by Storm Chase
“Sit still a minute. Almost done.”
The hand came back, soaping up her hair again. The fingers were strong. This time the water ran clear. She was beginning to get some feeling back in her hands. Her eyes seemed to be adjusting too.
She blinked as she looked down at herself. Her body looked weird. She frowned. There were bruises all over her arms and hips. Her hands were swollen, her wrists red. Her feet were all puffed up too.
The water stopped running. A towel was dropped on her head. He rubbed her hair vigorously. Pandora just sat and let him. She could feel tingles shooting through her arms and legs. It was like having pins and needles but instinctively she knew that moving now wouldn’t just be twitches of sensation - this was going to hurt.
“Up you come.” When he lifted her to her feet, Pandora screamed. The pain surging from her feet and hands was terrible.
Instantly she was swung up in his arms. His face was inches from hers. He looked angry. “Idiot should never have taped you up,” he said sharply. “Nothing to be done about that now. You’ll have to ride it out.”
He carried her out of the bathroom and into a room beyond. When he dumped her on a bed, a wave of fire swept over her. Pandora heard herself emit a muffled squeal.
“This won’t last long,” he said reassuringly. “It’s a good sign. Means everything is working.”
Pandora pulsed with pain. When the waves of fire finally stopped her eyes were blurred with tears.
Throughout, he’d just sat and watched her. Now he looked faintly relieved. “Good, that’s over.”
Pandora tried to cover herself with the bed sheet but he pushed her hands away. Casually he rolled her over onto her stomach and picked up her feet, flexing her toes. He rolled her on to her back again and reached for her hands. This time he flexed her fingers.
“All fine again,” he announced.
“Who are you?” Pandora croaked.
He didn’t answer. “I’ll bring you some soup,” he said. “Then you’d better sleep a while.” He walked out of the room. Now she could see properly again she saw he wasn’t a giant but he was very tall and powerfully built.
Pandora looked around her. The bed was huge, covered in dark grey pinstripe sheets. There were prints on the walls featuring African warriors in traditional dress. No debris on the bedside tables. It looked like a hotel bedroom. Impersonal and squeaky-clean.
He was coming back. Pandora hastily pulled the covers over herself. Her body still felt strange and her fingers were like sausages. She could feel the sheets between her fingers but the skin still felt numb.
He lifted her until she was sitting up and held a mug to her mouth. It was mushroom soup. The second she smelled it her stomach growled. Pandora reached up, clutching his hands as she gulped it down. Her throat was raw and ached with every swallow but it tasted divine.
“More,” she begged when it was finished. She was so hoarse that she sounded like a frog.
“Later. You’ll be sick otherwise.”
He brushed his fingers down her face again. “I’m glad I got through in time. For a moment it was touch and go.”
He wasn’t making any sense.
He stood up. “Go to sleep. I’ll waken you in a few hours.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
He looked at her quizzically. “I’m Xavier.”
“Xavier? My Xavier?”
His answering smile lit up his face. Instantly he looked quite different. The ice vanished, revealing warm eyes and an engaging grin. “Yes. I thought you’d be surprised.”
For a moment she felt a huge sense of relief. He was a friend. She grabbed his hand. “Xavier, I don’t understand. What happened? How come you’re here? Where is here? I was in Sir Harry’s office. Was I arrested? Where did my clothes go?”
His eyes flickered. “Time enough for all that later,” he said. “You’re perfectly safe now, so go to sleep, Pandora.” He pushed her down under the covers. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”
She wondered what he meant. To her horror he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. Pandora stiffened, then shrank away from him. For a moment he seemed a bit taken aback. Then he put a hand on hers and smiled again.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Get some rest.”
“What’s going on?” Pandora asked shakily. “I don’t understand.” As her memory returned in fragments, she shivered. “Oh my God. Sir Harry! He knifed that man! And that man on the train! He was shot! His brains-” The memory flashed back so clearly that Pandora felt her stomach heave.
Xavier sat down on the edge of the bed again. “I know, Panda. I’m sorry you saw that.” He patted her on the shoulder. “All you need to know now is that you’re all right. You can’t think straight because of the drugs. Sleep and we’ll talk after.”
“I want to know now!”
He stood up. “Later,” he said.
The second he left the room, Pandora sat up. The room wavered then returned in focus.
Pandora tried to think. Her memory was coming back to her but it seemed like a nightmare, filled with violence and death. She remembered fading in and out of consciousness. How much time had gone by?
She looked at the window. All she could see was sky. She swung her feet out of the bed. Sitting up made her dizzy but she struggled up and staggered to the window.
She was at the top of a high rise. Twenty stories below she could see people milling about. They were too far away to see properly. The billboards she could see were too far away to read. She didn’t recognise anything. She could be anywhere. It didn’t look like London though.
She decided she needed some clothes. One wall was made up of an inbuilt wardrobe. She opened the doors. It was almost empty. Three pairs of jeans, and a stack of plain coloured T-shirts.
A set of drawers held boxers and socks in the top section. The second drawer was filled with lacy panties and delicate bras. She picked up a black basque patterned with red roses. It looked strangely familiar. Then it hit her. She’d seen it online during one of the nights she’d been too stressed to sleep. She’d liked it so much that she’d bookmarked the page just in case she could afford it some day.
She had to get out of there. She pulled on a pair of panties and slipped into one of his T-shirts. The jeans fell off her, even when she buttoned them up. Never mind, she could hold them up with her hands. The important thing was to get out fast.
“I thought I told you to take a nap?”
With a pang of terror Pandora realised he was standing right behind her. He was frowning.
Chapter Three
“What is this stuff?” Her voice was still cracked but fear made her loud.
“I bought these because I thought you’d like them,” he said calmly. “I’ve been watching you ever since you broke into Sir Harry’s computer last month.”
“You’ve been spying on me?” Pandora gasped.
“I tapped into your computer at home and at work. I saw what you saw and I watched you through your web cam.”
“You can’t have. It’s always off,” Pandora said. “I hate that thing.”
“I switched it on remotely. I also got into your phone and the CCTV in your office. We wired your apartment too.”
Pandora was totally creeped out. “I don’t understand,” she stuttered. “Why were you watching Sir Harry’s computer? How did you get into all that stuff? Are you MI5?”
“No.”
Pandora suddenly felt dizzy. Spots danced in front of her eyes.
Xavier took hold of her shoulders. “You should have stayed in bed.”
“Don’t touch me!” Pandora panicked.
He ignored her. “You’re still all doped up. Come on. I still have some work to do. You can sit on the sofa where I can keep an eye on you.”
Inexorably he steered her into the huge living room. Now that she could see properly, Pandora took stock of her surroundings. One corner of the room was taken up by a
gigantic TV and a massive squashy leather sofa. The other contained three desks arranged in a semicircle. Each was topped with computers. Clearly Xavier was a serious nerd.
He pushed her towards the sofa. Pandora sat down gratefully. Her knees felt as if they were fitted on backwards.
Xavier disappeared and came back holding a large Mars bar. He tore open the wrapper, broke it in two and handed her one half. It smelled delicious.
“Sugar. Good for you.” He ate the other half. “Sit and relax. I won’t be long.”
He watched as Pandora took a bite of the chocolate. “Good.” He patted her shoulder and walked over to the bank of computers.
Pandora noticed he sat with his back to the wall, looking out over the room. Although she’d only been at Admiralty House a short time, she’d learned that all monitors had to be positioned carefully because security was paranoid about people spying through windows. They’d also installed special locks on every door, issued ever-changing passwords and held almost daily spot-checks. It didn’t seem to have stopped Xavier though.
She studied him carefully. At first glance he was just tall and strong. He didn’t have a military haircut and he wasn’t bulging with muscles, yet he looked tough. She knew instinctively that this was someone who could take care of himself. And there was the tattoo hiding underneath that short-sleeved T-shirt.
Snippets drifted back in her memory. Clearly Xavier was the Dragon they’d spoken of. The Dragon who had made Sir Harry go white with fear. Sir Harry who had struck silently with that knife in the dark alley. The Dragon who could get to people, no matter where they were.
A shiver went through her. Murder, gun battles, being stalked in her home and office... It just wasn’t real. Pandora pinched herself surreptitiously. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream after all. She couldn’t figure out who Xavier was working for. If not MI5, then maybe another security group? But then he would have said something. Pandora knew something was very wrong. She had to get out.
Xavier was totally absorbed in what he was doing. Pandora felt her nausea disappear. Cautiously she got up. He didn’t even look up. She crept out of the living room.
She must be in the penthouse because the elevator had its own mini entrance. She stared at it in horror. It was one of those super secure systems that scanned palms and retinas before it would work. The only one she’d ever seen like it was the one that led to the top floor in Admiral House.
She looked about for emergency stairs. There was a door in the corner but it was made of steel and when she turned the handle, it was locked. This wasn’t the way out. Pandora thought for a moment. Maybe there was an exit at the other end of the apartment. A service door or something.
The only way to check it out was to go though the living room. It was so big that she felt as if she were crossing a cricket field. Every step she took she was convinced he would look up and tell her to sit down but he was typing away industriously, totally absorbed in his work.
An arch and short corridor divided the living room from the other half of the penthouse. There was a second bedroom that was fitted out with its own multi-gym and weight equipment. Beyond it lay a huge kitchen. It was stocked with everything from an espresso machine to a breakfast bar, but like the master bedroom it looked unused. There was no service entrance. The only door led to a small room equipped with a washing machine and dryer.
Pandora was stumped. This wasn’t a penthouse; it was a prison. There were no phones. Even the windows were double glazed and hermetically sealed. She sat down at the breakfast bar. She was shaking again. Her stomach growled.
“There you are.” Xavier walked in carrying a bag of steaming hot food. “Seeing you’re awake, I got them to send in dinner early.” It was packed in plastic tubs but it looked home-cooked. “Hot and sour soup, a vegetable stir-fry, tofu and white rice.”
It was the same vegetarian menu that she always ordered from the Chinese takeaway near her apartment. It was her favourite.
Pandora shivered. If he’d been spying on her for weeks, how much did he know about her? She watched him as he casually set the table. He acted as if all this was perfectly normal. It was like being on the set of a stalker film; the bit where the victim found herself in the clutches of the maniac. Except this wasn’t a film.
Xavier put a plate in front of her. “Don’t eat too quickly. Your stomach isn’t used to solid food.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been in a medically induced coma for three days.”
Pandora sat back in shock. He’d sounded so casual.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I told you, I’m Xavier.” He was digging out cutlery from a drawer. He took out some chopsticks for himself but handed Pandora a fork and spoon.
She looked at them in surprise. She’d never learned to eat with chopsticks, something that had irritated Richard immensely. She was aghast that this stranger knew so much about her but bit back her fear; the smell of the food was too strong a lure.
Pandora piled food on her plate. It was spicy, rich and fragrant. She wolfed it down.
“Slow down,” Xavier warned her. Pandora ignored him. She was starving. She was working through a mound of tofu when her stomach suddenly lurched and rebelled. She stopped eating, her spoon halfway to her mouth.
“Told you,” Xavier said calmly. He picked up her plate and began finishing it off. Pandora stared at him. It was an incredibly intimate thing for a total stranger to do. Except he obviously didn’t think of himself as a stranger.
Pandora could feel her heart beating uncomfortably fast. She was stuck here with no way out. For a moment she felt as if the walls were closing in on her.
Xavier was deftly eating the slippery tofu with his chopsticks. “Have a glass of wine. It will settle your stomach. There’s a bottle in the fridge. And get me a beer.”
Pandora sat for a moment, then shrugged. She wanted to scream and shout but she was too afraid. What if he turned nasty? She decided she needed a drink.
When she opened the fridge, she was only half surprised to see a row of Chardonnays. It was her favourite. What did shock her was that it was Sicilian Planeta. She’d only had it once at a party. It was way out of her budget.
One of the bottles had been opened but it was still full. More preparation. The beer was San Miguel.
She put the beer in front of him, poured herself a large glass of wine and took a gulp. Whatever happened next, the wine would give her courage. She needed it. Her hands were shaking and it wasn’t from whatever drugs they’d pumped into her. Cold sweat was running down her back but Pandora knew she had to keep her cool. God knows she had to do something to get out of there and screaming wasn’t going to do it.
Mentally she reviewed the tips from one of her favourite self-help books, when in doubt, breathe! Pandora took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. It didn’t really help. But a big gulp of wine did. She took another swallow. A comforting heat was now flowing out from her stomach, giving her courage. She poured another glass and began sipping it, this time savouring the crisp flavour.
He’d finished. He stacked everything in the sink and sat down again. He took a swig of the beer and smiled at her. He was good-looking when he smiled. Large light brown eyes, high slanting cheekbones, a narrow nose, good skin, and a light tan that set off white, perfectly even teeth. He was really quite handsome; if you didn’t know about the creepy stalker thing. Or the guns and blood and death.
Pandora took some more wine. She felt courage surging through her. “Maybe now you’ll tell me what’s going on?” she asked sarcastically.
He reached out and began to pull her chair over to his. Quickly she stood up. She didn’t want to be close to him.
“Come, sit,” he told her.
“No.”
He shrugged and sipped his beer.
“What’s going on?” Pandora asked.
He was silent.
“Talk to me!” She shouted. Her throat was still raw. It cam
e out all hoarse.
He patted the stool next to his. Clearly he wasn’t going to talk until she sat down. Pandora wavered for a moment. Then she walked over and sat next to him.
He smiled at her. “I’m a hacker. My people tell me what they want and I get it for them.”
“Who is we?” Pandora asked bewildered. “If you’re not MI5, are you police? Interpol?”
“No. My people aren’t affiliated to anyone.”
Pandora tried to work that out. “Are you criminals?” she asked.
“Let’s say we’re business people.”
Pandora sucked in her breath. “What do you want with me?”
“As I told you, we only became interested in you when you broke into Sir Harry’s computer.” He put a hand over hers. “My people asked me to watch you so they could see who you were working for.”
“But I’m not working for anyone!”
“I know that.”
Pandora thought of all the documents that had passed through her hands. None of them were very secret but she had signed the Official Secrets Act. “I’m not telling you anything!”
Xavier laughed. “You don’t have to, Pandora. We know everything we want to know already.”
That wasn’t good. In fact, it was terrible. “MI5 will catch you,” Pandora said shakily. “They’ll see the CCTV in the office.”
Xavier shook his head. “I powered down the electricity. When there’s a brown-out, all the power goes to locking up the vaults and the CCTV goes off.”
“No way!”
“It’s a design glitch. I just took advantage.”
Pandora rallied. “MI5 will know something’s up. They’re doing an investigation.”
“They don’t know anything. Your contact wasn’t from MI5.”
So he knew about that too. “I went to the brigadier’s office,” Pandora argued.
“You went to Thames House but you met your man in the lobby,” Xavier corrected her.
“You saw me?” Pandora asked bewildered. “That’s impossible!”
“CCTV. Every street in London is monitored because of the terrorist threat. I followed your every step.”