The Girl Who Made Them Pay Read online

  What?

  “Then what’s all my stuff doing on the floor?” He took a step forward, his eyes widening as he saw the full extent of the damaged package on the floor. “You’ve ruined my sacs, Bibi! Merde!”

  I moved my arms sideways to say no, flapping the black robe like a monster-sized crow. I hoped he understood.

  “I knew you were all double-crossing me,” Luc wailed. “First Zero, and now you. How could you do this to me?”

  “Jeezus, people,” Vlad said, giving him a look of contempt.

  Tetyana was watching me quietly. Something in her eyes bothered me.

  Zero stepped closer to me. His step wavered, but his eyes looked deadly. Inside the robe, I squared my shoulders and balled my hands into fists, ready to defend myself. I won’t go down easily, Bibi or not Bibi, I thought.

  “Dis true, Bibi? You stealing this?” He asked. “You selling this filth to infidels?”

  I stared at him, speechless.

  “Oi!”

  It was Tetyana. Everyone turned to look at her.

  “Can’t you all see she’s just trying to pray?” she said.

  Pray?

  “Pray?” Luc said.

  “Inside here?” Vlad said.

  “You possessed, woman?” Zero gave me a strange look.

  “Everyone out!” Tetyana clapped her hands. “Leave your sister alone, Zero. How can you interrupt when she’s praying?”

  Zero looked at her, confused.

  “Don’t you know that’s bad luck? You’ll go straight to hell if you don’t watch it. No virgins for you!”

  That did it. Zero walked out quickly, but not before throwing a bewildered glance my way.

  Does Tetyana know I’m not Bibi? Or does she think she’s saving Bibi?

  “Jeezus,” I heard Vlad say. “What wrong with you people today? So much drama. I need to nap. Dibs on TV,” he said as he stepped back into the kitchen.

  I sighed in relief. Good. Watch the game, you brute, and leave Katy alone.

  “Out!” Tetyana ushered everyone outside.

  Then she turned to me. I froze.

  Giving me a strange look I couldn’t make out, she stepped out and closed the door.

  I was alone in the little storage room once again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  With a shaking hand, I reached for the knob.

  I had mentally counted time and given myself five full minutes before stepping out of the storage room. I had no idea how long Bibi’s prayers lasted, but that sounded sufficient, plus time wasn’t on my side. It had been hard to focus because my brain was screaming to run and find Katy before anyone hurt her.

  But I had to play smart. I had to outwit everyone to get out of here alive with Katy. One punch or kick from either Vlad or Zero and I’d probably go out like a light, but since neither sounded highly intelligent, from what I’d heard so far, I still had hope.

  The voices on the other side of the room had died down. Footsteps above me told me someone or some people had retired upstairs. I opened the wooden door, not knowing what to expect, and took a step out to the grimiest kitchen I’d seen in my life.

  Sitting at a dirty table was Tetyana, still in her racy getup, having a drink with the impeccably dressed Luc. Between them stood an open bottle of whiskey and two empty shot glasses. Both stopped talking when I walked out.

  The kitchen counter was a mosaic of icky browns. It hadn’t been wiped in ages. The sink was piled high with dried-out dirty dishes. A garbage bag in the corner was overflowing and smelled like something had crawled inside and died. The door of the fridge was slightly ajar as if someone had forgotten to shut it, and the floor squeaked with every step I took.

  I stood still next to the door, trying to figure out what to do next. Should have decided that before I came out, I thought. It’s too late now. That was when another thought struck me. What if Bibi’s in the house? What if I bump into her? A chill went through me at the thought.

  “What’s the matter, hun?” Tetyana looked genuinely worried. “Everything okay?”

  Under the robe, I crossed my fingers.

  “Hey,” Luc said with a sigh. “Look, I overreacted in there. I know you’re not a thief. It’s Zero who’s always stealing from me, tu sais? Makes me paranoid.”

  I shrugged and spread my hands wide to say, “No hard feelings.”

  They stared back at me expectantly, waiting for me to speak. But I didn’t have time to waste.

  I gave a slight bow to both and looked for the exit. My bow didn’t go unnoticed. I saw how both Luc’s and Tetyana’s eyebrows shot up. Note to self, I thought, Bibi doesn’t bow or curtsy. I walked as calmly as I could toward the open doorway that looked like it led to the main part of the house.

  “Something’s wrong,” I heard Luc whisper behind me.

  “Snorted your frigging stuff, that’s what,” Tetyana whispered hoarsely back. “This is going to come back and haunt you.”

  I heard a chair being moved, then shuffling. Are they following me?

  But I didn’t look back. Whatever happens, I’ve got to go ahead with this. Trembling under the robe, I took one step forward, then another. I’d managed to straighten the robe while I pretend-prayed in the little room, but it was still hard to see through the veil. If there was any piece of clothing superbly designed to restrict a person’s senses and movements, this had to be it. Bibi wasn’t that much taller than me, so the robe fit, somewhat. Still, I stumbled forward, handicapped.

  The kitchen doorway opened to a small foyer of sorts. It was dark here, but I could see the peeling yellow wallpaper and the stains on the orange carpet. The whole house smelled moldy like it had been left to decay for years, maybe even decades. Holding the robe up with both hands so as not to trip, I climbed up the wooden stairway.

  I came up to an open landing. In front of me were two doors and another staircase in the corner that went up to the third floor. From one of the rooms, a TV blared. It was a football game being played out.

  I tiptoed quietly over to the door where the television noise was coming from and peeked in. It was a small sitting room with a stained velour couch. Here, Vlad was sitting with his feet up on the coffee table, snoring loudly, dribbling spit from the corner of his mouth. One hand was holding a TV remote and the other a black handgun.

  Where’s Zero?

  I turned around and walked toward the rickety stairway curling upward. Katy’s up there on the third floor. That’s where the scarf was tied.

  Hanging on to the loose railing with one hand and holding up the robe with the other, I waddled up, making out each step through the narrow slit. How does Bibi do this every day?

  It was a relief to get to the third landing without bumping into anyone. I had so little visibility, I had to turn around to see fully where I was. There were three rooms on this floor, and all were closed. I tried to remember which window Katy had tied her scarf to but after two minutes of trying, I realized my spatial abilities were as bad as a bat’s in daylight. I’ll have to try all three rooms.

  Except for the TV noise from downstairs, there wasn’t a sound in the house. I took a deep breath and reached for the first door. If anyone other than Katy’s in there, I’ll pretend I’m Bibi. Act confused, close the door, and walk away.

  I turned the knob. It didn’t budge. I tried it again. The door was locked.

  I stepped up to the second door and turned the knob.

  To my surprise, this door slid open. I squinted through the slit. The room was empty, apart from clothes, dirty plates, glasses and a used condom strewn around the floor. I shuddered in disgust. I peered at the window and I felt my heart leap. Katy’s scarf was still tied to its bars.

  Where is she? Did they take her someplace else?

  I closed the door quietly and stepped up to the third room. This door was unlocked as well. I opened it and looked inside.

  Win!

  The girl was lying on an unmade bed, her face paler than before. Is she sleeping? Is she a
live? I slipped inside, walked toward the bed and knelt down next to the bed.

  “Win!” I whispered. “Win! Wake up!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Win didn’t even open her eyes.

  Her face was deathly pale like the blood had drained from her. I reached over and touched her arm. It was unusually cold. I put a hand on her neck to find a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Thank god. She turned and whimpered.

  “Win!” I whispered again.

  A rustle nearby made me look up.

  Other than the girl on the bed, I was alone in the room. There was barely enough space here to fit the bed and a chair. A funny feeling came over me, a feeling in my bones. There’s someone else in here.

  With my heart beating a little faster, I scanned the room with my eyes. There wasn’t even a wardrobe where anyone could hide. There were no other doors than the one I came in through. I looked back at Win. She was still sleeping or unconscious.

  Again, the rustle. I froze. It was closer this time.

  I stood slowly and backed away from the bed, toward the door, glancing around the room as I did. The rustle again. Is that coming from under the bed? It was only when I had my back to the door that curiosity overcame fear. I bent down and peeked under Win’s bed.

  Two familiar green eyes glared at me from under the bed.

  “Katy!” my muffled voice came through the veil.

  I bounded toward the bed, but the robe got the better of me. I tripped and came crashing to the ground. I didn’t have time to register the pain, but my head was now level with Katy’s.

  “Katy!” I said, trying to reach out to her, but she’d skedaddled to the other end of the bed and was staring at me with terror in her eyes. Why isn’t she—? That was when I realized she wasn’t seeing me.

  I scrambled to my feet and pulled off the robe. Or tried to. It had not been easy to put this thing on, and it was harder to get it off. I twirled around trying to find an opening but instead shrouded myself like an Egyptian mummy. My anklet jingled madly as I tried to get out of the knot I’d tied myself into.

  “Asha?”

  Katy’s voice. I stopped moving.

  “That you?”

  “Yes, it’s me!” I mumbled desperately through the cloth. “It’s me! Are you okay? Help me get out of this!”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “Shh,” she said. “Don’t move.”

  I stayed still while she pulled on the cloth, nudging gently this way and that, unraveling me from my mess. When she finally pulled the robe off, in front of me was the redhead I’d been searching for.

  Katy stared at me in disbelief.

  “What are you doing under that—”

  I flung my arms around her. We hugged, half-sobbing, half-laughing.

  “I spotted your scarf,” I said finally, wiping my eyes.

  “So it worked?”

  I pointed at the scratch marks on her face. “Katy, did they—?” I couldn’t get myself to finish the sentence.

  She shook her head. “I screamed and kicked and yelled so much, he said he was going to get his gun so if I screamed again, he’d shoot me.”

  “Oh, my god.”

  “So I said, go right ahead. I’d rather be dead but I won’t die quietly. That stopped him. He walked out yelling all the bad things he’d do and slammed the door. He forgot to lock it at least.”

  “Was it Vlad or Zero?”

  “Who?”

  “Is it the thug who took you from the airport? That’s Zero.”

  “Yes, that’s him. Tall, dark, crazy guy with a beard.” She looked worried. “Are there more?”

  “There are two of them and one has a gun,” I said. “Plus there are two more. One’s a girl a bit older than us, and there’s this guy, but I don’t know what they do here.”

  “How did you find me? How did you get in here?”

  “Long story. Let’s get out of here first, shall we?”

  Win whimpered. We turned to look at her on the bed.

  “Think she’s been drugged,” Katy said.

  “Poor Win,” I said, kneeling at the edge of the bed.

  “You know her?”

  The image of Win getting kicked was all too fresh in my mind. “He would have beat her proper if I hadn’t come out screaming.”

  “Oh my god, this poor girl.” Katy sat down on the bed and reached out to touch Win’s hand. “She helped me.”

  “How?”

  “After that man left, I slipped out of the room to find an escape route and got in here. She was here and told me to hide under her bed till night. Then she fainted.”

  I stared at the girl. How old is Win?

  “We can’t leave her here,” I said.

  “I don’t wanna either. So what do we do?”

  We sat quietly, trying to think of our next steps.

  Something bothered me, and I had to ask. “Hey, Katy,” I said, “why didn’t you answer me when that man was pulling you away at the airport? Why didn’t you try to get away? I was literally screaming at you.”

  “I dunno,” Katy said, shaking her head. “I don’t remember anything. I didn’t even hear you. I was talking to this man one minute and the next minute, the world went black.”

  “Chlo-ro-form.” Tetyana’s voice was deadpan.

  We spun around.

  Tetyana and Luc were standing by the door. Katy and I had been so engrossed in our conversation, we hadn’t heard them come in. The two were staring pointedly at us.

  Oh my god, I forgot to lock the door.

  “I told you she wasn’t Bibi,” Luc said, without taking his eyes off me.

  “Who are you?” Tetyana asked, glowering at me.

  I had to think fast. I looked at her. Her face was blank. Does she work for those men?

  The more mysterious I made myself, the more leverage I’ll have, I thought. I pulled my shoulders back and sat up straight.

  “It doesn’t matter who I am.” My voice projected far more confidence than I felt. “But I’ll tell you what really matters.” I paused for effect.

  Luc and Tetyana gave each other a quick glance.

  “If you don’t let us leave right now, the police will be here in an instant,” I said.

  My phone was still dead. I didn’t know if Katy’s was working, but maybe the threat alone would subdue them.

  “You can call whomever you want,” Tetyana replied, in her impassive voice. “Just be ready because Zero will shoot you first. Be careful what next step you take.”

  It was my turn to be surprised. “Does he know I’m not Bibi?” I asked.

  Tetyana shook her head. “I don’t think so. If he did, he’d already be here. And we won’t be having this chit-chat, that’s for sure.”

  “He’s sleeping in his room now, but he can wake any minute,” Luc said. “And he sleeps with his gun.”

  I looked at Luc. Is he on their side too? They were blocking our only way out, and neither looked like they planned on budging. It was time to try a different tactic.

  “Will you help us get out of here quietly,” I said, speaking slowly, “if we pay you?”

  Tetyana didn’t hesitate. “How much?”

  “One thousand in cash.”

  Next to me, Katy drew her breath in. I hoped to god she still had the money packet in her jacket.

  Tetyana threw her head back and laughed hoarsely.

  “Shh,” I said. “Do you want to wake up those thugs?”

  “You want me to risk my life for one frigging grand?”

  “Two thousand then,” I said, keeping my gaze steady. “In dollars.” There was no reason to specify we had only Canadian dollars on us. “And we take Win with us.”

  “That’s not a lot of cash for a hell of a lot of work,” Tetyana said, but she was no longer laughing. “This is not going to be easy.”

  “If you can guarantee our safety out and help us carry her out, I’m willing to consider adding more to that,” I said.

  Tetyana�
��s eyes narrowed.

  Luc spoke up. “Who do you work for?”

  Before I could think of a smart answer, a loud bang erupted from below us. The noise reverberated throughout the house so loudly I felt the walls shake. Then, just as quickly, the house plummeted into an eerie, ominous silence.

  No one moved. No one even breathed.

  Tetyana’s face had gone pale.

  “Mon dieu,” Luc said, his eyes wide with fear.

  Part THREE

  Bad is never good until worse happens.

  Danish Proverb

  Chapter Seventeen

  I stared as Tetyana pulled a mini phone from her skimpy bra.

  “What’s going on?” I said.

  “Put on Bibi’s robe!” Tetyana commanded, not even looking up.

  “I don’t think....”

  “You don’t have time to think,” she snapped, her eyes boring into mine. She pointed at the door. “That was a gunshot. Want to get into more trouble?”

  Is she friend or foe? I couldn’t figure it out, but I hesitated only a moment.

  I took a deep breath and pulled the black cloth over my head with Katy’s help. I couldn’t see much, but I could smell the fear in the house. Whatever was going on, I thought, being disguised as the robed woman had its advantages.

  Tetyana stepped toward the door, motioning to us.

  “Follow me,” she whispered. But before she could reach the doorknob, the door crashed open, hitting her on the head. She jumped back, with her hand on her forehead.

  It was Vlad.

  He stomped in, waving his handgun, looking like a demented zombie on the run. His bloodshot eyes flashed maniacally. It was hard to imagine that only a few minutes ago, I’d seen him sleeping in a La-Z-Boy, his feet up and with a football game on.

  “They come!” Vlad’s hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold on to the gun. I didn’t know what was worse, a thug with a gun who had it all together or a thug with a gun who looked like he’d just lost it.

  “Who fired that shot?” Tetyana demanded.