Gilded Cage

“Yes.”

She threaded her way along the narrow ledge, one step at the time, slowly but surely, until she finally reached the landing that Brandon had pointed to. Lillian tried not thinking about the consequences if she slipped and fell. There was a one-foot gap between the ledge and the elevator’s train. If she fell, she’d be crushed at the bottom of the building. Lillian drew a relieved breath when she reached the landing. She snatched an exposed pipe and hauled herself to safety.

Brandon followed her with ease. He glided across the narrow ledge as if he was sauntering on the sidewalk on a Sunday afternoon. “You okay?” His eyes raked over the undergarment ensemble she wore but he remained indifferent.

“Yes.”

“Let’s get moving. Follow this passage.”

“Where’re we going?”

“Do you trust me?”

“I do. I just—”

“Then trust me. There’s no time for an explanation. Time is of the essence.”

Lillian nodded and scurried along the narrow, dark passage. Another landing swam into her view. Brandon glanced at his wristwatch and yanked open the double doors. The cool breeze from the air conditioning system and a plush carpeted corridor greeted them. From the look of it, it seemed they’d arrived in the residential part of the building. Maybe it was one of Marubi’s boutique hotels.

Brandon snatched her hand and led her through a maze of hallways. Lillian was convinced this floor was a hotel judging from the doors with “Do Not Disturb” signs hanging on them. Brandon abruptly stopped at one door. He fished a plastic card from his pocket and slid it through the key reader. The LCD light blinked green and the door whispered open. Brandon rushed her in.

“Go to the bed.”

Lillian did what he asked without a question. She saw a bundle of towels at the foot of the bed.

“I have to do something to you, and it’s going to be painful.”

“Like

what?”

“Did you know they’ve planted a tracking chip in your body? To be precise, it’s in the nape of your neck. I have to remove it if we want to escape from this place. I should use anaesthesia, but I need you to stay alert. Think you can handle the pain?”

Lillian nodded. A tracking device. She remembered a doctor had performed a minor surgery on her neck when she was little. Her father had said the surgery was to remove an ugly mole he couldn’t stand looking at. She didn’t remember having a mole, but she’d consented anyway. Lillian never expected that he’d plant a tracking device on her. She now began to understand why Brandon was reluctant about her proposal in the first place. Spiriting her away from her father and Stanford wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“Good.” Brandon unrolled the towels, spreading some scalpels, sanitiser and bandages. He snatched a pillow and dragged it in front of her. “Put your head here. Face down.”

She kneeled by the side of the bed and put her face on the pillow. The smell of clean linen filled her nostrils. Anxiety crept over her like an unwanted guest. Fear, too. She pushed everything to the back of her mind. Brandon knew what he was doing. She trusted him. They would get out of this place alive.

Brandon sanitised his hands and tore open a package containing sterile gloves. He donned them and pushed her braid aside. He prodded a few places on the back of neck until he found what he was looking for. Cold liquid kissed her skin, followed by the smell of alcohol. Lillian closed her eyes, halting her breath when she heard the sound of metal clinking.

“I’m going to make an incision.”

Lillian clawed the bed sheet. A sharp pain pricked her neck, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. She felt Brandon poke her with a metal instrument, a little wriggle then he withdrew it. He tore another package wrapper open and applied something sticky onto her wound. Bandage? He smoothened it out with the tip of his fingers. That was it? That was easy…

Brandon slipped into the bathroom and flushed something down the toilet. He watched her with concern when he returned. “How do you feel? Can you stand up?”

“I-I’m fine.”

“Good.” Brandon gave her the hotel bathrobe. “Put this on for now.” He glanced at his wristwatch again. “Time to move.”

“Okay.”

He yanked open the room’s door and stiffened. Lillian heard hurried footsteps in the corridor. Men’s voices. Brandon closed the door, frowning.

He motioned her to come closer. “Trust me on this one. All you need to do is pretend to faint. Can you do it?”

Lillian nodded. Panic rising. Had they been discovered?