Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I didn't want to make you wait too long for this one. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm having fun with it.
(JD's car, 9:00 p.m.)
"Where are you taking me?" I cried out.
"All in due time, Ms. Smoak, all in due time."
"Why did you pretend to be Jax? Is he okay? Tell me you didn't hurt him."
"Jax is fine, I presume. The last I heard he's up in Chicago working, living the boring life of a non-criminal."
"Why did you pretend to be him?" I demanded to know.
"I needed a way in, to make you trust me so I could get you alone. Someone hired me to kidnap you. They know all about you, including that you dated Jax in college."
"Who's 'they'? Who the hell are you talking about?"
"That, I can't tell you."
"But what does that have to do with you? Why would they contact you about me? I don't know you."
"Yes, but I know Jax."
"How?"
"You know what, I'll entertain your little bombardment of questions since it won't make a difference what you know about me where you're headed."
"Wait, where am I going?"
"Look, lady, if you're going to keep asking me different questions and not let me answer the previous ones without interrupting me, I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU SHIT. YOU GOT THAT?"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Don't yell at me."
JD obviously had an issue with his temper I had best not mess with.
"Thank you. Now where was I?" he said, now strangely calm.
"Jackson or Jax, as you know him, is my estranged younger brother, you know, the good son, the who-can-do-no-fucking-wrong one in everyone's eyes."
"I didn't know Jax had a brother."
"Well, that would be just like him to pretend I didn't exist. He always had my father's love and acceptance, unlike me, and when my father died, my brother had the audacity to blame me, saying I drove my father to it. Then he didn't even bother to stick around after our father died. He just finished high school and left for college, never looking back. He's a coward."
"Why? Because he went to college and tried to make something of himself? Your father would have been proud of him. Jax is kind and considerate and not a coward. That's more than I can say for you."
JD suddenly and angrily reached over and put his hand to my throat, grasping it tightly.
"I think you should watch your tongue, Ms. Smoak. Afterall, I'd love nothing more than to hurt my brother by hurting you."
"I"m sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Please, you're hurting me."
He let go of me while giving me a bitch-don't-you-fucking-ever-say-that-again glare that I wasn't about to argue with. I just fell victim to another of his apparent mood swings, obviously.
He turned to look at the road and out of nowhere let out a disturbing, if not psychotic, sinister laugh, which was freakier than all hell and sent a chill down my spine.
Yes, he's bipolar or suffering from some very deep-seeded daddy issues.
"Relax. I have a job to do and it involves delivering you alive, so your fate is not going to be in my hands."
"Who hired you?"
"You'll know soon enough. For now, they gave me strict instructions to keep it quiet."
"So you're just going to hand me off to some psychopaths?"
Well, considering who I'm dealing with, it's more like handing me off from one psychopath to another.
"I was approached because they knew what kind of business I was in and my indirect association with you via my brother. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. But I can't say I blame them for wanting you," he said as his evil eyes scanned me up and down with his sick form of desire.
Great, he's a pervert too.
"And what kind of business is that?"
"Let's just say I'm in the business of women and drugs, Ms. Smoak."
"So that explains how you got involved, but what do these people want with me?" I said almost afraid to hear his response.
"I can't tell you that."
"What can you tell me?"
"I've got an order to fill, Ms. Smoak."
"An order?" I began to completely freak out.
"Yes, an order." He flashed a haunting gaze at me that sent shivers through my body.
"You're the order, Ms. Smoak, and I'm going to deliver you."
"I was ordered?"
"That's how it's done. And as much as I'd love to keep you for myself, I'm just here to make sure that the delivery goes smoothly."
"Where are you taking me?"
"You'll see soon enough - Felicity, is it?"
"I'd prefer you called me Ms. Smoak. I don't want to hear you call me by my first name."
"Why not? It is such a pretty name."
I turned my head and looked out the window, disgusted by what I was experiencing.
"Then again, 'Ms. Smoak' is very appropriate because you are, mm-hmm, "smoak-ing' hot."
I'm gonna be sick.
He was already creepy and now him hitting on me just upped the level of creepiness.
"I bet you get that a lot, huh?"
I ignored him and once again stared out the window.
"Why me?" I said while looking away and fighting tears, anything to change the subject.
"You'll have to ask the buyer that. They paid handsomely for me to deliver you."
"Ordering? Delivering? A buyer? You make it sound like I was some sort of transaction?"
Wait a damn minute! I was so terrified by what was happening I didn't stop to realize what he was saying. Oh, my God, I know who JD is.
"How much was I worth to this buyer?"
"On the street, about a cool million."
"A million dollars in cash?"
"Don't be silly. I don't deal in paper. I deal in snow, baby, the purest, whitest form there is."
"Cocaine? You're selling me to some sickos for drugs?"
"That's the only currency I accept, darling."
It suddenly made sense why his license said Snow Man. It was all coming together. Apart from dealing in cocaine, he was very cold. This sociopath next to me was the same guy I was helping Oliver to investigate for human trafficking. This was the infamous Josh Donovan, the man we were looking into and the sick excuse for a human being who was selling women for drugs. And I'd bet my life that the gunman in the backseat was his partner, Hawthorne. I decided to try to gain further information without letting on that I knew the extent of who he or Hawthorne were and the fact they were under investigation as we speak.
"So these people you're giving me to, have they done this before?"
"How the fuck should I know? I've never met them before. It could be one person or more than one. They don't give me a rundown of their personnel. I do business with a lot of people. Whoever they are, they seemed to know an awful lot about you, though. I was contacted strictly by my reputation on the street and my association with Jax, who you dated, just like I already told you. Now are you through with the questions? Save your strength. You're about to take a long ride."
"Where on earth are you taking me?"
"Well, I'm only taking you to the drop point. From there, you'll be boarding a private jet out of the country. I'll be staying in town for a day or two to finish up some other business dealings."
I was being taken out of the country? I had to think of some way to stall or get a message to Oliver to give him time to find me before it was too late. This mood-swinging-drug-dealing-woman-stealing maniac had to have a sense of reason in that sick, slimy, twisted head of his, right? He's been getting away with this for a while now, so he's got to know how to be smart so as not to get caught. All I know is if he gets me to that airport before I can get Oliver some kind of message, I'm as good as dead or worse.
"JD" - I said his name to try to relate to him on a personal level, not that I could ever relate to someone as vile as him - "I know you have to do this and I know you don't want to get caught, but if you'd just let me call my boss and tell him I won't be coming in to work tomorrow because I'm sick or something. If I don't show up, he'll really get suspicious because I never, I mean never miss work. He's got connections in high places and he would investigate immediately and I'm sure you don't want him on your trail so soon if you're gonna be staying in town for a day or two."
"You mean your millionaire playboy boss, Oliver Queen? Oh, Ms. Smoak, I doubt he'll even notice you're gone. You're not exactly his type, you know, the tall, leggy bimbo type."
Hell, does everyone know Oliver's type?
"And he makes investment deals for a living. He's no hero."
"That's what you think, " I mouthed the words to myself while staring out the car window.
(Felicity's Apartment Building, 9:10 p.m.)
"Diggle, I'm at Felicity's and she's not here, but I got ahold of the manager and he was able to show me recent security footage of the front of the building. I spotted Felicity getting into a black Jaquar with plates that read Snow Man about 20 minutes ago. Call Detective Lance and tell him to put out an APP on the plates and to check for vehicle tracking information. Also, find out who those plates are registered to. I'm heading out to look for her now. I have the general direction that the car was headed, which is east. Call me if you hear anything at all."
"Don't worry, Oliver, we'll find her and you will bring her home."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do."
"And, Oliver, we still don't know if this Jax guy is innocent in all this and it is all just a terrible coincidence, so before you kill this guy, make sure you know he's really the bad guy."
"When it comes to Felicity, I'll do whatever needs to be done."
(Back in JD's car)
"Sorry, Ms. Smoak, I can't let you make any phone calls."
"But Mr. Queen knows I'm out for the evening. I told him I had plans with my college boyfriend so I could get the evening off."
I didn't bother to tell JD I never told Oliver Jax's last name.
"So if I don't show for work, he'll make phone calls until he tracks him down in Chicago and we both know Jax will say he hasn't heard from me since college, and then Oliver will know something is wrong."
"Oliver, eh? Are you close with your boss, Ms. Smoak?"
"Well, no, not really, but he can't do anything around that office without me. I'm his g-"
"I'm sorry, his what?" he asked as his eyebrow raised.
"His assistant, his assistant."
"Well, even if he notices you're gone and tracks down Jax, he'll hit a dead end. All he'll know is you're missing. When I dropped my last name, I never looked back. My brother thinks I'm dead probably. I haven't seen him since I was 18 so he'll have no reason to even bring my name up. So your boss won't know what happened to you. "
"But he can check my phone records and find out we've had communications and trace your number."
"Oh, Ms. Smoak, I deal with criminal masterminds every day and have connections in foreign countries. You don't think I would carry around a Verizon phone, do you? I have a different phone every week, a non-traceable phone that I acquired from my overseas connections. Nice try, though."
My options were dwindling and I was running out of time.
"You sure are giving your "boss" a lot of credit. He's probably not even going to notice you aren't at your desk tomorrow. It's not like he's got access to FBI files and information on tracking down criminals."
I sat there biting my tongue.
"I've been chased by far more dangerous men than your Oliver Queen, Ms. Smoak."
God, where is Oliver and his arrows when I need him to prove this jackass wrong?
"You know, I don't know what happened with you and my brother back in college, but he sure was a moron for letting you go. I love a girl with brains and beauty. You can't fool me hiding behind those glasses. I see how hot you are underneath the glasses and that ponytail. You must have all the men falling at your feet."
Not the one man that I want to be falling...
"You really are stunning, Felicity. Do you mind if I tell you that?
Do you mind if I throw up in your car?
"Yes, I do mind. You're making me very uncomfortable."
"Such pretty skin you have, Felicity," he said as he reached over and brushed my cheek catching me off guard.
"Please don't touch me -" I turned my head swiftly toward him and shot him a look -"or call me Felicity."
The only man I want to hear say my name right now is Oliver. God, where are you, Oliver? I need you.
He put his hand down and placed it back in his lap. "It looks like someone else has already touched you, Ms. Smoak."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't think I haven't noticed that bruising on your face. Are you in a habit of getting hit, Ms. Smoak?"
"I seem to be in the recent habit of being touched 'without permission' (I emphasized those two words) by men who have no right to touch me."
"Maybe you had it coming."
I shot him an eat shit look and then turned away.
"Don't be so sensitive. I was just kidding. I didn't think you'd mind me complimenting your beauty, Ms. Smoak."
"Yes, I mind. I mind you putting your hands on me. I mind being kidnapped. I mind being sold to the highest bidder. I mind all of this! You have to know how wrong this is, don't you?"
"Baby, I'm in it for the drugs and the power. Unfortunately, for you, I couldn't give a fuck about right or wrong."
I sat there in silence as he drove, trying to think of ways to get me out of this. Oliver had no idea I was even out on a date. He was probably still with Laurel. My phone was somewhere out on the highway probably crushed into a million pieces. All Diggle knew was that I was out with a guy named Jax. He didn't even know I could possibly be in any kind of danger. They had no reason to even look for me. I was going to be on a plane to God knows where before anyone even realized I was missing.
(Back at the lair)
(Diggle picked up his cell to call Oliver.)
"Oliver."
"What did you find out?"
"It's not good news. The Jaguar Felicity got into is not registered to Jackson Teller. It's registered to a dummy corporation out of Seattle called Cold as Ice. With further digging, I was able to come up with a partial signature on the documents setting up the corporation. The documents were signed by J. Donovon, President. I'm sorry, man."
"I knew it," Oliver growled over the line.
"That's not all, Oliver. I called -"
"So Jax must have been used to lure Felicity out on this date."
"No, Oliver, that's not it."
"What do you mean?"
"I tracked down Jax Teller in Chicago and he hasn't heard from or spoken to Felicity since college. He's engaged to be married with a baby on the way. And I checked with his boss. He's been at work the last two days."
"Wait a minute, so Donovan has been impersonating his brother all along? Felicity had no idea whose car she was getting into tonight."
"They're brothers, Oliver. I'm sure they had similar tones of voice and Felicity hadn't spoken to him for a few years and had no reason not to trust who he was."
"And that scum was betting on that. My God, she must be so scared right now. Dig, if he touches her so help me..."
"Oliver, you can't think that way."
"How can I not? I can't deal with the thought of that."
"You have to focus now on just getting her back. Are you still heading east?"
"Yes. And I've seen no signs of the car yet. Why, do you know something?"
"There is a tracking device on his car. I just got the information that he's still heading east and he's just about to the toll bridge past Compter Road. Oliver, I think he's headed to a private airport just a few miles past that. How far out are you?"
"I'm about 15 to 20 minutes from the toll bridge. I'll call you back."
"Well, if they get stopped in bridge traffic, you may gain some time on them."
"Let's hope so. My bike is about to find out just how fast it can go."
(JD's car)
"We're very close. Right up here is a toll bridge and just beyond that is a private airport, Ms. Smoak. There you will board a waiting plane and our transaction will be done."
"Please, you can't hand me over to these people or this man or whoever they are. They'll do terrible things to me. I've heard the stories about what these kind of sick pathetic excuses for human beings do to women. I beg you. Let me go. I won't tell anybody if you'll just let me go home."
My tears flowed and I felt more helpless than I ever had. I couldn't fight him with the guy in the backseat waiting to shoot me. I've got to try to make a run for it when we stop. I can't get on that plane. It's not an option.
"They'll never find you where you're going, Ms. Smoak."
We approached the toll bridge and we slowed to a stop. There was a line of traffic causing a delay. I thought long and hard about screaming out or motioning to the car next to us but it seemed the gunman knew I might try something just like that so he put the butt of the gun back in my side. I had a feeling the bastard would be crazy enough to shoot me where I sat if I tried to do anything to escape.
The gunman leaned up toward me and verified, almost exactly, what I had been thinking. "Now, when we get up to pay this toll, you best keep your mouth shut, lady, if you know what's good for you. And don't make any kind of hand gestures or move your mouth. If you decide to scream, I will kill you right here and right now. There's always another girl to take your place. You got me?" he said as he pressed the gun harder into my side.
"Yes, I got you. I'll be quiet."
It took a few minutes to get to the booth. It was a busy night. When we finally crossed over the bridge, I felt my heart drop. I knew as soon as we stopped I had to try to make a run for it. I had no other choice.
We turned off the main road onto a small road that I presumed led to the private airport. I just wanted out of this car, away from these psychos and back home. I never wanted to see Oliver or the Arrow more in my life. It hit me right then, faced with the overwhelming horror I was in, I knew I couldn't live without ever seeing Oliver again. If I got on that plane, I just knew I was dead. How could this be happening? Why hadn't I just told him how I felt when I had the chance, even if he didn't feel the same about me?
"Felicity - sorry...Ms. Smoak - we've made it. Now be a good girl, keep your trap shut, and maybe they won't kill you immediately."
God, this asshole really knows how to make me feel better.
The car pulled up next to an unoccupied vehicle and stopped. As soon as we stopped, I went for the handle. It wouldn't budge.
"Oh, come on, now, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" JD laughed wildly.
"Thorn, get her out of the car and stay here with her. If she tries to make any sudden moves, just knock her ass out. I've got to handle business at the plane and they'll want to see I brought the goods before they hand me the merchandise."
That was the first time JD slipped and called the gunman by his name.
"Why don't you just take her with you?" the gunman questioned JD.
"Because if I know these bastards, and I know a lot of bastards, if I take her with me, they'll probably just snatch her and get on the plane without giving me the merchandise and probably shoot me in the head for good measure. You have no idea what kind of people we're dealing with here. So why don't you worry about things I tell you to fucking worry about. You got that?"
"You mean these guys are more psychotic and twisted than you are?" I chimed in, quickly wishing I hadn't.
JD looked at me long and hard before getting out of the car. I guess he was more interested in the matter at hand.
JD and Thorn, as he called him, exited the car. JD headed over to a small plane about 100 yards away while the gunman opened my door and yanked me out and told me to stand in front of the hood. The gunman hovered over me as we waited outside the car for JD to return but stayed behind me out of my view. The gun was now shoved deep into my back and he didn't say a word.
"You don't have to push that so hard into me. I've got the picture. You'll shoot me if I try anything."
"I won't hesitate. And don't turn around." This guy was really trying hard to scare me, but I still thought I had to try to get through to him somehow while JD was not around.
I sat there for a few minutes trying to think of what to say to get me out of this. When I looked up, I saw JD coming back to the car with a large package.
No, no, I need more time.
He walked up to us and threw his keys to the gunman. "Okay, the deal is done. Here's the keys to the Jaguar."
JD walked over to the unoccupied vehicle next to us.
"Wait, where are you going?" I yelled out to him.
"I told you I wasn't gonna stick around. You didn't think I was going to transport these drugs in my Jag, did you? In my business, it's best to look as inconspicuous as possible while transporting a high quantity of cocaine. Hence, the station wagon right here."
"Meet me at the hotel when you finish up here and we'll start packaging the product for sale. You think you can handle that?"
"Will do, boss."
"Now, don't take your gun off of her until you get her to the plane. This one is a feisty one. You got that?"
"I've got it."
"You're a sorry excuse for a human being," I yelled out as JD began to get into the car.
JD stopped, closed the door, and walked over rather nonchalantly and stopped right in front of me.
"Hold her for me, will ya?" he said with a smirk.
The gunman grabbed me by my arms and pulled them back behind me.
"Oh, so you're gonna hit a defenseless woman now too?"
JD suddenly leaned in and grabbed my face with his right hand, squeezing it hard and proceeded to kiss me on my mouth as I tried to squirm away from him.
"Good-bye, Ms. Smoak. It was my pleasure."
"You sick bastard. You go to hell."
"I've had my place in hell reserved a long time ago."
JD walked off, got in the station wagon, and drove off as I wiped my mouth in disgust.
The gunman pulled me by my arm as he moved up to my side, now putting the gun to the side of my head. I looked over toward him slightly and I saw the side of his face and I was taken aback. He looked young and not at all what I expected. I mean, compared to creepy JD, he looked downright baby-faced and innocent looking, not intimidating at all. I thought it was the time to see if I could get through to him.
"Make a move, I dare you," he said like he was reading my mind.
Well, maybe getting through to him wasn't going to be so easy.
"Now we're going to walk over to this plane. I want you to keep your mouth shut and just keep walking or I'll hit you upside the head with my Glock and deliver you to them unconscious. It doesn't matter to me one way or the other."
What is it with thugs that want to hit me upside the head?
"Yes, I understand," my voice cracked but I knew I couldn't give up.
"Walk faster."
"Please, you've got to know how crazy this is. I don't even have my passport with me."
"It's all been handled. JD is very thorough in his planning. He doesn't like to have any complications. He likes every T crossed."
Wow, the one thing him and Jax had to have in common. They're both meticulous with the details.
"You know they're going to kill me, don't you?"
"Not my problem."
"Don't you have a family?"
He stopped rather suddenly and for the first time during this crazy scary ride he looked me right in the eye and I could see the anger resonating from his eyes.
Oh, shit.
"My so-called parents abandoned me as a child. So do you really think I have any extra sympathy floating around to give two fucks about your sob story?"
He yanked on my arm to get me to start moving again. I was halfway to reaching the end of my life and it was so surreal witnessing it happen and knowing it was right in front me.
"You can't just hand me over to these people. You can't! Just let me go. You don't have to do this." I begged him.
"Yes, I do," he said matter of factly.
"Please, we both know this wasn't your idea. It was JD's. If you let me go, I won't say anything to anyone. I promise you. He's probably running off with the drugs right now and leaving you high and dry."
"He wouldn't do that."
"But he'd sell me to a perverted sick bastard? What kind of world are you people living in? I know he runs things and you are nothing more than his follower."
He suddenly stopped and grabbed me by the back of my hair and yanked my head violently backwards, sticking the gun in my face.
"Take it back now!"
I had just struck a nerve I didn't want to strike.
"I"m sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it," I cried out in agony.
"Lady, my life is what it is. It's not easy. It's not hard. It's fucked up. But this is the hand I've been dealt and I've got to make a living. Who are you to judge me? You're just collateral damage. It's as simple as that. I can't fucking help you."
"You could, if you wanted to."
"I don't have that option, nor do I give a shit about you, so PLEASE SHUT YOUR MOUTH."
"Please, let go of me. You're hurting me."
He let go of my hair and then grabbed my forearm and shoved me forward so hard that I almost fell.
"Now just walk. Don't fucking talk."
He then proceeded to put his right arm around my neck, while using his left hand to put the gun right to my temple. "You're going to that plane awake or out cold; it's your choice to make."
As we began to walk that last 50 yards, I felt utterly defeated. I had nowhere to go even if I did try to run. He would most likely shoot me on the spot. But the more I thought about it the more I kept asking myself: How could I get on this plane? It was all over for me once I boarded that plane to nowhere. I decided right there I was going to make a run for it. I'd rather get shot in the back than be some slave to some psychotic freak in some foreign country.
Now what was it that Diggle taught me to do in this situation? Foot, knee, elbow. I think I can do that.
With tears welling up in my eyes, I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, exhaled...then I began to count to three as I said to myself: I'm so gonna die.
one...
two...
two-and-a-half...
two-and-three-quarters...
"Get your filthy hands off of her...right...fucking...now!" an oh-so-familiar voice rang in my ears from behind me.
to be continued...