Katherine closed her eyes as pain snaked throughout her body, threatening to squeeze the life out of her. She had used every ounce of energy to climb through that window, and run through the yard and up the hill to where the agents were ready to rescue her—or so she thought. She wasn’t so sure about the agent who got out at the gas station. In fact, her entire body screamed to run from him. If she had, her body would’ve revolted and who knew where she would be now? At least this agent was American. Katherine would just have to trust in him regardless if he appeared to be working outside of his comfort zone.
Clearly, Thompson was in the same boat—he had to trust the unknown. When they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Katherine’s fight or flight response took over. She looked everywhere for a place to hide if she was able to escape from the agents. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go. Every place was wide open. There were some businesses, but screaming for help while running into one of them would surely be ineffective. Her only hope was to trust in the agent who swore to take her back to her dad.
At this point, Katherine didn’t care if her father was there or not. The only thing she wanted was a one-way plane ticket back to New York. Her European holiday had turned into a frickin’ nightmare. The only good thing that came out of it was Tony. As much as she wanted to blame this entire mess on him, she was also to blame. She could’ve stayed clear of him. She could’ve checked into the embassy in Rome. But no, she was too busy trying to run from Mike. She was too busy running away from the person she was only to find a person she didn’t know. Did she like this new person? Who was she? The new Katherine was brave; she was a fighter, took life by the horns, and refused to let fear take control. She was Kate. This Kate was going to get home and start a new life.
The trees and bushes flew by in a big green blur. By her estimation, they had about forty-five minutes before reaching Rome. Things seemed to be going as well as could be expected. Anticipation started to take hold, and she was chomping at the bit knowing her dad would be waiting. What a welcome sight he would be. How would he react when he saw her? She envisioned her dad with steam shooting out his ears while his hands fisted. He would certainly look for some sort of revenge, but she didn’t want that. All Katherine wanted was to get out and never look back. She would have to find a way to calm him down. She would have to be prepared to diffuse the bomb.
Katherine closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. This was the most comfortable she’d been in who knew how long. The seats were so soft compared to the wooden chair that had bruised her bottom. Having something soft to lean her head against was heavenly. She didn’t even need to be horizontal to fall asleep. Her eyes grew heavy as she molded further into the seats. Her breathing settled and muscles relaxed as she crept into a dream state.
Katherine stood in her kitchen as she prepared a bolognaise sauce. She placed a spoonful into her mouth. It tasted exactly like the sauce she made with the chef. She never would’ve dreamed she could make something this fabulous. Katherine smiled knowing Tony would also approve of the mouth-watering creation. He would be coming over any minute, and she couldn’t wait to provide an authentic Italian meal. It had been months since they left Italy. Today was his birthday, April sixteenth, and she wanted to make it special. She put the pasta into the water and picked some fresh basil leaves from the plant living in the kitchen window. Katherine reached for a knife to cut up the basil when a glass crashed against the wall, sending shards into the sauce and in her hair. She whipped around to find him standing there. The green-eyed monster stood in her doorway with an evil grin painted across his face. It reminded of her of the Joker from the Batman movies.
She turned to pick up the knife that had fallen out of her hand when the glass hit the wall.
“Put it down, princess.”
She froze. She wasn’t sure what to do, but there was no way he was going to get the best of her this time. Before she had time to react, the green-eyed monster propelled his body against her, sending her crashing to the ground. Her head and neck whipped against the tile floor.
Katherine opened her eyes only to find the car speeding uncontrollably off the highway. She saw the telephone pole only moments before the car wrapped around it. Her body jolted in the seat as her head crashed against the window.
It took a moment for her to realize what had happened. Katherine looked out the passenger side window as a car barrelled full speed toward them. If it made an impact, she wouldn’t survive. As it was, the driver’s side was totally smashed up. She couldn’t tell whether or not either agent was alive. At the very least, he was unconscious.
Katherine tried the door handle of the driver’s side. The door was jammed and wouldn’t budge. There was no time to crawl out of the passenger side. The only choice was to hold on and pray she made it through the ride she was about to go on. She gripped the seat, closed her eyes, and braced for the impact that was about to take place.
Katherine heard the crashing of metal upon metal and waited for the jolt that never came. She opened her eyes and searched for the car that was inevitably going to collide with them. To her surprise, the car was a hundred yards ahead with another black sedan firmly planted on its side. She recognized the car as one of the Interpol vehicles from the restaurant.
Immediately, Katherine reached for the door handle of the passenger side. She took a sigh of relief as the door opened with minimal force. She looked around, ensuring there were no cars coming before she jumped out. The air was hot. The smell of oil, gas, and overheated engines loomed in the air. She looked around and saw a grassy field wave effortlessly in the wind before her. Beyond that, there were trees that seemed to go the length of the highway; certainly, she could hide there. Hopefully, she could walk the distance to the embassy going unnoticed. She wasn’t sure how far away it was, but it seemed like the only possibility.
Suddenly, all the pain she felt only a short time before, immediately dissipated. Her instincts to survive kicked in. Her heart sped up as fear coursed through her body. She had made it this far; she wasn’t going to give up now.
Katherine stumbled, but caught herself before she fell to the ground. She recovered quickly and made a mad dash to the trees—they were only a couple hundred yards ahead. Her chest rapidly rose and fell as she struggled to catch her breath. Her lungs burned, and her ribs produced a sharp pain with each breath she took. A hundred yards to go. Halfway there.
Katherine gave herself a mental pep talk. She continued to push the air in and out of her lungs. Her legs grew heavier with each step she took. There seemed to be cement blocks attached to her feet.
Fifty yards to go.
Safety was within reach. Then she could catch her breath before moving on.
Twenty-five yards.
The smell of victory drifted through her sinuses. A smile crept across her face. Everything was going to be okay.
She was focused; she had tunnel vision from focusing on nothing but the trees. There was nothing to stop her. The sudden force shifting her to the left didn’t stop her from propelling forward. She didn’t feel the arms wrapped around her until she was on the ground with a body covering her.
The man smelled like a combination of patchouli oil and sweat. She hated the smell of patchouli. It was a smell that represented filth.
“Don’t fucking move!” His voice was deep and authoritative.
Her breathing stuttered. Gunfire shot through the air, piercing her eardrums, and she whimpered.
“On my count, you stand up and run for the trees. Do you understand?”
Katherine nodded. Was he a good guy? If he was, why didn’t he just let her run to the trees to begin with? Why had he tackled her?
More gunshots were fired. The vibration made its way through her body as the bullets hit the ground next to her. She closed her eyes as tears formed. Although she hadn’t been in this position for very long, her body was already stiffening.
“Three…Two…Now!”
Katherine clambered to her feet. One foot in front of the other. Her body tried to revolt, and she had to mentally instruct it to move. The trees…they were so far away. Before, twenty-five yards was nothing, but now, it could’ve been a mile. It was almost as if she were in a dream running down a hallway trying to get to a door but was never able to reach it. The way got longer just as the distance seemed to grow between her and the trees.
At last, her feet touched down on the grass and leaves that covered the floor of the tiny forest. She bent over to catch her breath, but before she had a chance to look around and survey the scene, the man pulled her behind a tree.
“Stay behind here and don’t move.”
Katherine looked up at the man. He had soft brown eyes and a gentleness about him despite the fact he had just mowed her over like a bulldozer. She recognized him as one of the Interpol agents, and nodded as he pulled a gun from behind his back. She didn’t know much about guns, but she did know that this one had a silencer. Her suspicions were confirmed when the agent fired several shots with minimal noise.
Katherine didn’t look out from behind the tree, but she knew men had been struck by the bullets as the thud of their bodies hitting the ground echoed through the air. The man ducked behind the tree just in time to avoid the bullet ricocheting off it, sending splinters of bark in every direction.
Quickly, the man came out from behind the tree and fired again. She counted three more thuds.
“If I’m not back in five minutes, take off in that direction.” The agent pointed beyond her. “Follow the highway until you get to Rome. You’re only about three kilometers from the city. Once you get there, mingle with the crowd and get yourself to Barberini Square. The embassy is a block north of the square. Don’t stop until you get there.”
Katherine nodded. She was at a loss for words. So many people had tried to help her, and as a result, they dropped like flies. Would this be another one? Would she finally make it to safety? Freedom was so close but seemed so far away.
When the man took off toward the cars, it was eerily silent. No more gunfire ensued. She stuck her head out from behind the tree and saw the agent approach the wreckage she had just freed herself from. The car she was in was badly mangled. She was lucky she made it out alive, not to mention still have the ability to run from the car.
Three other cars were also badly wrecked and from what she could tell, no one was moving. There were no signs of life. The agent put the gun back in his pants, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a phone. The conversation was brief. Katherine held her breath as she tried to figure out if she should run or stay, but the latter prevailed.
Clearly, there was no immediate danger or the agent wouldn’t be standing there with his weapon in his back. Within a few short moments, a car pulled up next to the agent. They exchanged a few words before he motioned for her to come.
Her chest grew heavy with the indecision of whether or not to go. What choice did she have? This was the Interpol. They had been sent to return her to the embassy. Reluctantly, she moved her body forward. Slowly at first, and then her body took off in a full on sprint. The world grew silent as she accelerated across the field. The birds no longer chirped, the cars were nonexistent, and even the air grew still.
As she moved closer to the agent, his eyes grew wide. In slow motion, he launched himself toward her as a bullet silently whizzed past her face. Katherine continued the forward motion until she collided with the agent—crashing to the ground. The agent covered her with his own body. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of death and destruction looming around her.
When she opened her eyes, all the sounds returned. Gunshots exploded through the air and ricocheted off the metal on the cars. Footsteps clamored around her. The weight was lifted off of her as the agent sprang to his feet. Katherine inhaled deeply, the air burning her lungs. A fight was going on around her yet she was unable to move. She was frozen in time. Where had her survival instinct gone?
More gunshots. Men yelling in Italian. What were they saying? What was going on? Katherine looked to the sky. It was blue and purple with large fluffy clouds gently floating by. The sun was going down and soon it would be night. Stars would flicker in the darkness, the moon would light up the sky, and headlights would flash in her direction. Her direction …Where was she? How long had she been here? It seemed as though she’d been here forever. Why hadn’t the Polizia come yet?
Tony…where was he? Did he get out of the basement? Was he still alive? Katherine wanted to kick herself for leaving him. She should’ve stayed. She shouldn’t have left until he got out safely. Now she was here. Alone. There was no one to fight this battle with. There was no one who could understand what she had gone through.
The agent stood over Katherine, blocking her view of the clouds. When the agent reached out his hand, Katherine stared at him and hesitated slightly before she reached for it. Gently, he pulled her into a sitting position.
“Are you okay?” the man asked kindly.
She stared, unable to form words.
“Ms. Anderson, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Katherine attempted to stand, but her body was too weak and her muscles refused to cooperate. Exhaustion had settled in, and she had no more strength. Perhaps she was in shock. She didn’t know and didn’t care at this point.
“I’m Agent Henry Blackwell with the Interpol. I’m going to pick you up right now and take you over to that police car. Is that okay?” Agent Blackwell pointed in the direction of the police cruiser. The lights on it were projecting blue across the field.
Katherine nodded, and in one quick swoop, the agent picked her up and carried her to the car waiting for her near-lifeless body to warm its interior. Agent Blackwell placed her inside the vehicle and covered her with a blanket. That was all Katherine needed to convince her to lay down and close her heavy and swollen eyes.
As soon as the agent entered the car, it propelled forward. The rhythmic sound of the automobile racing along the pavement drove her into the deep sleep her body desired. At this moment, Katherine had no idea of where she was going, when she was going to get there, or if she was safe with the people who were driving. They could be taking her to some torture chamber somewhere. There wasn’t one ounce in her that cared anymore. All she could do now was hope for the best; that when she woke up from her slumber if she woke up, she’d be in good hands.