Free Kidnapped and a Daring Escape by Gian Bordin Page A

fucking
bastard."
         She does not catch every word, but gets the gist of it. André jumped
off that cliff? He took his own life? Somehow he hadn’t struck her as that
kind of person. What made him do it? "But why?"
         "How would I know what goes on in the mind of a stupid gringo? And
you, señorita , don’t get any silly ideas now. I’m in no mood for more
idiocies." His eyes are blazing.
         She lowers her gaze, trying to make herself inconspicuous, afraid to
ask anything else, such as where they are taking her. Did André really
snap over? Was it an act of desperation? Did he kill himself because he
knew that his relatives would never be able to raise the ransom? Could
that be it? But didn’t he admonish her not to lose courage, to concentrate
on what will keep her sane? And now he abandoned her, left her alone in
the hands of these brutes. She feels betrayed. How foolish of her to warm
to him when he gave her comfort during their first few hours of captivity.
She had been right, there in San Agustin, to accuse him of worthless
promises.
         Only half listening to the two men, she hears one of them say: "I’ll go
down and see if either is still alive."
         "Don’t be stupid too," barks the other. "Nobody survives that fall. Just
look at Rinaldo’s twisted body. Both are dead."
         "Then I should go and bury Rinaldo. We owe that to him."
         "Not now. We don’t have time. I want to get to La Punta before
nightfall. You can take Juan down tomorrow and bring him back up for
a proper burial. Let’s not waste any more time now."
         "You’re the boss. I still can’t understand how that guy could simply
jump off the cliff. He was drugged like her."
         "Maybe I didn’t give him enough, but I didn’t want him to collapse on
us like happened last time." He turns to her. " Señorita , the rules are still
the same. You follow me and obey or else I’ll make you to drink another
cup of drugs." The last is said with a large dose of sarcasm.
         "Please señor , talk more slowly. I did not understand all."
         "Just do as you’re told, understood?"
         She nods. He marches off along the track across the plateau. She
follows obediently. Did she hear correctly that both of them were given
drugs? Was this the reason André jumped? Has she just come out of a
drug-induced state now? She tries to remember what happened after they
got out of the second vehicle. Wasn’t it in the middle of the night? She
has no recollection. She doesn’t even know how long ago that was. Was
it one day? Two days? Where there should be memories, there are only
blanks. Her thoughts turn to Franco, suddenly her only hope. What is he
doing? The night before the flight, hadn’t he expressed his misgivings
about her going? He must have been deeply worried when she didn’t
return from the trip. But does he even know that she was taken hostage?
The driver of their Jeep might have informed Paolo and Giuglio, unless
the kidnappers killed him. She is confident that Franco cancelled the
remainder of the tour, while he waits in Popayàn for news. He will do
everything in his power to help her get released. He will already have
asked the Italian Embassy to intervene with the Colombian Government
on her behalf. He will reason with her father that it is crucial to pay the
ransom promptly, to have her freed as quickly as possible. Maybe this
episode, the shared distress and suffering will restore and deepen their
relationship once she is back with him. It is something to cling to.
     
    * * *
     
    André experiences the same adrenalin rush of old, as he recaptures the
feeling of floating, senses the air rushing past his face. His outstretched
jacket catches the updraft, cushioning his descend. Changing the angle
of his arms and legs, he veers closer to the cliff wall. At that point, a
desperate scream tears through the air. From the edge of his vision he
sees a figure tumble down the cliff.