Page 21 of The Honeymoon Heist

I held up my hands and said, “Okay, okay. I’m not looking to get harmed.”

He said, “That’s good, because we’re not looking to harm you. We only have some questions. Let’s go.”

The first guy started walking, and the one with the pistol waited until we were on the stairs before following. We reached the top, and I saw the two grizzled Americans from the surveillance tape, both looking like they were about to be sick. To their left, on the floor, was Bianca, unconscious and tied up, with a strip of tape over her mouth.

The man with the gun saw my reaction and said, “Don’t worry about her. When the tourists come, they’ll find her, no worse for wear. We didn’t harm her.”

One of the grizzled Americans said, “Hey, we didn’t agree to this. We didn’t agree to drugging people or tying them up.”

Pistol man said, “What did you think would happen? Take the girl.”

He stepped forward and I realized they meant Amena, which was a redline. I looked at him and said, “You touch her, and you're dead.”

I turned to the man with the pistol and said, “She’s not going anywhere. We’ll all go.”

“I’m sorry, but she’s our leverage. When she’s removed from your care, you will listen to us. I promise we will do nothing to harm her as long as you comply. Think about it before you do something stupid.”

I looked at Jennifer, wondering if she could take the other guy before he could draw his pistol. I didn’t think I could reach the one holding it out in the open. He was skilled, and didn’t do anything as stupid as put the barrel within my arm’s reach. He stood off, knowing the whole point of a gun was killing from a distance.

Jennifer shook her head, her eyes telling me to buy time. But the cost was just too much.

I turned to him with venom leaking out and said, “If you take her, I won’t know if she’s okay. I can’t allow that to happen.”

He saw my eyes and chuckled, saying, “So, it’s true. You aren’t here just on vacation. You’re something else.”

He flicked the gun to one of the Americans and said, “Take her.”

I put Amena behind my back and said, “No. She’s not going.”

He looked at me and said, “Do you want to die here, right now?”

I locked eyes with him and said, “If that’s what it takes, but I promise, I won’t be the only one dead.”

The second man drew his pistol and Jennifer said, “Wait, wait...”

She turned to me and said one word, “Time.”

And I knew exactly what she meant. I wanted to attack things head-on, destroying the threat in front of me. She was telling me to give us a chance. We couldn’t win in a stairwell with two men holding guns. And she was right.

I released Amena’s hand and said, “Follow those men. I’ll be with you soon.”

It literally destroyed my heart to see her walk up the stairs, looking back at me like I’d abandoned her. When they were gone, I turned to the man below me with the pistol and said, “If she’s harmed in any way, I will kill you.”

He said, “I’ve heard that a lot in my life. It never seems to come to pass.”

He waved his pistol at me to start walking and I said, “Same thing your two friends said last night, right before I slaughtered them.”

And for the first time I saw a bit of hesitation in his eyes, wondering if I was more skilled at killing than he was.

Which was the truth.

Chapter 13

Amena walked outside of the church holding the hand of the older American, not because she wanted to, but because he insisted on it. They went back to the upper road for the town and started walking past the shops and restaurants. She thought about screaming for help, but didn’t, because she’d been told any activity on her part would ensure the death of her parents.

She’d already lost her real parents years ago and blamed herself for the killings. She wouldn’t do that again. What she needed to do was escape, without causing the ruckus of a police response. Something she’d done in an earlier life, when she was stealing for food. Something she was good at.

She reverted to the “I’m just a child” persona that she’d used many, many times before, saying, “What are we doing? Why are you taking me away? Why did those men have guns? Where are my parents?”

---