Love Condemned: Beginnings Read online

  "I want to try and get in there," she said, pointing at the air vent. "I can at least see if there are any exits or many terrorists standing guard. Can you help me get up those shelves?" He regarded the air vent before and thought that it was too small to be a possibility, but the more he compared Miranda’s small frame, it could be possible.

  “Sure. It might be too small, but it is definitely worth looking at. We will have to be quiet and quick. We cannot alert the guards to what we are doing.”

  Miranda got up and walked over to the far shelf, trying to find the best way up without making noise. Once she found the perfect spot that would give her access to the vent, she motioned for Adrian to lift her up. He was stronger than she thought. He lifted her with ease, almost throwing her up to the top of the shelves. She climbed up on the top and started to work at removing the vent cover.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Giorgio stormed into the back room where he had set up his command post. As the door crashed open, several men jumped to attention. They could tell that their boss was not happy. The way he walked around with his gun in his hand, they did not want to cross his path.

  “Get out of here.” Giorgio said calmly with a low tone. When that did not get a response from the men, Giorgio snapped, “I said get the hell out of here! Now!”

  It did not take another word for all the men to scramble for the door. Each hoping that they can get out before Giorgio really loses his temper and shoots one of them. As the men fought to get out of the door, Armando walked in calmly. Being Giorgio’s second in command and usually the voice of reason, he always had his hands full with Giorgio’s fits. But this one seemed to be more extreme than the others.

  “You didn’t have to kill her, you know.” Armando approached calmly trying to Giorgio at ease.

  “She killed my best friend. Am I supposed to look the other way?”

  “I suppose not. But you could have exacted your revenge at a later time. Now we have to find someone new to be our scapegoat when this all goes down. She was supposed to be the mastermind behind this, remember.”

  “You do not have to tell me the plan, Armando. I am the one who came up with it. This just changes things a little. I will have to clear my head and think.”

  “We do not have time for you to think. We are surrounded by the police; we have a hotel full of hostages and trying to keep up this charade of killing two hostages each day. Eventually, someone will catch on.”

  Giorgio reacted like the madman he is. He pushed the gun underneath Armando’s chin, which silenced the man immediately. With a stare as cold as death, he spat through gritted teeth, “Don’t ever tell me how to run my crew. Know your place. I could put you down just as fast as that piece of trash that killed my friend.” He pushed Armando back a couple steps with his gun. “Now go make sure that the hostages are in order. We do not need any heroes today.”

  Without another word, Armando turned and walked out of the room. Under his breath he whispered, ‘If that is how you want to play it. Act like a dog, you will be put down like one.’

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Once on the shelves, Miranda pushed aside some rolls of toilet paper, intensely grateful that these at least didn't make noise when they fell down the shelves. She sat on her knees on the narrow ledge, the air vent just in her reach. She analyzed the screws, trying to come up with a solution. “I need something to turn these screws.” She called back to Adrian.

  He reached under his shirt and pull out a small silver cross on a chain. “Here, try this.” He passed it to Miranda.

  She managed to turn it so the air vent would open. Careful not to let the metal cover make any noise on the metal shelves, she put it down on the remaining rolls of toilet paper. Miranda eyed it in doubt for another couple of seconds, figuring that if anyone would come in and find both her missing and the air vent cover gone, even these men could put connect the dots. They might even punish Adrian for her disappearing.

  Miranda called down in a whisper. "When anyone comes in and they find me missing, tell them that some of their buddies just took me away. And try to look worried, as if they were looking like they were going to rape me, or something."

  Without waiting for his answer, she took off her shoes and threw them down the shelves in Adrian's arms. Hide those, she mouthed. Miranda did not want to risk making noise with her shoes on the metal air vent. The same counted for her necklaces. She left them behind in some of the cardboard tubes that were the core of the rolls of toilet paper and hoped to God that no one would be in desperate need of those for a while.

  She climbed in the air vent, feet first, grabbing the cover while she wriggled herself backwards. It was narrower than she had thought, but she should be able to turn around eventually. Miranda threw one last look down, at Adrian, hoping she could find some way to get them out before she put the air vent back in place. There were no screws to hold it this time, but it fit quite firmly. She had to hope it would stay in place until she got back. Wish me luck, she thought to no one in particular as she pushed herself backwards through the metal shaft, looking over her shoulder after every push.

  Adrian watched as Miranda squeezed into the tight space and refitted the cover. He could not believe that she was small enough to fit in that little hole. Now that she was gone, the small closet seemed almost empty to him, despite the fact that there were two people unconscious on the floor. Adrian placed some of the toilet paper rolls neatly on the shelf and straightened the towels that have been misplaced. It was for two reasons, really. He wanted to keep himself busy and he wanted to keep from drawing any attention to the shelves if someone came.

  He stood there for a moment and looked at the two bodies on the floor. Alice had finally stopped bleeding, but her skin was pale and full of sweat. As he watched her closely, he could see her chest rising and falling quickly. With her breath that shallow, her lungs must be slowly filling with blood. He was not sure how much longer she would last. The blonde next to her began to stir. Great, just what he needed. He only hoped that she would not freak out and draw attention to them.

  Sophie slowly regained her consciousness and tried to sit up. A sharp pain ran through her head, causing her vision to blur again and lie back down. Adrian moved over to her, rolled up a towel and slid it under her head. “Be careful and stay calm. We cannot draw any attention to ourselves right now. Do you know where you are?”

  “Ughh….What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?” Sophie asked weakly.

  “You are in Rome at the hotel. We have all been taken hostage, do you remember that?” Adrian asked calmly.

  Sophie winced in pain as she forced herself to sit up. As she looked around the small space, a look of recognition came across her face. “Oh, that spoiled little witch! Where is she? I am going to….”

  Adrian reached out, putting his hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “Shut up! Do you want to get us killed? Do not worry about Miranda. She is not here right now. The only thing you need to worry about is keeping quiet and staying alive.”

  With the shocked look on Sophie’s face, Adrian would have thought that he struck her. Regardless, it worked and Sophie lowered her voice calmly. “I…I am … sorry. It has just been a rough day and I was not expecting to be punched in the face.”

  Adrian almost felt sorry for her until he remembered that she deserved to be put in her place. It was women like her that ignored him his entire life and just when he meets someone interesting they try and mess it up for him. Adrian realized that his hand was still on Sophie’s shoulder and recoiled. Outside the door, he heard footsteps and some muffled voices speaking in a foreign language. In a sudden panic, Adrian jumped to his feet, looked around for a way to distract the men if they were to enter into the room.

  The door knob slowly turned and Adrian was out of options. If he did not think of something quick, they would notice that Miranda was not in the room. Adrian grabbed as many towels as he could and threw them in a pile. Just as the door opened, he threw a she
et over himself and the pile of towels, his back to the door. “It will be ok.” Adrian started to say and rocked back and forth. An Italian man poked his head around the door and quickly scanned the room.

  “Keep it quiet in here and stay calm. We will bring some food and water soon.” Armando shut the door and continued on his rounds.

  Adrian threw the sheet back with a sigh of relief. Sophie looked at him with surprise, “I cannot believe that worked. Where is that girl…..Miranda, you called her?”

  “She went throw the air vent.” Adrian pointed to the air vent above the shelves.

  “Impossible. That is too small for a person.”

  “That is what I thought too, but she made it in and hopefully can get us some help.”

  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.” Gi
orgio 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.