by Mike Faricy
“Hmm-mmm, bit of a dilemma, I see. I don’t suppose you’d care to hop down the steps would you?”
I rolled over and shook my head no. I was afraid Carlos was going to throw me overboard all taped up.
“I guess I could unwrap your ankles, but I feel it’s only fair to warn you. If you try anything stupid, well, I guess I’ll just have to shoot you. Do I make myself clear? Do we understand one another?”
I nodded vigorously.
“Okay,” he said suddenly sounding very happy. Then he bent down and unwrapped the duct tape from around my ankles. When he was finished he stood up and stepped back.
“I think you can get up on your own now,” he said then sort of struck a pose with a finger raised over his head as if he were making a point in a speech. “Besides, you’ll never learn if you don’t attempt, if you don’t at least try. Come on, I know you can do it,” he laughed.
I half rolled onto my knees then glanced up at him, not knowing what might happen next.
“Come on, you can do it, you’re halfway there, come on.”
I leaned forward and got my right leg up so I was in a sort of genuflecting position.
“That’s it, come on, I know you can.”
I rose slightly and got the left leg up then just as I began to stand Carlos took a half step toward me and swung his leg up like he was kicking the perfect field goal. He caught me squarely on the chin and sent me back a few feet before I landed on my back. The fall knocked the wind out of me and bounced my head off the deck with an audible thunk, so hard that I saw stars.
“Wow, I bet that would have scored the extra point and won the game,” he said then took a healthy sip from his glass. “That was just to be sure we understand one another,” he said then walked over to the small ladder and stepped down to the lower deck.
“So, get a move on, for Christ sake, you’re wasting precious time, keeping the girls waiting and well, in general just pissing me off. Stand the hell up and get your ass down here.”
I took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to clear my head and fill my lungs. Things were still spinning inside my head and I tried to blink my vision back to where it should be.
“I’m still down here waiting for you. Trying to remain patient while you continue to waste our precious time,” Carlos called from below, sounding just a little bit more pissed off.
I struggled to my knees, then got my feet under me and slowly began to stand. I was still a little dizzy with things spinning and I shook my head slightly to clear it then gingerly took a couple of tentative steps toward the ladder. My stomach threatened to erupt and I had to hold very still for a moment before I stepped forward.
“About damned time,” Carlos said looking up at me.
I debated kicking him in the teeth, but the odds weren’t that good that I’d be successful and even if I was, then what? If he didn’t die, he’d throw me in the water and watch me drown. Or, he’d shoot me and just watch me bleed to death.
“Tell you what, just turn around and I’ll guide you down,” he said then as I turned and lowered my right foot he gently held onto my ankle and guided my foot to the first rung. “Okay, now were going to lower the left ankle down to the same level, so just bring it down, that’s right nice and slow. Okay, same thing, right one first, good, good,” he said guiding my ankle.
I planted my right ankle on the second rung then moved my left ankle down toward the same level.
“Oh, Jesus, you know what? Screw this and just get your ass down here,” Carlos yelled then he suddenly reached up, grabbed my belt and pulled me off the ladder half throwing, half pushing me onto the lower deck.
I banged my head off the side of the boat on the way down then bounced off the chrome railing running along the back of the boat before I crashed onto the floor of the lower deck and then just laid there, doing a mental examination of which part of me hurt the most.
“God, you can sure make things difficult,” Carlos said then he stood over me and took a long sip from his drink.
I lay on the deck thinking I may have cracked a rib or two, my shoulder was killing me. I was definitely seeing double and the stars were still flashing and spinning in my head.
“What the hell is it with you? I’ve never seen anyone so clumsy. Come on get up, will you. This is taking forever.”
I struggled to my knees, but just as I was about to try and get to my feet, Carlos kicked me in the rear, hard and sent me forward a couple of feet. I landed on the deck then tried to get up again and he did the same thing. This time I just stayed down and waited.
Carlos took a couple of steps forward, then stood on my leg and began to slowly walk on me, when he got to the middle of my back he paused then started moving his feet back and forth, essentially wiping them on my shirt.”
“You know, I can’t be sure, but I think I might have just stepped in some dog shit out there in that yard. I wouldn’t want to get the inside of that nice car dirty, I’d just feel awful if I did that. One just can never be too careful,” he said and continued to wipe his feet on my back a few more times before he finally stepped off and dropped to the dock.
I remained lying on the deck trying to stop my head from spinning around, I felt like I might get sick and I breathed in deeply in an effort to keep my stomach down. My efforts seemed to slowly be working.
“Still waiting,” Carlos called from the dock.
There were more than a few things I wanted to say and do to him at this point. But they would have to wait. I groaned to my feet and used the side of the galley to slide up against as I attempted to stand. The chrome railing I had bounced off of before landing on the deck a few minutes ago was bent, twisted and hanging loose from where it attached to the far corner of the boat. I moved to the side of the cabin cruiser and sized up the wooden dock where Carlos stood waiting alongside the boat, it was just about a one-foot drop and for half a minute I thought about leaping on top of Carlos.
“There you are, finally. I was beginning to wonder,” he said. He stood on the dock, wearing a disgusted look with his arms folded across his chest looking for all the world like a disappointed parent about to deliver another lecture. Instead of the lecture he took another long sip from his drink.
I stepped up to the edge of the cabin cruiser and jumped the foot down to the wooden dock, landing on my feet. After a half step or two, I regained my balance and cast a wary eye on Carlos.
“’Bout damned time, come on,” he said, then followed up with another long sip before he turned on his heel and walked off the dock across what looked like a well tended lawn toward a fairly fancy home.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The home was two and a half stories of split logs and cedar shakes with dark green trim around the windows and along the peaked roof. A large granite patio spread out like a giant pond from the back of the structure. A massive fire pit at the far end of the patio was surrounded by comfortable looking padded chairs. A glass topped table with a large umbrella and a dozen more chairs were arranged closer to the house. Two plates of what looked like half finished breakfasts, a couple of coffee mugs and a coffee pot sat on the table, two cloth napkins lay discarded and crumpled on the patio stone. Soft classical music drifted across the patio from speakers hidden somewhere.
A rushing stream was close enough to hear although I couldn’t see exactly where it was and large bushes with red roses served as a hedge that bordered the back of the patio. Four massive log steps, about ten feet long led up to a back porch that ran the entire length of the structure. A pair of double doors were set squarely in the middle of the log structure and looked like they led into a large kitchen. Three tall windows with flower boxes full of red and pink impatiens were on either side of the double doors.
Beyond the house and close to the fire pit stood a split rail fence bordering a gravel parking area that appeared to be home to a very nice black Mercedes. The car looked sleek, shiny, and very new. I could just see the tops of two small heads bobbing around in
the rear seat.
As we walked across the patio toward the Mercedes I glanced at one of the large windows in the house and saw an older man and woman sitting back to back on two wooden chairs. From this distance they appeared to be Native American. I thought it strange that they remained sitting in their chairs until I picked up on the duct tape wound around them, a lot of duct tape.
Beyond them wingback chairs were positioned in front of a large stone fireplace. The mantel consisted of one massive split log running along the entire width of the fireplace. Above the mantel was a framed painting that looked just like the tattoo I’d seen on the arm of one of the security guys at the Grey Wolf Casino; a war shield with eagle feathers.
Carlos glanced back and saw me staring at the couple bound to the chairs. He raised his glass toward them in a sort of toast, took a sip then said, “Yeah, can you believe it, that’s all casino money. Five years ago they were probably living in some shitty government housing and now look at ‘em. It’s only right they maybe share some of the wealth with the rest of us.”
“Hey, look, I know exactly what you’re thinking. So just relax, no one got shot here, okay. I just wanted to get their attention. So take a good look, it all just goes to show that if you cooperate, and don’t cause any problems, good things can happen. I’m not a mean guy, honest, I’m really not. I just don’t need any problems, especially from someone like you, simple as that.”
“Besides, maybe look at it this way, just where in the hell are they gonna go all wrapped up like that. See, because they were so nice, I’m actually going to help them out. It’s only fitting we take this set of wheels for a ride, you know blow the carbon out, get it moving. Hell, they probably haven’t gotten it up much over thirty since they bought the damned thing. I figure we’ll be doing them a big favor. Don’t you think?” he said then took a long sip and nodded in satisfaction.
We walked around the split rail fence and over to the Mercedes. Carlos pulled a set of keys from his pocket and pushed a button. The car horn chirped and the lights blinked twice. Then Carlos said, “Okay, you can hop in.”
I moved toward the back door where I could clearly see the little girls sitting in the backseat. They were holding hands, Ava was crying and Emma looked like she was about ready to.
“Not there, you idiot, my God, what the hell are you thinking. That would be nothing but irresponsible on my part. I can’t have those two little innocents in the backseat exposed to someone like you. Here, climb in,” he said and then pulled up the trunk of the car.
I looked at the open trunk as Carlos reached in and slid the pink suitcase over to one side. He picked up two vodka bottles and wedged them between the pink suitcase and the inside of the trunk.
“Compliments of our new friends, never know when I’ll need a pick me up,” he shrugged. “Okay, now in you go, sweetheart. I’ve made it all nice and comfy for the ride. See, I even have this little suitcase set up so you can use it like a pillow. You can just rest your not so pretty little head and take a nap while I do all the work. Come on, get your ass in there.” he said.
I stepped up into the trunk and then carefully knelt down. At any moment I expected Carlos to slam the trunk down on my head, but he actually helped to guide me in then adjusted the suitcase so I could rest my head on it once I was lying down. I ended up on my side with my knees scrunched up and my head resting on the pink suitcase.
He reached in and pulled one of the vodka bottles out from behind the suitcase and carefully poured close to three inches into his glass and swirled it around. There was barely enough orange juice left to give the drink some color.
I glanced around my quarters and saw what looked like a GPS transponder mounted on the back of the rear seat. I could only hope the thing was working.
Carlos stuffed the vodka bottle back behind the suitcase and stood over me with another idiotic grin plastered across his face. He looked down at me, then laughed and snickered, “Sweet dreams, darling.” Just before he slammed the trunk closed and I was left lying in the dark.
I heard the car door open and felt the vehicle jostle ever so slightly as he settled behind the wheel. A moment later the engine started, I heard him say something to the girls before we started moving. The car rolled slowly backwards and stopped for half a moment then started forward at a moderate speed. After a minute or two we came to a stop, made a left hand turn and started to pick up speed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
We continued traveling at a fairly steady rate of speed. Once in a while he seemed to accelerate and I’d feel a slight shift first to the left and then back again to the right which I presumed meant we were passing someone. We were traveling and making time, but I didn’t have the sense we were speeding. The continual drone from the rear tire next to my head began to make me drowsy.
Laying there in the dark, and hearing only the tires spinning made my sense of time more or less disappear. It could have been an hour or five hours before I felt us making a series of turns. After a few minutes it sounded like we were traveling on a gravel road. We stopped a short time after that and the car rocked back and forth indicating Carlos was climbing out.
A moment later the trunk opened up. I had to blink a few times in an effort to adjust my eyes as daylight bolted in from the cloudless sky. I closed my eyes for a long moment until my sight recovered.
“How we doing back here?” Carlos asked then reached behind the suitcase for a vodka bottle. He held the bottle out and focused on the label, apparently attempting to read the thing before he mumbled, “Whatever.”
He cracked the seal, put the bottle to his lips and tasted then stood there deep in thought. “Yeah, that should work,” he said and nodded like it was a good idea. He poured vodka into his glass until it was maybe halfway full then screwed the top back on and stuffed the bottle back behind the suitcase.
From the little I could see we were in the middle of a forest on some sort of gravel road. There were birch trees, lots of birch trees, no buildings to speak of and not another vehicle in sight.
“Tell you what I’m gonna do, pal. Because I’m genuinely a nice guy and seeing as how you’ve behaved yourself for the first part of the journey, I’m thinking I might let you drive. I’ll just sip, relax and keep the girls company in the backseat. Think you can handle that?”
I must have conveyed what I was thinking with my eyes.
“Don’t worry, I won’t shoot you. I mean, understand me, if you do something stupid I’ll just shoot one of those little brats. After all, you’re behind the wheel. So, how’s that sound?”
He took a sip and seemed to look around like he was waiting for my reply then he looked down at me and said, “Well?” He suddenly focused on the length of tape across my mouth and said, “Oh, for Christ sake, will you give me that.” Then he reached down, grabbed the end of the tape and yanked, tearing the length from my face. It made a sound like fabric ripping on an expensive coat.
I gasped and coughed a couple of times. The skin on either side of my mouth felt raw, my lips stung and for just a brief moment I wondered if this was what women went through when they got waxed.
“So, you up for it, gonna help us out?” he asked and took another healthy sip from his drink.
“You want me to drive?”
“That’s what I just said, Jesus, were you listening?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good, good, here let me help you,” he said then took a handful of my hair in his fist and pulled me up into a sitting position.
“Ouch, ahhh, God, okay, I’m up, I’m up.”
“Calm down, I was just trying to help, you know, lending a hand here. Tell you what, you just turn around and we’ll get that stuff off your wrists,” he said and set his glass next to me on the floor of the trunk.
As I turned round I thought the moment I get this tape off my wrists I’m going to tear this idiot apart, then I’m going to tie him to the front of the car and drive to the nearest police station.
&n
bsp; I heard something click behind me as he opened up a knife and then I felt him cutting through some of the tape on my wrists. There was a definite loosening, but the tape was still holding my wrists together.
“There,” he said picking up his drink glass and taking a couple of steps away from me. “You should be able to get the rest of that tape off if you just pull and twist it. Looks like I really had you bound up pretty good.”
I could definitely move my hands and wrists more and I wiggled and pulled them back and forth until my right hand finally came free. It felt wonderful to begin to get the circulation flowing back into my arms. I took my time pulling all of the tape off my left hand. I rolled my shoulders and turned my head from side to side in an effort to bring the circulation back and get rid of the numbness that had set in.
Carlos had moved a good ten feet from me. He continued to sip his drink while he kept the Sig Sauer trained on my back. “You about ready to climb out or have you grown attached to lying in the trunk?”
“I can climb out I said,” then groaned as I gingerly stretched first one leg and then the other out of the trunk of the car and carefully stood. I turned from side to side at my waist and felt my spine crackle and pop. “Let me just stretch and walk back and forth for a minute or two and get the blood flowing again. Okay?”
“Move over there and make it fast. You try anything I promise I’ll shoot you first, then I’ll let you watch while I shoot those two little girls and it will all be your fault. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah I get it. I just need to get the blood flowing before I climb behind the wheel, that’s all. How many hours have we been on the road?” I asked as I began walking back and forth, shaking my arms, rolling my shoulders, getting the kinks out of my neck. It felt wonderful.
“How many hours? Try about forty-five minutes. How does that sound? You about done wasting my time?”
“Yeah, I’m ready to drive, let’s go.”