“I know for a fact you took a call from your father ten minutes before I arrived. That doesn’t sound very estranged to me. You going to keep lying to me?”
“That was the first time I’ve spoken to him in years and how do you know about that?”
“Phones are easy to hack into if you have the right people working for you.”
“What the fuck happened to you, Leo? You never used to be like this.”
He leans close again, his hand curling into a fist, and for a moment I’m sure he’s going to strike me. His face is so close to mine that I can see his brown eyes darkening.
“Your family tore mine apart,” he says quietly. “That’s what happened to me. Now shut the fuck up. Another word and I’ll take you over my knee for a spanking you’ll never forget.”
3
Anna
Three armed men keep a close watch on me as we climb the steps into a Citation XL. It’s the same jet my family always used to use for short trips. One of the men has my handbag, cellphone inside.
Leo gave it to him as soon as we stepped out of the limo.
Once we’re onboard the jet, Leo sticks a pair of earbuds in, opens his laptop, and studiously ignores me.
If I remember rightly, the jet only has about four hour’s range. That means we can’t be traveling too far. Maybe I can escape when we land. There’s no airstrip on the island. At least we’re not flying there. I’ve still got a chance to get out of this mess before it goes too far.
The men get bored of watching me and start playing cards at a pull out table.
There’s a row of books next to my seat. I pick out Jurassic Park and spend the flight reading it to distract myself.
When we land, it’s at an airstrip in the middle of nowhere.
A nearby helicopter already has its rotors moving. The men give me a shove as I look around me for somewhere to hide. There is nowhere, not even a building to try to reach. Just scrub and low hills. To my left, two black BMWs idling.
“Inside,” Leo says, pointing at the chopper.
I think about running but he reads my mind. “Your hands and legs are free because I’m trusting you. I won’t hesitate to change that if you run. You can walk onboard or be carried like a trussed up chicken. Your choice.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask. “You never used to be such an asshole, Leo.”
“I explained that already. I don’t like repeating myself. Get in, now.” There’s a force to the last word that moves me harder than a shove in the back. It scares me when he talks to me like that. It’s like whatever humanity was in him is long gone.
The helicopter takes off as soon as we’re strapped in. His men remain on the ground. I watch them climbing into the cars as we lift into the air.
Leo’s got my handbag now. He waves it in front of my face, talking to me through our headsets over the deafening sound of the rotors spinning. “You behave and you’ll get this back. Might even let you make some calls.”
“First chance I get, I’m calling the cops. You’re kidnapping me, Leo.”
“You really think the cops will do anything?” He leans toward me, a cruel smile forming on his lips. “I own the cops.”
“I doubt you own all of them.”
“Enough to make sure you get nowhere. Get used to this, Anna. It’s happening.”
“You’re a fucking bastard, you know that.”
A light flashes in his eyes. “I warned you what would happen if you cursed again.”
“You’re not serious. You lay a finger on me, and I’ll scream.”
“I’m curious,” he says, raising one eyebrow. “What do you think screaming will achieve other than a sore throat? If it’s a sore throat you want, I can think of a better way of giving you one.”