Page 67 of Beautiful Deception

“You’re going to kill yourself eating like this.” Tears form in my eyes and my throat gets choked up. “I’m trying to help you by giving you a place to live. Can’t you at least try to keep yourself alive?”

“You left me,” he says so sadly, it breaks my heart. “You left me here alone. And after your mother died too. How could you do this to me?”

“I’m here, Dad. I’m trying. You’re just drunk. Please, get help. I’ll buy you some real food tomorrow. Ok? I’ll bring it over. You need to eat.”

“Don’t leave me, Inessa.” He holds out his hand to me and like the fool I am, I take it. My dad has a hold over me and I can’t let that go. I need to know that he’s safe.

“I’ll stay with you until you fall back asleep. Then I need to leave. But I’ll bring you food tomorrow, ok?”

“Ok,” he sniffles. His grip on my hand tightens before it loosens as he falls back asleep.

I wipe my own tears away, then leave the motel room. It’s so hard seeing him like this. My dad used to be full of so much life and happiness. Then my mom died and he turned to gambling and now he’s like this.

I head back to my car when I freeze. A van is parked right behind my car, blocking me into my parking spot. I look around to see if anyone is nearby who can help me but the motel is silent. It’s dark out. No one else is out tonight.

The van behind my car is dark, so I can’t see if anyone is inside or not.

I go to the front office. “Excuse me.”

The man behind the counter gives me a lazy look. “Yes?”

“A car is blocking me in. Could you go ask the people in it to move their car?”

“Why can’t you?”

“Because… I’m afraid,” I admit. “As a man, could you do it for me?”

With a sigh, like I’m inconveniencing him, he follows me outside and over to the van where he pounds on the door. No one answers.

Up close, I don’t see anyone in the driver’s seat. The back windows are too dark to see into.

The clerk shrugs. “No one there.”

“Can you call for a tow truck? Make them move.”

“I guess. I’m going back inside. I’ll call from there.” He quickly heads back to the front office, leaving me outside on my own. Something in my gut tells me to get inside so I hurry after him.

And then I hear the sound of a car door opening and closing.

When I look over my shoulder, I see two men heading right in my direction.

It’s nothing, I tell myself. But I pick up my speed anyway.

I’m almost to the front office door when the men grab me. I try to scream but they clamp their hand over my mouth and drag me to their van. I’m powerless against two men.

They throw me into the back of the van, then drive away from the motel. The clerk doesn’t even come out to check on me.

It dawns on me that I’m being kidnapped.

“Let me go,” I scream to the two men in the front seats. They only laugh.

“You’re not going anywhere, baby,” one of them says. “We were hired to do our jobs and we’re going to do our jobs.”

“What job?” I whisper, as ice covers my entire body.

The one in the passenger seat turns around to look at me. “To make you pay.”

Viktor

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