Page 17 of Taken As Collateral

“Come in,” I say.

The door opens and an older woman wheels in a tray. She gestures to the spot near the bed, then to the balcony.

“Here is fine,” I say.

She smiles, nods, then turns to leave.

“Wait,” I call.

She turns around.

“My name’s Priscilla,” I say. “Priscilla Saarnio.”

She shakes her head and replies in a language I don’t recognize.

“Do you speak any English?” I try.

“No English,” she replies. She gestures to the food. “Bwek-fass.”

“Thank you,” I say.

So much for getting any help from her. Seeing a note on the tray, I pick it up and read:

Drink at least one cup of the tea. Two is ideal.

I grimace. More of the ginger tea. But I think it might have helped in that I don’t have as bad a hangover as I would have expected. I pour myself the tea, only it looks and smells a lot different. I give it a try and nearly spit it out. This isnotthe same tea. It’s a lot more bitter. The ginger tea would have been much more preferable.

I don’t get this guy. If he expects to kill me, what does he care what I drink?

Setting down the tea, I lift the cover off the breakfast tray to find eggs, sausage, French toast, and a fruit salad. There’s also a glass of orange juice, which I’m guessing is fresh-squeezed based on the texture, taste and sweetness. I like it a lot. As a kid, I made fresh-squeezed orange juice once for my mom. It took a lot of oranges just to make half a cup, and my mom complained about wasting so many oranges, but she did say it was the best orange juice she’d ever had.

Sliding out of bed, I go into the bathroom where I find an assortment of new toiletries. This place is like a hotel. I might want to take a few of these with me when I get out of here. After brushing my teeth, washing my face, and combing my hair, I step back into the bedroom. I grab a slice of the French toast and walk out onto the balcony. Looking down, I see a man patrolling the area. Even if I could get past the security and the walls that Rafe said surround his property, would I even know where to go? Are we near anyone else?

The door opens and Vladimir walks in holding several garment bags, boxes, and a shopping bag. He sets them down on the sofa.

Curious, I step back inside the room. “What’s all this?” I inquire.

“What it looks like?” Vladimir returns. “Clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“Da.”

“For what?”

He looks at me like I’m an idiot. “To wear.”

With a shake of his head, he leaves, closing the door behind him. I hear him walking away. Opening the door, I check that no one is standing guard. Maybe Rafe meant what he said about letting me roam the place.

I go back to the sofa and look in the shopping bag. I pull out an orange sherbet bikini. There’s also a sarong, wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses. I open a shoe box to find thong sandals in my size. Unzipping one of the garment bags, I find an elegant summer dress with spaghetti straps and an empire waist. Everything looks like it would fit me, but am I really to wear this? Why?

I shake my head. I don’t want all this. All I want is my cellphone so that I can call Peter and check in about the Morelli. I’d call Alessandro, too, but I don’t know how competent he is. What if Rafe scared him, and he decides to skip town?

Deciding I need to find a phone, a way out, or someone who might be able to help me, I put on my shoes and step out of the bedroom. Casing the hallway, I spot a security camera aimed at my bedroom door. I head down the hallway toward the rest of the house. Thinking of the woman who brought me breakfast, I’m guessing there are other helpers. Maybe one of them will speak English.

I pass by the room that had the Degas painting of the ballerinas. On my tour, I notice several more security cameras, most of them placed out of plain view. But I’m the paranoid type so I look for this kind of stuff.

After passing by a beautiful atrium with a fountain and tropical plants, I come across a tall painting in the hallway. It’s a scene from the fairytaleBeauty and the Beast.Beauty stands trapped amidst dense foliage and thorns, her arms up in surprise, her eyes wide, as Beast approaches from behind.

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