“Tell me what you see,” Sarah glanced at Alison then Alexa.
They were on a rooftop looking at the street below. The morning sun was blasting down on them and heating up their area quickly. All were in tan cargo pants and shirts. If not for their setting, they would be dressed appropriately for an African safari. But they weren’t on an African safari. Safari maybe. If you considered the metropolis a type of jungle.
“I just see a busy city street,” Alexa was the first to respond.
“Look closer.”
The twins exchanged a puzzled look. Neither knew what their mother wanted them to see. They’d been doing these exercises for two weeks and they were getting tired of them. Their mother never told them what she expected from them. She just asked what seemed to be random questions, then moved on to something else, never providing an answer to the questions she asked.
If this is our special ‘female’ training, then it totally sucks. Alison thought. She ventured a comment on her observations only to hear nothing but a grunt from her mother in response. Sighing, she voiced her rebellious thoughts out loud.
“Mom, we don’t know what you expect us to see. You give us no clues as to why we’ve been doing what we’re doing. I’m sick and tired of all this unexplained intrigue.”
Sarah studied Alison’s face, then turned to Alexa. “You feel the same?”
Alexa’s face flushed as she looked away. “Sort of.”
“C’mon then, let’s go back to the hotel.”
Sarah gathered up their field glasses and other paraphernalia they’d brought with them. She led the way to the rooftop access without looking to see if the girls were following. Kicking the small rock aside that had kept the door ajar she stepped into the stairwell. Finally, she turned and looked at her daughters. In a slightly irritated tone, she told them to hurry up or she’d leave them locked out on the roof. With that, she pushed the door open wide, then turned and started descending the stairs.
Alison ran to catch the door before it closed. Looking at her sister she murmured, “Oh-oh. She’s in a mood, now. This afternoon is going to be joyous.”
Alexa smirked as she slipped into the stairwell behind Alison. As they descended, she asked if her sister truly didn’t understand the point of their outings.
“I really don’t. I thought we were supposed to be getting training on what makes being a woman in the field different from being a man. So far, I don’t see any difference. We’ve been hanging out on hot rooftops looking at city streets that look like city streets. We’ve gone to a few party-type gatherings and met a dozen or so people I can’t remember. One day we’re told to get all dolled up like some kind of super model, the next day we’re in khaki pants and boots. What’s the point?”
“Maybe if we ask nicely, she’ll explain.”
Alison gave a short laugh. “I think we may have to wait on that. She doesn’t look in the mood to explain anything.”
“Thanks to you.”
“I didn’t see you adding anything to the mix.”
Alexa kept silent. She could tell Alison was at the point of doing something completely stupid, just to create chaos, and damn the consequences. Alexa didn’t want to do or say anything that would tip her over the edge.
They reached the street and exited from the building only to find no trace of their mother.
“You think she just went straight to the hotel?” Alexa asked.
Alison looked up and down the street. There was no sign of their mom. What’s up with that? Did I really make her that angry that she’d just leave us to find our own way back to the hotel?
“C’mon. Let’s just get to the hotel. The longer it takes us, the less amused she’s going to be.”
They’d traversed less than a full block when they heard a male voice behind them.
“Girls! Girls! How lovely to see you! Wait up.”
They stopped and half-turned. Coming towards them was a slender young man wearing tight jeans and a navy t-shirt. His smiling tanned face was topped by a head of blond curls. Alison glanced at Alexa with a question in her eyes. Alexa shook her head in reply.
The young man stepped between them, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders, guiding them forward as if they were a happy threesome. When Alison shrugged her shoulders slightly to send the message his actions were unwanted, he tightened his grip.
“Aren’t you glad to see me?” he asked in a cheery voice.
Alison shrugged her shoulders again, but he didn’t loosen his grip. If anything, he tightened it further. He spoke again. Only this time his voice was low and filled with menace.
“Don’t make a scene. Act like we’re long-lost buddies. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Alarm bells rang in Alison’s head. She tried to catch Alexa’s eye, but the man’s head blocked her attempt. She could feel his fingers digging into her upper arm and assumed Alexa was experiencing the same. She tried to slow her steps, but he was strong. Stronger than his slight frame revealed, and he kept propelling them forward.
At the next corner he pulled them to the left. Within a half-dozen steps, they were even with an open doorway and the man used a combination of pushing and pulling to maneuver them inside. He kicked the door shut behind them and pushed the girls to the center of the room. A voice spoke from a dark corner.
“Twins! You’ve outdone yourself this time, Justin. You will be suitably rewarded.”
Both girls looked around trying to pinpoint the direction the voice came from.
“Where are you? And who are you?” Alison boldly called out. “Don’t be shy. We’d like to meet our host.”
“Ah, a feisty one. Even better. Is your sister as feisty as you?”
“More so. What do you want?”
“It’s not what I want. It’s what my customers want. And that happens to be you. Or now, both of you. Definitely a bonus to get twins.”
The girls moved closer together. Both realized they were in a precarious position and sought comfort and strength from their closeness.
“Traffickers,” Alison murmured softly to Alexa.
She was surprised they were still standing. Her parents had cautioned them about drinks and drugs. They’d never suggested a daylight, fully conscious abduction could occur. Alison looked around, assessing the space they were in. There was a staircase to their left. Otherwise, the rest of the room was empty with no windows and only the one door that she could see. She saw no furniture or other items that could possibly be used as weapons.
“Don’t bother looking for an escape. There’s only the door behind you and Justin has that covered,” the voice had a mild tone. “These fellows will help him secure it. I’d suggest you comply with my instructions. Wouldn’t want you to get all bruised. My customers so hate what they consider to be damaged goods. Be good girls now and just enjoy your nap.”
Three men stepped out of the shadows. Much larger than Justin, they looked like bouncers for a rowdy bar. One held two syringes. They came towards the girls looking relaxed, but Alison wasn’t fooled by their demeanor. She knew they would be prepared for anything the girls might throw at them by way of resistance.
Alison reached for Alexa’s hand. She tugged on it then pushed it up. Shifting, she stomped her foot as if shaking off a cramp. Alexa nodded. She’d understood the signal. Low then high. Destroy the syringes. As the men came closer, they backed away, turning somewhat so they had Justin also in their view.
“Now, now girls. Don’t worry. This will only sting for a minute. Then you’ll enjoy some happy dreams.” The man with the syringes approached with anticipation. The other two moved to flank the girls. Justin stayed by the door.
The girls stepped back towards the wall behind them, effectively cutting off the two who were trying to flank them. To an ordinary person, it would look like they had just trapped themselves making their situation worse. Alison and Alexa, on the other hand, now felt comfortable knowing no one could come up behind them if they held this position. They waited.
For some reason, the men didn’t come at them together. Instead, the man with the syringes and the one on their left stepped towards Alison, almost ignoring Alexa. Big mistake. Waiting until it was almost too late, Alison let the syringe man approach. Without warning, she kicked out his knee, then turned to the other who was almost upon her. Lashing out again with her foot, she missed her target of his forward knee. She managed to catch his other knee, just not with as much force as she’d hoped. Letting her movement take her to the ground, she entangled her legs in his to assist his unbalanced stance into a forward fall. As his body weight brought him forward, she focused all her strength on a strike to his throat. She heard him gasp and cough as she rolled away and got to her feet.
Meanwhile, as soon as the syringe man’s knee started collapsing, Alexa kicked at his head, then timed her stomp on his hand carrying the syringes, which he’d put on the ground to steady himself. She heard a satisfying crunch at the same time he called out in pain. She had a fleeting hope that the crunch was both the syringes breaking and maybe a finger or two. But she didn’t wait to find out. The third man reached out and grabbed her shoulder attempting to draw her into his full grasp. She turned away from his grasp, forcing him to lose contact for a moment. Whipping her body around, she slammed the side of his face with the back of her fist, and because of her positioning, was able to stomp on the back of his calf. His leg collapsed and he fell forward, his full body weight landing on his knee as he reached out to catch himself. She followed up with a kick to his face, and as he fell forward, a stomp to his neck. His body relaxed and she assumed he was out, allowing her to focus on syringe man, who had gotten back to his feet. She straightened and readied herself for him to come at her but before he could move, Alison kicked out his knee again, sending him back down on all fours. Alexa quickly executed an axe kick to the back of his neck and saw him fall forward onto his face. She was just about to finish him off when her arms were grabbed and pinned behind her back. She cried out in pain and confusion.
Seeing Alexa grabbed by Justin distracted Alison, so she didn’t see the other man she’d hit in the throat get up. She managed to stomp on the back of syringe man’s neck just as she was wrapped in a bearhug from behind. Reacting more than thinking, she flung her head back and heard a satisfying crunch behind her. As her brain registered her own pain, she was pretty sure she got the guy’s nose. Kicking backwards in desperation, she felt her foot connect with some part of his leg. Unsure whether she’d hit his knee, she used his involuntary flinch to her advantage and shifted her weight enabling her to reach behind and grab for his groin. Finding her target, she squeezed and pulled with all her strength. She heard his groan as he released her and slid to his knees pulling out of her grasp. She whipped her leg around, catching him on the side of his head with her kick. As he rolled onto his side, she stomped his face then his neck before he could grab her foot. The second stomp put him down. Turning, she saw the big man who had come at Alexa starting to get up. She quickly moved to him and kicked his head. Grabbing his hair, she pulled his head into her knee and let go. He dropped back to the ground. Rubbing her knee from the hit, Alison looked towards Alexa who was struggling to free herself from Justin.
She stepped forward only to stop when she saw Justin reach behind himself and pull a knife, which he put to Alexa’s throat. With Alexa’s arms firmly held behind her by Justin’s other hand, he used her as a shield between him and Alison.
“You should stop now, unless you’re willing to sacrifice your twin,” he said in a low growl. His face had changed. He no longer looked young and carefree. Alison thought him very ugly.
She met Alexa’s eyes. She could see the fear in them. But she also saw anger. Good. Stay angry, Alexa. I need you to stay angry. She gave an imperceptible nod as she took a small step forward.
“C’mon, now. You don’t want to cut her. Think of the lost profits.”
“Nice try. I get paid regardless. You two are more trouble than you’re worth in my mind. One less is that much less trouble. You alone will still bring a tidy sum on the market.”
“Yeah? Well that just isn’t going to happen.” Alison took another step forward.
Justin stepped back a bit to maintain the distance between them, and in doing so shifted his weight just enough for Alexa to react. She immediately relaxed into dead weight, causing her body to collapse in Justin’s hold. The suddenness of the movement surprised him and as he shifted to catch her, his knife grazed her neck drawing blood. Because of the way he was holding her and the direction of her fall, Alexa felt one of her shoulders give. The wrenching pain almost caused her to black out, but she managed to hold onto consciousness as she hit the ground. She felt the grasp of Justin disappear as Alison charged him and hit him squarely in the throat. Rolling onto her knees and supported by one arm, Alexa tried to stand but found herself unable to do so. Every time she moved, the pain in her shoulder screamed at her. She saw blood drip on the floor and realized it was coming from her. The shock of that knowledge almost caused her to black out again. It was only sheer willpower that kept her conscious.
As Alexa was dealing with her own struggles, Alison was landing a fury of punches on Justin. She was beyond control at this point and even though it was obvious to the most casual of observers that Justin was down for the count, she continued to rain blows on him. The sound of slow clapping entered her awareness, and she realized the man who’d first spoken to them from the darkness was applauding.
“My, such ferociousness. You’re both to be commended. But I fear it will ultimately do you little good. Our transport should be here any moment. You will be taken. Have no doubt of that.”
Alison saw movement in her peripheral vision. She now had a take on where the man was. Without warning, she grabbed Justin’s knife and threw it in the man’s direction. She knew she’d hit her target when he stumbled back and fell to the floor. Not waiting to see if her aim had been fatal or merely wounding, she turned to Alexa and pulled her sister to her feet. Ignoring the cry of pain, she pulled and half-carried Alexa to the door.
“C’mon, T1, we’ve got to move. Now!!”
Her mission name registered with Alexa and she threw all her remaining strength into getting to the door. Justin hadn’t locked it and Alison was able to yank it open and pull her sister through. Without hesitation, she guided her sister back to and around the corner onto the main thoroughfare sidewalk. She ignored the stares of passersby and continued to support Alexa as best she could and still maintain forward movement. She could feel her sister starting to weaken, the initial burst of strength quickly dissipating. Glancing at her, she saw the blood seeping from a throat wound. Quickly assessing that the wound was non-life-threatening, she looked around in desperation for a safe place to hide. We have to get off the street!
Continuing forward, she pulled even with the building whose rooftop they’d been on what seemed a lifetime ago. She guided Alexa into the lobby and towards the stairwell. She figured they could hide there until Alexa felt more able to go on. It would give her an opportunity to look at the arm and shoulder that was hanging at an unnatural angle. Must be dislocated. No wonder she moans or cries out in pain every time I jostle it.
She helped Alexa to sit on the stairs and began more fully assessing her sister’s injuries. She froze when she heard steps on the stairs above her. Oh, dear Lord. No more. Please! Alison silently prayed. She pushed Alexa closer to the wall and put a finger to her lips. Pointing upwards, she quietly ascended the steps.
She reached the first landing just as the person coming down also reached it.
“Mom!”
“Alison, what’s going on? Why didn’t you come back to the hotel? I returned to look for you. I’m not happy about your little tantrum. You realize this isn’t the best part of town, right?”
“Mom, Alexa’s hurt. We need your help!”
Sarah looked at her daughter more closely and saw what looked to be bruises forming and the blood stains on her daughter’s clothes. All thoughts of reprimanding Alison fled from her mind as she immediately entered mission mode.
“Tell me.”
Alison turned and started running down the stairs, calling over her shoulder. “She’s down here. Hurry!”
Sarah was only one step behind Alison as they reached Alexa who was leaning against the stairwell wall. Her neck had stopped bleeding but the dried blood on her and her clothing made the injury appear life-threatening. Sarah swallowed her mother’s panic and forced herself to remain in mission mode, confirming the neck wound just needed cleaning and a bandage. She quickly ran her hands over Alexa looking for injuries other than the obvious shoulder dislocation. Calmly giving Alison instructions on where and how to position herself, the two of them put Alexa’s shoulder back into its joint. Alison just managed to catch Alexa’s head and keep it from hitting the cement stairs as the girl passed out.
Sarah reached into a pocket on her cargo pants and pulled out a small vial. Opening it, she passed it under Alexa’s nose, who upon sniffing it, gagged as she opened her eyes.
“What is that?” she mumbled as she gagged again.
Relieved that her twin was awake and talking, Alison hid her smile.
“Wakey-wakey. Can you stand?” Alison helped her sister to her feet and held her while she got her bearings. Sarah observed the girls closely.
“We need to get out of here, but neither of you look able to hoof it back to the hotel. And your disheveled appearance will only draw attention to us. Stay here. I’ll step outside and call us a cab.”
She pulled her phone from a pocket and left the building to make the call. As she stood in front of the building, she saw four men coming her way. She knew they were trouble with a single glance. Turning slightly to shield her face, she kept her phone to her ear as if she was still talking on her phone.
“They can’t have gotten too far. Spread out. Find them.”
Sarah heard the taller of the four speak. She knew immediately they were talking about her daughters. Dread filled her. They needed to get out of this area fast. She silently prayed the cab would get here quickly and that she could get the girls in it without these four seeing them.
She stayed where she was, watching the men and hoping her daughters remained where they were. It wouldn’t do if they stepped out of the building now. Waiting until all were further down the street, she ducked back into the building and hurried to the stairwell door.
“Girls, you need to be able to move fast. Let’s get you to the doors. Stay inside and only come out when I motion for you to do so. Understand?”
They nodded and Alison helped Alexa walk to the building doors. They stood just inside and out of view as their mother went back outside to wait for the cab and keep watch for the men.
The next ten minutes seemed the longest Sarah had ever endured, but finally the cab pulled up to the curb. She went to it and opened both the front and back doors. Instructing the driver to wait, she turned and hurried back to the building. Opening the doors, she called to the girls.
“Hurry. It’s here. Get in the back seat.”
Alison and Alexa stumbled their way to the cab and climbed in the back. Sarah closed the door and got into the front seat giving the driver directions to their hotel. He looked at her, then glanced at the girls in the back.
“Move it. Now.” Sarah told the driver in a tone that tolerated no argument.
He looked at her, then the girls again. Shrugging, he stepped on the gas and pulled away from the curb merging with the moderate traffic. As he turned at the next intersection, Sarah spotted one of the men. He was looking in the window of a clothing store. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and turned to the girls. They looked exhausted and traumatized.
“Won’t be long,” she said to them as she turned back to look out the windshield.