Tuesday Tales ~ Broken

Thank you for dropping in to read this week's TUESDAY'S TALE

The prompt is 'Broken'

The rosy sun climbing above the horizon enticed the cold mist to rise and hide the road ahead of the solitary rider.

Without compunction Roul had stolen the horse from the field when his car broke down. Well not ‘stolen’ precisely, he’d left his contact number under his windscreen wiper for the owner to contact him when they discovered their animal missing.

The road ahead disappeared into the rising mist and like his thoughts left everything to the imagination.

When he’d last seen her, Serena melted in his arms with sighs of delight and promises of forever together. Now, less than twenty four hours later, she’d left a message on his voice mail retracting her promise.

Why?

What could have happened to change her mind? They’d known each other forever and been partners for six months.

He cursed the phone call demanding his presence in the office for a meeting that never happened. One his secretary claimed to know nothing about.

Who had made the call and why? Why had Serena broken off their engagement? And his car—, was the breakdown connected in some way to a sudden sequence of unexplainable events?

And the supposed meeting?

Not something that appeared out of the blue, but one he’d been expecting, connected to a long and sometimes tedious process of negotiation on his proposed offer for the failing electronics company he’d had his eye on for months now.

He rounded the corner of the village he and Serena fell in love with the moment they saw it and at the first opportunity left the road and urged his horse to follow the country tracks that led to the back of the home they shared.

The rising mist cloaked him in invisibility as he approached the woods bounding the north side of the property and he slowed his mount to a trot. When he came to the stone built wall he guided the animal to the little ivy covered gate.

Thirty minutes later, protected by the huge trunk of an old oak tree Roul stared at the two cars parked in front of the house and cursed.

The broken engagement, the phoney business call, and the vehicle breakdown, all slotted into place.

He prayed that the coffin sized box the two men carried to the back of the 4x4 did not carry the body of the only woman he’d ever loved.

He watched them slide the box inside before returning indoors then calculated the distance from his hiding place to the garage and the ancient Volvo kept there for emergencies and back at the upper windows of his home. Was anyone watching the area from there? If so, his cover would be shot to hell.

Was Serena alive?

His heart lurched. Was she a part of the cross and double cross situation? He shook his head. Surely not!

Why would she promise to marry him if she’d no intention of following through? Why not just keep stringing him along?

Roul let loose with a volley of curses when Joseph Bailey, CEO of Eagle Electronics strode from the house.

“Take the girl to the house in Scotland. Keep her there for a week and do not let her out of your site.”

Bailey slid behind the wheel of the red Ferrari, gunned the engine and left a shower of gravel behind as he disappeared round the bend in the driveway.

Thank you to everyone who visits and especially those who share their thoughts.  And last, but not east to Jean Joachim for creating the opportunities Tuesday's Tales offers the participants.