A startling Text

Three hours later they arrived at the mansion. Getting out of Karr's cabin, Garthe let lose a slew of curses when he noticed the door had been busted down.

Bonnie awakened, groaned, and realized that the vehicle had stopped. She gathered from her observation of the mansion's busted doors, that Michael must have already stopped to investigate this location. A sinking feeling overtook her chest and she couldn't help but let a few tears trickle down her face. For the first time, she truly feared that the rescue she had stored her hopes in wouldn't come.

Karr scanned the place and replied, "looks like Michael and the inferior production model were here and recently too. This could be a good thing for us. That means he won't get around checking this place again for a while, if he doubles back at all. And by that time, you will have Barstow in Mexico."

Bonnie's head shot up and she exclaimed, "Mexico?! Mexico??? Are you out of your mind???!!! I don't have a passport on me... so you can't possibly take me out of the country." She folded her arms across her chest confidently, thinking that she had finally caught a snag in his plans.

"That is where you are wrong, Barstow. Master Garthe has a passport for you. Or should I say, Adelina Ofelia...soon to be Marcelo," Karr boasted.

The realization of what Karr was implying flashed across her stunned face as quick as a bolt of lightning passes from one area of the sky to the next. Her blue-green eyes took on a darkness to them and she growled, "you have faked passports and documents?!" She had momentarily forgotten to whom she was talking. Garthe was a criminal mastermind in his own right. Bonnie should have recalled. She had read, studied, and practically memorized his files after she had returned to the Foundation battered, beaten, and bruised.

"They are not fake according to Itzal and believe you me, they'll look real enough when we go through customs," Garthe bragged pridefully.

"Like Hell Garthe," Bonnie flatly spat.

The man returned, "what was that, Barstow? I could have sworn you were defying my authority again."

Bonnie's teeth ground one upon the next as she tried to bite back a smart ill-tempered retort.

Karr chirped, "I believe Miss Barstow said, like Hell. If I am not mistaken."

"Let me tell you something Barstow, you promised to do anything I asked when you were back in the pool or have you forgotten? That means you are going to are going to become my wife... and we are going to Mexico to raise our son," Garthe snarled.

"What?" Bonnie inquired, completely stunned by his demands. The last thing she heard was "become my wife" slipping from Garthe's lips. Her ears almost began to burn from the mere suggestion that she become bound to him in marriage, legal or otherwise.

"You can't just change my name, demand to marry me, and force me to move when I'm already married to .... Michael! YOU JUST CAN'T!!! ARE YOU INSANE OR SOMETHING?!!" She furiously shouted.

Garthe seized Bonnie's wrists with such a force that he could have sworn he heard one pop. Looking her in dead in the eyes he fumed, "you made a promise to do what I ask of you. Have you already forgotten? Either you make good on that promise or this will be the last place you will ever see!!! Now, are you going to keep your promise and be punished for mentioning the living breathing insult to my existence. Or I will to kill you right here and now! Your choice Barstow."

"I'll give you exactly thirty seconds to make up your mind," he added. Garthe released her wrists and pulled a gun out of Karr's back seat. While he awaited her answer he made a show of deliberately loading the weapon and cocking it. His pointer finger rested upon the trigger and he lifted the barrel in her direction and he calmly began counting down from thirty.

"Twenty-nine...twenty-eight... twenty-seven....twenty-six...twenty-five...." with each second the gun was brought closer and closer to her trembling form.

The lives of two people now dangled in the mechanic's hands. Will she choose life or death?

(To be further edited)