military time. But I don't think that is the case here. So, the key factor is determining the significance of the men part." We all nod in agreement.

  "Well, nobody knows more about men than Timothy," Ree suggests as she snickers at her own comment. We all turn our attention to Timothy.

  "I'm gay, not a miracle riddle solver. Well, something that belongs to a man becomes his. I should know because Lance and I just bought his and his towels."

  "That's useless," Delores sighs. Ree holds up her pointer finger.

  "Maybe not. Give me a moment. Get me a sheet of paper." Ree snaps her fingers toward Timothy, who obeys her command and fetches her a piece of paper and a pen.

  "Here we go. Only digital clock times, when turned upside-down, can be associated with letters. The eight is a B, the zero is an O, the three an E, so on and so forth. Well, the four can be an H, the one can be an I, and a five can be an S. To spell his, it would have to be five-fourteen."

  "Five-fourteen upside-down spells his. So, is it am or pm?" Ree shrugs.

  "I don't know. But at least now we have two time possibilities. So, let's move on to where. Timothy, please read it back to me again."

  I always knew Ree was intelligent, but she solved that last riddle quickly. I just hope we can solve them all before our time runs out. Keep it going, Ree.

  "I'm always there, some distance away, somewhere between land or sea and sky I lay, you may move towards me, yet distant I stay."

  "So, what stays at a distance when you move towards it and rests between the sea or sky?" Delores chimes in.

  "The horizon, honey. But she can't be on the horizon, that's impossible."

  "Maybe not." All our attention turns to Timothy yet again.

  "There was a nightclub called The Horizon, but it closed down last month."

  "Ree, has anybody bought the land yet or is it still abandoned?" Ree whips out her phone and raps away on the keyboard.

  "Found it. It's still abandoned, Boss. So, she must be hiding out there."

  "Great. We have two possible times and a location. Now, let's figure out what she took. The rich men want it, the wise men know it, the poor all need it, and the kind men show it." Timothy furrows his brow.

  "Money?" I shake my head in disagreement.

  "Rich men don't want money because they already have it."

  "They could want more money. And the poor definitely need it. Wise men know how to handle it." Ree purses her lips in thought for a moment before she weighs in on our conversation.

  "All true, but kind men won't show it. Money is not necessarily something that is shown. It is spent. Even the rich don't fan wads of cash in people's faces." I laugh.

  "I've met a few that have." Delores chuckles.

  "Yeah, but most don't, honey. You don't."

  A strange sense of pride overcomes my demeanor and facial expression. Damn right, I don't. I'm not like one of those pricks. I'm an asshole for entirely different reasons. One of which is why I'm in this predicament in the first place.

  "So, what do kind men show? All three of you know kind men better than I do. I would even argue that I am not one." Delores shakes her head in disgust at my words.

  "You are a kind man at heart. You have done some crappy things in the past, that's true. But we wouldn't be here right now if you weren't kind to us. You show us compassion, trust, kindness, faith, and love." As soon as that word flows off her tongue, I have an epiphany.

  "It's love! Rich men want it because money can't buy it. Wise men know it because they have it, or have had it. Poor men need it because it is the most precious thing they can have. And all kind men show it. It's love. That's what I took from her, and what she took from me. But how could she take love from me?" Ree rolls her eyes at my stupidity.

  "You dumbass. She didn't take love from you. She took your love from you. You only love four people in this world. And three of us are sitting right here. There is a place we go for a walk, the children play and we can talk, find this place if you want a lark, the answer you seek is the…" My heart sinks and my body trembles with fear as the realization finally hits me.

  "Park. She took Parker!"

  Nicole has been kidnapped!

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Nicole

  It is dark. My eyes are wide open, but it’s no use…I still can't see through the blindfold. They might as well be shut as they are useless to me right now. All I can hear is the pitter patter of the heavy rainfall colliding against a window. The sound of rainfall usually soothes me, but there is nothing relaxing about my current predicament.

  My movements are constricted by the tight ropes wrapped around my wrists and ankles as I lay motionless on the floor. My left cheek is pressed against the damp, algid floor. There must be a leak in the roof of whatever shit-hole I'm currently residing in. There better not be any frickin’ rats in here. If a rat touches me, I just might die. That is if I don't die and rot here anyway.

  I don't even remember how I got here. Last thing I remember is arguing with Aaron and then leaving the Isaiah Foundation. I close my eyes tightly as if that will help my memory focus on whatever I am forgetting. It doesn't work. I still don't remember anything of importance. The only memory I manage to stir back up to the surface was the first time I let Aaron ravage me with his masterful tongue. Good times. But, I need to focus on
how to escape this Hellhole, and that particular memory is definitely not helpful right now.

  So many questions are running through my mind. How did I get here? Who brought me here? Where is here? Why was I brought here? What did I do to deserve this? And the most important question of them all: Am I going to die?

  I scream as the sudden sound of glass shattering into a million pieces smacks against the hard floor. Shivers run down my spine as my body starts to tremble with fear. I call out to the darkness, not expecting an answer, but I can’t very well just lay here and do nothing.

  "Hello? Who's there?"

  SHHHHRIIIIEEEEEEEEEEK! The once-frightening silence is now replaced with the sound of steel scraping against the floor. To make matters worse, the sound is getting louder and more intense with each passing second. Something or someone is coming straight at me.

  My heart pounds harder against my chest and my palms grow clammy. Strands of my hair are matting to my face as I start to sweat profusely. The horrid shrieking sound is still growing stronger as it approaches me. This is it. I am going to die. Right here. Right now.

  I feel the floor start to vibrate vigorously. I have never wished for an earthquake so badly before in my life. But I am not lucky enough for that. More than likely, the vibration is due to whatever horror is scraping its way toward me. Either tears or sweat are dripping down my face, I can't tell which. Maybe it's both. I have never been so scared in my life.

  Suddenly, the scraping ceases, maniacal laughter now bounces off the walls. Once again, I call out into the darkness, my voice shaky with fear.

  "Who are you? Talk to me! I know you're there."

  The maniacal laughter stops. And, finally, a voice speaks. It's a woman's voice.

  "I love to watch a slutty bitch tremble." Her voice is high-pitched and squeaky, two qualities that wouldn't normally make a voice sound scary. But in this case, it is the most terrifying sound I have ever heard.

  "What do you want from me?" She laughs again.

  "Nothing. You're just a pawn in my game. If he plays it correctly, we will both come out of this as winners." She must be referring to Aaron. This must be one of his past lovers. I don't recognize her voice, so it's definitely not one of the ones I interviewed.

  "And if he doesn't?" She laughs again, the horrid sound makes my skin crawl.

  "Then I slit your throat and everybody loses." I swallow the hard lump that formed in my throat.

  "And what is it you want? Him? He would never choose to stay with you after this." She clicks her tongue before she responds to my inquiry.

  "My, oh, my, what a silly bitch you are. All I need is to be with him one more time. What gets a shower but doesn't get wet?"

  "I don't have time to play your fucking game!"

  "You're right. Your time is up."

  I scream in agonizing pain as a blade slides across my left palm.

  "Ready to play my game now, bitch?" I wait to catch my breath before I respond to her.

  "What is it with you and playing games?"

  "Games are the only things that bring me joy since Aaron tossed me aside like garbage. I was going to take his mother, but then the news broke that she isn't even his real mother. It doesn't matter, you are a much better chess piece anyway. So, play with me before I lose my patience!"

  "Okay. What was that riddle again?" She sighs. I bet she rolled her eyes at me too. If I wasn't wearing a blindfold, I would know for sure.

  "What gets a shower but doesn't get wet?"

  "Um. Rain?"

  "No, you dumbass. Rain is already wet. Each wrong answer will cost you a finger."

  "What?" Her malevolent laughter continues.

  "Just joking, bitch. Guess again!"

  "The Sun. There are sun showers, and the sun can't get wet. It's impossible."

  "How about that? I guess this riddle has two answers. But yours is wrong! Try this one then. What has dimples and a nose, ten fingers and ten toes, sweet fat little cheeks, and in nine months you'll meet?" As the answer dawns on me, I realize just how crazy this bitch is. Her plan is fucking ridiculous!

  "You want him to impregnate you! Are you out of your fucking mind?" She snaps back at me almost instantaneously.

  "Of course, I am, bitch! I kidnapped you to trap him. When he gets here, I will tell him that the only way to free you is if he fucks me."

  "That doesn't guarantee that you will get pregnant."

  "No, but I have been taking all the necessary fertility supplements and vitamins. I will get pregnant. And then I will be in his life forever! Do you want to know the best part?" Hell, no!

  "No!"

  "Well, I'm going to tell you anyway, bitch! When he's fucking me in the amazing way that he does, you're going to be here, listening to all my screams. The perfect plan with the ultimate revenge on him and you."

  I hear her gulping down some beverage. The gross and obnoxious sound gives me an idea. I just hope she’s drinking out of glass and not plastic or else this plan won't work. This may work, or she'll kill me even faster. But that's a risk I just have to take.

  "Even if you have his baby, you'll never have his love. Or his affection. Those will always be mine." She roars like a pissed-off lion.

  "Shut up, bitch! Shut the fuck up!" So far so good. Time to push the boundary a little more.

  "And, more importantly, I'll always have his dick. Night after night. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. And you will only have it one more time."

  "Ah!"

  She screams and hurls something at me. I grimace as it shatters on the ground. Glass. I howl in pain as a stray shard flies into my lower back. Carefully, I slide my hands over and find the shard slightly protruding out of my back. The plan is a success so far! Although, a painful one.

  I bite down hard on the inside of my cheeks, hard enough to taste my own blood. But I had to do it. I had to prepare myself for the pain I was about to endure. If I scream from the pain, my plan won't work. I dig my two fingers into the opening in my back and pinch the edge of the glass shard. I keep biting down on my cheeks as I slowly start to pull it out. At a slow, molasses-dripping pace. I can't afford to arouse her suspicion.

  Abruptly, I hear a door swing open and collide hard against a wall. He must be here. I suddenly feel safer when I hear his voice. Safer, but not safe.

  "Let her go, you crazy bitch!" My captor hisses at him like a snake.

  "You know very well that I'm in command here. So, I will be giving the orders! If you want her to walk out of here alive, you must take me…right here, right now."

  "What? You're out of your fucking mind if you think I'm going to fuck you!"

  "But you must!"

  "Why?"

  "See that cable wrapped around her ankles?"

  "Yeah. What about it?" She laughs again.

  "It’s hooked up to a fifty-volt battery. And with one press of this button fastened at my wrist, I will fry your precious girlfriend into ashes." Slit my throat, my ass. She planned to electrocute me all along. Why keep me alive after she gets what she wants? There is no reason to. She is going to kill me regardless.

  I really hope Aaron agrees to do it. I could use the time. And with his masterful foreplay skills, it'll be a while before she gets his dick anyway. Please, read my mind somehow, Aaron. I need you to buy me some more time. Use your skills.

  "Fine. Let's get this over with." Yes! If I live through this, I will never have this reaction to my boyfriend agreeing to have sex with another woman again. And he better not give me a reason to either!

  I hear clothes being unzipped and dropping to the floor. Taking advantage of the distraction, I speed up my pace. I start to see stars from the pain, but I muddle through anyway. I need to sever the cable around my feet. That is the only way I will have a fighting chance to make it out of here alive.

  I hear her moan as sucking sounds fill the room. I hope that's her lips and not her tits in his mouth. This is harder than I thought it would be under the circumstances.
But I don't have a choice. Neither of us does. I have to hurry if I don't want him to go all the way with her. And I can't stress this enough…I fucking don't!

  The sharp pain intensifies as the shard pops out of my back, leaving the wound hollow, and probably gushing blood. But I can't focus on that. I must focus on cutting the ticking bomb around my ankles.

  I wiggle my feet up toward my hands, which are grasping the glass shard. I have never been more grateful to be so flexible in my entire life. I start to rub the sharpest edge of the shard against the restraint around my feet. This may take longer than I initially anticipated. Then again, I thought it was rope, not electrical cable, when I devised this plan.

  "Oh, yes! Just like that! Fuck, yes, Aaron!" This bitch is trying me. I hope he chokes her.

  "Ow!" That was Aaron's voice. Did she hurt him?

  "Don't muffle me! She must hear all of this!" Aw. He tried to shut her up for me. Focus, Nicole! This is literally a life or death situation! Don't let Aaron distract you now.

  Back and forth. Back and forth. I swear that I have done this a billion times and haven't made any progress. Just as the thought crossed my mind, the cable snaps open, freeing my legs. Now, on to my hands.

  I flip over the shard and start to slice at the restraint around my wrists. At least this one is actually rope. My heart beats faster and harder with each passing second.

  "Get your hands away from my neck! Do it, or I'll press the button!" Do it, bitch! I dare you! I chuckle on the inside. He did try to choke her. I guess the old saying is true, great minds think alike.

  The first layer snaps. Two more to go. I pick up the pace even more when I hear her moan with pleasure. He must be at her tits now. I hope. I don’t want him to be at her pussy already.

  SNAP! One to go. The pain from my back intensifies. I ignore it. I am so close to ending this once and for all, I won't let a cut on my palm or a gaping hole in my back slow me down.

  "Take it out and put it in me! I want it, and I want it right fucking now!"

  SNAP! Perfect timing. I reach up and remove my blindfold, just in time to see her pull down his boxers and free his cock. I can't help but grin when I see it limp. He’s not even a little bit aroused. Hell, yeah! Take that, bitch! You're so revolting that he's not even hard yet!