A/N: Heir's turn again :)
CHAPTER NINE
"Damn it!" Vicky's wrists were raw and her hands were drenched in blood and sweat. For the past fifteen minutes on the ferry to Gozo she had tried in a futile attempt to free herself. "This is hopeless!"
Lilly watched the girl try. She sighed and leaned back. The cut on her face hurt. And the black eye left her with quite the headache. She heard the snap of ropes and she turned her head. Vicky was rubbing her wrists and clenching her teeth. She looked around the car quickly and spotted a bottle of water. Reaching into her pockets, she brought out a tissue. They had five, ten minutes before they disembarked. She turned to Lilly and wet a tissue.
"Hold still." She leaned closer to the blonde and dabbed the cut gingerly, then gave her another wet tissue over her eye. "It'll be too much of a risk to free you now. And we won't be able to get out anyways." Lilly nodded and watched as Vicky's hands slowly started to cut off a piece of her shirt and try to tie it over Lilly's injured face.
"Where did you learn all this stuff?" she asked wearily. She was too tired.
"First Aid class. I do a renewal course every year." Vicky smiled and put the bottle to Lilly's lips. She helped her take down some water and looked at the watch on her wrist. "We'll be getting off in a few minutes." She turned to her seat and sat down, knowing what she could say to their captors.
"Will we be OK?" Lilly managed to ask, feeling her eyes grow heavy.
"Yes. We will." And with that, the blonde fell to sleep.
"What is Ġgantija anyways?" Jackson asked as Robert sped to the north of the island, leaving behind the old, medieval city.
"It's the oldest construction in the world. Thousands of years ago the habitants of Gozo built it as a tribute to their God. The kidnappers are obviously planning to meet there."
"How will we get to Gozo?"
"Gozo is one of the Islands of Malta. We'll have to catch the ferry." Robert looked at his watch. "The last ferry for the day has already left. You'll have to crash at my house. We'll go on the late morning boat."
Miley leaned against Oliver and sighed. "I hope they'll be fine."
"They will. If there's anything I know about my sister, she'll live."
"She's just like Lilly, Miley." Oliver assured her, dozing off slowly. She didn't hear his last words as she too dozed off.
"Boss, you're being too hard! The girl was just trying to keep the hostage alive!" Ivan said to his employer, looking down at the brunette. They had tied her to the foot of one of the beds and she was bleeding at the mouth. Her forehead was a colorful black and blue and her eyes were closed. She was clearly unconscious. Lilly had watched the girl suffer as the man beat her senseless. She closed her eyes to get rid of the image, but the dripping of blood on the cold floor was still audible.
"She deserves it. Coming in between me and my chance of getting the other girl!" the man turned to Lilly and she gulped as she felt his gaze on her. She felt a hand come to her arm and clear a space with a small cotton swab.
"What are you doing?!" she asked, too tired to open her eyes.
"Sedating you." She opened her eyes and saw the needle enter her body. Her sworn childhood enemy…vaccinations. The last thing she remembered seeing was the ceiling and a silhouette above her.
Maximilian snorted as he looked at the two unconscious figures. "I should just kill the Maltese girl now."
"She might yet be useful." Melita looked at the two as well and felt a tug at her heart. She wasn't as ruthless as Maximilian. "I do think you were too hard on her though."
"She deserves it. Like I said, she shouldn't have involved herself." Maximilian sat on a chair and looked around the room. His eyes were slightly heavy and he needed to sleep. "Ivan. Look after those two. If the brunette wakes up, beat her again. If the blonde wakes up, sedate her again. I'll be sleeping." He rose and went to the living room of the rented apartment, sitting on the sofa and sighing heavily.
Miley watched the roads flit by as they drove quickly to the ancient temples. She had clutched in her hand the paper bag she needed to give over. She stared at Jackson, who was fidgeting at the front along side their new friend and accomplice, Robert.
Robert looked very different away from the office. He had on a blue t-shirt with imitation mud-stains on it. Printed on it was what looked like the footprint of a lion and L'Iene written on it. Oliver had asked what it meant and he had said it was an Italian rock band. His legs were clad in imitation torn jeans and his hair hadn't been combed that morning in the hurry to get to Gozo. All throughout the drive, he had been playing music on his iPod shuffle for them to hear.
Oliver smelt his clothes. They had a musky scent he didn't like. He wished he had changed too.
Robert stopped at a small roadside café and went inside. Jackson turned to Miley and smiled at her. "In two hours we'll have them both back, don't worry."
Miley smiled back weakly, her mouth a small thin line. She still hadn't told them about her feelings for Lilly…
Robert soon returned with pastizzi which he passed around. "Eat up. I have a feeling we're gonna need it." He drove off, staring at the sea not far off.
Miley stared at it too, and got a very good feeling that somehow, someway, one of them was going to get hurt really, really badly.
Vicky coughed up a small droplet of blood. She felt her stomach cave in and she hung her head as best as she could between her knees, trying her best to get the dizzy feeling away and to focus on the situation.
Lilly winced as she watched Vicky suffer. She knew she was lucky for being excused from the pain but this was way too much…just for helping her she'd get beaten?
Maximilian smiled slightly as he placed his boot on the other girl's back, pushing her further down. "Now, you'll make it to the car quietly or I will kill you this time."
Vicky struggled to raise her head, staring up at him. Her eyes were determined, Lilly noticed, and not a hint of fear was in them; only anger and determination.
"You wouldn't dare shoot me…"
"I would."
"Oh really?" She looked at his wrist that was coincidentally very close to her face.
"Maximilian Bonaparte. Napoleon's ancestor. And of course a member of royal blood."
What's she talking about? Lilly thought, looking at the man's reaction.
"Yes. I am surprised. How did you know who I am?"
"Your wrist…you forgot to take off the golden chain with your name on it." He glared at her and made to slap her, but instead took her chin in his hands and made her face him.
"You. Will. Speak to me."
She smirked, twisting her head slightly. "No."
"What interests you about royal blood? Why wouldn't I shoot you? Tell me everything you know, girl, or I will shoot you!"
"Well, for one thing, I don't know much apart from the things I studied up on this week. And for another, we have a lot more in common than you think." He narrowed his eyes. She saw his confusion and looked him dead on. "What's my full name, huh?"
"Victoria Melita Zammit."
"Precisely."
He rose and turned to Lilly. "Take her and leave us!" he shouted at Ivan, who did as he was told.
Lilly took one last glance at the girl. That girl will not stay alive till noon!
Meanwhile, Maximilian came down to Vicky's level and looked her in the eye. "Zammit…Zammit…I have heard that name before."
"My ancestors are of royal French blood."
Maximilian visibly paled slightly.
"In other words, kill me, and you've just killed a cousin. So I suggest you keep the gun in its belt. You wouldn't kill a cousin, I'm sure." She smirked again and kept it in place. "So don't even try to harm my friends."
