“She sure does. Now, let’s see what else she can learn.”
We spend the next hour role-playing, Lara and Brimar testing her, dropping hints here and there, and I watch as Lilly calmly asks them questions, listens to them intently, nods, and even gets Lara to talk about her childhood for a moment. I’m fucking impressed.
“Okay, I think that’s enough,” I say to Lara and Brimar, who quickly take the light out of Lilly’s face. Lara cuts the zip ties and releases Lilly, who rubs her wrists, looking exhausted.
With concerned, unsure eyes, she looks up at me and asks, “How did I do?”
If we were alone, I’d take her into my lap and cradle her against my chest, making sure she was okay, but since we’re with Lara and Brimar, I know we don’t have that privilege.
“We need to see.” Lara and Brimar bring in a table and extra chairs and we all take a seat. Lara passes Lilly a bottle of water, and I wince as she gulps it down. No doubt she was thirsty from nerves, adrenaline, and constant questions. Once I have the notepad and pen in hand, I ask, “Princess Lilly, can you please tell us everything you observed while kidnapped? The more we know, the more we can try to find the culprits.”
“Oh.” She nods and sits taller, crossing her legs at her ankles like she’s been taught. Chin parallel to the ground, she speaks calmly as she says, “It was a couple. They called each other ‘sweetie.’ Both American with no particular regional accent. I couldn’t quite see facial features thanks to the light in my eyes, but I was able to observe the woman had long, blonde hair in a ponytail and was about five-nine, would be my guess. The man had a large frame, bulky shoulders, and no hair. Boisterous voice. He was just taller than the woman. They mentioned Italy at one point, and I learned that the woman actually grew up just outside of Denver, Colorado.”
“Great. And what about your location? Do you know where they took you?”
“It was cold, had stone walls, and the ocean was just outside the window. I could smell it and hear it, so I assumed it was close. They used clear-coated zip ties, and the man held a brown leather belt while the woman had a handgun that fits in the back of her pants. They argued at one point about a payment they had to make to a Salvador. They whispered it, but I was still able to hear them clearly.”
“Salvador, that’s a great lead,” Lara says, acting as the detective now. “Anything distinctive about the male and female?”
Lilly thought for a moment. “I don’t know if this would matter, but I was fairly sure the woman was lefthanded and the male was righthanded.”
“Why do you think that?” Brimar asks.
“Well, when the woman grabbed my hair, I noticed that it was her right hand, which would leave her dominant hand available to hit me or whatever. And the male, I don’t know. The way he pointed at me. He always gestured with his right hand.”
“Good, Princess Lilly. Those things are helpful to note,” I add. She’s actually right, although I’m not sure if she picked that up during the simulation or from being around them for a week. At least she gave good reasoning, and that could be helpful.
“Anything else you can tell us?”
“Ah, yes, one more big thing, they both reeked of fish. Absolutely atrocious, I nearly passed out from the smell.”
Lilly lifts her brow, and I laugh out loud as Brimar sniffs his shirt.
“We do not.” Lara sniffs herself as well while Lilly chuckles.
“That’s what you get for shining that light in my eyes for so damn long.”
I lift from the table and say, “I think that concludes our kidnapping training. You did brilliantly, Lilly.”
“You really did,” Lara says.
Brimar breathes into his hand and smells. “I brushed my teeth.”
Lara pokes his stomach. “She was joking.”
“Well, just in case, I’m going to go take another shower.” Brimar takes off, Lara following him.
“Yeah, maybe I’ll change my clothes.”
When they’re gone, I help Lilly up from her chair and bring her wrists up to my mouth. “Are you okay?” I kiss her sensitive skin. “Are your wrists sore?”
“They’re okay.” She sighs against me and asks, “So I really did a good job?”
“You did. I’m really proud. You were composed, calm, and despite enduring a stressful situation, you remained poised. I was really impressed.”
She smiles. “That means a lot to me.” She drops her hands to my chest. “Now what?”
“Now, we take a break, and then after lunch, you’re going to learn a new tradition.”
