by K. T. Tomb
“Thalia Phoenix and Peter Kellerman, I presume.” His English was heavily accented, but her eyes went immediately to the cluster of stars tattooed on his face.
“What the hell do you want?” she snapped.
“My employer has some questions that he wants to ask you and your associates.” His voice was smooth and triumphant, though his accent seemed to be that of an English-speaking Italian.
“Who is your employer?” She might as well fish if she was going to be forced to sit by the stream.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. He’s a little nervous about being in the public eye.”
“Komodo Industries?” She wasn’t sure about it, but she had been suspicious when she read that article about their pressure on the government of the Seychelles to open up their water exploration and packaging rights. It was the only reason she could think of as to why they were being detained.
“You’re as smart as you are beautiful, Miss Phoenix. Or should I call you Phoe?”
“Only my friends call me that.” She hoped that her brother Eric and Jonathan had been able to somehow avoid the group and would be coming to their rescue at any moment. She had little faith in Jonathan, but she hoped that Eric would at least give them a fighting chance.
“Oh, Phoe, we’re going to become more than just friends.” His eyes changed from devilish delight to dangerous. He turned to start walking back down the trail and then stopped. “Oh, speaking of friends, your other two friends are already safely back on Eden Island. I just thought you might like to know. You know, in case you’re sentimental about that sort of thing.”
There went the idea of being rescued by the cavalry.
***
“They are not to be harmed, Carlo.” Mr. Imperioli’s words had been quite clear when Carlo had made the call to let him know that Phoenix and Kellerman had been captured. “I need whatever information they have, but I need them to be able to lead me to where I want to go as well. Got it?”
Carlo wasn’t exactly sure how he was supposed to get information out of them if he couldn’t inflict at least a little bit of pain on them. “How am I going to extract information from them if I can’t harm them?”
“Miss Phoenix and Mr. Kellerman can’t be harmed, but the other two can be used as… shall we say motivation to get them talking.” Imperioli’s voice turned ice cold.
“Ah. Got it.”
“Hold them and start putting a little bit of pressure on them, but don’t worry if you don’t get much information out of them before I get there.”
“Can I start roughing up the first two?”
“Sure, but don’t go too fast. Let Phoenix and Kellerman get a little look at their bloodied comrades, but don’t get carried away. Just a little scare. Understand?”
“Got it.”
“I’ve ordered my jet, so I should be there not too long after dark. I’ll contact you when we’re about to land so you can come get me.”
“Yes, si—” Again, his response was cut off as his boss hung up the phone. He smiled at the thought of at least being able to be rough with a couple of their captives, though he’d liked to have gotten rough with Thalia Phoenix; rough in several ways. Her delicious, round ass and… His thoughts were interrupted by one of the men with him.
“What do we do with them, boss?”
“Keep Mr. Kellerman and Miss Phoenix comfortable.”
“The other two?”
“Put them in separate rooms and give them a small taste of what happens if they don’t talk. A small taste, understand? Our employer doesn’t want us to get carried away.”
“I understand.”
“A bloody lip and a black eye will be enough for now.” He waited for the man to leave him and then strolled down the hall to the room where Kellerman and Phoenix were being held. The moment he walked into the room, he met the furious stare of Thalia Phoenix. Damn! She could pull off the sultry, dangerous look well. He hoped that Imperioli would let him have her when he was finished with her.
“Good news,” he beamed, acting like a host at a resort hotel. “My employer is coming to see you.”
***
Phoe’s mind was racing out of control. With Eric and Jonathan in custody, she could think of no hope for a rescue, which meant that she or Peter would have to come up with something on their own. The first thing she would like to do was put the toe of her Italian leather boot up Carlo’s ass, but that would have to wait until she had come up with a more well-rounded plan for getting them all out of there.
She hoped that they hadn’t yet caught on to the Fountain of Youth and the significance of baby Angelo. If they were still in the dark about things, then she would still be able to manipulate things in order to get them released. She would have to come up with a foolproof plan, but she’d have to keep Peter in the dark about it and hope that he reacted the right way when it came time. She couldn’t risk discussing it with him; the room was likely bugged. She could perhaps use one of the other languages that she and Peter both knew. She would test that idea a little bit and keep it in the back of her mind for later.
The one thing that she loved most about Peter was that his mind was typically running along a similar track to her own and would, therefore, be able to read what she was doing and back her play. She had seen the lust burning in Carlo’s eyes and she considered making use of that as well when the time came. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt to start making use of a little bit of her female charms already.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him.” She smiled back at him, attempting her best sultry look. “We can share a bottle of champagne while we wait.”
“We’re fresh out of champagne, Miss Phoenix.” There was an amused smirk on his face.
He wasn’t going to be easy to seduce. She’d better have another plan in mind.
“I’m afraid that we are going to need to separate you and Mr. Kellerman, however.” He chuckled softly. “We don’t need the two of you hatching some escape plan before the boss arrives.”
That put a damper on making a plan that included Peter. Whatever she did, she would have to do it alone and hope that she could get Peter in on it with her at some point. Until she was able to do that, however, she was going to have to make plans for herself. It was actually simpler.
Two of Carlo’s goons snatched her up, one of them keeping a pistol in her ribs as they left the room and started down the corridor. They were taking no chances with her. They came adjacent to a closed door and Carlo ordered the two to stop.
“Let’s give Miss Phoenix a glimpse of what could happen if she isn’t completely cooperative.” Carlo knocked on the door and it opened.
She was ushered into a room where she saw Eric tied in a chair. One eye was swollen shut and there was blood coming from the corner of his mouth. Instant rage shot through her and she struggled against the two men holding her. She felt a sharp nudge with the barrel of the pistol to remind her that she needed to behave herself.
“I’m okay, Phoe,” Eric muttered. “They’re just trying to show that they’re tough guys. They’re actually a bunch of Italian pussies.” Eric received a backhand slap for the comment and he grinned at her. “They’re kind of touchy about it too.”
“God, Eric, I’m so sorry that I got you into this.”
She was pulled roughly out of the room and back into the hall. As they paused in front of another closed door, Carlo spoke again. “I don’t suppose that I need to show you the condition of your other friend.”
Thalia didn’t answer. Her mind was thinking of all of the horrible possibilities that they might carry out on Eric and Jonathan. She had to figure out a way to get them all out of there, but first, she had to figure out what they wanted and exactly how badly they wanted it.
She was ushered into a room behind the last door in the corridor. It was at least furnished with a bed, a chair and an adjacent bathroom.
“Now, Miss Phoenix,” Carlo began. “My employer has asked that I make you and Mr. Kellerman com
fortable until he gets here. I realize that it might not be exactly what you’re used to on the Grand Canal, but at least you won’t need to be tied up anymore, right?”
“Right,” she whispered. She was only half-faking the drained response after having seen her brother bloodied and bruised. Her bonds were cut and her hands were free, but she knew that she needed a better plan than just taking out the three hoods in front of her. They had too much leverage against her for her to do anything stupid.
“We’ll bring you something to eat in a little bit. You might as well get some rest.” Carlo said as the other two left the room and he started to pull the door closed behind him. He stopped before it was all of the way closed and pushed it partway open again. “Sorry that we don’t have a television in here. The local channels aren’t very good anyway.”
Thalia ignored the parting shot and stretched out on the bed, trying to clear her mind of the horrible image of her brother and the possibility that they were only getting started with the horrors that they had in mind for him.
Chapter Nine
A popular story in Islam tells how Al-Khadir gained immortality by drinking from the Fountain of Life. According to the story, Al-Khadir traveled with Alexander the Great either as a cook, an adviser or a general. They set out to find the fountain, but were unsuccessful. After splitting up, Alexander’s selfishness for his own immortality proved his undoing. Because Al-Khadir humbly searched for the river out of loyalty to Alexander, the Fountain of Life found him. Today, many Muslims believe that a visit by Al-Khadir grants insight into divine secrets. —J. Briggs, eHow Contributor
***
“Miss Phoenix! I’m delighted to meet you!” The beaming, well-dressed and quite handsome gentleman rose from behind the desk and extended his hand toward her. His clothing was expensive, his nails were manicured, and his English was crisp and clear, though she thought she detected the slightest hint of an Italian accent. The overall effect was charming.
“I’m not sure that I can say the same.” She plastered her best fake smile on her face. She’d learned how to fake charm at one of the many highbrow parties that she’d had to attend in her illustrious career. She hated the fake, patronizing conversation that always took place in “proper society,” but she had found it useful to play the game at times.
“My name is Lucas Imperioli.” His smile was a little bit too dashing.
“Owner of Komodo Industries,” she ventured. She’d guessed right before; she might as well try it again.
“You’ve done your homework. Yes, I’m the owner of Komodo Industries, as well as several other ventures that are really not important to our discussion right now.”
“So, what is important to our discussion?”
“Straight to business. I was hoping to get to know you a little bit better first. I’ve been a fan of yours for a while now. You’ve done remarkably well for yourself. The Genghis Kahn discovery was a boon for you and Mr. Batista.”
“If you are such an admirer of mine, why did you kidnap me and my team?”
“Kidnap? I would hardly term your being here as an abduction.”
“What exactly would you call it?” Her tone turned icy and her stare was equally as cold.
“I had my men bring you here for a business meeting.”
“Is that why they roughed up some of the members of my team? Sorry, I’m not interested.”
“But you haven’t heard my offer yet.” He was enjoying his own little game of cat and mouse; what he didn’t realize was that he was being played and studied as well.
“If what I have already seen is a part of your offer, then I’m definitely not interested. So, if you’ll have your men show us to the door—”
The sound of his charming laugh cut her off. “Miss Phoenix, you are delightful. I wish I had brought you on board a long time ago. All of these years have been a waste without your intelligence, wit, and, I might add, beauty.”
“What do you want with me and my team then?”
“Straight to the point again.” His smile was almost disarming. She had to keep reminding herself that it was a mask in front of someone who was likely a great deal more ruthless than he let on.
“I like to keep things simple.”
“Alright, would you happen to know where Friar Batista has gone? He seems to have disappeared and well…” He leaned in close to her as if revealing a secret that he didn’t want anyone else to overhear. “We had a business arrangement.”
Thalia knew instantly that he was lying. She knew that Friar Batista wouldn’t have made any sort of business arrangement with Imperioli, or any other man for that matter. She didn’t know everything about Batista, but she’d spent enough time with him to know that he was above being led into some sleazy deal with anyone of Imperioli’s ilk; however, playing along might give her some insight into what her captor was really up to.
“What kind of arrangement?”
“We’re getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?”
“Depends on where we’re heading.” Her mind was beginning to form a plan. The fake, patronizing smile was becoming a real smile as the pieces all began to fall into place. Batista and Komodo could only be linked to one thing: The Fountain of Youth. Imperioli wanted her to lead him to the Fountain. Very likely, he had plans to bottle it and sell it for an exorbitant price. He would become extremely wealthy almost overnight. There was a catch that he didn’t know about, however, and Thalia saw exactly how she could use what she already had discovered about the Fountain to her advantage.
“Do you know where Friar Batista is?”
“Maybe… How much is it worth to you?”
Imperioli laughed. It was actually a delightful laugh. He was certainly charming and well-groomed. Under different circumstances, she might have fallen for his charms. “I knew you wouldn’t be easy to deal with. You play hardball, don’t you?”
“Softball always bored me.”
“Of course.” He leaned forward again. “My arrangement with Friar Batista was 250 million dollars.”
The offer was pretty tempting, even for the friar, but she knew that he had been turned down; it simply wasn’t the way Batista worked. He was a man of integrity. She acted bored with the figure. “And?”
“I would match that offer,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. His charm suddenly turning to the shrewd, calculating businessman.
And snake, Phoe thought. She didn’t say a word or give away any of her thoughts. She knew that in business negotiations, the first one to flinch lost. Imperioli was going to lose in every way, but she had to play the game to get him there.
“All you would have to do is tell me where he is.”
He’d flinched. Good; she was in control. “That’s a lot of money just for a little bit of information.” It was time for her to strike. “Suppose that I simply took over doing what Batista was doing for you and we just cut him out of the picture.”
“An interesting thought.”
“I would want double his offer, of course.”
“That’s a great deal of money, Miss Phoenix. It would cut into my profits. Perhaps a lesser amount would still interest you?”
The cheap bastard had the potential of capitalizing on the entire world. No doubt he understood that at the very least, if the Fountain of Youth could be bottled and sold, he would earn wealth well beyond the budgets of 90% of the world’s nations. He might even be able to control all of them. The power that could be had by controlling the Fountain of Youth was beyond the imagination. The idea that any one person would control it actually terrified her.
She drew her thoughts back to the game that she was playing with Imperioli. She had to stop him. She had to stop anyone and everyone from getting their hands on it. That was exactly why she knew that Batista had not caved to an offer by the snake oil salesman sitting in front of her. He would have realized the power behind its control. She had to make her play.
“Bullshit, Imperioli! You know that you would h
ave unlimited profits from controlling the Fountain of Youth. Five hundred million dollars are mere pennies.” She hoped that she hadn’t blown it.
Imperioli leaned his chair back again. He put the palms of his hands together and placed his nose between his index fingers, deep in thought. She could tell by the look in his eyes that she had gotten into his head. How would things play out? She had taken a huge risk. If he reacted the right way, she would be able to usher him into her trap; if not, well, she didn’t want to go there…
“You seem to know a great deal more than you at first let on, Miss Phoenix.” The charm had disappeared. “Perhaps instead of asking where Friar Batista is, I should be asking you where the Fountain is? Ile Moyenne perhaps?”
He’d played the card that she had hoped he wouldn’t play. Things were beginning to slip out of her control. She hoped that she could draw it back.
“Let’s just say that I have recently had a conversation with Friar Batista and, well, between the two of us, we have narrowed down the location of the Fountain. It will take both of us to locate it, however.”
His low chuckle was not nearly as charming as it had been before. She began to fear that she actually had not won control of the negotiations. “I see that you are positioning yourself to some advantage. Very well played; however, you must realize that I hold Mr. Kellerman and your other two friends, one of which, if I’m not mistaken, is your brother. Eric, is it?”
Shit! He knew too much. She might have just played into his hands. She had to figure out a way to make certain that she and the others were able to escape. She should have considered that he knew more than he let on. How things worked out in the next few minutes would be critical.
“What if I told you that we already found the Fountain?”
“Then I would begin to be a little bit more willing to consider an offer.”
“Mr. Kellerman has a canteen of the water. I’m assuming that your people are set up to test its contents.” She hoped to hell that what she had just revealed would play out well. It was the only shot that the four of them—and likely Charlotte and Angelo—had of escaping alive.
