Page 13 of Rock the Boat
Helena knocked on my door at dinner time, searching for her fiancé. I informed her that I didn’t know where he was and promised I would find him and make sure he joined her for dinner.
I double-checked my reflection. The purple dress made my brown eyes pop. My hair was pulled into a French twist decorated with jeweled bobby pins, giving it an extra something. A special occasion such as this needed something extraordinary. Dressing the part was important.
With one last glance at the man who was out cold in my bed, I left and slowly made my way to the dining room, nodding at several of my cohorts along the way. When I reached the double doors that hid my destination, I asked Sergio, “Did everyone make it?”
“Yes, all guests are present and accounted for. We have men watching all entrances and exits. All guns and anything that could be used as a weapon have been confiscated without the guests’ knowledge. The floor is yours.” He swept his arm out and opened the door for me to enter. Soft music was playing through the speakers as the guests were finishing their dinner of roasted quail and vegetables without a care in the world.
“Thank you, good sir,” I said with a sly grin and stepped past him into the room, taking in a deep breath. There was no turning back.
Sauntering over to the makeshift stage, I took the mic from one of my associates and made my way over to the center of the room. “Will the bride-to-be come to the center of the room?”
Everyone appeared slightly confused since this had not been discussed and was not on the agenda. I smiled knowingly. This was what I’d been planning for, and I realized it might not go according to plan, but I had contingency plan after contingency plan. Besides, none of them could get out, and we were far enough away from land that their cell phones would not work. I had a signal jammer hidden under the stage to ensure they didn't.
Slowly, she made her way to me and sat in the two seats that had been set up. “What is this, Melody? Did you find Matthew?” Helena whispered, smiling nervously at her guests.
“Someone organized a special sendoff for you. As for Mr. Blum—or should I say Mr. Black?—he’s a little tied up at the moment and will be joining us soon,” I stated loudly, saccharine dripping from my words.
“What is the meaning of this? Where is my son?” Matthew’s mother demanded.
I gave a short laugh. If it sounded slightly maniacal, I didn’t care. “The meaning?” I sighed heavily. “Well, where do we begin? How about the beginning? As for your son, he came to my room for one last romp. What did he say? He and Helena had an understanding.”
The bride sucked in a breath. “I am going to see to it that you are fired!” Helena snarled and stood up, but I was prepared. Pulling out my knife, I pressed it against her stomach.
“Does this seem familiar? Isn’t this about the place you sliced an innocent woman open two years ago?”
Helena fell back into her seat again. “What are you talking about?” All color had drained from her face.
“Don’t you recognize me? Tsk. Tsk. Have I really changed that much?” I asked, batting my eyes at her.
“I don’t know who the fuck you are!”
I pressed the tip of the blade against her throat, resting it there. One false move and it could do some damage. It was very sharp. “Let me refresh your memory.”
“We will not stand for this!” Matthew’s father stomped toward one of the doors, where it was blocked by two large men with very big guns.
“That’s not going to work either,” I chortled. I loved seeing the panic in Helena’s eyes. I wasn’t ready for the real torture to begin, but I could make her squirm. “Why don’t you take a seat, Mr. Blum? In fact, why doesn’t everyone take a seat?” As the guests did as they were told, I said, “I have a new song for you. Would you like to hear it? Now, I will tell you that all the words are true.”
Row, row, row your boat
Your wedding’s your new dream
I’ll take the ship and cut you out
Relishing each and every scream.
Row, row, row your boat
Your life is what I’ll take
You left me to die, so an eye for an eye
My revenge will make you quake.
“Who are you?” Helena demanded, keeping as still as she could. The only thing that moved was her eyes.
“It breaks my heart that you don’t remember me. After all, you tried to kill me.”
“I…I don’t know who the hell you are,” Helena insisted. “She’s crazy!” she yelled over the hum of the crowd, trying not to move an inch, but her body was trembling, and she wound up nicking herself on the tip of the knife. All it took was one little jolt when someone knocked over a glass, shattering it and startling her.
