Chapter 13 - Bottom Turn

As soon as I made it down the open riser wood stairs I saw Andrea sitting on of the contemporary leather and chrome dining chair, hands behind her bound with silver duct tape. Her mouth was bound as well. I was sure that when the tape came off so will a layer of skin.

"Release her," I demanded.
"Not until you write the press release," responded Nord.
"She will be treated with respect," I demanded.

I looked into her hazel eyes, which were red from crying. Her eyes were begging me. Obviously her mouth was taped after the scream that I heard just a few minutes prior.

"Now!" I demanded.
"Mr. Scott, you are in no position to make demands," said Nord. We will not harm her. She will have to stay that way until the bell at nine thirty tomorrow. She lives for now. This collateral is mine until the stock goes up, then she can go with you to Central America or stay here. That will be your decision."

I knew that if and when the stock price rises, Andrea and I were dead. I have no experience in this area of criminal minds, but I had seen enough crime shows to know that we were loose ends who could identify our captures. I doubted that Nord and Diego had plans for us to actually live when all was said and done.

“I can’t think this way and she can help me write the press release. We always work as a team on these matters,” I said hoping to sway him.

Nord seemed to ponder this. If the press release was not compelling enough to drive the stock price up, I suspect Nord will face a similar fate as Andrea and me. I was surprised how easy it was to influence his next move. Without a word, he used the fingernail of his index finger to pry a corner of the silver tape. The strong adhesive gave him challenge as he finally freed enough to grab the tape between his index finger and thumb. He then ripped the tape from her face. I was right, the outer layer of epidermis went with it and Andrea's pale face was now red.

“Her hands too,” I ordered.

Nord seemed to acquiesce quickly. He fished a knife from his pocket and quickly flung the blade opened. I suspect he practiced this menacing maneuver in the mirror as a pre-teen. He was clearly the type of kid I would have stayed clear of at school, the nerd that I was – am. Diego stood by the window, ignoring our debate and watching the teen girls who had skipped school to hang at the beach. He was clearly mesmerized. Andrea showed fear in her eyes as they traced the movement of the glistening steel that Nord purposely moved past her cheek and down to her hands, then in one swift stoke severed the duct tape. She was left to her own devises to remove the remnants, which she balled up and set on the glass and chrome dining room table next to me. My reward for winning my first round of the day. Alas a fragment of success.

“Don’t fuck up, or she will die!” threatened Nord after losing his first battle. “Now you two get in your study and start writing. Don’t think about sending an email or calling anyone, I have removed the phones and disabled the wireless connection on your laptop.”
“How ‘bout some food?” I asked. “I can’t write on an empty stomach.”
“All you have in the fridge is beer and Coke. How do you live on that shit?” Asked Nord.

I’m sure he was hungry as well and it was going to be a long night. “Just get in there and start writing, I'll take care of the food.”

Andrea followed me into the study. She was very familiar with my condo. She had spend many nights after too many drinks while entertaining analysts and institutional investors. I always knew that she wanted more from our friendship but I couldn’t bring myself to have a relationship with the boss, and she really was too plain for me in a tomboy kind of way. Andrea had boyfriends come and go over the years. She hated dating, and unlike Nord’s rude comments I didn't suspect her preference was for girls, especially the way she would look at me on occasion. That was territory that would never be discovered.

We made our way in silence to the study. Nord closed the glass paned double French doors behind us. He then grabbed a chair from the foyer and wedged it under the handles. I watched through the glass as he tested it for security. I walked around the glass table and sat in the Herman Miller ergo meshed chair, facing the French doors, flanked on my left by a large window overlooking the ocean. The minimalist sparseness of the condo helped me to think clearly without clutter. The desk as always was void of everything but my Moleskin journal, Monte Blanc pen, HP financial calculator and Sony Vaio. These were my tools to create financial success. Although of late, that was becoming increasingly challenging. Andrea sat across from me and waited for me to break the deafening silence.

“You okay?” I asked with compassion.“Yes,” she replied softly. “What is going on here Randy? You get into trouble when you went to Vegas last month?” I didn't answer right away. Was I to tell the story of what happened with Rachel? Then what they did to Jerry and Pete? I suppose I really had no choice. I sat in my cockpit. My back to the north and I was facing south. The sea was to my left. Andrea, my Vaio, and the thugs were in front of me. This is how I work best. Everything laid out in front of me. I felt a brief sense of control for the first time since leaving the Boxter on the Coastal Highway.

Could I be making the bottom turn of the swell to ride back up and dominate the wave? I watched as Nord opened and closed the front door behind Diego. The front door faced west and was to the right of the study entrance. “I will tell you later, right now we have to get out of here.”