Laurel
It had all happened much faster than any of us had anticipated. I got the call from Pam only two weeks after I'd returned to London. She'd found my soulmate. Or so she said. We'd laughed about it in the office, wondering how many women actually believed that crap. As much as Pam seemed to believe in her own pseudo-science, I'd done some reading after my return. Soulmates were a myth. They didn't exist. And if none of the big universities had found evidence, what were the chances that a small Scottish dating agency succeeded where they'd failed?
But even though I was now almost certain that I'd not get a big headline about soulmates, there was still the issue of the disappearing women. Another girl had vanished last week. Her parents had been suspiciously unwilling to talk to me, but I was going to try again. First though, a trip to meet the guy chosen for me.
During our call, Pam had only asked whether I'd be prepared to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to get to know my match. She'd not mentioned the destination, but I'd gulped when she'd said I'd have to commit to stay an entire month. That didn't go down well with Nicole, especially since I'd be researching during that trip. The magazine would have to pay me. To keep up appearances, I'd told Pam that I was excited and was willing to go on that mystery trip. In reality, I didn't plan to stay longer than needed. Only until I had the evidence that Hot Tatties was involved in the women's disappearances. Then I'd leave, publish my story, before informing the police. And just like that, my career would be established once and for all. This was the break I'd been waiting for. I could feel it in my bones.
Unfortunately, there weren't any flights from London to our unknown destination, so I had to travel up to Scotland once again. This time, it was only cloudy, but it looked like rain wasn't far off. I hoped we'd go somewhere warm and sunny. Lying on a beach while Nicole paid my bills sounded very idyllic indeed.
A young woman held up a sign at the train station. I almost ignored her until I realised that Laurel Knight was me. It would take me a while to get used to this new pseudonym surname. Sometimes, if the topics I was researching were different enough, I reused the same alter ego two or three times, but this one was new. Using a different first name always screamed for trouble – it was hard to react to it when called – so I'd decided to only switch my last name this time. In the past two weeks, I'd further worked on Laurel Knight's identity, fleshing out the details I'd stated on the Hot Tatties questionnaire. Luckily, Pam had said that we didn't need a passport for where we were going. With their focus on kilted guys, we'd likely end up in the Scottish Highlands. Ugh. More rain. I wanted a beach and a tan line.
The woman introduced herself as Michelle and led me to a silver minivan waiting outside the station. Three other women were already waiting inside, two of them as blonde as my wig, the third looked like she had Southeast Asian roots. I took the seat behind the driver while Michelle loaded my suitcase into the back.
"Do you know who you're matched to?" the youngest of the women, barely out of her teens, asked me immediately. "Oh, and I'm Keira."
"Not really, the letter only mentioned his name. Rune. Weird name, but maybe he's not from around here?"
"My match's name is Knutr," Keira chattered away. "No idea if I pronounced that correctly. I was hoping they'd send me a picture of him, but Pam said it's a surprise. They don't want us to be biased based on the guys' looks."
"I hope mine looks like the men from their ads," one of the women behind me swooned. "You know, red-haired, muscle-packed, wearing nothing but a kilt. I know he'll likely be a boring guy in a suit, but a girl can dream."
"Aye, dream away," Michelle called out from the back. "I reassure you, your matches don't just look stunning, they also have the most amazing personalities."
The black-haired woman behind me chuckled. "I know personality is what it should all be about, but I hope mine gives good hugs. I need a big, burly guy who can... never mind."
Michelle joined the driver at the front of the van and we set off, while the other women continued to chat about what they imagined their matches to be like. I simply listened, making mental notes. I could use some of this for my article. If any of these women ended up disappearing, this scene was gold dust.
They were full of hope, but their dreams were crushed as soon as they arrived...
It was getting dark by the time we left central Glasgow. Signs for the airport flashed past. Without passports, the list of possible destinations was fairly small. Within the UK somewhere. Since I'd had to take the train all the way up here, it was likely we'd travel further North. Maybe the Western Isles or the Highlands? Orkney? Shetland? It would have to be somewhere remote, where nobody would notice whatever they were planning to do to us. If they really were people traffickers. Michelle seemed nice enough, just like Pam. But looks could be deceiving. I wouldn't be a very good journalist if I didn't question everything and everyone.
At some point, the chatter subsided, and we drove through the night in silence. I was getting sleepy, but reminding myself of how important this undercover mission was kept me from nodding off. Travelling was tiring. Finally, the van came to a halt. The airport's brightly lit tower was just about visible in the distance, but we were nowhere near the terminal. For a moment, I let myself feel the fear that was building inside me, before shutting it out resolutely. I couldn't afford to be emotional. I had to get evidence for whatever it was they were doing, then get out before I could turn into one of their victims. Besides, it was unlikely they'd make us disappear now already. We were still on the outskirts of Glasgow, a major city full of potential witnesses.
"Alright, time to get off the van. It just started to rain a wee bit, but you'll just have to be quick," Michelle announced. "The shuttle is parked just over there. I know it's dark out, so stay close to me. You don't want to twist your ankle before you even get to meet your matches."
Ominous. I waited for Keira to get off first before following her. The driver stayed in the van.
I regretted wearing heels as soon as I set foot outside. The ground was muddy and uneven. Why the bloody hell had we stopped here and not at the airport terminal?
"Your suitcases will be brought on board," Michelle said when I headed to the back of the van to get my stuff. "Makes it easier for you all. Don't want you all exhausted and tired. We still have a few hours to travel."
A few hours. We were at the airport, so if we were about to hop on a plane, a few hours would take us out of the country. However, Michelle had mentioned a shuttle. I strained my eyes to see through the darkness, but it was no use. The drizzle was slowly turning into sheets of rain, hiding anything that the night didn't already cover. The four of us huddled together. Sam, the blonde woman who'd sat in the back, pulled out an umbrella, but it was one of those cheap folding ones and was barely big enough for herself.
"What are you doing, standing there in the rain?" Michelle shouted. "Follow me!"
She was a dark shape in the distance. The tightly-contained ball of fear pushed against its box, but I kept my hold on it. I wouldn't give in to the dread that this situation was summoning.
We stumbled along, bumping into each other, while the rain soaked our clothes. I was glad my suitcase was still in the van, dry and safe from the downpour. And this was why I didn't live in Scotland. Let's hope my match didn't live in a rainy place. Not that I had any intentions of moving in with him, but still. The weather could shape a person. I wanted him to be sunny and warm.
A huge dark shadow loomed before us. The rain distorted its shape, but I was sure it was neither a plane nor a bus. So where was Michelle leading us?
Too focused on trying to see our destination, I reacted too late when my foot got stuck on something in the ground. Curse those heels!
I twisted, tried to keep my balance, stumbled, fell-
Crack!
A sharp pain exploded in my ankle, shooting up my leg and down into my toes. A scream escaped me and before I knew what was happening, I was on the muddy ground, clutching my foot.
"What's going on?" Michelle called from a distance.
I was too focused on trying not to scream again to respond. Someone shone a torch on me and I blinked into the light. Was it rain on my cheeks or were those tears?
The pain was worse than anything I'd felt before. I wanted to whimper pathetically, but I was surrounded by strangers. I couldn't let my guard down.
Hands settled on my shoulders. Had to be one of the women. Michelle kneeled in front of me, looking very much out of her depth.
"What happened? Do you think it's broken?"
The light moved to my ankle. My foot should not be at this angle.
"Definitely broken," Michelle muttered. "Alright, here's what we'll do. I can't carry you and if we all try and lift you into the shuttle, it might make it worse. I'll get one of the guys to help. Stay here, don't move. The rest of you, follow me."
The women protested weakly, but Michelle's commanding voice - I'd not expected her to have such a presence - in combination with the pouring rain helped persuade them. They left me sitting in the dirt, clutching my foot. The pain was a pulsing ball of magma that kept erupting up my leg. I didn't have much experience with pain. I'd never broken anything before. Some scrapes as a child and the occasional dental pain, that was it. This was so much worse. I wanted to curl up and cry.
A horrible thought dispelled the tears.
I couldn't walk now. There was no way to run. I wasn't going to be able to escape. I'd be unable to call for help.
I pulled out my phone, keeping it close to my body to protect it from the rain, and sent a text message to my boss.