Man Detox: A Novel Page 9

  Her head was covered with a piece of cloth, black she assumed. Some sort of bag, or pillowcase. In trying to free her head, she had moved her body too much alerting the co-passengers in the vehicle.

  Without removing the dreadful bag from her head, she saw another piece of cloth enriched with the same chemical that had rendered her unconscious before planted to her mouth. This time, she thought she was suffocating to death. Her heart rattled inside her body until she couldn’t fight anymore.

  Irene had subconsciously assumed she was dead. That resigned sense of death hadn’t escaped her body even after she awoke to find herself strapped to a pole. Now seeing the man who smiled at her and treated her with such kindness on the plane, as she recalled it at the moment, she felt like she might live again. The mistake will be rectified, and she will be back on the resort complex getting back to having the tropical fun. Where was Ethan though?

  “Did you think you would see me again?” He asked, pulling up a stool to sit outside of her reach, and yet close enough to feel like they were still in the first class cabin.

  “No… Something terrible has happened, Roger! I’m so happy you’re here…”

  “The feeling is mutual. Glad we can have that understanding before we get down to business.”

  “What business is this? Why am I tied to a pole?” She asked desperately, turning her body around so that she could have a better look at him.

  “It is a simple proposition. I will ask for a small favor. If you do as I ask, you will be free to go…”

  Irene’s mind went into a spiral of chaos. How could someone flying in first class and supposedly owner and operator of large businesses be here asking her for a favor? What could the favor be anyway? She feared the worst, now remembering his aggressive sexual advances at her.

  “Why? What’s happening? Where’s Ethan?”

  “Why? Because I can. What’s happening? Let’s see. What’s happening is you are about to face the simplest and yet potentially most consequential decision of your life. Where’s Ethan? Well, why don’t you tell me?”

  “Tell you what?”

  “About Ethan…”

  Did she get enmeshed in some kind of business conflict? Was that the reason she got swept up in this terrible mess?

  “I don’t know anything about Ethan… We just met…”

  “Did you lie to me about meeting a family here?”

  “Uh… I was just…”

  “You lied, didn’t you? What did you think I would do? Did you take me as that unreasonable of a person?”

  “I didn’t know what to say… I was trying to…”

  What was she trying to do in lying to him? Irene searched her brain. “I was trying to make it less complicated…”

  “How is this for complicated?”

  Unannounced, he reached out and slapped her in the face. The shock was severe. More painful for the scuffing on her arm as her body swung in response to the blow. Her face felt like it was burning in flames. She started crying spontaneously.

  “You must have thought I am some kind of old pervert coveting your pussy, didn’t you?”

  She shook her head as much out of confusion as compliance. Her conviction about surviving the darkness was shattered. There was no hope in Roger. Whatever he was doing on the plane, he wasn’t telling her the whole truth.

  “I am waiting. What do you know about Ethan?”

  He waited for her patiently. He acted as if he had all the time in the world.

  “I swear I am telling the truth. I only met him yesterday. Literally by accident…” She looked at him hoping and pleading for mercy. His expression was stone cold. What does he want from her?

  “Good. Getting somewhere with this. I told you I would be kind, didn’t I?”

  She shook her head again. When was it ever going to end?

  “What do you do if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I am a nurse. I work in Denver.”

  “So, as a nurse… How long have you been out of school?”

  “Two years…”

  “Any loans?”

  She shook her head again.

  “So, as a nurse, on about $50-75k salary, is that about right?”

  “Yes,” she said, in a weak voice. What was the point of this, she kept wondering.

  “One would think, given that background, which I assume you aren’t lying about, someone in your kind of situation would be constrained for finances to be flying first class. Am I right on that?”

  “Oh!” Irene gasped. All this had been a terrible misunderstanding. “I didn’t pay for it. I could never afford it. Ethan paid…”

  “Ethan paid for your first class ticket, and you don’t know anything about him, and if I may rephrase, you met him by accident. Literally, right?”

  “Yes, it is all true… I don’t know what’s happening here… Is it even legal?”

  Fighting off lumps in her throat and crying, she asked the one question she had been told about since she was a child. Every life has God-given rights to be protected at all times. If faced with an authority figure, she needed to behave in a respectful manner. When the appropriate opportunity presented itself, she was to inquire as to the nature of her alleged transgression and legality of actions being taken against her. Staying calm and composed and unfailingly courteous for law enforcement officials do a difficult job. It was her duty to be a responsible citizen.

  The problem was the person sitting in front of her was neither a policeman nor any sort of officer in the capacity of protecting her freedoms. The other problem, which no previous lectures about etiquette could prepare her for, was she was in a faraway place. Away from all the familiar ways of life, in the darkness, alone and vulnerable with no early idea about what might have happened to Ethan.

  “I am the law in this situation,” Roger said, in his menacing and now terrorizing voice.

  Irene stared at him in shock. This was a terrible situation. What was she to do about it?

  “I swear I am not lying to you now. I was on the way to the airport…” She stopped to wipe the tears from her cheek, by leaning her head against her shoulders. It was painful. He wasn’t going to let her go.

  “Continue!”

  “We had an accident. I missed my flight because of it, and he booked me replacement tickets. That was it, I swear that is the truth.”

  Roger leaned forward and slapped her again. It was the same left side that had still been reeling from the first hit. This shook her body. She felt her jaw might have cracked from the impact. It was so sudden and overpowering that she didn’t have time to react. It was as if her body froze and stopped responding. She stopped crying. Why doesn’t he believe me? She wondered without appreciating the fantastical nature of her rendezvous with Ethan.

  “If you lie to me again, next time it will be worse!”

  “I s-swear… I am not lying… Please believe me…” The crying had returned. “I know it sounds crazy, but that was it.”

  “How did he happen to be here at the wedding with you then?”

  “We agreed to meet. It was spontaneous. I didn’t know anything about him before that moment.”

  Irene wracked her brain for a more convincing explanation. Why was he asking so much about Ethan and her knowledge of his background? She realized, in a moment of clarity, that she noticed he hadn’t asked her anything about her family. Could this have all been about Ethan? Did he not tell her everything?

  Roger looked at her sternly as she wept more, in fits and spurts, desperately clinging to the idea that this couldn’t be the brutal drug trafficking gangs she had heard about in the news.

  Only less than a day ago, this man was a well-dressed and polished executive who was trying to entice her. There were no rings on his hand so she couldn’t tell if he was married or not. Did he have a family? What was his motive?

  “I am here for a wedding. My friend just got married. Can I please get back to the resort?”

  “Would you go back without Ethan?�
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  “I didn’t mean that. Could you please let us go? What did I do?”

  “That’s a good question, isn’t it? I will have a chat with him and see what we can do. Does that sound reasonable to you?”

  Nothing seemed reasonable. But Irene knew fully well she couldn’t be honest about her feelings. She needed to figure a way out.

  “Could you please tell him I am sorry and that I will see him soon?”

  As he got up from his seat, he slapped her on the other side, “I’m not your fucking messenger. You’ll be happy if you come out alive from this situation.”

  ∫---∫

  Chapter Fifteen

  By the time anyone set foot inside the hut, Ethan was struggling to keep his focus on the steps needed to survive. It was less than six months ago that he went through personal protection and safety course at a price of thousands of dollars. He had heard all the statistics on how tens of thousands of kidnap cases happen every year targeting business travelers resulting in billions of dollars of ransom exchanged. It had seemed unrealistic when sitting through a simulated course. Now it is all real.

  Ethan ticked through the list of the highlights of the course. There were to be four phases. They have already been through the assault phase, which had the element of surprise and orchestrated extraction from a safe environment. The transportation phase was long gone. He couldn’t remember what happened. The smell of the chemical still lingered in his memory. Repugnant odor that left him nauseated until the decay of life took over. He was now in the captivity phase. If he were to be lucky, they would be a release phase. All that was assuming the captors were after his money.

  The irony of the situation was he had tried to implement lessons he learned on his way to the resort. He carried a decoy wallet, tried not to have anything that would ostentatiously display his wealth. The booking for the resort was made through a travel agent he used for discrete travel plans. He had paid attention to his surrounding in the hope of picking out any suspicious activity. All had seemed normal, and he had arrived at the resort and finally relaxed to enjoy the surprise rendezvous with the stranger who seemed so familiar to him.

  All that sense of security and comfort were gone the instant he was hooded with a burlap sack and given a few punches in the stomach to extinguish most of the air out of him. Despite his training, he had felt small. Knowing that the beginning of a hostage situation is the most chaotic and volatile, he had tried to stay calm, controlling his breathing and focusing on buying more time. He remembered the words of his instructor, “Try to survive as long as you can. The longer you are alive, the better your chances.”

  As painful as his current predicament seemed, he knew the most dangerous phase had passed, if he was to trust the training. He can now carefully navigate the situation, he thought reminding himself to take deep breaths. He thought he had faced tough business negotiations before. Some were crucial in generating cash influx when he had limited runway to keep his company going. He had gone from zero to estimated 3.5 billion dollar net worth by being astute and Machiavellian if the situation called for it. What is now at risk is his life. The question before him was simple, how much is his life worth to him?

  Ethan was reminding himself to see to it that he would never travel anywhere without a bodyguard next time. He hated the idea immediately. He thought it was the most pretentious thing to do. He wasn’t some celebrity that needed protecting from senseless groupies. That was a terrible idea.

  But then what were the alternatives? He didn’t get a chance to answer the question when the wooden door was propped open. Confounding his expectation, in walked a man, as white and American as one might expect and could reasonably discern in the darkness. Immediately, his preparation had failed him. He was waiting for a fully masked Mexican strong man. He repeated the training in his mind.

  Remain calm, non-threatening. Don’t look directly in the eyes. If you are nervous, pick out a spot on the face and concentrate on it. Don’t make sudden moves…

  “Ethan Anderson. CEO. Entrepreneur. Data nerd.”

  Ethan wasn’t sure he heard the man right. It seemed he was reading from a small piece of paper. Does he know this person? Per training, if he had nothing to add to humanize the situation, it’s better to shut up. So he did. He knew his minutes were numbered before he would be roughed up any second.

  “Have you been here before?”

  “Mexico?” Ethan asked, focusing on a black mole on the left cheek of the man. He wasn’t all that hideous looking. About forty years old, he estimated. Why wasn’t he covering himself up?

  “I don’t fucking care if you have been to Mexico or not. Do you know what’s happening here?”

  “No, sir.”

  “So, this situation is new to you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The man walked forward and smacked him on the head.

  “That ought to get your juices going. Surprisingly calm for someone who has never been to this kind of situation. Don’t fucking lie to me!”

  Ethan bit his tongue. This was a crucial time. He needed to establish a personal rapport with the man and make him realize his value. He needed to stay alive.

  What was his connection with the man? Family? Anything that can be said about family? He needed to avoid anything concerning money or politics. This was all about staying clearheaded.

  “I talked to your darling. What was her name?”

  “Are you talking about Irene, sir?”

  “Who else would I be talking about? Strange name. Don’t you think? Irene. It reminds me too much of Iran.” The man said with a heavy emphasis on ‘I.’

  Iran? Is this man connected with the military? Why would he be upset of being reminded of Iran? He looked much too seasoned.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. Iran is a terrible place.”

  “What the fuck do you know about Iran?”

  “Not too much, sir. Tidbits from reading the news coverage of the regime and the recent Green Revolution.”

  “They fucking quashed that rebellion like an insect while everyone was running around demanding regime change. How ridiculous to think they could tweet their way into freedom? These young chaps have no clue whatsoever. I am hoping you aren’t as clueless.”

  “It was unfortunate.”

  Ethan thought he had found a topic he can establish a connection with his captor. If the man hates Iran, so should Ethan in principle. Instead, the man hit him on his head. This time a more severe blow than the last, which left him momentarily disoriented.

  “Who the fuck says it’s unfortunate. Those spoiled youth declaring war on Twitter got what they deserved. When have you ever seen a strong regime give up something precious? Seen what happened to Qaddafi? They fucking brutalized and killed him.”

  So, this man had a dictator worship, Ethan thought. Proto-dictator himself, perhaps, playing out these kidnapping scenarios to exalt his ego.

  “That’s right, sir. Power is everything. The only thing.”

  “Of course it is! You must wonder why I am not hiding myself...”

  Ethan kept quiet. This was a dangerous territory. He couldn’t hazard a guess and get it wrong.

  “Because I am a businessman. This is about negotiations. And, I am a strong believer in transparency.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ethan nodded his head vigorously.

  The other crucial lesson of negotiations is don’t enter one from a position of weakness. As it was, Ethan couldn’t have had a weaker position. He had no leverage on the man other than his adaptability and willingness to give what the man wants.

  “So, Roger here wishes to have a fruitful negotiation with you. He hopes you are a worthy opponent.”

  Ethan was confused for a moment before he realized the man was talking about himself. What was it that was said about people who liked talking about themselves in the third person? He couldn’t remember it. He hoped the answer would come to him as he has lucked out in the past, giving an intractable challenge
to his subconscious brain and going about his business until the solution materializes when he least expected. He had made a system out of it.

  So, for now, the task at hand was dealing with a man who isn’t scared to hide his face or name, if he isn’t lying about it. Could the man be a disgruntled military man in the wrong place at the wrong time?

  Roger was now sifting through contents of a shoe-box he brought with himself. He picked out a passport. It was American. How did he get it? He had stashed all his valuables in the safe and locked before he left for the reception.

  “Irene Angela Harwin…” Roger said out loud. “What’s she worth to you?”

  It shocked Ethan that he hadn’t fully considered the question until this moment. He had prepared himself to believe he had been set up by her. That was the prudent conclusion to arrive at until her innocence was proven. What should be his answer? This was the opening gambit. He couldn’t over promise. This was a negotiation after all.

  Should he say he didn’t care about her? If he did, he knew fully well they would call his bluff and do something dangerous to see when he will break. The truth of the matter was he cared about her.

  Why was he here in the first place if he didn’t care about her? It wasn’t all about the resemblance to Rose. There was something more, and he was starting to feel the sort of emotion and connection he hadn’t felt in a long time. Was it possible he might have fallen for a dangerous girl?

  “She is valuable. To me and her family, too, I would imagine.”

  “Let’s not get distracted. What’s she worth to you? Put a number on it. C’mon, you know everything has a price.”

  This was a sticky situation.

  “I will be honest with you. I have only gotten to know her for a little while. A little over a day to be exact.”

  Ethan waited to let the man interrupt him. He didn’t want to say more.

  “That is not what she said to me.”

  This was dangerous. If Roger was telling the truth, why would she lie? Was she trying to impress them by saying she was more connected than she really was? Or, all this was some sort of bluff to disorient him.