“We don’t need to do this,” I said, a little calmer. “I promise I’ll get you the money, but I need to call my parents first. I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ll cooperate.”
“Good,” the man said, “but that’s not going to change our plan. We have plans in place to protect everyone involved. We all want to walk away from this unscathed. This means that we need to you sit still and be quiet while we work on an agreement for our payment.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling defeated. I was trapped and I didn’t know how I was going to escape these people. I got the impression that they didn’t want to hurt me, but I didn’t know if I could trust them.
I wished I had insisted on riding along with Josh to help his friend. He didn’t know the area much better than I did, so I don’t think he would have ever found me. I hoped he wasn’t too worried about me, but worried enough that he would get in contact with the police if I didn’t eventually show up.
I could just picture Josh walking up and down the street, looking for me. I bet he was calling my phone over and over again, to no reply. The girl who stole it probably had to turn it off, because I know he’d be desperately trying to find me.
If I didn’t get out of here before he left town, I don’t know if I would be able to contact him again. I didn’t even know his last name. There were probably thousands of Joshuas in London. Would he be sick with worry forever, not knowing what happened to me? Or, perhaps even worse, would he think that I deliberately ditched him?
I knew I was losing my mind, because I caught a whiff of the guy who restrained me when he held me tight, and I felt like I was back in Josh’s arms again. It felt so similar to his strong embrace. Even his scent was familiar. I just needed to hear this man talk to break me from this strange fantasy. I wanted him to take the blindfold off so I could see for myself that Joshua was nowhere to be found.
No matter how much I wished for a different reality, the fact was that I was alone, and no one was going to find me until the kidnappers got their money.
Chapter 11―Joshua
As I listened to Amanda start to cry, I wanted to reach over and hold her. I wanted her to know that everything was going to be all right, and that she shouldn’t be scared. How could she not be terrified, though? She had never really been away from home on her own, and the first time she left her group to have a little fun with a guy, he helped kidnap her. I had done something absolutely deplorable, and there was no making this up to her.
At the very least, I could make her as comfortable as possible. I put on the soft handcuffs so they wouldn’t cut off blood flow but tight enough that she couldn’t slip out. I swapped the fabric bag that Ben wanted me to use with a silk scarf so she could breathe easily. I wanted to speak to her, but I was afraid she’d recognize my voice and absolutely lose it.
We drove off into the desert toward the secret bunker where we were keeping Amanda. The back of the car was filled with food, water, and blankets. While we were keeping her there, we decided that there must be one person staying with her at all times. We would restrain her so she couldn’t escape, but if she attempted to, we’d be there to stop her.
Not like she’d get very far, though, because there was nothing but dirt and sand for miles. She wasn’t in particularly good shape either, so she would probably become exhausted and dehydrated after just a few hours.
We still hadn’t completely ironed out the details about who would be staying at the bunker. Ben and Reese were working at a bar most nights, and Abi was at her club. I was the only one who didn’t have a regular job at the moment. I would probably get stuck sitting there, watching Amanda cry without being able to say or do anything.
In fact, Ben was so busy at the bar tonight that he sent the three of us to do the job without him. Abi drove the car while Reese and I were there to make sure that Amanda was restrained. Abi must have thought that Ben was giving her too much responsibility, because she scowled the whole way there.
I wanted to discuss this whole situation with them because this was the first time we were together where Ben wasn’t around to tell us what to do. I had always wondered if they ever thought that Ben was shady like I had been suspecting lately. However, Amanda was also in the car, and we had agreed to keep our identities hidden from her. That was something I did agree with, though I knew it would be hard not to reach out to her.
Instead of voicing our concerns to one another, we just sat in silence. The radio quietly played top twenty hits as we went further and further into the desert. The whole way there, I was on edge, afraid that we would get pulled over by the police. Luckily for our operation, I was the only person in the city who knew Amanda and her whereabouts. There would be no trace of her since her friends left their shared hotel room.
When we got to the bunker, Abi and I took the supplies and set up while Reese stayed with Amanda in the car. The bunker was small, but not bad as far as handmade shacks in the desert go.
It was mostly underground, so the whole building only stuck up about a foot out of the ground. There was a kitchen and living room area on one side and a small bedroom on the other. The bedroom had a toilet and a bath. It looked primitive, but it was functional. It was the sort of thing I could deal with for a few days, like being on a camping trip. Still, I hoped that Amanda’s parents paid up soon if I would have to be in charge of watching her.
Per Ben’s instructions, I gave him a call while Abi set up the beds and put the food in the cupboards.
“Did everything go according to plan?” Ben asked. I could hear loud techno beats in the background. He must still be at work.
“Yeah, we’re here,” I mumbled.
“Good. I’m leaving here in about an hour, and then I’ll come join you. We need to take some photos of our captive to show to her parents. Is everyone following their instructions?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Was she pretty freaked out?” He chuckled. “I bet she was so confused.”
“It’s not funny,” I snapped. “We committed a serious crime against an innocent person.”
“You’re not going to chicken out on me, are you? I swear to God, Josh, if you do anything to mess up this plan, we’re all in deep shit. Got that? We wouldn’t be risking so much if it weren’t necessary. You made your decision to join this team, and there’s no escaping it. Let’s get the job done, and then we’ll have all the money we need. I’ve already decided that I’m going to buy a new car with my share. We’ll let Abi keep Amanda’s purse and everything in it to keep her happy and quiet. Everyone wins.”
“Does she know that?”
“She’ll be fine. She’s not even a member of our operation. On second thought, maybe we should add the cash and credit cards to the pot. I’m sure the purse is worth more than Abi’s apartment.”
“I guess that’s between the two of you to discuss. I’m staying out of that,” I said. “We should probably get back to work, though. We don’t want to run the car for too long.”
“Right,” he said. “I’ll be out there soon. Don’t forget to wear your masks at all times if her head isn’t covered.”
I felt the ski mask bulging out of my back pocket. I didn’t want to wear it, but I didn’t think I had an option at this point. It wasn’t a big enough deal to argue about it with Ben, and he was already on edge. I hung up the phone, helped Abi finish making the beds, and tapped on Reese’s window. I wanted the chance to speak with them before Ben arrived.
He got out of the car and followed me back to the bunker. I think he knew exactly what I wanted to talk about.
“Have you noticed anything weird about Ben lately?” I asked. I wanted to be vague enough to test the waters. If Reese told Ben I was questioning his authority, I’d be in deep trouble.
Abi and Reese leaned in a little. They gave each other a questioning look before Reese spoke.
“I’m a little surprised that he’s asking us to do this in the first place. This is bigger than our normal scams.”
“Have you caught him telling different stories? Originally, he told me he needed $35,000 to cover his debt and said that the two of us would split the rest. But I talked to him just now, and he said something about using the ransom to buy a new car.”
They both scrunched up their faces. They looked both perplexed and pissed off.
“He told us that we’d split it four ways. He told me that everyone gets an even cut. He also never mentioned a $35,000 debt. He told me that his mom lost her house and needed some cash.”
I looked to Abi. “You might want to confirm your cut of the pot. Don’t make it sound like we were talking behind his back, but he made it seem like your share was whatever was in Amanda’s purse.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she squawked. “I knew this would happen,” she said, pointing an accusing finger at Reese.
I held my hands out in front of me. “I’m not saying that’s exactly what’s going to happen, but that’s what I heard. Can we agree to stand up for each other if he tries to rip anyone off?”
The pair nodded.
“So where do we want to go from here?” I asked.
“I think we’re in too deep to quit now,” Reese said. “Do you really think that the mob or whoever he owes money to is after us?”
I shook my head. “I’m starting to suspect that there is no one after us. I think that he just wanted to use this opportunity to do a big job.”
Reese kicked a patch of dirt. “I’m so close to calling it quits one of these days.”
“You want to stop with this kind of work?”
“With Ben,” he said softly, like we were being watched.
“Really?” I asked, surprised by this change of heart. Reese and Ben had been working in Vegas years before I ever came to town. They were close and always made me feel like the third wheel of the group.
Ben was like a big brother to Reese, so even talking about my suspicions surrounding Ben made me a little nervous. However, my fears were assuaged now that I knew that they were on the outs.
“Don’t you ever want to leave this lifestyle behind? Abi and I can’t handle it anymore. We made decent money doing what we do, but it’s no way to make a living. Not for us, anyway.”
“I agree. I’m even thinking about moving once we complete this job. I don’t want to hold Amanda for ransom, but if I don’t, then I won’t be able to afford to go.
Reese nodded in agreement. “Let’s form a pact between the three of us. I’ll set up the accounts in a way that only I can access, so if Ben tries to cross us, we can take the money and run.”
“Sounds good to me. Do you think he’ll try?”
Reese grimaced. “I don’t know what to think. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m not going to get caught for this, and I’m also going to get paid my fair share. I can’t have it any other way.”
“Agreed.”
Reese and I shook hands, and in that moment, I had never felt closer to him. Reese and I had never been particularly friendly with each other. We were more like business partners or acquaintances. I was always a little jealous of his relationship with Ben, and I suspected he was jealous that I brought in the most money on our scams. He became my biggest competitor because Ben could be really pleasant when we had money and really nasty when we ran out. Our job was to make Ben happy, and it was always a fight to win his affection.
Now that we had revealed Ben for who he really was, Reese and I could work together instead of competing. I suddenly had faith that we could make this work and we’d all get out of the game for good.
I pulled on my ski mask, per Ben’s instructions, and got Amanda out of the car. I don’t know if she was shaking because she was cold or just nervous, so I guided her inside the bunker, putting my arm around her shoulders.
Chapter 12―Amanda
After traveling in a car for what seemed like hours, I was finally dragged out into the chilly night air. Wearing nothing but my white dress, I started shivering, my bare shoulders covered in goose bumps. I wanted to rub my arms to create some warmth, but my hands were bound together.
Even though I couldn’t see anything, I tried to use my other senses to figure out what was going on. There were at least three people in the car with me. I’m not sure who was driving, but the passenger and the person in the back were definitely men.
The man in the front seat sounded fairly young. His voice was calm and quiet. I didn’t necessarily feel reassured by his promise not to hurt me if I cooperated, but it helped calm my worst fears that I would be assaulted or murdered somewhere in Las Vegas.
I wasn’t used to this kind of cold weather at night, so I guessed we were somewhere deep in the desert where there were no buildings to trap the day’s heat. As I was escorted out of the car, my feet trod on gritty dirt. Somewhere in the struggle to get out of the car, I had lost my shoes. I didn’t care, though. They were uncomfortable as it was, and I couldn’t run in heels anyway.
I was shoved into some kind of underground shelter, still blindfolded. It smelled musty, as if I were in the basement of an abandoned house. The person holding on to me placed me on top of a hard mattress and shut the door without saying a word.
With my bound hands in front of me, I tried to feel around to get a sense of where they were holding me. I felt along the walls for windows, but I couldn’t find any. I shuffled around to estimate the dimensions of the room. There was a twin-size mattress on the floor that nearly took up the entire room. Besides the bed, there was nothing else in there. I was basically in a holding cell with no chance of escaping.
I slowly turned the doorknob to see if I could explore the rest of the shack, but it was locked. With nothing else to do, I sat down on the bed and listened.
I could hear voices in the other room, but they had clearly lowered their tone so that I couldn’t eavesdrop on them. While I couldn’t hear more than a few clear words here and there, I could hear different voices.
First, there was the soft-spoken man in the front seat. Then, the higher-pitched sounds of a woman. She must have been driving. I couldn’t decide if she sounded annoyed or nervous. All I could tell was that she was not particularly pleased with something. Then, I could hear another man’s voice. His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Maybe his slight southern drawl reminded me of someone from home.
The quiet voices stopped altogether when I heard the crunch of the tires on the dirt above me. Someone else was here.
Maybe Josh had already alerted the police and they had found me somehow. I expected to be found eventually, but I didn’t think it would happen this quickly. The second I heard footsteps nearing, I started to yell.
“Help! I’m down here!” I screamed as the door opened and someone entered the building.
It was still quiet. The people in the other room had either escaped, or they were standing still, too afraid to move.
“Is anyone there?” I shouted again, wondering why there wasn’t a bigger police presence. This was a pretty big kidnapping, after all.
“Someone shut her up,” the harsh new voice said.
The girl pounded her fist on my door. “Shut up, or we’ll make it so you can’t scream.”
I got the message. I flopped back into the bed, lying on my back. The metal coils crunched beneath my weight.
The newest captor’s voice was more confident than the others’. I guessed that he was the one in charge by the way he took over the conversation. He was louder, so I caught a few more words.
I heard him say something about trading cars and someone taking the first watch. I heard something else about parents and Texas, and wondered when they were going to contact my parents. I hoped it was soon. I didn’t know how long I could stay in this place. I was incredibly uncomfortable, hungry, and tired. I had no one to talk to, no one to ask questions about what was going on. I felt so lost.
I couldn’t believe the irony of the situation. Years ago, I remember some high-profile ransom case in the news where the daughter of an oil
baron in the Middle East was kidnapped. As a young child, I easily made a connection between the kidnapped girl and myself. We had similar lives, and for the first time, I realized that my family’s wealth could potentially involve some dangers.
When we saw the story on the news, I immediately cuddled up to my mom and expressed my fear that this could happen to me. In response, my parents burst out laughing.
“No one would ever kidnap you,” my mom laughed, poking at my baby fat.
“They’d probably choose one of your sisters, given the choice,” my dad said.
Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by reminders that I wasn’t as pretty as my siblings. I was rarely asked out by good looking men. The upside was that I wouldn’t ever be kidnapped and held for ransom. How the tables have turned!
The door swung open, startling me so much that I fell off the bed. Two hands grasped onto my arms and hoisted me back on the mattress.
“Nice of you to join us, Amanda,” the new voice said.
“Who are you?” I cried.
He laughed. “Right, like I’m going to tell you my name. Do you want to know my address and birth date as well?”
His fingers grazed my cheek, down to my chest.
“This is a pretty dress,” he said, fiddling with the neckline. “I don’t know what he sees in you,” he muttered under his breath, looking down my top.
“Cut that shit out,” the man with the southern accent shouted.
“Okay, okay,” the other man said, taking his hands off me. He left the room, locking the door behind him.
I heard the voices outside the door again, and this time, they sounded a bit more agitated. I wondered if it had anything to do with whatever just happened in the bedroom.
Finally, the outside door slammed shut, and there was silence. This was worse. As scary as it was to have potentially dangerous strangers lurking around, it was so much scarier to be alone.
I didn’t know if anyone was coming back. How long would I be tied up and left in the dark before someone gave me food or let me use the bathroom? How could I keep sane, not knowing how much time had passed? Would I even know if people were working with my captors to get me out of here?
High Stakes: A Dark Romance Page 7