VECTOR

Chapter 16 Kidnapped

Chapter 16

Kidnapped

Ravi woke with a headache, a real headache. He didn't understand. He hadn’t had a lot to drink. He couldn't remember hitting his head on something. Was he dehydrated? He didn't think so. The flight from Pakistan had been long, but he had made a point of drinking lots of water. Was it the food? Certainly, Arif's idea of food didn't conform to what Ravi was accustomed to, but food was food. Why did his head ache? He thought about staying in bed, but that wasn't an option. He had a schedule. He had a business. He had a wife that needed correction. He couldn't afford the luxury of a day in bed. No, he had a plan, and he needed to execute it immediately. Staying with Arif any longer than absolutely necessary might lead to disaster.

The young man snored which was fine with Ravi who wasn't in the mood for conversation to begin with. It took Ravi several minutes to make his coffee; the machine required a small cup to be placed in a little receptacle. Press the right button and the small machine produced a passable cup of coffee. He missed the coffee he drank in Pakistan which was much stronger. And he needed strong coffee this morning. His head was pounding, and he felt achy all over. Flying in germ cycling cans for hours at a time couldn't be healthy. He was paying the price. While he sipped coffee, Arif entered the tiny kitchen.

“Good morning,” Arif said as he rubbed his eyes.

“Good morning,” Ravi answered. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“I apologize for not being awake to assist you.”

“You can assist me by giving me something for my headache. Filthy airplanes.”

Arif rummaged through a cabinet and produced a plastic bottle which he offered to Ravi. “Take two,” Arif said.

Ravi shook two tablets into his hand and downed them with coffee. As he did, Arif helped himself to the coffee machine. Ravi noted that Arif chose a different type of color of coffee.

“How long will it take me to reach the facility?” Ravi asked.

“At this time of day, at least a half hour. Probably more like forty-five minutes.”

“And she will be there?”

Arif nodded. “I showed you yesterday where you must park and wait.”

“I remember.”

“I also programmed it into your GPS. Follow the directions and you can't go wrong.”

“Very good.” Ravi finished his coffee and set the cup in the sink. “I have one hour, so I will leave now. It is better to be in place and wait, like the lion.”

Ravi opened his arms, and Arif came to be hugged. For a moment, Ravi wondered whether or not to kill the small man. Ravi could certainly do it. But killing Arif would be against the laws of hospitality, and it would cause problems at home. No, he had no reason to murder. What if Ravi wasn't out of country before the body was found?

“Thank you very much,” Ravi said. “I will make sure your uncle knows. Your reward will be great.”

“I hope I have served well,” Arif answered.

Ravi plucked the car keys off the counter. “With God's help, we will succeed.”

“The GPS address for the cabin is in the car console. May fortune smile upon you.”

With a wince and a wave, Ravi walked out of the apartment. In the parking lot, he found the small sedan. It started immediately. Ravi was thankful for the common color and make. No one would remember the car, and he hoped no one would remember him. His head pounding, he pulled out of the parking lot. He failed to notice Arif waving a file folder from the door.

Arif watched the car leave the lot and cursed his bad luck. The photo he had acquired for Ravi was still in the file folder. While Ravi had seen the photo the night before, did he have a clear image in mind? A clear knowledge of the woman's name? Arif hoped so.

**************************************

Claire filled her travel mug with coffee and turned off her Keurig. Glancing at her watch, she headed for the door. Did she expect to arrive at work on time? Who could know? Driving was always a toss up, although mornings were often better than evenings. She attributed that to the fact that people often arrived at different times; some of her colleagues were habitually fifteen minutes tardy. But everyone left at the same time. No one worked an extra half hour for no pay.

In the car, she cranked up the radio. Noise was welcome in the morning. She didn't particularly want to think too hard before she got to work. In a way, she felt guilty. She hadn’t read the email from Jasmine. Claire had seen it in her list, but she couldn't bring herself to open it. No doubt, it would be self-serving and long and dull. Claire had looked for a message from Oliver, but he had not written anything. That both bothered her and pleased her. Perhaps, Ravi wasn't anything worth worrying about. That would be a good thing. But she would like to know. She felt Oliver owed her that much. After all, she was the one who fed him all the information about Jasmine and her husband and the virus.

The virus.

She had almost forgotten about the virus which was far more dangerous than Ravi. If he became infectious…she didn't complete the thought. Ravi was a walking pandemic. Did he know it? Claire didn’t think so. She suspected that Ravi was as self-serving as the next person. If he had any idea of just how sick he was, he would be banging on the emergency room doors. Death always has a sobering effect. Which was why she hoped Ravi was as clean as the driven snow.

The traffic was…the traffic. She told herself to ignore it and just drive.

**************************************

Ravi backed into the parking space. He wanted to be ready to get away quickly. He was early as he expected to be. The drive had been difficult but not as difficult as the pounding inside his head. The tablets he had taken seemed to do nothing. What he needed was a day of sleep, but he had no time for that. He had a deadline, and he had a mission.

He pulled the pistol from his belt and checked it. The magazine was fully loaded, although he didn't think he would need to shoot it. Simply showing it would intimidate the woman. One look and she would do exactly what she was told to do. Women were so easy to control. He would rather use his hands, but the gun would be more sure. The gun would ensure her cooperation and silence. That was paramount.

Closing his eyes, he tried to remember what the woman looked like. He knew roughly—dark hair, thinnish. Her name was…

He drew a blank. How could he forget her name. The headache was bad, but it wasn't that bad. What was her name? It was a “C” name. He was pretty sure of that. But what “C” name? He opened his eyes and looked around the car for the file folder Arif had provided. He looked in both the front and back seats.

There was no file folder.

He searched under the seats.

No folder.

Ravi slammed the steering wheel in anger. How could he have forgotten the folder? The headache was causing him to make mistakes. But he had no time to go back for the folder. The woman would be arriving shortly, and he had to be ready. He cursed his aching head and stared out as people began to cross the parking lot, heading for the entrance. He could not afford to miss the woman. Rubbing his forehead, he peered over the steering wheel. He felt terrible. He prayed for god's help. This would be the beginning of his revenge, and for that, he was more than ready.

The woman appeared, and Ravi was pretty sure she was the one he sought. Making sure the pistol was under his belt, he slipped out of the car. He chose a line that would intercept the woman. As he walked, he once again racked his brain for her name. Nothing came to him. No matter.

“Excuse me.” Ravi smiled. “Perhaps you could give me help?”

“What?” The woman smiled nervously.

“Make no sound,” Ravi said and showed her the gun. “Come with me.”

He grabbed her arm and turned her toward his car. He didn't rush because rushing would be noticed.

“Please,” the woman said. “Take what you want. It’s not much, but you can have it.”

“Quiet!” Ravi ordered. “If you do as you are told, no harm will come to you. If you make noise…”

Ravi knew he didn't have to finish the thought. He felt the woman's fear in the tenseness of her arm, and that pleased him. Fear was a good partner to have on his side.

When he reached the car, he had her enter on the driver's side and slide across to the passenger seat. He kept the gun on her the entire time.

“Please,” she pleaded. “Don’t do this. I'll help you any way I can, but don't do this.”

“You have no idea of what I require,” Ravi said. “So, do not make stupid offers. It diminishes you. Put on your seat belt.”

The woman obeyed, and despite his pounding head, Ravi felt pleased. He looked around the lot as he started the car. As far as he could see, no one had noticed anything, which was exactly what he had hoped for. He pulled out of the lot, and the woman began to cry.

That pleased Ravi more than anything.

**************************************

Oliver made the call. He was on the hook for briefing his boss, and to do that, he needed information. He waited a few moments before the call was answered.

“Good morning,” Oliver said. “Got a status?”

“Good and bad,” Matt answered. “We determined who picked up our subject. That's the good news. The bad news is that we don't have a license number, so we have not identified the driver. We put out an alert to all police entities, and we're hoping the car will be spotted soon. We did manage to pull an identifying decal on a window. How many cars around with that detail? Too many. But we're hoping the car will be on the streets. We'll find it.”

“You realize how dangerous the subject might be.”

“Oliver, I can't make him appear out of thin air.”

“I understand. I would like to tell you that it's all make believe, but our contact over there confirmed our info. The man is a walking time bomb.”

“We're doing all we can.”

“Yeah, I'm afraid of that.”

**************************************

Ravi pulled the car off the road and behind a building. He stopped and looked at the woman.

“You realize that I cannot allow you to ride in that seat.”

“I promise not to do anything,” she said quickly.

He pulled a roll of duct tape from the console and wrapped her hands tight. He held up the roll.

“Do I need to gag you?”

She shook her head. “Please no. I can't breathe through my nose, and a gag, a gag scares me.”

“To show you that I mean you no harm, I will not gag you,” Ravi said. “I expect you to reward my generosity by making no noise. Do you understand?”

She nodded. “Please, you don't have to do this. I don't know what you want, but you don't have to do this.”

Ravi left his seat, went around the car, and opened her door. “Get out.”

She slid out, and he grabbed her arm tightly. He doubted she could outrun him, but he was in no condition to engage in a race. He unlocked the trunk and raised the lid.

“Get in.”

“Dont, please, I promise not to make a sound. Don't make me get in there.”

“If I have to tell you again, I'll gag you.”

He was pleased that she feared him enough to climb into the trunk. For a moment, he got a good look at her legs, and he found them oddly suggestive. They were smooth and tan, and he wondered just how satisfying it would be to r**e her. That wouldn't be what he would do first, but he would make sure to take her for his pleasure. In a way, he supposed that she might like it. He would make her beg for it. That would demean her too.

He slammed the trunk lid to scare her and went back to the driver's seat. He found the address for the cabin that he put into the GPS. As the annoying female voice told him to start on the highlighted route, he put the car in gear. His head felt about to explode, but he was pleased. He the woman he wanted, and he would soon know all he needed to know about Jasmine and Paris.

**************************************

Oliver sat on the bench and looked up at the morning sun. Why did the sun always feel so good? Humans needed heat, didn't they? His phone to his ear, he wished that the police had already apprehended the Pakistani.

“Come on, Claire,” Oliver said out loud. “Answer your phone.”

But Claire didn’t answer the phone.

Oliver didn’t leave a message.