by Jill Shannon
Hailey walked up to Cindy and really looked at her. At that moment, she was so glad she had chosen not to run. Cindy was small and defeated. A feeling of rage overcame Hailey for what he had done to her. If she was correct, Cindy's arm had been broken and was not healing correctly. Plus, her face still showed the shadows of discoloration on her cheeks and eyes. Those were the bruises she could see; she could only imagine the hidden ones. Never in her life had she felt the need for revenge more. Yet, she knew she couldn't do a thing. Not until they were away from their jailer. So, she focused on Cindy instead. "Are you okay?" she whispered. Cindy gave a weak head nod. "I'm going to figure a way out of this, just hang in there. Okay?" Again, she received an affirmative head nod.
They stood as Lori was also added to Cindy's belt, creating a triangle effect. "I'll be back for the rest of you," their jailer shouted as he grabbed the middle chain.
Yanking them forward and eliciting a scream of pain from Cindy had Hailey speaking up. "You don't have to do that. Haven't you done enough damage? I'm sure whoever is paying you to do this doesn't want damaged goods!"
"She got what she deserved. Now, move it." They followed him through a tunnel that led to a five-foot ledge surrounded by water. Crates were lined along the wall leading to another opening on the other side of the ledge. A small fishing boat floated in the water, tied to what looked like a new dock. The roar of the falls fifty feet away echoed off the walls. He led them to the pier, pulling out his radio.
The noise of the waterfall made it hard for the women to hear, but Hailey strained her hearing, trying to listen.
After the radio beeped twice, she heard an aggravated voice faintly say, "What?"
"I'm bringing you the worst three first to secure them. Be ready," he shouted back.
Then, slipping the radio back into his pocket, he jumped the short distance onto the boat. Holding the chain, he turned and pulled Cindy by her broken arm, tugging her onto the boat. Hailey and Lori jumped down as well.
The scream of Cindy's pain could be heard over the crashing sound of the water. Both women came to each side to help. "Are you a fucking moron? You know her arm is broken! Were you one of those kids who hit animals as a kid?" Hailey screeched at him.
Their jailer didn't even react. Securing them to a post, he moved to the instrument panel, starting the boat. Then moving to the moorings, he released it. Returning to the captain's chair, he shouted over his shoulder, "You all might want to take a seat." A canopy then released from above his seat to the stern of the boat.
The boat began to move as the women sat on the floor. Hailey took this opportunity to try to devise a plan. "Lori," she spoke loud enough for her to hear. "Do you have any swimming skills?" Lori's face showed the concern she was feeling, but she nodded yes. "Good, because they are going to have to transfer us to another boat. When that happens, we can slip in the water. We are going to have to help Cindy too. Can you do that?"
"But how are we going to swim with our hands cuffed? This is crazy, Hailey. It will never work," Lori answered in a huff.
"We have to try. Do you want to be sold to the highest bidder to live out your days in servitude? I don't. I'd rather die trying to save my life than just give in, hoping another opportunity will come along. We can do this."
The women stopped talking as the boat passed under the falls, the canopy protecting them, for the most part, from getting soaked. But with the sound of the falls getting further away, it was harder to talk. "We don't know where we are or how far it is to land. Plus, the minute we surface, they will just get us from the water," Lori whispered.
"I'll never make it," Cindy's hushed voice spoke up.
"We'll get you there, Cindy. Trust us. You need to hold your breath as long as you can, and we'll do the rest."
It didn't take them long to reach their destination. Their boat circled around once then pulled up to the stern of a very large boat where they were to be transferred. Their jailer threw a line to a man standing on the platform of the large boat. Once it was secured, he cut the engine to an idle, yelling over to the man, "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be. Ethan, I presume?" Alex asked the masked man. "Let's get this over with." The man sounded very impatient.
"The one and only." Ethan then moved to the back of the boat and unlocked the women from the post. Stepping over the side to the platform, he tugged the chain, making the three women follow suit. He walked over to the man and handed him the chain.
The women could now see what their new captor looked like. Hoping to find some compassion from him, Hailey shouted out, "We don't belong here. We were all taken from our families, and we want to go home."
Before she could say another word, Ethan's hand slapped her across the face. "See what I mean, troublemakers, all three of them."
Hailey could taste the blood in her mouth from her busted lip, yet her eyes still pleaded with his. Their eyes locked for a moment before he turned his look away. Hailey knew then, they would get no help from him. She made eye contact with Lori and Cindy, giving them both a slight nod of her head. Each woman understood her meaning. They stood there for what felt like an eternity when a strikingly beautiful woman joined them. Taking that as their opportunity for a distraction, Hailey, Cindy, and Lori all ran and jumped over the side of the boat.
The chain ripped from his hands, Alex was startled into action. He began to follow them over the side of the boat when a large hand slapped him on the chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Let them struggle for a while. Then you can go save them. It will teach them a good lesson as they sink to the bottom." Ethan jumped back into his fishing boat.
"Where are you going? We need to get them!" Alex barked back at him.
"I don't have to do a fucking thing but go back and get the rest of those bitches. Those three are now your responsibility. Wait until they surface, then scoop them up. They have to come up for air sometime." With that said, Ethan revved the engine and pulled away from the Dark Horse, his evil laughter filling the air.
Willow, Luca, and Hunter approached the opening to the cove. Hunter pointed up to them. All three surfaced and treaded water. Judging the distance from the opening to the falls, Hunter determined it to be approximately five hundred feet. Knowing they would need more time, he told everyone listening, "Willow and I will continue past the Dark Horse to the opening of the falls. We'll stay to the side. This way, we have more than enough time to get to the women."
"Seeing the distance now, I have to agree with you. Plus, we don't know how far behind the falls we will have to travel." Willow added, "Luca, you still go to the boat. As soon as he leaves, let us know."
With their new plan in place, the three sunk down beneath the water, swimming toward their destinations. Willow and Hunter had just made it to the waterfall when they heard Judge through their earpieces, "Ethan contacted Alex. He's bringing three of the women out now. Are you all in position?"
Luca responded first, "Ready, Judge."
A few seconds later, Hunter answered for him and Willow, "We made it, Judge. We are watching Ethan leave as we speak. Going in."
Willow and Hunter surfaced after they passed through the falls. Stopping her, Hunter scanned the area for tripwires, cameras, and other people helping Ethan. Seeing nothing that would alert Ethan to their presence, they continued on to the ledge, cautiously climbing out of the water up the ladder attached to the dock. They proceeded to the ledge littered with crates, unsure of which direction to go first, so they entered the tunnel closest to the pier. Moving cautiously together with their scuba gear still on, passing through what looked like an office and a makeshift kitchen area, they continued on. Finding what looked like empty cells, they looked into each one as they moved down the pathway.
Willow whispered to Hunter, "Maybe those were the only ones used on this side? What if the rest of the women are on the other side of the ledge?"
"No, we are here. Who are you?" a voice squeaked out from behind another cell door. "He's only taking three of us
at a time. There are seven more of us."
Willow spoke before Hunter could say anything. "We're here to let you know help is on the way. Cooperate with him, and we will get you all out of this."
"How do we know you're not working with him, just to gain our cooperation?" another voiced asked.
"Because we believe he's taken one of our friends. We will not betray your trust. Cooperate, get out of here onto the boat he's going to transfer you to, and we will be there to help get you off. I promise," Willow pleaded.
"What's your friend's name?" a snippy voice came from behind yet another door.
"Hailey," Willow confirmed.
Before the women could say anything more, Luca's voice yelled through their earpieces, "Guys, we have a problem. The three women Ethan brought just plunged into the water. They are all chained together. What do I do?" Hunter looked at Willow as Luca continued. "Plus, Ethan is pulling away."
"We need to move now," Hunter told Willow, grabbing her upper arm. "We have to help Luca save them."
"Who do you have to save?" another voiced questioned.
"The three women who just jumped off the boat into the cove," Hunter replied quickly. "Let's go, we need to leave." He pulled Willow along with him.
"One of those women was named Hailey. Maybe she's who you're looking for?" the snippy voice told them.
Willow shook off Hunter's grip and ran to the door. "Are you sure? She went missing about four days ago."
"Sounds about the right time," the voice told her.
Willow started running past Hunter, saying, "Let's go; we have to help her." As the two made their way back to the ledge area, Ethan was back and securing the boat to the dock. Hunter grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back, halting her from being seen. They made their way over to the crates, taking cover behind them. Hunter kept his eyes on Ethan as he surveyed the area. He couldn't get a look at his face behind the mask. He sensed that Ethan felt something wasn't right by the way he looked around. But Ethan was so focused on moving the next set of women, he neglected to see the most obvious sign of their visit, the water they had left behind on the dock. Hunter whispered, "As soon as he disappears, so do we."
Hunter took Willow's hand and led her to the far side of the ledge, helping her slip into the water, following right behind her. The two swam as fast as they could back to the Dark Horse.
"Have you found them yet? Hunter asked as they cleared the waterfall.
"Yes, I'm pushing them away from the Dark Horse. Sharing my air, but I won't last long with the three of them and me."
Willow yelled through the earpieces, "Start heading toward the Black Rose. Hang in there, Luca, one of them is Hailey. Do whatever you have to until we get there. We're on our way."
Jax stood in utter disbelief at the chaos happening before her eyes. She had walked out onto the platform to see what was being loaded onto the Dark Horse, only to see three chained women run and jump off the side of the boat. A huge man with his face covered, who, she assumed, was Ethan stopped Alex from jumping in to reclaim the women, telling him to 'let them struggle.'
"Is he fucking nuts?" she screamed into her head. Then, needing an explanation, she yelled out, "What the hell is going on?"
That was when Ethan removed his palm from Alex's chest and got back into his boat, telling them that those women were their responsibility then adding over his shoulder, "You might want to go now. Those three will drop like stones." Jax heard the humor in his voice. "And this cove is mighty deep. I'll be back with the next three. Hopefully, you will have collected them by then." He hit the gas on the fishing boat, and he was gone.
Alex had ripped his shirt off and was throwing the items in his pockets on the platform floor. "I'm going after them. Before they all fucking drown. You wait here for that moron to come back."
"Alex, I told you nothing good would come of this."
"Not now, Jax! Just do what I tell you," Alex snapped back then dove into the water where the women had gone in.
Talking out loud and pounding her fist into her palm, Jax paced back and forth. "How could we be so stupid? Freaking women. They want us to transport women." She had not signed up for this. "Drugs, guns, even animals, would be better than women. How the fuck did we get into this shit." The tears started to leak out the corners of her eyes.
She was startled from her thoughts when Alex surfaced the water by the platform yelling, "Jax, get my tank. I think they dropped faster than that idiot thought. I need my fins and my mask with the light attached." Trying to catch his breath, he sat on the platform, wiping the water from his face. He turned to see Jax returning with what he had requested.
"Alex, what the hell is going on? Are we supposed to bring those women to Carlos?" Jax's worried voice asked.
"Apparently so. That's why Zapatero never told us what we would be transporting." He changed his voice to sound like Carlos when he repeated what he was told, 'Ask no questions, do as you're told, and your debt to me will be paid in full. With this one delivery.' He shrugged the tank onto his back, pulling and securing the straps to his chest. Adjusting the light on his mask, he kissed her on the cheek and apologized, "You were right; we should have never done this." Then he sat back down onto the platform, putting his fins on. "I'll fix this Jax, I promise." Then he slipped back into the dark water.
She yelled after him, "Yeah, sure you're going to fix this! How the fuck do you plan on doing that?"
After Luca had settled the women's fears and began sharing his oxygen, they became more compliant. Hunter had instructed him to start moving in the direction of the Black Rose, and he was glad he had listened. Not long after, Luca had changed course, pulling the women along. He saw a light swimming down deeper where the women had gone into the water. Knowing that Hunter and Willow were heading that way, he spoke into his headset. "Alex must be looking for them. I saw a light head down in their direction. Avoid the Dark Horse!"
"Roger that, Luca," Hunter confirmed that they had heard. They headed in between the boat and the cove walls, swimming in a wider berth around the area and coming up behind Luca and the women.
Luca was almost out of air, and they still had a distance to go to get out of the cove. "I'm almost out of air. Where are you guys?"
"Right behind you; we are almost there," Willow yelled through the earpieces.
Luca said a silent prayer of thanks. Signaling to the women that help was coming, he pointed over their shoulders. He did this so he wouldn't have the same fight as before. However, this time, Willow swam straight to Hailey, immediately sharing her alternate air supply with her.
Hailey didn't realize who was now sharing air with her, but she didn't care at the moment. They were off that boat and still alive. Whoever these people were, they had to be angels sent from Heaven. Another man joined the group and immediately shared a bit of air with Cindy and Lori, all the while moving them further away from the boat. With the two swimmers joining the man, they began moving faster through the water. Hailey and Lori kicked their legs, trying to help, but their clothes were weighing them down.
The group made it around the bend of the cove, and Hunter pointed up toward the surface. All of them began swimming up. When their heads were above water, Hunter sighed a breath of relief. They had made it. Pulling his mask away from his face, he asked, "Is everyone okay?"
Hailey and Lori hit the surface, sucking in gulps of air. Noticing Cindy wasn't doing the same, Hailey began slapping her in the face to wake her. Cindy's eyes fluttered open, gasping for air then passing out again. "I don't know who you are, and we don't have time for introductions, but this woman needs medical attention, like right away."
"Hailey, it's Hunter and Willow." Willow had pulled her mask away so Hailey could see her.
Hailey's head twisted back and forth, and realizing she knew these people had her bursting into tears and blubbering, "How did you know?"
"We'll get to that later. Right now, we need to get you three to the Black Rose," Hunter told her.
It didn't take long for Viking to find them. They gently slid Cindy onto the wave tender and then helped Lori and Hailey on as well. "We'll meet you at the Black Rose. Cindy needs help now. Move," Hunter shouted.
Hailey watched as Hunter and Willow disappeared from sight. Her attention then focused on the extremely large man wearing a Celtic Demons' cut, driving the boat. Her instinct told her to be wary, but because of Willow and Hunter, she had to assume he was one of the good guys.
Ethan had delivered two more sets of women by the time Alex resurfaced empty-handed. Jumping from the water onto the platform and sitting, he removed his fins and mask. Jax came up behind him to help remove his tank. "I couldn't find them, Jax." He bowed his head in defeat. "Three women are dead because of me."
"This is not your fault." She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "They jumped on their own. They knew the consequences."
Alex stood with a disgusted look on his face as Ethan returned with the last set of women, shrugging off her hand and her excuses. "I should have listened to you. We should have never been here." Lowering his voice, he told her, "Once Ethan has unloaded the last of them, we'll get the fuck out of this cove. Then we'll figure a way out of this."
"So, you didn't find them?" Ethan asked after the last of the women were transferred onto the Dark Horse. "No big deal. Those bitches got what they deserved. They weren't worth the trouble they created. Besides, I can always collect a few stragglers," Ethan bragged behind his mask.
Jax held Alex back from hitting him. The two could not believe the evil malice that dripped from this man. "How can you be so cold?" she probed. She helped the women struggling to stay on their feet to gain their balance.
