The Edinburgh Festival Pt. 02

After we had cleaned ourselves up, we stood on Bourbon Street waiting for a taxi. We didn't have long to wait. It was a short ride to the restaurant. I was looking forward to this. Alec led the way and stood at the waiting sign. He didn't intend to wait as long as I did. When nobody came up to him he walked up to the staff and asked to see the manager. She darted off and the guy who abused me walked out. 'What do you want?' he asked. Alec explained who he was and why he was here. The man almost collapsed. He quickly changed attitude and suggested we sit at a table at the back of the restaurant and talk.

Alec didn't mess about. He recounted my experience earlier today and the man glowered at me. He told him he was losing money each month. It cannot continue. He explained that what was happening here was completely unacceptable. He was going to bring in a manager from one of the other restaurants to oversee the many changes that need to take place here. He told the man that he was on a final warning. If things did not improve in one month then he should be in no doubt as to what the consequences will be. By Wednesday, he will have his manager in situ and he will be monitoring things very closely. Alec left it at that and he hoped what he had said had sunk in. He was firm and fair. If it were me, I would have fired the man on the spot.

We left the restaurant which was crazy because I was hungry, having earlier paid for a lunch I never ate. Alec suggested we try one of the restaurants in the French Quarter. We walked up to the corner, looking for a taxi. Next moment, completely unexpected, we were attacked from the rear and roughly bundled into the back of a van. It all happened in an instant. We never noticed the van which had been parked just up the street from the restaurant. We never noticed them watching us. We never noticed two men getting out while a third drove. We never noticed as the van pulled up beside us. In an instant, we were forcefully thrown into the back. I was dragged across the van by a strong pair of hands. A pad, with chloroform, was pressed to our mouths.

I woke to a bucket of water being thrown over us. I looked for Alec, hoping he was okay. He was just coming round. 'What the fuck,' I shouted. 'We've been abducted.' That earned me a smack on the mouth. I looked around. We were in a basement of some kind. I tried to move but couldn't, my arms and legs were zip-tied to a chair. I was still feeling groggy. Alec was beside me, similarly tied up. We've been kidnapped. My God, we've been kidnapped. Is this anything to do with the flowers I received? Why try to get rid of me and then kidnap me? It didn't make any sense. I just didn't understand.

The men stood behind us so we couldn't see their faces. Alex demanded an explanation. The men just ignored us. 'I'm sorry, Alec, I'm sure this has something to do with the flowers. I don't understand it. It must be me they are after, not you. I'm sorry I got you dragged into this.'

The ties on our limbs were tight, it was impossible to move. Once they got fed up with standing behind us, they moved round until they were in front of us. They wore a mask on their faces and wore black boiler suits. They looked mean and scary. I had to admit, it was working. I was scared. They still didn't say anything and that was more frightening. Alec tried to talk them into letting me go. 'No, I'm not leaving you here, with these people' I shouted.

The taller of the two spoke first. 'Which one of you cock suckers is going to take care of me? How about you, rich boy, you going to suck my cock?' He unzipped himself and waved his cock in front of Alec. No, I wasn't going to let him humiliate Alec like that. 'Me, I'll do it,' I shouted. Alec also shouted, telling them to fuck off. We were in no position to bargain. How did they know we were a gay couple? The tall man walked towards me, wanking his cock. I would normally get all excited at the sight of a hard cock, but I didn't this time. The dirty bastard forced his cock in my mouth and wanked himself. I wasn't going to do anything to help him. I wanted to bite his cock off. He kept wanking until he had spurted in my mouth. I wasn't going to swallow it, I let it run down out of my mouth and onto my shirt. That got me another smack in the mouth. It felt like it had loosened my teeth. The two men walked away, leaving us alone.

Alec thanked me for rescuing him from the dirty bastard. He said it was the most gallant thing he had seen, but I shouldn't have put myself at risk. He went on to explain that this was undoubtedly to do with money. These people obviously want a ransom paid. I was just an unwilling pawn that's been caught up in this. 'No, we are in this together. We need to think and plan,' I explained. No way was I leaving Alec here on his own. Alec thought that as soon as they got the money, we'll be thrown out of a van somewhere quiet. That's why they have their faces covered. If we saw them then we can identify them. Wearing masks is actually good news. The fact they haven't made their demands means the head man isn't here yet. All we know is that there are at least three or four people involved.

I had read a lot of exciting thrillers. I knew it was important to keep a clear head and think straight in circumstances like this. I looked carefully around us. Looking for anything that we could use to escape. It was definitely a basement but it could be anywhere at all. It was quite a large basement with stairs off to the side and plenty boxes stored on the floor. A single light bulb illuminated the room in a dim glow. Where were we? We had no idea how far we had been driven before ending up here. They obviously dragged us out of the van unconscious and down here. That suggests we are in a remote location. They wouldn't risk being spotted in public, taking two unconscious men out of the van. I tried to break the plastic ties but I knew that was nearly impossible. I did read once that if your hands are tied in front of you, you could break the plastic by chopping your arms downwards. That was no use to us, we're tied to the chair. The chair looked solid but it could be smashed, if we had to. Any noise would just bring these two thugs back down here.

I wondered how this could have happened. Few people knew we were coming to New Orleans. Who did know? James certainly knew, he drove us to the airport. It was clear to me now that the flowers were intended to make Alec and I split up. If that plot worked, I would have flown home on Friday. Alec would have been here on his own. That was their plan. To use Alec as a gambling chip in their plan to get the ransom. I wonder how much they want? How long is this going to go on for? I felt vindicated, Alec now knows the truth about the wretched flowers. He knows that I am completely innocent.

Alec was certainly keeping a cool head, considering our present circumstances. He apologised for doubting my honesty. He did believe, for a short while, that I had been messing about with someone else, he said he felt bad for doubting me.

Why kidnap us in New Orleans and not in Boston? We were picked up just outside the restaurant. It was the only place these people knew where we were going to be. They just had to wait there until we showed up and we made it easy for them. But who knew? It was looking more and more like James may be implicated. Alec didn't want to consider such a possibility. He couldn't believe James would do such a thing. But somebody did know and doubtless we'll find out shortly.

We were left in the basement. I didn't hear any vehicle outside so I assumed they were still here, upstairs. We were too tightly bound to do anything at all to help ourselves. All we could do was wait and remain positive. Alec said he would pay any ransom asked. He wanted us both home safe. 'No Alec, if you pay them then they win. These are criminals, how can you be certain they won't kill us when they have the money?'

I felt so frustrated. There appeared nothing we could do except wait. I cracked a joke which made Alec laugh. Then we both laughed and then the two men came running down the stairs. Laughing cost me another slap in the face. They didn't touch Alec. The smaller man went back upstairs and came down with, of all things, a pair of bolt cutters. He warned us that he would start removing toes unless we kept quiet. He banged it down on a shelf near the steps, so we could see them. It's psychological, they are just trying to frighten us. And it was working, I was well and truly frightened. So was Alec. The men walked back up the stairs, leaving the bolt cutters. That's what we need to use to get out of here. Except we can't reach it.

A short while later, boots on the steps indicated they were coming down. I tried to be brave, to face up to them. I'm made of sterner stuff than they think. If I could only get out of these ties. There was a third man with them. Possibly the man in charge. He was also wearing a mask. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of us. He must see the spunk stains on my shirt. Stains from his man. He growled as he spoke. He wanted a million dollars for the safe return of us. One million dollars. So that's what it's about. I shouted out that they can just fuck off. They will not get one cent. Again, I got a smack, harder than the earlier ones. I must learn to keep my mouth shut.

He stood up and walked over to the bolt cutters. He removed my shoes and socks and placed my little toe between the blades of the cutters. My God, he's going to cut my toe off. Alec shouted at him. I remained quiet, anticipating another smack in the mouth if I opened it again.

'Here's what's going to happen,' he explained. 'This has actually worked out quite well, better than expected. Yes, we hoped your friend would have gone home by now. It was never our intention to hold you both. We needed your friend gone. But now he's here, we can, em...use him to persuade you to do as we say. It's very simple, you transfer one million dollars and you can then both go free. If you don't then things get interesting. How are you going to feel about a boyfriend with stumps for toes? Or stumps for fingers? How much do you really care for him? More than a million dollars? Will I just cut his toe off and see what he means to you? Let me leave you to ponder the question. Trust me, I am deadly serious. I will have your million dollars, of that I am quite sure. The question is, how many toes must our friend here have to lose before you see sense? I think three toes, I'm pretty sure it won't be many more than three. Three toes cut off, that creates a lot of blood and tears. But that's up to you rich boy.'

He put the cutters on the shelf and went back upstairs, his two thugs followed him. I looked at Alec. God, what a mess. We are in a life threatening situation. How the fuck did this happen? The only one that knew we would be in New Orleans is James. He must be implicated. Alec went quiet, contemplating the possibility James was involved. He's the prime suspect now. After all Alec had done for him. These might be ex-army buddies of his. It's a big payoff, a lot of money. People would do anything to get their hands on that kind of money. People will kill to get their hands on that kind of money.

I rocked my chair, hoping to feel some of the spars come loose. I daren't knock it over. I tried bouncing closer to Alec but I couldn't manage. We were well and truly tied up. There didn't seem to be much we could do. This is going to cost Alec a lot of money. Will he pay up or am I going to lose my toes? God, what a choice. The bastard traitor, damn bloody James.

We were hungry but still in good spirits. I'd like to say this was bringing us closer but we were scared. Scared people make mistakes. We can't allow ourselves to make a mistake. I could see the damn cutters, they were taunting me. So near yet so far away. Our goose was well and truly cooked, as they say. Do I care enough about Alec to sacrifice my toes for him? I would imagine it would be incredibly painful, and messy. I'm not sure I am brave enough to face that. Unless Alec pays them the damned money then I'm going to lose toes. It's up to Alec now, what happens next is entirely down to him. I didn't want him to pay up, these goons must not get away with it, but I didn't want to lose my toes either.

They brought us down some food, two po' boys. They cut the ties around our hands to allow us to eat. They left our legs tied. I was starving. It tasted great. We'll be able to think clearer on a full stomach. We didn't get any water, they ignored us when we asked for some. They tied our hands to the chair. This time, I was ready. This time, they have made a mistake. With all the strength in my arm I pushed up against the arm of the chair. If I fight the resistance of the tie being pulled tight I might have enough room to slip my hand through. I remained calm, focusing on my wrist. It was working. They slapped us both on the face and walked back upstairs. I was used to getting my face smacked by now. Importantly, the tie on my right hand was loose, loose enough to try and squeeze my hand through it. It was painful, the plastic cut into my skin as I tried to pull my hand through. Alec encouraged me, willing me to succeed. It was no use, no fucking use at all. It's not loose enough. I was deflated. I felt completely gutted.

I relaxed, focusing on my breath. I must stay calm, I can do this, I just need to put in the effort required. I looked at Alec. He smiled, with that cute smile I was so fond of. He told me to stop, he will pay the money and hopefully they'll let us go afterwards. He can afford it, he might even be insured for such an event. 'Stop, David. You've done enough. You'll hurt yourself on these ties. When they come down again, I'm going to transfer the money.'

'No, you can't do that,' I replied. It was a weak argument. If he's insured then let's get this over with, pay up and then we can all go home. I didn't like the idea of them getting away with it. Hopefully James was still at the house and not on his way down here. Was he the mastermind or just a pawn? Being ex special forces, he would know the people to carry out something like this. He will be looking at prison for doing this. The disloyal, two faced bastard.

I went back to trying to get my hand through the tie. I gritted my teeth and pulled, harder and harder. And it worked, finally my hand was free. I looked at the shelf with the bolt cutters. Mistake number two, they shouldn't have left them down here. I bounced my chair closer to the shelf. Yes, this was working. They were amateurs, ex army guys would never have made it so easy for us. I got closer and closer to the shelf, trying not to make a noise. It took an age but finally, I was there. I reached up for the cutters, gripping them in my hand. I had done it. I grinned at Alec. 'Let's get out of here.'

I easily cut my left hand tie and bent down to cut my legs free. I cut Alec's ties and he stood up, groaning as the blood started flowing again. I put on my socks and shoes. We were free. I tried to think what the characters in my thriller books would do. They would likely go for a frontal assault. Not me, we're going to creep silently up the stairs and try and get out of the house without being seen. I took Alec's hand and led him up the stairs. We stopped at the top, listening. There were voices close by, it sounded like they are in another room. I gently opened the basement door, looking and listening carefully. Nobody was there. We crept towards the front door. It was unlocked. The fates are on our side. We crouched on the porch looking around. There was a van and a car parked outside. There were no other houses close by, in fact it looked like we were on a remote farm. Not good. We still can't be sure how many goons there are. It would have needed three for the hit in the street. One driving and two grabbing us. The head goon, he was the fourth man but we had only seen three, not four men. There must be another one unaccounted for. Someone we hadn't seen yet. Was it James?

I told Alec to remain where he was. I would check out the vehicles and then signal him if it was okay. I kept low as I ran towards the van. No keys. Fuck. I checked the car, again no fucking keys. I didn't know how to hotwire either of the vehicles. It always seems easy on the television. I signalled for Alec to come across the yard. We sat down behind the van, out of sight. I gave him the bad news. We're out of the basement and stuck. There are no keys in the vehicles. There's nothing else for it, we needed to run and put as much distance as we can between these men and us. Both of us are fit men, we could handle the run.

We kept low and made for the farm track, running as quickly as we could. Still no alarm raised. We just needed to keep running. Our lives depended on it. The track led to a road but there was no sign. Do we go left or right? I decided right and grabbed Alec's hand. We alternated between running and fast walking. We were dehydrated so we needed to be careful. I heard a car. We dived down at the side of the road, out of sight. Is this a friend or foe? Do we stop the vehicle or let it go past? It was too risky. We lay, covering our heads as the car went past. We lay down, listening for any other traffic. There was silence. We got up and continued to run. We reached another junction. Again, no signs. This was pure guesswork. We took a left this time. Our best chance was to find a house or farm and call the police. The problem was there were no farms or houses nearby.

The road we were on was in good condition. That suggested it might not get much traffic. We continued to walk and run until we saw a car coming towards us. We lay down again. Do we stop this one? It's far enough away from the farm where we were held captive. Maybe we should. Alec stood up and walked to the middle of the road. I joined him. The car slowed as it approached us. A man got out and, for fucks sake, he had a hand gun and it was pointing at us. This was goon number four and we had just seen his face. We were stuffed. I couldn't believe it. After all that effort. He gestured us into the car, telling me to drive. Alec got in the back beside the goon. I had the pistol pointed at my head. 'fucking drive,' he bellowed.

I had never driven a car abroad before. I obviously knew how to drive but I had no experience of driving on the right. Back home, we drive on the left. I drove just as I would back home, on the left. The goon didn't seem to notice. If I swerve the car, Alec might be able to overpower him. I looked for an opportunity. I looked in my mirror. He still had the gun pointed at my head. I wished I could signal Alec, warn him what I'm about to do. I had to take the chance and hope Alec was ready to move. God, I could do with a drink.

We were approaching a bend and I'm driving on the wrong side of the road. I prayed for a big lorry to come along. There was no lorry. I swung the wheel sharp to the left, reaching behind for the gun. I lost control of the car. We thudded up a banking and came to a stop against a wooden fence. I quickly turned round. Alec had his hands around his neck. I punched the goon, twice in the face and reached for his gun. I was too slow, far too slow. He whipped me across the side of the face with the gun, badly cutting me. He punched Alec and I went for him again. I was too slow. I could cry. We were almost away.

I looked at Alec who was bleeding from the nose. The goon forced us out of the car and locked us in the trunk. He was able to reverse the car back onto the road and headed quickly back to the farm. He blasted his horn and slammed to a halt. We were back at the farm. The others came running out, wondering what was going on. They hadn't even noticed we were gone. We were so close. The trunk lid opened and we were hauled out. We got a kicking, from all four of them. Feet and fists, we got well and truly worked over. We were dragged along the ground and thrown down into the basement. This time, they separated the chairs so Alec was on the other side of the basement. They then put double ties on us and made sure they were tight. The boss goon picked up the bolt cutters. I prepared myself for the worst.