I didn’t have a plan at all until he said that. “You go tell them about Peter and his brothers. I’m going into that house through the back while you have them occupied.”
“No!” he shouts at me. “No way!”
I shake off his hand and start walking away. “Cami’s in that house. And I searched it all before. Except for one place. I have to go in. Even if I die, I’ll die with her. I can’t live without her, anyway.”
“Cyprian! Don’t!” he shouts as he comes up beside me. “Please!”
“Go tell the authorities about Peter and that he and his brothers orchestrated this and if I find Cami inside then they meant to kill her. They have to be stopped before they get out of the country.”
With no choice, Ashton runs up to the firemen and policemen at the front of the house. I slip into the neighboring house’s backyard and climb over the tall privacy fence. Peeking over the top of it, I see the fire is in the front of the house right now. The back door is ajar and only puffs of smoke are coming out of it.
I must’ve left the door open, I suppose, when I checked it a while ago. I hurry to get over the fence and make my way to the back door. Just as I slip inside, I hear a man yelling, “Hey, you! Stop!”
But I can’t stop…
Chapter 4
CAMILLA
The sound of firetrucks has my heart pounding harder than I believe it ever has before. The smell of smoke is a major concern and I think the loud sound I heard a little while ago was something blowing up.
Everything is muffled up here, in the attic. I can hear men’s voices and the sounds of their radios going off but I can’ make out what anyone is saying. The duct tape they used to cover my mouth is wrapped around my head. It has my ears covered too, making it hard to hear a thing.
I need to get my body up off this floor, somehow. There’s a window at the other end of the attic. If I can get to that, maybe someone will see me and help me. If I don’t manage that, I’m most likely going to die in this place.
Rolling back to the old sofa, I maneuver my body until I’m lying, face-first, on the floor in front of it. My hands are tied behind my back, so I have no use of them. Arching up, I use my hips to move my body closer to the sofa until I can use my chin to help left my body up.
My neck hurts as I put tremendous pressure on it, to leverage my body up as much as I possibly can. I get to my knees and am able to put the top half of my body on the dusty, stinky, old red cloth sofa and get my feet underneath me.
I get up, slowly. My ankles are taped so tightly I can’t move them independently. It’s hard to balance with my body so bound up but I manage and start hopping across the floor toward the one window up here.
With my first jump, I find myself having to regain my balance again. As I breathe heavily with fear and the effort my body is making, I can smell the smoke more. It seems the front of the house is what’s on fire. And that’s where the damn window is.
I make another jump and hear the sound of wood splintering. Another jump has me nearly falling over and the smell of smoke is worse and there is more heat on this side of the attic.
Stopping to regain my balance and my bearings, I look around and see wisps of smoke coming up through some of the cracks that are beginning to form as the fire underneath is spreading to the attic.
Suddenly, I change my entire plan. I need to make it to the attic door. Maybe if I can jump up and down on it, I might get it to fall open. That means I’ll fall to the floor but if I continue on this path, I could fall through the floor and into the fire.
Making it near the wall, I lean on it for support while I rest a moment and try to gain some strength that’s been sapped from me. I close my eyes and picture Cyprian. Just in case I never see him again, I want to remember him just one more time.
His touch, his smell, his smile, his body. I just wish like hell I had listened to him and not come over here alone. He was right and I was wrong and it may have cost me my life.
Tears fall as I shake my head to shake off the feelings of failure. I have yet to try. I have no idea if I’ll succeed or not, until I try.
I hop once, twice. I can see the inset of where the attic door is and it seems to be about three more hops away. So, I go for the next one and find my feet going all the way through the floor.
I am falling…
Chapter 5
CYPRIAN
So the fireman who spotted me can’t find me, I lock the kitchen door behind me. It might be a foolish act but I can’t let him stop me. “Cami!”
Hopefully, Ashton told the other firemen that someone might be in here. Suddenly, I hear the sound of squealing tires and sirens moving away from the house. I hope that means police officers are heading to the airport to get the bastards who did this.
If the authorities don’t take care of them, I will!
The smoke is getting thicker the further I move into the house. The hallway is in the center of the house. The attic door is on the ceiling of the second floor. Although going up the stairs is a stupid thing to do. I have a gut feeling that Cami is in that attic.
“Cami!” I shout again as I get to the top of the stairs and see the attic door. A horrible cracking sound fills my ears and I look behind me and see red and yellow flames, licking at the bottom of the stairs.
“Fuck!” I scream. “Can’t you cut me a break?”
Pulling the attic door open, I find the stairs there and pull them down then climb up. “Cami!”
I pull myself up into the attic and stand up, finding a hole not too far away. Walking over, I see a bed through the hole. That’s all I can see is a bed and I have no idea why this hole is here or how long it’s been here.
Walking a bit further, I want to make sure I cover every inch of this attic. The smell is awful up here. And I can see the glow of the fire beneath me as I walk closer to the front of the house.
Sparks of yellow light fill the air in front of me and a loud crackling sound makes me step back as half of the attic floor gives away. The flames are huge and it’s hot as hell. I step backward, quickly.
Too quickly. I’ve stepped into the damn hole and now I’m falling through the floor into what, I have no clue.
Have I made a terrible mistake…?
Chapter 6
CAMILLA
Lying on the floor of another room, I blink as I regain consciousness. The fall had me hitting something and flying through the air and landing head first, knocking me out. For how long, I don’t know.
I do know it’s hot and smells like fire and brimstone and I hope this isn’t hell. I can hear the sound of more wood cracking and roll over to see what’s happening as I’m face first, down on the floor.
My body hurts like hell and I think something might just be broken. I’m having a hard time breathing. That could be from too much smoke inhalation or a broken rib. Quite possibly both.
As I roll the rest of the way over, I catch the sight of someone falling through the hole in the ceiling I caused. He bounces on the bed and flies through the air.
I roll as fast as I can to get out of the way as I see Cyprian’s face looking frantically at me. “Cami, move!”
It hurts to roll but I do it and manage to get out of his way. Like a cat, he springs up after he lands and picks me up. I groan as it hurts so bad and now I am certain I have broken ribs on my right side.
“Baby, there’s not time to stop and get you out of this fucking duct tape. You’re going to have to hold on, while I throw you over my shoulder and get you out of here,” he tells me as he searches the room.
Pulling off the bedspread and the sheet under that, he runs to the bathroom that’s attached to the bedroom. I watch as he tries the water in the sink but nothing comes out of it. Not waiting a beat, he opens the toilet lid and plunges the things into it to wet them as much as possible.
He comes toward me with the blanket and wraps it around me like a cocoon. I can’t see a thing but know he’s wrapped the wet sheet around himself and then I�
��m tossed over his wide shoulder.
I cry out with the pain in my ribs but he can’t hear that with this shit covering my mouth. “Just hold on, baby. I love you. I’m going to get you to safety.”
Closing my eyes, I start praying as I know this house in close to being engulfed in flames. And then we’re moving and the pain of me being bobbed around has blackness coming.
I can’t take it…
Chapter 7
CYPRIAN
As I get into the second-floor hallway, I see there’s no way we’re getting out through the stairs. I race to a bedroom at the very back of the house and lay Cami on the bed, so I can open the window.
She lies still, so I pull back the blanket and see she’s passed out. Looking around the room for something to at least cut the tape off her mouth, I find nothing and decide to hurry to get her the hell out of here.
I run to the window and push it open then push the screen out. It falls to the ground but no one’s back here. I see a neighbor in a backyard, two house over and shout, “Hey! Hey!”
He looks up at me and his eyes go wide. “You need to get the hell out of there!”
“No shit, Sherlock! Can you go tell one of the firemen about me? There’s no other way out. I need a ladder and I have a woman here too.”
He nods and hauls ass inside his home. With a bit of time, I go and start to pull at the tape, covering her mouth. I find the end of it and begin to unwrap it. I can see it was ran around her head four times, as I unravel it.
I’m gently tugging it away from her skin and hate finding the red welts it’s leaving on her face. I kiss it all over. “Cami, wake up.”
Her breathing is shallow and she’s not waking up. Finally, I hear voices outside the window. “Wait there! We’re coming up to you.”
I look out the window and see six firemen with a tall ladder and one is climbing up to us. “Thank God!”
I go and pick up Cami, waiting for the man to get to me. As he sees her, he gasps, “Someone wanted to kill her.”
“You’re right. Can you get her? I can follow you down, on my own,” I say as I move her over to lie across his shoulder.
“I have her. Come on,” he says and starts down the ladder with her.
I wait a second and take in a breath. Relief washes over me as I know she’s safe. The bedroom door bursts open as the flames have found me. Moving quickly, I climb out the window and onto the ladder and get out of the burning house.
Once on the ground, I watch a couple of the firemen cut the tape off her wrists and ankles. A couple of paramedics come with a stretcher and put Cami, who’s still not awake, on it.
I make it to her side and run my hand over her face. “Cami, wake up.”
“We have to check her vital signs out. You can meet us at the emergency room.”
I nod then kiss her forehead. “Tell her I’m right behind you, if she wakes up. Tell her, Cyprian said he loves her more than anything in this world.”
The woman paramedic gives me a nod and they slide her into the back of the ambulance. Wasting no time, I spot Ashton and wave at him to get to the car. He rushes to me. “I told the police. They were rushing to the airport. I have no idea what else has happened. So, you found her?”
“She was all taped up. I found her in a bedroom but I think she fell there from the attic. She was awake when I found her but me moving her had her fainting. Follow that ambulance.” I get into the back of the car and fasten my seatbelt as Ashton gets in and we take off, after the vehicle that has my life in it.
My hands are shaking as I make the call to Cami’s parents. “Cyprian?” her father answers.
“That piece of shit had your daughter bound and gagged in the attic of the house. And he must’ve set some kind of a timed contraption to catch the house on fire. She was nearly killed. I got her out and she’s on the way to the hospital right now. I’m right behind her.”
“My God!” her father shouts. “What in the hell has happened? Did you talk to her? Is she okay?”
“She was awake when I found her but when I moved her, she fainted. Her mouth was covered with tape. I didn’t get a chance to hear her say anything. But I will get back with you as soon as I know anything. The police were sent to get Peter and his brothers. You should call Catarina and find out if she’s managed to stay hidden.”
“I will. I let you know.” He ends the call and I find we’re pulling into the emergency room parking lot.
Hurrying to get out and get back to her side, I put my phone in my pocket and find Ashton coming right behind me. I turn back to him. “Can you call that cousin that was going to the airport to check on things and let me know if he knows anything?”
He nods and goes to a small outdoor area to make the call. I get to Cami and see her eyes are open. “Hi,” I whisper.
“Hi,” she says with a hoarse voice. “Thank you. You’re my hero.”
“You’re my everything. Are you hurt?” I ask her as I run my hand over her red cheek as they hurry to get her inside.
“My ribs are most likely broken.” She closes her eyes.
“I didn’t do that when I tossed you over my shoulder, did I?” I ask, praying I didn’t do that to her.
“No,” she opens her eyes and looks at me. “It happened when I fell through the floor of the attic.”
We’re hustled into a small examining room and a doctor comes straight to her. “Hello, I’m Doctor Bennet.”
The paramedics give him their papers as he shines a light in Cami’s eyes. I stand beside her and hold her hand while he looks her over and asks her questions. My mind is numb as I think about how close I came to losing her.
Some chattering in the hallway draws my attention as a woman says, “Did you see the breaking news, Jules? There’s a situation at the airport.”
Listening a lot harder, I hear the other woman say. “I did. It’s awful. Some woman and her kids are being held by some men from Africa. The police are trying to negotiate with them for their release but they’re at a stand-off.”
“Shit!” I hiss, under my breath.
“Why’d you say that?” Cami asks me.
“It’s nothing,” I kiss her cheek. “I need to make a phone call. Are you going to be okay for a minute or two?’
“We’re going to take her to get x-rays,” the doctor says. “You can wait in here for us to bring her back, if you’d like.”
I nod and give her hand a squeeze. “I’ll be here.”
She watches me as I walk out of the room and I find her looking at me like she knows I’m not being truthful with her. She can be mad at me later. Right now, she needs to worry about nothing, except getting herself taken care of.
“Hello, Papa, I need a diversion sent to the airport. Get together a large group of the escorts and get them headed that way. I’ll get in contact with you in just a bit.”
“Is this about that hostage situation? Do you know those people? They haven’t released any names yet,” he says.
“I know who it is. It’s mostly my fault it has come to this. So, I need to do what I can to fix it.” I find Ashton outside and go over to him, “Bye, Papa.”
“I found out all about it. More than the news people know. I have two of my cousins who went to go find them. What they came upon was the beginning of the whole thing. Catarina and the kids were being pulled out of one of the ladies’ rooms by Peter and three other men. I was able to send them pictures I took of them, secretly. I had a feeling I’d need some pictures of them.”
“Okay, you were right. I know that now and if you’d like to know, I will always follow your advice from now on, Ashton. But you have to admit, ignoring your advice about Cami was a good thing.”
“Anyway,” he says as he takes a seat. “The men have Catarina and the kids holed up in another restroom. They say they have knives and will kill her and the kids if the police don’t allow them to get on their private jet and go back to South Africa.”
“The news of there being a woman in the hous
e should speed up the process with that situation, I should think,” I say as I take a seat too.
“Maybe. What gets me is the fact no one has seen a knife. They have had gone through customs and the x-ray machine and there were no knives found on them. I think they’re bluffing. But the cops won’t take that risk.”
“I think you’re right. And you said you have two men there right now?”
“I do,” he says with a nod.
“Are they capable of helping me take those men out?”
“If you’re talking about fighting, not killing,” he says with a wink.
“I am only talking about that. Getting into that restroom and getting them subdued while we get Catarina, Sadie, and Sax out. Then the cops can take care of them.”
“Can I help?” he asks with a grin.
“I think so. There’s four men and four of us. We should be able to make things happen. And I have a caravan of women heading that way. They can be between us and the police. We can look like a group of people who know nothing is going on and then only us men will swoop into the restroom and take out the trash,” I say and he nods in approval.
“I think that might work. Make it happen, Cyprian.”
Can this really work…?
Chapter 8
CAMILLA
“What do you mean, you’re going to go home to get me some comfy clothes to wear?” I ask Cyprian who’s making all kinds of excuses to leave me here in the hospital.
I was admitted for the broken ribs, I knew I had, and so they can watch me for 24 hours to be sure I’m going to be fine. And he’s acting shady as shit.
“That hospital gown looks so uncomfortable. I’ll bring back a cozy pajama set and pick up your toiletries. I want you to feel completely comfortable, Cami. It won’t take long. I promise.”
“Just tell me the real deal, Cyprian.”
A knock at the door has us looking to see who has come and I see three uniformed police coming into my room. “Hello, Camilla Petit. We have to get your statement.”
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