“There you have it. All the information you need. You’re supposed to be so smart, you figure it out. You’re in Belgium in October. Where are we going?” Kyli opened the door.
“I don’t know. I give.” Jake threw up his hands.
Kyli slapped him on the chest. “Oktoberfest. It’s party time.” She walked out the door.
Maybe Wiley was right. She could be trouble. A scientist with a wild streak, the combination might be entertaining.
The nightstand clock displayed a blurry 10:30 the next morning. His head pounded. His stomach felt like a volcano about to erupt. Jake couldn’t remember much about last night — his memory erased like a cleaned chalkboard. How much did I drink?
The last time he’d been that drunk was on graduation night from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, where he graduated Valedictorian. He suffered a two-day hangover that time. The next closest he could remember was one night he and Beth drank too many Margaritas in the hot tub at his mountain retreat in Ellijay, Georgia.
His last memory of Oktoberfest was the large stein of beer forced on him by Kyli, his third. Nothing after that. What happened last night? More importantly, how did he get back to the hotel? He lifted the sheet on the bed. And where were his clothes?
He tried to sit up. The room spun and he fell back onto the pillow. He rolled over and a wave of nausea hit at what he saw next.
Kyli’s purse and jacket were stacked on a chair. Her bra was on the floor and her nylons wadded up on the couch.
Shit. Not now. He found Kyli attractive but he’d never slept with a woman he’d only known for one day. Less than a day. How could he face Wiley? Her grandfather, for crying out loud.
A click at the door grabbed his attention as the door swung open. Kyli walked in with an aromatic pot of coffee and pastries on a silver platter. “Look who rose from the dead.”
She put the tray on the coffee table by the couch and picked up her nylons and bra. “Oops.” She stuffed them into her purse.
She walked to the window and parted the curtains allowing a strong beam of sunlight to brighten the room. “Time to rise and shine, lightweight. I would have thought a Navy man could hold his liquor better than that.”
“What the hell do you mean ‘lightweight’?” He squinted. He pointed to the chair. “Did you stay here last night? Did we…uh, you know?”
“Did we partake of carnal pleasures with each other?” She laughed. “Is that what you’re asking, lover boy? Don’t you remember?”
He shook his head. “I don’t remember much of anything about last night.”
“I guarantee you one thing.” Kyli leaned over the coffee table and lifted the coffee pot. “If we’d…uh, you know, you would not have forgotten about it.”
“What the hell did I drink?” He put his head between his hands. “How did I get out of my clothes?”
“If you can’t remember, I’m not telling.” She poured two cups of coffee. “Cream and sugar?”
“Black. Thanks.” He reached for the cup. “You didn’t answer my question. What happened last night? Did we…?”
“Jake, you were so plastered. Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t have. But you did have fun.” She waved her iPhone. “I have pictures. Did you know you’re a horrible dancer?”
“We danced?” He rubbed his eyes. “Oh no.”
“We didn’t dance. You danced.” Kyli held up her phone again. “Like I said, I have pictures.”
They talked for a while longer. After two cups of coffee, he was able eat a couple of pastries. His vision cleared, as did his head. But any memory of the night before had vanished into the wind. He could only rely on Kyli’s version and he didn’t like what he heard.
“Wiley wants you at the office around noon. Are you going to make it?” She walked over to the chair and picked up her things.
“Yes. I’ll make it.” Jake massaged his temples. “What are you going to do while we’re gone?”
“My good friend Kates is flying in tonight.” She pulled her keys out of her purse. “We’re going to Paris for a few days. We’ll probably go to the Eiffel Tower. Maybe even the Louvre. But definitely Champs Elyses.”
“Her name is Kates?”
“Kates. With an ‘s’ on the end. Not Kate. Not Katie. Kates.” Kyli grabbed her stuff from the chair and moved toward the door. “I’ll be back in an hour. Be ready.”
“Where you going?”
“Home. I live in a flat about three blocks from here. I needed to clear the cobwebs out of my head too, you know.”
“Just leave all your things here.” She said. “The room’s been booked for a month. Be sure to wear comfortable traveling clothes, Wiley will provide everything else.”
“Why do you call him Wiley? Why don’t you call the old man ‘grandfather’ or ‘gramps'?” Jake feigned a smile. The volcano wanted to erupt.
Kyli put her hands on Jake’s chest, stood on her toes, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for going with me last night. We had fun, whether you can remember it or not.” She opened the door, looked back at him and said. “By the way, anyone ever tell you you’re a good kisser?”
She closed the door and left.
Jake’s head spun. The wave of nausea overwhelmed him. The volcano was erupting. He ran to the bathroom and heaved into the toilet.
CHAPTER 22
Isabella Hunt had lost track of time. She was able to keep up with her days and nights for a while but with the continual darkness of her prison, the drugs, and the beatings, they started to run together. When she was abducted from Hilal Shipping in Aden, the terrorist attacks planned for Paris were only two weeks away. She had to figure out how to escape — how to get away from her captors and warn Bentley.
She’d given up on a rescue; there wasn’t enough time left. A rescue now would waste precious time. Time the CIA needed to track down the two terrorists cells and neutralize them. During her last communication with Fontaine, he’d indicated Jake and Kaplan were in Australia planning to neutralize the cell that planned to attack Sydney.
She prayed they were successful.
Hunt’s years of conditioning and her strong will were keeping her alive. Her athletic prowess helped minimize the impact of the beating she received from the man she called Rotten Teeth. But she was getting weaker. It had been many hours since she drank the tainted liquid, days since she ate. Her refusal had meant more beatings. Her strong instinct for survival forced her to eat and drink even though she knew it would keep her in a drugged stupor.
She worked on her bindings, trying to free her hands. They wouldn’t budge.
The bolt on the wooden door clanked and the door swung open. The smallest man entered with food and drink. He sat in front of her and prepared to feed her.
“Cut loose my hands.” Hunt said. “I am too weak to escape. The bindings are too tight.”
“I can not. My orders are clear.” The man said. “If you do not eat, I am to give you this.” He pulled a syringe from his pocket and held it close to her face.
Feeling defeated, she opened her mouth.
Ten minutes later she had eaten everything the small man brought and drank two full glasses of water. She felt much better. Maybe the meal wasn’t drugged.
The small man got up to leave. “Please, cut me loose. I need to go to the bathroom.”
“I will let someone know. My orders are clear. If I free your restraints, they will cut off my hands.” He picked up the tray, turned, and walked out.
Ten minutes later two men entered the room. It was too late. The food had been drugged and she could barely hold up her head.
She felt the flex cuffs being cut free. She tried to move, now was her chance. Maybe her only chance. Her body wouldn’t respond. Then panic overwhelmed her, she felt the men removing her clothes.
Her greatest fear, on the verge of being realized. The men were going to rape her.
Her mind was aware but her body immobile. Whatever they gave her had just about paralyzed her limbs.
They dressed her in a gown as thin as a sheet, and placed her on a cot. Her head resting on a pillow.
She tried again to move. Her legs and arms felt too heavy to lift.
She heard another man enter the room. She felt him lift her gown, exposing her body and knew the moment was coming. She wanted to die. The man’s hand groped at her, pawing at everything that made her a woman. She knew she was in Hell. Then he stopped and pulled the gown over her. When he spoke, she knew who it was — Rotten Teeth.
“Tomorrow we will talk again.” Rotten Teeth said. “If you do not tell me what I want to hear, then you will die. But before you die, I will let you feel a real man inside you. Then I will let each of these men take you as well. And with each one, I will remove a body part, stemming your blood with fire. You will die a very slow and painful death.”
She saw a syringe being inserted in her arm.
Rotten Teeth pushed on the plunger.
Her world went black.