Kidnapped and a Daring Escape by Gian Bordin Read Free Book Online Page B

"Where’s your purse and passport?"
         "On the floor of the Jeep." Her voice trembles. One thought, more like
prayer, is repeating itself in her mind: "Let them only be robbers, let them
only be robbers." Losing her possessions is the least of her fears.
         The man who pocketed their things now goes over to the Jeep. He
removes her jacket, purse, camera, and pack, which also contains her cell
phone.
         "What are we going to do with the guy?" questions the man holding
the gun at them. "I thought we only wanted the girl."
         Did she hear right? They only want the girl?
         "We’ll take them both. Didn’t you see the Swiss passport? He may be
worth quite a bit."
         A silent scream tears through her mind. They are kidnapping us. Her
whole body begins to shake uncontrollably. She feels André’s hand
briefly touch her shoulder and hears him whisper: "Courage, Bianca,
we’re still unharmed."
         The apparent leader now removes two sets of handcuffs from his
jacket. They are ordered to face the Toyota and bring their hands to their
back. A second later she hears the metal clip snap close around her wrist.
Next he produces two loose hoods and slips one over André’s head, the
other over hers. She feels him tighten a strap. She almost screams in
fright, swamped by claustrophobia and the feeling of not getting enough
air.
         "Please, let me see," she sobs.
         His only response is a firm grip on her elbow. She stumbles a few
steps and then is pushed and pulled up a high step into the vehicle.
         "Lie down and stay put." She recognizes it as the voice of the leader.
He forces her to bend her legs into a crouching position.
         A few seconds later somebody else is made to lie down next to her.
André, she guesses. At least I’m not alone. It offers scant comfort.
         "No sound from either of you. Understood?" the leader growls.
         She nods, shaking in fright. Next, she senses a blanket being spread
over them. It smells of horse. Several light objects are thrown on top of
them.
         "Move your head to create enough breathing space," she hears André’s
whisper.
         A short time later, doors are slammed shut, the motor starts, and they
move off. As the vehicle accelerates and negotiates turns, she is thrown
around, bumping both into the metal wall, as well as André’s softer body.
She notices that they continue to go uphill. After a while, the cramped
position becomes uncomfortable, then painful, every pothole, bump, or
stone in the road feeling like a punch to her right shoulder and hip.
Several times she cries out in pain, when her head bumps into the sides
or floor of the car.
         "Move closer to me, away from the wall, so that I can cushion you a
bit," André tells her.
         For a moment, she is beyond reacting.
         "Come, Bianca. Do it."
         "I can’t." She begins to sob.
         "Pull your knees up and wedge them against the wall and then lift your
hips, pushing back."
         She forces herself to do it in spite of the pain. A leg is wrapped over
her left thigh, preventing her from sliding away with the swaying of the
vehicle. It removes one source of getting hurt, but not the pain of having
to lie on the side.
         "I must confess that this isn’t the way I dreamed of lying with you,"
he chuckles.
         "Oh, André, I’m frightened to death and you joke," she sobs.
         "I’m sorry, Bianca. I thought a bit of humor would help. I won’t do it
again."
         She feels his nose nuzzle the back of her head.
         "Courage, Bianca. If you are a believer, pray if that helps … or would
it help to talk?"
         She answers with a sob. "I’m so frightened; I can’t help it. What are
they going to do with us?"
         "I guess they want to ransom us. Is your family wealthy?"
         "Yes."
         "Wealthy enough for a ransom of two to four million euros?"
         Four