Connor simply wanted to dash in, snatch her and flee the ship. But he knew he’d have to bide his time for the right moment if he was to rescue both the sisters. Besides, he was intrigued by the presence of this Mr Ali and the hope he offered.
‘Yes, I am on board,’ said the pot-bellied man, tapping the ash from his burning cigarette on to the floor. He eyed Emily and smiled; a tooth was missing, the others were tinged a sour yellow. ‘Yes, I have seen your family, and the crew. They’re all in good health … for the time being.’
Despite Mr Ali’s amiable tone, his last words smacked of a veiled threat. Mr Ali took another draw on his cigarette and casually blew smoke rings into the still air.
‘The pirates are demanding one hundred million dollars.’
‘One hundred million dollars!’ exclaimed Mr Sterling, staring at his mobile phone in disbelief. ‘That’s an outrageous figure.’
Colonel Black and Charley exchanged astonished looks. Such a ransom was unheard of. The demand was more than half the total payout for all Somali hostages the previous year.
‘It’s that, or you’ll never see your family again,’ said Mr Ali.
‘Don’t threaten me,’ snapped Mr Sterling.
‘Please, you must understand, I’m just repeating what the pirates ask me to. I don’t want your family or crew hurt any more than you do.’
‘Then tell your pirates that –’
Colonel Black shot Mr Sterling a warning look. They’d discussed their negotiation strategy. A calm, level-headed approach was necessary. Somali pirates were known to be clever aggressive negotiators and quick to take advantage of any signs of weakness.
Mr Sterling took a deep breath and composed himself. ‘That figure is too high. I can’t possibly raise such an amount.’
‘Mr Sterling, one hundred million dollars is barely ten per cent of your estimated wealth. I’m sure you can afford it.’
‘Estimated,’ repeated Mr Sterling emphatically. ‘Most of my wealth is tied up in companies.’
‘Then I’d advise you to start selling your companies.’
‘That’ll take months. I’m sure your pirates would prefer a quick resolution to this. Why don’t we agree two million and be done with it?’
A weary sigh was heard over the line. ‘I will ask, but time is what the pirates have in abundance.’
There was muffled noise as a hand covered the speaker at the other end. Charley thought she heard the sound of incredulous laughter. Mr Ali came back on the phone.
‘They refuse your offer. It’s one hundred million dollars. Nothing less.’
Mr Sterling clenched his fist. ‘But what they’re demanding is five times any previous ransom.’
‘This is simply business for the pirates, Mr Sterling. You must understand: supply and demand. Fewer hijackings means less supply. Therefore the pirates demand more. And what price can you put on family? Besides, one hundred million is nothing compared to what countries like yours have stolen from Somalia.’
Mr Sterling frowned, confused by the sudden line of argument. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Foreign trawlers plundering all our fish stocks. Tankers illegally dumping toxic waste on our shores. Your newspapers must have covered the story at some point.’
‘I’m sure they have. But those offences have nothing to do with me.’
‘That may be true,’ replied Mr Ali, ‘but they have everything to do with why these men are pirates.’
Mr Sterling went to respond, but Colonel Black held up his hand to silence him. They were getting bogged down in irrelevant argument. He hurriedly wrote a message on a piece of paper and passed it across the table.
Mr Sterling read the note, then said to Mr Ali, ‘Before we negotiate further, we need proof of life.’
Connor watched as Mr Ali beckoned Emily to the phone.
‘Your father wants to speak with you.’
‘Daddy?’ said Emily, her voice fragile. ‘No … I’ve not been hurt.’
As she cradled the phone, Connor could now see her face. Her eyes were sunken with exhaustion and her complexion fearfully pale.
‘Yes, Chloe’s fine too. Amanda is with her … No, the pirates haven’t harmed her … No, you can’t, I’m not with them.’
Connor could see that Emily was barely holding it together. Her hands trembled as she held the phone to her ear.
‘Brad was shot dead … No, I don’t know about the rest of the crew. They were taken below … Are you going to pay the pirates?’
She listened a moment. Her body visibly crumpled with the answer. Her knees giving way, she clutched at the table to steady herself.
‘Please. Just pay. Don’t leave me like you did last time. I can’t face it. I’ll …’
The pirate with silver-mirrored sunglasses stood up. He pulled a Browning handgun from his belt and pressed the barrel to Emily’s temple. Connor tensed, wondering if he could cross the distance before the pirate pulled the trigger.
‘D-D-Daddy, I have a gun to my head.’ Emily began to sob loudly. ‘Don’t let them kill me … Just give them whatever they want. PLEASE –’
The pirate snatched the phone from her grasp.
‘This is Oracle speaking. We’re not playing games, Mr Sterling,’ he said, his finger going to the trigger. ‘You’ve got your proof of life. Now pay up, or I’ll give you proof of death.’
With that he fired his gun.
The gun blast distorted the mobile phone’s speaker. There was a scream then the line went dead.
‘NO!’ cried Mr Sterling. He jabbed at the touchscreen, bringing up the last call and redialling.
The phone rang out, its tone distant and taunting.
He looked to Colonel Black, almost pleading. ‘They’re not answering.’
‘Negotiation is about control,’ said the colonel. ‘The pirates won’t answer. They want to cause you as much distress as possible.’
Mr Sterling angrily shook the phone at him. ‘They just shot my daughter!’
‘That’s highly unlikely. They’d not wish to lose their main bargaining power.’
‘But you heard her scream.’
‘Wouldn’t you if a gun went off by your head?’ said Charley, equally shocked by the disturbing call.
Colonel Black leant forward and met Mr Sterling’s eye. ‘The pirates are simply trying to intimidate you. They’ve clearly done their background research. They know exactly what you’re worth. This suggests a highly organized gang – which means they’ll have the resources for a long-term hostage situation.’
Mr Sterling slumped back in his chair and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. ‘This is a nightmare. I can’t believe it’s happening all over again. This negotiation is nothing like the previous one. Who pretends to shoot their hostage on the first call? These pirates are worse than animals.’
‘The tactics of kidnap gangs vary according to where they are and who they are,’ replied the colonel. ‘What works with the Corsican Mafia may backfire with an Iraqi militia or a Colombian bandit – and, in this case, Somali pirates. But one thing remains constant: mistakes can cost lives.’
Mr Sterling’s eyes reddened with tears. ‘My precious Amanda. She’s so vulnerable. I should never have left her.’
Colonel Black studied Mr Sterling. A shadow of his former self, he was no longer the mighty media mogul – merely a father and husband-to-be, despairing for his captive family. So much for his claim of not getting emotionally involved in the deal-making. ‘I think it’s time to bring in a professional negotiator,’ he suggested.
Mr Sterling sighed heavily. ‘No, maybe I should just pay the pirates. If I sell all my shares, I might be able to raise the capital within a few weeks.’
‘If you give in too easily, the pirates will simply up the asking price.’
‘From a hundred million dollars?’
The colonel held up his hands. ‘So far, this gang has proved shrewd, calculating and ruthless. Not a good combination. Who knows what these men are cap
able of?’
‘There’s still Connor,’ piped up Charley.
Mr Sterling gave a humourless laugh. ‘What can he do? One boy against a gang of cut-throat pirates.’
The gunshot had sent Connor’s adrenalin pumping. He’d almost bolted from his hiding place in an attempt to save Emily. But the pirate who called himself Oracle had fired upwards instead, blasting a hole in the ceiling.
Emily stood cowering from shock, a hand clasped to her deafened ear. ‘What did you do that for?’ she cried.
Oracle grinned at her as he passed the phone back to Mr Ali. ‘To put pressure on your father to pay. That’s what you want, isn’t it?’
Mr Ali’s mobile began to ring.
‘That’ll be him now.’
Mr Ali went to answer, but Oracle shook his head. ‘Let him sweat a while.’
Pocketing his phone, Mr Ali laughed, his yellow teeth making a mockery of his smile. Connor realized that the man was no NGO worker. He wasn’t on the ship out of the goodness of his heart. He was just one of the pirates, pretending to be an impartial negotiator.
‘I expect Mr Sterling will come back with another low offer,’ said Mr Ali, rolling a second cigarette. ‘What do you want me to say?’
Slipping the gun back into his belt, Oracle considered this a moment. ‘Tell him we’ll kill one of the crew for every offer he makes below one hundred million. That should convince him to take our demands seriously.’
This was a game changer, Connor realized. He had to free the girls before they started killing hostages. Once the pirates went down that route no one was safe from a bullet – least of all himself.
Connor heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor. He retreated away from the door as a young lad in shorts and a grimy T-shirt rushed by and into the cabin opposite. For a second, Connor thought it was Cali. But the boy was slightly taller and older with buck teeth. A revolver, too big for him, was thrust into the back of his shorts. Connor was stunned – even the kid pirates had guns!
The lad yabbered something in Somali. Oracle and Mr Ali exchanged astonished looks.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Emily as Mr Ali rose from his chair and headed for the door with Oracle and Spearhead.
‘Nothing to worry your pretty little head about,’ said Mr Ali. ‘We’ve just found out our investor’s come on board.’
Bucktooth was left behind to guard Emily. Connor realized this was his best opportunity to attempt a rescue – he could go head to head with just one pirate. Emily was perched on the chair next to the Formica table, picking numbly at a loose piece of veneer with her fingernail. Bucktooth leant against the wall, eyeing her long blonde hair and pale skin with fascination.
With the boy distracted by Emily’s appearance, Connor crept across the corridor and into the cabin, planning to snatch the gun and subdue the young pirate. However, as he entered the room, Emily’s eyes widened in amazement. She tried to hide her reaction, but the boy had already noticed. He spun round faster than a rattlesnake, whipping the revolver from his shorts.
Connor darted forward, slamming an open palm into Bucktooth’s chest and striking the solar plexus. The boy gasped, doubling over in pain. But still he tried to point his gun at Connor and take a shot. Connor grabbed his wrist and slammed the weapon against the wall repeatedly. Bucktooth dropped the gun. Connor kicked it away then drove his forearm across the boy’s throat, pinning him to the wall in a choke.
‘Don’t make a sound,’ hissed Connor, putting a finger to his lips. ‘Do you understand?’
Gagging, his eyes on stalks, the boy nodded.
Connor slowly released the pressure and stepped back.
Bucktooth took a desperate gulp of air then shouted, ‘I caawi!’
Given no choice, Connor drove an upper-cut into Bucktooth’s jaw. His head rocked back, his eyes rolled in their sockets and the boy collapsed to the floor in a lifeless heap.
‘Have you killed him?’ whispered a stunned Emily.
Connor shook his head. He’d connected perfectly with the sweet spot on the boy’s jaw, the impact causing his brain to shut down. Bucktooth would be out cold for a good few minutes. When he did regain consciousness, he’d have no memory of even being hit.
Emily ran over and wrapped her arms round Connor, sobbing. ‘I thought you were dead.’
‘Almost,’ replied Connor. ‘I’ll explain another time.’
He dragged the unconscious Bucktooth across the corridor to the storeroom and locked him in.
‘Come on, we have to find your sister,’ said Connor, taking Emily’s hand and heading down the corridor. ‘Do you know where she is?’
Emily nodded. ‘In the captain’s cabin with Amanda.’
Emily directed Connor down two flights of stairs and along another corridor. Connor, taking the lead, kept a sharp eye out for pirates. But the bridge tower seemed deserted. Most of the pirates, he guessed, were either on deck or guarding the hostages below. They came to a bulkhead door with a small round window.
‘In there,’ said Emily.
Connor peered through the glass. He couldn’t see any pirates, but his view was limited. ‘Let me go first.’
Opening the door, he cautiously stepped into the room. It was full of boxes.
‘This can’t be right,’ he said, turning to Emily.
But she was no longer with him. Behind, the bulkhead door clanged shut. Connor ran to it and yanked on the handle. It wouldn’t budge.
He looked through the window and saw Emily turning the lock. Sealing him in.
‘This is all your fault, Colonel Black!’ snapped Mr Sterling, pointing an accusing finger at him. ‘I can’t believe you convinced me to hire teenagers to protect my family. How could you be so reckless? Your organization is irresponsible and ill-conceived. When this is over, I’m going to expose Buddyguard for the dangerous frauds that you are.’
Colonel Black rose from his chair, thunder in his eyes. ‘You’re angry and upset, Mr Sterling,’ he said evenly. ‘Perfectly natural reactions under the circumstances, but the blame lies squarely with the pirates.’
Mr Sterling went to reply, but Colonel Black cut him off. ‘Need I remind you, you also employed an experienced crew and a ship security officer. But that didn’t stop a determined and ruthless enemy. Brad’s now dead. And at your insistence Ling was dismissed. Which means Connor is your daughters’ last and only ring of defence. Don’t rule him out.’
The two men held each other’s stares. Charley knew Colonel Black wouldn’t back down. She’d seen him deal with such tense situations before, with the client becoming hot-headed and irrational under the pressure. Clients rarely praised the security team when a mission went smoothly and nothing happened. But they were quick to attribute blame when things went wrong, even if it was their own fault for ignoring security advice in the first place.
A phone rang. All eyes went to Mr Sterling’s mobile on the table.
‘Is it them?’ asked Charley.
Mr Sterling shook his head. ‘It’s my lawyer.’
He held the phone to his ear and listened, then cupped a hand over the receiver. ‘He says a freelance reporter has got wind of the hijacking and wants to speak with me.’
Colonel Black grimaced. ‘In this situation, the last thing we need is the media involved.’
‘I am the media,’ reminded Mr Sterling.
‘Then control it. Smother the story for as long as you can.’
Returning to the phone, Mr Sterling muttered, ‘My rivals are going to have a field day.’
While he spoke with his lawyer, trying to limit the damage, Charley leant close to Colonel Black and whispered, ‘I’m worried about Connor. We still haven’t heard from him.’
‘He can handle himself,’ said the colonel.
‘Shouldn’t we be doing more to help him?’
‘What can we do? He’s on his own out there.’
Colonel Black caught the sting in Charley’s eyes at his apparent indifference.
‘List
en, I’m just as concerned as you. But I can’t let such emotions cloud my judgement,’ he explained. ‘I’m sure Connor’s managing the situation. When he does get in contact, inform him of HMAS Melbourne’s location. Find out everything you can about the pirates, the ship, the hostages’ location, anything that might prove helpful in a rescue attempt.’
‘I thought you said military intervention was out of the question.’
‘Until all other avenues have been exhausted, it officially is.’ His steel-grey eyes flicked towards Mr Sterling. ‘But, if the negotiations continue to go south, a Special Forces raid might be the only option left … whatever the risk.’
Connor sat on the cold steel floor, staring at the locked bulkhead. He’d kicked at the handle, hammered on the lock with his torch, even thrown himself against the door. But it refused to budge. He’d searched for another way out, but the storage room had no other exits, not even a porthole.
His mind whirled in a fit of anger, shock and confusion. He still couldn’t believe that Emily had locked him in the room. She hadn’t done it under duress. She was alone as she calmly walked away. Then she’d met the pirate called Spearhead in the corridor and, by the looks of it, willingly surrendered to him.
Has something snapped inside Emily’s head from the stress of being a hostage again? Or is her medication to blame?
During their operation briefing Charley had pointed out that Emily’s anti-anxiety drugs could cause impaired thinking. That seemed the most logical explanation for her behaviour. The other was unthinkable … that Emily was somehow in league with the pirates.
But why? What has she to gain?
Connor tried to think if there were any clues. The Orchid had been sailing far from the danger zone. There shouldn’t have been any pirates for over five hundred miles. So how had they found the yacht?
Bodyguard: Ransom (Book 2) Page 24
