Jackie put the phone down with shaky hands. What now? Just when she thought the nightmare was over, something else happened. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Oh, how she wished, she could tell Michael. But Eric had made it clear that if she got the police involved, he would kill them on the spot.
Frantically, she looked around her. She needed to get out of her room, but how? The policeman was still outside her door and the balcony was two stories high, which made it impossible to jump.
Think, Jackie, think! She took some deep breaths to calm down. Of course!
Jackie rushed to her bedroom, put on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of sneakers, grabbed her jacket, her mobile and her purse, and took a last look around, to make sure she had all she needed. Then she located the fire alarm in the ceiling and pulled a chair beneath, so she would be able to reach it. Being a nonsmoker, she was lucky that because of the heavy storms the last few days, the power often went out and the hotel staff had provided all rooms with candles and lighters. She lit a candle, went back to the chair and climbed on it to get the flame close to the fire alarm. The heat triggered the alarm. The noise was deafening and the water sprinklers came on, soaking her to the bone, but she didn’t care.
She waited for a couple of minutes and after she heard a commotion outside in the corridor, she slowly opened the door and saw people rushing towards the stairs. The policeman was still there, looking alarmed, but hesitant to move.
“We have to go!” Jackie yelled at him in Greek and rushed to the stairs, trying to mix with the other hotel residents.
The policeman ran after her, but by the time they reach the ground floor, other people had joined them from the first floor and there was too much confusion for him to catch up with her.
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Jackie separated from the crowd rushing towards the reception area and hid behind a column. She watched the policeman ran to the reception area, frantically looking around. She waited until after he went out the front door to the parking lot to look through the people gathering there.
Immediately, she moved to the back of the building, went through the deserted kitchen, and left the building through a back door. She raced through the gardens and down to the beach, having decided to stay away from the main boulevard and the crowd in the parking lot. She ran without looking back, until she reached the storage areas of the paddle boats and canoes. Only then, did she stop to catch her breath.
She sat on a little bench for a couple of minutes, trying to slow down her heartbeat and looked cautiously around, to make sure she hadn’t been followed. There were quite a few people at the beach since there was still plenty of daylight, but they all seemed preoccupied with the fire alarm and the commotion going on. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to her. The storage area was empty, since probably the hotel employees had returned to the hotel to help with the evacuation of the building.
Her breath returned to normal and her heartbeat slowed down. She got up and walked around the storage area and through a smaller service parking lot to the main boulevard. She stopped the first taxi driving by and told the driver to take her to the port. Leaving the hotel without telling anyone where she was going was probably the most stupid thing she’d ever done, but Eric’s instructions were perfectly clear. If she was followed, her family was dead.
At the port, she got out of the taxi and walked around for a while. She wandered off in the narrow back alleys of the town, trying to make sure she wasn’t followed. She became one with the numerous tourists who walked along the labyrinth of narrow alleys, pretending she was looking in the store windows of the little shops displaying the work of silversmiths and woodcarvers along with other artifacts of Greek art.
Even though her mind was preoccupied with the fate of her family and the task she had to accomplish, she couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the “old town.” She was walking on alleys that have been walked on for eons—since Corfu has been inhabited continuously since ancient times.
It was an intoxicating experience. Jackie felt as if she were floating loose in time and space.
She took a deep breath of the fresh sea breeze, trying to clear her thoughts and carefully scanned her surroundings. Making sure no one seemed particularly interested in her, she made her way back to the main boulevard and jumped into the first taxi driving by, giving the driver the address to the Demiris mansion. Now that this part was over, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes for a few minutes.
She knew Michael was going to be furious with her, but there was nothing she could do at this point. She had to follow Eric’s instructions, and she had to do it on her own. Eric wanted her, and she needed to go. Once he had her, he promised he would let her family go.
If he ever did….
A small voice in the back of her head was screaming to not trust him. Eric didn’t strike her as the kind of person who kept his word. But, on the other hand, what other choice did she have?
Feeling the road getting kind of bumpy, she opened her eyes realizing they must be getting close to the mansion. She instructed the taxi driver to leave her at the front door instead of driving her down to the deserted beach, so that he wouldn’t get suspicious of what this woman was doing out there by herself.
She walked onto the veranda and stood in front of the door, pretending to be looking for her keys in her purse. The taxi drove away. Then she turned and ran towards the woods.
She felt a cold chill as she passed by the cliff where her car had run off the road. Clenching her teeth, she jogged down the winding, dirt road towards to the private beach.
Rushing around a curve, she ran right into someone.
Chapter Twelve
Michael left the police station parking lot and headed back for the hotel. He was glad, he had taken the briefcase with the contents of the safe to a safety deposit box at the local bank yesterday, so at least, he didn’t have to worry about that. He wanted to get back to Jackie as soon as possible.
Suddenly, he realized that because he’d been so upset with Eric’s escape; he had forgotten to ask Tony about her family. Driving with one hand, he picked up his cell phone and called Tony.
“It’s me,” he said as soon as Tony answered.
“What is it? Did you find him?” The anxiety was obvious in Tony’s voice.
“I wish,” Michael said and let out a curse. “There’s something else I need you to check on.”
“Go ahead,” Tony said.
“Jackie’s family in Atlanta,” Michael said.
“What about them?”
“They seemed to be missing.”
“Missing?” Tony asked, puzzled.
“Yes! Jackie has been trying to call them and there’s no answer, even in the middle of the night. And their cell phones are turned off.”
“Now that’s strange.”
“I think so too. Could you please check on it?” Michael almost choked. Was that Jackie on the side of the road flagging down a taxi? What in the hell is she doing now?
“I have to go,” he said abruptly and hung up the phone.
He followed the taxi and wasn’t surprised to see it driving towards the mansion again. What is wrong with this girl? She keeps putting herself in danger as if she has a death wish. Of course, Jackie couldn’t possibly know Eric had escaped, but she could have at least waited until he came back to the hotel.
He drove carefully down the paved driveway approaching the mansion and parked in a little opening where he couldn’t be seen from the house. He would walk the rest of the way to see what she was up to this time.
He hid behind some trees, as the taxi drove by him without Jackie. So she stayed at the mansion, he realized and walked towards the house.
By the time he got there, he saw her running across the lawns towards the woods, which led to the beach.
What now? He followed her.
As soon as he realized she was heading for the beach, he took a shortcut and came around the other way whe
re he had a better view of the whole area.
He was shocked to see a small speedboat with two men waiting at the beach.
He was too far to recognize faces, but the men seemed pretty short and bulky for any of them to be Eric or even that sleazeball, Alex.
No matter what, though, this whole thing was pretty weird.
He climbed down the hill watching his step. He didn’t want to take the path to the beach and be spotted.
He saw Jackie rush around a curve in the road and run right into another man, who was climbing up the path. Jackie was thrown to the ground by the collision.
Michael cursed under his breath, as he watched the man grab her by the arm and haul her roughly to her feet and down the path. Jackie seemed disoriented and confused, but didn’t seem to be fighting back.
Michael took a deep breath and clenched his fists to stop himself from launching after them. His face was an impenetrable mask, as he took out his cell phone.
***
The force of the collision knocked Jackie down and felt a sharp rock dig into her back. She gasped in pain. Still confused, she looked up at the man standing in front of her and a wild rush of fear washed over her. He was bad news. Before she had time to react, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her violently to her feet. She bit her lip to keep from moaning, as he dragged her behind him down the path towards the beach.
This was all happening too fast. When Eric offered her the chance to save her family, she’d thought she’d be able to control how she was taken to him. She hadn’t expected to be brutalized. She tried to dig in her heels to slow her progress as they approached the shore. A speedboat anchored just outside the edge of the surf with two dangerous looking men aboard waited for them. She assumed they were there to take her to Eric.
They reached the water, and the man dragging Jackie shoved her towards the craft. She waded through the water. When she reached the boat, one of the men reached for her hand, hauled her over the side and dumped her soaked and shivering on the deck.
Jackie crawled up onto one of the seats and tried to make herself as small as possible. She watched her assailant climb aboard as well. She looked around uneasily, as one of the other two men started the engine and they took off heading out into the open sea. Dear God, how was she going to get herself out of this mess?
“Where is Eric?” she demanded, trying to keep her voice from shaking, but none of the men seemed to be paying attention to her.
She decided she had nothing else to do but wait. She lay back watching the speedboat moving swiftly away from the shore and any sense of security she could rely on.
It was getting dark and Jackie felt really scared with the boat speeding across the water with no lights on. At least, the weather was calm tonight – nothing like the other night’s storm. Oh, how she wished that something would happen…that somehow Michael would find her and her family and everything would turn out okay. But how could he? How could he possibly know where she was and where they were taking her?
She remained still and alert, trying to figure out where they were heading from the few words the men exchanged. No luck! She could hardly understand what they were saying. They spoke too fast for her and their heavy Greek accent didn’t make deciphering their conversation any easier. Finally, she gave up and just decided to wait. Sooner or later they would take her to Eric, and at least then, she would know whether he actually had her family or if they were somewhere safe. Oh, how she wished that! She would be content knowing they were safe, even though she knew for her, there was no way out.
It seemed like hours later when she noticed a red light blinking somewhere in the distance in the dark sea. The speedboat seemed to be heading that way. The light kept on blinking as they drew closer. Soon enough, Jackie saw that it came from a large yacht lying motionless on the calm waters with no other lights but the one blinking, showing them the way.
They’re trying to avoid being spotted by the Coast Guard or police helicopters, Jackie thought.
As they approached, Jackie could see Eric and two other men standing on deck, looking in their direction. She took a deep breath. One of the figures seemed familiar.
Oh, my God. He hadn’t lied after all. But then again, something didn’t seem right.
As the speedboat moored next to the yacht, Jackie let one of the men on the boat help her onto the rope ladder. When her head cleared the deck, Eric reached for her, but she avoided his hand and climbed up by herself. As soon as she let go of the rope, she turned to look at the other two men she had seen with Eric. One of them was still standing there, a little further back, watching her closely in the dim light. The other one had moved swiftly away and was now disappearing inside the cabin.
She was really puzzled. There wasn’t enough light to see properly, but it was Stephanos all right—it had to be him—only a little different. She couldn’t actually pinpoint what it was different, but his hair seemed a little shorter—crew cut—and his body a little more muscular.
“Welcome aboard,” Eric told her, and she could hear the enthusiasm in his voice.
“Where is my family?” she asked abruptly, wanting to make it crystal clear she was in no mood for playing games. She was tired and worried sick about her family and was determined to clear things up right away.
“They should be here shortly” Eric replied, after a minute’s hesitation. “In the meantime…”
“In the meantime, nothing!” she burst out, feeling her temper rising. “I didn’t come here for a social visit” she continued, drawing strength from her desperation. “I came for one reason and one reason only and that’s my family!” She looked at him straight in the eyes, watching the color drain from his face and his eyes fill with rage and hostility.
She had hardly finished her sentence, when she felt more than saw the other man moving aggressively closer to her. Eric raised his hand and signaled for him to back off. She could tell that he wasn’t happy with the way things had turned out. He obviously didn’t appreciate her talking to him like that in front of his men, and she was sure that he would make her pay for her disrespect.
He grabbed her violently by the arm and pulled her inside the cabin. They entered a very luxurious living room with white leather sofas and arm chairs, a huge TV, and a bar in the corner. Eric shoved her onto one of the sofas and turned to say something to his associate who had followed them inside.
Jackie didn’t understand what he said, but saw the other man turn on his heel and go back outside.
“Now let’s get some things straight,” Eric said in a low, cold voice, putting emphasis on every word. “Here, I’m the boss and you will respect and obey me!” he continued raising his voice.
Jackie felt her heart sinking from fear and her palms sweating, but tried to remain as calm as she could. From the moment she’d hung up the phone at the hotel, she knew there was no way out for her. All she could do now was try to make sure her family was safe.
“Where are they?” she insisted, ignoring his statement.
Eric hit his fist on the wall and approached her like a predator going after his prey. “I had every intention of becoming friends with you,” he said hissing through his teeth. “But if you keep this up, I can guarantee you’ll end up at the bottom of the sea.” He leaned over her, his face distorted from fury.
Jackie was sure he was going to hit her again, when a familiar voice stopped Eric right in his tracks.
“That’s enough!” Stephanos commanded in a low, but threatening, ice-cold voice.
Eric stood still and Jackie turned to look at her uncle coming up the stairs from the deck below. She blinked a couple of times and swallowed hard, not being able to believe her eyes. It was him after all. And what was he doing here with Eric? And why did he look like that, dressed like a mercenary in a military uniform and carrying a gun on his side?
“Stephanos!” she exclaimed and jumped up off the sofa. “What are you doing here? What is going on?” She kept looking back and forth from the one ma
n to the other. She watched in bewilderment, as they faced each other ready to jump at each other’s throat.
“You stay out of this!” Stephanos commanded her coldly and kept on staring at Eric.
A minute later, Eric stepped back and walked outside, slamming the door behind him.
Jackie was left speechless. She watched her uncle or this muscular clone of him, walk swiftly over to the bar and with steady hands pour himself a drink. He threw it back and poured himself another, before he turned to face her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, with a shaky voice, “You know you’re not supposed to drink…” she continued, not so sure of herself any more. What was wrong with him? She had never seen him like this before. It was her uncle all right, but a stranger at the same time. Fear crawled up inside her like a cold snake, and she dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from shaking.
“And why is that?” he asked with some amusement in his voice, while he examined her closely. All of a sudden, Jackie realized why the voice of the man who had abducted her to the cave the other night sounded familiar. It was him!
“It was you!” she exclaimed bewildered. “It was you who hit me from behind and left me tied up in that cave the other night,” she continued. “But why? What’s going on? I came out here for you…for Aphrodite,” Her voice broke off in uncontrollable sobs. She felt so betrayed. She’d expected pretty much anything, but not this—not betrayal by a person she dearly loved and trusted.
Stephanos moved closer to her to examine her better in the soft light of the cabin. All of a sudden, they heard commotion going on from outside and a speedboat approaching.
Now, what? Jackie watched him put his glass down and move to the doorway.
“Now we’re all here,” he said enigmatically and walked outside.
Jackie let out a deep breath and sunk back down on the sofa. This was far more than she could handle. She shrunk in her seat, grabbing her knees with her hands, and squeezing them to keep them from shaking. She felt dizzy and disoriented.