by J Theron
He shook his head. “I haven’t decided how to deal with the situation, yet.”
She stepped back instinctively as he approached. He halted when he was only a few inches away and she had to suppress the urge to flinch when he reached around her and lifted her shirt to remove the letter opener.
“Not smart, Doctor,” he said as he pocketed the opener.
She struggled to hide her exasperation. “If you let me go I’ll talk to my father and explain.”
He threw back his head and burst out laughing. “Explain what exactly? That Carlos, the Killer’s men abducted you because they were bored, horny and perhaps a little obsessed and held you prisoner against your will, or that you had to fight off one of the instigators behind your abduction who tried to rape you, before you witnessed his execution by yours truly. And when they realized their mistake they decided to let you go? I’m sure that will go down well with the director of the CIA.”
“What do you want me to do now? Just sit here until you decide what to do?” she asked.
“That is exactly what you’ll do. I have to go out. I’ll see you tonight. I’ve asked my housekeeper to bring you lunch. Don’t try anything stupid.”
She watched as he left the room and locked the door behind him. She knew she was in big trouble and her chance of getting away was getting smaller by the second.
Gabrielle was asleep for a few hours when she woke with a start. She sat up, switched on the bedside lamp, and scanned the bedroom. She had waited the whole day for Carlos to return and finally gave up after midnight. She was alone, but she couldn’t suppress the feeling of being watched.
She threw back the covers and walked to the windows. The guards were gone. She scanned the yard around the house and did not see anybody. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She could hear the sounds of the jungle outside the compound, but she did not hear a single human sound.
The other huts were too far away from the main house to hear anything, but she could see the lights burning in some of the windows. The huts were partially obscured by the many trees in the compound and she wondered if these people ever slept.
It was then that she became aware of a person behind her. She felt it more than actually hearing or seeing him. She stood dead still, gazing at the yard, trying not to give away the fact that she was aware of the other person in the room. She took a deep breath and managed to calm herself.
When she was nine years old her father had asked one of his CIA friends, an expert in martial arts, to teach her how to defend herself. He would come to their house and teach her different martial arts techniques, and these classes continued until she was sixteen. She was never going to be a martial arts expert, but she was able to defend herself, and do it well.
The next moment she spun around and punched him in the face. He had a mask over his face, but she could still feel his nasal bone crack when the punch landed. The force of the punch reverberated right to her shoulder and she felt like she fractured all the bones in her hand. He went down with a groan and she quickly followed with a kick to the gut.
She pulled her foot back to kick him in the face when he held up his hands and moaned, “Stop! It’s me. Ryan.”
Gabrielle was momentarily disorientated. She recognized his voice but somehow could not register what he was saying. “What the hell,” she whispered as she fell to her knees and ripped the mask off. She scrambled back and stared at his face as if she was looking at an apparition.
Ryan brought his hand up to try and stem the blood streaming from his nose. “Nice to see you too, Gabrielle.”
She was frozen. Never in a million years did she expect to find him behind the mask. She felt like she went to bed and woke up in an alternate universe. “How did you get in? Why are you here? Who sent you? Who….”
“Gabrielle! Stop,” he interjected. “We don’t have time for twenty questions. We have to get out of here. Get dressed, now!”
She sat forward and took his hand away from his face. “Let me at least look at your nose.” She examined him gently. “It’s broken but not too badly. The bone’s not displaced. It seems to have stopped bleeding.” She bit her lower lip. “I’m so sorry I broke your nose.”
“We can talk later. We have to go. Please just put on some clothes. We have to get out of here before someone realizes the guards outside the house are gone.”
“How did you get in?” she asked.
“Through the roof. I had to immobilize the guards and rig the surveillance cameras. The cameras are on a loop, but we have maybe another six minutes to move.”
Gabrielle shot to her feet and pulled a pair of jeans over her panties. Next followed a sweater over her T-shirt. She still had her running shoes but no socks. She grabbed a pair of socks from Carlos’s closet and quickly pushed her feet into the shoes. She turned around to follow Ryan and then stopped dead in her tracks.
“The whole house is lit. How will we get out?”
“The same way I got in. Just trust me,” he said as he pulled her with him into the bathroom. He opened the vent to the crawlspace above the roof and lifted her up to climb in. He followed her and closed the vent behind him.
They crawled for a few metres until they reached the opening to the outside vent. There was a rope looped through the vent with a knot at the end.
“Open it very carefully and drop the rope. This part of the house is in darkness. It’s a blind spot for the surveillance cameras outside, but as soon as we’re outside, we’ll have to run for the trees.” He pointed to a copse of trees just inside the fence when she opened the vent. It was close, but they had to run over open ground to get there.
“How the hell did you get up here without a rope?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “It’s brick. I scaled it.”
“What? You’re Spiderman now?” she asked as she dropped the rope. She did not wait for an answer as she lowered herself to the ground, trying to be as quiet as possible.
When he reached the ground he loosened the knot at the bottom and pulled the rope through the hook at the top. He rolled the thin rope which looked like the same used in rock-climbing and hooked it over his neck and shoulder.
“You’re a rock climber?” she asked.
“Yes. Now run,” he said, and then set out in a blind dash for the trees. She was right behind him and he fell to the ground as soon as he reached cover. They were breathing heavily and watched the grounds for movement. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she could feel the blood rushing to her head.
“There’s a hole in the fence behind the trees. Come, let’s go,” Ryan whispered. They had just stepped through the hole when all hell broke loose behind them within the compound. Men were shouting orders in Spanish and they heard the barking of dogs being released.
“Fuck. We’re busted. My jeep is parked about a mile from here, but we’ll have to make our way through the jungle. You’ll have to run like never before, Gabrielle.”
They started running, but the thickness of the jungle impaired their progress. She could hear the barking of dogs behind her, but she had no idea where it was coming from or whether they had picked up their trail. She kept stumbling over thicket and branches and her lungs were burning as if on fire as she pushed herself to keep up with Ryan. The going was difficult because of the darkness and the small flashlight that Ryan had in his pack only illuminated the ground straight ahead. Fortunately the jungle was so thick, the chances of their flashlight being spotted was almost zero.
She almost collapsed in gratitude when they reached the jeep. There was a rudimentary road leading away from the compound and she was relieved when they were finally speeding along the dirt road to destination unknown. The going was slower than what she would have liked, but at least the barking of the dogs was almost inaudible.
She turned in her seat to watch Ryan. She could only see his profile in a vague outline, due to light reflected from the head lights. She still had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he was here w
ith her. The one person she had trusted and loved completely. The same man who had hurt her more than any other person ever did.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“To a hut in the mountains. Our extraction point is close to the hut. There’s an old unused airfield and I have a friend who’s going to pick us up with a light aircraft. It’s deserted because it’s so difficult to land a plane there due to the surrounding mountains,” he replied in a clipped voice.
“I see three years didn’t improve your temper,” she said sarcastically.
“I’ve been in a shitty mood since your father, who’s now my boss by the way, asked me to come and rescue you from this shithole,” he bit back.
“Ah, so now you know.”
“Yes. Interesting how we were together for months and you kept that little bit of information to yourself,” he replied.
She shrugged. “I didn’t want anybody to know.”
He slapped on the steering wheel in agitation. “I wasn’t anybody! Why the hell didn’t you tell me your father is the director of the CIA?”
“Because it was none of your damn business!” she shouted.
“So I was only good enough for a casual fuck and then a colossal fuck you, when you upped and left without so much as a goodbye!”
“I refuse to discuss this now,” she said through gritted teeth and turned her back on him.
“Fine!”
“Fine.”
They drove in silence for what felt like an eternity. She watched as the jungle slowly turned into mountainous terrain. They were in a sparsely populated area of Colombia and did not see another soul the whole night. Finally, as darkness turned into early dawn, he rounded a large boulder in the narrow mountain road. He slowed and left the road to drive the short distance to an old, run down cabin that was situated about fifty yards from the road with the back of the cabin almost touching the sheer rock face behind it. The road did not stop at the cabin and she could see that it disappeared around the rock face. She absentmindedly wondered what was at the end of the road.
The cabin was nothing more than four walls and a roof. There were a few stunted trees scattered around the cabin, partially shielding it from the road, and a large rainwater tank on the roof. The one side of the square cabin was built with rocks and a chimney jutted into the ice-cold, pre-dawn air. At least they could build a fire, she thought. A large pile of chopped firewood, partially covered with tarp, was packed against the side wall and there was enough to last them several weeks.
Gabrielle opened the door and climbed down slowly. She was stiff from the long drive and also tired to the bone. “How long do we have to stay here?” she asked.
Ryan did not move. He leaned his head back on the car seat and sighed. “Three days, maybe four if the weather doesn’t play along. This part of the Andes gets a lot of rain.”
She regarded him thoughtfully. “You do know I have nothing with me, not even a toothbrush.”
He turned his face in her direction and narrowed his eyes. “Let me think for a minute. O yeah, do you know that I work for the CIA and that I’m not a complete idiot?”
She shrugged. “I know men. They don’t usually think beyond the immediate future and multitasking is impossible for them. And last I looked you definitely had one X and one Y chromosome.”
He opened the door and climbed down before he slammed it shut. “I’m really not in the mood for your smart mouth, Gabrielle.”
“I’m not in the mood to be stuck with you in this shithole for an unknown number of days. Why can’t you contact your friend to pick us up earlier?” she asked in exasperation. As if on cue it started to rain. Not softly, but almost a torrential downpour.
He pointed to the sky. “That’s why. It’s unsafe to fly into a mountainous area if you can’t see. Even for a doctor that should be fairly straightforward to understand.
Gabrielle glared at him. The rain was soaking her to the bone and she was frustrated to the point of screaming. “I cannot believe that my father sent you. What in God’s name was he thinking! He must have been high. I can’t explain it otherwise.”
“I must have been high to have accepted. I should have left you in Carlos’s bed. You looked mighty comfortable there. You were sleeping like a baby when I entered the room. I didn’t get the impression that you were too put out. Did you put out for Carlos, by the way? I hear he’s quite the ladies’ man,” he said sarcastically.
“Screw you! Who are you to judge me? You of all people!” She started to walk to the cabin but he caught her arm and spun her around.
“What does that mean?”
She ripped her arm from his grasp. “Take your hands off me. You don’t get to touch me. You lost that privilege in Afghanistan.”
“Gabrielle, what are you talking about?” he snarled.
“This conversation is over,” she hissed.
He pushed both his hands through his wet hair and clasped his fingers behind his head in a gesture of agitation. She recognized it. She had seen him do it many times before and it cut her to the quick.
“It’s not over. Not by a long shot,” he replied as he dropped his hands.
Gabrielle sighed. She did not want to speak to him so she simply turned her back and walked briskly to the cabin. When she reached the door she pushed it open and it slowly gave way. It was stiff and it took quite a bit of force to move it. Once she was inside she was surprised to find that it was clean and more spacious than she expected. Ryan entered behind her and pushed the door shut.
The floor was made of wooden planks and it was covered in threadbare rugs. To the left of the cabin was the large stone fireplace that housed an old Dover stove right in the centre. The black pipe of the stove disappeared into the stone chimney. Right next to the fireplace was a small room that had a shower and toilet.
In the back there was a rudimentary kitchen with open wooden cabinets and an old fashioned porcelain sink. The cabinets were stocked with non-perishable food and cooking utensils. The centre of the room was dominated by a bulky wooden table and four chairs. What caused her to look twice was the fact that there was only one bed to the right of the room. It was a double bed and it had a mattress that looked like it belonged in the Stone Age. Two thick blankets and two cushions were placed at the foot of the bed. Next to the bed was a table with two rucksacks.
“It’s clean, and there’s actually a bathroom,” she said, more to herself that anything else.
“If we make a fire there’s a copper pipe that runs from the rainwater tank through the chimney which heats the water for the shower. It only supplies hot water for a few minutes but at least it’s there. The toilet flushes. There’s a septic tank buried underground. It works quite well. Just don’t flush anything weird down the toilet.”
She rolled her eyes at his last statement then frowned. “How did you know about this cabin?”
He shrugged. “The CIA uses it from time to time if we have to get in and out of this area of Colombia. It’s always stocked with the basics. You will find soap and toothpaste in the bathroom. Your clothes are in the green rucksack.”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He tilted his head and watched her thoughtfully. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head before he grumbled, “I’m going outside to get wood for the fire. Once it’s going you can take a shower. Get out of your wet clothes. I don’t want to haul your sick ass all over Colombia. I have enough shit to deal with already.”
He opened the door to fetch the wood and she decided she would not let him get to her. They were stuck and she just had to deal with it. She turned her back to the door and walked to the table with the rucksack. When she opened it, she was surprised to find boots, clothes and underwear. She pulled a pair of boots and a dry change of clothes consisting of a pair of black pants and a white long sleeved T-shirt out of the bag and walked to the bathroom to change. At least the small room had a door and she was thankful for small mercies.
She shut the d
oor and proceeded to pull the wet clothes over her head. She opened the tap and washed her face and hands before she took toothpaste and a clean toothbrush from the small cabinet above the sink to brush her teeth. When she was done she opened the door only to stop dead in her tracks.
Ryan was standing next to the bed, facing away from her. He had taken off his wet clothes and he was clad only in boxer shorts. For a moment she could not tear her eyes away. Every familiar inch of his body was burned into her brain. A memory of her kissing the scar on his upper leg flashed through her mind. She was gliding her hands upwards over the powerful muscles of his thighs until she touched him…Stop it, Gabrielle, she admonished herself. She slammed the door shut and turned around with her back pressed to the door. She was breathing hard to get her emotions under control. She had promised herself never to let him see how much his betrayal had crushed her. It was the only way to hold onto the last threads of her self-respect after what he did to her.
“Get a grip, Gabrielle,” she whispered to herself. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking. She clenched her fingers and slowly turned to open the door again. She was relieved to see that he was fully dressed in beige cargo pants and a dark gray knitted sweater that hugged his muscular torso. He was beautiful and he still managed to take her breath away, even though she hated him with a venomous passion. He was busy hanging his wet clothes over a makeshift washing line in the corner of the cabin as if it was just another day in the life of Ryan Evans.
“What do you want to eat,” he asked without looking in her direction.
“Fillet steak, rare, with truffle sauce and mash with nutmeg, followed by crème brûlée,” she replied in a flat voice.
He turned and the corner of his mouth went up in a ghost of a smile. “I can do corned beef and baked beans.”
She sat down at the table and watched as he collected two tins from the shelf in the kitchen and slapped it on the table in front of her with a can opener, a tin plate and a fork.
