Falling Like A Fool

21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

I woke up with a terrible head ache, and on an unfamiliar bed of a motor lodge. I don't remember taking Tatania here. And I wouldn't bring Tatania to such a place if I had a choice, which I am confident that I have.

What I remembered was Isabella called me up when I just got out of the rest room last night. She warned me about men that would come to get me. After she said that, I felt something hit my head from the back, and everything turned dark.

I stood up from bed, and was about to open the door, when I heard men talking in Portuguese. They were about to enter the room, and I surprised them by kicking one of them on the stomach. I tried to get the gun of the other guy and punched his nose bridge before I took his gun. I saw the door of the parking space was open, so I swiftly stepped on the man that I kicked, but there was a man outside the door, and was pointed his gun at me. I halted and pointed my gun on him, too. But, the guy that I kicked run after me and pointed the gun on my back.

"Drop the gun and just come with us, or your girl friend will get hurt." The guy that I kicked warned.

I remembered Tatania's face and felt fuming mad at my abductors. I was angry with the thought of them trying to hurt Tatania, and wanted to smash their faces. But I kept calm, and tried to think of a plan. I would try to play along with them, while I am finding a way to escape.

"I don't have a girl friend." I disclaimed, not dropping the gun yet. The guy in front of me took his mobile phone, and showed me a video of me and Tatania dancing last night.

I tried to be maintain a straight face to make them think I was unaffected. "Just because we danced, it doesn't mean she is."

I hoped they would believe me. I don't want them to see how important Tatania is to me. I didn't want them to take interest in Tatania just to blackmail me.

"We'll see about that." One of the abductors said.

The guy I punched on the face and with bleeding nose brought out a laptop. They showed me CCTV live streaming of Tanya and her friends with their luggage. They were already inside the airport.

The other abductor whose gun was pointed at me, took something from his pocket. It was my mobile phone.

He turned it on, and dialed a number.

"Just try to give out a clue to her and we'll kill her!" He threatened.

I watched from the live streaming that Tanya noticed her phone was blinking, and she answered a call. It was her that the abductor was calling.

I heard her voice from the loudspeaker of my mobile phone. I clenched my knuckles in anger that they called Tanya.

"Where are you? Are you ok? You got us worried. I'm so worried about you! Where are you? Hello, Matteo? Hello? Can you hear me?" I heard Tanya say.

The abductor covered the speaker of my mobile phone. "Your father sent a manhunt for you. Talk to her and tell her that there's nothing to worry about. You just had an emergency, and you will call her when you arrive Brazil." The abductor instructed and gave me my mobile phone.

I was about to reach it when he took it again from me. "Don't do anything foolish, Matteo, or you will find your girl dead." He reminded, before he gave me my phone.

"I told you she is not my girl." I answered.

"We've been spying on you, so you can't fool us."

I clenched my jaw, in hidden fury, as I put the phone to my ear. "Tanya," I said with a hoarse voice, as I watched her on the CCTV live streaming. She was pacing back and forth, and biting her lower lip as she spoke. I could see in her face that she was very worried. "I'm on my way to Brazil. Something came up." I said and saw her walk a little farther from her friends.

"It's ok, love." She almost said in a whisper. I could see the sadness in her eyes as she called me 'love'. I looked at the men who were also listening to our conversation, and felt worried that what Tanya said gave them a clue of what Tanya and I have."What matters is that you're ok. You're ok, right?" She asked still feeling worried.

"Yes, Tanya." I said. I saw her eyes became sadder, because I didn't call her 'love' which has been our term of endearment for each other. I watched her wipe the tears from her eyes. She was silently crying, which ripped my heart apart. I wanted to comfort her and tell her that I was just doing this to protect her. But I couldn't say that because I didn't want those men to see how much she means to me. "Would you do me a favor and tell my brothers and Papai that I went ahead because of an urgent meeting?"

I heard a sob. "S-sure." She answered.

"I will call you again soon. I promise. Pls wait for my call." I said hoping she would know that I would do everything I can to escape this, and I will come back for her. I will clear things up, and I wont let anything like this come between us. I just hope she would wait for me. I hope she would not think that I am not serious about her.

Mae, please protect me, pls help her to love me that much and that strong to wait for me, because I will be tough and strong for her. I will try to stay alive no matter what.