Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 4

Lando

We are all done with our dessert and decide to get out, to go back to our hotel. 'Max, I'm going to check on Roxanne,' I say in my Belgian accent. 'Is good, be back at the hotel before nine though,' Max says. I sigh for a moment, but then nod. Then I walk towards the apartment, which is almost next to the hotel.

I step inside and immediately notice that there is a nasty atmosphere. In front of me I see two police officers talking to the landlord of the apartment. As soon as they see me, they come running towards me. 'Do you live here in the apartment?" one male officer immediately asks me.

'Sorry, I'm English,' I say.

'Do you live here in the apartment?" the cop asks. I shake my head.

'Hey, I know you! Roxanne had taken you in earlier today,' says the landlord.

'What happened here anyway? 'There's a nasty atmosphere here,' I ask and nudge the landlord.

'Someone kidnapped Roxanne and threatened the me,' the landlord tells me.

Immediately I look at the landlord. I am in shock and already feel tears burning behind my eye sockets. She has been kidnapped! Before the police officers can ask me anything else I run out of the apartment and head back to the hotel. I have to find Rox! Even if I have to go through fire for her.

Once at the hotel I run to the stairs and run up the stairs to the top. Some tears are already streaming down, which I was trying to hold back all this time. But I couldn't hold them back anymore as they became more and more tears. As soon as I am upstairs I run into the room and see Max looking up startled. Without looking at him I run to my bedroom and plop down on the bed crying. I really want to go find Rox, but where on earth am I supposed to start looking in the first place?

'Lando, what's going on?" asks Max, walking into my room.

'Rox has been kidnapped!' I sob and feel him put a hand on my shoulder.

'It's not your fault,' Max soothes me and I look up, then my tearful eyes look at Max worriedly. 'Why don't you just go to sleep otherwise?'

'That's a good idea,' I sob and sit up straight. Max nods and leaves my bedroom. I get up from my bed and pull my t-shirt over my head. Ideally I want Rox against me now, but I can't. Where would she be? Then I take off my pants, shoes and socks, then crawl under the blanket.

I close my eyes and try to fall asleep, but all I think about is Roxanne. Would everything be okay with her? Is she scared? Who kidnapped her? How can I find her? Restlessly I move under my blanket. For a moment, after a while, I think I have fallen asleep, but then I hear my phone pinging. I jump up and look around me for my phone. Wait, it's still in my pocket! Fleetingly I get out of my bed and walk to my pants, which I had on today and look for my phone. Yes, found it! I walk back to my bed and crawl under the blanket again. I rest my arms on the blanket and click my phone on, after which I see all kinds of messages from fans of mine. I ignore them and look to see why my phone was pinging. A message from a Pierre! I immediately open the message and read it.

Dear Lando, forget about Roxanne. She's been kidnapped by some guy! I didn't intervene because I'm no match for Roxanne's kidnapper. The only way to get her back is to lose her.

Greetings, Pierre

My eyes enlarge and I know nothing to do. I am utterly defeated by Pierre's message. Where would I start without Roxanne? I can't forget her and she wouldn't forget me. Why would Pierre send this? He would never do this! I turn off my phone, then I put it on the nightstand and I stare at the ceiling in front of me. Roxanne is my girl, my buddy! Before I can fight sleep I fall asleep....

Roxanne

I see Pierre walk back into the room with a first aid kit. Still looking at him angrily, he kneels down in front of me. He looks at the gunshot wound and then treats it. I pull a pained face as he disinfects the wound with disinfectant. Softly I groan from the stinging pain in my leg. I can't pull back, because my legs are still always attached.

Then Pierre finishes and stands up again. He suddenly looks deep into my eyes. Is he trying to find something in my eyes or is he just looking at me? In any case, I have no idea. Doesn't matter to me at all either! All I want is to get out of here. Suddenly he walks backwards out of the room, not breaking his eye contact with my eyes.

'See you tomorrow Rox!" he says to me and then closes the door. I stare at him. Has he gone crazy or something? I can't sleep sitting up. My eyes do feel heavy, but I'm fighting against the sleep that just attacks me out of nowhere. Because I'm fighting the very sleep, I only start to get more tired. I fight on, until I really can't take it anymore and then fall into a deep dreamless sleep....