Buying the Virgin novel Chapter 113

CHARLOTTE

“You’re nuts. You really have no idea who you have there? Whose wife she is? She’s worth far more to you for ransom than any third-world hustler’s going to give you.”

Now I have his attention. “What are you talking about? Who is she then?”

“That’s Beth Haswell... Elizabeth Haswell…. Richard Haswell’s wife….”

He looks at me blankly. “You know…. Richard Haswell… Billionaire…. Owns half the fucking city. And that’s his wife you’re pawing at. He’ll pay a fortune to get her back, but he might not be so happy about it if he thinks you’ve been fingering his property.”

He stares down at me, slit-eyed, doubt written large, but I have his attention. “You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not. Look it up. You should find photos of her on the internet easily enough. Go on; search for images, Richard and Elizabeth Haswell.”

He jerks his head at one of the chimps in the background. “Do as she says. Look it up.”

The thug taps in on his phone, staring at the screen, gapes and then thrusts the phone at Klempner. He looks at it, looks at Beth, comparing the two.

“Alright. She’s worth a lot. That doesn’t mean she’s not joining in the fun…”

“Haswell is a billionaire.” I drip contempt from my words. “He likes his goods pristine. If you mess with her, he’ll probably not pay as much, or at all.”

Klempner sucks in his cheeks. “Yeah…. I’d see it like that too…. Okay. Lock her up again.” Then he turns to me. “Now, you….”

Oh, crap….

The group of men closes in on me.

*****

BETH

The door opens, and Charlotte is all but thrown inside, landing hard on the floor. She picks herself up slowly, rubbing her shoulder and hips, where they hit the concrete. Her face is swollen on one side, starting to bruise.

She’s badly upset, wringing at her hands.

Her rings are gone….

“Those aren’t the clothes or the shoes, you were wearing before,” I say.

“No, they’re not.” and she won’t speak after that.

*****

The day fades, and the temperature falls. As I start to shiver in my thin blouse, Charlotte shuffles up close to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. She rubs my arms, as though trying to warm me, but then starts talking, very quietly.

“They’re taking us out of here, Beth, to the buyer they’ve got for us. We’ve only got one chance. Between being taken out of the building, and them getting us back into that truck, we have to run.”

Nausea rises in the back of my throat. “A buyer?”

“Mmm... yes. Although I’m not sure he’s so keen to sell you, now that I’ve told him you can be ransomed. But I don’t know. He seems hell-bent on revenge on me, and I think he’s got you wrapped up with me in his head. Either way, we have to get away from here….”

“But where? There’s nowhere to go….”

“It doesn’t matter Beth. Trust me on this. We just have to get away. When I say, you run, as fast as you can, with me. Now shush before they hear us.”

*****

CHARLOTTE

The door slams open, and the guard puts a tray on the floor: water, bread and what might be cheese. I don’t fancy it much with the flies thronging around it.

“Hey, can I have my old shoes back?” I ask. “These hurt my feet.”

The guard looks at me askance.