Two days later, Emily, Karlie, and I are doing what we set out to do, when we decided to go on a vacation to Greece: we are having fun with each other. We go to the beach, relish in the sunshine, rate men and enjoy cocktails. With the male trio more than a hundred miles away, Emily has finally stopped ranting on about them and focused on spending some quality time with me and Karlie. Although I didn’t mind her occasional comment about them, I like the change. She and I had come very close to an argument, more than once. If it wasn’t for Karlie, we wouldn’t have avoided it. Still, regardless of the light atmosphere between my friends and me, I often catch myself thinking about Michael, Ray, and Dean. I miss the attention. Or, perhaps I should say the insane amount of attention. I was the center of their world. Three, hunky studs were willing to satisfy me in every way imaginable. They pampered me, showed me respect, and shared their secrets with me. In other words, they spoiled me. Now that I’ve walked out of their lives, I don’t have any of that, and I still have no idea if I can get used to this new reality.

On the third day after I’ve been discharged from hospital, I convince Karlie and Emily to go on a trip back to Heraklion. Of course, they protested at first, maintaining that revisiting the city where it all happened will not help me forget. They think it’s going to bring back memories, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Memories come back as long as you’ve put them behind, and I haven’t. I still remember even the tiniest details from my dates with those three, like what they wore and what we had for dinner.

It’s already dark when we turn into the coastal road of the city. A feeling of nostalgia hits me as I see the breakwater where I met Ray in the distance. My mind wanders off to the past, reliving each and every moment of that night. I remember the sadness in his face, his reluctance to speak. How he looked more than just distraught. He was devastated. The nickname that Emily gave him was warranted. I drive past the breakwater, unwilling to share any details with Karlie. But, as the bar we meant to go to that night heaves into view, I don’t think twice. I pull over, eager to show her and Emily where I did the craziest thing of my life.

“This is a bad idea,” Karlie comments, gazing out the rear window. “We still have a trip back ahead of us.”

“I didn’t stop here to get a drink, honey,” I murmur, gripping the door handle. “Come on. There’s something I want you to see.”

The chattering of the gathering crowd fills my ears as I stroll towards the sidewalk to the right. Cheap perfumes, and colognes are lacing the air. Nothing’s changed since that night, except my company.

“Walk with me,” I urge, dragging my gaze away from the bystanders.

“Is this what I think it is?” Emily asks, her voice rising up an octave. I keep my silence, preferring to clear the front patio first before I answer. Yet, it’s the silence and the bitter smile on my face that give me away. “Yes, it is!” she squeaks, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“What are you guys talking about?” Karlie pitches her own voice higher, strolling alongside me. Coming to a gentle halt, I turn right to face the massive rock under the bar.

“Do you see that crivice in the rock?” I point down at the spot.

“Yes?”

“Ray and I had sex down there,” I explain, my tone low.

“Oh, I remember now,” she nods, a broad smile bursting upon her lips. “Weren’t you afraid you’d get caught?”

“Actually, it’s that fear that made the experience a whole lot better,” I explain, staring down at the waves breaking upon the rock. “I’ll never forget that. I doubt I’ll ever forget anything from my dates with them.”

“I think Karlie shouldn’t have talked you out of leaving,” Emily says, speaking her mind, a touch of sadness in her tone. “I mean, it’s obvious that staying here doesn’t do you any good.”

“Em…” I say on an exhale. “It wouldn’t have made any difference. I just can’t get them out of my mind.”

At that very moment, the sound of a powerful, roaring engine makes me whirl my head to the right. A large, black van is speeding down the road, its tinted windscreen, and windows triggering my curiosity. I’ve only seen such tint on limousines and other, high-end cars. Smoke rises from all four tires as the driver steps hard on the brakes, just a few feet away from our spot. The side door slides open, just before three men dressed in black and in ski masks jump out of the vehicle. Their hurried footsteps lead them to us in almost no time at all. My skin quivers with tension as the stranger in front of me thrusts his hand up to my mouth. Throwing his free arm around my waist, he starts to drag me towards the van. I try to scream at the top of my lungs, and my eyes are wide open with shock and fear. However, he’s able to stifle out any noises I make. I feel a tremendous amount of force in my midsection. In a moment, I am flying into the back of the van. My forehead slams into the aluminum, the sheer pain forcing a scream of agony from me. The whole vehicle bounces up and down, once those thugs toss Karlie and Emily’s bodies in. I turn over on my back, catching the sound of the door being slid shut.

“Go!” One of them shouts, tapping his hand on the metal shield between the driver and us.

“What the fuck is this? Who the fuck are you?” growls Emily, leaning forward. One of them turns on a flashlight, and points it directly on her face. My friend squeezes her eyes shut first and then lifts her hand up to shield herself from the light.

“You’ll find out soon, bitch,” He groans, shoving her head back against the aluminum.

“Please, don’t hurt us!” I beg, scooting closer to Emily.

“Shut the fuck up! All of you!” The same man cries out, reaching for a gun in his waist. My fear turns into a tidal wave of agony as I feel the cold barrel of the weapon on my forehead.

“Put that thing away, man,” The guy next to him urges, giving him an elbow jab. “The boss wants them alive.”

“Who’s…?”

“Say one more word. I dare you,” He interrupts, pressing the gun into my skin.

“Keep quiet,” His partner commands. “It’s all going to be over soon. Tie them up, boys.”

Whatever relief I felt when the thug pulled his guy from me doesn’t last long. One by one, they flip us over and put our hands and ankles together. I feel duct tape being wrapped around my wrists first and then my calves. Every dreadful feeling stays within me, poisoning my heart and soul: fear; anger; frustration; and hopelessness twist my insides into knots while I wrack my brain as to what my friends and I did wrong. As much as I think about it though, I can’t find an answer. I’ve been splitting my time between three men and them, not caring much about anything else that’s going on around here. I know them both like the back of my hand. They may be entirely different, but they wouldn’t hurt a fly.

More than an hour later, the van comes to an abrupt halt. Dim light is coming through the narrow gap between the door and the body. And, once it’s slid open yet again, I discover its source. It is a single light bulb, hanging on the ceiling of a massive warehouse. A young man is sitting at a table on the far wall, with three, empty chairs facing him. The three men put their hands under our armpits and yank us out of the vehicle. Leading us into the building, they shove us down into the chairs, obviously amusing their boss.

“Well, well, well…” he says, his toothy grin fueling my anger. “Emily and Karlie; the blonde chick must be Stacy; I’ve heard a lot about you, darling.”

“You know this guy?” I ask, turning my head right to face Karlie, surprise written all over my face.

“Yeah,” she sighs. “He’s Darren Rayburn, the guy I went out with the other day.”

“Yeah, that didn’t go well,” he cringes, putting his feet up on the table. “It’s funny. Your gal here called me ‘rude,’ but I wasn’t the one who got violent that night.”

“You kidnapped us because she slapped you?” I shout, leaning forward. “Are you crazy?”

“Of course not, sugar,” Darren claims, pulling a large cigar out of the pocket of his jacket. “You’re here because your girl likes snooping around in my business. Red, go ahead and tell them,” he encourages, lighting up his cigar.

“Oh, God…” Karlie exhales, shaking her head in regret. “I googled him after our date. Officially, he’s a real estate developer, but I found reports on several blogs about his involvement in arms dealing. I called Hope Randall, a friend of mine in the ‘Miami Gazette’ and asked her to look into it.”

“My people caught wind of that,” he winks at me, puffing smoke out of his mouth. “I tried to warn her by running you and your guy off the road, but she didn’t take the hint. Karlie never told Ms. Randall to stop trying to dig up dirt on me. According to my sources, she’ll be publishing her story pretty soon. Maybe sending her photos of your dead bodies might change her mind.”

“You son of a bitch!” I growl, jumping from my seat. Before I can make a move on him however, I feel a pair of hands on either shoulder, pushing me back down into the chair.

“Damn it, Karlie…” Emily bangs her head in a spasm of frustration. “Did you have to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?”

“I think I’m going to let the brunette live,” Darren smirks, throwing a quick glance down at Emily. I hang my head in sorrow, understanding that this might be the last day of my life. Part of me is desperate to get up and make a run for it, but I’m well-aware how this is going to play out. Three, armed men are standing right behind me. I’ll be dead before I even reach the main road. The stench of smoke is already filling the atmosphere when Darren rests his cigar on his bottom lip. At that point, a bullet smashes the glass in the window, littering the floor with hundreds of shards of glass. In a split second, it strikes the light bulb on the ceiling. I can feel the floor vibrating beneath my feet. Almost immediately, two police vans crash into the warehouse, sending chunks of aluminum, splinters of wood, and more shards of glass flying across the warehouse. Their high beams are turned on at the same time. The thugs reach for their weapons; yet, they’re not given the chance to fire. Four guns emerge from the windows of the vans, aiming at them. With the crackling sounds of bullets torturing my ears, I lean forward once more. Closing my eyes, I drop down and crawl under the desk, my heart thumping against my chest. A command in Greek signals the end of the shooting. The smell of diesel fumes overshadows every scent in the building. My eyes snap open as heavy, hurried footsteps echo back at the walls of the warehouse. Two, strong hands pull me out from under the desk. I turn over on my back, wondering about the identity of that man. He is no stranger to me. It’s Michael, with a blissful smile painted on his face. Bending down, he places his hands on my hips and pulls me back up.

“Michael?” I ask, my voice breaking as he curls his arms around me.

“Shhhhhh…,” He hisses, burying his face in my hair. “It’s over. It’s all over.”

“I don’t understand,” I confess, struggling to control my breathing. “How did you get here?”

“Good question,” He comments, leaning back. “Nothing would have been possible without Karlie’s help. You see, when I visited you back in the hospital, she asked me the weirdest thing. I didn’t understand back then, but I did when she called me. We had a video call,” Michael goes on, speaking much faster than usual. “She told me about that phone call she’d made to that reporter. She suspected who was behind that incident on the freeway, but she couldn’t prove it. The location indicated that he was based somewhere in Heraklion Karlie even went to the police, but they couldn’t help her, because they don’t have the proper software to track down cell phones. I recorded the call and took it to the police. When they repeated what they’d told her, I stepped in. Hell, I can track down devices with my eyes closed. We knew where you guys were the whole time.”

“Actually, Michael should get all the credit,” Karlie interjects, striding towards us. “He did all the work. I just left the GPS on my phone on, that’s all.”

“Ladies, I’m Captain George Roussos,” A police officer introduces himself, flashing his badge. “I’m sorry, I know this has been a long day for all of you, but I need you to provide us a statement. Please, follow us downtown.”

“We’ll be right with you,” Michael dismisses him with a nod. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”