“How long have we got?” I ask.
“Maybe twenty minutes. You need to get out, now.”
“Call Doctor, get him back here.”
“I called him first; I thought you might need him. He’s on his way.”
I attach the Bluetooth to my ear to free up my hands. I dress quickly in the jeans and t-shirt that Doctor left for me. I throw Ben a pair of jeans and t-shirt too, and nod for him to get dressed.
He doesn’t hesitate. He’s dressed within seconds.
Doctor comes through the door, wearing a look of concern. “You two need to move. Agent just called me.”
I point to the Bluetooth, indicating that I’m already on it.
“Give us directions out of here,” I say to Agent.
I stuff a few wads of the cash that we took from the whorehouse into my pockets. I throw a wad to Ben and look at the rest of the hundreds and fifties sitting in piles on the bed side table.
“Have you made the phone call about the whorehouse yet?” I ask Agent.
“Not yet. In an hour.”
“Get a record of all the girls that are rescued. Give their names and the addresses of their families to Doctor.”
“On it, but you need to move.”
I look at Doctor and then the pile of cash, which is easily about a hundred thousand dollars.
“Divide the cash and send it to the girls’ families. They’re going to need all the help they can get to get them off the shit that’s been pumped through their bodies.”
Doctor nods once.
“And get out of here. Once they find that we’ve been here with you, they’ll drag you into it all.”
“Understood.” Doctor stuffs the backpack with the money and waits.
I look at Ben, he’s ready and waiting. Doctor is ready too.
“Get us out of here,” I say to Agent.
My heart’s pounding; pumping adrenaline throughout my system. The anticipation of the police charging through the door any minute is thrilling, and my excitement is building. I’m running against time, against the authorities, and I need to stay one step ahead.
“Fuck, they’re out on the street, 15.”
“Create a diversion, get us out of here.”
“Stay where you are. There are four hotels on the same block, they’re coming into yours. What I’m going to do is set off the fire alarms in all four hotels. I’ll set yours off third. When you hear the second one, you’ll have twenty seconds before I set your hotel’s alarm off. Make sure you take the stairs, go to the lobby and just waltz nonchalantly out the front.”
I stand by the door, Ben and the Doctor behind me, ready to go on my word.
The first fire alarm goes off. The sound is faint but it must be loud, because I can still hear it through the hotel walls.
I count to twenty and hear the second fire alarm go off.
“Move,” I say to both men. “Keep your heads down. Hold hands and pretend you’re a couple. Take the stairs down to the lobby and follow me out.”
As we make the top of the stairs, I turn to see that Doctor and Ben are holding hands, looking like a couple in love.
We get to the second flight of stairs, and our hotel alarm starts ringing. We pick up speed and reach the lobby quickly.
“Compose yourselves. Remember, you’re a couple. Wait for five seconds then follow me out. Don’t let go of each other, but make sure you keep me in sight,” I instruct them and disappear through the stairwell door into the lobby.
I don’t look over my shoulder, not wanting to give anyone the idea that we’re connected or that I’m trying to get out of here. I just have to trust that Ben and Doctor are following.
When I get out to the street, there are police everywhere, along with fire trucks. People from the three hotels are milling around, looking up at the buildings and along the street and trying to figure out where the fire is. Others have emerged from nearby bars and restaurants to gawk at the commotion.
I blend in, looking around me, trying to appear like the many other concerned bystanders as they stare and wonder what’s happening.
I feel the heat of Ben press against my back, as the crowd grows in numbers and in concern.
“15,” Agent says in my ear.
“Yes,” I respond and wait for him to tell me where we’re going.
“Walk east six hundred feet until you reach the end of the block. Turn left and follow it until you reach Market Street, on your right. Follow it all the way to Darling Harbour. It’s about a one mile walk.”
“Okay,” I say as I pick up the pace and head in the direction Agent is sending us.
We pass a convenience store located on the corner of a busy street. As I wait for the light to turn green to cross the street, I whisper to Ben who’s on my right. “Keep going down the street. I’ll catch up to you soon. Don’t look back. Just keep going.”
“Alright, we’ll slow our walk,” he says. He continues, looking straight ahead.
I duck into the convenience store and buy four ball caps, five pairs of sunglasses, six bottles of water and a child’s soft toy. I get to the counter, and keep my head down so my features can’t be recognized in case the security camera footage is reviewed. I pay for everything with the cash that we took from the whorehouse and leave the store.
I bought the child’s toy to throw anyone off our trail, and to eliminate me as a suspect just in case they do look at the store’s security footage.
I leave and start a slow jog down toward Darling Harbour, not really having the time to sightsee or pay attention to anything more than I have to. My main priority is getting Ben and myself out of here before we’re detected.
As I’m jogging with the plastic bag, I can see Ben and Doctor ahead, still walking hand in hand, pointing out certain buildings, acting like they’re in love and looking over the city.
“Agent, check the parking garage we’re approaching, tell me if there are cameras and where they are.”
I hear the tapping of the keyboard and within seconds he responds, “Cameras inside but not in the stairwells. There are two stairwells; the closest one has fewer cameras working. The further one you need to go past six cameras.”
They get to an intersection and wait for the light to change color so they can cross the street, and I jog to a spot next to them. We can’t risk drawing attention to ourselves and being seen together.
“There’s a parking garage up ahead where the blue P is. I’ll meet you in the closest stairwell,” I whisper under my breath.
I get no response from Ben. He snuggles in closer to Doctor. He really is playing his part quite well. Maybe that’s why I had no idea he’s a member of the Pace family, because he can fucking act.
“There’s another entry point around the side of the building,” Agent says as I round the corner.
My body is taking a beating, my breath is getting short and my limbs are becoming heavy with exhaustion. An ache is burning deep inside my chest, dull, annoying, and draining.
This is what happens when the body becomes prey to addiction. Being bought and moved to another country while having a needle repeatedly shoved in my arm has taken a toll on me. My conditioning is shot.
“I’m inside the parking garage, entered from the west. Now where the hell do I go?”
“Far corner to your left, there’s a stairwell. There are no cameras in there, but you need to pass six to get to it.
I take a cap out of the bag, tuck my hair up under it and put it on. Walking with my head down, I casually walk across the garage to the stairwell.
When I open the door, I’m hit with the horrific smell that seems to haunt every dark, dingy, stairwell in the world. That nose-assaulting odor of urine mixed with other bodily wastes. I’m not staying in here any longer than I have to.
Strong arms wrap around me and a barrage of light warm kisses are peppered all over my face.
“Baby girl,” Ben says as he tightens his arms around me.
“Ben,” I reply as I d
rop the plastic bag and return his embrace.
“15, you gotta move,” Agent urges us through the Bluetooth.
I push away from Ben and look around for Doctor.
“He’s waiting upstairs for us,” Ben answers my silent question.
“Doctor,” I call and pick the white plastic bag up. I give Doctor a cap. He looks at it like it’s infested, and his taste is clearly insulted by this product from the low end of the market. He’s such a snob.
“What do you want me to do with this?” Doctor asks.
“Put it on, along with the sunglasses.” I hand him a pair of cheap, reflective glasses and he extends his arm, taking them with obvious distaste.
I shove them at him, not really caring whether he approves. I also give Ben a pair of sunglasses and a cap.
“You need to move, get down to Darling Harbour,” Agent says. “Look for a small boat on the furthest side, called The Sea Piper. There’s a guy waiting for you; he goes by the name of Peter.”
“Does he need payment?”
“Taken care of. He’ll get you to a cargo ship that’s already left Australia. They’re waiting for you.”
“Doctor?” I ask as I look over my shoulder at the older man who’s clearly not too happy about his cheap, weak disguise.
“I’ve taken care of him, too. He’ll be back in the country before you and Ben are.”
I trust Agent, so I’m not going to worry about Doctor. “Just make sure you get the names and addresses of the girls,” I say to Agent as I turn to Doctor. “We’ll leave you here. Agent will take care of you.”
“I’ll be fine.” Doctor shoos me away with a careless flick of his wrist.
“You ready?” I ask Ben. He nods once and straightens his back.
“15, I’ve org-...” The line goes dead. I take my cell out of my pocket and look at it. The screen is blank.
I try turning it on and it powers up, then immediately dies.
“Fuck!” I yell as I throw it hard against the smelly cold brick wall. “Check yours,” I say to Ben and point to his pocket.
“I’ve got charge, but only just.” He holds the phone up to show me.
“Power it down because we don’t know what we’ll need when we get to the ship.”
I turn to Doctor just before Ben and I are about to step out of the stairwell.
“Make sure you get back in one piece,” I say to Doctor.
“Ever so sentimental,” he quips within seconds.
Smart ass, I fucking pay him well to do his job. He shouldn’t complain.
“Just don’t get yourself killed,” I order, knowing if it’s going to happen, he really can’t avoid it.
“I can stitch myself up,” he replies with that deep, baritone voice.
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “See you back in the States.” I grab Ben’s hand and we start out across the parking garage. Heading toward Darling Harbour, we walk briskly, but not fast enough to draw attention.
Within ten minutes we’re walking past restaurants facing the calming water. There’s a bustle of people casually strolling along, stopping to examine the various restaurants’ menu sandwich boards set up on the sidewalk. I slow us down to keep pace with the crowd, blending into our surroundings.
“We’re looking for a boat named The Sea Piper. The captain’s expecting us,” I say to Ben in a casual tone, in case anyone overhears.
Still holding the plastic bag, I look out for the boat that’ll be taking us.
All different shapes and sizes of boats are floating in the water. They bob up and down, rolling with the waves.
I see a few kids with their parents here. I’d love to stop and give one of them the stuffed toy that I bought at the store. But how weird would that look to the parent? A grown woman giving a toy to a child, yeah, I’d kill any mother fucker that dared to approach my kid.
I see what looks like a tug boat docked up ahead with The Sea Piper written in faded green paint along its side.
When we get to the boat, there’s a man in about his mid-thirties sitting on a piling near where The Sea Piper is tied.
He looks me up and down, and then his eyes move over to Ben.
A deep frown furrows his eyebrows and he squints at us.
He has a heavy beard, so it’s preventing me from seeing his entire face. He looks me over again and then back to Ben.
“15,” he says looking at Ben. Ben shakes his head and his eyes travel over to me. “You’re 15?” he asks in a surprised, almost high-pitched voice.
I smile at him, not saying a single word.
“Well damn, you’re not what I expected,” he says as his eyes sweep over my body again.
I turn away from him, and get on the boat. Ben follows and then Peter gets on.
I swear I’ll take his eyes out with my fingers if he keeps looking at me like he wants to fuck me.
“We’ll be intercepting the cargo carrier in approximately three hours, so sit back and relax,” he says, and sleazily checks me out again.
Looking over at Ben, I can see the anger rising in him. His eyes have glazed over and he’s running his hand through his hair, his trademark sign of worry and every other negative emotion he experiences.
Peter goes to the front of the tug boat and starts it so we can get out of here.
“Don’t stress it, Ben. We need him to get us to the cargo ship.” I place my hand on Ben’s forearm and I can feel his muscles tight beneath my fingers.
“He’s looking at you like he wants to fuck you,” he growls, just loud enough for me to hear.
“So what? He won’t. Get over it. If he tries anything, he won’t ever see again.”
A small smile tugs at the corners of Ben’s lips. He grabs the bag from my hand and opens it to see what’s inside. He takes a bottle of water out, unscrews the blue lid and takes a huge drink from it.
“This is gonna be a long-ass day,” he says as he replaces the lid.
Within minutes, we’re making our way out of the Sydney Harbour, to where warm water meets cold, and the shitty little tugboat is rocking from side to side.
“A long fucking day,” Ben says again as he hangs off the side of the boat.
He’s looking very green.
Anna
The cargo ship is huge, full of giant storage containers being transferred from Sydney to somewhere else.
I haven’t found the captain yet, and I’m seriously considering not searching for him.
He probably knows we’re here, since there was a rope ladder waiting for us over the side of the ship between the endless rows of containers.
Ben and I have kept hidden all the same. We don’t want to alert anyone who isn’t supposed to know about us being here.
I did notice though, that there’s a great big, empty area in the middle of the ship and a large red outline of a circle painted directly on the mid-ship deck.
That snake-bite feeling starts to slide through me, a cold chill washes over every inch of my skin. The serpent is close by, coiling, waiting for its prey to step inside its trap. Something’s off, not right. I breathe in a deep breath through my nose, and the hair on the back of my neck prickles, stands and screams at me to be careful.
I look around us, and I can feel my body becoming hyperaware of every sound, smell and sight around us.
Ships like these are often attacked by pirates wanting to take possession of whatever treasures may be on board.
“Get your phone out. Call Agent,” I say to Ben in nothing more than a whisper.
“What’s going on?” he asks as he takes the phone out of his pocket.
“Something’s not right.”
The seas are calm, the ship’s slicing effortlessly through the water like a hot knife through butter. The sky is blue and the wind is sharp as it rolls off the ocean and caresses our skin.
But I can hear a noise in the distance. I look up into the skies and can’t see anything.
“Here,” Ben thrusts the phone to my outstretched waiting hand.<
br />
“15. I’ve been trying to contact you for hours.”
“What’s going on?” I ask Agent, hoping he can explain what’s causing the uneasy feeling I have.
“Get in the helicopter…” His call is disconnected.
I look at the screen and it’s black. I try powering it up and I get nothing.
“Helicopter’s incoming, we have to be on it,” I say to Ben. He automatically lifts his head and looks around the skies, trying to see something I haven’t caught sight of yet.
Within minutes the sound is deafening. The spinning rotor blades ripple the water and the moment it lands, Ben and I make a beeline straight for it.
We hop inside. In the front passenger seat there’s an older man, possibly in his seventies, with a full head of gray hair. He’s sitting harnessed in his seat, looking casually at me. Beside him is the pilot, who’s watching the cargo ship over his shoulder.
The old man touches his headset and points to the two that are hanging up in the back, indicating for Ben and me to put them on.
What the fuck is going on?
Ben and I look at each other and know whatever the fuck this is, it can’t be good.
I put the headset on and Ben does too. With small glances, I look around to see what I can use as a weapon to kill the old guy.
But the old man catches sight of my eye wandering around the back area. “Oh no, no, no, no, my dear. I’m not going to hurt you,” he says in a thick accent.
What is it? Russian? Serbian? Ukrainian?
It’s thick and coarse and the way he pronounces the ‘O’ is very rounded and full. He rolls the R in hurt.
“Taking off in ten, nine, eight…” the pilot counts down, and I look over at him.
“How the fuck did you land this thing on a moving ship?” I ask him.
He looks over his shoulder at me, and smiles. A dangerous smile, something I haven’t seen for a long time. “Because I’m good at what I do,” he answers with an American accent.
I feel a smile tug at my lips at his cocky answer.
But I know all too well what he means by that.
The HiT Series Page 51
