Lady in Red

Can I have everyone’s attention, please? The spokesperson said, now standing, as he clinked the side of his water glass. “That’s my cue for the bathroom,” Amaya said to Roberto, her assistant and table mate. “I don’t blame you he said,” as he gave an eye roll. “I need to go and get back before they call me on stage.”

Amaya was set to receive an award on behalf of her company for its generous donation and for all the volunteering efforts the employees gave for several of the charity’s campaigns. She liked to give herself a pep talk along with a once over in the mirror before she got up on stage.

*

I can’t breathe in this; I can’t wait to rip it off, she complained as she walked up the hallway in search of the bathroom. Amaya was wearing a sleeveless, silk-red evening gown that hugged all her curves. Her neck was adorned with a white accent scarf, decorated in red flowers. It was great for the occasion, but not for the extra 5 pounds she gained since purchasing the dress.

Where the heck is the bathroom? After about 5 minutes of wandering, she heard muffled voices in a room just ahead on the right, and she decided to head in that direction. “No! We will do it the way we planned,” a dark-haired man said, flailing his arms in frustration. “It won’t work, someone is guarding the donation box,” a young man dressed in a server’s uniform said. “Use a diversion, whatever you need to do, just do it,” he snapped back.  She listens from the doorway for a few minutes, clearly realizing this isn’t anywhere she should be.  

Hey, what are you doing? The dark-haired man snapped. “Umm…I was just looking for the bathroom,” Amaya said. “It’s not in here,” the young server said.

“Hey, chill out man,” a long blonde-haired man said, swatting the dark-haired, snappy man on the shoulder as he came to the door. It’s down that hall and to the left he told me, gesturing with his left hand.” “Okay, thank you,” Amaya said with a wave of her hand. She took off in the opposite direction, no longer having to use the bathroom.

“Excuse me,” Amaya said to the tall man, with a wired earbud in his ear, who stood guard at the door to their banquet room.

“Yes, the man says as he looks down at me.”

“I think someone is trying to steal the box of donations. There are a bunch of men talking about it in another room, I can show you,” she spits out without pausing.

The tall man said, “I see. Come with me so you can tell your story to the head of security.” Amaya follows the man up the main hall, turning right at the end of the first, and then left.

“Right in here,” he says pointing into a small room that looked like a janitor’s closet. Amaya dips her head in the doorway, “there’s no one in here,” she says attempting to retreat from the room.

“Well now you are,” the man says he grasps her arm and shoves her into the room.

“Hey, let go of me,” Amaya says. Her words become muffled as he shoves a napkin in her mouth, holds it there with one hand and grabs tape with his other.

“This should do it,” he says as he stands back and looks at Amaya.

Her mouth was adorned with duct tape, and her arms and legs were tied to the chair she was seated in.

“Now don’t you go anywhere,” he said as he slipped out the door.

                                                         *

“And now, I’d like to introduce you to one of our most valuable donors, One Thread Ahead. If your representative, Ms. Domingo, would please join us on stage.”

The audience looks around as the spotlight falls on a man standing at a back table. But it was not Amaya. “Sorry everyone, I’m not your guy, or in this case, your girl.” The crowd chuckled as the man sat back down.

“Well, it seems she’s not here at the moment, so we will continue with our schedule of events,” the spokesperson said after a few more moments.

The night continued: No one seemed to be concerned that she was missing in action, except Roberto.

*

Roberto looked down at his watch, the speeches had been over for at least 20 minutes, and Amaya still had not returned. Excusing himself from the table, Roberto began wandering the hotel halls in search of Amaya. He peeked in the banquet halls across from theirs, the hotel lobby bar, and the women’s bathroom, which had no line. Amaya was nowhere, it was as if she had vanished.

 WHERE ARE YOU?!? Roberto texted for the 3^rd time. Sighing, he turns and heads back to the banquet hall. Back inside the room, servers are at each table collecting empty dishes. A young server, dressed in black and white, approached Roberto and Amaya’s table as Roberto was about 50 feet from it. The red coming from his pocket caught Roberto’s eye.

“Gotcha suckers! I am coming for you Amaya!” Roberto silently cheered as he sat down and waited for the perfect moment.

                                           *

         *Ping*

Amaya’s phone went off again in the clutch that lay on the table across from her. Her tied hands, which had long since gone numb, prevented her from reaching it, well that and the fact that she couldn’t lift herself up with the chair attached, even so, she still attempted to reach her phone. Her toes aching in protest when she tried to push her feet against the chair to lean herself forward.  Whoa! Don’t do that again. She almost fell over. That wouldn’t have been good. Giving up she sat and sat. With sweat dripping down her face, she sighed, not knowing how long she’d been in there, only that it had been too long for her, and she was ready to go. Roberto, please find me and fast!

  *

             Roberto followed the young waiter as he exited the banquet room. The man must have felt that he was being watched because he turned around and looked at Roberto with suspicion in his eyes.

His look changed into one of servitude as he said, “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes, I need a refill of my sweet tea,” Roberto said as charmingly as he could.

“I am sure one of the other servers in the room would love to get that for you,” the young server remarked.

“You know what, you’re probably right, let me go find someone else,” Roberto said as he turned away.

Thank goodness for all those magic tricks I did as a kid, Roberto thought as he pocked the keys and walk-ran toward the closest locked door. Not it. For the next half hour, Roberto went from door to door trying every key in each locked door.

*

                            Amaya’s breath catches at the sound of a key turning in the door, as she attempts to hold back a whimper.

Amaya! Thank God,” Roberto says as he rushes through the door.

             “What took you so long?” Amaya says as soon as the tape is pulled from her mouth.

“I pulled the keys off his side, we only have a few minutes, they’ll be looking for me soon, I’ll explain later,” he said as he pulled at the knots in the rope.

“Just cut them,” Amaya shrieked.

“Do you think I have a knife in my back pocket, we are at a charity fundraiser for goodness’ sake.”

“There’s got to be something in this room. Look over there,” Amaya said, pointing to a closet full of cleaning supplies and other odds and ends.

Mop, bucket, broom, trash bags and spray bottles were all he saw as he scanned the area. “Not seeing anything.” He called out.

Keep looking! She called back.

“Ahaa found a box cutter,” he said as he grabbed it out of a small box on the lone shelf.

“Great, now come on,” she urged.

 Roberto sliced the knots with vigorous precision. Less than 5 minutes later, Amaya was free, and they were running through the open door.

“There they are!” The dark-haired man yells to one of the other men.

             Roberto grabs Amaya’s wrist as they race toward the front door.

             Amaya is pulled backward as her free arm is snatched by the door guard, causing Roberto to fall backward on her.

             “Hey, what’s going on here?” An officer says rushing towards the couple.

             The door guard, still behind the two of them, says, “Nothing, nothing at all,” as he lets go of her arm and runs out the double doors, followed shortly after by the long-haired blonde man and none other than their young server.