33. Buckhead Island
Chapter thirty-three
Buckhead Island
Two Weeks Later
" H ow much longer?" I address our pilot, speaking into the mic at my mouth.
He turns his head, acknowledging my question. "Buckhead Island is right there, ma'am. I'd say we're only five minutes out." He points off in the distance where I see a small, secluded island rising from the ocean off the Mediterranean. Lights shine up through the dense foliage of the treetops, showing some signs of life.
Anxiety rises up in me hot, fast, and unbidden. Looking around, I wish like hell that we'd been here under different circumstances because it's beautiful here. The sun is almost set, throwing the sky into broad strokes of lavender and dusky navy. The stars sparkle brighter here than at home. I twist my lips .
I'm sorry, but Claudio doesn't deserve to die on such a beautiful night.
At the errant thought I squeeze King's hand, whose eyes meet mine warmly. He gives me a wink, causing what small nerves that were trying to gather in my belly to dissipate, leaving the white hot need for revenge in its wake. I cannot wait to tear into that fucker.
The anticipation of getting my pound of flesh has almost single handedly fueled my entire recovery process.
Well, almost.
That, and the baby inside my womb.
As the helicopter makes it's descent, I place my other hand on my belly and rub, feeling my bump swelling outwards. The blood races in my veins as the reality that I'm about to get my revenge really sinks in deep. When the helicopter lands, I wait patiently as King unbuckles me and takes the headset off, handing it over to the pilot.
"Thank you!" King shouts over the deafening whirling of the helicopter blades as we step into the night.
The vicious breeze from its blades whips the blazer to my pantsuit hard, molding it against my body.
King holds me close to him as we step onto the concrete, and I take a second to smooth my hands down my pantsuit. King drags his eyes down my face and shoves a hand through his hair, further disrupting the once pristine strands. "You okay, love?" he asks, entwining his hand with mine.
His fingers tighten, and his thumb brushes over my knuckles in a soothing gesture.
I take a second to assess his gaze as well, seeing he's changed a bit since my disappearance. His face his more hardened; his eyes are tighter as he's always on alert now. Even despite having maximum security at all times, he does not let his guard down .
"I'm fine," I half yell in an attempt to be heard over the chopper.
King steps into me just as the helicopter flies away. "I've got you every step of the way."
I nod as he bends into me, accepting his harsh kiss. Breaking away, we turn to face the men who are standing at attention greeting us. Six men stand in a row with their arms folded. Two stand at the front. An older man with sharp grey eyes and a short silver beard stands tall ahead of the slightly shorter, younger, African American man to his right.
My eyes narrow thinking he looks familiar, but I can't place him.
Bright lights shine down on us from the concrete building about one hundred feet behind them. Armed men dressed in black stand at every post I can see on the building, with AK 47s strapped to their bodies, and helmets obscure their features from me. Men walk through the trees in the distance, every now and then the low tone of a walkie talkie breaks the eerie hushed silence that drapes the air.
The two men both keep their eyes on me as we walk closer, and my fingers tighten on King's as nerves begin to get the better of me. The silver haired man holds his hand out to me first, surprising me. His almost silver eyes are ice hard, his features are stone tight no doubt from decades of discipline. A shiver races through my spine at his stoic demeanor.
He is not one man I'd want to fuck with. Period.
"Mrs. King, my name is Frank Jackson. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard wonderful things, most importantly how resilient you are," he says in a clipped, no-nonsense tone. Taking my hand he shakes it firmly, then steps into me, pinning me with his gray stare, causing a shiver to race down my spine. "First order of business: I want to apologize on the behalf of the United States Government that Maniotti was able to get under our radar long enough to carry out a successful abduction. Second order of business: I apologize for all the trauma you have suffered, and you can rest assured that tonight you will be given free access to handle him in whatever manner you see fit with no interference from us. You have complete Government clearance from this moment on."
"Nice to meet you," I reply, slightly scared of the man to be honest.
He lets my hand go, turning to King and giving him a firm handshake before stepping back and placing his hands behind his back with an impassive look on his face.
The African American man steps forward with a warm smile and takes my hand in a softer grip, not even shaking it, just holding it. "Ma'am, my name is Micah, and might I be so forward to say that I am pleased to finally meet you, Mrs. King."
I look over at King, and see his eyes warm slightly as he reaches over and claps him on the shoulder once. That's when it hits me where I know him from; he'd been the man in the library when I'd tried to call for help when I'd first been taken by King. My brow arches, but I stay quiet. His eyes turn back to me and he steps away, adopting a similar posture to Frank. One of the guards dressed in a solid green uniform, obviously different from Frank and the other camouflaged soldiers roaming around, steps forward and hands me a dark gray card, remaining silent.
"For you to enter, and navigate Maniotti's ward," Micah explains before turning and holding out his arm. "We've been waiting anxiously for you, Mrs. King. Welcome to Buckhead Island. Claudio awaits."
My heart races, causing the blood to pound loudly in my ears. I blink back stinging tears and swallow thickly. Whatever I'd thought I'd imagined when I finally got to enact my revenge, this was nowhere near it. I thought I'd be taken to some obscure place similar to where I was held at, and see him chained to a wall, and I'd get to shoot him in the head or something.
But now, my skin heats up with anticipation, my fingers shake, and my brain is full of questions and anxiety.
King lets go of my hand to tuck me under his arm, and places a kiss on my temple as he walks us forward. We fall into step just behind Frank and Micah, being led towards the building while the other four men flank us in a straight line, bringing up the rear. We walk for a minute in silence, and instead of veering left to ascend the stairs up to the building, we're led down a wide concrete slope that leads to an inconspicuous garage door that slowly rises as we descend.
The air becomes chilly, and as we get closer to entering the mouth of the lower level, I slow my steps and look up at King. The stadium style lights behind us begin to shut off one by one with a muted bang, leaving the landing area we'd just inhabited cloaked in complete darkness. And as we enter into the building, one last look behind me leaves me staring into a gaping abyss.
And I know once I return to it, I'll never be the same.
The interior of the lower level is a plain, sterile white. So bright I squint my eyes a little as it takes me a second to adjust. There's no seating, only brick walls and a single stainless steel door in the middle of the wall straight ahead with a key pad which hosts a singular red light.
"So," I say hesitantly. "Who're the ones in the solid green uniform?" I ask, peeking over at Frank.
"Those are my trainees. They come here for a full year before being released for duty," he replies in a matter of fact tone that warns me to stop asking questions.
Looking around, I see no cameras, which strikes me as odd.
Snuggling in deeper to King's warmth, I take a deep breath relishing his spicy scent. Two of the men break off to guard either side of the door that Frank and Micah lead us through. They stand to the side and Frank gestures for me to step forward.
"Use your keycard," he says in his gruff voice. "It'll only work for this door, and Claudio's room."
My brow arches as I step forward, digging the key back out of my pocket where I'd stashed it. "Are there a lot of other rooms?"
"Many."
Holding the key up to the black box, the red light flashes before turning green. A buzzing sound ensues, and then the door opens. "Who are here?"
Frank gives me a rather cold look. "All the unsavory folk who are not fit to be living amongst society."
"They come here to be…" I trail off, hoping he'll finish my sentence.
He raises his chin a bit, looking down his nose at me. "To be someone else's problem. Just like Claudio Maniotti is your problem."
I bite my lip, nodding my head and then stepping through the door. I blink, looking to the left and the right, seeing a long hallway with nothing but stainless steel doors with black numbers above them.
"Room three," Frank states.
King's hand settles onto my lower back, and I take my first step to the left walking down the hallway that's just as stark and sterile as the entryway we'd just come out of. Coming to door three, I face it, willing myself to be strong.
Taking a deep breath I close my eyes and relive every kick. Every time I had to piss and shit in that bucket in the corner of the room. Every time I had to turn my back to him in order to protect my baby. Every time the light was taken away and I was forced to spend days in pitch darkness as punishment. Every time I cried myself to sleep, wondering if I was ever going to see my family again.
Or make it out alive.
My thoughts move beyond my captivity and to the rest of my childhood, ruminating on every day I was forced to struggle and grow up without a father. Choking down top ramen night after night to the point I couldn't stand it anymore. The gross smell of the man I had to lose my virginity to in order to make sure we could have a roof over our head for one more month. It all comes back in one huge mind fuck.
Claudio took more than just my freedom for a month. He forced me to give up my innocence.
Opening my eyes, I place the card to the keypad and wait for the light to blink. The door slides open on a soundless whoosh of air, and I take another steadying breath and step into the darkness.