Authors: Ribbon of Rain
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
His fingers painfully tightened on her chin before he dropped his hand.
“I’ll send Maria to you right away.”
He walked to the door and turned back.
“Maria is a loyal employee, but an expendable one.
Ply her for information or use her in any way to try to escape, and she’ll suffer right along with you.”
He spun and left, firmly closing the door behind him.
Kat looked around the room.
Through the windows on either side of the bed she saw treetops and blue sky.
Nightstands flanked both sides of the double bed.
A bureau on one wall completed the sparse furnishings.
Trying not to be too obvious, she glanced around the walls and ceiling, looking for a place where there might be a camera.
If he had planted one, she couldn’t easily find it.
The door opened and a pretty teenaged girl entered, a happy smile on her face.
Dressed in an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, her long skirt flowed around her ankles as she walked.
“Buenos dias, senorita.
Me llamo Maria.”
Was she in
Kat heeded Carl’s warning and didn’t ask questions that would jeopardize the woman.
“Do you speak English, Maria?”
“Si´, un poco.”
The smile faded from Maria’s face.
“You no speak Espanol?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Kat lied.
She knew rudimentary words and phrases, but decided to keep that knowledge to herself.
“Oh.
Come.
You have bano.”
Maria gestured with her hands for Kat to follow.
“I’m sort of tied-up right now,” Kat said, smiling to break the tension.
Maria’s dark eyes widened with fear as she came closer to the bed.
“The Senor no mention this.”
“Well, go find him and get the okay to untie me.
I’ve got a sudden urge to use the bathroom.”
Maria scurried out of the room like a frightened rabbit, and returned moments later, trailing after Carl.
“Well, well, my sweet.
How remiss of me not to have freed you.”
Kat had the urge to sneeze as Carl bent over the bed releasing the restraints.
His cologne tickled her nose.
Wealthy, he may be, but his taste in toiletries left a lot to be desired.
Much to her relief he was in a hurry and made a quick exit, leaving her alone in the room with Maria.
On unsteady legs Kat made her way to the bathroom, shuddering at her reflection in the mirror.
Hair tangled, lips dry and swollen, she looked as if she’d been dragged for fifteen miles behind a horse.
She did a quick visual of the room, again looking for a hidden camera and making a mental note of available items.
Thick, thirsty lavender towels occupied one entire shelf.
Their color matched the violets in the wallpaper.
The next shelf held a large wicker basket containing various toiletries, a bar of oatmeal soap, herbal shampoo, a hairbrush, facial creams, various body creams, toothpaste and toothbrush, and a can of hair spray.
The hairspray would be an asset in her escape plan.
A direct spray to the eyes gained a person time.
The hot water from the shower felt delightful.
Many of her aches and pains dissipated.
She shampooed her hair with a chamomile shampoo until it squeaked.
Then used a rosemary-scented conditioner.
Never one for spending much time in the shower, she was reluctant to end this one.
The longer she put off facing the reality of her situation, the better.
She climbed out of the shower before Maria ran off and dragged Carl back to see what was taking her so long.
Once dry, she rubbed green tea body cream on her arms and legs, wrapped up in the huge bath towel and opened the door a crack to peek into the bedroom.
Relieved to see Maria there alone making the bed, Kat entered the room.
“How about clothes?
The ones I had on need to be burned.”
“All taken care of, Senorita,” Maria bubbled.
“And so pretty.”
Kat didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when Maria held up an outfit similar to the one she, herself, wore.
Resigned to her fate, Kat took the clothes Maria held out and returned to the bathroom.
She stepped up and teetered on the edge of the bathtub to get a quick look at herself in the mirror over the bathroom sink.
Not her style.
With her hair and skin coloring, she would be able to pass for Maria’s sister.
“Senorita Kat?”
Maria called from the bedroom.
“I go help fix supper now.
I leave you tray of fruit and cheese on the nightstand.”
“Okay, Maria.
Thanks.”
“I put shawl for you on the bed.
Nights in mountains get cool.”
At the sound of the door closing, Kat knew she was alone.
Leaving the bathroom, she rushed into the bedroom and looked out one of the two prison windows.
Mountains as far as her eyes could see.
Shit.
What had she expected to see?
Houses surrounded by white picket fences?
A yellow brick road leading home?
From the second window she saw she was in stucco ranch-style house, but not your typical ranch.
An enormous one.
She reigned in her frustration, and focused her energy on seeking clues.
The mountainous landscape reminded her somewhat of
Assuming she was still in the
The guards from the pseudo military group back in
Recalling her geography, she thought she might be in the
Her eyes zeroed in on a bureau against one of the walls.
Anxious to check out the drawers, she hurried over and opened the first drawer.
Empty.
The same was true of the remaining ones.
As she shut the bottom drawer with her foot, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
Kat reached down and grabbed it.
A guest menu for the Luna de Miel Recurso, Honeymoon Resort,
She’d guessed right.
The menu was dated two years ago.
The resort must be one of Carl’s acquisitions.
Being here gave her a golden opportunity to discover what he was up to.
Six months ago, she’d have been thrilled at the opportunity for such an adventure.
Jude had changed her life.
All she wanted to do was go home.
For several minutes she paced the room, taking pieces of fruit and cheese whenever she passed the nightstand.
The succulent fruit and farm fresh cheese revived her body and spirits.
At the sound of footsteps in the hall, Kat returned the menu back to the drawer.
Then she ran over and climbed in bed.
A cell phone rang on the other side of the door, so she crept over to listen.
“Yes, what is it?”
Even though muffled, she could make out Carl’s voice.
“Why bother me with a simple problem?
Get the damn thing fixed by tomorrow night.”
The phone snapped shut, and she barely managed to slip into the bathroom before he opened the door.
“Katherine?”
The harsh voice she’d heard speaking on the phone outside in the hall was now sweet as apple dumplings, giving the expression ‘forked tongue’ a whole new meaning.
“Right here.”
She waltzed out of the bathroom, cool and calm, stopping right in front of him.
“You’re beautiful.”
She forced herself not to cringe when his eyes feasted on the way the peasant blouse left so much of her exposed.
He reached out and skimmed his finger across the top of her breasts, before drawing her close to his body.
She did stop short of returning the embrace.
“I knew the outfit would suit you, but I have to admit I wasn’t prepared to be quite so bowled over.”
“Thank you.
It’s not my usual attire, but I’m grateful.”
He chuckled.
“Forgive me for saying this, but your usual attire leaves a lot to be desired.
A beautiful woman should dress to enhance her attributes, not disguise them.”
Kat stepped away from him and moved to the window.
“From what I see out my prison windows, you have a beautiful home.”
“Just one of many homes,” he shrugged off her compliment, and then frowned.
“And it’s only your prison if you choose to make so.”
Kat turned back to him, and arched her eyebrow.
“Care to explain?”
“I will.
All in good time.”
He crooked his elbow and held out his arm.
“Would you like to join me for a meal?”
Anything to get out of this room
.
Nodding, she curved her arm through his and accompanied him out the door.
*****
An hour before landing in
“Yes?
Damn it, Hogan.
I don’t care if he’s incorporated three hundred holding companies.
I want a complete list, and I want it on my desk in,” he paused to look at his watch, “two hours.”
“Man, I’m glad I don’t work for you,” Cody mumbled from his seat.
Frank turned and glared.
Jude snickered.
“Hogan says that Carl Winter doesn’t buy properties under his own name.
He’s got scads of holding companies that do the job for him.
It’s slowing down the process.”
“Cody’s right, Frank,” Jude said.
“Concentrate on
Red started to whine, and Cody flashed an ‘I told you so’ look at Jude.
“What?”
“I told you he had to pee when we landed in
Keep him on your side.”
“Great, just freaking great.”
He patted the dog on the head and encouraged him to hold on for another hour.
“As soon as we land, I’m flying to
“Why?
Jude asked.
“You think she knows something?”
“No…I’m not sure, but she must know how to reach Winter.”
“Perhaps you’re right.
We’ll take some phone tracing technicians with us.”
“No sense in backtracking to
Frank joined the conversation.
“I’ll make a phone call and have her picked up and brought to
It’ll save time.”
The remainder of the flight was made in silence, each man lost in his own thoughts.
Jude knew Kat was able take care of herself, but he prayed she’d use her wits to stay alive and not react in a way destined to get herself killed.
He’d seen that side of her too often.
Chapter 14
Kat followed Carl through a maze of halls.
The wood floors felt cool on Kat’s bare feet.
Shoes hadn’t been included in the outfit given to her.
Escaped prisoners had more difficulty running very far in bare feet.
Kat mentally filed away the sequence of right and left turns they took before entering the main dining salon.
Prison or not, she admired the room.
Elaborate Spanish décor and the dark wood beams contrasted beautifully with pristine white walls.
The long dining table was set for two.
Revulsion shot through her as she realized they’d be alone for dinner.
What had she expected?
A dinner party?
The tranquilizers had affected her thinking.