Coffee and Books 2

5. The pantry

Blackstoke and his security guys have taken me to the back of the casino, where the kitchens are. They open a door and we get inside a large pantry. There is a stool to get to the upper shelves and one of the bodybuilders sits me down on it. He stands behind me, his hands firmly gripping my shoulders to keep me down. His colleague is watching the door, while Mr. Blackstoke is pacing the room.

I want to scream bloody murder, but I think that would be futile. M'Teki and her warriors should be here any second. At least, I hope so. Until then, I'm placing my bets on playing the role of innocent blonde. And it's not entirely a role, because I really am close to crying and maybe going into a full blown panic attack after that. I try to calm myself down and remind myself of the lessons in martial arts Loki gave me. I have not seen any weapons on the men, and I don't think they will kill me and leave me in the pantry in one of the biggest casinos in Vegas. They can do a lot of other things beside killing though...

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice? God, your boss must have been desperate to send in a rookie like you!" Blackstoke ridicules me. "What are you? DEA? CIA? Interpol? Or maybe FBI?" He laughs coldly. "I was planning on having a fun night with you myself, but now I think I'll leave the fun to Jackson."

The bodybuilder behind me chuckles and one of his hands reaches down to squeeze my breast. An ice cold feeling starts spreading from my spine. The fear for a panic attack is suddenly gone and it's replaced by a feeling of anger and resolve. I am not going down without a fight.

I shake the bodybuilder's hand off, still pinned down to my low seat. I glare angrily at the British man before me, but Blackstoke just smiles. "I'll see you in a bit, Jackson. Oh, and Anna, give my regards to your boss."

Blackstoke turns around and walks out the door, followed by the other bodybuilder. The man behind me chuckles again and massages my shoulders while still pushing me down on the stool. I try to concentrate on the sounds outside the pantry. I have heard Blackstoke and his crooney walk away, but I can't be sure they are back in the casino already. I don't think Blackstoke will wait for my male companion to finish whatever he has planned, but his bodybuilding buddy might. All is silent outside the door, except for the faint sounds from the kitchen a little down the hall.

"Now, what shall I do with you?" the man says above my head. At that moment he loosens his grip on my shoulders, to brush my hair from my shoulder. I jump up with all the force I can muster, hitting his nose with my head. Surprised by my attack the bodybuilder stumbles back, grabbing his face. I don't look back and sprint for the door. I peek around the corner and spot the second bodybuilder, leaning against the wall near the kitchens. He is looking at his phone, I don't think he has heard us, so I make a run for it in the other direction.

I'm only a couple of yards away when my bodybuilder appears in the doorway, yelling something inaudible. Of course he alarms his buddy and together they come after me.
I run like my life depends on it, and for all I know it really does. I find my way to a backdoor and crash through it. There is a trash can next to it and I pull it in front of the door. When I look up through the glass of the door I see there are not two, but three men following me.

Without a second thought I run again. There are some people back here, unloading a truck. They just stare at me when I run past, my red dress trailing behind me. Men are yelling behind me and I push out a sprint.
I race past some more trucks and then I spot a big iron gate that is wide open. There is a guard standing by the gate, but he is just dumbfounded when he spots me. 

"Help! They're after me!" I scream at him, not stopping to see what he'll do.

I end up on the street and choose to turn left. I can't run forever, I need somewhere to hide. There is a building that looks like a church and I race over to the doors.
It is a weird church, it looks like I stepped into some sort of waiting room and I scared the hell out of the people sitting there, judging by the looks on their faces. 

"Where's the restroom?" I pant and several fingers point to a door in the back.

I hurry over and when I turn around to close the door behind me I see a man come running in to the room like I did just moments before. I stifle a scream and slam the door shut. Behind me are two extra doors, I choose the one with a lady figure on it and throw myself inside. There are a couple of bathroom stalls and there is no window. No escape.