GV author shares excerpt from book ‘Prime Victim’

After what seemed like more than an hour’s drive, the car stopped. The men got out, and from the sound of a door, entered a building. I tried turning to get a view of the outside, but all I could see was what appeared to be a large wall.

In a few minutes, I heard the door again, and the voices of the men. The big man opened the rear car door, lifted me on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carried me inside the building. Though my head was normally looking down, I was able to move it to determine we were in some sort of warehouse. He carried me into an office, and set me onto a chair. The other man proceeded to tape me to the chair. There were very few words spoken by the men during the entire procedure.

When they were done, they turned out the light, left the office and closed the door. I heard what appeared to be a third voice beyond the closed door. It was all in Spanish, but I could swear that the third voice belonged to Raul. After a few minutes I heard the outer door close, and then total silence.

I sat still for a long while gripped in utter fear. It was mostly dark, but there was some faint light coming in from the high windows. I started thinking of whether there was any chance of escape. The tape was really tight on my body. I was able to move the chair a bit, but I was also afraid of overturning it. I looked around the office to see if there was anything I could use as a tool. The only metal objects I could discern were a couple of trays on the desk. I was losing hope and very, very scared.

As time passed, I thought about what I had done with my life. I realized I had been very selfish. Sure, I helped out friends in need, but mainly I had only thought about myself, my career, my finances, my well-being. I couldn’t achieve a meaningful relationship with any woman I had liked. Every time I felt I could have, I seemed to find a reason it could not work. That is until Patty. I couldn’t blame myself for that breakup. My God, if I had never met Patty, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.

My mind was racing on with all kinds of thoughts. Who would miss me if I died? Maybe my Mom. I believe she would be the only one. And heck, I only see her once a year. So if I die today, it will be no big loss. That’s not much of a legacy for thirty three and a half years on earth.

The thought process continued on for hours. There were times I dozed off, but it was not for long. Suddenly I heard a noise, breaking glass. Had my captors returned? I listened for all I was worth. Then I noticed a moving light, like somebody was using a flashlight. I heard doors open and close. The light flashed on my office door. It opened suddenly, and I was bathed in light. I couldn’t see the person holding the light.

“Thank God I found you!” spoke the voice.

To my most grateful astonishment, it was Tony.

Lou Giattino is a Green Valley resident and author.

Excerpt

Green Valley author Lou Giattino provides an excerpt from his book “Prime Victim,” just released by Publish America. In the fictional book, Jeff Carter is a young engineer living the thirty-something life. While attempting to help a girlfriend investigate strange happenings at her workplace, he inadvertently stumbles upon a large and sophisticated narcotics ring. Unbeknownst to him, a friend of his is part of the drug group. It leads to Jeff’s kidnapping and subsequent attempted murder. With the help of another friend and the police, he is able to escape the kidnappers and assist in exposing the offenders.

If you’re a local author, and you want to provide an excerpt of your book for Green Valley News readers, contact Editor James Bennett at jbennett@gvnews.com.