Sorrow Part 5

The scene in the road took on a complete new meaning. The irony of it all. The looks conveyed back and forth. They weren't worried about a third party intruding. They were hatching a new plan on the spot. It all couldn't have happened more perfectly for them she was sure.

Liz had started to think being on the run the last few weeks had been fine tuning her instincts. That her day to day struggle to stay alive had sharpened her survivor skills. Instead she had willingly gotten into the car of a complete stranger. Got her self taken to a remote location, was feed beef stew by the enemy, and, oh, then proceeded to give him the only information that was currently keeping her alive. Yes, things were shaping up just fantastic, she thought bitterly to herself.

She struggled to pull herself upright in a position of confidence. She didn't fully turn her back on Nate but she made a conscience effort not to look him in the eye. He had set out to deceive her and he did. Fine. Mission accomplished. She didn't have to give him any more satisfaction by letting him see the hurt in her eyes. She swallowed hard against the lump forming in her throat, straightened her spine and grasped frantically for the last remaining shreds of her pride.

Mr. Ugly pulled a gun that had been tucked into the back of his belt and aimed it at her. In all her life she had never had a gun pointed at her. She knew that even if she somehow lived through this she would never be able to describe how terrifying the sight of having the end of a gun pointed at one's own head truly was. The grip on her pride slipped a bit as she struggled to keep her mind clear and not melt into a mess of pleading and sobbing. Instead she tried to focus above the gun, on his face. Weren't you supposed to make eye contact in these situations? She'd heard about it on a news show or something. It was about making a human connection or something to that effect. Surely he wouldn't want to kill her if he felt like he knew her, right?

Man he was ugly. You had to know you were just plain hideous if someones life depended on looking at you, and even then it was a struggle. His eyes were small and close together. They were set in a strange contrast to his nose. It looked like it had been broken more than once and either never set back, or one of his buddies had given it their best shot. His lips were set in a smirk and that was all she needed to see of his front teeth to know he wasn't in the care of a dentist. His skin was surprisingly clear and unblemished though. Oddly not a mark on it. She decided he reminded her of Mr. Potato Head. It was as if a child had taken the smooth blank canvas and stuck in the scariest ugliest pieces. The sudden comparison in her mind made an involuntary giggle come up the back of her throat. The minute she realized it she worked to strangle it and the combination sent her into a coughing fit.

"Sit!" he ordered, waving the gun over to a wing back chair in the living room. Liz tried to keep eye contact with his beady little eyes as she walked sideways to the chair and sat down. Nate, whom she still refused to make eye contact with, seemed to snap out of a trance. His body which had appeared frozen when the men first came in, seemed to remember how to move. But now he seemed all over the place. He didn't know where to go first. He made strides toward Potato Head who had dug a roll of duct tape out of the backpack he had carried in, and was yanking off pieces of it with his teeth. Then he'd stop and walk directly towards Liz like he was going to yank her up by the elbow and march her out of here. He finally decided on taking long strides across the room to Mr. Handsome who was by the door talking on a cell phone. As Potato Head pulled her arms forcefully behind her and wound them with tape, she broke her promise to never look at Nate again. Both men's profiles faced her as Nate stood within inches of Handsome. Nate had him by a good inch and Liz would have guessed Handsome's height at around six foot three. Handsome still held the cell phone to his ear but Nate's look couldn't be mistaken. It conveyed, get off the phone or I'll get off for you. Liz heard him mumble some excuse into the phone, snapped it shut and moved his hands to his hips, "Somethin' I can help you with mate?"

Mr. Handsome was also Australian? Liz thought incredibly. Potato Head wound the tape to the point of pain around her ankles. The good ones are either gay, taken, liars, or hired assassins. She had no idea why her sense of humor was still intact, but her inner banter was keeping her from doing what she felt like doing, and that was bawling her eyes out.

"Help me with? Um, yeah, let me think...." he looked around in fake confusion and then landed his gaze on Liz. "Right! That was it, you're waving a gun around and tying her up like you're criminals or something."
"We're not criminals friend, she'is. That's why we're tyin her up, see."
"She told me where the stolen files are. I'll take you there myself. There's no need for all these theatrics--"
"Stolen?! I did not steal those files! I made copies of what appeared to be blatant fraud--" Liz stopped short at the intensity of the look Nate was giving her. If looks could be easily translated, she was sure in that moment Nate was saying, Are you kidding me?? I'm trying to save our lives here. Kindly, Shut.Up.

Liz instantly swallowed any further righteous indignation and made due with staring down at her knees instead. As if not believing that she really would stay quiet, Ugly ripped off another piece of tape and put it across her mouth. Liz looked up at Nate and conveyed her own look: I'm insane to trust you again, but I do.
Nate turned back to handsome. "Listen. As a Private Investigator my fee includes recovering the files. I've done that, case solved. I'd have to check the paperwork again, but I think I can say pretty confidently that we don't tie people up or threaten them with guns."
"Look. Nobody is going to get hurt mate. Look at it like we're just holding her in one place while we recover the documents. Once we have what we need, she can be back in your lovin arms again."
"Understand this. I don't know what is fully going on here, but I do know that you don't get that file without me. If you want it, release her to my care. You have my word we want no more trouble. Everyone will win."

"Well you see, this is going to be a bit awkward. I didn't want to get into this just yet, but we don't actually need you as it turns out."
"What? You were able to find the file already?"
"Not exactly. This place, this house of yours, was originally the rendezvous point, so our employer had it bugged."
Watching the exchange between Nate and Handsome felt like watching her favorite soap opera. Two attractive men, both tense, fighting over a girl. The gravity of the situation pulled her back into a harsh reality. The place was bugged, they had all the information they needed and the only two people in the world who knew, were now in one tidy location. They were going to kill her. She would never see Ryan again. The lump in her throat that she had been fighting for the good part of half an hour could be contained no more. Tears blurred her vision and then fell down her face. She had known for weeks that people were trying to kill her. Now that it was happening, she didn't feel panic or fear. She just felt incredibly sad.
Liz could no longer see through the tears, especially with her inability to wipe them away, but there was nothing wrong with her hearing.
"We thank you for you help mate, but we can't have people with information and conscienceses walking about. You can see what I mean about things being a bit awkward now." And with that, Liz heard what could only be Ugly hitting Nate upside the head with the butt of his gun, and Nate's large frame hitting the floor. Time had seemed to slow down in the wake of Nate's betrayal and the arrival of the hit men. Now time was speeding up at an abnormal rate. It seemed only minutes passed but much had happened. Nate's unconscious body was bound and tied to the matching wing back chair, Handsome had made a phone call that had consisted of two words: "It's done."
And now, Ugly Mr Potato Head was just about done splashing a container of gasoline all around the house. He walked over to Liz who had stopped crying a long time ago, but her face felt stiff with dried tears. With that smirk she would have paid money to wipe off his face he poured the last few splashes on her legs and then Nate's.

"Just for good measure. Don't want any heroics from the two of you."

If Liz could convey pure loathing with her eyes she was confident she was doing it now. Without much additional ceremony, the men packed up their things and walked out the door. Liz instantly struggled against her restraints. In addition to the duct tape, they had then tied her to the chair. She took deep breaths through her nose as she rocked her wrists back and forth in a twisting motion trying to create some give. Liz still was having a hard time wrapping her brain around the fact that someone was having her killed. They had done it. They had left them here to burn to death. No messy bullet ridden bodies to explain. Just a pile of ash. She didn't think it could hurt to try and rouse Nate with her mind. Get up, wake up!! That didn't seem to be working. Something needed to work and work fast. As she fought with her restraints she smelled the first whiff of smoke.