Chapter 10: Escape?

Amy selected a table near the rear, close to the stairwell leading to the restrooms below. She ordered a café au lait and waited. After her second café, Amy began to worry. She was near panic and about to bolt when both Margaret and Marja appeared at the entrance lugging Alexander’s suitcase.

The girls embraced. “Oh my God!”, Amy exclaimed. “I left your suitcase at the Sorbonne, Margaret. I’m sorry. I was in just too much of a hurry to get out of there before Alexander could free himself.”

Margaret scowled for just a minute. “Damn, we have to go back for the dossier.”

Amy smiled. “No. We don’t. At least, I did something right. I grabbed Alexander’s papers out of your suitcase and put them in my back pack. Your suitcase is still open in the middle of the room. We have credit cards passports and money. Just buy some new clothes. It is too dangerous to go anywhere that Alexander might suspect.”

“I don’t think that we should use the credit card,” Margaret said. “They can be traced. And, Alexander still has the resources of his government.”

Marja interrupted the conversation to point at two men who had just entered the bistro. They looked ominous with heavy trench coats and fedoras pulled down over their brows. They sat at a nearby table and began to argue about football. It would have been laughable if the girls weren’t so scared.

Marja whispered something to Margaret. “She says that we should leave and continue somewhere else.” Amy silently concurred. She grabbed her backpack.

As the girls scurried past the table with the two men, Amy was certain she heard the word “pute”. She glanced back at the table. One of the men was openly staring at her. He mouthed the word “salope” at her. She trembled as she hastened her step. Margaret was falling behind, lugging the suitcase that she had packed at Alexander’s. Marja grabbed the suitcase handle with Margaret. The two girls struggled to catch up with Amy.

Margaret was out of breath by the time the Bon Temps bistro was in the distance. The two men had not emerged. Maybe, they were safe after all. She looked pleadingly at Margaret. Margaret just sat on the suitcase staring vacantly. Marja was watching the two Americans.

Amy hugged Margaret. “Snap out of it. We need you. Think! What the fuck are we going to do? What do we even care what Alexander is up to if we can just get away,” Amy declared.

“Amy, we can’t.” Margaret replied.

“Can’t what?” Amy almost screamed.

“Just run away.” Margaret said.

“Why not?” Amy exploded with rage. “We’ve been jailed, raped, fucked, displayed naked, fingered, and humiliated almost every day since we went to Marja’ s wretched country. I am done with it.”

“Unfortunately, neither Marja nor I can drop it right now”

“What are you talking about?,” asked Amy incredulously.

‘Marja and I work together for a government agency. You were our cover. It all went to hell when Marja got arrested. I was sent to find out what happened and get her out if I could. I never expected you to get arrested. You were always so meek and timid. When the riot police arrived, you should have run away like you always do, not attack a policeman.” Margaret explained.

“You mean that I was just some idiot for you to hide behind all that time we were traveling around Europe? Amy was furious. “God damn you, Margaret. I am going to the American Embassy right now. And YOU, You can go fuck yourself.”

“Amy, you can’t. By now, Alexander will have surveillance around it. You would never make it inside.”

“Fuck you! I don’t care. I am leaving now. The two of you can go to hell as far as I am concerned.”

Amy stormed off. She was so angry that she left her backpack with her passport inside next to Alexander’s suitcase. She took the Metro and arrived at the Place de la Concorde before she even noticed that she had left the passport behind.

She charged out of the metro station and headed directly to the embassy. She was about 100 yards from the consular offices of the embassy when she was grabbed from behind.