Page 36 of French Escapade

Ken

The door closes behind Élodie. Two minutes, and then it’s my turn. That’s about the time I need to get my heart rate back to normal.

Arkady is not the only one who gave me an adrenaline rush. Élodie is also a guilty party. For a moment, this dark and narrow closet became a slice of heaven. I forgot why we were here.

I regroup and click on my comm system. “Jimmy, do you copy?”

One click confirms he does. Three clicks, and I know Ted is here too. Good, I can report.

“We found the third room. There are pieces of luggage in the room, and one of them is Madison’s. I think it’s the place where they’ll store the girls before the sale. We left one woman there, she was in bad shape. I’m not sure if someone slipped something in her drink, or if she had just taken something to find the courage to work the room. Whatever the case, she’s out for the count. I just hope Arkady won’t take advantage of the situation.”

“Negative. I confirm. Negative,” Ted’s voice says in my ear. “He’s standing right in front of me on the porch.”

I breathe a little easier. He must have left shortly after we did. In a perfect world, I’d call an ambulance to make sure she’s examined by a competent doctor, but I can’t. Not without compromising Madison’s safety. After I get her back, I’ll worry about Arkady’s other victims.

A quick glance at my watch, and I know I’ll need more patience. It’s only 2130, and Madison’s message said 2300.

I crack the closet door open. No one. I walk out and return to the dining room. Jimmy and I stand next to each other at one end of the room.

“Third table on the left,” Jimmy says, to tell me where Élodie is. She’s between two guys in their fifties wearing European-style clothing.

They appear to be having an animated conversation when one of them leans forward to whisper something in her ear. She moves back and laughs out loud as if she’s never heard something so funny. The man stands a little taller, very proud of himself. If he were a peacock, he would spread out his tail wings.

I look away. I need to find something else to concentrate on. If one of Élodie’s dinner companions gets frisky, I’m not sure how I would handle it. To distract myself, I scan the room, looking for Arkady. He hasn’t returned. He’s not eating with everyone else.

“Do you have a plan?” Jimmy whispers.

“No, still don’t,” I confess.

The fact of the matter is that the situation is more complicated than we anticipated. I can’t really see myself running away with Madison and abandoning the other girls to their fate. Right now, with Élodie and Ted, we could probably force our way out of here with three or four girls, but only if they are able to stand on their own two legs. And there’s no guarantee that this will be the case when 2300 comes around. I don’t doubt that Arkady will have some help to shepherd his flock and make sure no one goes astray.

This means that the four us, even with our guns, can’t free all the girls. Unless, once we get started, Élodie gets help from her colleagues. That would probably be the best solution.

Minutes pass, each slower than the one before. Our only distraction is to study the guests and to listen to Ted chatting away with the other guy at the door. He’s fishing for information, but the man doesn’t seem to know much.

We’re almost done with dinner; a huge cake appears. The cake is an elaborate affair. Three tiers, with an impressive number of candles. The guests merrily sing a birthday song and stand to applaud Dmitri, the star of the evening, and he blows out all the candles with the help of two lovely young ladies standing by his side.

In a symbolic gesture, he carves out a slice of each of the three cakes before returning the knife to the staff to let them finish the cutting.

“What’s that bus?” Ted’s voice is in my ear again. “Shouldn’t we check who’s inside?”

“No, don’t worry about it,” another man’s voice answers. “It’s a member of the staff, you know, the party people. I know them.”

I listen to this exchange while most of the men remain at their tables. Some excuse themselves and leave the room.

“Those are the red roses,” Jimmy observes.

Indeed, the men moving out of the room all wear a scarlet flower on their lapel.

Strategically, we move closer to the door to observe what is happening in the hall. Arkady’s there, flanked by two men built like wrestlers. He’s inviting the others to enter the room where the auction will be held.

Finally, time for action.

“Patience,” Jimmy says. “We don’t move before we have eyes on Madison.”

I nod. No need to remind me. I’m the one who said that was carved in stone. The worst thing we could do would be to show our hand before we’re certain my sister is here.

While most of the guests keep on eating, oblivious to what’s happening so close by, those who came to do business with Arkady slip into the adjacent room.

Everyone must have arrived, since Arkady follows them in, leaving behind his two goons to guard the door. I don’t think they will be a problem, especially if we take them by surprise.

I wait for a few minutes, but nothing happens.

That’s when I realize they won’t bring the girls in through the main door. If they’ve drugged them to ensure their compliance, they will lead them in by the service entrance.

We won’t be able to see them from where we stand. I turn toward Jimmy, who is frowning.

“You decide,” he says. I’m ready when you are.”

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