by Ashley Woods
“Looks like you chose the wrong path to take a walk today, Old Boy.”
Kristen could hear a thick British accent and tried to reach at her blindfold to pull it off. A man restrained her, and she began to shake in fear.
The man spoke closely into her ear, “Calm down please. There is nothing for you to worry about Miss Kenworth. No harm will come to you. We will see to it.”
Kristen cried out, “What did you do to Thomas, is he alright?” She violently shook her head around. The man now pulled back on both her arms and kept walking with her. Kristen could hear a gate open, and then she was ushered into the back of an awaiting black limousine.
Inside the car, she began to kick at the seats and scream. Another man seated next to her said, “That’s quite enough. Quit kicking, or we will hurt you.” He then shoved a pill in her mouth and placed a large tape across it.
Kristen felt faint a few minutes later and drifted off. The men removed the tape and began to speak freely.
“Once again, we have had to take it upon ourselves to tidy up his business for him. I am sure that he will be very proud to hear what we have done for him today.”
Another voice answered, “I am going to call him now.”
“No, do not do that. We need to wait till we go down to see the others. I need to hear from them what steps should be taken next.”
Kristen was then driven to a private airport outside of Chicago. They pulled up to a hangar, where a wheelchair was parked outside. Kristen was loaded into it, and black-out sunglasses were placed on her head.
“She won’t be doing any more squeaking until we get down there. I gave her a good dose. Sorry to treat her in this fashion. She seems like a lovely girl.”
The jet soon took off and headed toward the south. Less than three hours later, they arrived at another small airport. As they rolled Kristen in another wheelchair to a car, she began to wake up. She was confused that she could not see and was afraid that she had gone blind.
Still very groggy, she reached up to her eyes. She realized that she had sunglasses on and began to pull them off.
“Oh no you don’t,” a man’s voice said, “Leave those on, and stay quiet, otherwise I will put you out again. Maybe for good this time.”
The other man grimaced at him disapprovingly.
“Calm down, calm down, if this gets back to him how you are treating her, we are going to hear all about it.”
The car windows were open, and Kristen could feel a balmy breeze. She guessed they were somewhere warm and thought maybe they were in the Bahamas. She was still quite out of it and fell back asleep.
A half hour later, Kristen fully came out of her drug daze and now found herself alone in a cool, windowless room. There was a wide door on one side, and the air smelled strongly like fish. She thought she could hear water crashing against the walls, and realized she was in a building next to water.
Where am I? Is this the ocean?
Again, she thought she must be in the tropics. She wondered how long she had been unconscious.
Where are those awful men? Why am I here? What did they do to Thomas? She pushed on the other door, which was wooden, but it did not budge.
Thomas! Thomas are you in there? She put her ear against the door, waiting for a sound. All she could her was the rumble of the building. She began to pound on the door and yelled, but only the echoes from her own voice resonated back at her.
Kristen walked back to one of the chairs and sat down to cry. She was completely frightened and knew that no one would be coming for her. No one knew she was even gone. She began wondering when one of her friends would figure out that she was missing? She wondered when they would save her?
She was completely powerless, completely alone…
Kristen heard footsteps outside the door. She ran to it in anticipation of it opening.
“Stand aside Miss Kenworth. Do not try anything and we will let you out.”
Kristen obediently stood off to the side, as the door cautiously opened. In walked three men. Kristen instantly recognized them as the men from the car in Chicago. She noticed that they were well-dressed and looked like they were wealthy businessmen. They all had a similar look to them. Middle-aged, clean-shaven, and athletically built. She thought of the dungeon party and the three men in the ski masks. She became even more frightened.
“Have you met me before? Why did you bring me here? Is Thomas alright?”
“Don’t you worry about our ambassador, he is just fine and is on his jet back to London, where he belongs. You will not be hearing from him again. He knows not to contact you.”
“Why is this happening? What did I do? I don’t know you, and I just met Thomas. I think you have the wrong person. Please let me go! Please, you have to, I didn’t do anything!”
“Your silence, will get you more favors granted than acting like a hooligan. Calm down now please. We are taking you upstairs to see the others. We will keep the blindfold and gag off of you, if you just relax and enjoy yourself.”
Kristen decided not to fight it anymore. Although, she had been abducted. She sensed it had nothing to do with that at all, and she was curious to see what would happen next.
They climbed a short flight of stairs, and she was led into a luxuriously furnished room. There were sculptures and elaborate paintings throughout. She glanced out the windows and was surprised to see palm trees and a well-manicured golf course.
“What is this? Some kind of golf club? Are we in the States?” Kristen asked.
The men did not answer her, and she was placed in a very large and comfortable arm chair. Then, the trio left the room.
Minutes later, several other males entered and began congregating in small groups. The air was festive with their presence. Kristen felt better and straightened up in her chair. She knew that this was going to be alright for her now, and she concentrated hard on what everyone looked like, so she could relay her story to the F.B.I. as soon as she became freed.
These many men couldn’t be kidnapping her, and something really, really strange was behind all this. The drugs were still somewhat affecting her, and she still felt woozy. She jokingly thought. Maybe, it is a surprise party for me.
As she looked closer at her new company, Kristen slightly recognized many familiar faces, but could not quite place them to a name. In fact, she knew that she had seen some of them on television, and even in the papers. She could tell they were prominent figures, by their appearance and speech, “Who were they?”
A few of the men walked up to her. One older man, who had a series of double-chins descending down his long neck said, “Well, well, who do we have here? What’s your name honey?”
Kristen now felt like a zoo animal on display.
The three men returned to the room,
“It is not for your concern Johnson. She is a guest of someone else.”
Another man piped up, “That’s one of the Kenworth girls. Arthur’s youngest, I believe. Bless his wicked soul.”
Kristen perked up at hearing her father mentioned. She looked at the man closely. There was a glimmer of recognition, but she still wasn’t sure.
“You are right. I am Kristen Kenworth. I don’t know why I have been brought here. Can’t you please help me?”
The man smiled at her and held up his arms, “I am sorry dear, this is out of my hands.”
Johnson gave the three men a snotty look,
“Well, since you men are his Goon Squad, we all know whose guest this is, and he is obviously not here. So why is she here? Does he know about this?
What have you three done? I am going to call him right now. Maybe you are not aware of it, but this is not the way we do things on this side of the pond.”
Johnson turned his back to them and made his call. The three men stood still, as they listened to him carefully.
“Hello there, good friend. Are you aware that your boys have fetched one of your guests for you, and she is here waiting for you?”
Johnson spoke in hushed
tones for a while. He then began describing Kristen to the voice on the other end. Yes, yes, she is quite pretty, long blonde hair….
The whole room could hear the other voice now as he began yelling. Johnson moved the phone painfully from his hear and put it on the speaker feature.
“What have you done? Are you insane! Release Miss Kenworth right now. This instant! What has gotten into you three? You transport her back home immediately, and then report to me.”
There was a brief silence on the phone.
“Actually, I have just changed my mind. I now need you three to stay in place as you are. I am going to fly in on my jet tonight to Palm Beach. What is wrong with all of you? Why aren’t you following procedure?”
Kristen bolted up in her chair. She knew that voice sounded familiar but couldn’t be sure because it was somewhat distorted. One of the three men grabbed the phone from Johnson.
“Yes, we are very sorry sir. Under the circumstances, we felt that this would be what you would want us to do. You know that boundaries were crossed in Chicago by the ambassador, and we felt we needed to directly take care of it. He knows the rules and was completely out of place. We were only thinking of you.”
He then lowered his voice a decibel, “We will prepare the Guest House for your arrival. I believe your young buck has still taken up quarters in there. Should we ask him to find other accommodations?”
“No! I am mainly coming to town early because of him. He seems to be acting up once again. His testosterone levels are remarkable, and they seem to be influencing his decisions lately. He has committed two egregious acts that need to be dealt with swiftly, one which personally affects me very, very deeply. I need you three to see that he is re-directed and will not endanger the club again. I will give you the specifics later…”
Kristen interrupted, and started speaking loudly. She hoped the voice on the other end could hear her.
“You are all going to pay for this. I am going to the police right now.” She became more excited and pointed at all of them. “This whole room is going to jail. You are all guilty!”
The man with the phone became very mad. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a plastic bottle. He then roughly pulled Kristen’s head back by her hair, stuck it in front of her nose, and sprayed hard.
“You will remember absolutely nothing about this young lady. You won’t even think it was all a bad dream!”
Kristen’s head fell down to her chest, and her body went limp. The man then walked out of the room, with the two others behind him. The group resumed their activities like nothing happened.
A few minutes later, two women dressed in long summer dresses, entered, and placed Kristen gently back into the wheelchair. She was rolled out to an awaiting van, returned to the airport, and jetted back to Chicago.
After Kristen had been removed from the building, the men gathered their chairs in a circle to discuss what had just transpired.
Johnson looked cautiously down the hallway, closed the door, and began the conversation.
“Are those three miscreants gone now? I for one, am very disturbed by what took place here today in our quarters. We all have reputations to maintain, and this type of breach presents a precarious situation for us all.”
Another member stated, “It is bad enough I have to worry about the G-20 coming up this fall. Who allowed his thugs to roam freely? I was told they would always remain behind the scenes. Perhaps, I will now only make myself available for our extra special functions. This club is sacred ground.”
Johnson looked amused, “Don’t be so full of yourself. We must all try harder to ensure our complete anonymity. If any of us were exposed, it would severely hinder what we have accomplished over these many years.”
Another man, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat asked, “Before I leave town this week, I need to know when we are getting together to determine the domestic timetable for next year?”
He stood up and faced the men, “I know my boys in the G.O.P. are anxiously waiting for the list. Now that “our” man is finally in place, we need to make this happen. Who knows how long we can keep him there? There appears to be more than the usual opposition. And, it only seems to be worsening.”
Johnson replied, “Well, if we want him out, we are the ones that can see to it. We already wreaked havoc all over Europe. Might as well finish the job. Those ridiculous environmental restrictions are my focus now. My companies have suffered enough.
We know that if our group did not exist, this world would be embroiled in very unproductive practices. Our influence is needed in order for it to remain on the correct path.”
The first member spoke again, “Oh, come on Johnson, you mean the path that leads to our uncapped wealth and prosperity. Let’s get a reality check here. No one in our club believes that this all comes from the goodness of our hearts. We have all gone to great lengths to enact our policies, and we are all aware of how we must maintain them. Again, we must not be distracted from our list.”
The men chimed in unison, “Hear, hear!”
Johnson smiled, “I am satisfied that we are all in agreement. I have one more item of interest to bring up, before we go outside for a round of golf.”
He cleared his throat, “I am happy to announce that this year’s event promises to be even more spectacular. Once again, our founder and his staff, have been working hard to procure the most exotic guests possible to add on to your portfolio. It will be a very captivating night, and you will all need to rest up. Meeting adjourned.”
As the men were about to leave, the door was flung open, and a wild-eyed girl in her late teens came running in. Her hair and clothing were in disarray, and she was violently trying to shake her wrist out of a handcuff. The other hand was already free. Johnson immediately motioned to a security camera on the wall.
One of the men commented, “Looks like another one of our young guests was not secured properly.”
The girl looked confused and cried out, “What is going on here? Please help me.”
The two women quickly returned to the room. As they both took hold of the girl, one of them said,
“Sorry gentlemen, we were busy with the Chicago visitor, and this young lady managed to slip off one of her cuffs. She walked by the guards completely unnoticed. We will make sure this does not happen again.”
Johnson grumbled, “Damn it! Then you need to feed her more! This always happens when he is not in town.”
He then took a pretend golf swing, “Now on to more important things. Let’s get at least nine holes in, before it gets too dark, I have a new putter to break in.”
The men laughed, placed their arms around each other’s shoulders, and left as a group.
Later, Gregory returned from a late night of carousing off the island. He proceeded through the gate and was surprised when he saw that the Whitestone Guest House was completely lit up. Driving further, he noticed a familiar black town car in the driveway.
As Gregory entered the building he was welcomed by a strong fist to the jaw by of one of the club’s security men.
Gregory cried out, “What the hell was that for?”
A stern voice from the next room answered for him.
“That was for bringing an unauthorized guest to these premises several weeks ago. You made quite a mess of things. It looked like a cyclone hit. If you weren’t my blood, you would be suffering greater consequences. You know my rules Gregory. Any “special guests” are to be taken to the club immediately for containment and preparation.”
Karl then walked into the room.
Gregory proclaimed, “Well, I did do some scrambling, including a quick trip west to make sure it was all taken care of.” He held his mouth which was now swelling up.
“Karl, I think that bloke broke some of my teeth!”
Gregory looked angrily at his aggressor. Karl gave a nod, and the security guard walked out of the room.
Karl coldly stared at Gregory and he instantly dropped to his knees
, “I am genuinely sorry sir. It will not happen again.”
“Gregory, if you continue to violate my directives, I will revoke all of your privileges. The mere fact that you have been romancing all your bimbos here is unforgivable. And, you bringing that California woman’s vehicle here, was nothing but careless. I was told that it could be spotted from the street.”
His voice grew angrier, “Furthermore, despite what you think, you did a less than stellar job of covering your tracks. I truly thought that I taught you better.” Gregory just hung his head in silence.
Karl put his hand gently on Gregory’s cheek,
“Very well. Now clean yourself up and join me at the club for a late brandy. It should take the edge off your pain, and your bruised ego. I am flying back to London in the morning and will not return until the ceremony later this year. Please do not give me cause to disrupt these plans.” Karl then walked into his study and closed the door.
Now safely back in Chicago, it had also been a very long night for Kristen, and one that she would never remember. When she awoke the next day in her own bed, all that she had left from her experience was a bad headache.
For her, the day simply did not happen. Too bad, that she did not remember brunch with Thomas, and that he could have possibly been her love match. It would have made the upcoming months in Chicago even more enjoyable, as she aspired to make her life more rewarding.
10 THE WHITESTONE
Several sunrises later…
Sunset was fast-approaching, when a large industrial barge sporting a ragged foreign flag, lumbered its way through the murky waters of the Intracoastal. It slowed its pace as The Royal Park Bridge prepared to allow for its passage. The gears began to grind and the grated structure creaked as it slowly made its ascent.
As its shadow settled in at the foot of the bridge, a magnificent Rolls-Royce Phantom appeared. The Bridge Master shot his balding head out of the tower window and waved his dingy white short-sleeved arm toward the vehicle. He knew who was in the car, and without hesitation, he reversed the controls to return the overpass to its sedentary position.
