The Kidnapped Bride

Small World

Meanwhile, Jacob and Michael were in a taxi driving them to the hotel they had booked in Rome. Rome was nowhere near Sardinia, but they knew their journey would be no easy feat. They had to jump from one hotel to another since they had to plan how to get to the island. Michael looked out the window as he watched the beautiful city of Rome at night. The illumination was beautiful, and it had been years since he had visited Italy. He glanced at Jacob, who was dozing on and off since he was exhausted from the trip and being at the airport. Michael couldn't blame him since he felt his mind and body on the brink of exhaustion. However, he felt that he had to show some strength, or Jacob would have another anxiety attack.

Memories flooded Michael's mind when he and Jacob were at the airport. It was not easy since it took a while to get their luggage, and the airport police stopped them. Michael did speak a bit of Italian since he studied it to get through his travels in Italy. The police informed them they were suspicious and asked the men to follow them into an interrogation room, where they were asked about their purpose in Italy. This confused the men; they didn't act suspicious. They even allowed the police to search their belongings. Even when nothing suspicious or dangerous was found, the police still didn't let them leave. They were asked the same questions, and among other things, Jacob was getting tired while Michael remained cool. He answered calmly and kept his answers the same. He would ask the police why they were being questioned when he and Jacob had their documentation in order and no criminal record. That was when Michael brought up a possible suit against the airport police force. When he informed him that he would have to make a lawsuit against them for discrimination, he would ask for the interrogation video and the identification numbers.

The police weren't deterred, but they knew they couldn't get anything out of them, so they let them go. Michael wouldn't forget the looks on their faces when he and Jacob were finally able to leave. Eventually, they arrived at the Grand Hotel Palatino, where a worker outside assisted the men with their luggage. The friend checked their reservations, got their keys and luggage, and went up the elevator to the third floor. Once they turned on the lights, they found two queen-sized beds with wooden cabinets and lamps. There was a large black television on the wall facing the two beds. There were tied light brown and white curtains, which gave them a view of the balcony and parts of the city of Rome. 

"We're finally here," said Jacob, putting his bags on one of the sofas.

"Yeah, we can get rest." Michael looked at his phone at 7 p.m. "Do you want to eat at the lounge? We weren't able to eat due to being interrogated by those police officers."

Jacob nodded, and the two men returned downstairs and went to the lounge, where some people were eating. Many square-like tables were covered in white cloths with single candles surrounded by flowers. There were balcony windows with red curtains; paintings of many Roman Emperors and plant life were on the walls. The men sat by the balcony, where they could view the city. Upon sitting, a waiter went to them and gave them the menu. Michael intently looked at the menu, but when glancing at Jacob, he noticed his friend looking out the window. "Jacob, I know you're thinking about Esmerald, but you need to eat something."

"I know, but now that I'm here in Italy and that Sardinia is close, I have the urge to leave and find her."

Michael put the menu down and motioned to the waiter who came by. He ordered two Pici All'aglione along with red wine; the waiter went on his way. He was about to respond but noticed an older man who sat two tables away from them glancing at them. When the man was noticed, he looked down at the paperwork sprawled on the table. "That man is looking at us."

Jacob turned to see who Michael was looking at. "Do you think he understands us?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. We need to eat and rest." The men kept talking about some ideas for getting to Sardinia until the waiter arrived with their orders. They began to eat and drink, but Michael noticed the mysterious man glancing at them occasionally whenever they spoke about Sardinia. It annoyed and made him cautious. Michael put his food utensils beside the plate and focused on the mysterious man. "May I help you, sir?" The mysterious man cringed as he looked down on his papers, but Michael was having none of it. "I know that you are listening to our conversation. You understand English, do you?"

Jacob stopped eating as he turned around once again to the man who was scratching his head repeatedly. The man looked almost to be his age, but more wrinkles and dark bags were under his eyes. His eyes were sky blue and almost shined; his raven hair had a mixture of grays and was in disarray. His face was long and skinny, as was his body, and his skin was slightly pale, which made him gaunt. "Sir, we don't want any troubles. Who are you?'

It was silent between the trio; only the people and vehicles could be heard from the outside. The man clenched his papers as he bit his lower, thin lip. "I-I-I'm sorry," he said weakly. "I couldn't help but overhear you speak about Sardinia."

"Yes, and what about it?" asked Jacob.

"I-I am also trying to get there."

Jacob and Micahel's eyes widened. "What! You are!?" 

The man stood as he put all his paper in a pile. "S-Sorry, I'm Felix. Again, apologies for butting in. You see, I'm in a desperate situation."

"Please sit with us," said Jacob. Felix looked hesitant, but with much assistance, he relented, got an extra chair, and sat with his friends. "When you mentioned that you were in a desperate situation does that mean that you...lost someone in Sardinia?"

"Yes, and I imagine you're in the same predicament as I." Jacob nodded as he and Michael noticed Felix taking out his wallet, taking a picture, and showing it to the duo. "I'm looking for my niece; her name is Isabel. She went on an all-ladies trip to Sardinia. However, as time went on, I didn't receive any calls, texts, or emails from her. Whenever I tried contacting her, her phone always went to voicemail. I contacted the tour company but I never received a response. I cam here to try to get to Sardinia but whenever I tried, I was pushed away by not only the police but other government officials."

"So, you could not get into Sardinia?" asked Michael. 

Felix nodded as he looked at his niece's picture. "I feel that this country and Sardinia are hiding something. Why else would they not allow anyone just to go there. Yet, they allow only women to enter. My biggest fear is that she being trafficked."

The thought of Esmerald being trafficked made Jacob tremble; Michael noticed and patted his friend on the back. "Relax, we don't know what's going on. We can't just assume the worst. So, the Government knows something about what is happening in Sardinia, so we can't just go in." He noticed Felix's pile of papers. "What are those?"

"Oh, I printed out the island's history, and I found some interesting things. There have been many women who had gone missing when going to that island. I found an online group that had family members missing when going to Italy or Sardinia, but the Italian Government are trying to take these sites down."

Jacob eyed the paperwork and noticed many pictures of missing women, some dated back to the 1920s. He feared what happened to his daughter, but he knew that trying to find her was going to be a difficult feat.