“Wake up, bitch.”
The heavily accented speech, along with the thwack upside the head, startled Katherine awake. The quick movement of her head only exacerbated the soreness in her shoulders and neck from being tied up for god knows how long. The darkness from the blindfold accentuated the sounds and smells around her. She was ravenous; the distinct aroma of garlic that filled the air caused her stomach to growl. When was the last time she ate? Because of the blindfold, she couldn’t tell if it was day or night. “I brought you food. Are you going to behave if I untie you?”
She nodded, causing her neck to cramp up.
The feeling returned to her hands as they were untied and she was able to move them to her lap. Katherine wiggled her fingers and balled her hands into fists to get the blood flowing back through them. Pain surged from her fingertips and up to her elbows. When the blindfold was removed, the light blinded her eyes, forcing them to shut quickly. As she adjusted to the light, Katherine slowly opened her eyes all the way.
The man handed her a plate filled with various cheeses and meats. Slices of garlic bread surrounded the edges of the plate. Eagerly, she grabbed a chunk of cheese and placed the entire piece into her mouth. Normally, she would’ve tried to savor the food and taste every ingredient used to make the cheese, but this time was different. Before she swallowed, she already had a piece of meat in her hand. Too hungry to even look at the man holding her hostage, she cleared the entire plate, not even leaving a crumb.
The man chuckled. “I guess you were hungry.”
She didn’t bother to look up at her captor. She searched the plate for more food—maybe a crumb or a morsel she missed. “How long have I been here?”
“Ah…I don’t know. Twenty-four hours?”
“You’ve fed me once in a day and you wonder why I have an appetite?”
“Have you forgotten your manners? You don’t want to be tied up again so quickly, do you?”
She finally looked up at the man; he was short and stalky, wore glasses, and had dark hair and a mustache. His jeans were soiled and his gray jacket was zipped up, not exposing anything underneath.
What she wouldn’t give for a hamburger right now. “Why are you keeping me here?”
“Your boyfriend has something we want.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” A pang of guilt washed over her. Sure, Tony wasn’t her boyfriend, but he was more to her than just a friend. She just didn’t know what.
“Sure, whatever.”
“What do you want from Tony?”
The man let out a sinister laugh. “Let’s just say it’s something that will continue to ensure our freedom—both yours and mine.”
“How do you know he has it?”
“If he doesn’t have it yet, he will soon.”
She swallowed. “What makes you think he’ll give it to you?”
“You, baby. You’re my lucky charm.” The man forced her chin up with two fingers and he stared into her eyes. “It seems Massimo has taken a liking to a certain young lady. I’m guessing more than he’s willing to admit.”
“We don’t have that sort of relationship. We’re just friends. We barely know each other.”
“I’m betting there’s a bit more going on. If not, there’s always plan B.”
“I see. What’s plan B?”
“Again, you’re my lucky charm. Massimo hooked up with a very rich man’s daughter. I’m sure Daddy would be willing to pay a handsome penny to get his little girl back.”
Katherine shivered as a chill worked its way down her spine.
“What’s wrong? Does that cat have your tongue? You were so confident before but now you have nothing to say?”
“That’s enough, Dominick! Go get this young lady some water”
The short man scurried out of the room leaving Katherine alone with a tall handsome man who was obviously in charge. Despite the man’s good looks, there was something about him the left her uneasy. She admired the custom three-piece suit he was wearing; he was clean shaven with curly brown hair that was a bit longer on top covering part of his forehead. His eyes were an emerald green that reminded her of Tony’s, except they didn’t have the same piercing look to them.
“How was your food?”
“It was fine, thank you.”
“I see you’ve remembered your manners. Keep that up and we might not have to tie you up again.”
She forced a smile. “May I please use the restroom?”
“Sure. When Dominick comes back, I’ll have him escort you.” The man had a great smile; his teeth were pearly white as though they had just been polished.
“I don’t need a personal assistant to go to the bathroom,” she said as she adjusted in her seat.
“Yes, but we need to make sure you don’t try anything stupid.”
She laughed. “Like what? Escape? I don’t even know where I am. I’m in a foreign country. Where would I go?”
“You have a good point. However, I’ve got a lot to gain by you being here, and even more to lose if you disappear.”
“How much are you trying to get out of my father?”
The man waved his index finger at her. “Uh, uh, uh. Let’s not get too brash here. You’re walking a very fine line.” His smug look made Katherine want to rip off his face.
“Please, how much money are you asking for?”
“That’s no concern of yours. We’ve assured Daddy that once he pays the money, we’ll be dropping you off at the nearest embassy.”
She looked past the man to a spot on the wall. “He won’t do it, you know.”
“I’m sure he’d do just about anything for his only daughter—the apple of his eye.”
“My dad’s not stupid. He’s not just going to hand over the money. He’ll get the authorities involved.”
“I suppose he might. But if the money isn’t wired to me in the next couple of days, it doesn’t matter who he gets involved. He won’t ever see you again.”
Her heart sank and her stomach tightened. There wasn’t a lot of time. She had to find a way out. Katherine looked around. She was in a basement with several windows along the cinder block walls that looked promising. There was only one door in and out. But that didn’t appear to be an option unless somehow her captors were distracted or she acquired a weapon.
“Don’t bother; you can’t get out of here. I practically have an entire army guarding the place. You might as well consider it Fort Knox.”
“I’m not sure what you mean. Why do you think I was looking to escape?”
“Honey, it doesn’t take a genius to see you were checking out the place. Any idiot would know you’re just waiting for an opportunity to flee. Unfortunately for you, I don’t plan on providing that opportunity.”
“When will you let me go?”
“That’s on a need to know basis. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t need to know. Maybe if I keep you in the dark, you’ll behave a little better or at least show some respect.”
The pressure building in her bladder started to become painful. “I give respect where it’s earned. You certainly haven’t earned it. I can’t even get a trip to the bathroom.”
She shifted in her seat trying to relieve the discomfort.
The man looked behind him. “Where’s that idiot? He was supposed to be back here already.”
As he stared at her, the hairs stood up on her arms. The longer she was around the man, the creepier he became. He had a certain edginess about him. I wouldn’t want to meet this guy in a dark alley. A smile surfaced across her face.
“What are you laughing about?”
“I was just thinking I wouldn’t want to meet you in a dark alley. Then I thought, what’s the worst that could happen? I get kidnapped, tied to a chair, and beaten? Been there, done that.”
She didn’t even have time to dodge the fist before it struck her. The blow knocked her out of the chair and onto the ground. Her world went dark.
Katherine wiped away the cool liquid trickling from her forehead. She slowly tried to open her eyes. The throbbing of her head and face were almost too much to allow her eyes to focus. She saw double—two men. No, maybe one. Who knew? The man who punched her stood with a glass of water, dripping it onto her face. She moved her hand and wiped the cool liquid away. The pain in her face was like daggers shooting through her eyeballs over and over. She was on her side and the shoulder on the ground ached, probably from her landing. She opened her eyes again as the water continued to assault her.
“Nice you could finally wake yourself up.” The dark-haired captor shook his head.
“Let’s go.” He reached out his hand to pull her up.
She reluctantly took it and stood up. Dizziness took over and she steadied herself with the chair until the lightheadedness subsided.
“Come on.”
She wasn’t sure she could walk across the room, let alone stand much longer. “Where are we going?”
“Since you pissed all over yourself and my floor, I thought I should take you to the bathroom to get cleaned up. The last thing I want to do is smell you for the next however many days.”
She quickly looked down to her pants and saw they were in fact completely soiled. If she wasn’t struggling so hard to maintain consciousness, she would’ve been mortified. She took small steps toward the stairs; her legs were heavy, and it was almost as if she were learning to walk again. One foot in front of the other, she kept reminding herself.
Katherine slowly shuffled to the other end of the basement until she reached the staircase. The unknown man held onto her arm, pulling her up the stairs. At the top were three doors; all of them were closed, leaving her in a small, dark mudroom. The smell of flowers permeated the air.
“The bathroom is in there.” The man pointed to the wooden door in front of her. “Don’t get any ideas. I have someone standing outside the window.”
Any ideas? She could barely hold her head up, let alone crawl through a window and run off into God knows where. She opened the door and turned on the light. When she shut the door behind her, Katherine realized there was no lock. Perfect.
She hesitated before looking into the mirror. A gasp and whimper surfaced when she saw her reflection; her face was unrecognizable, both of her eyes were blackened and swollen, and she could barely see their blue irises. Her lip was split with dried blood dominating most of the right side and matting her hair. Her cheeks were puffy and inflamed. She wouldn’t be winning any beauty contests today.
She forced her gaze from the mirror and looked around the room. The bathroom was tiny and only consisted of a toilet, a sink, and a small window. If she wanted to, she could fit through the window; she just didn’t have any strength to muster at this time. She would have to bide her time until she was strong enough.
Katherine turned on the sink and splashed some water onto her face. The coolness was refreshing and soothed the burning, so she closed her eyes and splashed a little more. When she opened her eyes, Katherine watched as the bloodstained water dripped from her face.
The water slowly warmed, and she cupped some in her hands, ran it through her hair, and watched as clumps of dried blood escaped down the drain. God, what she wouldn’t do for a rubber band to pull back her hair and get the knotted rats nest out of her face.
Katherine studied her clothes. They were disgusting; her shirt was filthy and blood stains covered it. And her pants? There were no words to describe how low she felt from soiling her own pants. What grown woman pees themselves? One that’s had the shit beaten out of them. That’s who.
She took off her pants and underwear and rinsed them out. She wasn’t going to allow herself to hit rock bottom by being forced to sit forever in her own urine. Her pants may be wet, but they would be clean.
When she finished cleaning herself up and finally peed, Katherine peered out the window. The man guarding the outside was preoccupied with his phone. Beyond the yard was a large olive tree and lush green fields extending as far as she could see. If she tried to run away in that direction, she would be noticed immediately. There was nothing to hide in.
Bang. Bang. Bang. “Let’s go. You’ve had long enough.”
She jumped at the sound of the first bang. Her already frayed nerves went into overdrive, causing her hands to shake.
She opened the door coming face to face with the man who had beaten the living daylights out of her. “Thank you for allowing me to use the bathroom. Can I please get a drink of water?” She attempted to peer through a door that was left open while she was in the bathroom. There was a kitchen; it was painted yellow with wallpaper trimming displaying a variety of citrus fruits, and a large oval table with several chairs randomly scattered around it took up most of the room. Just past the kitchen was a small hallway where a man sat on the stool armed with an unknown type of large gun. She shifted her attention back to the hand that grasped her arm yanking her out of the bathroom.
“You’re not going to see any more of this place. Your water is waiting for you downstairs. Now move it.” He pushed Katherine toward the stairs, causing her to almost fall over the top. She quickly grabbed the arm rail to steady herself.
Her legs seemed stronger so the walk down the stairs wasn’t nearly as tedious as the trip up. All she needed was time, and she would garner enough strength to try and escape.
“I see we’re in the country. Where are we, exactly?”
“It’s a town called Umbria.”
“Ah, this is where all of the major olive production in Italy is.”
Seemingly unimpressed, the man replied, “You’ve done your homework.”
“I’ve learned a thing or two while I’ve been here.” She paused. The man was in a better mood. Why not press her luck and see what information she could get? “What’s your name?”
“You sure are nosy. Hasn’t anyone ever taught you to sit still and be quiet?”
“I’ve been quiet my entire life and look where it’s gotten me.”
“So now’s the time you decide to find your voice? You must either have a death wish or you’re not very smart.”
“Perhaps a little of both. So what am I supposed to call you? Obviously, you’re in charge of this operation. When you’re not around, who do I ask your lackey’s for?”
The man chuckled. “I can see now why Massimo took a liking to you. You can call me Ray.”
“Don’t pretend for a moment you know anything about me and Massimo. Ray. What kind of Italian name is that?”
“Watch it!”
“It just doesn’t seem to be very fitting.”
“I said that’s what you could call me. No more conversation.”
“Boss! Boss!”
Someone had run up behind her. She turned to find the stalky man who was called Dominic back and was clearly upset about something.
“What is it Dom?”
“There’s a situation that needs your attention immediately.” Dominick took a step back as though he was waiting for a blow that might be coming. Whatever was wrong would probably get him in trouble.
“Get her tied back up and meet me upstairs.”
Katherine turned her head to her captor and pleaded, “Is it really necessary? I promise to be good. I just need to stretch some more.”
Ray approached her. “I can already tell you’re going to be trouble for me. There’s no way I’m going to take any chances and allow something foolish to happen. You’ll remain tied up until I’m confident it’s safe otherwise.” Ray turned and walked swiftly out of the basement.
He might have been patient earlier and willing to put up with some of Katherine’s antics, but he was all business now. Not wanting to see the ugly side of Ray or any of his men, Katherine obediently sat in her chair and waited to be tied back up. Praying she wouldn’t have to be in that position for very long, she tried to think about some other place and some other time.