by Oliver, Tess
“You venomous snake,” I screamed and lunged at her. I threw her off her expensive heels and the box flew from her hand and dropped right in front of David’s foot. He promptly lifted his shoe and smashed it into pieces.
Francesca recovered and came at me like a mad dog. With feet tied, escape was impossible. She shoved me against the wall, and my head smacked it hard. She stood in front of me as I tried to get my bearings. The room spun out of control. I looked through bleary eyes. My unfocused gaze dropped to her dress.
“Dry clean only?” I asked weakly.
“Of course,” she answered. She lifted her hand to slap me but she missed as I leaned forward and threw up all over her designer duds. I straightened and she slapped me so hard my ears rang. I dropped to my knees in pain and she stormed out. The men followed and the door slammed shut behind them.
I leaned back against the wall and tried to regain my focus. My cheek stung as if someone had whipped it with a leather strap. I reached up and touched it.
“Are you all right?” Nick asked.
“Shit, that hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt,” my voice cracked. “When I was little, my mom accidentally slammed my finger in the car door and it was locked. She was in such a panic to open it she dropped the keys. It took her forever to open the damn car door. That slap hurt way worse.” A few sobs bubbled out of my mouth. “But it was so worth it.”
“I have to say, aside from you getting thwacked hard on the face, that was one of the finest moments I’ve witnessed in a long time,” David said.
Once the room had stopped spinning I glanced over at Nick who had remained rather silent. His face was twisted in pain.
“You look miserable,” I said weakly. “Did she get you after all?”
He shook his head. “No. She just still had a good grasp of me when you shoved her.”
I covered my mouth. “I’m sorry I didn’t time that better, Nick.”
His green eyes looked glazed as he faced me. “Your timing was perfect.” He looked so helpless and uncomfortable chained up to the ceiling that my tears returned. I walked over to him, threw my arms around his waist, and pressed my stinging cheek against him. His heart was beating fast in his chest.
“Are you all right, Nick? Your heart sounds like it’s bouncing around in there like crazy.” I peered up at him and he smiled down at me with that pale gaze of his that made me want to melt into a puddle. “Was it that jolt of electricity?”
“Nah, that’s just my normal heartbeat when you’re near, Flash. Sometimes, when I’m close to you, I feel like it’s going to jump out of my chest.”
David spoke up from his corner. The whole incident had left him paler than before and small beads of sweat covered his forehead. “Hey,” he said with what seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of strength, “isn’t there a superhero called Flash? That dude could move. I think we have found the female version of Flash.”
I pressed my face against Nick again and held him tightly.
An hour of watching Nick hang from the ceiling and not being able to help him was the worst form of torture. The door opened and a cool ocean breeze ushered inside, reminding us of the lack of oxygen in our dank holding cell.
Boone tossed us another box of crackers and some water bottles. I rushed at the door and grabbed the edge of it before he closed it. His eyes opened wide until he saw that it was only me at the door.
“Boone, you’ve got to let him down for awhile. Please let David clean up his cuts.” Boone pulled his gaze away. “You can’t even look at him because you know this is not what you wanted or expected. It’s gotten out of control and you know it, Boone. That’s Nick hanging there from his wrists. Please let him down just for a little while.” Boone stared down at the ground. I was getting to him. I was in full saleswoman mode. “How many times has he had your back, Boone? Let him down so he can rest and eat.”
Boone sighed and pushed past me. “Just for an hour.”
“Thanks, Boone.”
I stood behind him as he reached up and spun the dial on the lock. Nick collapsed and Boone caught him and helped him to the canvas. Nick nodded at him but didn’t say a word.
Boone walked to the door. “I’ll be back later to string him up again.”
“Hey, Boone, there’s got to be a first aid kit somewhere on this boat. It would really help. And I could use a few more aspirin. My fever’s coming back,” David said.
Boone turned and shut the door behind him. David picked up a water bottle and opened it. “Nick, open up and let me wash some of that blood from your mouth to make sure you still have all your teeth.”
I sat down next to them. “Wait, David before you tend to him, I need you both to remember a number for me.” I pointed to David. “Thirty-three.” He repeated it back to me. I pointed to Nick. “Fourteen.” Nick looked at me was if I was losing my mind but he repeated the number. “Good and I’m twenty-one. That’s the combination to that lock.” I winked at Nick. “Have I mentioned that aside from being fast on my feet, I also have remarkable eyesight?”
Nick turned to his brother. “It’s official. I love this woman.” He took a swig from the water bottle and spit out some blood and water before drinking several long gulps. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand then seemed to be assessing his teeth with his tongue. “All pearly whites still intact.” He scooted back and closed his eyes.
Boone returned with a rather ancient looking first aid kit and a bottle of aspirin. His face was smooth and white as he tossed the box and pills to David. He walked silently from the room. This whole plan seemed to be taking a toll on him. David might well have been right about getting him to change his mind.
David swallowed a couple aspirin. “I feel like crap.”
“You look it,” Nick said.
“Thanks.” David dug through the first aid supplies and then stopped. “By the way, little brother, a tidbit of advice— when a diabolical woman is holding the twins in one hand,” he cupped his hand in the air for effect, “and a Taser in the other hand,” a roll of gauze was a stand in for Francesca’s weapon of torture, “you might not want to mention the sexually frigid thing.” He returned to the box to rummage through it. “I mean I’m no doctor—” his face shot up, “wait— scratch that.” He shook his head. “I’ve spent far too much time in the jungle. Anyhow, you very nearly placed the entire burden of bearing Mom’s grandchildren on my shoulders. I mean it is possible that you could have still been fertile, but I’m certain that the pretty and sparkly gene you carry might have been a bit mutated. I mean like three heads and twelve fingers mutated.”
I laughed and even though my cheek ached with any movement, it felt good after the horrid events of the morning.
David lifted up a tiny pair of scissors and squinted at them. “Eureka.”
“What the hell are you planning on cutting with those, Doc?” Nick asked without lifting his head from the wall he leaned against.
“I’m done tending your wounds, soldier. I’ve got more important things to work on.” David bent over and began chipping away at the thick rope around his feet. It was a bit like scraping away block of marble with a toothpick but I had to give him credit for his optimism.
“Great,” Nick said with a sigh that really sounded weary, “we should have your feet free by Christmas.”
I reached over to the pile of crunched up Taser and picked up a shard of broken plastic. I ran it over my thumb. It was sturdy and quite sharp. I tossed Nick a piece as well. “It’s not like we’ve got anything else to do.” I began sawing at the rope.
“Yeah, yeah, but let me rest first. Then the three of us need to come up with a plan of mutiny. And when it’s time to dump the captain overboard, I want to be the one to pick her up and toss her to the sharks.”
Chapter 19
After
an early dusk excursion to the miserable restroom and a repeat dinner of bananas, cheese, and crackers that were now getting soggy from the moist sea air, the three of us leaned up against the wall of our cell and watched the light fade. David looked frailer with each passing moment, and I knew Nick was worried about his brother’s physical state.
David and I had made only minimal progress on the ropes around our feet, but Nick had taken a good chunk out of his. Fortunately, our captors hadn’t noticed that something was amiss with the bindings on his feet. One thing was certain, even brandishing large guns and even with Nick’s hands bound in steel cuffs, they were nervous and jumpy around their massive prisoner. Our most vile captor, Francesca, had not made an appearance since I’d puked on her.
I had my head on Nick’s lap, and I was being lulled to sleep by the motion of an empty water bottle rolling back and forth across the floor when a loud rumbling sound startled me. I sat up. The small cargo hold creaked with vibrations. I scooted closer to Nick.
“They’ve started the engine. I guess we’re moving,” Nick said.
David pushed to sitting and it seemed to take every ounce of strength he had. “I’ve been thinking that they might be using Mom’s Hawaiian realty office as a middle man for their scheme.”
“You might be right,” Nick said. “I can only assume they haven’t made any demands yet since we’ve been floating out here in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully Mom doesn’t freak out too much.”
“Mom?” David laughed and it immediately made him cough. “She’ll probably have a dozen feds at her Oahu house before the ink is even dry on the ransom note.”
Listening to them talk about their mother sent a wave of terror through me. “Oh my gosh, do you think Pierre would have called my mom about this?”
“Probably,” Nick said. “Even if he doesn’t have all the details, he’d probably let her know that you’ve disappeared.”
“Holy shit. I mean I know it is stupid, but I guess I was hoping we could get out of this predicament without her ever knowing.” I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them. “Oh my God. My poor mom.”
“We will get out of this, Jayden. Try not to worry about her too much. It will be a few days of torment, but you’ll be back with her soon,” Nick said.
I wiped a tear from my face with the back of my hands. Having both hands bound together with rope was beginning to take a toll on me mentally. I moved my hands back and forth wildly and the rope burned the skin around my wrists. “I can’t stand being tied like this,” I cried. “It’s almost like claustrophobia.” My fingers tingled and I sobbed. “And now I’m going to have a damn panic attack.” I sucked in a long hard breath as if the oxygen had been vacuumed from my lungs.
“Jayden, breathe,” Nick’s voice was soothing but not enough to calm the agitation that had taken hold of me.
“I can’t breathe. There can’t possibly be enough air in this tiny room for the three of us.” I pulled in another exaggerated breath.
“Can you climb up into my lap?” Nick asked. “Sit with your back facing me and I’ll give you a neck rub.”
Awkwardly, I managed to climb up and sit in the circle he made with his thighs. I could feel the cold chain of his cuffs rub against my back as his large, strong fingers massaged my neck. He leaned forward and his deep voice caressed my ear. “Relax, Sweetie, everything is going to be fine.” His lips pressed against my ear, and after several minutes I felt the tension and waves of panic flow from my body.
We sat in silence as the last slivers of daylight disappeared from the porthole.
“Nights in the Amazon were black like this. The canopy of trees blocked starlight and moonlight,” David said. “I have to admit that it took me a few weeks to get used to the darkness and the silence of being in such a remote place. The first few nights, I would lie awake on my cot, beneath my mosquito net, and listen to the tiny footsteps of the jungle critters crawling around my tent.” He chuckled softly. “One night I was sure there was a giant bat flying around my tent flapping its rubbery wings against the side of the canvas. I woke in the morning and discovered it was a friggin’ mosquito.”
“Jeez,” I said “a mosquito that size could drink you dry with one bite.”
“After that, I doubled my net and slept with the edges of the net tucked beneath me. I figured a mosquito like that could just lift the ends off the floor and fly beneath it.”
“Why would it bother? A mosquito like that could just walk under your cot, lift it up, and carry you and your bed out the door,” Nick said.
I smiled and rested my head against Nick’s arm.
David sighed and even a sigh seemed to take a chunk of energy. “It wasn’t all bad out there though. The villagers were always kind and grateful. There was this little guy who’d lost half of his foot to a snake bite. He was about eight years old, and he would follow me wherever I went. His parents and older siblings were too busy to pay attention to him. I couldn’t pronounce his name so I called him Pip because he walked around with this old, waterlogged copy of Great Expectations under his arm. No idea where he got it, and of course he couldn’t read it, but it was his prized possession. Sometimes he’d come to my tent at night and I’d read it to him. And he would listen raptly as if he understood every word.” David paused and it seemed he’d drifted back to his time in the jungle. “That kid was so smart. When I started getting sick, he stuck really close to me, and he kept putting his little hand on my arm, his big black eyes round with concern. I’d spent all day with doctors and no one had noticed that I was sick, but Pip knew right away.” David stretched out on the canvas. “He knew me so well, he knew something wasn’t right.” His voice drifted off and he rolled onto his side to sleep.
“We’ve got to get him out of here,” Nick said grimly. “I don’t know how much longer I can sit here and watch him deteriorate.” The muscle in his hard arm tightened, and his voice was strained. “And these fucking handcuffs are making me nuts too.”
We scooted down and I had almost managed to sleep again when the door opened. Nick lifted up onto one elbow. Boone’s massive silhouette filled the doorway. “I told Frankie I was unchaining you so you could sleep.”
“And how’d she take that suggestion?” Nick asked tersely. “David is sick. We need to get him out of here. What the hell are you going to do?”
Boone glanced back out to the moonlit deck and closed the door some behind him. He walked over and stared down at David.
“Look, Boone, David and I will see that you get off easy if you give it up now and help us out of this.”
Boone scrubbed his face with his hands. He was wound so tightly it seemed that the slightest breezed might cause him to jump. “You make sure I get off easy and then what? I hit the streets of L.A. with my cardboard box and bag of wine. I’ve got nothing to lose at this point.”
“Except your sense of humanity and any shred of decency you have.” Nick stretched out his legs. “We’re getting out of this one way or another, Boone. Do the right thing.”
Boone stood there and even in the dark I could see how tightly his fists were clenched. Tension radiated off of his massive shoulders in waves. I held my breath wondering if this was it, if this was the turning point. Then he spun around and walked out the door. Nick and I sank down to the canvas and laid there until sleep finally provided temporary relief from our nightmare.
Chapter 20
Nick and I rolled into each other and our heads smacked together. We sat up rubbing our foreheads. It didn’t take long to realize that the boat was lurching violently from side to side.
“Must be a storm.” Nick crawled over to David who was still asleep. He touched his forehead. “David’s burning up with fever.” He tried to stand but was thrown against the wall.
I scurried around on my knees and grabbed the flashlight. I turned it on and aimed it at
David. He covered his eyes with his arm to block the light. “It’s a bacterial infection.” His voice was scratchy and weak. “I need to get to a hospital.”
Nick kneeled down next to him. “How long?”
The question was short and to the point and it made my stomach tighten.
“Three days max before my organs start to shut down,” David answered calmly.
Shouting and yelling on deck took our attention away from the horrid tragedy unfolding in front of us. Nick jumped to his feet and stood behind the door. It opened and two of the armed men burst inside. Rain and wind swept inside behind them. Nick jumped out of the shadows and threw the chain of his cuffs around the neck of one man. Instantly, the third man appeared in the tiny room. He pressed his gun against Nick’s head, but Nick didn’t release the man he held.
Then the first man through the door lunged for me. I half-crawled away but he grabbed my foot and yanked it hard, pulling me onto my stomach. I screamed as he threw me up onto his shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?” Nick yelled.
The man carried me out of the cargo hold. I pounded his back with my fist.
“Throw her over.” Francesca’s sharp voice cut through the drumming of the rain on the metal deck. Before I could take in one more breath, he swung me over the side of the boat, and I landed in the black, churning waves. The frigid water caused me to suck in my breath and salt water came in with it. Keeping my head above water while bound and coughing was impossible. Twice I slipped beneath the waves but pure terror gave me the strength to surface again. Kicking my legs like a mermaid, I managed to push up above the fierce current. The ropes cut into my wrists and ankles as I struggled to tread water, but the storm enraged ocean was too much for me. A wall of water smacked me in the face, and I gulped in another mouthful of the sea. I was losing the battle to keep my head above the surface. I squirmed violently against the menacing onslaught of waves, but my energy was slipping away quickly. I was going to drown in the middle of a stormy sea, and I would never be seen again.
