CHAPTER TWO:ESCAPE FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH (Part 2).

Natalia Quinn was very desperate thinking of how to rescue her friend. Her heart beat simultaneously as the hair at the back of her head and blood froze almost to zero degrees. Fear ran it's icy tingles up and down her spine as beads of perspiration flowed freely. The shuffling of feet returned her to her normal senses. Her hands now shivering with her phone intact. She mustered her courage and sent the voice recording to Akira Aarush who was her only help at the time. She could not dare to scare Natalia Quinn's younger brother and parents at that time since her father suffered from heart attacks and her mother was weak,her brother was only a two years younger than her and he was still attending school so she did not want to disrupt his studies. In movies if the police are called then the victim might be killed unless if a master plot is made but that would cost a lot of time and her friend was in trouble.

She took her phone and dialed Akira Aarush's phone number that her friend had have her in case of emergencies and urgent calls.

She was lucky to have a friend full of brawn. She placed the phone on her left ear as she sadly stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of her as she was in the washroom.

After receiving the message she had ran out of the private dining room where her boss had payed for since her whole team was there,she had lost her appetite although the food being served there were really unique.

Before the message,a waitress and a queue of others followed her and put the food on the table. She then stood upright and started to explain the foods served and their origin since they were not her local food.

She pointed the first one and started, " This is Poulet Basquaise or you can refer to it as Basque Chicken Stew coming from the Basque Country, this braised chicken recipe features some rare breeds of chicken or duck from that region meaning that a real poulet basquaise is made from free-range poultry." She paused and then continued.

"But what makes it really special is the sauce that goes with it, called piperade, in which the meat gets cooked, becoming more tender. The piperade is composed of Bayonne ham, fine herbs, tomatoes, and the special espelette pepper: a tiny, lightly spicy local variety that is traditionally dried on the walls of houses in the Basque countryside, it's a French cuisine."

She then pointed to the next one and started, " This is a Shashlik it's a common sight in late spring or summer to see many people in parks all across the country making shashlik,pieces of marinated meat fried on a skewer over burning coals. Although shashlik originated in the Caucasus,it is now a big part of Russian culture. Shashlik is usually made with lamb, pork or chicken cut into large pieces and marinated for a few hours. The most common marinades are kefir, soy sauce or lemon juice, mixed with herbs, spices, and sometimes vegetables such as onions, garlic, or tomatoes.To accompany it, Russians like to have potatoes, baked in foil in the coals, or grilled veggies.

Typically there is also a dip of choice, for example, ketchup or adzhika, a pungent sauce from the Caucasus."

"Then that on the pink porcelain bowl is shashlik,it's a common sight in late spring or summer to see many people in parks all across the country making shashlik: pieces of marinated meat fried on a skewer over burning coals. Although shashlik originated in the Caucasus, it is now a big part of Russian culture.

Shashlik is usually made with lamb, pork or chicken cut into large pieces and marinated for a few hours. The most common marinades are kefir, soy sauce or lemon juice, mixed with herbs, spices, and sometimes vegetables such as onions, garlic, or tomatoes. To accompany it, Russians like to have potatoes, baked in foil in the coals, or grilled veggies.

Typically there is also a dip of choice, for example, ketchup or adzhika, a pungent sauce from the Caucasus."

"And lastly Kalimotxo,this is another outstanding Spanish summer cocktail .It is also known as calimocho, this popular beverage is a blend of red wine and Coke.

This may sound like an odd pairing, but trust me, it works! All you'll do is use equal parts of both ingredients and toss in a lemon wedge.

This is a great cocktail to memorize for when unexpected company arrives at your door.

It's also a nice alternative when you want a wine spritzer without all the work." The waitress said as she smiled affiliatively.

"Please enjoy your meal," The waitress said as she left the private room.

Their boss Darien Boone had left the room to pick up an urgent call.

On the spur of the moment, everyone had already started dining on the delicious food.

"Hey! Kayla Jeannette,why aren't you eating?"

"Nothing," Elaine Star asked while holding the cocktail glass.

"It's not like you,is something bothering you,you know you can always tell us,we can help you out though we can't lend much help sure it can be at least good to help out our fellow colleague." She continued.

"Oh.. I'm.. I'm waiting for Sir Darien Boone,yes Sir Darien Boone, waiting for him so that we can eat." Kayla Jeannette replied while smiling uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry everybody,I have to leave you, please enjoy your meal I have an important meeting with my parents,bye" Darien Boone said as he picked up his cellphone from the table.

"Sir,can you drop me off at the bus station, please?" Lily Maddison asked as she took her chain bag and phone from the table.

"Hey,this ain't a farewell party, where are you headed to?" Wendy Imogen who seemed annoyed about the situation enquired while drinking some water from the glass placed besides her.

"Hey don't you know,she is trying to win Sir Darien Boone's heart," Lily Maddison whispered in Wendy Imogen's left ear.

"Oh, right Mayleen, weren't you supposed to visit your boyfriend at the Dandan impatient and outpatient hospital,why doesn't Sir Darien Boone take you there too." Wendy Imogen suggested while deviously smiling.

"Sure, infact Dandan impatient and outpatient hospital,is next to the hotel where I'm headed to," Darien Boone replied as he left the room followed by Elaine Star and Anna Mayleen.

"Hey sir can I accompany you there?" Dawson Oliver asked jokingly.

"His car isn't a taxi to start with ,how about you head to the bus station and pick a bus." Wendy Imogen said as she was smiling.

"Why didn't Elaine Star and Anna Mayleen go then?" He enquired.

"Because they're not fools like you everybody should place themselves in the perfect group, okay" Wendy Imogen replied angrily.

....

The night sky was aglow with bright city lights.

There was a lot silence between the three in the car.

It was silent as if it was a graveyard.

One could hear the shuffling of feet and noises from the city as people hurried home as others opened their businesses.

"Hey Anna Mayleen,how is your father doing?"

"Why do you think I'd be going to check on him if I already knew his condition?" Elaine Star asked as she seemed to be caring.

"She's just politely asking no need to be angry," Darien Boone replied as he checked the roads.

"I'm not angry,infact I'm very happy right now," Anna Mayleen replied while looking out the window.

"The pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky." Anna Mayleen said as she smiled.

"If only father was here to see this,"she added.

As soon as everything was done, Darien Boone continued on with his business.

He rode to Enpress service hotel to meet his parents.

He met young, beautiful and bubbly girl in a vibrant,well fitting,pink taffeta wrap up dress and white stilletos.

She had a sculpted figure which was twine-thin. Her waist was tapered and she had a burnished complexion. A pair of arched eyebrows looked down on sweeping eyelashes. Her delicate ears framed a button nose. A set of dazzling, angel-white teeth gleamed as she blew gently on her carmine-red fingernails. It was a pleasure to see her flowing, moon shadow-black hair. Her enticing, constellation-blue eyes gazed at him over her puffy, heart shaped lips.She had a bouncy personality and a sugary voice, which he adored. Not content to be just another drone, she wore vibrant clothes.

After the meeting with his parents about marriage issues again,he left for the hotel where the team and him would stay overnight.

She placed the phone on her left ear as she sadly stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of her as she was in the washroom.

Akira Aarush did not seem to answer so she called his Assistant Kevin Smith and luckily he answered.

" Hello, who is this?''

" Umm." She tried to speak, but she was choked with tears,she just mustered her courage and forced herself.

"... I'm Natalia Quinn's best friend, Rylee Athena. She has sent me a voice recording and I had sent it to Akira Aarush but he's not picking up the phone so I decided to call you. Someone has kidnapped her and I'm out of town so I need help but I can come over. I've not yet the location she's in but our couple digital watch says she's in Zima town off the outskirts of town. I need help to rescue her since I can't do it alone and I don't have means of transportation. I'll send you the voice recording."

"Okay." Was the only thing Assistant Kevin Smith said. After hanging up,she sent the voice recording to Assistant Kevin Smith. Just before she could move anywhere, came the heavy rainfall. She looked out the window from the other room because she had already gotten out of the washroom. The sky was tar-black and the large clouds were moving towards the City square. She then heard a tapping on the window and then it became a pitter-patter pitter-patter. People ran for cover outside and umbrellas were opened as the clouds spat out their beads of water,the city soon looked like a portrait of dots of different colors due to the umbrellas. Puddles began plinking as the rainfall became heavier. The roofs of the cars danced with spray and she could hear the murmuring of the rain through the window. It sounded like the buzzing of angry bees. She then sat down on the wooden seat near the entrance waiting for a reply.

....

Akira Aarushwas busy discussing contract issues with one of his business partners while his personal secretary Assistant Kevin Smith was outside waiting for him.

All Assistant Kevin Smith could hear was a little bit of the voices because the rainfall had tampered with the serenity of the day. No sooner had he leaned against the wall than he received the call from the unknown number that claimed that Natalia Quinn was in trouble and that she was Rylee Athena, Natalia Quinn's best friend.

Then he was sent a voice message that acted as proof to the claims,he did not know whether he should help or not because Ryleigh Georgia was an evil woman and wanted to kill Natalia Quinn so bad that she'd really kidnap her.

So his final decision was to help but if he delayed then Natalia Quinn would be in danger considering the bad intentions of Ryleigh Georgia. She was blinded by love, anger and jealous that she would do anything to get Aaliyah Brooklyn to love and marry her since Natalia Quinn seemed to be the wife to be just because of that she wanted her dead and out of existence.

Thoughts in his head raced like Cheetahs in a Spanish show that he did not realize that Akira Aarush finally came out from the meeting room.

Assistant Kevin Smith did not hesitate to tell Akira Aarush what had happened, he even told him of the voice recording that had been sent to him and that he had receive from the unknown number that claimed to be Natalia Quinn's best friend, Rylee Athena.

Akira Aarush as always had no anger management skills so he clenched his fist in anger, his eyes narrowed towards his phone that he had held in his hand.

His cold eyes let out an aura of authority and control.

His lips curled and he raised of an eyebrow to expose more of the white part of the eye,both of which are powerful signals of disgust and anger.

He never liked Ryleigh Georgia, neither did he like her prince charming on a white horse beckoning her Aaliyah Brooklyn.

But surely no one hates another person for no reason. Things happen for a reason in the world and there's a simple solution to them all.

After a moment of thinking thoroughly,he took out his phone and called Rylee Athena's phone number,he had saved it before he had called her.