Eli closed his eyes and thought about the last 36 hours. Things had not gone perfectly, but all in all it had been pretty good. The girl was a problem. They never should have brought her with them. He thought about the look on Niki’s face when she slapped him in the kitchen and he laughed out loud. It was worth the trouble just to see her torment his brother. He got up and stretched and walked back into the bedroom.
Stacy waited until she no longer heard footsteps, then stood up and shook out her legs. She tiptoed back through the sitting area the way she had come and slipped back out the door into the hall. Falling against the wall outside, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She was mentally drained, but could feel the rush of excitement running through her body. She moved across the hall and went for the next door.
Stacy cracked the door and peeked in, listening for any sign of life. The room was silent but lived-in. Someone else’s living quarters. She looked down the hall to make sure no one was coming and stepped into the room. The layout was much the same as the one across the hall, but the furnishings were different. The inside wall was covered with a mirror, making the room look enormous. This sitting area was much more colorful than Eli’s. She wondered if the men chose their own décor – if the furnishings reflected their personalities – and then she admonished herself for giving a shit. There was no separate office in this suite, but a table set up on a diagonal in the corner apparently served as a work area. From a business standpoint, the view out the window would be a terrible distraction if someone was actually trying to work. She decided this must be Jason’s room.
Stacy thumbed through a stack of stuff on the table, but there was nothing enlightening. A couple of old magazines, Thursday’s San Antonio Express-News, and the owner’s manual for some stereo equipment. She was wasting time, there was nothing useful. Stacy turned to leave but something caught her eye. There was a jacket draped over a chair. Her blood started to race again. She grabbed the jacket and searched the pockets. Nothing, nothing, nothing. A pistol. Her heart skipped a beat. She took the 9mm out of the pocket and held it up. It was cold and heavy and felt like an old friend. She made sure the safety was on, and put it in her pocket. It weighed down the pants, which were already too big. Stacy put the jacket back where she had found it and made a beeline for the door. She held her breath as she opened it, and looked down the hall before stepping out. Still no sign of life. Stacy quietly closed the door behind her and walked quickly back down the hall towards her room. She stopped at the stairs to make sure no one was watching, then ran as fast as she could back to her room.
Stacy went into her bathroom and closed the door, then pulled the gun out of her pocket, and held it up to examine it. It was a Beretta 92. She depressed the magazine release and removed the magazine, then she racked the slide back to make sure there wasn’t a round in the chamber. She examined the magazine, verified that it was a 10-round and that it was fully loaded, then slid it back into the pistol. She rechecked the safety, then scanned the room for a place to hide the weapon.
Mel Gibson, Tequila Sunrise, she thought. She removed the lid from the toilet tank and checked inside. Yuck. No good, the parts were too flimsy to bear the weight of the gun. Definitely not under the mattress. It would be the first place they looked when they noticed the gun was missing. She decided to hide it in a plant on the balcony, so she wrapped the weapon in a washcloth and buried it safely out of sight.
Stacy was pumped. For the first time since her foiled escape, she had her confidence back. Now she needed to search the remaining living areas.
She left her room and made her way downstairs. She knew that the kitchen was to the left, so she went down a wing to the right. The first door she opened was an exercise room, equipped with a treadmill, a stationary bike, a weight machine with pulleys and some free weights. The entire outer wall was windows, and the view was incredible. There was nothing of use to her so she moved on.
Stacy had just put her hand on the doorknob of the next room when all of a sudden it turned in her hand and the door swung open. It threw her off balance, and she fell into the room, landing on the floor at someone’s feet.
“What the hell!” exclaimed a startled Niki. Stacy looked up at him defiantly. With dry hair it was much more obvious where he had taken the scissors to it. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“I’m moving freely through the house,” she retorted, then added, “I was feeling banished.”
Niki was impressed with her quick response. He offered his hand to help her up, but Stacy refused it.
“In the future, you are to confine your movement to rooms which are not behind closed doors,” Niki said harshly. “Is that understood?” he asked, his green eyes penetrating.
Stacy got to her feet and held his stare. He could be ruthless if he wanted to be. She quickly scanned the room before he grabbed her arm roughly to usher her out the door. There was a whole wall of bookshelves filled with books. She wouldn’t have figured him for a reader.
“Is that understood?” he repeated louder.
“Yes,” she said, jerking her arm away, “it’s understood.” She stepped away from him and went further into the room but Niki grabbed her by the arm again and pulled her back towards the door. She was determined to get a good look at the place before he booted her out, and he was determined not to let her.
There was a separate office much like the set-up in Eli’s room, and the computer was on. If she could get 30 seconds alone in the room she could send an e-mail to someone. She knew that it was going to be tough since she had been caught snooping. They would be on their guard now and probably wouldn’t let her out of their sight. Plus, Niki was being really mean about finding her there. She had taken him for a pushover when he didn’t hit her back after she slapped him, but she had figured him wrong. He was cold and mean, and even a little scary.
“You like to read?” she said, trying to buy time.
Niki didn’t fall for it. He shoved Stacy out the door roughly and closed the door behind them, then he marched her down the hall, dragging her by her arm until they reached the bottom of the stairs. She was struggling to get out of his grasp, but he was gripping her arm too tightly and she couldn’t get away. By the time Niki released her, Stacy was furious.
“Don't you ever drag me around like that again!” she yelled, the echo traveling down the hall and up the stairs. She rubbed her arm. “Look what you did,” she said angrily, showing him red marks on her arm in the perfect shape of his fingers.
“You’ll live,” he said, unsympathetically.
“You’re a bully,” she said, and when she didn’t get a rise, she added, “You’re a bully, who likes to beat up on helpless girls.”
“Well then let me go rustle up some helpless girls because there sure aren’t any around here,” he spat. “Helpless like a rattlesnake!” he muttered under his breath.
Carlos and Jason had come from the kitchen when they heard Stacy yelling, and Eli was coming down the stairs.
“What’s going on?” Eli asked.
“I caught her snooping around,” Niki said.
“He specifically told me I could move freely through the house,” Stacy said. She turned to Niki, “Are you going to deny that you said that?” she asked in disbelief.
Niki could kick himself for making such a stupid comment. What in the world had possessed him to say that? But he knew what it was. His reaction to tears had always been his weakness, and that day had been no exception. He had made that comment when the girl was distraught as a means to calm her down. It was certainly not an open invitation to go snooping around the house. He had been sympathetic and she had thrown it back in his face.
“I think we have clarified what I meant by that,” he said, glaring at Stacy, enunciating each word.
Stacy could tell that Niki was furious, and as much as she would have loved to egg him on, she knew when to stop. There was no point in making him any more angry with her than he already was. Her mom always said you
catch more flies with honey than vinegar, so she decided to change tacks.
“I’m sorry,” Stacy said, trying to sound innocent. “I was just looking around. The house is so beautiful. I really thought that you said it was okay,” she said, as convincingly as she could. Stacy rubbed her arm to make sure the other three saw where Niki had manhandled her, but none of them seemed to care.
“I’ll escort you back to your room,” he said coldly.
“I don’t much care for your escort service,” she retorted, unable to keep up the charade. She rubbed her arm again where bruises were already beginning to take shape. “Can I at least get something to eat before you make me go back to that room?” she asked.
“You make it sound like a jail cell,” Eli said, baiting her.
“Well, do you have a better name for it?” she said, shooting spears with her eyes. “I am a prisoner here, am I not?” she said in as nasty a tone as she could muster. She was still mad about her hair, and just looking at Eli pissed her off. She should have slapped him when she had the chance.
He knew what she was thinking: “Hey, you look kind of like Raggedy Anne,” Eli said, and he and Niki laughed out loud.
Stacy turned on Jason. “Did you tell him that?” she asked angrily.
Jason held his hands up. “He came up with it all on his own,” he said, unable to stifle a smile.
Stacy glared from one to the other and it dawned on her that Eli and Niki had to be brothers. Their hair and eyes were different, but the shape of their face and their bone structure were identical. “Well doesn’t it just figure that the two of you would be brothers. God, your poor mother.”
Niki and Eli were too busy laughing to respond.
Don’t get mad, get even, Stacy thought. “Well, can I get something to eat or not?” she said.
“Of course you can have something to eat,” Carlos interjected. “And while you’re down here, I’d like to take a look at your wound, if I may.”
“Are you a doctor?” she said, looking him over.
“Of sorts,” he replied. He had not waited for her to answer, but had lifted the bottom of her shirt and was poking his fingers around the inflamed region. His hands were sure and strong.
“Stop it, that hurts!” Stacy said, slapping at his hand.
“I’ll need to put a dressing and new bandage on it so it won’t get infected,” he said. “If you will sit in here for just a minute, I’ll get my supplies,” he said, motioning to a sitting area in the next room.
Stacy went into the room and over to the window and looked out admiring the tropical foliage. The room overlooked the jungle and there were three parrots sitting in a tree right outside the window. She decided that when she got back home, she would move out of her condo and buy a house so she could have a yard. When Stacy turned back around she saw that Niki had followed her to the room and was standing in the doorway watching her.
“What? You’re just going to stand there and watch me?” she snapped at him.
“You’re not very nice,” he stated, taking a lesson from his brother.
“I’m not nice? You’re the one who busted into a bank and blew a man’s hand to kingdom come!” she said. “You shot me, you kidnapped me, you cut off my hair. I’ve got a bruise in the shape of your handprint on my upper arm. But I’m not a nice person?” she fumed. “Tell me, which of the items on that list would inspire me to be nice to you?” Stacy had worked herself into such a rage that she couldn’t stop. “I swear, I’d love to beat the crap out of you!”
Niki was unprepared for her reaction to his taunting, and it left him speechless. Eli would have had a classic remark to throw back at her, but that was not Niki’s forte. He was glad when Carlos reappeared with his bag of medical supplies, but Stacy was too worked up to let it go. She picked up an ornamental vase and hurled it across the room at Niki as hard as she could, barely missing him. It hit the wall and shattered into hundreds of pieces.
“We never liked that vase either,” Carlos said, without missing a beat.
The emotional explosion left Stacy calm but drained. She shot Niki a dirty look and sat down so that Carlos could doctor her wound.
“It’s doing fine,” said Carlos, as he spread a thick green paste over the wound.
“What is that? It smells awful,” Stacy said.
“It’s an herbal mixture with antibiotic properties,” he said, looking at the girl. “It should also help with the pain.” She was pretty and he smiled.
“Did you make it?” she asked, impressed.
“Yes. There are many medicinal herbs on the island.”
“Where did you learn to work with herbs?” She had always been interested in the subject and had dabbled in homemade medicinal oils and creams herself.
“My grandmother was a healer,” Carlos said. He finished bandaging her side and placed his supplies back into his medical kit. He could tell Stacy was distracted. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes, and even in her debilitated condition, he could tell by her aura that she was a kind and generous person. And the heat she generated was incredible, something he rarely encountered. She was meant to be here with them, that much he knew.
Stacy was uncomfortable under his stare. “You giving me the voodoo hex?” she asked.
Carlos laughed out loud, squeezing her hands before letting them go. He waved her up from her chair and still laughing, said, “You are free to get something to eat now, Miss Trent.”
Niki was explaining to Jason and Eli what had happened. “I commented that she wasn’t very nice, and she lost it,” Niki said. Then he looked at Eli. “How much trouble could she be?” he mimicked.
“Who would have thought,” Eli said, shaking his head. “Someone needs to be with her all the time. We can’t have her snooping around the house.”
“Yeah, we can take shifts,” said Jason.
Niki nodded. Stacy and Carlos were walking in his direction.
“How are you?” Niki asked Stacy, motioning to her side.
“You’re kidding, right?” Stacy snapped at him.
Niki ignored her nasty tone. “What did Carlos say about where you got shot? Is it okay?”
“He said I’ll live,” Stacy said flatly, then added, “although why you should care is beyond me, since you plan on killing me anyway.”
“I have no intention of killing you,” Niki said, stung by the remark.
“Oh, you don’t do your own dirty work, is that it?” she fired back.
Niki surrendered. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” he said, opening his arm for her to pass, but making sure not to touch her. Niki, Eli, Jason and Stacy set out towards the kitchen but Carlos called Stacy back into the room.
“Miss Trent,” he paused, debating on whether to continue, “I know you are scared and upset, but may I suggest that while you are here, you enjoy your surroundings. This is a beautiful island,” he said, motioning out the window. “None of us knows what the future holds, so we should enjoy every day as if it were our last. That should be how we all live life, don’t you think?” he asked. “We won’t hurt you.”
“You won’t, but someone will, is that it?” she said.
“Please, enjoy what the island has to offer,” he said, choosing to ignore her question.
“I’ll consider what you said,” she told him. Stacy couldn’t help but like the guy, and for some reason, she trusted him. She turned and walked out, leaving him alone in the room, then she caught up with the others in the kitchen.
Eli was at the refrigerator when she came in. “What do you want to eat?” he asked Stacy. He wondered if she would hold a grudge.
She looked out the window at the beautiful water, the white sand, the palm trees, and decided she was going to take Carlos’ advice, at least for a couple of hours.
“Do you have stuff for a Piña Colada?” she asked.
“You want me to make you a Piña Colada,” he repeated. “It’s 10:00 in the morning.”
“I didn’t say I w
ant you to make me one,” she said, in a nasty tone of voice. “I asked if you had the ingredients.”
“Yes, I have the ingredients,” he mocked, “and yes, I will make you a Piña Colada.”
He got out the blender and started to mix up her drink. “It’s such a sissy drink,” he told Niki. He tasted it, added more rum, then tasted it again. “Uhmm, but it’s not bad.”
It looked nice and frothy. “Make me one too,” Niki told him.
“Make a pitcher,” said Jason.
“Why didn’t you say that when I first started mixing it?” Eli said, irritably. He poured the concoction into a tall plastic cup and handed it to Stacy. “I’ll have to make more.”
Everyone watched as Stacy took a big gulp. “Oh my God! That is sooooo good!” she said dramatically. It was the first time they had seen her smile.
What a beautiful smile, Niki thought. It lights up the whole room.
Stacy needed to be by herself to think. “I need some air,” she said. “I’d like to go down to the water and sit for a while. Would that be okay?” she said, directing her question to Jason. She knew that Niki was their leader, but she needed to know how much authority he wielded. Was this a democracy or a dictatorship?
Jason answered without consulting his friend. “Sure, we’ll walk down there.” Before she could protest having to be chaperoned, Jason interrupted, “Why don’t we all go down there.”
“Yeah,” said Eli. “Niki, you coming?”
“Yeah, I think we could all use some air,” said Niki.
Stacy threw her hands up in the air. “The whole point of my wanting to go to the beach was to get away from all of you!”
“Hey, don’t be that way,” Jason said, acting offended. “Anyway, it’s a big beach.”
Chapter 5
Eli finished his bartending duties and the foursome headed towards the beach. They walked slowly, allowing Stacy to set the pace. Her side hurt when she moved, so she tried to keep her torso still when she walked. She admired the tropical plants that bordered the beach. The foliage was incredibly dense, so that in some parts there was virtually no daylight under the canopy of trees. She had no idea how big the island was, but imagined a person could easily get lost in the jungle.
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