1 Love Is Patient, Kind and Above All True
2 Chapter Twenty Three
Elizabeth boarded the plane with Jason. She was quite concerned at the whole situation. Jason was keeping to himself a lot and he wouldn't say anything else about Jaime. "Jason," she whispered, "Why do you think that Jaime might be kidnapped?"
"I never said she was kidnapped," he commented slowly, "I just think we need to go to Rome and find out what happened to her."
"Isn't that saying she was kidnapped? Or taken somewhere without anyone's knowing?" she asked curiously. "I mean, what else could have happened to her? You said her father had told us that she got on the plane…"
Elizabeth really hoped that Jaime was all right. She felt Jason's hand on top of hers. Elizabeth looked up to see Jason reassuring her with his eyes.
"She'll be all right Elizabeth."
"I hope so."
~~
The plane had landed an hour ago. Donnie provided a car for Jason and Elizabeth. Well, not Donnie specifically. He had arranged it with some friends he had within Mr. Nam's connections. Elizabeth didn't know what to expect from Mr. Nam.
"Jason, does he know we're even coming?" she asked while adjusting her seatbelt.
"No. We're not going there right away," he replied looking away from the road for a moment.
"Why? Wasn't he the last one to see her?"
Jason shook his head. "Jaime went to the airport alone. Her father's bodyguards followed her to make sure she got on the plane okay."
Elizabeth thought it was strange for Jaime to not be seen off by her father. "Why wouldn't her dad go with her? And why does her dad have bodyguards? Is there something I need to know about Jaime's family?"
She pressed Jason for the information. Elizabeth didn't think Jason was telling her everything he could about Jaime's family. It almost seemed like her family was in the…
How could she say it? "Mobster business"?
"Elizabeth, you know I would tell you if I could. As it is I am telling you way more than I should. All I can say is that Jaime wanted out of her family and for very specific reasons. I can't tell you more than that. When we find her you can ask her yourself."
Elizabeth sighed. Then we'd better find her.
She hated it when Jason didn't tell her things. It made her worry. Usually when he didn't say anything it was because it would put her in danger.
What could Jaime know or who could she know that would put her in danger?
"Fine," she agreed, "I won't ask you again about her family." Elizabeth couldn't quite judge where Jason was coming from.
2.1 Was he worried about Jaime because she was a good friend? Or was he worried for some other reason?
Elizabeth hated thinking that way. What reason, well, what right did she have to ask that question? She felt a squeeze on her knee, she turned to look at Jason, who was watching her, looking concerned.
"Is some…something wrong?"
"Oh, no. I'm just worried that's all!" Elizabeth smiled.
Yeah, worried about Jaime and Jason! What heck was she doing? She chided herself. Jaime's missing for pete's sake!
"About what?" he asked turning off onto an exit.
"Jaime…" she lied.
"It doesn't seem like it. Are you sure it's not something else?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, you shouldn't worry about me. Jaime is the one we're looking for."
"Elizabeth, I will always worry about you."
The comment silenced Elizabeth. She was surprised, but somewhat comforted by his comment. "Jason, you don't have to right now. I'm sure I'll give you things to worry about later," she laughed.
Jason nodded and continued to drive into the heart of Rome.
***
Jaime felt like she had been sitting in the room for hours. She had felt herself drift off when suddenly she hear footsteps coming down what apparently were a flight of stairs. There was more than one person coming down the flight of stairs. Jaime strained her neck in attempt to listen to the quiet conversation going in the background.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
There was low rumble of laughter in the air. The voices she had heard were men's. "Who are you? What do you want?" Jaime would not show fear. Her father had at least taught her that much, how to live with people who want to terrorize you.
Jaime felt herself lifted by her arms into the air. She was placed on her unbalanced feet. Jaime tried to find her balance as her feet were bound, but she just couldn't do it and she fell into one of the men holding her.
He was extremely large and had large pectorals. At least that's what she thought she had fallen into. "What do you want? Do you know who you're dealing with?" she spat menacingly. Jaime felt adrenaline pumping through her veins.
The first reply was laughter, low malicious and full of contempt. "I think we had this conversation already Jaime," a familiar voice replied.
2.2 Roscoe? She should have known.
2.3
2.4 Jaime heard footsteps approaching.
2.5
2.6 Jaime felt the man's breath on her neck, his lips brushing her ear. She struggled against the two men who held her in place.
2.7
2.8 "Roscoe! You disgusting…"
He interrupted her, "Ah, ah, ah! You don't want to make your captor mad do you?"
Jaime felt a strong firm hand caress her neck and slowly cupping it until she was left gasping for breath. He moved his lips down from her ear to her cheek. His moustache and goatee tickled her face and she moved away from it's caress. Suddenly with a jerk, she felt the blindfold come off her eyes. The light burst into view. The room itself was dimly lit but her eyes, which were accustomed to the darkness, paid the price. Jaime tried to open her eyes a little so her pupils would adjust to the light. Everything was blurry. She tried to pull away from Roscoe's firm grasp on her neck so she might breathe.
He released his grip on her neck. "Gahahhhh," she gasped for air. Jaime looked in the direction of the blurry figure in front of her. Slowly her vision cleared and she could finally see Roscoe's smug face. "Let me go Roscoe!" she threatened.
"Or what?" he pouted. "Your Daddy's going to hurt me? I think I've heard that one before," he laughed.
"What do you want? I mean you're stupid, but not this stupid. Who's hired you now? Who's lackey are you now?" she baited.
Jaime could see he had taken the bait. His rage flared and she found herself once again in his grip, but this time both his hands held her face. "I'm no one's lackey. And I'd be careful if I were you Jaime, I'm not so easily placated," he spat.
Jaime twisted her face out of his hands. "Wow, I'm impressed," she smiled mockingly, "Did you look that word up in a dictionary before you came down here?"
Roscoe walked away, his body tense and Jaime steadied herself in case he ordered his goons to strike her. Instead he stood up to his full height and shrugged his shoulders. It was eerie. It seemed that the anger he had been building up just disappeared. He turned to her and smiled. "You're smart," he acknowledged and gave her a wink. "I almost lost my temper there."
Jaime stood up tossing her hair over her shoulders and out of her eyes. "I know I'm smart, but what's your excuse? Why are you stupid enough to do this? If you were smart you'd let me go before my father begins to look for me."
Roscoe leaned back on a nearby metal desk. He crossed his arms and seemed to study her for a bit. Then he made one abrupt, but fluid motion towards a chair that sat a couple of feet away from him. Roscoe placed the chair in front of the desk, directly under the hanging bare bulb. "Put her in this chair and leave us," he commanded the goons.
Jaime was shoved into the chair by one of the men who held her. She tried to resist but it was futile with the restraints on her. Jaime listened as the footsteps faded up the stairs.
"Now Jaime, where were we?" he leered as his finger traced her jaw and down her neck. "You know Jaime, I've always thought you were a beautiful girl."
2 Chapter Twenty Three
Elizabeth boarded the plane with Jason. She was quite concerned at the whole situation. Jason was keeping to himself a lot and he wouldn't say anything else about Jaime. "Jason," she whispered, "Why do you think that Jaime might be kidnapped?"
"I never said she was kidnapped," he commented slowly, "I just think we need to go to Rome and find out what happened to her."
"Isn't that saying she was kidnapped? Or taken somewhere without anyone's knowing?" she asked curiously. "I mean, what else could have happened to her? You said her father had told us that she got on the plane…"
Elizabeth really hoped that Jaime was all right. She felt Jason's hand on top of hers. Elizabeth looked up to see Jason reassuring her with his eyes.
"She'll be all right Elizabeth."
"I hope so."
~~
The plane had landed an hour ago. Donnie provided a car for Jason and Elizabeth. Well, not Donnie specifically. He had arranged it with some friends he had within Mr. Nam's connections. Elizabeth didn't know what to expect from Mr. Nam.
"Jason, does he know we're even coming?" she asked while adjusting her seatbelt.
"No. We're not going there right away," he replied looking away from the road for a moment.
"Why? Wasn't he the last one to see her?"
Jason shook his head. "Jaime went to the airport alone. Her father's bodyguards followed her to make sure she got on the plane okay."
Elizabeth thought it was strange for Jaime to not be seen off by her father. "Why wouldn't her dad go with her? And why does her dad have bodyguards? Is there something I need to know about Jaime's family?"
She pressed Jason for the information. Elizabeth didn't think Jason was telling her everything he could about Jaime's family. It almost seemed like her family was in the…
How could she say it? "Mobster business"?
"Elizabeth, you know I would tell you if I could. As it is I am telling you way more than I should. All I can say is that Jaime wanted out of her family and for very specific reasons. I can't tell you more than that. When we find her you can ask her yourself."
Elizabeth sighed. Then we'd better find her.
She hated it when Jason didn't tell her things. It made her worry. Usually when he didn't say anything it was because it would put her in danger.
What could Jaime know or who could she know that would put her in danger?
"Fine," she agreed, "I won't ask you again about her family." Elizabeth couldn't quite judge where Jason was coming from.
2.1 Was he worried about Jaime because she was a good friend? Or was he worried for some other reason?
Elizabeth hated thinking that way. What reason, well, what right did she have to ask that question? She felt a squeeze on her knee, she turned to look at Jason, who was watching her, looking concerned.
"Is some…something wrong?"
"Oh, no. I'm just worried that's all!" Elizabeth smiled.
Yeah, worried about Jaime and Jason! What heck was she doing? She chided herself. Jaime's missing for pete's sake!
"About what?" he asked turning off onto an exit.
"Jaime…" she lied.
"It doesn't seem like it. Are you sure it's not something else?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, you shouldn't worry about me. Jaime is the one we're looking for."
"Elizabeth, I will always worry about you."
The comment silenced Elizabeth. She was surprised, but somewhat comforted by his comment. "Jason, you don't have to right now. I'm sure I'll give you things to worry about later," she laughed.
Jason nodded and continued to drive into the heart of Rome.
***
Jaime felt like she had been sitting in the room for hours. She had felt herself drift off when suddenly she hear footsteps coming down what apparently were a flight of stairs. There was more than one person coming down the flight of stairs. Jaime strained her neck in attempt to listen to the quiet conversation going in the background.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
There was low rumble of laughter in the air. The voices she had heard were men's. "Who are you? What do you want?" Jaime would not show fear. Her father had at least taught her that much, how to live with people who want to terrorize you.
Jaime felt herself lifted by her arms into the air. She was placed on her unbalanced feet. Jaime tried to find her balance as her feet were bound, but she just couldn't do it and she fell into one of the men holding her.
He was extremely large and had large pectorals. At least that's what she thought she had fallen into. "What do you want? Do you know who you're dealing with?" she spat menacingly. Jaime felt adrenaline pumping through her veins.
The first reply was laughter, low malicious and full of contempt. "I think we had this conversation already Jaime," a familiar voice replied.
2.2 Roscoe? She should have known.
2.3
2.4 Jaime heard footsteps approaching.
2.5
2.6 Jaime felt the man's breath on her neck, his lips brushing her ear. She struggled against the two men who held her in place.
2.7
2.8 "Roscoe! You disgusting…"
He interrupted her, "Ah, ah, ah! You don't want to make your captor mad do you?"
Jaime felt a strong firm hand caress her neck and slowly cupping it until she was left gasping for breath. He moved his lips down from her ear to her cheek. His moustache and goatee tickled her face and she moved away from it's caress. Suddenly with a jerk, she felt the blindfold come off her eyes. The light burst into view. The room itself was dimly lit but her eyes, which were accustomed to the darkness, paid the price. Jaime tried to open her eyes a little so her pupils would adjust to the light. Everything was blurry. She tried to pull away from Roscoe's firm grasp on her neck so she might breathe.
He released his grip on her neck. "Gahahhhh," she gasped for air. Jaime looked in the direction of the blurry figure in front of her. Slowly her vision cleared and she could finally see Roscoe's smug face. "Let me go Roscoe!" she threatened.
"Or what?" he pouted. "Your Daddy's going to hurt me? I think I've heard that one before," he laughed.
"What do you want? I mean you're stupid, but not this stupid. Who's hired you now? Who's lackey are you now?" she baited.
Jaime could see he had taken the bait. His rage flared and she found herself once again in his grip, but this time both his hands held her face. "I'm no one's lackey. And I'd be careful if I were you Jaime, I'm not so easily placated," he spat.
Jaime twisted her face out of his hands. "Wow, I'm impressed," she smiled mockingly, "Did you look that word up in a dictionary before you came down here?"
Roscoe walked away, his body tense and Jaime steadied herself in case he ordered his goons to strike her. Instead he stood up to his full height and shrugged his shoulders. It was eerie. It seemed that the anger he had been building up just disappeared. He turned to her and smiled. "You're smart," he acknowledged and gave her a wink. "I almost lost my temper there."
Jaime stood up tossing her hair over her shoulders and out of her eyes. "I know I'm smart, but what's your excuse? Why are you stupid enough to do this? If you were smart you'd let me go before my father begins to look for me."
Roscoe leaned back on a nearby metal desk. He crossed his arms and seemed to study her for a bit. Then he made one abrupt, but fluid motion towards a chair that sat a couple of feet away from him. Roscoe placed the chair in front of the desk, directly under the hanging bare bulb. "Put her in this chair and leave us," he commanded the goons.
Jaime was shoved into the chair by one of the men who held her. She tried to resist but it was futile with the restraints on her. Jaime listened as the footsteps faded up the stairs.
"Now Jaime, where were we?" he leered as his finger traced her jaw and down her neck. "You know Jaime, I've always thought you were a beautiful girl."