“Sir, let me get a buggy and I can take the trunk for you and put it in the luggage claim area,” he said.
Alexie smiled, “No thanks. These are breakable gifts and we prefer to handle it ourselves.”
The two Russians loaded the trunk on the elevator and proceeded to the main deck. There was a long line waiting to depart the ship.
It was a hot muggy day in Galveston, Texas when the door finally opened and the passengers began filing down the ramp to the baggage claim area.
“We need to get away from here as quickly as possible,” Alexie said. “This trunk seals tightly and I don’t know how much oxygen is left inside for the girl. Dubov will kill us if she is delivered injured.”
They made their way to the luggage area, picked up the two additional bags, and proceeded to the bus that would transport them to the parking lot. The bus driver helped with the two pieces of luggage for the interior storage shelves and opened the outside large luggage area for the trunk.
“The large trunk must go in the lower baggage compartment,” the bus driver said.
The Russians carefully placed the trunk in the baggage compartment and watched while several other bulky pieces of luggage from other travelers were tossed on top of the trunk. Alexie shook his head, hoping that the girl did not regain consciousness earlier than expected.
The bus driver proceeded to the parking area and let off several other passengers. He finally reached the rented black Escalade SUV that belonged to the Russians. The trunk and the two pieces of luggage were unloaded, and Vladimir slipped the driver a $10 tip. They placed the luggage and the trunk in the back of the SUV, and drove off with Alexie behind the wheel.
“We must get to a safe area quickly to check on the girl,” Vladimir said. “Dubov will have a private jet at Ellington Field in Houston waiting on us. It’ll take about an hour to get there, and we need to assure that she remains unconscious.”
At the outskirts of Galveston, at the intersection of Broadway and interstate 45 North, Alexie pulled into the Target lot and parked in a remote area. Vladimir walked around to the back of the SUV, open it, unlocked the trunk, and slowly pulled up the lid. Lisa Roberts was still out cold, however her face was faintly blue from the lack of oxygen. He placed his forefinger on her neck and felt a strong pulse. Vladimir closed the trunk got back into the SUV.
“Alexie, we should to get her out of that trunk as quickly as possible. Let’s get to the airport”
Alexi was careful not to exceed the speed limit as he drove on Highway 45 to Ellington Field. It would be a disaster if the police stopped them for speeding.
Ultimately he spotted the Ellington Airport exit. When they arrive at the airport, he proceeded to the executive hanger area.
Dubov’s ostentatious Gulfstream G550 was parked just outside the hanger. When they drove up, Orin Sturgess approached the SUV. His 6 ft. 4 inch muscled frame was somewhat less intimidating because of his red hair and freckled face. A short stout man with a crew cut and a large scar on his left cheek accompanied him.
Alexie popped the rear door of the SUV. “The trunk goes inside the plane,” he said. He opened the largest piece of luggage and removed a satchel. Sturgess and his partner loaded the luggage and transported the trunk into the main cabin.
“Bork will handle your rented SUV,” Sturgess said as Scarface got into the Escalade. Alexie handed him the keys, and he and Vladimir walked up the steps into the jet.
Both men smiled as they entered the cabin of the luxurious jet. This Gulfstream G550 featured an eighteen passenger interior configuration, which includes a four place forward club with two fold out tables. All single and double club chairs were covered in Classic Cow Regal Grey leather. The aft divans were covered in Dario fabric. The forward galley included a high temp oven, microwave oven, espresso maker, coffee maker and Corian countertops. A crew lavatory was located in the forward cabin and a private passenger lavatory was located in the aft.
Dubov travels in style.
Alexie and Vladimir sat down in the club chairs. Alexie deposited the satchel under the seat. The trunk had been placed in the rear of the jet.
A noise came from the galley and they looked forward. A tall slim young Indian woman walked toward them. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and was endowed with 34c’s. The exquisite woman was wearing a short black skirt, and a white silk shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned about half way down exposing stunning cleavage. She was carrying a tray with two chilled glasses on it.
“Mr. Anosov and Mr. Bobr, I was informed that this is your favorite, chilled Grey Goose Vodka.” She leaned over and handed them the Vodka, giving them both time to gaze down her shirt. She was not wearing a bra.
“This will do fine,” Alexie replied. “What is your name please?”
“Macy,” she replied and walked slowly back to the galley.
“I hope she is a present from Dubov for a job well done,” Vladimir said, and laughed.
Orin Sturgess entered the jet and closed the door. “We are ready for departure,” he announced.
Alexie motioned to Sturgess, and he walked to where there were sitting. “We need to get the girl out of the trunk. Is the woman Macy to be trusted?”
“She is Dubov’s personal assistant, and he insisted that she accompany me.”
“Okay, as soon as we are at cruising altitude let me know, and we’ll get the girl out of the trunk. She should still be sedated,” Alexie replied.
Sturgess nodded and moved to the cockpit. Macy sat down in the CoPilot’s seat. “Gentlemen fasten your seat belts,” She said.
Vladimir and Alexie gulped down the remainder of the chilled vodka and complied. Within minutes they were airborne.
“We’re now at 20,000 feet. Feel free to move about the cabin,” Sturgess said.
Alexie dragged the trunk to the open area in front of their seats. He retrieved the satchel. Vladimir opened the trunk.
Lisa Roberts’ eyes were wide open. She was struggling to breathe with the duct tape covering her mouth. Her hands and feet were bruised and blue from her struggling. Vladimir grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back. “I am going to remove the tape. If you scream I will hurt you. Do you understand?” he let go of her hair. The girl nodded. He jerked the tape off her lips, and she wheezed.
Macy approached them with a bottle of water. “Give the girl a drink,” she said, regarding the men with distain. “You don’t have to be savages.”
Vladimir’s anger flashed, but he remembered that Macy was the personal assistant to Dubov, so he kept his mouth shut.
Macy gently pulled the girl out of the trunk, removed the tape from her hands, sat her on the divan, and fastened the seat belt. She handed her the bottle of water. Lisa gulped it down. “When is the last time this girl ate?”
“How in the hell do I know?” Alexie grunted.
“Dubov doesn’t want damaged goods. Her value would be severely decreased, you fools,” Macy murmured.
She patted the girl on the head, “Just sit here and be still. I’ll get you some food.”
Macy went to the galley and returned with two packaged sandwiches and a carton of orange juice. She placed the items beside Lisa on the divan. “Eat slowly or you won’t be able to hold it down.”
“What about us?” Vladimir asked. “I’m hungry too.”
“You know where the galley is, help yourself,” Macy replied. “I’m not your damn servant.”
She had been extremely friendly when they entered the plane, but now her attitude had reversed. Sturgess laughed when he heard Macy’s retort to the Russians.
Alexie and Vladimir went to the galley, filled their glasses with Grey Goose vodka, and grabbed a couple of deli sandwiches from the fridge. After eating and drinking two additional vodkas, they fell asleep.
Less than thirty minutes later Macy awakened them. “Fasten you seat belts, we’re making an unexpected interim stop.”
Alexie looked over at Lisa Roberts and noticed that Macy had retaped her
hands. The girl was staring straight ahead. Her cheeks were wet with tears, however she was quiet. A piece of duct tape covered her mouth.
After the plane landed, Vladimir went to the cockpit. “What in the hell is going on? I thought we were flying straight to Chicago.”
“Just a quick stop here at the North West Regional Airport in Arkansas. Dubov wanted you guys to meet someone.” He opened the door and lowered the steps.
“What’s going on?” Macy asked. “I didn’t know anything about an interim stop.”
“I was ordered me not to tell you,” Sturgess replied. “Some unpleasant business necessities must to be handled.”
Alexie and Vladimir walked down the steps, followed by Sturgess. Their backs were to him as he screwed the silencer on his Beretta 92FS pistol and put it in his waistband behind his back.
A huge African American man was standing in front of a Black Lincoln SUV on the runway about twenty feet from the jet.
“Who is this?” Alexie asked.
“Dubov sent him to meet you. Just go to the SUV and he will explain,” Sturgess replied.
As they approached the SUV the man opened the back door. “I am ready,” he said in a distinct Nigerian accent.
“Stop and turn around,” Sturgess ordered.
Vladimir instantly knew something was terribly wrong. As he turned, a bullet from the Beretta entered his skull just above his right eye. He crumbled to the tarmac, dead.
“What the hell?” Alexie yelled, facing Sturgess.
Maxin Nevsky sends his regards,” Sturgess hissed, and shot the smaller man between the eyes.
He turned to the Nigerian. “Take the bodies to the area we discussed, dismember them, and burn the body parts.”
The Nigerian nodded and removed two body bags from the SUV. After depositing the bodies in the bags and zipping them up, he dumped them in the back of the SUV.
As Sturgess walked up the steps to the plane, the man began scrubbing the residue of blood from the tarmac.
Macy was staring is disbelief at the stop of the steps. “What in the hell just happened? Dubov did not order these executions!”
“The orders came straight from the Godfather Maxin Nevsky. Burov is also dead. The Godfather wants no witnesses to the murders or the kidnapping.”
“Nobody told me about any killings,” Macy said. “Who has been murdered in addition to these men? I was told that a young American girl was being kidnapped for Dubov. I was not told any details on who she is or where she’s from.” Macy did her best to hide the stark fear from her voice. Her mind was racing. Would she be killed next?
“You stupid girl, ask your Sugar Daddy Dubov. I will tell you nothing,” Sturgess grunted.
Macy and Sturgess boarded the jet and took off. “We should arrive in Chicago in less than an hour,” Sturgess said. “If you like, I can put the controls on auto pilot and we can join the Mile High Club,” he laughed.
“You touch me and Dubov will kill you,” Macy said. She turned and walked to the cabin to talk to the girl. She wanted to find out who the young lady was, and how she was taken.
She jerked the tape off the girl’s mouth. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to harm you. The men who kidnapped you are gone. You’re safe with me.”
“I don’t know what’s happening,” the young girl said. Did they hurt my mother and father? What do you want with me?” She began softly crying.
“Who are you and where did they get you?” Macy asked.
“My name is Lisa Roberts. My father, Senator Michael Roberts, my mother, and I were on a cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary. I was asleep in my bed next to their stateroom when the goons grabbed me. That’s all I know.”
“Oh my holy shit!” Macy exclaimed.
Chapter 7
Dizziness overcame me as I listened more intently for the trickling that sounded like running water. I wavered and fell to my knees. I simply don’t know if I can walk any further.
When I attempted to get to my feet again, darkness overcame me, and I passed out.
I don’t know how long I was out, but when I regained consciousness, I felt something poking me just below my neck. I sluggishly opened my eyes and was shocked to see a small monkey standing on my chest.
When he saw my eyes open and look at him, he showed his teeth, displaying what I guess was a grin or maybe a prelude to a bite. He was holding something in his left hand, while touching my face with his right hand.
I’ve never seen a monkey like this. He was pure white with pink eyes. I’ve heard of a rare albino monkey, but was surprised to see one.
The albino monkey was nonchalantly perched on my chest, grinning, and took a bite of what appeared to be a mango. I lay perfectly still, not really knowing what to do. The monkey took another bite of the mango, and uttered a chattering sound.
Abruptly, he punched me in the chest. “That’s enough,” I yelled, and sat up. The monkey dropped the mango and scampered away. I picked up the remainder of the mango and devoured it. The sweet juicy fruit tasted wonderful. This sustenance gave me a little needed energy.
Loud chattering emanated from the trees and I looked up. About twenty or so monkeys were gathered above me in the high branches. The albino was on a lower limb away from the others. He was either the leader or an outcast. With this number of monkeys in the area, fresh water surely was near.
Managing to get to my feet, I stumbled forward.
The albino monkey leaped from the tree branch and landed about ten feet in front of me. I had no idea what he was doing. He moved forward, tilted his head, and gawked at me.
Am I in the Twilight Zone? I thought. Does he want me to follow him?
I walked forward toward him. He began moving away from me. He looked back at me again, and moved ahead slowly. “What the hell. I’ll follow you,” I said aloud.
We proceeded forward through the thick underbrush. I noticed the troop of monkeys in the trees above me were following us and relentlessly chattering.
The albino stopped, so I stopped.
The trickling sound that I’d faintly heard earlier was much louder. The albino then lurched forward into a clearing. I followed. There was a stream of water running over rocks into a small pool in the middle of the clearing.
The albino cupped his hands, took a drink, and then scaled a tree at the edge. It appeared as if he was instructing me on how to drink.
Suddenly I perceived silence and looked up. The albino and the other monkeys had disappeared.
I staggered forward as fast as I could and fell face down into the stream. The rocks at the bottom scratched my face, but I didn’t care. I gulped down as much water as I could and wallowed in the stream. The sudden introduction of that large amount of water into my dehydrated body made me gag. I crawled away from the water, not wanting to vomit in it. When the gagging ceased, I wriggled forward again, put my head in the water and drank more slowly. I felt some strength returning, but I needed solid food.
Where there is fresh water and animals, there must be fruiting plants, such as bananas, mangoes, papayas, and breadfruit. I was able to stand and walked downstream.
My spirit lifted when I spotted a mango tree and a banana tree. The fruit was well above my reach. There were, however, several pieces of rotting fruit on the ground.
I ripped the peel off a rotten banana and shoved it down my throat. Immediately, I vomited up the rancid fruit.
As I lay on my side, trying to regain my composure, I heard loud chattering again. I looked up and saw the albino monkey. He ripped two slightly green bananas from a stalk and tossed them to the ground. Next he leaped to the next tree and chucked down a couple of mangos. The only thing I can imagine is that this strange monkey was attempting to feed me.
I crawled over and slowly began consuming the fruit. The albino made some chuckling sounds and jumped to the ground about six feet in front of me. He was intently watching me as I peeled the second banana, broke off a piece, and shoved it in my mouth. He turned his head to
the side as I chewed and swallowed.
Maybe I was dreaming, I certainly didn’t know. As the albino rested there staring at me, I broke off a piece of the banana and tossed it toward him. He looked at the fruit and then at me. It was as if he was thinking: you fool; I can get as many bananas as I want.
I finished my banana and picked up a mango. I tore off several pieces with my teeth and threw them toward him. He looked puzzled again, staring at the pieces of fruit, but not touching them. He watched me eat the rest of the last mango.
Then he did a bizarre thing. He picked up a piece of mango that I had tossed to him and ate it, never taking his eyes off me.
I smiled at him. “I want to be your friend,” I said.
He picked up another piece of mango, and slowly walked toward me holding it in his hand. When he came within reaching distance, I stuck my hand out. Astonishingly, he placed it in my hand. I ate it and said, “Thank you.” He made a chattering sound, ran to the nearest tree, climbed it, and disappeared from sight.
I was regaining my strength, but I needed much more than four pieces of fruit. I looked around and grabbed several large tree branches that were lying on the ground. I broke them into pieces and threw them one by one toward the lowest hanging mangos. I managed to knock three down, gobbled them up, went back to the pool, and took another long drink of water.
I still felt exhausted, but I was no longer dehydrated and had managed to gain some energy from the fruit.
I lay down on the ground to rest, and immediately fell asleep.
My deep sleep was interrupted by something poking on my cheek. I inadvertently tried to brush it away. The poking continued and was followed by chattering. I opened my eyes. Nightfall had descended on the jungle, and the only light was coming from the moonlight streaming through the trees. The albino was perched on my chest again. When he saw my eyes open, he hopped to the ground.
Suddenly, the horrifying sound of a raucous growl shattered the silence. I sat up, terrified, and wildly looked for the source of the sound.
Lost in the Maze Page 4