CHOGM Pt. 03

The car moved out to pass them and Russell was preparing to give the driver the benefit of his own high beams when the car swung in front of him and screeched to a halt. Russell was glad of the brakes fitted to the Triumph which allowed him to swerve while under full braking. He drove the car onto a drive entrance and stopped. His eyes were still recovering from the glare but he could just make out the forms of two men emerging from the other car and walking back to the Triumph.

"Right you two out of the car. Now!"

"What do you want? If it's money you're after then I'm afraid that you will be disappointed."

Russell felt the back of the hand smashing into his mouth and the voice through the pain. "You keep your yap shut if you know what's good for you. Now you didn't think that we would let you go with such a gentle little warning as kidnapping your mother did you? No such luck, that was just for our Aussie friends, now we come to the real warning. You are coming with us."

"Why does Jenny have to be involved in this, can't you let her go?"

The hand again. "You won't learn will you. Anyway who's talking to you, it's her that needs to be taught a lesson. Now get into our car before things really start getting rough."

Russell made as if to get into the car but as he approached the man who held the door open he slammed his foot into it as hard as he could, catching the man unprepared and hitting him in the stomach with the door and sending him reeling backwards. He didn't have time to feel pleased with himself before his world came crashing down around him. He staggered forward and grabbed at the car door to stop himself from falling. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was Jenny's voice pleading with the attackers to leave him alone and the car door slamming closed on the fingers of his left hand.

***

Russell's fingers expanded and contracted rhythmically and painfully with the pulse that pumped blood through his hand. The pain was intense and it took him several minutes to clear his head. He was lying on something hard but his head was resting on something soft, which as it cleared further, revealed itself to be Jenny's lap. Through the haze of his awakening he felt drops of water hitting his cheek. It wasn't until he was almost fully conscious that he realised that the drops were Jenny's tears.

The mists swirled and cleared. Jenny's face was no longer a thing of beauty. Her eyes were puffed and beginning to display the livid colours of extensive bruising, her nose was bleeding and not its normal shape and her lips were swollen but not split. Her cheeks were puffed and bruised.

"What have they done to you? Oh Darling, why did I let you talk me into letting you get involved in this?"

"Shh. Don't get upset about all this. It isn't as bad as it looks. Anyway, you didn't have any say in whether I got involved or not."

Their captors had obviously been listening for signs of life from Russell because the door slammed open and they both walked in. "Fully rested are we? Good. Now to get down to the business at hand, and don't get any ideas about playing the hero again or I'll let Chuck here take out his revenge on you for hitting him with the car door. Now we know that you are working for the National News, but who else are you working for?"

The man who spoke was slightly built, his slender body clad in cream slacks and a shirt of pastel swirling hues that did nothing for Russell's consciousness. His long tapered fingers were adorned with gold and diamond rings and the nails were lacquered in an almost transparent pink. His blonde hair was the result of his hairdresser's artistry in colour and style. His message was delivered in a soft American accent which contrasted with the menace of the message.

"Go to hell!" Russell put as much emphasis into his response as his weakened state would allow.

"My my, aren't we the big hero then. If you don't tell us maybe your girlfriend here will."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her."

"The question again. Who, apart from the newspaper, are you working for?"

"Get lost! Don't tell them anything Jen."

No sooner had he said that than he felt someone grab his left hand and slam it into the brick wall. This time when he woke it felt like someone was stamping on his hand. Through the haze he heard the sound of a slap and as he struggled to regain his senses he heard the same soft, menacing voice. "Listen you bitch. You betrayed us. If you don't tell us who your lover is working for and how much they know you had better forget any plans you might have about having children. At least not with him. Now talk."

Waves of pain engulfed Russell and the last thing he heard before he once more lapsed into unconsciousness was Jenny agreeing to tell them everything they wanted to know.

***

Consciousness brought with it several problems for him. He woke once more with his head in Jenny's lap, she was stroking his face and sobbing quietly. "Tell me Darling, what did those men mean when they said that you had betrayed them?"

"Oh Russell, I'm ever so sorry. I couldn't tell you, really I couldn't. At first there was no problem, all I had to do was to keep an eye on the comings and goings at the Wentworth Hotel. I started to have second thoughts when we started to dig into what was happening around the world. I decided that enough was enough when they involved our mothers to try and stop you printing that article. I found that I could no longer go along with them."

"Who are they?"

"Please forgive me. Believe me Darling, I love you more than anything, including life itself, and I don't want to see you hurt anymore." Her voice was more a sob than a whisper. "I didn't mean to deceive you but there was no other way that I could get close to you."

There was a sharpness in Russell's voice that Jenny had not experienced before. "Who are they? Tell me Jenny, who are they?"