The pilot went out to the plane as Jack and the others came into the small building. “Did you tell the pilot about us?” Jack asked.
“Yes. But he seemed to already know about everyone. Doesn’t that worry you?”
Jack glanced out at the plane. “Everything worries me, Sam. But at this point, we don’t have any options. We have to trust your instincts that the letter was really from Dave.” He went back outside to let Fisher know it was okay to leave.
As we boarded the private jet, Brittany couldn’t contain her excitement. “Look how big these seats are! Ooooh and they’re leather,” she said, running her hand along the first seat.
The jet had three rows with two seats on each side of the aisle. Brittany took a seat in the second row. “Just a few weeks ago, I was dirt poor living in a trailer and now I’m riding on a private jet! This is so amazing!”
I hadn’t heard Brittany mention the trailer since leaving Texas. She hadn’t said a word about it, at least not to me.
I took the seat in front of Brittany, and Colin sat across the aisle from me. Erik and Jack sat in the last row.
Before we left, the pilot went over safety procedures. He ended his speech by pointing out a metal cabinet that was next to his leg. “If you need any drinks, they’re in this cooler. And you’ll find some nuts, chips, and other food in this drawer here. Enjoy the flight.”
He returned to the cockpit, where the other pilot was waiting. “Sam, did you hear that?” Brittany whispered from behind my seat. “We even get snacks! This is so awesome!”
When we got into the air, a screen unfolded from the ceiling. Brittany’s excitement continued. “No way! Are we getting movies, too?” The beginning of a movie started to play, answering Brittany’s question. “This is like the best thing ever!” she squealed, grabbing a blanket from a storage area above her seat and making herself comfortable.
“Well, she’ll be entertained for the next six hours,” I said to Colin.
I watched the movie for a while, then quit because it was so bad. It was a botched attempt at a romantic comedy. But Brittany seemed to like it.
Colin was reading a newspaper. When he was done, he came over and sat next to me. “Hey, how are you doin’ over here?” He kissed my cheek. “Still sad about Allie?”
I put my head on his shoulder. “Yeah. I hate thinking that I’ll never see her again. It’s like when I thought I’d never see you again.”
“But you did,” he said, taking my hand. “I showed up right in front of you.”
“Yeah, with a gun to your head.”
He laughed. “Okay, the circumstances could have been better, but we did find each other again. And someday, we’ll find Allie again.”
“I hope so.”
“So how did you come up with that story? Because I hope you know, I would never propose that way.”
I turned to face him. “Hey, I thought it was cute. The movie theater postcard. The title with our names in it.”
“Ugh, no way. That’s not my style at all. I can’t believe Allie even bought that story.”
“She loves that over-the-top romance stuff. I knew she’d be so distracted trying to imagine the scene in her mind that she’d forget all about whether it was something you would or wouldn’t do.”
“I guess it’s a girl thing then. I wasn’t imagining anything. I couldn’t get past the whole postcard idea. I’ve never even bought a postcard, Sam. Not even on vacation.”
“Okay, okay. I get it. You didn’t like my story.”
He started laughing. “And why would I give you a bucket of popcorn with a dozen roses? The smell alone would make you sick. Butter mixed with flowers? And where would I get a bucket of popcorn?”
When he put it that way, it was kind of funny. I laughed, too. “Okay, I get it! It was stupid.”
“I’m just giving you a hard time. And just so you know, if I ever do propose, you’ll have a much better story to tell.” He kissed me again, then headed back to his seat.
“Hey, where are you going?” I asked, wanting his shoulder back.
“I’m going to sleep.” He smiled at me. “Maybe I’ll dream of popcorn and roses.”
I threw a pillow at him. “I hope you do! It’s very romantic!”
I watched the last few minutes of the movie. Afterward, Erik came over and sat with me. “So what’s new?”
“Well, let’s see. I recently found out that I’m part alien, I’m losing my superhero abilities, and I’m heading to Iceland.” I paused. “That’s about it.”
He smiled. “Wow. Sounds just like me.”
“I shouldn’t joke about it.”
“Why the hell not? Worrying hasn’t helped us. Might as well try to laugh about it.”
“Seriously, though. Maybe Jack was right. Maybe you two should’ve stayed behind. This trip might be a total waste of time. And you don’t have time to waste, Erik.”
“I wasn’t gonna let you go without me.” He lowered his voice. “We may not be as, uh, close as before, but I still care what happens to you, Sam. And I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.” He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I’d kind of miss you if you weren’t around.”
I backed away, glancing over at Colin, who was now asleep. “I just don’t want this trip to take us off track. We have to get this timer fixed soon or—”
“If this trip doesn’t lead anywhere, we’ll keep going till we find the answer.”
Another movie began on the screen above us. We heard Brittany’s voice behind us. “Oh, I love this one!”
Erik looked up at the screen. “Doggone Love? Seriously?” He leaned over to whisper. “Twins don’t share the same taste in movies, do they?”
“No, we’re definitely different that way,” I whispered back.
“Did you watch that last one?”
“Part of it. I lost interest when that girl lured the guy back with her voodoo spell or whatever it was.”
Erik laughed. “Yeah, that was so stupid. I mean, do you girls really want to be with a guy who is only with you because he’s under some magic spell? Some fake attraction?”
“No. At least I don’t.”
“I’m gonna go talk to my dad. Enjoy the movie, Sam. I’m sure this one will be way better than the last one.”
The movie was so boring that I fell asleep, waking up right before we landed. When I looked out the window, all I could see was the ocean. As we got closer, I started to see land and little houses. I knew nothing about Iceland, other than that it was an island. And not a warm one.
We arrived at the airport at 11 p.m. Iceland time. The tiny airport was empty except for a lady working at the desk.
We got our bags and waited by the door for the car that would be picking us up. Five minutes passed. No car showed up. Then another five minutes. I started to get nervous and went over to talk to Jack. “Someone should be here by now. What should we do?”
“Just keep waiting. I’ll go see if the woman at the desk knows anything.” Jack came back right away. “Well that didn’t work. She doesn’t speak English.”
As we waited, a man wearing a maintenance uniform came out of a room behind the desk. He went up to Jack. “Sir? Could you help me with something? It won’t take long.” He said it in perfect English.
Jack turned to him. “What is it? I’m waiting for a car.”
“I’m trying to fix a leak in the ceiling back there.” The man pointed to the room he’d just left. “I can’t reach this one spot. If it’s not fixed soon, that leak could do some real damage. They’ll fire me for sure. I need this job. Please. It’ll only take a minute.”
Jack walked behind the desk and stood outside the room. “You mean where you’ve got that ladder? I can’t reach that either. It’s too high.”
“Well, maybe he can help.” The man pointed to Colin. “He’s very tall. Please. It will only take a minute.” The man seemed desperate.
Jack sighed. “Colin, come here.” Colin went over to Jack and listened while the ma
intenance man explained the situation. Colin followed the man into the room. Jack went over to Erik. “We’ll be right back there.”
“All right, but hurry up,” Erik said.
A few minutes later, a black limo pulled up. “A limo!” Brittany yelled. “Oh my God! I’ve never been in a limo! I’ve gotta see this!” She ran outside and into the limo.
“Brittany! Wait!” I ran after her, followed by Erik. We poked our heads into the limo and found her already seated at the far end. Erik and I stepped in to grab her. “Brittany, get out,” I yelled at her. “You don’t even know—”
The door slammed shut behind us. “Erik, open the door,” I said, pulling on Brittany. “The wind must’ve slammed it shut.”
Erik went to open the door, but it was locked. He pressed the unlock button but it didn’t work. I tried the door closest to me. It was locked, too. We both tried the remaining doors. All locked. Then just outside the limo we saw a man in a dark coat and hat who appeared to be the driver.
I banged on the side window to get his attention. “Hey, we need to get out! There’s two other people back there!” I pointed to the airport building.
The driver saw us but didn’t react. We watched as he walked to the front of the limo and got inside. Erik pounded on the piece of dark glass that divided us from the driver. “Wait! We need to wait for two more people!”
The driver ignored him and started driving away from the airport with the three of us trapped in the back.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Room 402
“Erik, make him stop!” I screamed. “This is the wrong car! They didn’t even ask for the code word.”
Erik banged even harder against the glass divider. “Hey! Stop! Let us out!”
Brittany and I kept trying to open the doors and windows but they were all locked. We heard a loud bang and looked back to see a bright, fiery light in the dark night sky. It was coming from the airport building. Part of the building had exploded, leaving fire and plumes of smoke in the air.
I moved closer to the back window. “Oh my God! Erik, look!”
“What the hell? This can’t be happening!” Erik beat on the glass again, trying to get the driver’s attention. “Who are you? Let us out! I swear I’ll break this thing!” But the glass wouldn’t break. It didn’t even crack. If we still had our abilities, Erik would have broken the glass without a problem. But now both he and I had normal strength, which wasn’t enough to help us.
“They’re in that building!” I screamed. “Colin and Jack are in there! We have to go back!” Brittany and I pounded on the back and side windows.
Erik sat back. “You can’t break it, Sam. It’s reinforced glass.”
I stopped, frozen in disbelief as I watched the airport get farther and farther away. “It was a set up. The whole thing was a trap. That guy asking for help at the airport? They wanted Colin and Jack separated from us.”
Erik stared out the window at the now distant flames. “I don’t know how this happened. It was so fast. We were only in here a second.”
“It was my fault.” Brittany was crying now. “I’m sorry! I’d never been in a limo before. I thought this was the right car.”
We looked at her but neither one of us was in the mood to comfort her or tell her it wasn’t her fault. Because it was her fault. And now we were trapped in a limo, not knowing who was up front or where we were being taken.
“How did they know we were coming here?” Erik asked.
“I don’t know. But I don’t think we should talk anymore. You know they’re listening to us right now.” I checked the inside of the limo for hidden microphones. “Yeah, we know you’re listening!” I yelled into the air.
We didn’t speak the rest of the way, except for Brittany who continued to cry and say how sorry she was. The limo finally came to a halt at a gated entrance. The driver rolled his window down and mumbled something to a man at the gate.
We drove into a parking garage. The limo stopped again and the door next to Erik unlocked. He bolted for the door but a large man opened it and pulled Erik from the car, cuffing his wrists with zipties. Another huge man stood next to the first man. He pulled me out, cuffing my wrists as well.
Brittany refused to move from her seat at the back of the limo. “This one won’t come out,” the first man said.
“Then go around. Get her from the other side,” the other man ordered.
The guy went to the back of the limo and yanked Brittany from her seat.
I scanned the parking garage for any markings that might indicate our location. I couldn’t see anything other than rows of luxury vehicles. Whoever parked there had money.
The men led us into an elevator. It went up just one floor before stopping. When the elevator doors opened, we were greeted by two men wearing black uniforms. They yanked us out of the elevator, then stood close behind us, pushing us forward.
We entered into a vast and opulent room that appeared to be the main floor of an office building. It had marble floors and pillars and an intricately carved, circular marble desk sat in the center of the large space. Huge tapestries hung on the walls, the type you might see in a European castle. The room was so long that it seemed to go on forever.
As I took it all in, trying to figure out what this place could be, I turned around and realized that Brittany wasn’t behind us.
“Brittany!” I called out. “Brittany? Where did you go?” I scanned all directions looking for her but she wasn’t there. “Erik where is she?”
His eyes searched the room. “I don’t know. I thought she got off the elevator with us.”
“What did you do with her?!” I screamed, whipping around to face the man behind me.
He grabbed my shoulders and turned me forward again. “She’s going to a different floor,” he said calmly.
“A different floor?! Then I’m going to a different floor!” I tried to run but the man grabbed my coat and yanked me back.
“Sam, stop,” Erik said, motioning me to look behind. The guard that had Erik was holding a needle that would soon be in my neck if I didn’t behave.
Not wanting to be drugged, I moved along, keeping pace with Erik. “If you do anything to Brittany, I swear—”
“Quiet!” the man behind me said. His voice was so loud it echoed in the room.
We continued to walk forward through the lobby, past several large marble statues. The first one was of a beautiful woman and the next one was a perfectly sculpted man. They were like ancient Greek statues you would see in a museum. Off in the distance I could see a third statue, which looked like a globe. And after that was a wall of windows, likely the entrance.
The men steered us left down a long hallway. It was lined on both sides with large black doors that had giant chrome numbers on them. We stopped at a door numbered 402. Within seconds, an old, slender man with white hair opened the door. He was wearing a tuxedo with tails. “Welcome,” he said, smiling at Erik and me. “Come in.”
The two men pushed us into the room, then left, closing the door behind them. The old man kept smiling, as if the situation was completely normal.
The room was spacious with very tall ceilings. Large, deep red velvet drapes hung on the walls. Dark wood panels covered the floor. There was a large fireplace on one wall, next to a four-poster king size bed covered in a velvet, cream-colored comforter and layers of crimson-colored pillows. A couple black leather chairs and a velvet-covered crimson sofa sat against the other wall. Behind them were floor to ceiling bookcases filled with leather-bound books.
The old man approached us, his face still grinning from ear to ear. “I’m Walter, by the way. I’ve been longing to meet you both.” He stepped back and stared at us, putting his hands together as if he might start clapping. “Ahhh, such a lovely couple. You will certainly make them proud.”
“Make who proud? Where are we?” I demanded. With the other men gone, I felt it was time to release my anger again.
My reaction removed the smile fr
om the old man’s face. “Yes, well, I’m sure you have many questions, my dear. The answers will come in time. Be patient.”
Erik butted his face up against the old man’s. “Answer her questions. Now!”
Walter stood still, unnerved by Erik’s outburst. “Young man. You do not frighten me. Please step away.”
Erik backed off, keeping his eyes on the man.
“This room, you see, is very secure so there’s no need to expend any energy trying to leave.” The man pointed up. “The ceiling is infused with a chemical that will render you powerless if activated. Should you decide to act in an uncivilized manner, the minuscule holes lining the ceiling will open and release the toxin. And we don’t want that, now do we?”
His smile returned. “Now that we have that out of the way, let me release you.” He pulled a scissor-like tool from his pocket. “And just so you know, the guards are still outside the door. And cameras are placed throughout the room.” He cut my zipties then went to remove Erik’s.
“Are you gonna tell us anything?” I asked him. “Anything about where we are? Or why we’re here?”
“That’s not my role. I don’t deal with those types of questions. I am in charge of hospitality, a much more pleasant topic. Now, let me show you around.”
Walter went over by the bed. Erik and I remained by the front door. “Well, don’t just stand there,” he scolded. “Come over here.”
He waited for us to join him, then continued. “The fireplace turns on and off on its own so don’t try using it yourselves. As you can see, next to it is this beautiful bed. This bed was hand-carved in Italy centuries ago by artisan craftsmen. Isn’t it majestic? The linens are a finely woven silk blend, soft and sumptuous. An excellent choice, I must say.” He ran his hand along the turned down sheet.
He walked over to the other side of the room. “If you have some reading time, there are some marvelous books on these walls. Classics, of course. Not the rubbish they publish now.”
We followed him across the room again. “The bathroom facilities are right through here.” He pushed on a door which opened into a huge bathroom with white marble floors and counters. There was a walk-in shower and soaking tub at the far end of the room. Stacks of thick, white towels filled a tall open cabinet. It was by far the largest and most lavish bathroom I’d ever seen. “All your toiletries are in the side cabinets. His and hers.”
The Golden Couple (The Samantha Project Series, # 2) Page 17