Love Condemned: Beginnings (10 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Miranda made her way through the vent slowly. At first, she started to get claustrophobic. The confined space was too much for her to handle. She closed her eyes and thought about Adrian. He was counting on her to come through. It took her twenty minutes of snaking her way through several turns before she ended up at a grate in another room. She peered inside to see another group of hostages huddled together in a corner. She waited for a couple minutes to see if they were alone.

When she did not see anyone guarding them, she called out, “Hey, up here! In the vent!”

One of them looked up just as the door opened. Armando walked in, looking around. Apparently, he was still making his rounds. Miranda slowly moved back away from the grate in case he looked up. He muttered something that was too quiet for her to hear and then he was gone again. She remained still for another minute to make sure he was not going to return. When she made her way back to the grate, the man that looked up moved a chair over to talk to her without shouting.

“How did you get up there?” The man asked.

“We are being held captive in another room. We must be one floor above you. Is everyone ok?”

“No. We have one person that may not make it. She is hurt pretty badly.” The man looked back at the other three huddled in the corner and then back to Miranda. “We need to get out of here.”

“I know. I am trying to find a way to get help. Just stay quiet and follow orders. Everything will be ok.” Miranda was reassuring the man even though she was not sure herself.

She worked her way back through the vent, taking a different turn. She hoped that she could find something useful to get them out of here.
As she came to the next grate, the sound of men talking became louder. There was a mix of languages, one being Italian and another was a form of English. She could not place the others. Several men were standing together in the room in a heated conversation. She recognized Giorgio and Armando next to the small desk to the side.

“I told you that they would not give us the money.” Armando was saying.

“Then we kill more people.” Giorgio picked up his gun from the desk and held it next to his shoulder. “They know the deal. The longer they take the more people we execute.”

Armando was trying to calm him, “This is not working. They have seen us ‘kill’ three people already and they are not giving us the money.” He took a step a little closer, speaking in hushed tones. “We need a new plan. We lost our scapegoat and they are not meeting our demands. What are we going to do?”

Giorgio looked Armando straight in the face and replied in a serious tone, “Then we kill them all.”

Without another word, Giorgio motioned to the men to follow him and he walked out of the room. Armando was left there by himself, stunned by what he just heard. All of the hostages are going to die, they will not have any money, and their leverage would be gone. This will not end well for anyone.

Miranda made her way back to the closet where Adrian was pacing the room. When he heard the grate move, he rushed over to help her get down. “You were gone a long time. Are you ok? Did you find a way to get help?”

When she turned around, the look on her
was worry and shock at the same time. She threw her arms around Adrian’s neck and pulled him close to her as she could. She whispered in his ear, “Don’t react. I do not want to alarm the others. They have decided to kill us all; for real this time.”

Adrian pushed her back to arm’s length to look her in the eye. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. They are doing it now.”

“That does not make sense. Why would they do that? They would not have leverage.” Adrian was speaking louder, confused at the actions of their captors.

It did not take long for Sophie to interrupt. “What does not make sense? What are you talking about?”

There was no use trying to hide it any longer. Miranda spoke up first. “They are coming to kill us. They will be here shortly.”

“Just like they killed us last time? Maybe they will kill you first so I can watch.” Sophie spat at Miranda, the venom in her words thick with hate.

“Careful bitch or I will break your nose some more…..”Miranda started to leap forward before Adrian caught her.

“Stop!” Adrian commanded to both women. “This is not the time. We do not have a lot of time. Men will be coming through that door any second to put a bullet in our heads. We have to figure out a plan.”

The two women shook their heads in agreement, calming immediately before panic set in. They were both looking to Adrian for the answer.
‘Great.’
Adrian thought.
‘Once again the leader for something I have no clue about.’
He scanned the room to find anything that would be useful. The room was pretty empty except some towels, sheets, toilet paper, and the shelves. There was no place to go in this room. It was a fortress that started to feel like a tomb. Then it hit him.
Fortress
. If this room can keep them in, then it can possibly keep the men out.

“I have a plan. Quickly, move Alice to the side.” Adrian took control of the situation and ordered the women without thought. He did not have much time before the men would show up. When the women cleared Alice to the side wall, Adrian took the large shelf and tipped it over. It fell hard on the floor in front of the door. It was almost long enough to wedge against the door. This would only allow the door to open about a foot.

“Help me get the other shelf over here.” Adrian pointed to the shelf on the other wall.

Miranda and Sophie worked together without complaint. The need for survival had overtaken their hatred for each other, for the moment. All three of them worked the shelf over to the door and pushed it to fall sideways between the other shelf and the door. The wedge fit perfectly
just in time. The door knob turned and someone was pushing against the door.

They could hear the men speaking on the other side of the door faintly. “It is stuck, sir.”

“You incompetent idiots, move!” They heard someone yell. A moment later the door moved a little with a loud bang but it held. “Come over here and help me!” More banging followed but the door did not give way.

Adrian grabbed the girls’ by the arm and led them to the corner behind the door. If they manage to get the door open, at least they will not be in sight. Miranda crouched in the corner next to Sophie. Adrian wrapped his arms around both of them in a protecting manner. “Remain calm and be quiet. They will not get in. Maybe they will think we have been moved.”

After a couple long minutes, the banging stopped. The door had only given a couple inches but it still kept the men out of the room. Adrian hoped that they were giving up. His hopes were crushed when the muzzle of a rifle was pushed through the opening. The muzzle flashed as bullets were shot forth into the room. They were bouncing off of everything in the room. Miraculously, when the firing stopped, none of the bullets reached them.

Adrian whispered softly to the girls again, “Stay quiet. They might think that we are dead.”

Several quiet minutes went by before they heard the men speak outside the door. “It is still blocked. We shot some rounds in the room to be sure. We have not heard a single noise come from the room.”

“They are in there. I put them there myself, especially that traitor who shot my friend.” Giorgio kicked the door with a loud thud. “We will get in there. Then we will torture them for this.”

The blood drained from Adrian’s face as the words sunk in. They were not going to get out of this alive. They have only delayed their fate, possibly making the end that much more painful. He took Miranda’s hand and looked her in the eyes. Tears started to form as he spoke, “I am sorry. I tried. I really did. I did not mean for this to happen.”

“This is not your fault, Adrian. You did the best you could. If I have to die, I would rather be here with you.” Miranda reached up to Adrian’s face, pulled him down and kissed him. Sophie did not say a word this time. She diverted her eyes to give them what little privacy she could. Before they broke their kiss, the sound of bullets rang out again. The end was here, but at least they had each other.

Chapter Twenty

The sounds of the bullets were different this time. Instead of being loud and ringing, they were distant and muffled. Adrian lifted his head hesitantly to find that the sound was coming from outside the room. It sounded like the gun shots were ringing all throughout the hotel in many different places. The gun fire seemed to go one for several minutes before it stopped. Suddenly, everything was eerily quiet. He was not sure what just happened, but he was not going to rush over to look out the door.

“Is anyone in there?” A voice called at the door.

Adrian motioned to Miranda and Sophie to remain quiet. The voice continued with its thick Italian accent, “This is Lieutenant Alvarez with the
Polizia di Stato
, the Italian Police Department.” Sophie got to her feet, hopeful, but Adrian held her back.

They heard some commotion outside before the door started to creak open. The hydraulic machine they used tore the door open in a matter of seconds, exposing the three of them in the corner. Alice was still unconscious on the floor, motionless. The men entered the room and Adrian held the girls tighter. They could only hope that this would be a quick death.

“Here!” The voice called. “Get these people out of here.” Lieutenant Alvarez walked over and put his hand on Adrian’s back, causing him to jump. “It will be ok. You are safe now.”

Adrian looked up at the man.
He was dressed in black with a Kevlar vest and the Italian Flag on his shoulders. He let out a sigh of relief and squeezed Miranda’s hand realizing that they had been saved. This nightmare would finally be over. Adrian caught his breath and pointed to Alice, “She has been shot. She needs medical attention immediately.”

Alvarez looked at the woman and called back to his men, “Get the medic team in here now!”

Adrian was quick to add, “She was with them in the beginning. She was the one that got us all here.”

“Are you telling me that she is one of your captors?” Alvarez looked
at Adrian directly in the eyes then back to the woman lying in a pool of blood.

“Yes.
She was the one that organized this whole thing. Then her partners turned on her. This is her fault.” Adrian replied, the two girls behind him nodding agreement.

The men cleared the room to make a path for the medical team. They loaded Alice on a stretcher and handcuffed her to it. Once she was out of the room, the other three were escorted out of the hotel. They walked past a number of bodies spread throughout the reception area. Adrian had not seen anything like it. He looked over to Miranda, “Don’t look at it. Just look at me. Everything will be ok.” This was the first time that he said that and actually meant it in a long time.
They would be ok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last few days were spent being debriefed by many people in various governments. It appeared that the three of them were the only survivors from that day. All of the terrorists, including Alice, did not survive. Unfortunately, they had killed the other hostages before they could be stopped. The incident was all over the news and discussed internationally.

Each of them was given two phone calls to their relatives to let them know they were safe.
Adrian only used one of them. He was not very close with his family but they deserved to know he was alive. The debriefing was to continue until all the questions were answered and they were determined to not be a part of it. The last thing they needed was to paint someone as a victim to later learn they had a hand in the plot. Once they were determined to not be a threat and the debriefing was finished, they would be released back to their respective governments.

During this time, t
hey were moved to a secure holding location outside the city. It was an Old Italian villa at a local vineyard. The Italian countryside cast an amazing backdrop after the horror they had just lived through, making it feel surreal. Even though it was the three of them, it was still romantic to watch the sunset over the vineyard. Sophie noticed that Adrian and Miranda were getting closer. She made an excuse to go to bed early leaving them alone. Adrian and Miranda looked into each other’s eyes. Speaking was no longer necessary for communicating their wants and desires. Adrian reached out and put a hand gently on Miranda’s face, slowly caressing her. He leaned in gently and kissed her soft lips.

They spent the next few hours together
discovering each other in the moonlight. The slight breeze mixed with the moans and heavy breathing. Tonight was not about what had happened. This was about two people falling in love, coming together as one, and sharing their emotions physically. This was what life is about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrian made his way back to his room. It was early in the morning, before the sun was even showing on the horizon. When he entered the room, he was greeted by two men in suits looking very serious. “Mr. Hunter, you need to come with us.”

“And who are you?” He asked, cautious of anyone telling him what to do.

“We are with the United States Government. We are here to take you home.”

Adrian looked back at the door, “I can’t just leave, Miranda is….”

The men interrupted him, “Ms. Carroll will have her own ride home. She will be taken care of. It is time for you to go.”

“Can I say goodbye?” Adrian inquired.

“There is no time. The plane is waiting to take you back right now. We already loaded your bag in the car.” They turned Adrian around and guided him out the door.
He looked back with a pain in his heart as they drove away from the countryside villa. He made a promise to get back to Miranda as soon as he could.

Miranda awoke to the cool morning breeze and the glow of the early sunrise. She rolled over to find that Adrian was no longer lying next to her. She sat up and stretched her arms up high. Every muscle in her body was sore from the workout, but there was not a single regret in her mind. A smile crossed her face as she remembered the details, one hand absently grasping Adrian’s silver cross that she still had around her neck.

She made her way to Adrian’s room to see if he was there. His door was halfway open. She walked in to find the room completely empty. His clothes and bag were gone as well. A pit formed in her stomach as her mind raced to find an answer. She spent the next hours searching the villa and talking to staff to figure out where he had gone. Her search turned up completely empty. He was gone.

She could not help but feel abandoned.
‘
How could he leave me like this? Was I wrong about our connection last night?’
She asked herself.

Many thoughts and questions
ran through her mind before she gave in. He left her without saying goodbye. Somewhere deep down, she could not accept that answer. She knew Adrian better than that. Something had to have taken him away that was important to leave her behind. She had to believe that. The alternative was too difficult to think about. She did not want to feel unwanted again.

She
made her way back to her room, unsure what to do next. Thoughtlessly, she started to change into a pair of shorts and an old shirt. She took the rest of her belongings and stuffed them in the plaid bag that was sitting on the small table. When she finally forced the lid closed with great effort, she saw her favorite red pumps on the floor. With a great sigh, she decided that she was not going to repack her bag. She picked up her plaid suitcase and walked away from the villa, her red pumps in hand.