Play Along

“They’re not leaving, in fact, more and more are arriving. They are all waiting in and around the room for us to return.”

A heavy sense of dread hangs over me. Like mice, we are trapped. “Stace, what are we going to do?” I whisper in despair.

His eyes hold mine for a moment and I know he feels as desperate as I do. “Just turn the television on and try to rest for a bit while I think of something.” He walks over and brushes my hair back from my face. “Just try and rest, baby.” He gently kisses my lips. “It will be okay. Try not to worry.”

With a deep exhale, I go to the mini bar and take out a can of Coke and a chocolate bar. I need to try and fill my stomach. I feel sick I’m so hungry. This is supposed to be my wedding night, but no… my prick of a father had to ruin that, too. I lie back on the bed and try to calm myself down as I flick through the channels. Suddenly, a face I know all too well comes across the screen with the headline.

Breaking News:

My mouth drops open. Oh my God. “Stace,” I whisper with wide unbelieving eyes. “You might want to come and watch this, honey.”

He turns from his pacing and walks into the bedroom, his face falls as I turn up the television.

Breaking news in the Roshelle Myers kidnapping case.

Key suspect Joel McIntyre has been sighted in security footage from Las Vegas airport on Tuesday night where he landed on a plane from Columbia. He was travelling with a female passenger who is believed to be Roshelle Myers. She may have been under the influence of drugs and grave concerns are held for her safety.

Joel, who goes under the alias Mac, kidnapped Roshelle at gun point in the middle of the night 31 days ago from a nightclub parking lot. The ground search for her body has been extensive.

It is believed he is on the Las Vegas strip and police are combing the area. If seen, do not approach the suspect. He is armed and extremely dangerous. Please call 911 immediately for police assistance if sighted.

The newsflash ends but we both still staring at the screen, bewildered by what we have just watched. My mouth hangs open and my eyes flicker to him. His face is solemn with no expression.

I shake my head. “Stace,” I whisper. “How did they know about the kidnapping?” I shake my head. “They’ve been looking for me this whole time?”

He storms past me into the bathroom and shuts the door behind him and I put my head into my hands.

This is a nightmare that just keeps on giving out nightmares.

* * *

It’s 3am, and Stace and I lay facing each other on the bed. We can both sense the end is near. The corridor outside the room is buzzing with Vikinos’s men, there is no air-conditioning vent large enough for us to get out of. There is no exit from this Hell. The men are guarding the lift doors, probably on every level as they wait for us to arrive back to the room. If we do get out, we have no money and we can’t even cash our chips in because the police are probably combing the casino floor. They would have watched the CCTV footage by now. They know we have chips that need to be cashed.

Stace brings his hand up, cups my face, and kisses me tenderly. My eyes fill with tears. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this.”

He holds me close to his chest. “I was already in it. It’s me who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you back here.”

“Some wedding night, hey?” I smile sadly.

His face falls and I know what he’s thinking. I shake my head. “Don’t think that.”

“Shh.” He tries to calm me.

“We will get married,” I whisper. “Promise me, we will get married.”

“Rosh.” He pauses and the emotion in his eyes breaks my heart.

“No,” I whisper.

“I need to hand you into the police, babe.”

The tears break the dam and run down my face toward the pillow. “No.”

“You will be safe with them.”

“And you will be dead. If you go to prison, you will be killed immediately. We both know how many men are on his payroll.”

“I can’t protect you,” he whispers.