10
Kylie waited for thirty minutes before speaking. When she was sure none of the kidnappers were still in the basement, she blew air, getting a gap in the hood, and said, “Nick? You still here?”
She heard nothing. She said again, a little louder, “Nick?”
She heard a shuffle, then, “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry. My head’s a little woozy. I think I have a concussion. I keep going in and out.”
The words scared her. He was her only anchor.
“Nick . . . I don’t know what to do. They’re going to come back, and they’re going to find out the truth. I don’t know what to say.”
She heard a scuffling, then his voice much closer. “Kylie, they won’t. Just pretend like I said. The Secret Service prevented you from getting too involved. You don’t know how anything works, because you were kept away. I’m sorry I ever did this to you. I’ve never gotten involved with anyone for this very reason. I just . . . just couldn’t help myself with you. I’m sorry.”
She heard the words and felt a warmth, despite the circumstances. “I appreciate what you did. You didn’t have to.”
She heard nothing for a moment, then, “No. I did. And not because I feel responsible. Strange to have it come out here, I suppose, but I’d have liked to have a few more dates with you.”
She smiled in her hood, the conversation taking her away from the situation. “Maybe we could do that. Why are you going by the name of Seacrest?”
“It’s my mother’s maiden name. Secret Service thought it would help protect me. Guess that was a crock of shit.”
They sat in silence for a moment, then he said, “You know, I do blame you. Who else in this whole damn country drinks rum and Coke? Nobody. That’s what caught me. My favorite drink.”
She turned her head in the hood, focusing on his voice, wanting the connection. The only thing she had. “I got that from a friend of my uncle. That’s all he drinks.”
Then she remembered who the friend was. “Hey, my uncle is a pretty important guy. And his friend is a holy terror. When I come up missing, they’ll start to hunt for me.”
Nick chuckled and said, “Kylie, I’m the vice president’s son. You can’t get any more important.”
“No, you don’t understand. My uncle is in the military. He does something all classified. He isn’t important in a political way. He’s . . . he’s . . . just . . . I don’t know what he is. But he’s someone these guys don’t want to meet.”
She heard the condescension in his voice. “Well, maybe he’ll do something. Can’t hurt.”
Kylie focused on the face of her uncle, drawing strength from it, knowing what he would do. She reached her hand to her neck and rubbed a gold pendant on a simple chain. Shaped in a circle, it looked like a thick golden washer. Stenciled around the rim was a Bible verse. Romans 3:8. It was a gift from her uncle, and just having it made her feel secure, as if he were watching over her right this minute.
She remembered his friend she’d met at picnics and unit parties, full of volcanic heat and restrained violence. Remembering how she’d been scared by him and drawn to him at the same time. Unlike the men a floor above, he was a predator. And he would come. She was sure of it. She lay down, feeling the first sense of calm since the ordeal had started.
More to herself than Nick, she touched the pendant and said, “He’ll come. And these fuckers are going to pay.”
She heard the door open above, and her nascent confidence wilted like a flower in the desert. She heard footsteps, but not of someone walking clean. They were dragging a body down.
She perked her head up, straining to see anything through the hood. She heard something large slap the concrete, then a wail. “I work for NATO! I don’t know anything about Ireland. I haven’t done anything.”
She heard something like a sack of dirt being kicked, then coughing.
“Shut the fuck up. I’m sick of your whining. Keep it up, and you’ll be the first we kill.”
The steps retreated, and they were in silence again. Eventually, Nick brought up the courage to break it. “Hello? Who was just brought down?”
She heard nothing. Nick tried again. “Hello?”
A voice tentatively said, “Who are you?”
“Nicholas Seacrest. American. You?”
“Travis Deleon. American as well.”
Nick said, “Who are you related to?”
“What’s that mean?”
“Why did they take you? Who do you know?”
Kylie heard nothing for a moment, then, “I don’t know anyone. Why would you ask that?”
He thinks we’re trying to trick him.
She said, “Travis, I’m Kylie and we’re just trying to figure out why we’ve been taken.”
“Kylie who?”
“Kylie Hale. I’m sitting here with a hood on my head as well.”
He didn’t respond. She heard scraping and worming, then heard Nick say, “You’re in ACUs. You’re Army.”
“How would you know that? If you’re hooded?”
“I just got my hood off. Listen, I’m an Air Force weatherman stationed at RAF Molesworth in England. I see your rank. You’re a lieutenant colonel in the Army. Something’s going on, and I want to know if it’s because of what’s in our heads, or something else. What do you do?”
“Quit talking. They’ll hear us. They’ll come down here.”
“Maybe so, but they took us alive for a reason. They aren’t going to kill us because we piss them off. No matter what threats they throw out. I thought originally it was for intelligence, but you shouted you work for NATO, just like I do, and these guys are Irish, so that makes no sense. It must be because of who we are. So, who are you?”
Kylie heard the door open and curled up, praying Nick was right. She heard footsteps, then a struggle with the slapping of flesh. A man said, “Keep your fucking hoods on.” She heard a kick, then coughing. “All of you shut the hell up, or I’ll cave your faces in.”
The footsteps retreated, the door slammed, and there was silence. She heard someone spit something thick, then Nick said, “Well, which is it? Do you work in a capacity that they’d want what’s in your head, or is it you?”
Travis hissed, “Be quiet. They’ll come beat us.”
Nick said, “They just did. And I can take it. The scare’s over. They’ll only kill who can’t help them, and you can. Why?”
Kylie whispered, “Nick. Maybe he’s right. Maybe we should just wait to see what’s going to happen.”
“Bullshit. I’m not waiting. Nobody is coming for us. If we want to get out, we’ll do it ourselves. We need to start thinking about escape. Get ready for an opportunity.”
His voice strident, Travis said, “No. No, no, no! We will do nothing. Nothing, do you hear? Let the US government sort this out.”
Kylie heard Nick exhale, then say, “The US government won’t come for us in time. These fucks intend to use us to leverage our government. To alter some policy. They will use our lives to harm the United States. We have to plan an escape. You’re in the Army, for Christ’s sakes.”
The steel in his voice was new. Something different from the soft man who had talked her out of her shirt. Something like her uncle’s friend. She debated whether he was putting them in jeopardy, and whose side she would take. Her uncle’s friend came to her mind’s eye, all hard edges and predatory skill. She decided.
Better to fight.
She said, “Travis, he’s right. We need to plan for a way out. Sitting here waiting on the police isn’t going to work.”
Travis said, “I am a lieutenant colonel in the US Army. I am the senior officer here. I’m giving you an order to not do anything. Nothing. Do you understand?”
Kylie had no idea what any of that meant, but got a clue from Nick’s response.
“Jesus Christ. They put a * in here with us.”