The Turk named an outrageous sum of money for the ransom. Cassie and he haggled over the price until the pythia convinced him to ask for something reasonable. She thought that agreeing to his terms too readily might make him suspicious. He settled for a smaller sum which she dutifully copied down on the page. She guessed that her companions must be somewhere outside by now. Again, she deliberately spoke in a loud enough voice for them to hear.
“Are you sure your friend knows where the hotel is?” She tried not to shout.
The man with the cap conferred with the member of his party who didn’t have the gun. The fellow nodded.
“Yes,” The Turk replied. “He know where.”
“He must ask for a man named Erik,” she instructed.
Once more, the Turk translated for the benefit of his associate.
Cassie folded up the ransom note. “Here, wrap this around my room key.”
The man with the cap didn’t argue. He took the key out of his pocket and folded the note around it several times. He then handed the packet to the messenger.
The younger man took it wordlessly and left the building.
“It’s a long way,” the pythia observed. “How will he get there?”
“We have truck.” The Turk didn’t choose to elaborate on where the vehicle was hidden.
“This could take a while,” Cassie noted.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Now we wait.” He ambled over to the shelf above the fireplace and took down a pipe, filled it and struck a match. Then he took a seat across the table from Cassie and smoked in silence. His remaining associate dragged a chair over by the door and stationed himself there, cradling his rifle.
About fifteen minutes passed, though to Cassie it seemed much longer, when their silent vigil was shattered. A thumping sound came from the back wall of the building as if something heavy had been thrown against it. They all jumped to attention. The Turk with the gun was on his feet. He tried peering through the grimy windows without success.
The man with the cap spoke rapidly. The other man nodded and warily opened the door. Nothing was moving outside. At the urging of the older man, he went out to investigate, shutting the door behind him.
“Maybe your friends come looking for you,” the man said.
Cassie stared at him in what she hoped was an expression of blank surprise. “How could that be? They thought I went up to the stone circle. How could they find me here?”
The Turk shrugged and puffed on his pipe. “If they come, we give them surprise, yes?”
The pythia frowned. “Well, you better not shoot them if you hope to get your money.”
For some reason, the man found this remark funny. He slapped the table and laughed out loud.
Five more minutes passed, and the man with the gun still hadn’t returned. The Turk with the cap rose from the table and attempted to peer out the filthy window. Then he walked slowly to stand behind Cassie.
“I think he come now,” he said.
Cassie could hear footsteps outside, running across the gravel by the front door.
In one deft move, the Turk pulled her out of the chair and drew out a hunting knife which flashed under her chin. He positioned them both facing the front of the house.
Seconds later, the door burst open to reveal Erik pointing the rifle, flanked by Griffin and Fred.
The Turk had backed against the far wall of the cottage, holding Cassie in front of him as a shield. He pressed the knife close against her throat. “You put down gun or she die!”
Erik hesitated for a split second.
It was all the time Cassie needed to raise her leg and grind her foot down on the man’s instep as hard as she could. He lost his balance, cursing in pain as a bullet whizzed past his cheek and grazed his earlobe. He dropped the knife, putting up a hand to stop the flow of blood. Cassie flew out of his grasp and ran across the room toward her teammates.
Erik handed the gun to Fred. “Cover me,” he commanded before springing across the room. He grabbed the Turk by the arm and twisted it behind his back.
“Listen you!” he growled. “This has already been a bad day on a cosmic scale, and you’re not gonna make it suck any worse. Do you know who we are?”
The Turk shook his head, too rattled to speak.
“We belong to an organization that’s got enough resources to hunt you down and kill all of you if you meddle in our affairs. You understand what I’m saying?” He twisted the man’s arm harder for emphasis.
The Turk nodded, wincing.
“And if you or your crew go anywhere near that stone circle again, I will rain down more vengeance on your heads than Keyser frigging Söze! You got that?”
For the first time, the Turk looked confused. “I do not know who is this. Who is Keyser Söze?”
For a second, Erik was too speechless to reply. “Oh, give me a break. We’re in Turkey for crissake, and you don’t know who Keyser Söze is?”
The man with the cap shook his head nervously.
“Hey, Hollywood,” Cassie called from the doorway. “Give it up.”
“OK, fine.” Erik appeared completely nonplussed. He searched for an alternative explanation. “How about this. You or your crew go near that stone circle again, and you won’t live to tell about it afterward.” He twisted the man’s arm once more. “Did you understand that sentence?”
The man nodded vehemently.
“Good, looks like we’ve come to an agreement.” Erik scanned the room. “What’s behind that door?” He gestured toward a small door in the far corner.
Fred went over to investigate. “It’s some kind of storage room.”
“Does it have a lock? I can’t see from here.”
“Yup. One of those old-fashioned key locks.”
“Good.” Erik dragged the Turk over toward the storage room.
“I found this outside.” Griffin held out a coil of rope. “I thought it might prove useful.”
“Cass, why don’t you help us tie up
