Instinctual

by Amanda Mackey

  “Kate! Stop! We have to stop! We don’t have long.” His mouth was swollen. His eyes still staring at her mouth.

  “Do you have to be somewhere?” Her senses were still undressed and horny. She tried to pull his mouth back to hers but he was too strong.

  “No. I need to tell you something.” Kate’s bedroom was no longer cold. She was no longer cold. Lying on top of her was her very own heater. An anxious looking heater now. His expression had changed, even though his eyes fixated on her with hunger.

  “Yes?” Why did he have to insist on talking?

  “Did anything unusual happen yesterday?”

  “Apart from you stalking me, showing up in a dark alley, scaring the crap out of me and then doing it all again this morning in my bedroom? No. Nothing unusual happened.” She used her best sarcastic voice. Of course something unusual had happened. Her whole frigging world had capsized.

  “I’m not talking about that. Was there anything else? You need to really think. It’s important.” She could see a shift in his expression. Almost angry, yet not quite.

  “I was at the festival yesterday. Of course you know that because you were stalking me.”

  “I wasn’t stalking you!” Well, not really.

  “Whatever.”

  “What else do you remember?”

  Kate’s mind was still distracted from the kiss seconds ago. It was hard to concentrate on anything other than Jake’s erection pressed into her groin.

  “I was looking at something I wanted to buy and then I was overcome by your presence. I wondered if I was losing it, I mean truly losing it because I’ve been having strange episodes as well.”

  “Strange episodes?”

  “Yes. Well, I thought they were strange but now I know they were caused by you.”

  “Me? Kate, what are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”

  “Dizziness. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I’ve been getting these sensations in my body and flashes of you come into my mind followed by vertigo. I don’t know why. I’ve never felt like that before.”

  “What else?” Jake’s grip tightened on Kate’s arm.

  “Well, I don’t recall much. I panicked and started running, and that’s all I can remember. After that everything is blank, except for waking up here half-naked with no bag, keys, or dress.”

  Jake disentangled himself and sat up, letting Kate go. He swung his legs around, over the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands.

  “Um. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” She squinted and ran a hand through her long hair. Some of the earlier anger was seeping back in at his cryptic drivel.

  Rubbing his temples while turning to Kate, his face looked solemn. When he opened his eyes and looked into hers, all she saw was fear.

  “Shit, Jake! What do you need to tell me? You better hurry up because I’m still pissed at you.”

  “What I have to tell you is going to sound ludicrous but you need to hear me out. You need to keep an open mind. Can you do that, Kate?”

  The conversation was getting more bizarre by the second. She didn’t know what to think. “Oookaaay.”

  “Something has happened to you. You’re not you.”

  “Not me?”

  “It’s hard for me to explain this but here goes.” There was a long pause. “You are out of your body.”

  Kate let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re kidding me, right? You come all the way from wherever you’ve been, then stalk me to tell me I’m out of my body? What the hell kind of joke is this, Jake? You let me kiss you, for Christ’s sake!” Her voice was almost hoarse as she moved forward on her knees so her face was within inches of his. “Get. Out. Of. Here! I don’t need to hear your pathetic mind games, Jake. You’re really trying to screw with my brain!” Underneath her anger she knew there was something drastically wrong but was too stubborn to admit it.

  Jake stood and paced. “Fuck that, Kate! Will you just listen to me? You can hate me all you want after you hear me out. I’m trying to help you but you’re being so damn obstinate. Sit there and just think about it for a second, will you? Use that invisible awareness you have!” His jaw twitched and his eyes seemed to turn to flame. “Kate. You have to let me help you. I get that you’re pissed at me. You have every right to be, okay? I get that. I let you go when I shouldn’t have. I gave up the only woman that I deeply loved. I hate myself for that. I’m nothing without you. That’s what I’ve had to live with every day. Guilt and regret. It’s nearly killed me. Is that what you want to hear? To know that I’ve been dying without you, baby?”

  “I don’t know what I want to hear any more. I’m just so tired, Jake. I don’t want to keep fighting. I just want all this to go away. You. Everything.”

  Jake rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “I know this all sounds crazy. I can barely get a handle on it myself but you have to trust me.”

  “Trust you? Why on earth would I trust you?”

  “Because at the moment I’m the only person you can trust. I’m the only person who can help you.”

  For some strange and oddly maddening reason she did trust him. The urgency in his voice and the heartfelt plea in his eyes told her that there was way more happening here than she cared to admit. Her inner voice was knocking on her rational mind so hard to stop ignoring the signs and to listen. She let her body sag.

  “Look. I’ll give you one minute of my time to explain this nonsense and then I want you gone. Gone from my apartment and gone from Vernazza. Be quick, Jake.”

  He turned to her. In a softer voice, he said, “Stand up.”

  She thought the whole thing was stupid but threw her legs over the edge of the bed and stood.

  “Now. I want you to follow me into the bathroom.” He went to grab her hand but she pulled it back. She didn’t dare touch him again and succumb to the way contact with his skin made her so damn needy. Just being near him was sapping all her willpower.

  They walked side by side into the bathroom, stopping in the middle of the room.

  “Okay, now what?”

  “Look in the mirror, Kate.”

  Look in the mirror? What sort of game was this? Had the stolen hours from yesterday turned her into a three-headed monster?

  “Jake…” She grimaced.

  “Just do it, damn it! Turn around and look in the mirror. Tell me what you see.” There was a stinging whip to his voice. An icy edge.

  Suddenly she wondered what she would see when she turned around. The cold chill was back and seeping up her. Into her. Shit! There must be something dreadfully wrong with her for Jake to be taking this so seriously.

  When she faltered he walked behind her and grasped both her arms, spinning her around so she faced the vanity mirror above the basin. The antique gold gilt was peeling away and the glass needed a good clean, but as her eyes slowly lifted to see what all the fuss was about, even the smeared surface couldn’t hide the truth.

  Kate cried out in shock and then fell back into Jake’s waiting arms, letting black overcome her senses as she fell into oblivion and vanished.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Carlos felt a little more revived after his sleep as they slowly pulled into the sheltered bay of an island in the middle of nowhere. They appeared to stop and drop anchor about fifty feet from the shore.

  The journey from Monaco had been a quiet one. Adriano had cooped himself up in his on-board office, leaving Carlos plenty of time to recover from the night before.

  He’d tried calling Kate moments ago. Why the fuck hadn’t she picked up yet? That was really starting to do his head in, as if he didn’t have enough on his mind. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. She was just a woman, for Christ’s sake! It’s not like they were married.

  Suddenly Carlos could hear a distant helicopter getting louder. He didn’t think anything of it until it hovered above and landed on the helipad on board the boat. Just one of her many luxurious attributes. Before he could begin to wonder why t
he helicopter had arrived, Adriano appeared, wearing a smart navy suit with gold cufflinks, polished black shoes, white shirt, and slicked hair.

  “Carlos! Show time! Let’s lose our sea legs for a while. I want to introduce you to some people.”

  Having no choice, Carlos followed Adriano up onto the rooftop deck before climbing into the awaiting chopper to find out the big secret. The wind from the rotor had both men hunched over, pushing into the blast in order to stay upright. The stale martini churning in his gut was threatening to resurface again, bringing with it the croissant he’d eaten for breakfast.

  Perhaps he should have eaten the greasy bacon and eggs that had been on offer to help soak up some of the alcohol but just the smell of it had turned his stomach. The onboard chef had outdone himself and put on quite a spread. If he hadn’t tried to drown himself under a sea of rocket fuel the previous night he would have made a glutton of himself with the buffet. He usually took what was offered from his extravagant bosses, happy to enjoy some of the finer things in life. Why waste things that were thrown at you for free?

  The circumference of the island looked to be made up of a high cliff face. Clear blue water lashed at the edges and in no way at all could Carlos eye a way onto the island other than by helicopter. It would remain to be seen what sort of people they were visiting.

  Once the two men were on board and buckled up, the chopper rose to a flat, grassy mesa with a large horseshoe-shaped building, the focus. It almost looked like the Roman Coliseum with its rundown appearance and shape. It was the epitome of Italian architecture. A watchtower stood proud and tall in the central concrete courtyard. Scattered around the building with gravel pathways interlinking them were outbuildings of the same style and era, no doubt steeped in history. Carlos shivered as he realized the construction looked very much like a prison.

  What sort of job would lead them to an isolated prison? It didn’t make sense. Were there goods here they needed to pick up? Was this some sort of storehouse for shipments?

  Adriano fixated on Carlos, as if enjoying being in the loop and having the upper hand.

  “You look troubled, Carlos. What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing, sir. Just enjoying the view.” He wasn’t going to give away his sudden concerns as he turned to stare back out the window.

  The helicopter banked and then landed in the courtyard and Carlos could imagine at one stage the area being a hive of activity for notorious inmates while guards kept a careful vigil from the tower. Upon closer inspection, Carlos could see the slow demise of the walls that had peeling, pinkish/yellow paint. Each room opened out to the courtyard by way of a wooden door. That seemed odd to Carlos if it was a prison. It couldn’t have been maximum security. Then again, if the only way back to the mainland was to swim, it was quite possible.

  “Come!” Adriano barked, leading Carlos into an open door within the belly of the imposing building.

  The inside of the crumbling structure looked identical to the outside, except long corridors with narrow cells confirmed the prison theory. The two men’s footsteps seemed to echo off the bare stone floors and then bounce off the ruddy walls. The cells were empty, except for etched lines into some of the disintegrating stone. The only reminder that the tiny enclosures had once held life. One cell had a large hole in it where someone had tried to dig their way to freedom, obviously having failed because the hole hadn’t reached daylight. Green mildew threatened to fully cover some cells, offering the only splash of color to the dull, tired building. The resemblance to a grotto was remarkable. The smell was damp and menacing, like the feel of the building. Each wall seemed to hauntingly expose the deep, dark secrets that had once been contained within.

  In a couple of minutes they reached a large room with a wooden double door. Adriano pushed his way through, followed by Carlos. Both men were confronted by two other males in suits, one of whom Carlos had never seen before. Stavros stood on the left, looking his ever the same pudgy self. For a fleeting moment a sneer formed on his lips when he briefly locked eyes with Carlos before he composed himself to shake hands with Adriano, welcoming his guests.

  “Adriano, so nice to see you again.” His chubby fingers shook Adriano’s hand.

  “Stavros! It’s been a long time. You’ve met Carlos before, yes?”

  “Sure. Sure. Welcome to Santo Stefano, Carlos.” Carlos held out his hand to dutifully shake it, trying to read the atmosphere and the expressions on Stavros’ face.

  “Lord, this is Carlos, one of our valued employees.” Introductions were kept fairly short as The Lord walked over to Carlos and embraced him in a bear hug, slapping him on the back in a gesture of camaraderie.

  Carlos couldn’t bring his arms up to reciprocate any affection as a strong stench of tobacco nearly singed the hairs in his nostrils.

  “Welcome to my island, Carlos.” The rotund man motioned his arm around in a semi-circle showing off his wealth.

  Carlos wasn’t fazed that the head of The Organization owned an island. Hell, he probably owned half of Italy.

  He looked up and offered a well-mannered, “Thank you, Sir.”

  “She is an amazing structure, is she not?”

  She?

  “Y-Yes…s-sir!” Carlos replied as he pushed his hands into his pants pocket.

  The Lord went on, proudly giving the men a history lesson. “I purchased the island last year—an investment into a bygone era. The island was created by volcanic activity and makes up the Pontine Islands. The prison itself was built by the Bourbons in 1797, initially for 600 inmates. That number was far exceeded though in later years. It was still in use until the mid-1960s. Such a shame to let it sit vacant, don’t you think?” The monarch’s eyes bored into Carlos.

  Carlos could only nod before looking away again. His mind went into overdrive.

  He wondered if there was any hidden meaning inside The Lord’s words. Unease washed over him. He didn’t like his surroundings and was trying to figure out why he’d been brought here. Not many things freaked him out but the eerie noises that seemed to leach out of the crumbling walls had him swallowing hard.

  Once the formalities were over, The Lord led them out into the corridor towards a cell that had been modernized somewhat and looked openly out of place. Carlos’ legs barely carried him as he walked behind The Lord, whose crooked gait looked as if one leg was shorter than the other.

  Inside the cell that looked to be no more than 14 x 13 feet, a body lay motionless on a gurney, sheathed in a thermal blanket. It was the body of a man hooked up to machines.

  Carlos looked at Adriano for a clue but all he saw was the same, familiar stoic expression that lived permanently on the man’s face.

  What the hell?

  The four men stood outside looking in for a second, listening to the machines doing their job at keeping the man’s heart beating and lungs breathing.

  “Carlos, my good man. You must be wondering what you are doing here, no?” The Lord differed from Carlos’ mental image. The man was shorter with more hair and wrinkles. Wrinkles from a hard life. He didn’t look traditionally Italian. Maybe he was a cross-breed like Carlos. His cagey, dark eyes felt threatening, though. Dangerous. Hollow and void of any morsel of cheer. A window to a dark soul.

  With an unsure voice, Carlos answered, “Well, yes, sir. I am very intrigued.” What more could he say? That he wanted to get the fuck out of this shit hole? That he didn’t want to play this game anymore?

  “Indeed! Adriano here tells me that you are one of our finer employees. You’ve proved your loyalty to The Organization time and time again. That’s music to my ears. I like it when things run smoothly. I like it when my staff fulfill their obligations conscientiously. Keep their noses to the ground and do what’s asked of them.”

  The Lord was singing his praises? Well, wasn’t that nice? He must be doing something right. Maybe life as a criminal wasn’t so bad, after all.

  “I always reward my good workers.” The Lord put his hand into his
jacket pocket and pulled out two Cuban cigars. “Cigar?”

  Carlos couldn’t read The Lord or what game he was playing but it obviously wasn’t too bad if he was handing out cigars. He actually hated cigars but knew he’d have to oblige in order to keep the Lord happy. They weren’t offered to just anybody.

  “Thank you, sir.” Carlos put the cigar into his mouth and moved forward for The Lord to light it, stifling a gag as he took his first puff.

  The Lord went on. “You see this man in here? He was one of my most valued employees. The best of the best. He was going places. Went the extra mile and did more than was asked. Extremely loyal.”

  “What happened to him?” Carlos was trying to rein in his patience. What in God’s name did an unconscious body have to do with him? Get to the point, already!

  “It came to light that he was indeed a traitor. A spy. Someone trying to ruin our family. A snitch. I’m not sure if you’re aware, Carlos, but I don’t take kindly to news of one of my children’s disloyalty. I think of you all as my children. I’ve nurtured you and taken you off the streets. Given you jobs and more than enough money. Do I not take care of you?”

  “Yes, sir, you do. No complaints at this end.” Carlos had nowhere to tap the ash from the cigar but onto the concrete floor. He tried to do it discreetly as he looked back to The Lord.

  “I gave the order to have him taken care of, like I do to all traitors. I wanted him gone. While my men were sent out to eradicate the imposter, I found out some interesting information about him. Information that I choose not to share with you but let’s just say, I realized I’d made a mistake in ordering his demise.” The Lord took an extended drag on his cigar and turned from Carlos to the patient. “By the time I’d sent the order to capture the man alive, it was too late. He’d already been shot.”

  If Carlos didn’t know better he could have sworn he heard regret in The Lord’s voice. It was strange hearing such a ruthless man sound somewhat remorseful. Carlos couldn’t work it out. He was confused as fuck.