Arielle Immortal Struggle (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 7) Read online

  “I pray that she wasn’t harmed,” he said severely. Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words.

  “I’ll tear their bodies apart piece by piece. I will make their death slow and painful.” The cold in his voice sipped right through their veins and settled into the marrow of their bone. They didn’t trust the goons to keep their hands off of Arielle. The good thing was this would be over in a very short time. Arriving at Sebastian’s home, they all headed for the fridge in need of salve to boost their energy to the ultimate level. They put in place and discussed a short plan and, soon thereafter, they were in their car and on the way to the airport. Sebastian’s sole thought was to bring Arielle home safely and into his arms where she belonged.

  Chapter 6

  EARLY THE MORNING of the abduction, Vitorio and Mauritsio arrived at the campus parking lot and sat in the car, patiently waiting and planning. Suddenly Vitorio’s mobile rang.

  “Yeah,” he answered blankly.

  “Vitorio, it’s Jorrit.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said making a ghastly face.

  “I called Vasily in Belarus, and he’s sending two of his men. They’ll be arriving in Brighton on an afternoon flight. Do you have a piece of paper? You’ll have to pick them up.”

  “Yes, hold on for just a second.”

  He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and used the newspaper as a pad. “I’m ready; go ahead.”

  Jorrit gave him the flight number, the time of arrival, and a clear description of the two goons.

  “I have it,” Vitorio said vacuously.

  “Vitorio, I gave them a description of you and Mauritsio. I’m sure you will recognize each other. Don’t forget to pick them up,” Jorrit’s voice boomed over the phone.

  “We won’t,” Vitorio replied and rolled his eyes in clear exasperation.

  “He must think that I’m stupid,” he growled after Jorrit ended the call. “I hate him,” he emphasized again. Mauritsio remain silent. They sat quietly and waited, just as they did each and every morning.

  A few minutes later, they saw Sebastian and Arielle pulling into a parking space. Sebastian stepped out of the car and, walking around, he opened Arielle’s door and helped her out.

  “He’s quite the gentleman,” Mauritsio snorted.

  “I’d like to show him gentleman,” Vitorio added and made a nasty gesture.

  Sebastian picked up her book bag in one hand and, clasping Arielle’s hand with the other, he pulled her toward the main building. They heard a digital beep as Sebastian pressed the fob key in his key chain. It was not long before they noticed the rest of their friends arrive, one couple after the other.

  “I do wish our lives could be as trouble-free as their lives are,” Mauritsio murmured. “Sometimes I’m sick of this life and the baggage that comes with it.”

  “I know,” Vitorio muttered. “I have the same thoughts, quite often, but I know that it’s too late to change this. There is actually no way out of this,” he furthered bitterly. “It is this or the morgue.” Silence stretched between them as they both shuddered at the thought. Vitorio leaned back on the headrest and closed his eyes. Now they had to wait just as they did every day. He was dozing off when Mauritsio’s shocked voice snapped him out of his stupor.

  “What is it?” he stammered, blinking rapidly.

  “Look! Sebastian and one of his friends are leaving without the girls.”

  “What?” Vitorio was utterly startled. “What do you suppose this means?”

  “I’ve no idea, but whatever it means, I like it,” Mauritsio said, shaking his head in pure delight. They watched them both as they climbed into Troy’s car and sped out of the parking lot with a sense of urgency.

  “That’s just unbelievable,” Vitorio whispered astoundingly, weighing the possibilities out loud of what they just saw. “If they don’t come back, the girl will be alone.” There was hope in the tone of his voice.

  “What do you think about that?” he asked Mauritsio, thumping him on his arm and laughing startlingly loud.

  Mauritsio snorted, “This might make it very easy,” he said, glancing at Vitorio. They both stared at Sebastian’s blue Porsche still sitting in the parking lot, and they felt jubilation spreading across their bodies. It was exactly what they had hoped for. According to the surveillance, the Friday schedule showed Arielle leaving campus at two o’clock. Now all they had to do was wait. There was a clear possibility that Arielle might be with one of her friends, but they would have to wait and see.

  “I wish we could complete this today and be done,” Mauritsio said, eyes darkened, expression overwhelmed by boredom. “I’d like to go home.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Vitorio muttered and, reaching in the back seat, he grabbed the newspaper. He decided to thumb through it and catch up on the daily news while waiting for Arielle to show up. Mauritsio’s mobile beeped. Gazing at the screen, he saw a text message from his best friend Ronaldo. Sliding the arrow at the bottom to unlock it, he read the text. Where are you, man?

  He chuckled and texted back swiftly. I’m in Brighton on an assignment. What’s up?

  His friend’s next text elevated his curiosity. Last night I thought I was going to die, and this morning for the love of God, man! —I wish I had— .

  He frowned at the text message, wondering what in the world was going on. It can’t be that bad! he texted. His best friend Ronaldo was known by all their friends to be quite mischievous. He was now intrigued, waiting to hear the latest newsflash.

  Ronaldo’s reply made him gasp audibly. First, he chuckled. Then he burst out into a hardy laugh, and by the end of the message, he was bent over holding his stomach.

  Vitorio glanced up from the paper and stared at him in utter wonder. “What the hell is so funny?”

  Mauritsio tried to explain, but he couldn’t stop laughing.

  “Let me see that,” Vitorio said and snatched the mobile from Mauritsio’s hand. The text from Ronaldo read:

  I am sure happy that you were not here this morning, and I emphasize the word happy I took a laxative yesterday afternoon and forgot all about it. Last night, Franco and Bruno called to go drinking, and I was completely plastered. I don’t know how I came home. Thank God I woke up this morning alone, because I was horrified at the sight. I am relieved that nobody saw my bed or me this morning. Unfortunately I did, and I immediately threw up. I’m sure you understand what happened. What a shitty mess!

  Vitorio burst out into an uncontrollable laughter. When he turned over at Mauritsio, he laughed even harder. Mauritsio appeared like he was at another level of consciousness, and suddenly, he went into another manic fit of laughter. By the time they stopped laughing, they were breathing hard.

  “Well, that warrants a good reply,” Vitorio said and laughed once again.

  “You’re right,” Mauritsio said and coughed, clearing his throat. Hi took his mobile back from Vitorio, and holding back laughter, he texted Ronaldo. Vitorio leaned slightly closer to read Mauritsio’s reply.

  Hey, man, that had to be a monumental revelation! I’m overjoyed to have missed your epic event. I’m sure it was a stinky situation and a foul morning!

  When he hit sent, they both exploded into another round of laughter. “That was quite funny,” Vitorio muttered, still chuckling, and he went back to reading his newspaper.

  Mauritsio scanned across the parking lot, but there wasn’t a single creature in sight. They both settled back in their seats as silence stretched between them and boredom slipped right through their body and soul. It would be another few hours before Arielle would be finished with her last class.

  Suddenly, Mauritsio let out a hard gasp. Vitorio looked up, and his jaw dropped. Arielle was running across the last quad by the parking lot. Alone. The book bag was dangling from one hand and the other was stretched out toward the blue Porsche. They heard the beeping of the lock and watched dumbfounded as she reached the car and pulled the passenger door open. They were not sure as to what she was doing, but
here she was, giving them the chance of a lifetime.

  The parking lot was bare, not a single soul in sight. They never expected Arielle to play right into their hands in such an easy way.

  They watched her vigilantly as she opened the passenger door, climbed inside the car on her hands and knees, and searched throughout the vehicle, searching frantically for something.

  Quietly, they approached and stood right behind her. When she finally found what she was looking for, she straightened up and stepped back to shut the door. She never had the chance to scream. Vitorio moved fast. He wrapped one arm around her neck and yanked her firmly against his body and, with the other, he clamped a piece of cloth soaked in chloroform over her mouth and nose.

  Terror surged through her body, her lungs locked as she struggled to breathe, but there was no air supply. She kicked, pushed, and tried to scream, but it came out as a stifled shriek. With all her might, she tried to escape from her attacker, but he held her hard around the neck, and soon she surrendered to a smothering sensation and finally to unconsciousness. Her body went limp and everything in her hands dropped to the ground, scattering around them. Mauritsio used his foot and shoved everything inconspicuously underneath the car, away from curious eyes.

  They carried Arielle to their car and threw her in the back seat of the black Mercedes. Taking another glance around, making sure they were not detected by anyone, they spun out of the parking lot, adrenalin working overtime. At first, they were so overwhelmed that for a long while they remained in stunned silence.

  “Wow!” Vitorio finally exclaimed, unable to keep his excitement from spilling over. “That was amazing!” They both glanced at the back seat and smiled wide.

  “That was a piece of cake,” Mauritsio said and snorted.

  “She is a real beauty, isn’t she?” Vitorio added.

  “Yes, she sure is,” Mauritsio, replied with a repulsive snort. “I hope we can have a little fun with her before this is over.”

  Vitorio rolled his eyes at the comment and grinned. “I think we should call Jorrit,” he said joyfully. He picked up his mobile and pressed Jorrit’s number.

  “Jorrit here,” he answered gruffly.

  “Jorrit! We have the girl!” Vitorio screamed through the phone.

  There was complete silence on the other end. Finally Jorrit’s voice boomed from the other end. “You do?”

  “Yes, she is right here in the back seat, and we are headed to the place we’ve rented.”

  “That’s great news! No—no—no, what am I saying! That’s excellent news!” he screamed, unable to hold back his exuberance. “I have to call Rainer right away,” he added. There was a short silence on the other end and suddenly Jorrit’s voice roared over the phone. “Vitorio! Make sure you don’t touch a single hair on the girl’s head. Those are the directives from the higher ups. You don’t want to create any trouble for me, because I’ll make your lives miserable. Do you hear me?”

  Vitorio was rattled in disbelief, utterly speechless. They never expected something like that. They thought that they were both in for a real good time.

  “Do you hear me?” Jorrit’s voice boomed from the other end, flatly.

  “Yessss…yes, I hear you,” Vitorio stammered.

  “Good, now that we understand each other, call me when she is locked up so we can move on to the next step,” he said, coarsely. He ended the conversation without waiting for a reply.

  “Son of a bitch,” Vitorio flipped the phone shut. Eyes pinched with anger, he cursed through clenched teeth.

  “What is it?” Mauritsio asked.

  “He never said good job or nice going. All he said was to keep our hands off the girl. We are not to even think about touching a hair on her head. He wants us to make sure that we bring her into the house, lock her up, and then call him.”

  Mauritsio made a face of disbelief. “Was he joking?”

  “He didn’t sound like he was joking to me.”

  “How would he even know?” Mauritsio asked, holding a stunned expression on his face.

  “Do you want to put a wager on this?” he asked, glancing Mauritsio’s way. “I thought you knew Jorrit by now. He doesn’t make idle threats. You are playing with your life,” he said firmly. “Jorrit isn’t easy to fool and he doesn’t take well to having his directives ignored,” he furthered with a stiff jaw. He recalled finding himself in a similar situation once before and he didn’t like the punishment. He was told that if this were to happen again, he would be sent to the morgue. He shuddered at the thought, and gazing out the window, he muttered fearfully. “I know that I myself don’t want to take that chance.” He was quiet for a short moment and, glancing back at his partner, he said through gritted teeth, “but if you want to do that, Mauritsio, then go ahead.”

  Mauritsio grimaced at the tone of Vitorio’s words. “No, I suppose I don’t,” he murmured in a low voice, turning his attention on the road. They drove in silence for a long time. Arielle was going to be out for another hour or so. Mauritsio quickly glanced at the back seat and chuckled revoltingly. “This takes all the fun out of this job. She is very beautiful!” he complained in a sour tone.

  Vitorio remained silent.

  “Do we need to stop and tie her up?” Mauritsio asked.

  “No, there is no need. She’s not going anywhere. We’ll be at the house shortly. She’ll never know where she is or how she was taken there.”

  They drove through the streets of Brighton in high speed. They stopped in front of a small house surrounded by a six-foot brick wall. Vitorio pressed a button on the car visor and opened the gate. He pulled into the garage slowly, closing the gate and the garage door behind them.

  Mauritsio stepped out of the car and moved quickly to open the door, while Vitorio leaned into the car and scooped Arielle’s unconscious body into his arms. The warmth of her soft body and the scent of her perfume made him shudder. His jaw muscles locked, and his teeth clenched, while trying to block his mind from accepting the appeal of this beautiful girl in his arms. Mauritsio held the door open for him and he carried her through the door and down a long, poorly lit corridor, stopping at the top of a staircase leading to the basement.

  “Turn the lights on,” he yelled nervously. He needed to move away from this girl as soon as possible.

  Mauritsio closed and locked the door behind him. He then flipped the corridor light switch on. Vitorio descended the stairs in a fast pace. There were three rooms in the basement. He walked toward the one in the very back and, turning to his side, he pushed the door open with his upper body.

  The room was quite large with a private bath, but poorly lit. There were a few cheap furnishings and a small window with iron bars on the outside. He laid her on the bed and stared at her for long moment. Mauritsio walked right behind him and gazed down at the girl. He let a quiet whistle through his teeth.

  “She’s mouthwatering, wouldn’t you say?” he muttered and sighed noisily. Vitorio nodded, but kept his thoughts to himself. They stood there for a few more minutes, and finally, they turned around, walked out, and locked the door behind them. Climbing the stairs two at a time, they reached the front of the house, and picking up the phone, they called Jorrit.

  “Okay, boss, she’s locked up in the basement.”

  “Good job, you guys! Rainer is extremely pleased. We are almost done with our part of the job. All we have to do is send the final extortion envelope. I need some photos of her in that room showing her unconscious on this bed. Send them to me right away via text. Sit tight, and make sure nothing goes wrong. The boys from Belarus will be there soon to take over. Are you sure you were not followed?”

  “Yes, we’re sure. There was not a single soul in that parking lot.”

  “Make sure she is not harmed.”

  “We will,” Vitorio said stiffly.

  “There will be a little more money for both of you when you come back,” Jorrit added.

  “Thanks, boss, we’ll be right here if you need us.”r />
  “Don’t forget to pick up Vasily’s boys this afternoon from the airport and don’t forget to send me those photos.”

  “Mauritsio is on his way to take the photos right now,” Vitorio said. “What do you want us to do after Vasily’s guys arrive?” he asked meekly.

  “They will take it from there, and you are free to come home. You have done good, real… good,” Jorrit said joyfully. But just before he hung up, he stated again in a robust voice. “Vitorio, the photos, don’t take long,” and the call ended.

  Vitorio rolled his eyes once again, and glancing at Mauritsio, he made a gesture toward the camera.

  “He actually said some nice things this time around,” Vitorio added thoughtfully.

  “What was all that about Mauritsio is on his way?”

  “Oh, I told him you were on your way to the basement to take some photos of the girl while in unconscious state. He wants to show them to Gaulle so he understands that we are not playing any games.”

  “He wants them now?”

  “Yes, go and take them real quick. As soon as you come back, I’ll shoot them off to him.”

  Mauritsio picked up the digital camera and walked out of the room. “I’m on my way. I’ll be right back.”

  “Be sure that’s all you do, and hurry back,” Vitorio said, in a meaningful voice.

  “Yeah…yeah…yeah…” Mauritsio called out glumly.

  Vitorio took a beer from the fridge and, walking into the next room, he took a seat at a large armchair. He took a cigarette out and lit it, blowing thick smoke toward the ceiling. Wild thoughts were invading his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to wipe them out. It seemed that a century had gone by since the last relationship he had with a nice, decent girl. Nice girls didn’t frequent the raunchy places he patronized and didn’t fall in love with murderers like him. He wanted to find love, to feel passionate about another human being. He wanted someone to love him. He shook his head in clear frustration and, standing up, he started to pace back and forth. He wondered how many guys in his line of work had the same thoughts. He was sure that he was not the only one, but that didn’t make him feel any better.