Bankers Association in Vegas. But maybe they already knew this about him, that he’d been out of town, and now Benicio’s trying to convince me that Jonathon had actually come down here instead.
I regain my footing. “What does pero con -something mean?”
Benicio draws a long breath.
“Jonathon, if it was Jonathon, kept saying that.”
“He was making sure that Leon hadn’t hurt you.”
This sounds so right to my ears that my body loosens with relief. Even if Jonathon really is mixed up in something, and I’m not fully convinced this is the case, but if he is he’s come here to negotiate. He wants to know I’m all right. He’s working to get me out.
“What I mean is, his exact words to Leon were, ‘We agreed last week that you wouldn’t hurt her.’”
Maybe something is lost in translation.
“He also mentioned something about going to Switzerland.”
Switzerland.
Benicio grips my arms to keep me from slumping to the floor.
The warm clothes in Jonathon’s suitcase. Perfect for Switzerland this time of year. Is Oliver going, too? Or is he being held somewhere like me?
“Listen to me,” Benicio whispers.
I take a small step back. He follows with a step forward, still supporting my weight. Then something crosses his face. It seems to throw him off from the words he intends to say. He searches my eyes. “I don’t understand how a husband could do this to his wife,” he says.
I hang there a moment longer thinking of how unusually relaxed Jonathon was the morning we left. A man headed off on a vacation. It doesn’t make sense. I struggle free and grip the iron bars. “Get away from me. You’re making this whole thing up. That’s not what he said out there.”
“Listen.” His voice is a deep whisper. “I tried to stop them from taking you. That’s why they put me in here.”
I squint and jiggle my head trying to make sense of what he’s saying. “I was in your car, Benicio. You kidnapped me.”
“My aunt and uncle own the condo you’re staying in. Leon is their son. He told me your husband needed to find you. It was an emergency. When he gave me the keys to his car, your husband was standing outside the condo door looking half out of his mind. This is why I picked you up. They fooled me the same as they fooled you. And when I realized what was happening, when they pulled you from the car, I tried to make them stop, but the next thing I knew they put the same cloth over my face, and when I woke I was tied to a chair like you.”
“Why didn’t they just grab me themselves? Why send you?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m not stupid,” I say, but the irony of my words hangs in the air. Oh but I am, just look at how easily I’ve been fooled.
“Leon has been trying to get me to join the family business for years. No matter how this looks, he cares about me. He wants me to do well, have a big family, all that.”
“What does that have to do with—”
“The last thing I want is to join the family business.”
“Right. Still not following.”
“He thought if he made me an accomplice to kidnapping he could blackmail me to do what he wanted, and someday, when I was living this great life, I’d be thanking him for it. I know. It’s impossible to believe that this is what people do when they care about you. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
“What does this have to do with anything?”
“If you’d somehow escaped, you’d be a witness to me trying to kidnap you. They were driving right behind us. They’d back up your story, and I’d spend the rest of my life in prison. That was how Leon planned to blackmail me.”
“I still don’t get it. Now they’ve tied you up instead?”
“There were other guys. Leon answers to someone else on this. He’s in over his head. I got the impression that this was mild compared to what was coming next.”
I’m more confused than ever. “Just tell me how my husband is supposed to be involved in whatever the hell is
I regain my footing. “What does pero con -something mean?”
Benicio draws a long breath.
“Jonathon, if it was Jonathon, kept saying that.”
“He was making sure that Leon hadn’t hurt you.”
This sounds so right to my ears that my body loosens with relief. Even if Jonathon really is mixed up in something, and I’m not fully convinced this is the case, but if he is he’s come here to negotiate. He wants to know I’m all right. He’s working to get me out.
“What I mean is, his exact words to Leon were, ‘We agreed last week that you wouldn’t hurt her.’”
Maybe something is lost in translation.
“He also mentioned something about going to Switzerland.”
Switzerland.
Benicio grips my arms to keep me from slumping to the floor.
The warm clothes in Jonathon’s suitcase. Perfect for Switzerland this time of year. Is Oliver going, too? Or is he being held somewhere like me?
“Listen to me,” Benicio whispers.
I take a small step back. He follows with a step forward, still supporting my weight. Then something crosses his face. It seems to throw him off from the words he intends to say. He searches my eyes. “I don’t understand how a husband could do this to his wife,” he says.
I hang there a moment longer thinking of how unusually relaxed Jonathon was the morning we left. A man headed off on a vacation. It doesn’t make sense. I struggle free and grip the iron bars. “Get away from me. You’re making this whole thing up. That’s not what he said out there.”
“Listen.” His voice is a deep whisper. “I tried to stop them from taking you. That’s why they put me in here.”
I squint and jiggle my head trying to make sense of what he’s saying. “I was in your car, Benicio. You kidnapped me.”
“My aunt and uncle own the condo you’re staying in. Leon is their son. He told me your husband needed to find you. It was an emergency. When he gave me the keys to his car, your husband was standing outside the condo door looking half out of his mind. This is why I picked you up. They fooled me the same as they fooled you. And when I realized what was happening, when they pulled you from the car, I tried to make them stop, but the next thing I knew they put the same cloth over my face, and when I woke I was tied to a chair like you.”
“Why didn’t they just grab me themselves? Why send you?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m not stupid,” I say, but the irony of my words hangs in the air. Oh but I am, just look at how easily I’ve been fooled.
“Leon has been trying to get me to join the family business for years. No matter how this looks, he cares about me. He wants me to do well, have a big family, all that.”
“What does that have to do with—”
“The last thing I want is to join the family business.”
“Right. Still not following.”
“He thought if he made me an accomplice to kidnapping he could blackmail me to do what he wanted, and someday, when I was living this great life, I’d be thanking him for it. I know. It’s impossible to believe that this is what people do when they care about you. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
“What does this have to do with anything?”
“If you’d somehow escaped, you’d be a witness to me trying to kidnap you. They were driving right behind us. They’d back up your story, and I’d spend the rest of my life in prison. That was how Leon planned to blackmail me.”
“I still don’t get it. Now they’ve tied you up instead?”
“There were other guys. Leon answers to someone else on this. He’s in over his head. I got the impression that this was mild compared to what was coming next.”
I’m more confused than ever. “Just tell me how my husband is supposed to be involved in whatever the hell is
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