She was right. They had traveled only a few more blocks when they saw the tavern up ahead. It was a single storied building of pinkish beige stucco, with a line of tall shrubs in front next to the entrance. More importantly, all the lights were on including a bright red neon one that read: Open.
“This is the place,” Alp said as she stopped and turned to the group. “Let me do the talking, and just follow along with whatever I say. If we’re lucky we’ll get a free meal out of this and if not, I have the money that James gave me.”
Tabitha stepped forward as though to argue, but before she could say anything Mia and Heather stepped between her and Alp. “Yes, that’s a solid plan,” Heather said and Mia nodded. “Isn’t it girls?”
Tina and Connie chimed in affirmatively, and Kim nodded. Tabitha looked to Kirstin then shrugged and nodded. “I’m too hungry at this point to argue.”
They entered the tavern and looked around. The lighting was subdued, and the decor tastefully understated with two lines of tables of rich wood grain and chairs to match. But what assaulted them more than the view was the rich aroma of steak, mingled with seafood.
“Oh my…” Alp said, her mouth watering. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until that moment. Glancing at her sisters, she noticed the looks of awe and wonder on their faces as they gazed around at the plush decor. Poor things, she thought. They’ve been cooped up in that old lab all their lives. At least she and Mel had been able to spend time at the ski resort near their home.
A young woman with long jet black hair and dark complexion strolled from the back room carrying several menus in her arms. She wore a white orchid pinned to one side of her hair.
“My…what we do we have here?” She asked as she looked over the line of young girls, all but one of them dressed identically and all of them looking like they had been dragged in by the dog.
Alp stepped forward and smiled. “Is Jersey in tonight?” She asked as she handed the card to the woman.
The hostess glanced at the name on the card and smiled back. “Why, yes. If you will just wait here, I’ll go get him. He’s in the back aggravating the chef.”
A couple minutes later a rotund man wearing a black vest and matching baggy pants walked towards them drying his hands with a towel. He studied the line of girls as he came forth.
“Good evening, ladies,” he said in an accent that matched his name. “How may I be of service to you this fine evening?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the card Alp had given the hostess.
“Who does this belong to?” He asked.
“That’s mine,” Alp answered as she reached out and returned it to her pocket. “James said you might be able to help us. We’re in a mess of trouble.” As she said this last statement, she sniffled and bit her lower lip.
“Oh my dear,” Jersey said, alarmed by the show of emotions. “Whatever has happened?”
“My sisters and I were taken from our hotel earlier this evening on the mainland by some very bad men. They threw us on a big boat, and I heard one of them tell the others that we’d be worth a lot of money on some the black market. When we got here, we were able to escape. I didn’t know where else to go, and then I remembered my friend, James, told me about this place.”
“Hmmm,” Jersey replied, chewing on his lower lip. “Interesting tale. And how do you know James?”
“His daughter and I go to the same school,” Alp replied with only a moment of hesitation.
“I see. Well, we better call the police and report this. Kidnapping is a serious offense. Unfortunately, this island seems to attract such illegal activity at times.”
Jersey turned to walk to the counter where the phone was.
“No!” Alp blurted out. The last thing they needed was to get the police involved.
“What?” Jersey asked, turning back with a surprised look on his face.
“No police,” Alp said. “I heard one of the guys, the black man with the scar over one eye, tell the other man that he had a friend that worked for the police that would help them make the trade. I’m afraid the police are corrupt.”
“Oh, really?” Jersey replied, a look of doubt on his face. He glanced towards the phone and back to Alp. Finally, making up his mind he said, “Oh, what the hell. It’s a quiet evening. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
He looked over at the rest of the girls. “I don’t suppose any of you young ladies would care for a bite to eat?”
Everyone nodded their heads vigorously. “Sure…”
“I’ll say…”
“I’m famished…”
“Okay then. Right this way.” With a flourish of his arm, he guided them towards a private dining room. “I’ll have Stacy come and take your orders. Might I suggest either the lobster bisque or the fish chowder for starters?”
The food came out hot and on large trays, starting with bowls of steamy hot lobster bisque and fish chowder, followed by lobster tails nestled next to filet mignon, blooming onions, and curly fries. The food kept coming, and the Kindred finished it off within minutes of its arrival. At the end, the chef came out himself to present them with his dessert special; Baked Alaska.
Finally, with their stomachs full to nearly exploding, the girls settled back in their chairs. Jersey came to the door and motioned for Alp. She rose from her chair with some difficulty. She couldn’t remember ever having eaten so well or so much. As she approached Jersey, he turned and walked out into the hall. She followed.
“Was the meal to your satisfaction?” He asked.
“Wow, I’ll say. Everything was delicious. I just hope I have enough to pay for it all.”
Jersey raised his hands. “Not to worry. I’ve placed it all on James’ tab.” He chuckled then grew suddenly serious. “Listen, I know your story isn’t true.”
Alp opened her mouth to protest, but he raised his hand again to stop her. “I don’t care what the real story is. I can tell you’re in trouble, and I’m here to help. James and I go back a long way. In fact, I probably wouldn’t be here today if it weren't for that reprobate, as hard as that is to admit. I also know he doesn’t give his card out to just anyone, so…what do you need?”
Alp relaxed a little then replied, “We need to get off the island as soon as possible. There are some bad men after us. If they catch us, what they will do to us will be far worse than if we were sold on the black market.”
Jersey nodded. “I understand. Where will you go?”
Alp shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’m kind of making it up as I go. If we can get off the island without anyone knowing, we should be able to give our pursuers the shake. Then, we’ll find somewhere to hide out.”
“Well, there are only two ways on and off the island — plane or boat. Flying out isn’t an option; too much paperwork and security. You might find a boat captain or fisherman that’ll take you back to the mainland. I’ll give you directions to the docks. Wish I could do more but that’s about it.”
Alp started to go back to the dining room, and then stopped. “How did you know my story wasn’t true?”
“My brother-in-law is the Police Chief. I know for a fact that there’s no one on the force that’s involved in black market trafficking. He runs too tight a ship.”
As Alp and her sisters filed out of the Black Horse Tavern, fog encircled them like a gray glove. Alp turned the flashlight on that she’d commandeered from James, but the beam seemed to be devoured by the dense fog. Great, Alp thought. It’s not like I’m not already wandering around in the dark. Now, we’ve got to add in this lousy fog.
“Everyone, hold hands, so we don’t lose anyone.” The sisters did as Alp instructed. The heavy meal and late hour had quieted everyone. She noticed several of her sisters stifling yawns. Heather reached out and took Mia’s hand and then Alp’s.
“Where to now?” She asked, squeezing the two hands reassuringly.
“We’re going to make our way to the docks and see if we can find a ride off this island,” Alp replied squeezing Hea
ther’s hand back.
Heather leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Still playing it by ear?”
“Completely,” Alp replied back. “Okay, everyone follow me and watch your step. The last thing we need is someone spraining their ankle or worse.”
As the walked in the direction Jersey had instructed, periodically the fog would clear and they would be able to see in front for several yards. It would then wrap itself around them again, and they’d be walking as though in a cloud. During one of the clearings, Kim, who was taking up the rear, stopped abruptly, yanking the line of girls to a halt. She released Connie’s hand and held her two hands up to her ears.
“Stop it…stop!” She yelled between pursed lips, her eyes closed as though in deep concentration.
“What’s going on back there?” Alp asked. Still holding Heather’s hand, she looped back to where Kim remained standing, cringing in apparent pain.
“It won’t stop!” She shouted. Still holding her head between her two hands, she shook her head violently. “Make it stop.”
“What’s wrong, Kim?” Alp asked as she reached out to touch her sister. My sister, she thought. She rolled the words around in her mind, still trying to get used to the idea that all these girls were part of her family now. Heather had described Kim as the quiet one of the Kindred. She had piercing blue eyes with a tendency to squint making it hard to see their color. She was a keen observer and though she seldom talked, when she did she usually had something worth listening to. But at the moment she was far from being quiet.
Kim shook off Alp’s hand from her shoulder, shook her head a second time and stared first at Alp, then beyond her. “Okay, okay,” she mumbled through tightly pressed lips.
“There, over there.” She pointed through the fog in the direction of the bay. As she did so, Alp noticed a pale blue light emanate from the tip of her finger cutting through the fog to a barely visible boat floating in the bay. It was a fishing trawler; the only one Alp saw of its kind. The other boats were either fancy yachts or sailboats, but the one Kim pointed to was clearly a working vessel, with long poles sticking out on either side. It looked out of place among all the other pleasure boats.
“What about it?” Alp asked. “It’s just a fishing boat. Probably forced in by the storm. Come on, we’ve got a bit further to go…”
“No!” Kim screamed. “It’s the one…the one we’re supposed to go on. There’s someone there you’re supposed to meet.”
“What is she talking about?” Alp asked, turning to Heather and Mia. “Has she ever done this before?”
Both girls shook their heads. “This is about as much as I’ve ever heard Kim talk, and she sure never has used her finger like a laser beam.”
“You saw that too?” Alp asked. “I thought maybe that was my eyes playing tricks.”
“What’s the hold up back there,” Tabitha said as she and Kirstin approached. “I thought we were heading to the docks.”
“Apparently not,” Alp replied. “Kim has found our way off the island.”
Awakening
For the second time in twenty-four hours, James was awakened with a splash of cold water in the face. As he shook his head to clear it, he blinked his eyes open and glared at the two people standing over him. They were both dressed in black, their faces covered with black masks, and they both wore black gloves.
“I wish people would stop throwing water in my face,” James said. “Whatever happened to using smelling salts, or a gentle slap across the cheek to wake someone up?”
“Where is the cargo you were to deliver?”
James shook his head again to clear it and was rewarded with a shooting pain that nearly made him lose consciousness again. Even so, the voice sounded familiar. He studied the form in front of him.
“That’s you, isn’t it Willow? I’d recognize that sultry voice and those shapely legs anywhere.”
“Where’s the cargo, James? I don’t have time to play with you.”
“Ahh, right to the point, huh? You think you could untie me first?”
Willow nodded to the other man who pulled a knife from his boot and cut away the ropes. James stretched his arms and legs and rubbed his wrists where the rope had been the tightest.
“Here’s what happened,” James said then recounted everything starting back at BVT where the other helicopter had crashed. He decided against mentioning how he had been forced to land on the building. It was hard for him to believe it had all happened. He didn’t think he’d be able to explain it to someone else. Instead, he stretched the truth a bit.
“So, you see, I was left to make it up on my own. My copter was having some mechanical issues, so I was forced to land on a roof of a nearby building. I thought I’d be able to correct the issue without anyone bothering me. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.”
He embellished a bit on how he had been overwhelmed by a much larger man, who’d gotten the drop on him while he was busy working on the aircraft.
“When I awoke, I was staring down the barrel of a gun with a very shaky trigger finger at the other end. Not much else I could do but follow the young girl’s directions. I did manage to convince her that it was in everyone’s best interest for me to continue the mission. No easy task, I might add.”
He paused to pull a handkerchief out of one of his pockets and gently dabbed the wound on his head, wincing as he did so. He then stood up slowly, still a little woozy from the blow to the head.
“Now, about that cargo,” he said. “The information I received was minimal; only where to pick it up from and who would be accompanying me on the mission. Turns out it had several unique features no one bothered telling me about…like the fact that it was alive and in several different bundles that looked suspiciously like human children. It would have been helpful if I’d known more about the assignment.”
“That decision was not up to me,” Willow said. She removed her mask. “Damn thing. Can hardly breathe through it.” She also removed the black sock cap and shook out her hair. When she looked up, her radiant beauty took James breath away. He’d spent many a lonely night fantasizing about getting it on with Willow Carver. What man wouldn’t? She was almost as tall as he, with long slender, muscular legs. She wore her hair at medium length, its stark blackness contrasting perfectly with her creamy white complexion and ruby red lips that often settled into a seductive pout.
“You always look good in basic black, Willow.”
“Come on James, I don’t have time for your silliness,” Willow replied. “If I have to, I’ll have my companion hurt you. I’m trying to cut back on the pleasure that comes with torturing my friends.”
“Okay, what can I say? They got the drop on me. We arrived here fine, but no one was here. You weren’t here. As I’m looking around for you, one of them somehow escaped from her restraints. She snuck up behind me. I turned, but it was too late. Blam! Next thing I know you’re throwing cold water on my face.”
“The Sheik will not be pleased to learn that you let his precious cargo escape.”
“Hey now, don’t put this on me. I was here. I delivered the goods. You were the ones late in getting here. I expect to be paid and paid in full. You pass that along to ‘El Sheikdom.’”
James and Willow stared at each other for several seconds before Willow finally relaxed. “Okay, James. I’ll let it go this time, for old times sake. I’ll deliver your message to the Sheik. In the meantime, get rid of the copter. Someone will be in touch.”
With that the two figures disappeared into the night.
“Willow, you could really work on your social skills,” James called after them before turning back to the helicopter. It had been a long, grueling forty-eight hours. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been knocked unconscious twice so close together. It would be good to get home to the peace and quiet of his North Carolina mountain home. Suddenly, he realized how much he missed his family.
Whatever power Kim possessed, it was insistent that the Kindr
ed or at least Alp be on the fishing trawler. Alp asked Kim how they were to get to the boat floating forty or fifty yards out in the bay. Kim paused for a moment as though asking the question of someone or something else, then pointed to a dilapidated pier not far from where they were standing.
“There…go there,” Kim said as much a question as a statement. She shrugged with a whimsical look. “Couldn’t hurt.”
As the group walked out on the pier, through the fog they spied a small rowboat tied up at its end, so old looking that Alp was surprised it was still able to stay afloat.
“We’re supposed to trust that to get us out there?” Alp asked.
“I’m not getting into that thing,” Tabitha announced, backing away from it.
“Me either,” Kirstin agreed.
“Now, wait a minute,” Alp said. “We don’t have to go that far, and it seems to be seaworthy, or at least bay worthy. If Kim says it’s okay, then it must be okay, right?” She glanced at Kim for confirmation.
Once again, Kim shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me,” she replied.
Great, Alp thought. Nothing like having confidence in your hidden power. She gazed out to the fishing trawler and back to the rowboat. How hard could it be? But what happens if they row all the way out there, and the owner of the fishing boat refuses to let them on board? Well, she’d just have to cross that bridge once she came to it, and in the meantime pray it didn’t come to that.
“We’re going,” she declared, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “Kim says that we’re meant to be on that boat out there and that this is the way to get there…well, that’s good enough for me.”
“Oh, please,” Tabitha groaned. “That’s the best you can do? We don’t know that Kim has any particular ability to prognosticate the future, now do we?”
“Well, she is a Kindred,” Mia replied. “So it stands to reason she could have some special powers that she’s just now discovering. I’m with Alp. That’s good enough for me.”
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