thing was an
act. He had to keep his employees remembering who the boss was.
"How am I to expect delivery?"
"I'm having a discrete location renovated to
keep your package safe. The renovations will be done today and the
package will be arriving there tomorrow. I'll call then and set up
the arrangements."
"The money will be wired to an account of
your choice. When you call with the package location, tell my men
where you want the money. Once I confirm possession of the package,
the money will transfer, as usual."
Denise nodded. Same routine. She knew this
meeting was a formality. She stood up to go. Anything to get off
the hard wooden school chair.
"May I go now?" she asked.
Mr. Ward nodded.
She turned and started to walk, this time
unaided by the gorillas that helped her to the meeting. When she
reached the stairs, she looked back at Mr. Ward. He hadn't moved an
inch.
"I wanted to say that this package is
different. It's caused me a lot of trouble. This one is a real
piece of work. I hope you're going to be happy."
"I'll worry about my emotions," Mr. Ward
said with his trademark smile.
Denise headed up the stairs, trailing the
smell of chicken fried rice, her stomach in knots.
Chapter 17
The sound and rhythm of the car had a
soothing quality. Every breath she took, every second that went by
was another second she was alive.
She knew the driver recognized her from
Mary's kidnapping. She also suspected that was the reason she
wasn't dead yet. He would want to find out why she had shown up
twice. He would probably try to extract this information through
violence , she thought. I don't want to think about things
like that though. I'll deal with whatever comes as it
happens.
The engine slowed. She could feel the brakes
being applied. The car turned onto a gravel road as her bladder was
about to burst. Rocks careened off the wheel well by her head. The
car turned again and came to a stop. Then silence.
She had no idea where they were. He could
very well open the trunk, pull her out, shoot her in the face and
throw her body behind a tree. She squeezed her eyes shut. Can't
keep thinking like that , she chided herself.
The trunk lid sprung open. With caution, she
opened her eyes. It was dark outside. She could see a solitary
light as high as one found on any city street.
Rough hands gripped her under the shoulders.
She was yanked from the trunk and dropped on the gravel. The sting
was intense. Her arms and legs felt rubbery. She just wanted to lie
there and rest with a morphine drip attached to her.
She saw the glint of a blade. Before she
realized he had a knife, its arc came swift.
Her ankles fell apart. She twisted her head
away as he came toward her face. She felt a slight tug and then her
hands dropped apart.
The driver walked away. She followed his
footsteps with her gaze. He got to the front of a cabin, fidgeted
with the door and opened it. He flicked a light on inside the
building and turned to face her from the porch.
"If you're thinking about running, there's
no place to go. Scream if you like, no one will hear you. Although,
I wouldn't because that would defy rule number one. We're miles
away from civilization."
Sarah got a feeling he was enjoying himself.
Something had changed. He was grinning.
"You should make yourself comfortable while
you still can. There isn't much time for you left."
If he wanted to kill her he would have done
it right away. He would have dumped the body and been done with it.
Keeping a hostage requires a lot more work.
"I'll give you one minute to get in here,"
he said and then disappeared into the cabin.
She looked around and saw trees surrounding
the area. She eyed the road. It turned away from her and was lost
in darkness. Off in the distance she could hear what sounded like
transport trucks on a highway.
She looked back at the cabin. He was
watching her from a window to the right of the door.
She tried to get to her feet. They worked,
but with protest. She stood
act. He had to keep his employees remembering who the boss was.
"How am I to expect delivery?"
"I'm having a discrete location renovated to
keep your package safe. The renovations will be done today and the
package will be arriving there tomorrow. I'll call then and set up
the arrangements."
"The money will be wired to an account of
your choice. When you call with the package location, tell my men
where you want the money. Once I confirm possession of the package,
the money will transfer, as usual."
Denise nodded. Same routine. She knew this
meeting was a formality. She stood up to go. Anything to get off
the hard wooden school chair.
"May I go now?" she asked.
Mr. Ward nodded.
She turned and started to walk, this time
unaided by the gorillas that helped her to the meeting. When she
reached the stairs, she looked back at Mr. Ward. He hadn't moved an
inch.
"I wanted to say that this package is
different. It's caused me a lot of trouble. This one is a real
piece of work. I hope you're going to be happy."
"I'll worry about my emotions," Mr. Ward
said with his trademark smile.
Denise headed up the stairs, trailing the
smell of chicken fried rice, her stomach in knots.
Chapter 17
The sound and rhythm of the car had a
soothing quality. Every breath she took, every second that went by
was another second she was alive.
She knew the driver recognized her from
Mary's kidnapping. She also suspected that was the reason she
wasn't dead yet. He would want to find out why she had shown up
twice. He would probably try to extract this information through
violence , she thought. I don't want to think about things
like that though. I'll deal with whatever comes as it
happens.
The engine slowed. She could feel the brakes
being applied. The car turned onto a gravel road as her bladder was
about to burst. Rocks careened off the wheel well by her head. The
car turned again and came to a stop. Then silence.
She had no idea where they were. He could
very well open the trunk, pull her out, shoot her in the face and
throw her body behind a tree. She squeezed her eyes shut. Can't
keep thinking like that , she chided herself.
The trunk lid sprung open. With caution, she
opened her eyes. It was dark outside. She could see a solitary
light as high as one found on any city street.
Rough hands gripped her under the shoulders.
She was yanked from the trunk and dropped on the gravel. The sting
was intense. Her arms and legs felt rubbery. She just wanted to lie
there and rest with a morphine drip attached to her.
She saw the glint of a blade. Before she
realized he had a knife, its arc came swift.
Her ankles fell apart. She twisted her head
away as he came toward her face. She felt a slight tug and then her
hands dropped apart.
The driver walked away. She followed his
footsteps with her gaze. He got to the front of a cabin, fidgeted
with the door and opened it. He flicked a light on inside the
building and turned to face her from the porch.
"If you're thinking about running, there's
no place to go. Scream if you like, no one will hear you. Although,
I wouldn't because that would defy rule number one. We're miles
away from civilization."
Sarah got a feeling he was enjoying himself.
Something had changed. He was grinning.
"You should make yourself comfortable while
you still can. There isn't much time for you left."
If he wanted to kill her he would have done
it right away. He would have dumped the body and been done with it.
Keeping a hostage requires a lot more work.
"I'll give you one minute to get in here,"
he said and then disappeared into the cabin.
She looked around and saw trees surrounding
the area. She eyed the road. It turned away from her and was lost
in darkness. Off in the distance she could hear what sounded like
transport trucks on a highway.
She looked back at the cabin. He was
watching her from a window to the right of the door.
She tried to get to her feet. They worked,
but with protest. She stood
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