The Encounter
By
Steph
Chapter Twelve
*
Fouchon led Pik into the drawing room where their newly acquired client awaited.
He was a strange looking man, with
what appeared to be a glass eye. He was a large man and he had quite a sinister look about him.
Pik was not impressed.
"Ah Mr.Preston...I would like you to meet my counterpart,
Mr. Van Cleaf." Pik stepped forward and extended his hand
in greeting, the large man accepted. The handshake was firm yet Pik sensed something unknown.
"Can you provide what I asked for ?"
Mr. Preston asked as he moved about the room as if surveying the wealth around him.
Fouchon eyed Pik and smiled. "Why yes, I have what you
asked for already. Mr. Van Cleaf has provided a perfect
target."
Pik was unaware where this cat and mouse game was leading
and he had a strong feeling Fouchon was enjoying it.
"What is it exactly that you are looking for ?" Pik found
himself asking, quite out of character for him.
"Mr. Van Cleaf you don't know ?" Preston flashed a grin
of superiority and revealed a few missing teeth and what did remain were yellowish in color.
Fouchon seated himself with a pleased look upon his face.
Indeed, Pik had no idea who the next target was and it would
be a reminded to him to be loyal and not to betray his trust again.
Pik stood silent with a steely expression upon his handsome
face. His dark eyes cast a look of warning to the elusive man.
Pik was not one to toy with and his patience was at an end.
"Ah yes, I see your a man of few words. I shall get to the point then.
I have hunted men and I have grown tired of it. I would like another type of prey.
Do you understand ?"
Pik stood silent. Obviously Fouchon and this Preston man
had already made their arrangements.
The room was becoming ever tense as the three men stared at each other,
each wondering what the other knew.
Preston was impressed with Van Cleaf..he was a hard man to read and
he appeared to be very dangerous.
"Get to the point." Pik answered. Preston approached within
a few feet of Pik and Preston was a good foot taller.
"I want to hunt a woman." Pik eyed the man and slowly his
mouth moved into a devilish grin.
"I assume that this female target has already been
acquired ?" Pik looked over to Fouchon.
"Yes, naturally. She has been selected." Fouchon stood and
led the men out of the room.
As they climbed the stairway Pik slid his hand to the pistol at his waist.
He knew he was not going to like what he was going to find.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isabelle tried with all her strength to open the window but it was of no use.
Her vision was still blurred from the unknown drug and her head felt so heavy that she found it
increasingly difficult to stand.
There was no other alternative, Isabelle eyed the nearby desk and chair.
"Please Lord give me the strength !" She whispered to herself as her trembling hands gripped the chair and she slid it over to the window.
The sound of approaching footsteps in the hall hurried her
attempt. Isabelle lifted the chair and swung. The glass shattered into pieces as
the chair flew out the window and tumbled down off the roof.
Fouchon cast Preston a look of disbelief as he fumbled with the lock on the door.
She was attempting an escape. "Impossible!" Fouchon said to himself.
The door swung open and there was Isabelle half out the window.
Preston crossed the room in a few steps and grabbed Isabelle by her shoulder and pulled her back into the room and flung her to the the floor.
Pik felt a pang of panic as he looked upon her lying there
before him.
"Ah I see I am going to enjoy this." Preston was impressed with her
ability and he stood over her flashing his toothless grin.
Fouchon looked to Pik and could read no expression upon his face.
"Yes, it appears the girl has some survival instincts afterall."
Fouchon walked to the broken window and could see the chair below also
smashed into pieces from the impact.
"Pik I am sure you know our guest Miss.Grant?" Fouchon questioned.
Pik stood as still as a stone pillar. Inside his chest was wrenching
with indecesion and anger. Outwardly, he was as he
always was, unreadable.
Isabelle pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned back against the bed.
There he was standing there in all his glory, the man that had changed her
entire life and he appeared to be linked to these men. Her head was swimming
with questions and accusations as her pleading eyes looked up at his dark ones.
"Yes, I am familar with Miss.Grant." Pik was extremely torn and for the first
time he was unsure what to do. He was a man with no mercy, a professional killer
standing here looking down at a woman that he had fallen in love with.
Isabelle said nothing as she looked up at him. It was obvious that he had no
intention of addressing her.
Isabelle was ashamed at herself, here she was being held captive and even now with her
fate uncertain, she wanted him.
Pik left the room but returned a few minutes later with a rope in his grasp.
He kneeled down beside her pulling her hands together and not once did he look at her face.
Pik pulled the ropes tightly making her gasp in pain and
he felt her pain as if were his own, yet he did not loosen the bindings.
After he had secured her hands, he then tied her to the bedpost. She would not be climbing
out any windows any time soon.
After they had departed Isabelle sat in the growing darkness with red hot tears burning
at her eyes. How could she have misjudged him ? The pain in her chest was ripping her
in half and the tears began to fall freely.
She had so desperatley wanted him to pull her into his arms and soothe her but he did not.
Isabelle sat there in the darkness until she could cry no more. Even now she wanted only him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well Gentlemen, I'll see you at dawn." Preston excused himself and saw himself out.
Fouchon was pleased. Pik had remained loyal as he knew he would, and by dawn their one
link to New Orleans would be dealt with and they would once again be on the move.
Fouchon was thinking something Tropical would be nice as he
left Pik to himself and his troubled thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was well after Midnight and Pik stood outside the door.
On the other side of that door was Isabelle. He knew the ropes were too tight and
that she was frightened. It took all his will not to throw open the door and take
her into his ams. No, he told himself. It had to be this way. There could be no
other alternative. He was what he was and there was no mistaking what was going to
take place at dawn.
Pik could feel his heart being torn from within his chest and he reached for the
door knob and flipped the lock.
The room was completely without light as he moved to the bed and switched on the dim lamp.
Isabelle was in the exact position that he had left her.
Pik withdrew his knife and sliced thru the ropes. He would
bind her again, but not so tightly.
She just sat there starring off into space as the blade sliced thru the thick rope.
Pik winced at the deep red marks upon her wrist's and he sat beside her.
"I have no choice." He said in a low deep voice. Isabelle replied...."I know."