He was already shaking his head before she’d finished speaking. “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. I have investigators searching for the missing fiancé now, but until this is fixed and he’s been appropriately contrite to his future wife, as well as to me, you must stay out of the way.”
She heard the words, but couldn’t believe this man was really going to hold her here on his private island against her will. It was too macabre to accept. “That’s crazy!” she cried out. “You can’t just kidnap me because your sister can’t keep her boyfriend in line.”
“Ah, but you see, I just did.” He started walking away as she stood there sputtering.
“”Where are you going?” she demanded to his retreating back.
“I have work to do.”
“What about my work?”
He stopped and turned around. “I guess the male population will simply have to do without your lovely smiles for a while, won’t they?”
The words were harsh enough, but when his eyes went from her head to her toes, and obviously found the package lacking, she felt as if her stomach were dropping out of her body. Darcy wished she had some pithy comeback, but she just stood there, completely shocked at both his attitude and his words.
When she was alone, she looked around but didn’t really see anything. So stunned from that man’s resolution and insult, she could barely think. She stomped back and forth a few times, then looked down at the ridiculously high heels she’d strapped on only moments before the helicopter had picked her up. Her feet were already aching so she reached down and pulled them off, viciously throwing them across the room. They landed somewhere near the sofa by the window, only to skid underneath a heavy piece of furniture, now lost to her unless she wanted to deal with the indignity of crawling under the large sofa to get them back.
Darcy was livid. Pulling out her cell phone, she turned it on and waited for the signal to catch. No one was going to kidnap her! She had developed solutions to just this situation, although most of her contingency plans were for city problems.
She waited another few seconds, then realized that there was no cell phone reception in the room. Stomping outside in her bare feet, she searched around, raising her cell phone in an effort to find some sort of reception.
Nothing! Not even on the other side of the house, down by the beach or in any of the areas she trudged through along the pathways. After an hour, she was tired, hungry and her feet were seriously hurt from all the sharp rocks she’d stepped on along the pathway. And she laid all of her complaints at the feet of that horrible man who had kidnapped her on this island, ignoring her own part in accepting a contract with an unknown man in a location she hadn’t properly researched, all because the amount of money being offered was enough for her to take a break for the next six months, allowing her to dedicate all of her time to the animals on her farm.
“This is ridiculous!” she said to the trees as she made her way back to the house, cursing as her tender foot stepped on yet another hard stone.
As soon as she stepped back into the house, a servant approached her, bowing slightly. “If you would care to freshen up prior to dinner, I will be happy to show you to your rooms,” he said with a Jamaican style accent.
Darcy’s eyes narrowed. “I’d like to know exactly where I am, please,” she said with every ounce of civility she could muster under the circumstances. But even she knew that the request wasn’t very polite since it came out as more of a growl than a request.
“We are on Solonge Island,” he explained, bowing slightly once again.
“And where, exactly, is Solonge Island in the greater world?”
“We are in the Caribbean, with the wonderful winds that cool us down. This way to your room,” he said and started walking away.
Darcy was left standing by the open doors, realizing that she could either follow and try and learn more, or stand here in the living room doorway looking like an idiot. She chose potential information rather than idiocy.
The man was already about to turn the corner on another long hallway so she had to run to catch up with him, not a pleasant experience on her already tender feet and the skimpy dress she was wearing.
She caught up to the man just as he was opening up a set of double doors, which opened to a lovely room done in white, soft blue and creamy yellow. The four poster bed was high with one of those little wooden stairs at the side, and the top of the bed was filled with fluffy pillows of different sizes. At first sight, Darcy’s inclination was to dive into the pillows and snuggle down for a long nap, but she knew she’d better figure out what was going on first.
“Can you tell me where in the Caribbean we are?” she asked.
The man moved to another set of doors which opened into a lovely white marble bathroom with large windows overlooking the ocean. “We are approximately ninety miles north of Aruba on Mr. Anchova’s private island. The dining room is back down the hallway we just came from and to the left instead of to the right where we originally were. There is a pool on the south side of the house with towels and sunscreen and if you require anything else, please feel free to ask any of the other servants in the area. The cook’s name is Adele and she will be serving dinner at seven o’clock but if you would prefer something in your rooms, please just dial the kitchen and request anything you’d like. Breakfast is normally served by the pool, but again, if you would prefer breakfast in bed, we will oblige. We all hope your stay with us is enjoyable.”
Darcy almost screamed at the man’s obtuse answers. “Are you kidding? You do realize that I’m here against my will. I’ve basically been kidnapped by your employer.”
He bowed once again and with a benevolent smile replied, “I will convey your displeasure to Mr. Anchova, Miss.” Without another word, he left the room, closing the doors behind him.
Darcy looked around, furious at being detained this way. And disgusted with herself for letting herself be tricked into coming here because of a large amount of money. She couldn’t wait to find a way to call home and get someone to get her out of here. With that in mind, she stomped over to the closets, throwing open all the doors until she found her small suitcase. It only held a pair of jeans and a tee shirt but she didn’t care. She wanted to be out of this dress and more comfortable while she figured out a way to get home. The only other items in her bag were her make up remover and some books she’d brought, although the flight had been longer than she’d expected so she’d already finished one of the two she’d packed.