The way Mr Princeton had said the words ‘nasty surprises’ Rita knew she did not want to find out what they really meant and after yesterday’s experience, she had a good ideas of they meant. TGIFing would have to wait until she got out of New Your City alive. She had gotten ready nine minutes before six and was having breakfast waffles when she heard the doorbell ring. Rita shoved the last bit of waffles and whipped cream into her mouth before answering the door.
Rita looked the peephole. A chauffeur in a white uniform stood outside. She was about to ask who he was but a hand clasped around her mouth, muffling even the scream that came out of her throat, an arm carrying and pinning her body to their front. The bulge she felt told her it was a man. Rita clawed at the hand covering her mouth and the arm around her waist whilst her captor dragged her further inside.
She twisted and bucked, even tried kicking her captor in his sizeable bulge. That is, until he turned her around. Rita’s eyes widened. Princeton? What?! Before she could say a word, he brought his lips to her left ear, hot breath fanning it and whispered. “That is not the chauffeur I sent.” The sensation of warmth was replaced by cold dread. If her eyes widened anymore, they would fall out of her head. The doorbell continued to ring. “Mrs Anozim, are you ready yet? The boss doesn’t like to be late.”
Princeton set her down, a finger to his lips. He took her hand, leading her out the backdoor. Rita’s mind went back to the things she had packed but her priority at the moment was getting the heck out of the house.
They jumped a few fences, him much more efficiently than she did, when they reached his car. Rita’s heart was beating a mile a minute. She thought she would have been given at least a month or something before this sort of thing happened to her. Again. Her heart did not settle until they were on the jet. She glanced at her watch, fifty eight minutes past six. The constant tick tick the little hands made was soothing.
Princeton handed her a glass of water which she happily took without a fuss. She pressed the glass against her lips and drank heartily. The water helped calm whatever nerves were left. To an extent. Rita clutched the glass in two hands while her boss went back to work on his tablet. He had casually been on that thing since they got in the car like she was not almost kidnapped and company intel and security were not breached as they evidently were.
There were many questions raging in her head. She needed answers. “Who sent the imposter?” her voice quaked. She obviously was not as calmed as she thought she was.
He did not look up from the laptop but answered, nonchalantly. “I have a few suspects.”
“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down now does it?”
“No, it doesn’t. But the less you know the better.” Again, so nonchalantly. It was clear he was not going to give her a straight answer. “Did anyone inform the police?” she asked.
“Yes, as soon as we found the real driver.” He still was not looking at her.
“What happened to the real driver?”
Samuel looked up at her then, gauging whether she should receiving the answer. “Deleze security found her in the company parking lot with her throat slit.”
Dear God! Rita swallowed a growing lump in her throat. “Is she–”
“She’s alive and currently in intensive care.”
Rita shook her head, it just did not add up. “What would anyone gain by kidnapping me?” Or worse, she thought.
“For that I have no answers. We will just have to wait and see.”
Silence stepped in and the only sounds were the hum of the jet turbines. Samuel reached for his bag and took out a pair of headphones and handed it to her. Looking at the bag now, she remembered she had left all the things she had packed for the journey, her working tablet and her phone was still on the breakfast table. “Here, there’s some relaxing music in it, you can go to the back and rest there.”
Rita kept the empty glass on the side table and gingerly took the headphones. “Thank you. I just remembered I left everything back in the house. They won’t be able to get into my phone and the tablet, right?” Not to mention her laptop. She also left her pass for the exhibition and her debit cards.
“The tablet, no. But your phone and any other device you own might be in jeopardy.”
Rita groaned and made her way to the back. She stopped and turned to face him slightly. “Thank you, for getting me out of there.”
“You’re welcome.” His eyes met hers for the briefest moment before they went back to what he was doing. “Just get back there and calm down. I can’t think with you around right now.”
“Huh?” What did that mean?
“You smell of fear and your heart is still beating fast. It’s distracting.” He explained as a matter of factly.
Rita mouthed an oh before going to the back and slipping the headphones on. She lay down on the bed, listening to soft tinkling of bells.
Immediately he had gotten the report, Samuel ordered the car be turned around. He had been lucky he had gotten there when he did given the imposter’s headstart. The scratches Rita had given him were already healed. Thee was nothing left to tell of such an experience, save the crust that was still under her nails.
He knew exactly who did this. She was just sending a message. He needed Max to give him a report of what happened.
I need to know what went down Max. :SAMUEL
He had sent that fifteen minutes ago.
MAX: She’s dead.
If she was then my Personal Assistant would not been a kidnap target this morning: SAMUEL
MAX: She was dead before I got there.
What? Someone already did her in?
How long? :SAMUEL
MAX: Two days and a couple hours. Flies got to them first. Whoever was responsible was not in the least way clean about it. There was blood everywhere and throat on the floor.
Hold on. Them? :SAMUEL
MAX: There was this guy tied up on the bed. Or should I say burnt body. Mostly electricuted to death. I found an ID in a pile of clothes. An Anthony? Worked in Deleze. Know him?
He couldn’t have possibly been with Irina. She left on Sunday and Anthony came in to work everyday except yesterday. :SAMUEL
MAX: So she plucked him from Alvas and killed him. Because he died first.
MAX: Went through a lot of hell first.
Damn it! Samuel let out a frustrated growl. Irina and Anthony were dead. Which left it an open question as to the hell was responsible for this morning? And who killed Irina? They obviously were not bothered about being caught or subtle. It was a message. And Samuel was not sure if it was meant for him or someone else.
MAX: So, what do you want to do?
You’re out of the area, right? :SAMUEL
MAX: Five hours ago.
Good. I’ll leave it for a little while before contacting the Authorities. :SAMUEL
Get rid of everything in this phone and destroy it. : SAMUEL
MAX: I got a bowl of acid ready.
Goodbye Max: SAMUEL
MAX: Bye Bro.
After that last phrase, the last he would hear from Max in a month or so. Samuel deleted their entire conversation and the number off his laptop and his phone.
What the hell was going on? Who was playing this game?