by Carrie Stone
Excusing myself, I stood, picking up the remainder of my drink and stepping down to the bar area, with the intention of circuiting the room before heading towards the toilets.
A pretty brunette smiled at me as I tried to push past her, her eyes swiftly travelling from my face down to my cleavage. She flicked her hair across to the side.
'Hey sexy, do you want to dance?' she asked provocatively.
Wincing, I quickly looked behind me in the hope she was talking to somebody else. No such luck. Her eyes were fixed on me. Gripping my drink tighter, I glared ahead. There were enough men present to provide me with a daily date for the next six months, yet I had attracted a woman. I diverted and headed straight for the ladies loo. A sudden urgency overcame me to check I didn’t have a large 'I want muff' sign written on my forehead.
The dimly lit toilet was already occupied. Standing against the door frame, I observed my profile in the large floor length mirror opposite. Thankfully my make-up had remained in place and my hair had kept its volume. I smiled smugly, pleased with my reflection. It wasn't often I had a look good, feel good evening, and the mirror didn’t lie. No wonder women were also interested. I felt a light elbow nudge in my ribs.
'Mind if I join you babe?' H said, sidling up against me. Close. Too close.
Resting himself against the door frame and crossing his arms, he looked side on into my face, his diamond encrusted watch reflecting in the mirror.
'I never knew Soreena had such good looking friends' he said fixing me with a flirtatious stare.
I stiffened. Was he hitting on me?
'Where's Soreena?' I asked changing the subject.
The toilet flushed from behind the doorway and I heard the water faucet being turned on. Thank goodness I wouldn’t have to stand here alone with him for much longer. His heavy aftershave was making me feel nauseous. His close presence unnerving me.
I looked pointedly at him, waiting for a response to my question. H had taken his mobile out of his pocket and was staring intently at the screen.
'Are you listening to me? I asked where Soreena is?' Irritation filled my voice. H continued staring at his mobile, face pale. Distracted, he slowly looked up.
'Erm, she's at the table still' he said placing his mobile back into his pocket. 'I need to quickly meet a client outside, do me a favour and tell Soreena I’ll be back in a bit.' He reached into his back pocket pulling out a wad of money and unpeeled four fifty Euro notes.
'Here, take this and buy yourselves a bottle of champagne' he pushed the fifty's into my hand, his fingers lingering slightly too long on mine. Instinctively I pulled my hand away, suspicions confirmed. I hadn’t been imagining it; he was definitely making a move on me.
'Save me a glass, babe.' Winking at me, he reached his hand to tenderly move a piece of stray hair from my face, oblivious to my flinch. 'This party is only just getting started.'
The door opened behind me and with it came an unpleasant waft, penetrating the air. A blonde woman in her forties wearing a short red dress stumbled past me, clearly drunk and sniffing uncontrollably. Steadying her weight against the wall, she tried to discreetly check her nostrils in the large mirror. Both H and I stepped out of her way, watching in amusement. She turned suddenly, catching me looking at her.
'Got no powder on me nose, have I darling?' she said, tilting her head back to provide me with a full view of her inner nostrils.
Shaking my head in disgust, I backed into the toilet. Some women really have no shame. She was undoubtedly high on cocaine. I slammed the door shut leaving her standing there in a drunken, drug induced faze; I caught H fixing me one last time with his intent stare.
By the time I exited the toilet, H was no longer to be seen. Panic arose inside of me. I had a dilemma. It would be more than awkward to tell Soreena about his obvious pass at me. Yet I couldn’t lie, Soreena would sense something was wrong between us.
I needed to find H and set things straight. If he wasn’t interested in Soreena then he needed to be honest with her. She'd been through far too much to be messed around by a big shot in a Rolex.
Walking back towards the platform area, I was relieved to see that Soreena was talking animatedly with two women. The relaxed laughter assured me that she knew them. I continued straight past the table, towards the exit.
The night air was humid and close as I stepped out onto the terrace. The crowd had emptied and the sofas were now accommodating those wanting to relax. Passing the heated flames, I stepped onto the sidewalk.
H couldn’t have gone too far; it was unlikely he would be meeting his client in another area. I looked up the street noticing a large black limousine parked on the corner. Heading towards the car was a small figure. I could just make out H by his distinctive bowled walk. If I was quick, I could catch him up and say my piece.
My heels clipped the pavement as I did my best to run along behind him. My breasts were struggling to stay put in my gel boost bra. Clamping my arms across my chest I gradually closed distance. The street lights had faded and the empty road echoed my footsteps.
'H! Please wait up.' I called out. He stopped walking and looked around in surprise.
'Lizzie, what you doing here?' he raised his hands in surprised fury. 'Go back inside' his face was thunderous. Taking a step back, I chuckled sarcastically.
'Shouldn’t that be what are you doing?!' I said incredulously. How dare he be annoyed at my behaviour, when he was the one with the audacity to flirt whilst on a date with my friend.
Did he really think I’d be interested in him? He didn’t have a patch on Edward. Despite the fact that Edward had recently been relegated to my no hope list.
Headlights blinded me as the black limousine engine suddenly started up in front of us and the passenger door of the car shot open. A large man, dressed head to toe in black wearing a balaclava jumped out. A chill glided through me, as palpitations filled my chest. H lunged forward pushing me forcefully into the road, his voice filled with fear.
'Run Lizzie!'
Caught off guard by the force, I stumbled backwards hitting the concrete floor. Breathtaking pain shot through my back, my shoe flying off in the opposite direction. Up ahead I could see H being manhandled into the back of the limousine. Trembling, I tried desperately to crawl towards the pavement.
Before I realised what was happening, arms were lifting me up from behind, out of the road. Strong arms carrying me to safety. Relief flooded through me as tears began spilling down my face. Thanking the heavens that I was safe, I surrendered myself to the control.
'Please help my friend' I pleaded to my mystery hero, frantically trying to get my bearings of how far I was from the black limousine.
'Hurry up and get her in the car' a gruff Latino voice said from behind me. I stiffened. The arms tightened around me and a black car door came into view.
'No, no please.' My voice didn’t sound like it belonged to me. I wanted to feel brave and courageous but it wasn’t like I had seen in the movies; I was being kidnapped.
Trying desperately to think of a way to escape, my mind remained blank. With only one shoe and a short tight dress, the odds were stacked against me. I punched forward with my right fist. It hit air. Kicking backwards hard with my left shoe, I felt it come into contact with something.
'Ouch! You stupid bitch. Get in the car' came the voice of my offender. I was shoved head first into the car onto the leather seat next to H. His hands had been bound and his lip was bleeding.
'Lizzie, don’t panic, it'll be OK' he said, his voice wavering. I could sense his fear.
Two more men with balaclavas got into the car, one of them propping me up and binding my wrists. I didn’t have the energy to argue. Looking down, I saw my dress was smeared with dirt and my big toenail was bleeding. One of the men pushed past me and sat near to H.
The engine started up and the car began to move.
'Please, where are you taking us?' I whimpered. I didn’t want to die. It wasn’t my time yet. I still h
ad so much to do. Edward's face came into my mind. I hadn’t even had a chance to walk down the aisle, and my life was going to be cruelly cut short by three fat Latino men in balaclavas.
The fat Latino finished binding my wrists and pointed at H.
'Why don’t you ask your little friend Malcolm here' he said aggressively.
Malcolm? Who was Malcolm? Confusion clouded my thoughts for a moment; then clarity set in. Oh my goodness - they'd made a mistake. They had mistaken H for a stranger called Malcolm.
Probably some petty criminal that owed them drugs or money. I felt a glimmer of hope for the first time in five minutes.
'You've got it all wrong. We don’t know a Malcolm!' I said loudly, looking towards H for support. Ignoring my comment, he remained suspiciously quiet and continued looking at the floor. The fat Latino nearest to me, shook his head, laughing.
'Silly woman, you've no idea what you're talking about.'
'Leave her alone.' H said, looking up timidly and shuffling forward in his seat. The man in the balaclava nearest to him punched him hard in the stomach.
'Where’s the fucking money Malcolm?' he screamed, before pulling H closer to him and threatening to hit him again.
I couldn’t bear to watch. Poor H was being mercilessly beaten for something he had no involvement in. Who on earth was this Malcolm they kept talking about? H doubled over, whimpering.
'I'm sorry, I’ll get the money. Please just let me go, I’ll get the money.'
I admired H for his tactic; pretending to play along in the hope we'd be freed. The car came to an abrupt stop. My stomach churned. This was it. We'd been driven to a desolate area in the middle of nowhere and would now be executed. Instead of Malcolm, who was probably somewhere in Marbella sitting in his Jacuzzi, sipping on champagne.
Grabbing H's wrist, one of the men ripped off his watch in a swift movement.
'What’s this piece of fake shit?' he said, inspecting the watch before stamping on it. 'You think you can go around playing the big man, huh Malcolm? Yet you owe Mr Flavio 200k. Well Mr Flavio ain't playing no game here. You understand? He wants his MONEY.'
Ears ringing from the abusive language of the kidnappers, I stared at the watch smithereens on the carpeted floor of the car. A blue plastic mechanism stared back at me. The watch was fake?
A large wet patch started to appear at the crotch of H's trousers and the smell of ammonia filled the car, stinging my nostrils. The Latino's started laughing.
'You've pissed yourself, you chicken' they taunted, digging each other playfully in the ribs. 'Your friend Malcolm's pissed his pants.'
I looked at H and realisation dawned on me, as his eyes pleaded into mine for compassion.
'You're not called H are you?' I seethed. ‘You’re Malcolm, aren’t you?' I had a sudden urge to bolt forward and kick him in the balls.
Laughing to myself in disbelief, I recalled my earlier conversation with Soreena. H was known throughout the coast as a successful socialite. He was respected for his business acumen and gentlemanly ways. Yet here he was now, with ammonia soaked trousers, pleading to three limited vocabulary Latino brute's. If only Soreena could see his macho façade at this moment.
Opening the car door, I was pushed forward. 'Get out.'
Heart pounding, I stumbled from the car onto sandy terrain. The floor felt cool against my one bare foot, as I struggled to balance the other leg in my four inch platform shoe. My dress had ridden up to reveal the top of my thighs. H was dragged out beside me.
'Please don’t hurt me.' He sank to his knees crying. Bile rose in my throat. I was managing to keep what little dignity I had left. If I was going to suffer my fate then I would accept and embrace it.
The tallest of the Latino men hoisted H to his feet again and undid the bindings around his wrists. Sensing the man closest to me move forward, I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn’t want to know what he was going to do to me. He grabbed my hands cutting my wrists loose of the rope.
'Stop crying you pussy' he looked towards H. 'We are letting you and the girl go. This is your last warning. You have until Monday to get the money. Or else.' The way he said else made me shiver.
I watched in shock as they walked towards the car and got in, one of them spitting in H's direction before closing the door. The engine started up and the limo drove slowly away as I turned towards H, feeling like a woman possessed. My hands were trembling with trauma. H looked at me sheepishly.
'Lizzie please, you've got to understand’ he began. I cut him off mid flow, anger fuelling me.
'Oh yes, I understand.' I spat my words at him, fury descending upon me like a black cloud. 'You're just the same as your watch. A fake exterior to try and impress people when really you're just a small time crook called Malcolm.'
I, being one of those people that had unwittingly fallen for his charade, resulting in kidnap and verbal abuse. Not to mention also getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with a torn dress, one shoe and grazed limbs.
Taking off my remaining shoe, I reached up and knotted my long hair into a bun. I had no intention of staying in the sandy deserted area where we'd been dumped. Realistically I only had two choices. Go left or go right. Looking up at the approaching sunrise, the decision was made for me. The right direction was bathed more in light. I'd go right. At least I’d top up my tan on the long walk home. Wherever home was. H limped forlornly behind me.
'Lizzie please... just listen.'
Ignoring him, I carried on walking. Wincing with each painful step as small stones dug into my feet, my appreciation for cushioned soles and fluffy slippers blossomed.
Exhaustion set in and I stopped for a moment allowing my eyes to adjust to the breaking twilight. Moments later, adrenalin and relief flooded through me as I spotted a small farmhouse dotted on the horizon. If I could reach the farm, I could take shelter in one of the barns and rehydrate with milk from the cattle.
Instantly rebuking myself, I stopped my train of thought. I was unmistakably still tipsy and dehydration was setting in fast, muddling my mind. A small laugh escaped from my throat at the thought of my mother finding me sleeping in a haystack, and talking to a goat.
Aware that H's footsteps had quietened behind me some time ago, I turned around, my mouth dropping open at the sight of him speaking into his mobile. Enraged, I swiftly ran back in his direction, the small stones underfoot no longer an issue. I was just in time to catch the end of his conversation ordering a Taxi to collect him.
'You have your bloody mobile?!' I raged at him furiously. I had been walking at least ten minutes and the whole time he'd had his mobile and didn’t think to inform me.
'Yes, well, I was trying to tell you to stop walking. I wanted to work out where we are so I could call a Taxi. Except you wouldn’t listen and insisted on hobbling in front' he replied, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out money. Gritting my teeth, I sat down on a nearby rock.
'I suppose you forgot to tell me you had huge amounts of cash too' I said sarcastically.
'Shut up, Lizzie. The Taxi will be here soon. We're not actually that far from the town. It's a good job I have GPS in this phone' he handed me the mobile, pointing at the map on the screen.
Disbelief stumped me for words for a few seconds.
'Oh, so not only did you have cash and a mobile. You had GPS too. How very convenient' my voice cracked with anger.
I had a sudden overwhelming urge to impart the same fate on his mobile as the kidnappers had to his watch, but I stopped myself. I needed a lift home and he was my only option. I only hoped that Soreena hadn’t called the police since our mysterious moonlight flit. Even more so I hoped she'd taken my bag home with her. The chances of it remaining safely untouched on the bar seat were very slim.
Cool, early morning air chilled our skin and it felt like we'd been waiting for weeks by the time the Taxi appeared. Stomping barefoot and eagerly towards it, I got into the front seat, giving the driver orders to drop me home first, leaving H to sit in
the back of the car.
'Lizzie please, we can't let Soreena know about this.’ H let his voice trail off, aware the driver was looking at him in the rear view mirror. He leaned forward and whispered 'or the police.'
I folded my arms and stared forward, unable to meet his eyes. Silence ensued between us. I'd let him sweat for a while. If he honestly thought I was going to involve the police and risk getting kidnapped for a second time, he was very mistaken. I had heard all sorts about informants; fingernails being ripped away, ears chewed off and limbs being cut into pieces. I suddenly had a new found appreciation for my body. My earlobes were quite pretty on the contrary.
'Fine, I won't say a word to anyone' I said steadily, pausing. 'On the condition that you think up a plausible explanation to Soreena for our disappearance'.
Not twenty minutes later we approached my mother's villa. For once I was thankful she was a late riser and didn’t insist on locking the terrace doors. The car came to a stop and for the first time in an hour I felt able to breathe normally. Quietly making my way out of the Taxi, I pushed the car door gently closed, but not before turning to look squarely at H.
'Do not dare to fabricate a story to Soreena that we left together or spent the night together' I warned. ‘I also want my bag back in one piece. If not the deals off.' I quietly tiptoed up the driveway towards the house, tired and frustrated.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Stella had her back to her computer monitor and was staring mindlessly out of the window. The office was small but stylishly decorated. A lime green chaise lounge took pride of place on the far wall adjacent to her desk, underneath a heavy square mirror. Retro light fittings and white Louis IV replica furniture completed the modern, chic look. Even the desk chair on which Stella sat had cost a small fortune. Cindy had expensive taste and it reflected in her choice of interior design.
The phone on Stella's desk startled her thoughts as its loud, ringing tone penetrated the silence. Begrudgingly she spun around and picked up the handset, adopting the voice she reserved for clients.