On A Wing And A Prayer Part 40

"Rox, come eat something," Nikki called from the kitchen.

Roxanne had remained perched on the sofa for the entire afternoon, surfing the channels for any news of the hijacking, her entire body tense with antic.i.p.ation.

"Rox!" Nikki called again, this time planting herself down on the couch right next to the red head. "Rox ... you've got to eat. You've been sitting here all afternoon. Starving yourself will not help the authorities find her any faster," Nikki pointed out.

Rox looked at Nikki, the signs of heartbreak and worry so etched into her features, it made Nikki teary eyed. Reaching over, she took Rox's hand in her own and held it close to her heart. "I know, honey ... the waiting is hard," she said softly. "Look, why don't I bring a tray in here and we can eat something together while we watch for updates, okay?" she suggested, receiving an appreciative nod from Rox.

Moments later, Nikki returned carrying a tray laden with soup and salad, and set it down on the coffee table in front of them. "There ... eat up," she instructed.

Rox absent mindedly reached for her soup spoon at the same time a news update flashed across the screen. She immediately grabbed the remote control and turned the volume up. Two pair of eyes remained intently focused on the TV screen as the newscaster introduced the story.

"Early this morning, a Southern Lights Airliner was hijacked from the San Diego airport, en route to Durango, Mexico, with the Captain, Ca.s.sidy Conway, and lone pa.s.senger Jason Hayer on board. It is believed that Hayer is the hijacker, but rumors of Captain Conway's involvement are being considered at this time. The plane was last detected on radar heading toward Bogota, Colombia. The craft has since disappeared from radar and is believed to have either landed or crashed in the dense jungles of the Bogota region," he reported.

"Oh my G.o.d, no!" Rox cried at the reference to a possible crash.

"Authorities are conducting an air search at this time and have yet to find evidence of crash site debris," the reporter continued.

"Rox ... calm down. They haven't found a crash site. I'm sure she's all right," Nikki encouraged her friend as she fought her own internal struggles of doubt.

"Authorities are speculating about the motive behind the hijacking, claiming that Jason Hayer has connections with drug lord Carlos Santonio, and may be involved with the influx of drugs into Southern California over the past several months. As far as Captain Conway's role in the hijacking is concerned, the airline is standing by her reputation, convinced of her innocence. More on this story on Channel 3, News at Six," concluded the reporter.

Rox remained glued to the television for the remainder of the evening. By midnight, she had learned nothing new. The authorities still had found no trace of the plane, nor of a landing strip in the thick jungles of South America. This news brought mixed feelings to the emotionally fragile red head. On one hand, no news was good news relative to a possible crash landing, but on the other, she found herself wondering several times if she would ever see the tall, dark-haired pilot again. It was these thoughts that raced through her mind as she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, wis.h.i.+ng with everything that she was, that she had told Ca.s.s how much she loved her. For all she knew, Ca.s.s was lying dead or dying in the middle of crash debris deep in the jungle. Her pillow was damp with tears as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, Rox was startled by a loud clanging sound. Someone had grabbed her, and dragged her kicking and screaming through the darkness, and threw her into a damp, dingy cell. The cell reeked of damp, mustiness, the dirt floor cold and gritty on her bare feet. Darkness pervaded, limiting her ability to see anything but mere shapes.

Having been thrown forcibly into the cell, she landed on the dirt floor, sending a cloud of dust into her nostrils which caused her to sneeze uncontrollably for several moments. Finally, after regaining control, she wiped her hands on the rag she found herself wearing. How....? Where did this come from? she questioned herself as she looked at the torn and dirty cloth which just barely covered her from chest to mid-thigh. Where am I? she thought. Reaching up to wipe the dirt from her face, she winced as her fingers ran over the bruise that covered her cheek. How did this happen? she mused.

Suddenly, from the center of the cell, she heard a faint moaning. Kneeling perfectly still, she listened intently until she heard it again. It was obviously someone in great pain.

"h.e.l.lo?" she called softly. "Is anyone there?"

Again a soft, painful moan.

Realizing she wasn't going to get a coherent answer, Rox started crawling toward the source of the sound until she encountered a body. Recoiling quickly at the touch, she sat back on her heels and brought her frightened heartbeat under control. They surely can't harm me, she thought. They need my help, she convinced herself as she leaned forward once more to feel her way around.

A small sliver of light from the partially obscured moon shone through the barred window as Rox strained to make out the form before her. Finding the person purely by touch, she soon realized it was a woman. The woman moaned loudly as Rox touched her face.

"Shhh ... it's okay. I won't hurt you," she cooed softly to the injured woman.

Managing to maneuver herself under the woman, she sat against the pole in the middle of the room and laid the woman's head in her lap. Brus.h.i.+ng the bangs out of the woman's eyes, she sat there for several hours, voicing words of encouragement, promising not to leave her, all the while, fearing for her own safety, and that of her injured comrade. Several times, Rox asked the woman for her name, or for information about where they were, but the woman was unable to respond with anything more than grunts and moans. Finally, near dawn, the daylight slowly filtered into the room, casting an eerie pallor over everything.

As the room became lighter, Rox was able to make out the form lying in her lap. The features were barely discernible behind the bruises, cuts and abrasions, but when the woman opened her eyes, Rox's breath caught in her throat at the twin blue orbs that were presented to her. "Ca.s.s?" she asked in a choked voice.

The blue eyes filled with tears as the injured woman reached up and touched the bruise on the side of Rox's face. "I'm sorry," Ca.s.s whispered.

Tears ran down Rox's face as she shook her head from side to side and wiped the moisture from Ca.s.s' eyes. "No ... I had a choice. I chose the way of friends.h.i.+p ... the way of love," she explained.

Ca.s.s had all she could do to manage a weak smile. "But..." she began.

Rox silenced Ca.s.s with a finger placed lovingly on her lips. "Shh... let me explain," she said. "You brought out the best in me, Ca.s.s. Before I met you, I felt invisible. I felt like I didn't know who I was. But you saw all the things that I was ... and all that I could be. You saved me, Ca.s.s," Rox explained. "Ca.s.s, I lov..." Rox began before the cell door was thrown open.

"All right, it's time -- on your feet," a gruff voice said from the doorway.

Rox leaned down and placed one gentle kiss on Ca.s.s' forehead before she felt the injured woman being ripped out of her arms.

"Please ... be careful with her," Rox pleaded before she was yanked to her own feet and dragged out behind Ca.s.s.

The next thing Rox knew, they were being led through a snowy courtyard with Ca.s.s' feet literally dragging behind her as the two burly guards that held her up led their procession to the center of the yard. Rox's eyes never left Ca.s.s' face as they were each laid on a wooden post, their feet and wrists tied to the cross beam with rope. Ca.s.s returned her loving look with one of her own.

"You are the best thing in my life," she heard Ca.s.s say as the guard placed a thin piece of wood in the Ca.s.s' palm and lifted a hammer high into the air, intent on striking the nail poised in the center of the wood.

"I love you," Rox said as she looked up and and suddenly realized her love was about to be crucified. "NOOOOOO!" she screamed, sitting up straight and throwing the covers off. Climbing quickly out of bed, she paced back and forth across her bedroom, her eyes wide with terror as her heart pounded out of her chest with fear.

"Oh my G.o.d! Oh my G.o.d!" she chanted as she stopped and looked at her palms, convinced they would be covered in blood. Finding only the cast covering her right hand, she ran her left hand over her face, and through her hair, trying desperately to make sense of the dream. "Ca.s.s, where are you?" she whispered into the night. "I've got to find you."

Picking up the phone, she dialed Nikki's number.

"h.e.l.lo?" came the groggy voice at the other end of the line.

"Nikki? Nik ... she's in trouble!" Rox exclaimed into the phone.

"Rox? What the h.e.l.l? Do you know what time it is?" Nikki asked impatiently.

"Look, Nik, I'm sorry, but she's in trouble. I just had a dream! Nik -- Ca.s.s is hurt ... I've got to find her!" Rox exclaimed.

"You saw her in a dream? Okay, Rox ... go back to bed. There's nothing you can do from here," Nikki encouraged.

"I know Nik ... that's why I have to go find her," Rox said.

"What? Roxanne, are you sleepwalking? d.a.m.n it woman! You can't be serious!" Nikki exclaimed.

"I have to Nik. I just wanted to let you know in case you tried to call here and no one answered," Rox explained.

"Rox, if you're serious about this, then I'm coming with you," Nikki demanded.

"No, Nik. I have to do this myself. If there's any chance the dream will come true, I don't want you anywhere near where I'm going," Rox said. "I'll talk to you when I get back, Nik."

"Rox -- don't do this. Call the authorities if you think you know where she is," Nikki urged.

"That's just it, Nik ... I don't know for sure where she is ... I have to go find her, don't you see?" Rox asked.

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?" Nikki said regretfully.

"No there isn't. I have to do this, Nik. Please try to understand," Rox pleaded.

"All right, Rox. Please be careful. Honey, if there's anything I can do, please ... please contact me -- promise me, Rox," Nikki demanded.

"Okay, Nik -- I promise. Thank you, Nikki. I love you, you know," Rox said.

"I love you too, Rox. Be careful ... and call me when you find out anything, okay?" Nikki asked.

"I will, Nik. I'll talk to you later. Bye," Rox finished before hanging up the phone.

Several moments later, Rox had made up her mind as she sat in front of the computer and logged onto the Internet.

"Okay ... Where did that reporter say the plane was headed?" she thought, desperately trying to remember the last newscast that had mentioned the plane's direction. "Nicaragua? No, that's not it! Columbia? Yeah! Bogota! I'm sure of it!" she exclaimed, trying to convince herself as she selected the travel icon on the search engine. Ten minutes later, she was booked on a flight to Bogota, scheduled to leave Maine at 10 am the next morning.

"Oh my G.o.d," Ca.s.s moaned as she tried desperately to move. Her head hurt like h.e.l.l and she was covered in sweat and grime. She was laying in a dark room ... blinding darkness surrounding her except for a small sliver of moon light that shone through a barred window. Where the h.e.l.l am I? she thought.

Suddenly, a door opened, the light from beyond it momentarily blinding her. Seconds later, it was dark again as she laid still listening to the noises that were coming from the direction of the door. It sounded like someone feeling their way around in the darkness. Trying again in vain to sit up, she succeeded only in sending waves of pain spreading through her head, causing her to moan once more.

"h.e.l.lo?" a woman's voice called softly. "Is anyone there?"

There's someone in here with me. Ca.s.s thought as she failed for the third time to bring herself into a sitting position. Again a soft, painful moan erupted from her throat.

Before she knew what was happening, Ca.s.s felt something touch her face, causing her to jump and cry out.

"Shhh ... it's okay. I won't hurt you," the voice cooed softly.

After a few moments of painful maneuvering, Ca.s.s' cell mate managed to lift her head and place it on her lap. Brus.h.i.+ng the bangs out of Ca.s.s' eyes, the woman sat there for several hours, voicing words of encouragement, promising not to leave her. Several times, the woman asked Ca.s.s for her name, or for information about where they were, but Ca.s.s was unable to voice anything more than painful grunts and moans. Finally, near dawn, the daylight slowly filtered into the room, casting an eerie pallor over everything.

As the room became lighter, Ca.s.s was able to make out the form of the woman above her. The features were barely discernible behind the bruises and dirt, but when she opened her eyes, exposing a sea of green, Ca.s.s' breath caught in her throat as her mind screamed Rox!. Reaching up, she touched the bruise on the side of Rox's face. "I'm sorry," Ca.s.s whispered.

Tears ran down Rox's face as she shook her head side to side and wiped the moisture from Ca.s.s' eyes. "No ... I had a choice. I chose the way of friends.h.i.+p ... the way of love," she explained.

Ca.s.s had all she could do to manage a weak smile. "But..." she began.

Rox silenced Ca.s.s with a finger placed lovingly on her lips. "Shh... let me explain," she said. "You brought out the best in me, Ca.s.s. Before I met you, I felt invisible. I felt like I didn't know who I was. But you saw all the things that I was ... and all that I could be. You saved me, Ca.s.s," Rox explained. "Ca.s.s, I lov..." Rox began before the cell door was thrown open.

"All right, it's time -- on your feet," a gruff voice said from the doorway.

Rox leaned down and placed one gentle kiss on her forehead before Ca.s.s felt herself being ripped out of the bard's arms.

"Please ... be careful with her," Ca.s.s heard Rox plead as she was dragged out of the cell.

The next thing Ca.s.s knew, they were being led through a snowy courtyard, her feet literally dragging behind her as the two burly guards that held her up, led their procession to the center of the yard. Ca.s.s found Rox's eyes and held them as they were each laid on a wooden post, their feet and wrists tied to the cross beam with rope.

"You are the best thing in my life," Ca.s.s said as the guard placed a thin piece of wood in Rox's palm and lifted a hammer high into the air, intent on striking the nail poised in the center of the wood.

"I love you," came Rox's reply as Ca.s.s looked up and suddenly realized her love was about to be crucified. "NOOOOOO!" she screamed, sitting up straight and grabbing her head in an attempt to stem the nausea caused by the sudden movement.

"Oh my G.o.d! Oh my G.o.d! I'm going to be sick," Ca.s.s said as she crawled into a corner and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the dirt floor. Feeling dizzy and weak, she crawled back to where she had been laying and leaned against the post in the center of the room. Dropping her head into her hands, she thought about the dream she had. Rox, why do I keep seeing you in my dreams? she asked herself.

Looking around, and realizing she was in some sort of Colombian jail, she began to think about just how much trouble she was in. "I am in deep s.h.i.+t," she said out loud.

No kidding d.i.c.k Tracy, Enforcer replied sarcastically.

No comments from the peanut gallery , if you don't mind, Ca.s.s returned.

Bulls.h.i.+t! exclaimed the alter ego. You get some notion in your head that you're gonna save the world from drug lords... we're knocked out and confined to these wonderful guest accommodations... you throw up in the corner and leave a lovely pile of puke there to stink up the place even more than it already smells... we're probably gonna die in this h.e.l.l hole, and you want ME to shut up??!! I don't think so!

I'll figure out how to get us out of this, Ca.s.s said looking around hopelessly. Don't ask me how, but I will.

Before Enforcer could reply, the door to the cell flew open with such force that it slammed into the wall behind it. Jason strutted into the room like a bandy rooster claiming owners.h.i.+p over the chicken coop.

"Well, well, well," he said, walking circles around Ca.s.s, his thumbs hooked into the suspenders holding up his pants. "You've finally decided to rejoin the land of the living. Sorry for the b.u.mp on the head, but I had to a.s.sure your cooperation, and to somehow keep the location of our hospitable hosts a secret. What better way to do that, but for you to make the trip unconscious," he explained. "No hard feelings?" he added, squatting down in front of Ca.s.s and extending his hand to her.

Don't do it, Ca.s.s, Enforcer warned.

Ca.s.s just looked at his hand, then looked away, refusing to extend her own to meet it.

Jason rose back to his full height and sighed. "Have it your way, then," he said. "I can see our little liaison is over. That is a major mistake on your part, Ca.s.s. It would have been much easier on you if you had continued to cooperate." Jason explained as he once again walked circles around Ca.s.s. "Now, I'm afraid we'll have to make sure you understand who is in charge here," he added, nodding to the armed man who had come into the room behind him.

The man laid the machine gun he had been cradling down on the floor, then reached over and grabbed Ca.s.s by the front of her s.h.i.+rt. Lifting her to her feet, he slammed her against the post in the center of the room and punched her hard in the stomach. For the next several minutes, he proceeded to pummel Ca.s.s senseless until she was once more, a boneless heap on the floor, blood dribbling from her mouth and nose.

As the brute retrieved his machine gun and stood guard by the door, Jason once more squatted down in front of Ca.s.s.

"There's more where that came from if you fail to cooperate, Ca.s.s. We need you to fly the drugs out. Be a good girl and do what you're told, and you just might make it out of this little venture alive. Pleasant dreams," he said before once more rising to his feet and leaving the room.

Ca.s.s, I hope you invested in a cemetery plot, 'cause I think we're gonna need it! exclaimed Enforcer.

Eat s.h.i.+t and die, E! Ca.s.s replied before losing consciousness once more.

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

"NOW WHERE DID I file that picture?" Rox asked herself as she searched through the picture folder on her hard drive. "Ah! There it is!" she exclaimed as the photograph of Ca.s.s and her co-pilot Brian was displayed on the screen. Thank G.o.d I didn't delete it when she sent it to me, Rox thought.

Rox set her alarm for 7:00 a.m., but had awakened about an hour before it went off, unable to sleep after the terrible dream she'd had. Climbing out of bed, she showered, dressed and spent the next hour packing for her trip to South America. She had no idea what to bring, so she threw a few light tops and shorts in a bag, along with several changes of underclothes, and her pa.s.sport from her trip abroad to promote her last book. She had dressed that morning in khaki shorts, T-s.h.i.+rt, ankle socks and st.u.r.dy hiking boots. With about an hour to spare before leaving for the airport, she searched her hard drive looking for Ca.s.s' picture, which she planned to show to the local natives, in hope that someone would recognize her. After a successful search, she printed the picture out and carefully stored it in her knapsack. Finally, she was ready to go.

An hour later, Rox nervously chewed her nails, watching the ground crew through the small port hole window as they directed the pilot into take-off position on the run way. Noting the time on her watch as 10:02 am, she tugged securely on her seat belt and then pressed her head into the cus.h.i.+on behind her. She felt as through someone had suddenly punched her in the stomach. Folding her arms across her mid-section, she took a deep breath and sighed. It was going to be a long flight.

Ca.s.s slowly maneuvered herself to her knees, trying very hard not to jar her head and start another round of dry heaves. She had tried to do this just an hour earlier and ended up back on her face, her stomach retching wildly in rebellion. Her head was pounding so, her vision was blurred, and every muscle in her body ached from the abuse it had received just a few hours earlier.

Finally, she managed to prop herself up against the wooden pole in the center of the room, and began to survey the damage. She knew she must rival the beauty of a snake-haired Gorgon monster with her swollen nose and eyes, and split lip. Her hair was peppered with pieces of straw, and in a state of wild disarray, with stray locks sticking out in all directions. She didn't think any bones were broken, with the possible exception of her nose, but she was already able to see telltale signs of a deep purple bruise starting around her mid-section where G.o.dzilla had done a number on her.