Dark Star

14. Ensnare

“Make a sound, and I will kill you,” he whispered almost silently, leaning in so close to her that his lips brushed against her ear.

She didn't dare try to test him on that statement, not that she could have spoken if she wanted to. His hand was still pressed firmly on her mouth. Trying to ignore the knife, she tried to figure out what was Josef's plan. She heard Carter's quiet steps, then suddenly they stopped. Vesper knew he must have discovered she had disappeared.

“Vesper?” His voice was no more than a hushed whisper. “Vesper, where are you?”

She wished she could reply, to tell him it had all been a trap, but she didn't even dare to move. She just stood there, helpless, as Josef stared into her eyes and she stared back at him. He was trying to see what she was thinking, calculating if she was going to try to answer Carter. She, on the other hand, was trying to figure him out. Sometimes he seemed like such a good person, and then were so many times when he was like this. She couldn't comprehend how someone could be such a contradiction.

Having been lost in thought for a moment, she didn't immediately notice the new sounds over by where Carter stood. She recognized that they were other footsteps, and then what sounded like fighting. From what she could hear, it sounded like Josef's men had jumped the detective, and he was struggling to escape them. Then, all of a sudden, it went deadly silent.

“Drop your gun,” Carter said, though to whom or why, Vesper didn't know.

“How about you drop yours first?”

It was Varick's voice who spoke the last sentence, she was certain of it. Josef looked around the corner, trying to find out what had happened. Whatever it was apparently wasn't what he had, had planned. He seemed to stop and think for a moment, then abruptly he was forcing Vesper around the corner. He moved her in front of him, although he held her firmly from behind, and the knife was still pressed roughly against her throat.

She saw why the fighting had stopped. Carter had escaped all of Josef's other men somehow, but Varick had seemingly been the lucky one or the smart one. He and Carter were at a standoff, facing each other with their guns ready to shoot. Now she knew why Josef had stepped in, Varick was his closest friend, and he didn't want to risk his friend getting shot.

“I would listen to him,” Josef said, pressing the knife a little harder against Vesper's neck to make his point. “If I were you, detective.”

“Let Vesper go, and I will. She's just a kid, she has nothing to do with this, just let her go.”

“This isn't a negotiation!” Josef yelled, pressing the knife harder. “If you don't stand down, I will kill her, and her blood will be on your hands. Drop your gun, now!”

Carter looked her in the eyes, and she could see in his eyes he was apologizing for failing her. She didn't blame him, though, there wasn't anything he could have done. From the moment he had gotten involved, this was how it was bound to end if he was really going to be willing to do anything to save her. I think they had both known it.

He dropped his gun, which landed with a thud on the floor. Varick quickly walked over and grabbed him. He searched him, to see if he had any other weapons on him. Upon finding his handcuffs in his jacket pocket, he used them to tie his hands behind his back. He was now as helpless as Vesper.

“Varick, take Vesper back to her room,” Josef spoke suddenly. “She doesn't need to be around for this.”

Varick nodded, and took her from Josef and started to walk her back from where she came. She knew it was pointless to fight him, so she didn't, even though everything in her wanted to go back and try to protect Carter from being hurt. She was certain that is what they had planned for him.

When they got back to her room, he lead her into the room and turned to leave. She hated being left in there, all alone. She wanted to know what they planned on doing to Carter. She grabbed Varick's hand, turning him back around before he could go.

“Is Josef going to kill him?” She asked.

He sighed, he obviously didn't want to talk to her. She remembered the look on his face when he had found her and Josef in the bathroom. To say he had disapproved of the situation is putting it lightly.

“I don't think even Josef knows what he is going to do with him.”

“Don't act like I'm stupid, it's obvious that this was a deliberate trap just for him. Why did Josef want him? What is he planning?”

“Perhaps you shouldn't have used that phone to call the police,” he answered, in a bored voice. “You're the one that got the detective involved. Josef just took advantage of that.”

“What would you have done, if you were me, and you found the phone?”

Varick didn't answer immediately. He seemed deep in thought. After a moment, he finally looked her in the eye, and answered. She could tell she had finally gotten his full attention.

“I probably would've done the same thing,” he admitted. “That isn't why I gave you the phone, though. I should've realized that is what you would do, I see that now, but I wasn't thinking clearly when I left it there for you.”

He was quiet for a moment, as he let his words sink in.

“Yo-you are the one who put the phone there?” She asked, in a shaky voice.

“I didn't think you were going to live much longer. I thought Josef was going to kill you for trying to escape. I put it there so you could call your family to say goodbye. You had obviously made an impression on Carsten, and I knew it is what he would have wanted me to do.”

“I never planned for the rest of this to happen,” He ended, after a pause.

With that he left her alone, locked in the room that was her cell. She had more questions then she had, had before and there was no way to find out the answers right now. Presently, she could only sit and wait, and dread what was to come next.