Unexpected: Day 22

Word Total: 145,064

Year to Date: 415,189

Summary of Events:

Because of the length of their flight — which took them to London — they arrived late and Hilton took Meinwen to his flat for the night, where he gave her the use of his bed while he slept on the couch. The following morning, Meinwen was able to make them pancakes for breakfast from the few ingredients Hilton had in his kitchen. After breakfast, they undertook the over three-hour drive to Cardiff to return Meinwen home, even though Hilton had to admit he felt a massive reluctance at parting from Meinwen after all they'd been through . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Before he or Meinwen could speak to one another a delighted squeal split the air, prompting them both to turn and look toward the house, from which a young woman who physically resembled Meinwen came toward them.

“I knew it!” the young woman cried. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!”

She snatched Meinwen into a tight hug.

“All the time I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” she said.

A sob burst from Meinwen, prompting the young woman Hilton presumed was her sister to startle and loosen her hold on Meinwen.

Meinwen, however, clung to her sister and sobbed, leaving her sister to look bemusedly at Hilton with eyes he noticed were a subtly more grey shade of blue than Meinwen’s.

“What did you know?” Hilton asked, feeling quite curious.

“Mr. Evans, her boss, came by asking what was going on with her, because she was saying an unexpected and inconvenient relative had come by, forcing her to miss work, but there was a sketch on television of someone wanted for threatening an American in Belfast that looked an awful lot like her,” she replied. “I’d seen the sketches, but Meinwen had also told me about the telephone box and everything, so I told Mr. Evans, who didn’t really want to believe me, so I told him that I’d bet him a hundred quid it would turn out she was innocent, and I’ve now won it.”
“Is that why her name was never publicised?” Hilton asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “We agreed as a family, as well as a good deal of her friends, that we wouldn’t tell the authorities her name because we didn’t believe her guilty, and we told anyone who expressed to us a desire to reveal her name that they didn’t have our consent to do so. Trahearn also went out of his way to tell people what sort of deleterious effects it could have on Meinwen’s life if her name was widely disseminated with a presumption of guilt, thus I would have every reason to believe that everyone, on second thought, decided not to tell.”

Hilton nodded. If only they had been able to get to Mum, Aunt Angie, and the rest to make them think twice about what could happen to him if his name had been publicised, but apparently they’d decided that muckrakers needed to make a living too.

“But why are you crying Meinwen?” her sister asked. “Aren’t you glad to be home?”
Meinwen nodded against her sister’s collarbone, but looked like she wouldn’t be able to summon the composure necessary to answer her sister’s first question.

Before Hilton could offer an answer for her, however, Meinwen lifted her head and looked straight at her sister, which showed Hilton that Meinwen was just the barest amount, maybe a centimetre, taller than her sister.

“I have seen enough cold-blooded killing, hate, and violence, to last a lifetime,” Meinwen replied, her voice trembling.

Her sister gasped, looking distraught. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story,” Hilton replied. “It might be easiest if we wait until everyone who wants to hear it is all in one place so we only have to tell it once.”

Next Post: 1 May

Unexpected: Day 21

Word Count: 140,091

Summary of Events:

After extensive questioning by the police in Kingston, during which Hilton offered them his mobile to examine and listen to the recording he'd made, Hilton and Meinwen were declared by the authorities to be innocent of any involvement in Dr. Stiles' kidnapping and murder… but they were also deemed to have both entered Jamaica illegally, meaning they had to leave immediately upon their release. They were given dispensation to get their luggage from where Hilton had left it, and Hilton was able to get permission from the official sent with them to make sure they did as they were supposed to to make a brief visit to Goldeneye, as Hilton had always wanted to go, and the official wanted him and Meinwen to have a good memory of Jamaica, considering all that had happened to them. At Goldeneye, Hilton took Meinwen a lovely, picturesque little spot with a view of the sea . . . 

Excerpt of the Day:

After a moment, Hilton took hold of her other hand so that he was positioned to be facing her, forcing Meinwen to look away from the sea and at him.

“Meinwen,” Hilton said softly, his face looking serious, but also nervous. “From the moment I first laid eyes on you, soaked to the skin and lying on the road after I nearly hit you… I’ve been taken by you in a way I’ve not been taken by another woman. Ever. And the more time I’ve spent with you, the more I’ve come to find in you a quality I can’t even put into words. I haven’t done half the things with you I’ve done with other women, but yet you mean more to me than the lot of them ever could. I do believe I’m falling in love with you Meinwen, in a way I’ve never loved a woman before, and I was wondering if I might have permission to express my love to you, by kissing you, here, on the lips.”

A twinge of that desperate little boy with the posy was on his face, and his hands seemed to be clutching hers with a desperation. He looked earnest, as well as sincere, as if the kiss he’d exchanged with that young woman not all that long ago was rubbish to him.

“Well,” Meinwen replied. “I must confess that you’re not hard to look at, admiringly, and… considering how honest you’ve been with me, I owe you the same. I do believe that there is something within me, a feeling, that I feel towards you, which I’ve never felt toward another man in all my life. I very much appreciate all you’ve done for me, and how you’ve treated me, from that very first moment. I don’t want our going home to be the end of our relationship. I believe that I… I am falling in love with you too. So I gladly give you the honour of being the first man since my father many years ago, when I was a little girl of three or so, to kiss my lips.”

Hilton looked a little startled. “You’ve never kissed a man before?”

Meinwen shook her head. “Nor, as I said, have I felt this sort of love toward one.”

This seemed to leave Hilton at a loss.

“We don’t want to keep him waiting Hilton,” Meinwen whispered.

Hilton nodded and drew her against himself, lowering his head. Meinwen felt a shock of trepidation that made her want to pull back, but Hilton’s mouth softly made contact with her own before she could, sending a rush of exhilaration through her that made her seize fistfuls of his shirt in her hands.

His hands pressed her against him, and Meinwen actually felt a wish that they would stay as they were for ages, as it truly felt more wonderful than she could possibly have imagined it could feel.

In the end, Meinwen willingly pulled back when his pressure on her back and head released, and saw Hilton’s face was a picture of the reluctance at parting she felt.

Unexpected: Day 20

Word Count: 135,198

Summary of Events:

The woman was in the midst of torturing Dr. Stiles when a siren sounded, prompting her to leave the room. Dr. Stiles, upon being told by Hilton that he and Meinwen weren't going to keep quiet about what Dr. Stiles had confessed to them, tried to bribe them into being quiet, but they were too disgusted by him to be bought. His efforts were interrupted by the woman returning to the room with a gun, that she immediately shot him with. Dr. Stiles' brother and Jamaican officials rushed through the door as she fired, and she and Mr. Stiles got into an argument that suggested they knew one another before she shot him also, leaving just her, Hilton, Meinwen, and the Jamaican authorities . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Nevertheless, they were edging closer to the woman, who backed away from them calmly. Hilton barely glimpsed Mr. Stiles’ body being taken up and drawn carefully away by a couple of the people, most of whom looked like Jamaicans.

The woman threatened them as she stepped confidently backwards, seeming to have a full awareness of what was behind her.

There seemed to be some nervousness, however, on the faces of the authorities that were slowly advancing toward her, the leader of whom was trying to negotiate with her to stand down, but to no avail. Hilton saw that she was even smiling once she had backed nearly past him.

Hilton startled when she surged suddenly toward him, wrapping her left arm around his throat and pressing the gun against his upper temple.

“Don’t take another step!” the woman snapped almost triumphantly. “Or the boy dies.”

One of the smallest rises of resentment Hilton had ever felt surged up within him at being called a boy, and he felt it was kept small by the tsunami of fear that rose in him at the same time. He could feel his heart racing. He didn’t want to die when someone else was making the rules of how it would happen.

The authorities looked concerned, while a glance toward Meinwen showed she had opened her eyes and was looking at him with terror. She would be alone without him. She could be the woman’s next victim. Meinwen needed him.

“Let him go,” one of the authorities said quietly.

“This gun is not empty,” the woman replied. “I could kill him and half of you lot before I’d have to worry about it being empty.”

Hilton wanted to whimper, but, at the same time, didn’t dare reveal his fear. He needed to be strong for Meinwen, notwithstanding the gun barrel being driven into his head, and the warm, bare, upper arm flesh preventing him from being able to relieve the pressure.

Suddenly a thought came to Hilton. He ran his tongue over the pointed tip of his upper left canine.

Shifting his head slightly, he bared his teeth before clamping them onto the woman’s arm.

She screamed and swore. He felt the pressure of the gun release. A clatter. He didn’t let go. The metallic taste of blood reached his tongue. 

Trying to pull her arm out of his hold, the woman made Hilton’s head turn as far to the left as it could go. He then had to tilt it fully back and pivot it from left to right before he was forced to let her arm go as his mind recoiled at the thought of having raw human flesh in his mouth.

The woman looked at him with savage hatred, her right hand clinging to her inner left arm, blood oozing between her fingers.

She swore shrilly at him as authorities surged in and apprehended her.

Unexpected: Day 19

Word Count: 130,013

Summary of Events:

Hiding under the blankets the following morning, Hilton and Meinwen checked the news on Hilton's mobile, which revealed to them that Hilton's message had been received, and the authorities had decided to be more discreet on where it'd come from this time around. Following lunch, Hilton and Meinwen were taken to a torture chamber and strapped into chairs, from which they were expected to watch the woman torture Dr. Stiles. During the torture, Hilton actually asked the woman what Dr. Stiles had done to her, and she answered without stopping her torture, which helped to distract her from the fact that Hilton and Meinwen were both too reviled by her actions to watch. The following day Hilton and Meinwen were, again, brought to the torture chamber, where Hilton removed his mobile from its hiding place against his foot and, in the short time they had with Dr. Stiles before the woman arrived, questioned Dr. Stiles . . . 

Excerpt of the Day:

“Considering the allegations made against you yesterday, Dr. Stiles, I would like to take advantage of the moment to enquire after their veracity,” Hilton said, sounding rather like a criminal prosecutor.

“What?” Dr. Stiles asked, somewhat weakly.

“Your captor alleges that you had a child with her,” Hilton said, his voice a little louder, like he was speaking to someone hard of hearing. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” Dr. Stiles replied. “Unfortunately yes.”

“Why do you say it is unfortunate?” Hilton asked.

“Kalifa was just my masseuse,” Dr. Stiles replied. “I went to her for a good time, not responsibility. Had enough kids with my wife.”

“So what did you do when you found out that she was pregnant?” Hilton asked. “How did you know it was yours?”
“Al… Al had connections to the parlour, where she worked,” Dr. Stiles replied. “I don’t know what kind. He just had connections. And they told him she hadn’t been servicing anyone else.”

Dr. Stiles had called his brother Al in Cardiff. Mr. Stiles was involved? Meinwen looked at Hilton, but he was fixed on Dr. Stiles.

“So what did you do?” Hilton asked.

“Well, I wasn’t able to get confirmation soon enough as to whether it was mine or not,” Dr. Stiles replied. “Otherwise I would’ve made Kalifa get an abortion, even though she was practically ecstatic about the thing.”

Meinwen recoiled. Thing? But it was a baby! People didn’t even call their pet dogs or cats things!

“So I bought some vitamins,” Dr. Stiles said. “Some adult ones, and some baby ones, and I switched them into each other’s bottles. Al took me to Kalifa’s place and I gave her the baby vitamin bottle.”

“With the adult vitamins in it?” Hilton asked.

“Yeah,” Dr. Stiles replied. “And then I found a new masseuse.”

“Just nonchalantly like that!?” Meinwen cried, too horrified to keep silent. “How could you be such a monster!? That was a life!”

“Considering the way my wife reacted when our daughter told her I’d been gone overnight the entire week she’d been in Florida visiting her mother after her heart attack, that’s a chance I’m glad I didn’t take,” Dr. Stiles replied.

“How did your wife react?” Hilton asked.

“She divorced me, moved back to Florida with the kids,” Dr. Stiles replied. “She didn’t even bother to find out who I’d been sleeping with.”

“You committed murder to avoid a divorce!?” Meinwen asked.

“I didn’t actually do it,” Dr. Stiles replied, seemingly unbothered.

“But you knew it would happen!” Meinwen cried. “You knew it would be the result!”

“But I didn’t do it,” Dr. Stiles replied.

“That doesn’t matter!” Meinwen cried, sobs choking off her ability to say more.

“A court of law would convict you, and I’m sure you know it,” Hilton said, sounding livid. “I am ashamed to have wasted my life on even a microgram of concern for you. I see well and clearly why that woman calls you evil, not that she isn’t too, but you’re just sickening.”

Unexpected: Day 18

Word Count: 123,062

Summary of Events:

Upon waking up — and remembering that Hilton was captive with her — Meinwen told Hilton what she'd learned from the news outlets about the manhunt in St. Lucia at Hilton's request. Following breakfast, Hilton had Meinwen get his mobile out from where he'd hidden it under the guise of a foot massage before texting a taunting message to Dr. Stiles' brother's bodyguard company. After lunch, they were taken to the woman's office, where Hilton rather brashly antagonised the woman and told her he and Meinwen would rather die than be released, which filled Meinwen with fear that prompted her to feel upset at Hilton as they were returned to the cell . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

They were shoved into the room roughly with the door slammed and locked behind them as loudly as ever.

Meinwen looked at Hilton, whose gaze she found looking on her with a detachedness. A drop of blood from his fresh cut hung off the edge of his jaw, and she saw a couple drops had fallen onto his shirt, where they looked sort of a deep plum colour on the light blue material.

“Just what was the reason for aggravating her and giving her the idea to kill us?” Meinwen demanded.

Hilton’s face hardened. He looked defensive. “I have enough women to hate me. I don’t need you joining their ranks.”

Meinwen startled. His words were bitter, and she could hear the hurt in them, as well as see it in his eyes. Had he merely been able to put on the most impressive of façades at the woman’s tirade?

“Hilton, I’m sorry,” Meinwen apologised. “I just don’t want to die. I’m frightened. I, I’ve never been so frightened of a person as I am of that woman. She shot and killed a man in cold blood because of a simple mistake. She wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to us.”

“But yet you had the courage to destroy your mobile instead of letting it remain in her hands and be weaponised against you, after she did that,” Hilton said, the defensiveness softening as confusion made an appearance.

“I was terrified,” Meinwen replied. “I was terrified to let my mobile fall into her hands, and I was terrified that I was going to be shot afterwards.”

“I don’t entirely believe you,” Hilton whispered. “Nevertheless, I can’t really tell you why I did what I did. Maybe some of it was fighting Irish instinct. My father’s indomitable blood. But I hope it has the… the… inversely psychological effect of inducing her to preserve our lives despite her desire to end them, because to end them would be to give us what we want.”

“I certainly hope it does,” Meinwen replied, sniffling and swiping at some tears that seemed to lack the will to roll off the edge of her eyelid and down her cheek. “I don’t want her to decide she’d rather have us dead than make us her scapegoats.”

She heard Hilton’s shoes on the floor and was mildly surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her, one hand settling low between her shoulders, the other cradling the base of her skull and pressing her head to rest against his collarbone in a tender embrace.

Even if he had looked like a weakling in contrast to the man who’d been holding him earlier, showing he wouldn’t have the physical strength to fight them out, Meinwen was grateful for the mental strength of will and intelligence that Hilton seemed to have, as it gave her hope that despite their physical weakness, they might be able to escape by means of cunning, and hope of escape was all Meinwen could cling to.

Unexpected: Day 17

Word Count: 117,114

Summary of Events:

Hilton arrived at the airport and met Mr. Warren, a friend of Kerri's father, who drove Hilton to his home and invited him to stay for dinner, which Hilton accepted upon meeting Mr. Warren's daughter Gemma; he even considered accepting the invitation to stay for the night until Mr. Warren brought up the manhunt in St. Lucia in casual conversation, making Hilton think of Meinwen and how she was in danger. Meinwen decided to text Hilton a better description of the warehouse so he could find her, but was interrupted and taken before the woman. Hilton, having received Meinwen's message and determined her mobile had been discovered, searched diligently for a warehouse matching her partial description; on finding one, Hilton went to scope it out and was caught by a burly man who took him before the woman, who questioned him and ordered him thrown in the cell with Meinwen when he admitted he knew her . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Immediately Hilton was turned and shoved out of the room by the man who was still holding him tightly.

He nearly stumbled down the stairs before being pushed through another door into a corridor, down a flight of stairs, and into a second corridor that rather looked like what he imagined a maximum security prison to look like.

Another man Hilton hadn’t realised had accompanied them unlocked one of the heavy metal doors and Hilton was shoved inside.

Stumbling, he barely managed to keep his feet as the door slammed behind him resoundingly and the bolt shot into its place.

The room was furnished with a mattress, across which Meinwen — at last Meinwen! — looked to have cast herself, although she was now looking at him with a startled look and tear-reddened eyes.

“Uh oh,” she said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Hilton replied. “Have they hurt you?”

“No,” Meinwen replied, turning to be sitting on the mattress. “You’re bleeding.”

Hilton reached up and touched his cheek where it stung. He felt warm moisture, and when he drew his hand away, he saw bright red blood like had stained the wall in that room.

“What is the matter then?” he asked, wiping the blood off his hand and looking back at Meinwen.

“I was caught using my mobile and taken before the woman,” Meinwen replied. “And she killed one of the men who kidnapped Dr. Stiles because they didn’t frisk me for it.”

She sniffled and swiped at her tearstained cheeks.

Hilton walked over and sat down on the mattress beside her, putting his arm gently around her.

“You couldn’t have known she’d be that testy,” he said, even though he wasn’t sure if that was really comforting.

“I shouldn’t have taken the risk,” Meinwen replied. “I had to destroy my mobile… stomp on it and break the SIM card so she wouldn’t use it to make me into her scapegoat.”

“Why would she want to do that?” Hilton asked, feeling shocked. He’d merely thought that Meinwen had gotten it taken away from her.

“Why do you think?” Meinwen asked. “She doesn’t want to go to jail, she likes her life of crime, and I’m the perfect victim for her, I even have technology she can hack and manipulate.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a more ruthless person,” Hilton said.

“Yes,” Meinwen said. “This whole kidnapping thing is proof.”

“What do you mean?” Hilton asked.

“She kidnapped Dr. Stiles to avenge the death of someone he apparently killed by killing him in return,” Meinwen replied.

“What?” Hilton asked, confounded. “Sure he’s sort of a… a… slimy person, but not a murderer.”

“I couldn’t find any evidence that corroborated it online either,” Meinwen said. “But that’s what she alleges.”

Hilton was surprised, and he wondered if he really ought to have risked getting it in the neck like this for someone like Dr. Stiles was alleged to be.

Unexpected: Day 16

Word Count: 109,002

Summary of Events:

Meinwen watched out her window as the yacht she was in approached a city, where it docked; she and Dr. Stiles were put into a car and driven around the city enough for Meinwen to confirm she had arrived in Jamaica before being put in a cell in the basement of a warehouse. She texted Hilton, as she was sure she'd arrived at her final destination, as well as asking him if he was aware of the ongoing manhunt. Unaware, Hilton became alarmed and wanted to depart immediately, but because it was closer to midnight than morning, he made himself wait before being graciously offered by Kerri's father transportation to Jamaica in his private helicopter. After lunch, Meinwen was taken up to an office, where she was presented to a woman who, because of her commanding presence, Meinwen presumed was the leader of the group which had kidnapped Dr. Stiles . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

The woman nodded, the shifting of her head revealing that the tight, precise cornrows on her head were gathered back into a ponytail.

“Where do you come from?” the woman asked. “And what did that man do to you to make you come after him?”

Meinwen presumed the woman was referring to Dr. Stiles, and the amount of venom with which she spat out her chosen term for him surprised Meinwen.

“I’m from Wales,” Meinwen replied, despite her nerves. “And I’m in this situation because I answered a telephone box that was ringing. The caller on the other end told me that, that his life was in danger.”

Before she could continue, the woman spoke what Meinwen was sure was a name with similarly venomous contempt before swearing. She then snapped her head up from where it’d been gazing to look Meinwen in the eye critically.

“Who did you tell?” she demanded angrily.

“I managed to determine which hotel… he was staying in,” Meinwen replied. “So I left him a note of warning, but he misinterpreted it, so I tried to contact him to clarify the situation, but unfortunately was unsuccessful. When he was kidnapped, I was forced to flee myself because I was believed to be involved.”

The upset on the woman’s face had faded as Meinwen had spoken, and been replaced with intrigue, that, with Meinwen now silent, shifted to pleasure.

“Wouldn’t he be so glad to know that his feeble efforts have given me the perfect scapegoat,” the woman said. “And with a story so insane no one will ever believe it.”

Meinwen felt her internal organs contract in horror. She actually regretted telling the truth.

“How decent of him, despite his efforts to act against me,” the woman said. “In the end, he acted for me, as he ought, and gave me someone to send to prison for life as a murderess, closing the case without my once being suspected or molested.”

“Why do you mean to kill him?” Meinwen asked, the further horror that rose in her compelling her to speak.

“What?” the woman asked, looking curious. “Do you care about that man?”

“Well, no,” Meinwen admitted. “But even if he has made me feel uncomfortable considering our age difference, Dr. Stiles hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Immediately the woman surged to her feet. “Do not utter that name!”

Meinwen recoiled at the volume and savagery of the woman’s voice, and her facial expression.

The man who’d escorted her to the room slapped Meinwen on the face hard, leaving her cheek stinging.

“That man most certainly did do wrong,” the woman spat with what seemed a double measure of venom. “And I mean to take his life as recompense for the life he took.”

Meinwen startled. This woman believed Dr. Stiles had killed someone?

“Who did he kill?” Meinwen asked.

“You don’t need to know any more,” the woman replied sharply. “You will go back to your cell and wait until I am finished.”

Unexpected: Day 15

Word Count: 102,011

Summary of Events:

Meinwen and Dr. Stiles were taken from their hotel on a long drive to the coast, where they were put in rowboats and taken to a luxuriant yacht, where Meinwen was delighted to find a wireless charging pad in her cabin, onto which she immediately set her mobile. Because Kerri was out shopping with her mother, Hilton was free to do what he wished, which prompted him to make the acquaintance of a friendly Australian young woman and her friends whom he'd spent much of the previous day watching have the fun he'd wanted to have, allowing him to have that fun. Despite her captivity, Meinwen enjoyed the comfort and luxury of the yacht she was on, including a cleaner, better smelling cabin, and a larger window view of the sea, plus, with her mobile charged, she was able to do a check on the latest news . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

On the first site she checked, Meinwen found the top article to be a breaking news story: Manhunt Underway in St Lucia for Kidnapper Sheahan-Carrington.

Immediately alarmed, Meinwen tapped the headline and read the article, which reported that the St. Lucian police had, in cooperation with Interpol, determined that Hilton had cleared customs at the port in Castries three days before, and there were no records of his departure, leaving authorities certain he was in the country.

As a result, the St. Lucian police were now searching the island for Hilton, with the goal of arresting him and turning him over to whoever it actually was that had a warrant for his arrest out.

Meinwen felt fear. Hilton was still in St. Lucia, and since St. Lucia definitely wasn’t as big an island as Great Britain, she was sure that it wouldn’t take nearly as long for them to find him as it might in Great Britain.

What was worse, however, was that the article said they were monitoring all ports and airports, where they would be checking everyone who remotely matched Hilton’s description’s passports in an effort to find him.

They were also checking for information that would give them a lead on the identity of his mysterious fiancée in collusion with St. Kitts and Nevis, and Puerto Rico, both of whom had also reported that their records showed him entering their countries via customs, to see if they could pinpoint her identity by customs records.

Meinwen knew, seeing how she’d only entered Puerto Rico with Hilton, that they wouldn’t succeed in doing that — not that the fact that they didn’t know who she was by way of someone in Cardiff having disclosed her identity still didn’t puzzle her — but she was very worried for Hilton.

She found little more, other than that a different outlet had interviewed Mr. Stiles, who had said he was ready to depart to St. Lucia at a moment’s notice when he received word that Hilton had been apprehended, so as to get the answers he needed about where his brother was.

It left her feeling anxious, and she wondered if she should text Hilton to ask him if he was aware of the fact that he was being hunted, yet, at the same time, she had to admit, that since he was in St. Lucia, he would probably be far more aware of the matter than she was, and might even be making an escape. She certainly hoped that he was.

As there was no other news to see, Meinwen pocketed her mobile and looked out at the water, not feeling so inclined to enjoy the view as she had before, if she was honest. She was worried about Hilton. Considering that he didn’t have a family willing to attest to his innocence, it was her fear that he would end up being locked up in jail for ages despite his innocence, and she knew he was afraid of that.

Unexpected: Day 14

Word Count: 96,016

Summary of Events:

When Meinwen woke up later, she used what she could see out the window for signs to try and guess where she was, eventually coming to the conclusion from the checks of her mobile's compass app she'd done on the boat ride and the presence of tildes and other accents on letters, as well as her knowledge of the fact that Habana was the Spanish form of Havana, that she was in Cuba; although they passed through Havana, they only stopped for lunch and fuel before carrying on, leaving Meinwen wondering just where their destination was. Hilton was reclining on the balcony of Kerri's hotel suite, with Kerri resting on top of him, when he was texted by Meinwen with the news . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

We are in Cuba.

I’ll be on my way shortly, Hilton replied.

Immediately a bubble with dots in it appeared, informing him Meinwen was typing a reply. He decided to wait with making Kerri get off of him until he saw what it said.

I’m not sure we’re staying in Cuba, Meinwen replied. We’re booked into a hotel again, and I would think that if we’ve arrived at our destination, even if that destination’s a hotel, we wouldn’t have had to check into it.

Hilton felt surprise at the message. So what do you want me to do then?

I feel like we’ve got to be getting close to where we’re going, and I’ll let you know as soon as I’m sure, she replied. I just wanted to give you an update, in case the destination is here in Cuba, that way I can send you the city name and you’ll know where that is. Besides, I figured I should let you know I’m still okay.

Thank you, Hilton replied. I have been a bit worried. I wish I would’ve hired a car so I could’ve gotten to you here in St Lucia. I’m terribly sorry about that.

“Who are you texting?” Kerri asked, sounding mildly sleepy. “You sound like you’re texting someone.”

“A friend of mine,” Hilton replied, glancing at his screen to see Meinwen was typing what was presumably a longer response. “She’s just arrived here in the Caribbean on holiday and was wondering if, since I’m in the area, I might like to join her.”

Kerri started severely and sat up on his legs, looking at him with a highly offended expression. Hilton was confused.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I thought I was your girlfriend,” Kerri snapped.

Hilton startled. “But we’ve only met three days ago; we’re still effectively strangers to one another.”

Kerri crossed her arms and scowled, clearly unappeased.

“Nevertheless,” Hilton said. “I can assure you that even though this friend of mine is a woman, she’s not really a girlfriend. I’ve never been to bed with her.”

“You’re getting your own room,” Kerri snapped, standing up and looking like she meant to stalk away.

This was unreasonable. 

“Don’t you have any other boyfriends?” Hilton asked.

“Yes,” Kerri replied.

“So then why can’t I have other female friends, who aren’t even girlfriends?” Hilton asked. “If you can have other boyfriends — which implies that these are men with whom you’ve gone to bed.”

“That’s different,” Kerri snapped.

“No it isn’t,” Hilton replied. “If anything, I should be more offended at you for having slept with other men than you should be at me, seeing how I’ve not slept with this friend of mine.”

“It is different!” Kerri screamed. “I’m going to tell Daddy!”

She continued stalking away and Hilton sat up so that he could look around the back of the chair after her, watching her storm through the room to the door into the hotel, which she slammed loudly.

“But it’s the same,” Hilton said, lowering himself back onto the chair bemusedly.

He turned toward his mobile, which had fallen asleep waiting for him, so he woke it up and saw that Meinwen had replied.

I’m glad to know you’re still free; not just so that you can hopefully help me, but for your own sake. If it weren’t for me you wouldn’t be in this mess.

Don’t start that again, Hilton chided. It was my means that got us into the mess.

I don’t have the charge to argue with you, Meinwen replied. It’s officially red now. I’ll save what I have left for when I’m sure we’ve stopped for good.

I’m sorry, Hilton replied, feeling badly. Be careful.

Powering off now, Meinwen replied.

Unexpected: Day 13

Word Count: 90,094

Summary of Events:

Meinwen woke up shortly before sunrise and was surprised to see an island looming out her window, but had no way of identifying it as the boat sailed on past. Hilton was taken out waterskiing by Kerri's family, but chose to spectate because of his inability to swim and fear of drowning. Just after sunset, Meinwen sighted a second island, on which she saw lights suggesting habitation, but again, had no way of identifying it, nor getting to it. Hilton went out drinking with Kerri, and her brother, who considered Hilton a weakling for having not waterskied that afternoon, and so challenged Hilton to a drinking contest that Hilton quickly became confident he'd win. Meinwen was woken up while it was still dark out and ordered off the boat she'd been in into a rowboat, which carried her down a waterway on the shore of an island that was uninhabited — at least nearby — allowing her to see a spectacularly starry night sky overhead . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Since she didn’t have her cameras — which she trusted were safe in Hilton’s care — Meinwen kept her face upturned, taking in the sky, that she might, in a way, be able to imprint a memory of this starriest of skies on her mind until she might possibly get a chance to see one again with her cameras at hand to photograph.

Part of her startled when a line of blackness obscured the stars from view, but it passed over without too much delay and Meinwen surmised that it must’ve been a bridge.

After the bridge, the boat rowed onward. Trees encroached on either side of Meinwen’s view, making her view just as narrow a ribbon of sky as, she supposed, the water supporting the boat was.

The waterway wound, bent, and seemed to go on for ages. Eventually Meinwen’s neck got sore enough that she had to reluctantly lower her gaze from looking as skyward as it had been.

A desire for the sleep she’d been enjoying started to come over her, but because she was seated on a bench in a boat she didn’t want to tip, she didn’t dare give into the urge to lie down.

Finally the boats were drawn up to the shore and Meinwen was helped out onto the bank, where Bullseye seized about her upper arm solidly and guided her across a grassy plain after Dr. Stiles’ lumbering figure which she could hear ahead better than she could see — although the illumination of such a host of stars as she had was mildly helpful.

Dr. Stiles was moaning, groaning, and complaining like Meinwen hadn’t heard him before ahead of her, and she heard his false bodyguards swearing at him, and even the sound of them striking blows against him for not being quiet, which only seemed to make him complain all the more.

They entered into some trees, which were growing from a slope that rose upward — which didn’t do anything to curtail Dr. Stiles’ griping either — before they emerged at what Meinwen could tell in the starlight was the side of a road.

She saw lights that illuminated another people carrier as the sound of a sliding door as such vehicles possessed was opened.

Dr. Stiles was forced in and Meinwen followed quietly after, grateful for the comfortable — and backed — seat, which would allow her to get some more sleep, she hoped, while the driver drove.

The same cast of kidnappers piled into the people carrier as she’d been travelling with from Puerto Rico, all in the same places — well, as they’d been in Puerto Rico, as the steering wheel was on the left-hand side of the people carrier for the first time since they’d left the Unincorporated Territory — before the engine was started and the people carrier pulled away from the roadside, heading in the direction it had been pointing, whose direction on a compass she didn’t know, considering the darkness.

Lowering her head onto her shoulder, Meinwen closed her eyes, part of her regretting that she’d lacked the energy to have tried to make an escape somewhere along the way, and part of her hoping that she might wake up at the end destination so that she could inform Hilton and get rescued.

Unexpected: Day 12

Word Count: 84,115

Summary of Events:

In the morning Meinwen discovered the boat she was in was horribly dated and not very clean, as well as reeking of stale tobacco smoke, which she wanted to dispel by opening the window, but the window resisted her efforts. Hilton elected to go with the young woman who'd given him the ride to her hotel in a bid to use her and her family as cover to prevent him from being identified, and met the family over breakfast, where he fibbed to them that he'd been meaning to leave for Barbados, but missed his flight because he'd been trying to find his mobile charging cord, and was now so taken with the young woman — whose name he learned was Kerri — that he wasn't sure he wanted to leave, prompting the family to welcome him to stay with them warmly. With nothing else to do while locked in her cabin, Meinwen checked the news on her mobile, finding a lengthy feature article trying to explain why Hilton supposedly had become a kidnaper, which confirmed to Meinwen that Hilton's father was deceased, as well as prompting her to cry in sympathy for him at the comments his mother was making about him, remembering their discussion back in Dublin the morning after they'd been to Belfast . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Hilton had been on the cusp of tears, and had apologised to her ‘for everything’, which had puzzled her. Now, however, Meinwen was sure she knew what he meant, and to a greater measure why he’d been so convinced his family wouldn’t believe him innocent.

According to his mother — at the very least — his father had been mentally unstable, and Hilton had clearly feared that, as a result, he was going to be labelled as comparably unstable by this whole situation, and he now had been by his mother, of all people.

Meinwen shut off her mobile screen to save its power and put her face in her hands to weep for Hilton. She had no idea what the generic term of ‘mental instability’ was referring to in the case of Hilton’s father, but she wept to think that Hilton was being accused of having mental instability without any concrete proof.

What was worse was the thought that his mother was the one accusing him, without proof, of being unstable, especially considering that the wording of the sentence suggested she’d believed it for some time, even if others hadn’t believed it previously.

How horrid a mother she was! Meinwen couldn’t imagine any of the mums she knew — from Grandmum and her aunts, to one of her friends from the stables who’d just given birth to her first baby in February — who would possibly be so horrid.

None of the mums she knew would necessarily deny if their child had any sort of problem or handicap, but they wouldn’t be so loveless as to suggest that they’d not gone to a doctor for confirmation, and for treatment help.

Meinwen dried her eyes and woke her mobile up to look at the ensuing paragraphs and see if there was any suggestion that Hilton had been officially diagnosed with anything — although part of her had to admit that she felt such things would probably have already been disclosed if they were known — but found nothing suggesting that such a thing had happened.

Surely if she had suspected Hilton had mental health struggles she should’ve taken him to a doctor for an examination to diagnose what he had and help him get treatment for it, instead of leaving him to languish and suffer — if it were true that he had mental instabilities at all.

She also had to admit that the fact that it was Hilton’s stepfather who had shared belief that Hilton was still grieving the death of his father, and even suggested that Hilton didn’t believe anyone else sympathised with his grief, suggested even more horridness on the account of Hilton’s mother.

If Hilton truly didn’t believe anyone else sympathised with his grief at the death of his father — which had presumably happened at least ten years ago if it had happened in his boyhood — then that had to mean that Hilton’s parents had been estranged to some extent, and that his mother had viewed the death of her purportedly mentally unstable husband as a welcome reprieve, and had not felt the same loss as her son at his passing.

Unexpected: Day 11

Word Count: 78,102

Summary of Events:

Meinwen felt bored as, for once, the kidnappers hadn't departed immediately in the morning, so she got permission to have a shower, as her hair felt nasty. Hilton had brunch on the yacht with the man, who introduced himself as M. Bonheur-Gagnon, the owner of a fashion house, and told Hilton he should consider modelling. It wasn't until late at night that the kidnappers finally left the hotel, which Meinwen was able to alert Hilton about. Hilton, jolted awake, hurried on foot until he was able to get a young American woman to give him a ride following Meinwen's directions in the hope of being able to catch up to her and rescue her . . . 

Excerpt of the Day:

They’d just rounded a sharp left-hand curve, but they’d not passed a hospital. Hilton looked around for signs of a hospital, which soon came in the form of a small roundabout that featured a sign for a hospital, which became visible later, when the trees on the left-hand side of the road thinned.

Soon the road curved softly right, then passed a petrol station, before another right-handed curve. Almost immediately was the sharp left. Hilton looked for a spot to pull over.

His eye caught a glimpse of something red in the trees to the right side of the road.

“Stop, stop!” he said.

“There’s nothing here,” she said.

“Just wait here,” Hilton said, getting out.

After checking for traffic — of which there was none — Hilton hurried across the road and through a few trees. There was an open area beyond them, but then what looked to be more trees.

Hilton listened for sounds, but heard nothing aside from the surf and the engine of the sporty car he’d left behind.

Cautiously he turned on the flashlight of his mobile, which reflected something amber-orange to his right.

He hurried forward and saw a people carrier with no one inside of it. Something about the sight made him uneasy.

Nonetheless, he urged himself to approach the vehicle and held his hand over the bonnet. It was warm. It’d just been running.

Looking around it, Hilton saw footprints in soft soil heading to his left.

He followed them into the trees before the land dropped and he had to pocket his mobile so he could use both hands to hold onto trees as he scrabbled down the slope. How in the world had they gotten Dr. Stiles down this kind of drop?

The trees ended, but the land continued for the shortest of distances before the sea glistened in the beam of his flashlight.

Shutting it off, Hilton looked at the water beyond and saw lights that looked like a boat, again.

They were further out than the lights at San Juan, and Hilton — for what was probably the first time in his life, if he was honest — rued the fact that he’d never learned how to swim.

If he could swim he’d dive into the sea, pursue the boat, get Meinwen off, and bring her back to the hotel. But he couldn’t, so he just had to watch and listen to the surf as it lapped rather sedately against the shore.

He had no idea how long he’d stood there, watching the lights, before his mobile startled him again.

Looking at it revealed to him another message from Meinwen.

We’re on another boat. I’m locked in a cabin.

Hilton swore at himself. He should’ve hired a car. He’d have been able to move faster if he’d had his own car.

Moments later he noticed that the lights of the boat were moving in such a way as to turn away from him, and after a moment he heard an engine not unlike that of M. Bonheur-Gagnon’s yacht rev.

Now he’d have to wait and see where Meinwen ended up next and find a way to follow her there.

Pronunciations:

M.: mihsyuhr

Bonheur: bohneuhr

Gagnon: gahnyo'

Unexpected: Day 10

Word Count: 72,014

Summary of Events:

Hilton managed to follow Meinwen to the south coast of Puerto Rico, but was unable to rescue her before she and Dr. Stiles were put on a boat that took them to Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis. Hilton drove back to San Juan and was able to get a flight to Basseterre, but when he arrived, he found a text from Meinwen telling him she'd been put on a passenger boat to Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda. The next flight leaving Basseterre for Saint John's was late in the evening, so Hilton booked a ticket and waited at the airport. Meinwen, meanwhile, was taken directly to the airport at St. John's and put on a flight to Dominica. The next flight from Basseterre to Dominica wasn't departing until the following afternoon, so Hilton didn't change his plans. Upon arriving in Dominica, however, Meinwen and Dr. Stiles were put on a boat to Castries, St. Lucia. Hilton, dismayed to find that every single flight to Castries involved at least one stop in the US — which was in the opposite direction — cancelled his flight to Antigua and went to the docks to see if he could get a boat, but there were none, leading him to despair until he was approached by a man who was clearly wealthy, and clearly French . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

“You look as one who is defeated,” the man said in English, although his French accent was strong.

“I am somewhat,” Hilton admitted.

“What are you defeated in?” the man asked. sitting down beside Hilton.

“Finding a way to get to St. Lucia that doesn’t involve going to the United States,” Hilton replied.

“Do you dislike the United States?” the man asked.

“No,” Hilton replied. “They’re just not on the way to St. Lucia. They’re taking me horribly out of my way, and thereby wasting my time. I can’t maximise my time in St. Lucia by taking a day to get there.”

“Ah,” the man said. “Where in St. Lucia do you want to go?”

“Castries,” Hilton replied.

“Mm,” the man said, stroking his narrow chin.

Hilton felt his stomach uttering protest within him. He’d ended up sleeping through dinner earlier, and out of a desire to get on his way to St. Lucia, he’d foregone dinner altogether, which was causing his stomach to express increasing malcontent.

“I am on my way to Barbados to visit friends,” the man said. “I am just refuelling my yacht. Castries is not far off my route to Barbados. It would not be an inconvenience to take you. In fact, I may need to refuel there anyways.”

“How long would it take?” Hilton asked.

“I would have to ask my captain,” the man replied. “Since we would leave now much of the journey would pass over the night, I am sure, so you would be able to spend most of the day in St. Lucia, I would believe.”

“How much would you want me to pay you for it?” Hilton asked.

“Pay?” the man asked. “Mais non! You are in need, and it is no inconvenience to me to help you. There will be no paying.”
“You’re serious?” Hilton asked, hoping he wasn’t delusional with exhaustion.

“Mais bien sûr,” the man replied.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know French,” Hilton said. “What does that mean?”
“But of course,” the man replied. “Come, let us go to my yacht, they should be nearly done.”

Hilton stood up along with the man and followed him onto the pier until they reached a rather sleek looking white craft that looked like it would fit in handsomely at the piers of Monaco — not that Hilton had ever actually been to said piers, he’d just seen them while watching motor racing highlights.

The man spoke in rapid French to a man in a crisp-pressed, light-coloured outfit that included epaulettes, suggesting he was the captain of the ship, before turning to Hilton.

“The trip will take sixteen hours,” he said. “My captain estimates that we will reach Castries at noon. Does that please you?”

“Yes, it does, thank you,” Hilton said.

“Come then, let us board and I will show you to your cabin,” the man said. “You look like you would very much appreciate to make its acquaintance.”

Hilton nodded. He was quite tired, and to think all his problems were solved — at least until he got to St. Lucia — was relieving to him.

Pronunciations:

Mais: mae

Non: no'

Bien: b'yehn

Sûr: syuhr

Unexpected: Day 9

Word Count: 63,004

Summary of Events:

Leaving Tours, Hilton and Meinwen headed south-southwest through France, skirting the west coast, before entering Spain, where they spent the night in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The following day they drove more southwest across Spain into Portugal. In Lisbon, the kidnappers headed straight for the airport and booked a flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hilton and Meinwen managed to get tickets on the same flight, which flew them across the Atlantic overnight. Having learned in Spain that Hilton's family had identified him and seemed as convinced of his guilt as everyone else was — as he'd feared — Meinwen felt fear he might not get through customs, but he did, to their relief, and they carried on through the airport together . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Thanks to Puerto Rico’s status as an American dependency, English was one of the more prominent languages on the signage about them, which allowed them to find their way rather easily, and Meinwen was grateful to be able to duck into a washroom close to the car hire.

She’d not really felt the need to use a washroom until they’d disembarked — for which she was grateful, as she wasn’t sure she’d wanted to use an airplane’s washroom — but as they’d sought the washroom she’d started to feel the need keenly, and so was grateful to have addressed that need.

Exiting the washroom, Meinwen stopped to remind herself where the car hire was, as Hilton had taken her bag. Before she could set off toward the car hire, however, she felt someone close behind her, and something poking at her spine.

“If you don’t wanna die, don’t scream,” a threatening voice with the accent from the telephone box warned lowly.

“What do you want?” Meinwen whispered, a chill of fear surging over her and making her voice tremble.

“Just walk calmly,” the voice — a man’s — warned. “As if we’re together.”
Meinwen turned her head toward the car hire and the prick in her back immediately hurt more.

“Forward,” the man warned.

Turning her head forward, Meinwen kept walking, obeying the man’s directions out of the building and over to where a black people carrier was parked. The side door was opened and she was ordered inside.

She recognised the dreadlocked driver, as well as the two men dressed like bodyguards sitting in the seats beside the rear passenger doors. In the rear seat, to the one side, was Dr. Stiles.

“Is this the one?” the man behind her asked.

Dr. Stiles cringed, then nodded.

“Get in,” the man behind her ordered.

Meinwen climbed in and went to the backseat. Dr. Stiles patted the small space that was partially overtaken by his being too wide to fit in one seat, but Meinwen chose to sit against the wall opposite him, behind both the seat of the driver, and the seat of one of the two fake bodyguards.

The door she’d entered through was closed and the front passenger door was opened, the man who’d found her climbing in and fastening his seatbelt.

Fastening her own seatbelt, Meinwen looked toward the airport, wishing that she would see Hilton running out of the building to save her, but she saw no sign of him as the people carrier pulled away from the kerb.

“Thanks for trying to save me,” Dr. Stiles whispered.

Meinwen looked over at him, feeling a sense of dread that he’d seen her as he’d been going through the airport, and had recognised her despite her casual attire; what was worse, she feared that he’d actually dared speak aloud his recognition, and that such was why she was here.

She turned away to look out the window beside her as the people carrier made its way out of the airport complex and soon headed toward a bridge across a large body of water. Meinwen wished she’d not been recognised by Dr. Stiles, and particularly that he hadn’t been so foolish as to give away his recognition of her.

Owing to my local electrical services provider's need to perform routine maintenance in my area, I will be unable to post tomorrow; the novel will continue on Wednesday.