Breath held

Isabella watched the sun set. She always loved watching the sun set, it was a glorious array of colors. Yellows, pinks, oranges, reds and blues, a variety of color. The sky would be awash with this gorgeous color and then as the sun set, everything faded into the black of night. Sunset was her favorite time of day, not only because of the color, but because it lead the way to night. And she REALLY loved the night.

Isabella looked down at her watch. It would soon be time for Franklin to show up. She was waiting on him to arrive so that they could go. She had big plans for them tonight, it was their anniversary. Isabella had planned an extravegant night on the town; dinner, dancing, and if she wasn't too tired, then there might just be some fire in the bedroom later.

Isabella smiled to herself. She loved spending time with Franklin. Their jobs didn't allow for much of it, but she savored every single minute. Looking at her watch again, she thought to herself, "He should be here any minute now."

She looked out the window at a car that passed by. It was a brown Taurus,. not Franklin's. Sighing, she watched the car drive past her, past the next building and turn left down the side street. Isabella thought back to the night she first met Franklin. A goofy smile sprang into place on her face. It had been a sultry summer night full of heat and mosquitoes, a night that she would never forget. He had been so nervous, and that just endeared him to her all the more.

Night was settling in good now, she checked her watch again. A slight frown crossed her face, Franklin was late. Franklin was rarely late, and never without calling first. He was super good about that. Isabella saw headlights again, her heart started racing, her breathing quickened. "Surely, this must be Franklin," she supposed.

But it wasn't, it was the same brown Taurus. "Either they are lost, or they are circling looking for a parking spot," she surmised. She really didn't care. The only thing on her mind was seeing Franklin. She longed to be in his arms, staring into his deep blue eyes, listening to his gravelly voice whisper sweet loving nothings into her ear. She felt so safe in his arms, she loved him so much.

She looked down at her watch again, Franklin was really late. Isabella was starting to get a little worried. They had spoken earlier this morning, he had promised Isabella he would be there on time, and he wouldn't be late. The area where she worked, where she was waiting, wasn't the best neighborhood. Isabella didn't feel threatened, but she still didn't like being alone in the quiet night. "You just never know what would happen," she thought. Isabella took precautions, but you could never be too careful.

Isabella sighed. She was a very passive person by nature, but making her wait was a great way to irritate her. "Franklin needs to hurry up." she thought angrily. She was hungry, and tired of waiting. The longer he kept her, the more unresponsive she would be getting later. She didn't like going to such extremes, but sometimes the situation demanded it.

Looking at her watch one last time, she got ready to go. She was tired of waiting, and still no word. Isabella was extremely worried about Franklin. This was so totally unlike him. Keeping her waiting, with no phone call. And he knew she was waiting. She picked up her cell phone to call him. He was fixing to get the rough side of her tongue, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Isabella opened her phone. There were 3 missed calls, voicemails, and a text message. Perplexed, she spoke out loud, "I don't remember my phone ringing." Then she saw that her phone was on silent. Checking the missed calls, she saw they were all from Franklin. She decided to read the text before listening to his voicemail.

Opening the text message, Isabella quickly scanned through the message, and then had to go back and re-read it. It said, "I am in trouble. Serious trouble. NO MATTER WHAT, DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR IF THERE IS A BROWN CAR NEARBY. It is a matter of life and death."

"What the Fuck?!" Isabella exclaimed. "What kind of sick joke is this?" she wondered. But before she could utter more than that, the brown Taurus came to a screeching halt beside, and three armed men jumped out and ran to her car. Before she knew what was happening, they had ripped her door open, and pulled her from her car.

Isabella tried to scream, but one of the men put his arms around her, one hand over her mouth, and the other wrapping her up securely. Then without any words, they threw her into the back of the car, making her drop her cell phone on the ground. One of the men jumped in her car, the other two followed her into the brown Taurus.

Within minutes of reading the text, both cars and Isabella were gone. The only thing left was her cell phone laying on the ground. And it began to vibrate. It was Franklin, desperately trying to reach Isabella.

But he was simply too late.


(To be continued...)