CHAPTER ELEVEN
"So wide is the road that leads to Hades. Many follow the path, oblivious to its end."
Her hands and legs were tied together; her mouth gagged with a piece of cloth. She lay unconscious in the back seat of the car of her captors. Emily Stone met has her loo.
Her night out turned into hell. The car had been on the road for hours and the driver kept driving as fast as he could. The boss told them to inform her father that they have his daughter in their custody.
The two goons kept drinking, and laughing as they rode onto the far plains of the island.
No one can find them here; it is the end of the world. They are taking her to the old warehouse on the deserted LANPADRDAS ISLANDS and no one, not even the cops, can find her.
Emily's eyes roll back to consciousness, her body weak from the effect of the drug that was used on her. Her head swirls in pain, her eyes watery, and her wavy hair splatters over her face. She tries to scream but can only squirm.
"Hey," the first goon says, nudging towards his other goon, "Seems this sissy needs to be quiet."
His hands dirty, body smelly, and sweaty, the one-eyed dark-haired goon stretches towards her and brings out a dirty handkerchief to spread it on her nostril. She loses consciousness and drifts back to sleep.
"It's a long ride from here girl, sleep tight little red riding hood." they both jeer hysterically
6 HOURS EARLIER.
Despite the pleas of her aunt not to do anything reckless. Emily hit the clubs and dance her sorrows away. She left the hotel, hoping to get some dope in the club. She needs it to pass through this moment.
Emily is clad in tight-fitting black leather short pants, a red crop top, a black leather jacket and a dark leather boots. Emily will be the queen of the night. Her dark boots cover her knees. She's glad she took these along. She never knew they will come in handy so quick.
A few hours before she left, she had the hotel manager get her a bike for mobility. She is not ready to take a car or dress girly for her next adventure in the high mountains the next day, but now she is happy she made the choice.
Stepping on her bike, she turned on the wheel and speed off into the roads. Her spirit is lifted as the breeze blew on her face. She loves this freedom. Speeding in between cars and trucks, she swerves into a sharp bend and caught her way up to the front of the GAPSOIR CLUBS.
She knew many people here, but she doubts if they will recognize her because of her perfect disguise and fake ID. Her accent fools many people. Most think she is Indian by the way she speaks sometimes.
She parks her bike in the parking lot and steps out of her bike, removing the helmet she had on her head for protection.
She walks back to the entrance; she has to join the short queue as a lot of teen adults throng the club. Her few friends also came here, but she's going to be discreet. She does not want anyone spilling the beans to her dad.
A few minutes later, she stood in front of the big-chested bodyguard. "ID please." He asks.
Emily brings out her fake identity card issued for her by her Nerd friend; (Ajay) Ajay is a genius. They both stay and work in India, and he has a lot of aces up his sleeve.
The guard looks at her id and says, "first time here."
"Yeah!" she replies,
She fakes an Italian accent. "I came to Texas to work, and it's good to have some fun," she says.
The bodyguard gives her a stiff smile and says, "Enjoy the show, miss."
"Next!" the guard yells.
Emily is over-excited when she steps onto the dance floor. The sounds were blazing the roof as the DJ kept digging in different tunes.
Outside the club, Dickson Long has the perfect opportunity to perfect his plan. The boss gave the order to adduct the lass, and he has been thinking about how he will have her abducted for the past 24 hours.
Although he has been her stealth bodyguard, he knows every part of her move. What she does each day and where she goes to. And sometimes it's so boring watching her do all the things she does.
He's glad he's going to have some action now. He parks his car outside the parking lot of the club, and he gives the three goons some cash. They hand over her picture to the handsome young lad going into the clubhouse to woo Emily...
Here this is the lass, he says
"Do a good job and be discreet. We do not want the cops coming on us."
"Sure, boss." the one-eyed goon said.
"Once it is done, call me and I will give you further instructions." He says.
"I will give you half of what I promised once I see the lass at the warehouse."
"The other half after everything is over."
"Meanwhile, I need to call the big boss about what should be the next move."
"This is your ID."
"I had to get this done quickly for you…." He says.
He gives the ID to the young lad and said, "You need to woo her, get her drunk and bring her out of the club."
"We will take over from there."
"Yes, boss." He says…
He puts on his eyeshades, turns, and heads back to the parking lot. The three goons hurry back to the street corner in their van, waiting for the young lad to come back with the lass as planned.
The young lad strolls into the clubs in his expensive apparel, bought for him by the boss in the car.
He shows them his ID and walks into the dancing hall. He scouts and searches for the lass amongst the crowd.
Finally, he notices her dancing with a tall fellow who has his waist stuck close to her hips. He steps onto the dancing floor in a pretence to dance. Some girls run towards him, embracing him, but he politely dodges them and moves towards Emily.
The music changes, and Emily grows wild, dancing with so much vigor. Finally, he gets to where Emily is, pushes the tall guy away, and holds Emily in an embrace as he dances with her. Emily has too much to drink already. She's intoxicated by the booze, and she kept dancing like life does not exist.
The music changes once more and everyone is stuck with their partner. Emily held on to the handsome lad, pressing her hips and bosom towards his pelvis and chest. The music plays for several minutes, and the heat of passion fills the air.
Emily lays entangled in a stranger's arms, her heart racing wildly, lust breathing in her heart. She crushes her lips on his with a fierce hunger. She forgets all her pain and sorrow. Savoring the pleasure of the moment.
Several hours later, Emily leaves in the company of the strange lad, staggering and limping. The lad leads her to his car and opens the door for her to sit like a proper gentleman.
He hops into the car sitting beside her. He looks at her and says, "You are so beautiful, but am sorry I have to do this."
"Do what?" Emily chuckles.
He puts his hands in his back pockets and approaches Emily, his heart beating with a fiery tide as his lips glide over hers and kiss her passionately.
He stretches out his hand, guiding his hands into his back pocket. He removes his handkerchief from his pocket and squeezes them in between his palms.
He carefully pulls out the handkerchief and drops it on the seat. Emily is drunk and carried away by the heat of passion that consumes her that she can't see the handkerchief on the seat beside her.
His lips deepen into her lips. They both land in the ocean of ecstasy. His hands travel down her bosom, squeezing it, and Emily moans.
Drawn by her soft cries and soft moans, his eyes widen in excitement, his lips caressing every part of her neck. He slowly and gently slides his hands to her chest. He runs his hands through her naked skin. Exploring every bit of her. Emily shudders with each kiss he places on her body.
The lad starts getting impatient to leave the club surroundings and decides is time to quiet the lass. He stretches his hands back to the seat and takes his handkerchief laying on the seat. He gently guides his hands to her face and covers her nostrils with the handkerchief and she slumps.
He holds her steady till she passed out and starts the car engine. He looks at her and says, "it's a long trip home, sleep tight beauty."
AN ESTRANGED FATHER.
Lance and Sheila Stone had a tradition of spending the first week of the month with their children. Lance picks up the phone to call Emily. He plans to visit her in India with her younger siblings.
Emily's phone is dead. Her kidnappers threw her phone away into the nearby dump. After several times of trying to get to her, Sheila proposes they call Natasha and ask about her whereabouts before they come to India.
Lance glances through his contact and calls his sister.
Natasha Agarwal picks up her call and says, "Hello Lance, how are you doing?"
Lance replies, "am fine."
Natasha is fidgeting about why Lance has to call him, but she stays calm
Lance speaks, "Sis, please, can I speak to Emily? I have been calling her cell phone, and it keeps getting into a voice message."
Natasha replies, "Am sorry Lance, she's not here at the moment, but she will be back soon."
"Ok, please tell her when she comes. I want to speak to her," he says.
"Or maybe I should tell you what I plan to do first." He says.
"What is that?" Natasha asks.
"Sheila and I decide we will come over to India with Emily's siblings to spend some time with you guys…. what do you think about that?"
Natasha froze as she hears him speak….
"Hello, are you there…" Lance says.
Natasha stammers, "… y.e. e…. sss, that wi… ll be fine."
She gulps and says, "Bro, I will call you back as soon as Emily gets home. It will be nice to see you all." She says.
He leaves his phone in his pocket, while they all go to prepare for their trip to India.
He wonders why Natasha had to stammer in between words and why she had to end the call so quickly. Maybe she's not so fine, he thought to himself.
Emily's siblings are excited that they will visit India. They get to see their older sister, their cousins, and their aunt. The kids kept talking with delight throughout the day.
For several hours, Lance is impatient. He expects Emily to have called by now and Sheila had to pacify him to have a little patience.
Lance picks up his phone and dials Emily's phone number once more… he slams his hands on his study table and says, "Where could she be at this hour? Why is she putting her calls on a voice message…?. Am not pleased with how Natasha is handling Emily."
"I think she has to return to Texas with us after this trip."
Sheila, confused about the situation, has to stand up from where she is sitting and hug her husband.
"It will be alright dear. Let's wait a little while. Maybe she's out with her friends or in a busy appointment that she doesn't want any disturbance."
"Don't be hard on her, just try to understand, please…." Sheila says.
Lance calms down and sits back in his chair. Sheila sat beside him and says. "She will call soon, and we will be on her way to meet her in India."
Just right after Sheila finished talking, Lance's phone beeps
Lance picks up his phone, presuming that it is Emily, and opens his messages…. The message reads: "We have your daughter, wait for us to call for ransom. Don't think of calling the cops."
Lance's heart jumps out of his skin and exclaims, "Oh my god!"
The phone beeps again and a picture of a girl sitting and tied to a wooden chair with her arms and legs tied. A gag in her mouth.
Lance gasps in fright. "This can't be true."
Sheila asked her husband in fright, "what happened?"
Lance replies in horror, "darling the message on my phone says Emily is kidnapped, but this girl does not look like my princess." He yells.
Sheila takes the phone in her hands and looks at the picture. "This can't be Emily. This girl's hair is dark, and so are her eyes. Our Emily is a blondie, and she has blue eyes. "This is a trick to get money from us."
Lance, looking very tense, shrieks,
"But she has her wavy hair like Emily's…"
Terror seizes Sheila's heart a little and says, "Anyone could have wavy hair, but let's call Natasha."
Her hands unsteady, she dials Natasha's cell and blurts out.
"Natasha, please tell me where is Emily?"
Natasha replies, "She is not home yet."
Sheila says she's not home?"
"Natasha, we just got a message and a picture of a kidnapped girl that looks like Emily."
"Natasha, where's my daughter?"
"What do you mean, sister-in-law?" Natasha says.
Sheila sends her the message and picture on Lance's phone
Natasha opens the picture on her phone, her eyes spin in between her head, and she gasps in sharp pain. Sheila froze with fright as she hears her sister-in-law scream and she says, "Am sorry please, it is your daughter."
Sheila, confused and afraid, ask, "what do you mean?"
Natasha speaks in between her tears, saying "Am so sorry, but she had her hair color changed to black, and some other disguise she never told me."
"She's in Texas, but she told me she will keep out of trouble, and she will come to visit you…"
Sheila breaks into tears….
Sheila cries uncontrollably, her body shaking. The phone fell from her hands, and she slumps on the floor, wailing…
"Oh, my child…" she sobs… hitting her chest and crying…
Lance was petrified, feeling so confused and betrayed. He froze when he heard all that his sister had said.
He regrets the day he had to make Emily stay with his sister.
He picks up the phone and yells,
"What do you mean, my daughter is in Texas?"
Lance could not digest this news. His heart and mind wrestle within, bolts of electric sparks fly from his brain to his mouth, and he yells at his sister,
"I trusted you with my daughter, and you did this to me, my blood. Natasha, I trusted you with her…."
Natasha sobs louder, "Am so sorry, Lance, I never meant for this to happen."
The loud yells of Lance over the phone and Sheila's cries vibrate in his study. The children and everyone in the house could hear him cry so out loud.
They rushed to the study to find out what had happened.
The entire house shakes with gloom at the news of Emily's kidnap. The entire mansion became a ghost town.
Several hours later, every member of the Stone's family was present except for Lance's mother. She is spared the grief of learning of Emily's kidnap, no one wants her to suffer any blow to the heart.
The Stone's family had to meet at Lance's mansion. The kids kept silent in their room and prayed for their sister.
The whole family sits in tension, waiting for the phone to ring.
Sheila buries herself in remorse. She loves Emily like her own and never supports how Lance over-pampered her. Neither did she love when he became so hard on her. But this is too much…. for her. "How could she do this to me?"
She languishes in her pain, tortured by the guilt of her heart.
Dorothy sits beside her and comforts her as she kept sobbing, looking at Emily's picture.
Hopkins (Dorothy's husband), Josh, sits next to Lance, urging him to call the cops… Lance hesitates and says, "My daughter's life is in the hands of those killers. What if I call the cops and they kill her? Will you bring her back to me, brother- and brother-in-law?"
Hopkins and josh stop their persuasion and Josh says, "I think we should wait for the kidnappers to call."
Lance rests his head on his palm and says, "I can't believe Emily came to Texas without telling me. Besides, Natasha approved it."
"Now she gets kidnapped because of Natasha's negligence, and the kidnappers call me."
"Am I a terrible father?" he asks.
"I can't believe Emily could do this and Natasha could betray my trust so much." He moans and whims bitterly.
Josh and Hopkins could not utter a word to Lance. they knew Lance had over-pampered Emily, and he had been too protective that it became suffocating. Josh knew Natasha had her reasons for letting Emily come to Texas all alone, but Natasha should have informed Lance about it sooner.
While Lance kept moaning and complaining, the phone rings, and everyone stiffens, Lance picks up the phone and puts it on speaker.
The thick masculine voice speaks, "Mr. Stone, hope you love the message I sent to you."
Lance cannot control his temper and yells, "You son of a bitch, tell me where my daughter is?"
He laughs hysterically and says, "Relax…. She is right here."
Lance hears shouting in the background and water splashing… he hears the screams of his daughter as the water splashes on her body, bringing her to consciousness.
Lance shrieks in anger. "What are you doing to her?"
The voice says sternly, "listen and relax, we are giving her a shower party…"
"Now Stone, am not here to play. Get me 10 million dollars in 3 days. I want it in cash. I will call you where you have to drop the cash."
Lance swallows hard. He cannot imagine these people could demand such a heavy ransom at a time he needs all the money for his political campaign.
"Can I talk to my daughter?" he asks.
"Sure…. Stone."
The man yells continuously in the background and Emily cries out into the phone, "dad… dad… please help me…"
Lance's eyes moisten with tears as he hears his daughter's voice, his hands shaking.
The masculine voice shouts in the background… "keep quiet" and slaps her face.
More sparks rise in Lance's temples, and he keeps on yelling, "You son of a bitch, I swear I will kill you with my bare hands if you touch my daughter once more."
The man laughs loud… and he says, "listen I will suggest you keep all the threats to yourself, am not here to joke."
"Get me the money and I will give you your daughter. Remember, do not call the cops, or else when you see your daughter next, it will be in a body bag."
He hangs up and the whole house tremors with confusion…. Lance put his hands on his head and says, "These bastards will not get away with this."
I have to get 10 million dollars for my daughter in 3 days… "Oh my god! What do I do?"
He says… going down on his knees…