by David Archer
The man who had spoken looked at her, and then he sighed. “If you kill them, there will only be more. Perhaps they will still punish us, but perhaps not. You know of the Nay Thas, so you must know what they are capable of. If you plan to kill them, then you will need more men than these.” He squinted at her. “You are American? American agents?”
“Nope,” Jenny said. “We’re just some people who’ve already lost girls we love to those monsters. Your government can’t stop them, nobody else seems to be able to stop them, so we decided to take the matter into our own hands. Now, I’m going to give you one more chance. You tell me where they took her, and then you and your friend can leave here. Are you stupid enough to pass that up?”
He sighed once more. “The Nay Thas is very powerful. Much of our government is involved, even the Royal Navy. These women were taken to Khram Yai, but you will never be able to bring them back.”
Jenny glanced over at Neil, who was pecking away at his computer on the hood of the car. “Whiz Kid? Any idea where that is?”
“Oh, hell, yeah,” Neil said. “Khram Yai island, in Pattaya Bay. It’s owned and under the jurisdiction of the Royal Navy, but it’s only used for occasional ground combat training exercises. It’s maybe two hours from here.”
Jenny looked back at the man who had answered her and smiled. “Well, it sounds like you told me the truth,” she said. “For that, you get your reward.” She turned to Randy Mitchell and held out a hand, and he passed her his Glock automatic.
Jenny jacked the slide to make sure there was one in the chamber, then pointed the gun at the man’s forehead and pulled the trigger. The one eye of his friend went wide, but then Jenny’s second bullet passed through his own brain.
“Geez,” Neil yelled, his own eyes as wide as they could be. “I thought you said you were going to let them go?”
“That’s the carrot,” Jenny said. “You have to give them something to hope for, then you use the stick—that’s me—to push them toward it. Between the pain and suffering I give them and the hope that they’ll live through it and survive, sooner or later they give in and give me what I want.”
“But you killed them!”
Jenny threw a quizzical look at him. “Of course I did,” she said, “they would’ve tipped off the Nay Thas that we were coming. We can’t have that.”
Neil stared at her for a couple of seconds, then turned and leaned over the fender of the car and began retching. Marco went to him and put a hand on his shoulder, but Neil pushed him away.
The bodies of the two men were put back into the car, and then Mitchell punched a hole into its gas tank. Gasoline began leaking out onto the concrete floor, but some tin cans they found in the building allowed him to catch more than a gallon of it. He poured all he could into the interior of the car and over the bodies, and then they drove their own car and the motorcycles out of the building. Mitchell parked his bike outside, then got off and went back in. He produced a book of matches and tossed one into the spreading pool of gasoline. Moments later, the car was engulfed in flames.
“Let’s get back to Bangkok and get the rest of our gear,” Noah said, “and then we’ll head for Pattaya. That will put us closer to the island, but not too far from our station in Bangkok.”
“I can go you one better,” Jenny said. “I know our station chief in Pattaya, and she happens to owe me a favor.”
Noah nodded. “Then you ought to let her know we’re coming, and might need to collect on it. Everybody ready?”
Everyone agreed that they were, but Neil raised a hand. Noah looked at him. “Yes?”
“I was just wondering,” Neil said, “but considering it’s past noon and we’ll be spending God knows how long on surveillance and planning, do you think we can stop and get lunch somewhere?”
* * * * *
It was getting hot in the box. The wood they were built from was dark brown, nearly black, and soaked up the heat of the afternoon sun even though the air temperature was slightly below seventy degrees. Both Sarah and Sharon were soaked in their own sweat, but it failed to cool them at all because there was no breeze that could reach them.
“Kayla?” Sharon called weakly. “I don’t know how much longer I can take this.”
“You can take it,” Sarah said. “Just try to think about someplace cool, that’ll help. Just hang in there.”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” Sharon said. “Yeah, it’s hot, but that’s making me need to go! I’m gonna pee myself if I don’t get out of here soon.”
Sarah chuckled softly. “Don’t feel bad,” she said. “I’m afraid I already went. If you sort of settle in the lowest corner it’ll run out through the cracks onto the ground.”
Sharon laughed, but there was something sarcastic about it. “How terrible is it that we even think about such things? You know how hard it is to balance in that position?”
“Yeah, but when it’s either that or pee your pants, you’ll find a way. I’m a lot more worried about how thirsty I’m getting than how bad this box is gonna smell by tomorrow.”
“You think it’ll be that long before they let us out?”
“According to some of the training I had, if you want to break someone you have to dehumanize them, make them feel like animals. That’s the whole purpose of putting us in a box like this, to take away our dignity. They’ll probably keep us here until we agree to whatever perversions they want us to put up with.”
Sharon was quiet for a moment, but then Sarah heard her sigh. “Well, that feels a little better. So, what happens when they start making demands? Do we give in?”
“I’m not going to give in right away. To be honest, I’m holding out hope that Noah is already on the way to get us, and I’d prefer to be able to look him in the eye and say nothing happened.” She bit her bottom lip for a moment before continuing. “On the other hand, staying in this box for more than a day or so will start to take its toll on us, and I mean physically as well as mentally. If you reach a point you feel you just can’t take it anymore, then we’ll—we’ll do whatever we have to do.”
When Sharon spoke again, Sarah could hear the tears in her voice. “What you’re saying is that if I give in, you will, too. Right?”
Sarah smiled and tried to let the girl hear it. “Well, I can’t let you get too far away from me, so where you go, I go.”
Another soft sob came out of Sharon’s box. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t give in if I can possibly resist. I’m just praying your Noah is as good as you say.”
Sarah’s smile got a little wider. “He is.”
TWENTY
Unwilling to waste a lot of time, Noah had insisted that they simply grab takeout on the way back to their hotel. They ate quickly while they packed, loading all of the luggage and equipment into the trunk of the rental car, and then Noah and Jenny checked out. It was nearing four o’clock in the afternoon when they pulled out, but they had to stop for gas before they left Bangkok. Four motorcycles and a Toyota made an interesting convoy, but no one seemed to pay a whole lot of attention.
The highway to Pattaya was surprisingly busy with traffic, so the trip ended up taking a little longer than usual. They pulled up to the Budsaba Resort Hotel, where Neil had hastily arranged rooms, at just after seven, and checked in quickly. There was a restaurant attached to the resort, and they gathered there for dinner just a half-hour later.
“Pretty much everybody here speaks at least some English,” Noah said, “so let’s be careful what we talk about when any of the staff is within earshot. Neil, how far is it to the island from here?”
“We’re only about three kilometers from the beach, and there is a place there where we can rent a fair-sized speedboat, big enough for all of us but not so big we have to hire a captain. I figured you can handle just about any boat you want to, so it seemed like the way to go. The island is about twenty kilometers away as the crow flies, and while tourists aren’t allowed on the island itself, I gather it’s not uncommon to go scub
a diving or snorkeling up close to it. I figured that might be a good cover, don’t you think?”
“That’s perfect,” Jenny said. “I love scuba diving. Some of us can put on a show, just in case someone on the island is watching, and maybe one or two of you can do a quick recon.”
Noah nodded his head. “Marco and I will do that,” he said. “It’s too late to try it today, but I want to be out on the boat as early as possible. Can we rent it online?”
“No,” Neil said, “’Fraid not. We have to go to the place and show ID, all the normal stuff, but it shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. They open at eight, so we can be on the water by nine and at the island by ten or so.”
Noah turned to Marco. “We’ll be in stealth mode,” he said. “Scuba to the island, then find somewhere to stash the gear while we do a deep recon. If Sarah and the target are there, we want full tactical intelligence, but we won’t make a move unless the opportunity is just too good to pass up. The last thing we want to do is alert these people that we’re coming, so that means no confrontations.”
Marco nodded his head. “I’m with you. We go in, we snoop around, determine what the obstacles are on the path to retrieving these girls and then we get out. Plan our next move after that, right?”
“The boys and I will play in the water,” Jenny said. “Be nice if we had another girl or two with us, that would look even better. Mind if I round up a couple?”
Noah nodded. “Go for it, if you can. I’d say there’s a good chance the people on the island are going to be watching any boat that comes close. If it looks like a party going on, they won’t be as likely to suspect what we’re really up to.”
Jenny grinned and took out her phone. She poked her thumb at it a few times, then put it to her ear. “Maggie? Hey, it’s Jenny. Yeah, I’m back in town, and I remember we promised to get together next time. Well, I’ve been invited out on a boat tomorrow for an all-day swim-and-snorkel party, but I’m gonna be the only girl with half-a-dozen guys. I thought maybe you could round up a friend and come along, help me even the odds out a little bit. Yeah, great! Okay, we’ll pick you up about 7:30 in the morning. Oh, I can’t wait to see you again. Where your sexiest bikinis, and don’t forget the sunscreen!”
She ended the call and looked at Noah. “Maggie’s the station chief here,” she said. “She’ll bring one of the girls from her office to help us round out the group.” She looked over at Neil. “Can we rent the scuba gear at the same place?”
“Yep,” Neil said. “They even sell swimsuits there, for those of us who didn’t bring any along.”
Jenny gave him an odd look. “You don’t pack a pair of trunks when you come out on a mission? What’s wrong with you, boy?”
* * * * *
It was getting dark outside, but the darkness had already settled into the boxes. Both Sarah and Sharon had drifted in and out of sleep, lulled into it by the late afternoon heat that built up. Sarah couldn’t guess how hot she had gotten, but it was hot enough to make her head swim.
Once, during the day, she was sure she had heard a helicopter approaching the island and landing, but she didn’t recall hearing it leave again. That could mean it was still there, or that she had simply slept through its departure. When you’re hot enough to be woozy, it’s easy to miss out on a few details of what’s going on.
Peeking through a crack in the boards, she could barely discern the glow of sunset in the distance. Just enough light came through the trees for her to see that it had a reddish glow, but she couldn’t really detect shadows anymore. She had tried to be careful throughout the day, only talking to Sharon when she was fairly sure no one else was hereby, but it was always possible someone could approach them quietly enough that she wouldn’t hear.
“Sharon?” Sarah called softly.
“I’m here,” the girl answered. “Think it’ll cool off any, with the sun going down?”
“Yeah, it’ll get cooler before long. Probably cooler than we like, to be honest. I just wondered how you’re holding up, you doing okay over there?”
“Not really. My back is cramping, and so are my calves. My butt feels like I’ve been sitting on sharp rocks all day. How about you?”
“It’s definitely not comfortable in here,” Sarah said with a derisive chuckle. “Did you hear a helicopter a while ago?”
“Yeah, I did. I was hoping it was your Noah, but I guess it wasn’t.”
“No, I guess not. Did you hear it fly away? I think I dozed off, so I don’t know if it’s still here or not.”
“Yeah, couple hours ago. Seemed like it went off in the same direction it came from. Is that important?”
“Not really, I guess. I just wish there was some way for me to let Noah know that these people have access to a helicopter. This is obviously some kind of organized crime operation, but it would really suck if he comes to get us and they can call in reinforcements by air.”
Sharon was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Do you really think he’ll come?”
Sarah sighed. “He has to,” she said. “You are the mission, and he can’t go back without you. Failure is not a word in his vocabulary. He’ll be here, there’s no doubt about that.”
“But how could he even find us? Somehow I doubt anyone is going to volunteer the information about where we’ve been taken.”
“They will by the time he gets done with them,” Sarah said. “This is kind of a terrible thing to say, that people like us don’t worry about stuff like the Geneva Convention. If he wants to know something, somebody’s going to tell him.”
Sharon mulled that over for a moment. “That’s kind of scary,” he said. “What are you, like CIA or something?”
“No, I told you,” Sarah replied. “We’re the people the CIA calls when they have a problem and need someone to deal with it.”
The two of them fell silent for a bit after that, as the darkness settled in. No one had even bothered to check on them since they had been locked in that morning, so Sarah assumed they would be spending the night in the boxes. She twisted herself around to get as comfortable as she could, and tried to get back to sleep.
The heat in the box gradually lulled her to sleep, but it was fitful. She woke and dozed off several times before the dawn began to show through the cracks.
“You awake?” Sharon asked as the light spread slowly across the clearing.
“I am,” Sarah said. “Did you get any sleep at all?”
“Off and on. This isn’t exactly the most comfortable place I’ve ever tried to spend the night. Think anybody will even check on us today?”
“Yeah. They know we are hungry and thirsty and extremely uncomfortable in other ways. I think it’s time to start making their demands.”
Sharon groaned as she tried to twist herself into a more comfortable position. “If they’d just give us something to drink, some water or something. I’m hungry, but I can cope with that. It’s the thirst that’s driving me crazy.”
“I know what you mean. I don’t think my throat’s been this dry in years.” She hesitated for a moment, wishing they could see each other. “Sharon, if you don’t feel like you can hold out any longer…”
“I’m not to that point yet,” Sharon said. “I’m just worried about how soon they’re going to take the choice away from us.”
Sarah nodded, even though Sharon couldn’t see it. “I understand. I’m still hoping Noah will show up before it gets to that point.”
“Yeah. I hope so too.”
* * * * *
“Noah,” Jenny said, “this is Maggie.”
Noah shook hands with the pretty brunette. “Thanks for your help,” he said.
Maggie smiled and nodded. “Not a problem,” she said. She turned and nodded her head toward the girl beside her. “This is Julie. She’s my liaison with the embassy. Don’t worry, she’s cleared.”
Noah shook Julie’s hand. “I gather you both know Jenny,” he said. “I’m Noah, and the rest of this crowd is Neil, Marco, Jim, Dave
and Randy. Neil and Marco are with me, the rest of these guys work with Jenny.”
Julie smiled. “I’ve met Jenny’s boys before, but it’s a pleasure to meet Team Camelot. You guys are something of a legend.”
Jenny backhanded Noah on his arm. “That sucks,” she said. “I’ve been at this a year longer than you have, and nobody calls me a legend.”
“I think,” Neil said, “that has something to do with the fact that Noah is known for walking into deadly traps and turning them around on his enemies. I saw him carry explosives right into one of those traps and set them off in the bad guy’s face. He ain’t a guy you want for an enemy, trust me on that.”
“Well, there’s that, I guess,” Jenny said, “but some of us are smarter than that. The only trap I plan to walk into is the one I’m setting for somebody else.”
“Legends are nothing but conceit that’s bestowed on you by someone else,” Noah said. “I just do my job. For today, that means putting on a show to distract any guards that might be watching from the island. You three girls can play with the rest of these guys and make it as realistic as possible. While you’re doing that, Marco and I are going to be crawling the floor of the bay until we reach a spot on the shore that will let us get into the jungle. My target and one of my team are supposedly being held on that island, and I intend to get them back.”
Maggie grinned at him. “That’s another part of the legend,” she said. “Your girl keeps getting in trouble, and you keep risking her neck to get her out.”
“Team Camelot doesn’t leave anyone behind,” Neil said. “He’s risked his life for me and…” His voice trailed off.
“So I’ve heard. That’s why we’re glad we can help, this time. Neither of us was chosen for fieldwork, so we are more than happy to get a little shot at it.”
“All right, then let’s go,” Noah said. Maggie and Julie followed them to where the car and motorcycles were parked, and each of the girls climbed onto the back of a bike. Maggie rode with Jim, while Julie climbed on behind Randy. Jenny laughed at the two of them, then deliberately climbed on the back of Noah’s bike. “Just pretend I’m your girlfriend,” she whispered into his ear.
