Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Sienna trembled, staring at him sourly.

  “Come along,” he said, brushing past her. “Those margaritas aren’t going to drink themselves.”

  ***

  Zach stood on the side of the pool, pulling at his collar. It was hot. This damn black suit that he was forced to wear felt like he was encased in a burial shroud. He furtively wiped his forehead, feeling the beads of sweat reappear as soon as he had done it. Hopefully Fitzpatrick wouldn’t want to linger out here too long.

  The man appeared suddenly. He had changed out of his regulation grey suit and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt covered in a light dressing robe. He sat down on a lounger, smiling, adjusting his dark sunglasses. A waiter materialised by his side immediately, handing him a freshly mixed margarita.

  Jack took the drink without looking at the waiter, staring out over the pool. He took a sip of his drink, then placed it on the side table.

  “Miller,” he called. “Has Sienna come out of her room yet?”

  “No, sir,” Zach replied quickly. “I haven’t seen her.”

  Jack frowned. “That woman is always dragging her feet. Another of her faults.”

  Zach felt his fists clench again. How much longer could he stand it, listening to this bastard put her down? It was taking much more self-control than normal.

  At that moment, Sienna walked out. She wore a filmy, brightly-patterned sun kaftan and wide brimmed hat. Her eyes were impenetrable behind dark, bat wing sunglasses.

  “Ah, there you are!” Jack’s voice was silky. “I was just about to send out a search party to look for you.”

  She sat down on a lounger across from him. “No need. Here I am.”

  The waiter walked up to her, handing her a drink. She smiled, thanking the man, then took a long sip.

  “A swim I think,” announced Jack, taking off his dressing gown. He dove into the pool, causing a splash so violent that Sienna was covered in water.

  “Sorry,” he said, watching her. “There’s no help for it now. You’ll just have to come in and join me. You’re wet anyway.”

  Sienna smiled tightly, flicking water off her arms. “I’m fine here, thanks.”

  He smiled, his eyes hard. “You really should cool off, Sienna.” He paused. “Now.”

  Zach watched as she stared at him. He couldn’t see her eyes through the sunglasses, but he could almost feel the resistance in her. Was she going to defy him?

  But then she sighed. She stood up, slowly, taking off her hat and sunglasses and placing them on the table beside her. Then she slowly took off the kaftan.

  Zach’s heart started beating faster. He didn’t think that he had ever seen anything as magnificent in his life.

  She was wearing a white one-piece bathing suit which clung to her figure as if she had been poured into it. He swallowed painfully, trying not to stare at her long, golden legs.

  She was simply the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

  He had known it before and felt it. But now it hit him in the face with so much force he could barely tear his eyes away from her. He could feel Fitzpatrick’s eyes on him, as if he was searching for a reaction.

  He forced himself to stare over the edge of the boat, towards the sea. Don’t look at her, he told himself fiercely. And whatever you do don’t look at him.

  He heard the splash as she dove into the pool, but he kept steadfastly staring out over the water. This was costing him dearly. The thought of her swimming through the water in that bathing suit and Fitzpatrick watching her. Like she was his personal performing seal, he thought darkly. His fists clenched again.

  His nostrils flared slightly with the effort of it. He wanted to drag that son of a bitch out of the water and beat him to a pulp. And then he wanted to take her as far away from here as he could. He wanted to grab her and keep running. Why the hell wouldn’t she let him?

  But he knew why. Lola.

  He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. The sooner he set to work and found out what had happened to her friend, and if she was still alive, the better. Then this whole pitiful charade could end, once and for all.

  He was due for a break in half an hour. He planned to use that time wisely. Enough was enough. He needed to get to work.

  ***

  Zach sat in the small cabin he had been assigned for the trip, staring down at his half-eaten sandwich. He knew he should eat, but he had no appetite. His stomach was still churning from Fitzpatrick’s little power play with Sienna at the pool.

  He could hear voices laughing and chatting excitedly from above. Fitzpatrick’s very important guests had arrived, and he was turning on the charm. His stomach tightened again. Was Sienna still there, or had she managed to escape from him for a little while? He hoped that she had managed to plead a headache and was resting, just for a little while. He had seen how much it cost her to keep obeying him.

  He stared out of the small cabin window, watching the shoreline recede. Now that all the guests had arrived, they had headed out onto the water. Zach had been introduced to the captain, who had told him that they were heading to a small island. The first of three that Fitzpatrick was planning to take them to this weekend.

  He stared down at the sandwich in disgust then threw it into the bin. He couldn’t eat.

  There was a soft knock at the door. He jumped slightly, then opened it.

  It was her. His heart started to thud again. How had she managed to get away from them all?

  “Quickly,” he said, letting her in and shutting the door firmly behind her. Then he turned towards her.

  She had changed, again. Now she was wearing a smart black cocktail dress. She had put her hair up into a bun and he could see tiny diamonds sparkling in her ears. Her lips were glistening red.

  “I don’t have much time,” she whispered, staring at him. “I have to be back on the deck in ten minutes.”

  He nodded, staring down at her. The cabin was so small they were almost nose to nose. He could smell her perfume, wafting up towards him like a dream. Get a grip, he told himself fiercely.

  But it seemed that where Sienna Carter was concerned, his body had a mind of its own. It took all his effort not to reach down and kiss that mouth again. Press her against him and never let her go.

  She didn’t appear to notice the effect she was having on him or was choosing to ignore it. She gazed up at him with a determined glint in her eye.

  “This is where Lola disappeared,” she whispered quickly. “The night I escaped we were both on this boat. She argued with Fitzpatrick, and I saw him drag her out of a room.”

  Zach’s eyes widened. “It happened here?”

  She nodded quickly, her eyes flickering towards the door. “Yes. I don’t think she’s still here, obviously. He would have taken her somewhere else. But maybe we should investigate the boat to try to find clues as to where he might have held her that night.”

  Zach nodded, too. “It’s a start, at least. Something might tell us where he has taken her and is hiding her.” He paused, staring down at her. “But you should come to terms with the fact that he mightn’t be hiding her at all, Sienna. Lola might be dead.”

  Her eyes widened. “Lola isn’t dead.”

  “How can you be so sure?” he whispered. “If they fought that night and he lashed out, he mightn’t have even meant it. He could have thrown her body over the side of the boat or anything.”

  She shook her head vigorously. “She isn’t dead. He knocked her out, so she wouldn’t keep arguing, then took her where he wanted her to be.” She took a deep breath. “I know, you see. I know what he was planning. She didn’t want to do it. So, he forced her.”

  Zach felt a chill settle over him. “What are you saying? What was he wanting her to do?”

  Sienna took a deep breath. “He runs a slave trade, Zach. A prostitution ring, where he ships women overseas and sells them to the highest bidder.” She laughed bitterly. “I told you he was evil. Rotten to the core.”

  “He
sells women against their will?” He couldn’t believe he was hearing this. The unspeakable bastard!

  She nodded, sighing. “I had no idea he did it. But I do now. And he probably realises I heard that night.” She stared up at him earnestly. “Now you know why I must find her. Before it’s too late, and she is shipped out of the country entirely.” She swallowed painfully. “That’s if she isn’t already gone.”

  ***

  Zach stuck his head out the cabin door, listening intently. It had just gone midnight, and up until an hour ago when he had retired for the night Fitzpatrick had still been entertaining his bevy of guests.

  Sienna had quickly left his cabin after dropping her bombshell, and it had been time for him to re-emerge from his break as well. The party had moved from pool side to the large elegant sitting room, where the guests had been mingling, sipping cocktails. After half an hour he had led them to a large dining table, where they had spent the rest of the night eating a three-course meal and sipping expensive wines.

  He had been a bit shocked to see who was among his guests. The most famous were the movie star Veronique Pascal and the current governor, Jerry Edmonds, who was retiring soon. Zach knew that he was backing Fitzpatrick to succeed him. But there was also a smattering of minor politicians as well as some models.

  Zach could barely suppress a sardonic smile, watching the group fawning over Fitzpatrick. Did they know what he was involved in? Were some of them involved in it as well? He thought nothing had the capacity to surprise him anymore.

  Fitzpatrick was especially attentive towards Miss Pascal, making sure they were seated side by side for the entire night. The movie star was obviously entranced by him, as well, judging by the way her eyes sparkled when he talked, and the way she leaned towards him, making sure her ample cleavage, which spilled out of her low-cut dress, was always in his eyeline.

  Zach would bet his bottom dollar she was probably the movie star that Ted had hinted was involved with Fitzpatrick. Was the famous civil rights lawyer—his other paramour—here as well? He wasn’t overly familiar with what she looked like, but he had heard of her. Still, he thought now it was probably unlikely. Why would Jack Fitzpatrick pit both his mistresses against each other? More likely he would invite just one.

  He had obviously carefully arranged this weekend long before he had informed Sienna of it. There was no way he could assemble a group like this at such short notice. The story that he just impulsively decided to sail this weekend was a lie, just like so much else. Was the man capable of telling the truth at all?

  The night had dragged on. He was glad to see that Sienna had managed to excuse herself early. She had been starting to look pale and weary.

  Zach listened intently, now, cocking his head to the side. No, they had all gone to bed at long last. It was time.

  He crept down the corridor softly, trying to make the least amount of noise possible. When he got to the end of it, he saw her. She had changed into black jeans and a dark top. She smiled slightly when she saw him.

  “The coast is clear,” she whispered. “All the guests are in bed, and most of the crew as well. The only ones up are the captain and security on the top deck.”

  He nodded, staring down at her. “Lead the way.”

  He followed her through the boat. She stopped at a door, listening intently, then opened it. He followed her into it, and she closed the door firmly behind them. He stared around.

  It looked like a parlour, filled with expensive antiques and a bookcase. She turned to him.

  “This is where I was sitting.” She turned around and stared at another doorway. “And that is the room where he and Lola had their fight.”

  Zach took a deep breath. “What are we waiting for?”

  Sienna grinned, then quickly turned, opening the door. He followed her into it.

  It was like a mini office, bedecked in a similar fashion to Fitzpatrick’s office back at the mansion. An antique wooden desk held prominent place in the room. He walked over to it, staring down at it. Then he started opening drawers, trawling through the contents. He had little idea what he was looking for, but he had to start somewhere.

  And that was when he saw it. A woman’s earring, at the back of a draw. He fished it out, holding it up so that Sienna could see. “Do you recognise this?”

  Sienna nodded slowly. “Yes. It belongs to Lola. She was wearing those earrings that night.”

  He studied it carefully. It was a clip-on earring, which was probably why it had dislodged so easily in the struggle. He passed it to Sienna, and kept searching the drawers, but as far as he could tell there was nothing else that might be relevant.

  He looked around the room, spying another door. “Is that where she was dragged away?”

  Sienna nodded. He took the earring from her and placed it back in the same place he had found it then stepped towards the door. He stared back at her. “Coming?”

  But Sienna seemed rooted to the spot. After a second, she composed herself, but she was still pale. “Yes. We have to find out.”

  He opened the door, stepping into a long corridor. It was dark; so dark that he had to squint his eyes to see properly. He reached back, taking her hand to guide her down it. He tried to ignore the spark that flared to life the minute that his skin touched her own.

  The corridor seemed to go on forever. But eventually they reached another doorway. He let go of her hand to turn the knob, pushing it open.

  It was a small room, with nothing in it but a low bench in one corner. Zach stepped inside, frowning. Sienna walked slowly inside as well, staring around her.

  “Have you ever seen this room before?” he whispered, examining it.

  “No,” she whispered back. “Never.”

  He crouched down near the bench, his eyes travelling swiftly over it. A glint of gold in a far corner caught his eye. He reached down and picked up the object, turning it over in his hand.

  It was an earring. The same as the one they had just found in Fitzpatrick’s drawer. It belonged to Lola.

  Zach didn’t say anything. He handed it to Sienna, whose hand clasped over it tightly.

  “This must have been where they took her,” he whispered, staring hard at her. “They must have held her in this room until they could get her off this boat.”

  Sienna’s eyes filled with tears. “I should have confronted him,” she whispered, bitterly. “I should have found an axe and broken down that door before he could take her.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “But I ran away instead. Like a cowardly dog.”

  Zach stared at her. “Sienna, what could you have done? Even if you had an axe to break down that door you couldn’t have saved her. There isn’t any way you could have fought Fitzpatrick and his men. They would probably have tossed you into this room as well.”

  “I could have tried,” she whispered, still clutching the earring. “They might have beaten me to a pulp or even killed me, but at least I would have died knowing that I had tried.”

  He took her by her shoulders. “Listen to me. You are trying now. I didn’t want you to do this, but I saw that you had to. Don’t give up! This is good. Finding her earring means we know she was here. And there might be other things that she left behind.”

  He crouched down again, staring around intently. After a moment he sighed, standing back up. It didn’t look like there was anything else in here. He was just about to say to her that they should leave, when he heard her swift intake of breath, like a hiss.

  “What is that?” she whispered, pointing to the wall behind the bench. She walked over to it, tracing her fingers over the wall.

  He sat down next to her, blinking. He could just barely see it. Someone had carved something into the wall.

  He frowned, staring at it. It was a single word. The letters were carved roughly into the wall, as if someone had done it with a blunt object.

  Manta, it read.

  His frown deepened. What on earth did it mean?

  He turned around to ask Sienna
if the word held any significance for her, but the words froze on his lips. Something was wrong with her. Something was very wrong.

  “Sienna?” he whispered urgently. “What’s happening?”

  But she didn’t answer. Her face twisted, suddenly, as if in a spasm of pain. Her body started jerking and heaving. Her hands flew open, and the earring she had been holding flew across the room. Tremors shuddered violently through her, and she fell back, landing on the floor with a thud.

  He rushed over to her, putting his arms around her. Suddenly, her eyes flew open, and she started talking in a dull monotone as if she was reciting from a book.

  “They are in the room,” she intoned. “The dark space. They are frightened. They know what is coming.” There was a lull, and then she started speaking again. “There is a window. A window that is a circle. They have tried to break it, but the bars stop them.” She was talking so quickly now that each word was blurring into the next.

  Zach felt a growl spring up in his throat, low and deep. The wolf was emerging. He tried to suppress it with difficulty.

  “The room is the end,” she said quickly. “They know that once they are in that room there is no hope. But they were somewhere else before they came to it.” Her voice was breaking. “It is red. It is steel. It is red. It is steel.”

  Zach watched in horror as she kept repeating the words over and over, as if she were stuck in a loop. Frightened, he shook her, but she didn’t respond.

  Still growling, he picked her up in his arms. Her head hung slackly over his arm. Her eyes were still wide open, and she kept mouthing the words. What was wrong with her?

  He had to get her out of here. Whatever it was, it had been triggered by this room. Or perhaps the word carved into the wall. Either way, she wasn’t coherent. And they could be discovered here at any moment.

  He rushed out of the room, closing it firmly behind him.