Dangerous Liaisons

Promises

The little fishing port was quiet. Peaceful. Sleepy. Well, it was 6am. The fisherman had already gone on the tide and the tourists, few that there were, wouldn't stir for a few hours yet. They'd ridden about 45minutes to the coast, each in their own world. Neither admitting their fears.

Looking around him, Jonathan once again realised what Guillaume saw in this sleepy backwater. Anonymity and peace. He was simply a farmer, sometimes fisherman, but above all just Guillaume Duprose.

Leaving his bike and helmet in the lockup, he walked with his friend down to the quayside. There was a small boat moored, engine running.  It consisted of ... not alot. Main cabin with galley, shaded deck area, wheelhouse and all the usual paraphernalia of a diveboat going on an expedition. Gear stowed on the deck, food in the galley. Their excuse for leaving at this hour.

The two men paused and waited, the only sound the reassuring chug of the diesel and the wheeling of some early seagulls. The sun was just rising behind the town bathing everything in a rosy glow.

"It will be ok mon ami," the tall French man said quietly.

They hadn't spoken much other than to chat amiably over the shared milking of the small herd of Fresians. Jeanne had provided hot baguettes and coffee before they left. She had hugged Jonathan tightly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Be careful. Come back and see your nephew" she'd whispered in his ear with a wink. "Don't tell Papa" then she had walked over to Guillaume and held him closely. Kissing as if they would be parted forever, they had held each other and he'd rested a huge but gentle hand on her rounded belly.

A few whispered words and they were parted. Jonathan smiled as he looked away, giving them this moment. He thought of Kate.

Now, as they boarded the little boat, it occurred to him that it might be the last time he saw them. He was sad, not because of what that implied, but because for the first time, he was actually jealous of a simpler life. A glimpse into what might have been.

The captain was a youngish, bearded man.  The easy charm of the completely relaxed. As far as the authorties would be concerned, if they were quizzed, his passengers were simply experienced divers who had chartered his services.  No, they didn't have a set plan and yes, their ultimate destination was Santander. A bit sketchy, but entirely plausible aided by a small sweetner. 

Stowing their gear, Pierre told them just to relax.  There was genuinely nothing to do for the next part of the trip. Time and tide would take them where they needed to be.

Jonathan and Guillaume decided to catch up on some rest. Neither said it, but they both knew there might be precious little chance of more.

As they bunked down in the small but comfortable cabin, Jonathan turned to his friend.
"Thank you," he said, "for this and for coming. I know you trust me and I also know that I haven't really explained much but ..."

"Ahh no need mon ami" Guillaume waved a massive paw at him as he lay on the opposite bunk. "But we have plenty of time to talk. Sleep now. I think I know you'll be here when I wake!" He laughed at his own humour and turned over. Within minutes the sound of deep snoring filled the little space.

Jonathan lay, head on his arm, listening to the regular sound. He tried to quieten his own mind. Be in the moment. Relax.  Years of training meant although he knew there was much ahead to worry him, he could still succumb to sleep. As he drifted off, he wondered how she was. He promised to find her. He could only hope she knew he was coming. That she knew he still cared.

Kate woke two days after the beating, feeling like she wished she hadn't. Her head, previously painful, now thumped relentlessly. Her face, a swollen, bruised and bloody mess was a tribute to the ferocity of Price's rage and her body? Well, she knew she had at least a broken rib or two.  Slowly she turned her head to see a uniformed nurse sitting at her bedside.

"Hello?" She managed to mumble and the woman looked up from her book. "How...long...have"

"Shhhh. Do not speak. You must stay still and quiet." She was firm but kind.  She'd been told Kate was attacked by burglars so had genuine sympathy whilst having complete deniability of anything sinister.  "Would you like a drink?"

Kate half nodded, trying to sit up.

"No no, please lay still." The nurse brought a cup with a straw and Kate was able to suck the water carefully. She could hardly see, her face was so swollen. "You have been asleep two whole days. The doctor said your husband should be told the minute you woke. Please, excuse me for a minute."

The nurse stood and went to the door. Kate lay back. Husband? Suddenly it all came flooding back. Roper! She groaned and closed her eyes.  Wherever you are Jonathan, she thought to herself, please come for me. Please.

The door closed and when she heard footsteps back to her bedside, she assumed it was the nurse. She assumed wrong. 

"Glad to see you're with us again my dear Katherine" Richard's voice was soft and pleasant, like a cat stalking a mouse. Playing with her, tormenting her. "I'd like to apologise for Price's behaviour. It was never the plan for him to do what he did." For a moment he sounded sincere, then he delivered the killer blow. "After all, if we kill you now, what will encourage Pine to join our little house party?"

He stood up and walked back to the door. "Don't get any bright ideas about escaping - or harming me or yourself. Nothing will get in the way. Not Price, not you, nothing. I will have my revenge dear, and this time, there will be nothing and no-one to stop me. 

As Kate drifted back into a fitful haze of pain and no small amount of fear, she now pleaded with Jonathan not to come. She really, really didn't want him to die. The hate was gone. Replaced finally by something else. Something she had never lost but had merely suppressed. She resolved to tell him, the moment she saw him. And see him she would.

As she slipped into the black pit again, her whispers were not prayers, they were promises.