Page 17 of A Princess, Stolen
Evidently, he wasn’t so indifferent to me after all or the tip had been big enough. I peered out into the trees. “No, he…he’s already here. He’s waiting somewhere over there.” I made a vague gesture.Oh God, I don’t want to go!By now I was certain they would kill me straightaway. Why would they risk keeping me prisoner somewhere? Panicked images flooded my mind. How would they kill me? With a shot to the back of the head that I wouldn’t even see coming? Or with a clean cut through the throat after I’d fought in vain for my life?
I’m so sorry, Dad. So, so, so sorry.
“Back there are the dilapidated ruins of the old asylum, miss. You shouldn’t go there, even with your friend.”
“Okay, we won’t.” That was why they’d ordered me here. If anything, this place was full of junkies, nutcases, and dealers, criminals who had no interest in the murder of a young woman. I silently begged the driver not to let me get out, but he didn’t stop me as I climbed out.
Feeling like I was signing my own death warrant, I slammed the door. Pressing the phone to my ear, I watched him drive off, the taillights turning into red dots that disappeared into the darkness.
Suddenly, it was quiet. Too quiet. I couldn’t remember ever being so alone.
“I assume he’s gone.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re sure you are all alone?”
I looked around, trembling. “Yes.” Obviously, his people were waiting for me somewhere, maybe even he himself.
“Take off the wig and sunglasses and throw them on the ground. Your handbag, too.”
I clumsily followed his orders. “Okay!”
“In the coat, you’ll find a scarf. Tie it tightly around your eyes and make sure it fits properly! It’s your life insurance.”
At first, I was hit by shock but then I understood what his words meant and allowed myself to take a deeper breath. The blindfold was so I wouldn’t recognize anyone. They obviously didn’t intend to kill me. At least, not immediately. But naturally, he could be lying. Maybe they merely wanted me as helpless as possible with the blindfold.
“When you’re done, raise both arms.”
I didn’t want to tie the blindfold or do anything else. I wanted to faint, but my body wouldn’t grant me that favor. I mechanically reached into the coat pocket and found something soft that I had noticed before but it didn’t register in my panic. I pulled it out. “I have to put the phone away so I can tie the scarf.”
“Place it in the pocket and leave it on.”
I felt relief when I put it away and was no longer at the mercy of this Isaac, but only for a split second. My fingers were stiff from gripping the phone so tightly. I looked toward the forest. I saw myself lying there on the ground with sightless eyes and death-spotted skin, roses of white ice around me like snow. It looked like an oil painting melting inside me leaving only cold fear behind.
For the first time, I pondered fleeing. I could just run away. The trees and the darkness offered protection and maybe I could hide in the ruins the driver had mentioned. “Dad,” I whispered into the night. If only he was here with me! I blinked several times and suddenly saw him in front of me, unsuspectinglyjoking with Mr. Strickland. I saw him laugh, but then he turned his head in the imaginary direction from which I was looking. As if he sensed I was in danger and was thinking of him.
Dad!I pleaded silently. He looked at me attentively.Hear me, please, hear me, Dad!
He smiled, a tender gleam in his blue eyes.
What should I do? Dad, what should I do?
His gaze held me and his voice filled my mind.
You know I would die for you any time, Willa Rae, right? I would do it because that’s the only correct thing to do, you know that!
Yes, I know that!I wanted to scream. I wanted to call him like I always did at night after Mom’s death when I dreamed of the stormy ocean, the waves, and drowning. When I woke up crying because I missed Mom so terribly and didn’t understand how she could be in heaven when the sea had drawn her into its arms. I wanted to hear his voice, which could support and comfort me, which talked me to sleep and always remained friendly and never screamed.
“Dad,” I whispered. I couldn’t lose him. He couldn’t lose me. We were Athos and Aramis, who only had each other. I had just received the ring from him. I was only nineteen.
I heard Isaac say something but I didn’t react. Instead, with desperate determination, I tied the cloth around my eyes and knotted the ends as tightly as I could. By God, the angels, and the spirits, I would not let anyone hurt Dad. I would rather die myself than lose him. At that moment, I realized with a sudden clarity how Mom must have felt when Dad chose me. I knew with an inner certainty that she had actually wanted it for me and for herself, and that thought gave me strength. At least for those seconds when I stood blindly in the middle of nowhere with my arms raised.
Chapter 5
Iheard the cars on the nearby freeway. I hadn’t noticed them before, but with the cloth over my eyes, noises grew more pronounced. Only now, I remembered the cell phone still in my coat pocket, but I didn’t dare to put my hands down. With my breath caught in my throat, I listened in the darkness. In the distance, a car started up and accelerated. The hum of the engine told me it was approaching me, and suddenly, I was terrified of being run over.
Blindly, I turned right and left, whispering, “Please,” into the air so that not even Isaac on the phone could hear. The sound of the engine grew louder, but the car seemed to be moving slowly, and shortly afterward, brakes screeched. Out of pure reflex, I wanted to rip the cloth off, but I forced my hands further up.
