by Leonie Gant
“How can I send you home?” he asked. “I have no idea who you are or where you live. You’ve been through a traumatic experience and are most likely still under the effects of some powerful drugs. It would be irresponsible of me to just let you out on the streets.”
“You’re telling me that you won’t let me go because you are worried about me?” I was having trouble keeping the incredulity out of my voice.
“Of course” he said and I swear he looked as innocent as a new born baby. “I have no other reason for keeping you here.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“You can call me Dominic, and you are?”
“Trudie” I said. If he wanted to keep to first names, so would I.
“Trudie” he said, “that’s an unusual name.”
I know Trudie is an unusual name. What is more unusual is it is short for Gertrude just like my great grandmother. That is what happens when childbirth, drugs and emotional blackmail all come together in a perfectly played hand by my Grandma Rita. After what my mother refers to as the disaster, she refused to name my sister and brother until she had left hospital and had two weeks to think about it. Most importantly, my grandmother had been banned from making any suggestions.
“So Trudie, how do you know Catarina Badal?” Dominic asked.
“Actually I don’t” I said. “I met her once the night she died and she didn’t even speak to me. I was just attending her last show because a friend of mine was acting in it.”
“So why were you at the funeral?” Dominic leaned back in his chair studying me intently.
“My friend wanted to go to the funeral and he wasn’t in a good way so I went to support him, as a friend” I said.
“That is unfortunate” Dominic said. “My colleague thought you knew Catarina and that is why you were after him.”
“He was wrong” I said. “I saw him at the funeral, I didn’t even know he’d be in Las Vegas. Like I said, my friends decided to get married, they asked me to come to be the bridesmaid and best man. They got married but I hadn’t slept the night before because I had been working so I was really tired and I went back to my room. The next thing I know I’m being grabbed by some scary looking guy and I wake up on your floor nine hours later if what you’re telling me is true. My friends are going to be panicking by now. Why did he kidnap me?” I asked curiosity getting the better of me.
“Unfortunately, my colleague is quite paranoid at times” Dominic said. “Seeing you in Las Vegas so soon after seeing you at Catarina’s funeral made him suspicious. He thought he should question you and made an impulse decision.”
“He injected me with a drug to knock me out” I said slowly. “How could that be an impulse decision, no one would carry that kind of thing around with him.”
Dominic inclined his head towards me. “As I said, he is quite paranoid and has some personality issues which are less than desirable in a civilized society. He carries tools of his trade wherever he goes, for those emergency situations, you understand.”
All of a sudden I was grateful that I had ended up on Dominic’s floor. I still didn’t know what he had in store for me, but I was thinking that it had to be better than a man who went about his day carrying a syringe with a drug cocktail capable of rendering some random person unconscious within a few minutes.
“Why did he bring me to you?” I asked slowly, wondering if I really wanted to hear the answer.
“My colleague had attended the funeral on my behalf. Catarina and I had some unfinished business. Her unfortunate demise has caused me some issues. My colleague had offered to see if he could bring that business to a satisfactory conclusion.”
“He wasn’t able to, was he?” I said and once again I blamed the drugs when Dominic looked at me shrewdly.
“I have a feeling Trudie, that you know more than you are telling me.”
“I don’t know anything” I said.
Dominic looked like he didn’t believe me. All I could hear in my head was my Grandma Rita’s voice telling me that it was sweet that I couldn’t lie worth a damn but one day that trait, that was so adorable when I was a kid, was going to get me in trouble. Looked like today was that day.
“I would suggest that it would be in your best interests if you were to tell me the truth. My colleague was not happy when I suggested to him that I be the one to speak to you. I believe he had his own questions for you, and as you’ve already surmised, he would be less likely to have my patience” Dominic said.
“I really don’t know anything” I said. “I saw him at the funeral, and that was only because he kind of stood out. It was a really small funeral and he didn’t quite look like he belonged. After the funeral I saw him talking to Catarina’s assistant but I really did not know what was going on and I really didn’t follow him here, I promise.” Because promises always work with bloodthirsty gangsters. Dominic may have been trying to pass himself off as an ordinary businessman but the more time I spent in his company the less safe I was feeling.
Dominic sighed, “Catarina and I were involved.”
Of course they were, Catarina seemed to be involved with everybody, although I had to give her points for bravery. Just from the short amount of time I had spent with Dominic, even I could see that fooling around on him was its own special brand of stupid.
“I see you are aware of Catarina’s reputation” Dominic smiled tightly.
I nodded, unwilling to open my mouth until I was sure the drugs were out of my system.
“We had been together for a few months and I was unaware of her true character. Until I found something that showed my trust in her had been misplaced” he said.
“You found the book” I said and clapped my hand over my mouth. I wasn’t planning on removing it until these drugs were out of my system because they were going to get me killed.
“What book?” asked Dominic curiously.
“Just a notebook that Catarina kept” I said returning my hand to my mouth.
“Do you know what was in the notebook” Dominic asked silkily.
I nodded.
“Care to tell me what was in this notebook.” Dominic looked like his saint like patience had worn out.
I shook my head.
Dominic leaned over and pulled my hand from my mouth. “I think I’m going to have to insist” he said quietly, and the hand gripping my wrist let me know it was not a request.
“Catarina kept a book with a list of all her partners with ratings” I said hurriedly.
For the first time since I had met him I could see Dominic showing some emotion other than disinterested civility. Anger seemed to pulse from him and I started to be very afraid of the man in front of me. The grip on my wrist tightened and I tried to pull it away.
Dominic let go of my wrist and sat down. “My, I always knew Catarina liked life a bit wild, I just never realized how close to the edge she liked to play.”
I rubbed my wrist. That red mark was going to bruise.
“Have you seen this book?” Dominic asked.
“No” I said, “as far as I know the police have it. I’ve just heard about it.”
“You would think I’d learn my lesson not to trust a pretty face” said Dominic quietly. “Unfortunately there are some women who make fools of us all.”
I sat there quietly. No way was I opening my mouth, because obviously I no longer had any control over what was coming out of it.
“You wouldn’t play with a man like that would you?” Dominic asked.
I shook my head.
“You wouldn’t steal from him either would you?”
I shook my head again.
“I wouldn’t say I trusted her exactly but I gave her more leeway than I would usually give my women. She was just intoxicating and she knew the exact way to get a man’s attention. Do you know what that’s like?”
I knew what it was like, in a theoretical kind of way. Unfortunately I missed that feminine seductive gene and the way I got Griffin’s attention had bee
n more along the lines of an accidental elbow to the face. Worked for him which could be a cause for concern if I thought about it too much.
“She was losing quite badly in one of my casinos when I met her and she charmed me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.”
I really wanted Dominic to stop talking. The more he talked the less likely it was that I was getting out of here alive.
“Can I go now?” I asked quietly. “I obviously don’t know anything.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to know what she stole from me?” Dominic asked.
“I really don’t” I said. “The less I know the happier I am going to be.”
“See, that is being smart” Dominic said. “Catarina wasn’t that smart, she was greedy. She stole a family heirloom from me. A necklace that had belonged to my mother, and she thought she could get away with it.”
“Why don’t you just tell the police and they could get it back for you” I said desperately.
“Men in my line of business do not go to the police, we solve our own problems” Dominic said seriously.
I shivered when I remembered that Catarina had died from a knife stuck in her back.
Dominic saw me shiver and smiled humorlessly. “Regardless of what you think of me Trudie, you can believe that I wouldn’t have killed Catarina, at least not until after I got the necklace back.”
“But you didn’t go to get the necklace yourself” I murmured. “You sent your colleague, and you yourself told me that he has personality issues that are not desirable in civilized society. What’s to say that he didn’t act impulsively?”
Dominic smiled tightly. “My colleague can be impulsive, however he does have a healthy sense of self-preservation. It’s the reason he’s survived so long in a dangerous industry. He was very aware that his first priority was to get my money and the necklace back. Catarina and I would settle our differences between ourselves at a later date, after she had paid back everything she owed me. I am a businessman first and foremost.”
I was feeling less and less safe around this businessman. I heard some noise coming from outside the office and the door was opened suddenly. I was surprised when three men walked in, two in police uniform and one with a detective badge on his belt.
“Detective Bradford, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” said Dominic calmly.
Detective Bradford smiled. “Caldwell, now this is a surprise. I’ve been looking for Trudie Eyre who was kidnapped earlier today, and I find her sitting here, at your desk.”
Dominic smiled. “Of course you do. Trudie has only been conscious a short amount of time. I was just about to call you and let you know I’d found a poor unfortunate girl, unconscious on my property. I’ve had a doctor examine her and she has been declared healthy. We were just trying to work out how she ended up here. It is interesting though that you are looking for her so quickly. Usually missing people need to actually be missing for forty eight hours before the police get involved. What is it about this young lady which entitles her to special treatment?”
“Can I go now?” I asked the Detective. I didn’t know what game that Dominic was playing but I really wanted no part of it.
“Did this man kidnap you?” asked Bradford.
“Well no” I said, “another man kidnapped me. He stuck a needle in me with some weird cocktail of drugs and I woke up here.”
“See Detective” Dominic said. “Even your victim thinks I’m innocent.”
“No” I said thoughtfully, “I really don’t.”
“More proof that you are a very intelligent woman” said Dominic quietly. “I’d love to continue our chat someday.”
“Please get me out of here” I whispered to Bradford.
“Caldwell, I would suggest you not go anywhere. I think I’m going to have some more questions for you.”
“Of course not Detective, you know my door is always open to you” Dominic said leaning back in his chair, looking for all the world like the businessman he tried to project. I now knew better. Whoever Dominic was, he was a dangerous man.
Chapter Seventeen
Bradford pushed me forward but just as we went through the door I stopped as Dominic called out.
“I look forward to seeing you again Trudie.”
I stiffened and started walking again. As Bradford settled me into the car I could feel the nausea in my stomach starting up again.
“Are you okay Trudie, you don’t look too good” Bradford said.
“I was injected with a syringe. I don’t know what was in it. I really think I need to go to a hospital.”
Bradford swore. “Hold on, I’ll get you there” he said and I had to concentrate very hard to control my nausea as we flew through the Las Vegas streets heading for a hospital.
I just tried desperately to hang on and not throw up in the nice policeman’s car. At the hospital I discovered that Detective Bradford had the superpower of being able to talk a nurse into anything. I was immediately pushed through emergency and more needles were stuck into me to find out what kind of a cocktail of drugs my kidnapper carried around in his pocket on a regular basis. Bradford stayed with me for most of the time until a female doctor came in and tactfully told him to get the hell out so she could do some more examinations. Photos were taken of my wrist, which as expected had bruised, and my neck with the puncture mark. After the medical and forensic staff were finished with me I lay back on the hospital bed and closed my eyes. Everything had happened so fast that I hadn’t had much of a chance to process the fact that I had been kidnapped. My eyes started burning and I heard Bradford murmuring outside. He poked his head in the door.
“You up for visitors?” he asked.
I nodded, not trusting my voice and sat up in the bed. Crystal barreled into the room and threw herself at me.
“Oh my God” she said tearfully as she squeezed me hard. “We’ve been so scared. Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m fine Crystal. I wasn’t hurt, I’m okay” I said patting her on the back.
She nodded into my chest and squeezed a little harder.
Edwin came up behind her and stroked my head. “You’ve got to stop scaring us like this” he said quietly. “We can’t lose you.”
I swallowed against the lump in my throat.
“Not that I’m complaining at all, but how did you guys know I was gone so fast?” I asked. “I thought I wasn’t going to be missed until tomorrow morning.”
“Crystal wanted to check on you when we found you’d moved out of the suite” Edwin said knowingly.
“I wanted you guys to have a good wedding night and I thought you might feel a little inhibited if I was in the suite. I just wanted to give you some privacy” I said.
“We figured” said Edwin, “Crystal wanted to tell you that you were an idiot, so we went to your room and found the door open and you weren’t there.”
“We went to the cops and they told us we had to wait forty eight hours” Edwin said.
Crystal lifted her head and I could see tears streaked down her face.
“I called Griffin” she said quietly.
“Griffin knows?” I asked.
“Damn right Griffin knows” growled a voice from the doorway and there he stood. His clothes were rumpled, he looked tired and stressed and to me he was the most wonderful sight I had ever seen.
He stood by the bed and grabbed my hand. “New rule, you are not allowed out of my sight ever again” he said gruffly and then sat on the side of the bed and gathered me in his arms. I finally felt safe so I promptly burst into tears. While I was sobbing on Griffin’s chest, I felt Edwin and Crystal kiss me on the head and say they’d be back in the morning. After what seemed like hours I finally ran out of tears and just let Griffin’s warmth melt the cold block of fear which had been in my stomach since I’d opened the door to my hotel room.
“Feeling a bit better” Griffin said roughly.
“I am” I said. “I don’t think your shirt is
going to recover though.”
He pulled back and cupped the side of my face. “You scare the hell out of me” he said quietly, “you know that don’t you.”
“I’m sorry” I said feeling the tears coming back.
“Oh honey, it’s not your fault that the thought of losing you terrifies me more than anything else possibly could.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes really” he said. “Are you ready to tell Bradford what happened?”
I nodded. “Not really” I said.
Griffin chuckled and got off the bed.
“Where are you going?” I said hating the fear that I could hear in my voice.
“I’ll just get Bradford, he’s waiting outside the door. Don’t worry I’m not going anywhere” he said reassuringly.
When Griffin came back with Detective Bradford following, I could see how exhausted both men looked. It was the middle of the night and both looked like they were running on empty. Griffin sat again on the bed and Bradford settled into a chair.
“So” said Bradford, “I need you to tell me what happened.”
I tried to concentrate. Already the day seemed to be a blur.
“I was in my room, ready to go to bed. I hadn’t slept the night before because I had been working and then Crystal and Edwin wanted to fly here to get married. I was so tired and I opened the door without checking. The guy from Catarina’s funeral, the one who was threatening Peter was there. He grabbed me and held me against him while he injected me in the neck. I tried to fight him but he was too strong and I just couldn’t get away.” I could feel Griffin’s hand tightening against mine. I looked up and could see the anger on his face. “I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up on Dominic’s floor.”
“You mean Dominic Caldwell” interrupted Bradford.
“He only gave me his first name. He told me I’d been out for nine hours and that I’d ended up there because a colleague of his had made an impulse decision.”
“That’s one way of spinning it” muttered Bradford.