by Deb McEwan
Mary and Freya both tried to wriggle out of the grasp they were being held in. But each man had a tight hold on each girl’s body with one hand while their other hands were clamped respectively around each girl’s mouth. Mary stopped wriggling, trying to work out where they were. They appeared to be heading to the captain’s cabin and she knew that he wouldn’t hurt either of them. She calmed down and tried not to let her wildest hopes and dreams form as coherent thoughts. Frea looked at her, wide-eyed and terrified. Mary winked and saw the younger girl visibly relax. She knew if her friend and mentor wasn’t frightened, she had no need to be.
Arriving at the captain’s cabin the door opened and the men entered.
‘Shhh,’ said Captain Saul as the men put down the girls but kept their mouths covered. He put a finger to his lips and nodded to emphasise the point.
‘Okay?’ he asked and the girls nodded back. ‘Nobody’s going to hurt you so be quiet and listen carefully.’
They nodded again and so did the captain, but this time to his men. The men relaxed their hold on the girls and then released them completely. Mary opened her mouth to ask a question but Captain Saul whispered for her to be quiet.
‘You are not going ashore with the other girls tomorrow, you are coming with me.’ He smiled slowly and Mary put a hand over her mouth, stopping herself from voicing her delight when he’d just told them to be quiet. She hugged herself and then opened her mouth again. The delight quickly vanished from her face and the others in the room could see that she was trying to work things out, as if the news was too good to be true.
‘Quietly,’ said the captain as he hunkered down. ‘Freya walked into his circle as if it were the most natural thing for her to do and they both looked at Mary.
‘Have you bought us?’
He assumed her concern was because she thought he might sell her to someone else. He was disappointed that she may think that of him, but could understand after what she’d been through.
‘No. You’re coming with me and your boss will think you’ve jumped overboard. I have to hide you and you both have to be very quiet until I can get you off the ship. Do you understand?’
‘What are you going to do with us?’
‘I’m going to take you home and you’re going to be our granddaughters.’
He held out his arms and Mary ran into them, her quiet sobs ones of joy and relief.
*****
Fiona pretended to listen to her mother’s chatter as she watched the introductions. She thought that Marion and Carol sized each other up like two animals about to go into battle. They shook hands. ‘How do you do?’ said Marion and Carol inclined her head and smiled falsely without repeating the greeting.
‘This is my daughter Mel.’
Marion wasn’t hostile toward Mel. Acknowledging the fact that her parents' indiscretions weren’t her fault.
‘Pleased to meet you, Mel,’ the warmth in Marion’s voice was genuine. ‘The twins have told me loads about you and you do have Claire’s eyes. Look at this photo.’ Marion took the photo of Claire out of her bag and Mel studied it. Her stepbrothers had told her about her likenesses to Claire before but she’d only seen group photos, which hadn’t been particularly clear. This one was a head and shoulders shot of Claire in school uniform, at a similar age to what Mel was now.
‘Oh, her hair’s lovely. I wish I had curly hair,’ she hesitated, feeling slightly uncomfortable. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss, it must be awful for you.’
Marion appreciated that and said that yes, it had been and still was pretty awful even though Claire had been gone for over two years. The moment passed and she brought the conversation back to hair, telling Mel that Claire’s curls had annoyed her daughter. They discussed the fact that most women with straight hair preferred curls and vice versa. Carol looked on quietly, miffed by the fact that her daughter was getting along so well with her partner’s ex. She wanted desperately to dislike the real Marion as much as the one she’d imagined her to be, but was finding it difficult so far.
Graham was almost forgotten about whilst the women discussed the plans for the following day. He breathed a sigh of relief and watched as Fiona manoeuvred the conversation, ensuring they stayed on safe ground and keeping Carol and Marion away from each other. Val was happy to chat to Carol and tried to get inside her head so she could report back to Marion later on. Graham caught the eyes of his sons and they ostensibly made their way to the gents, but quietly stepped outside the restaurant.
‘That went better than expected.’
They could see that the earlier tension had left him and their father was now relaxed. They’d come to terms with what he’d done to their family and learnt to live with it, but since Graham’s breakdown they were concerned at how he’d react in emotionally charged situations. Despite his new size and strength, they knew he could be overly sensitive and prone to emotional relapse so had been watching intently, ready to intervene during any difficult conversations if required.
‘I’m all right, really.’ Graham felt more like the child than the parent but was glad to have his two strapping lads looking out for him. He had to admit that it was down to Marion and not him that they were able to talk about their feelings without getting embarrassed, something that had taken him a long time to achieve and he still wasn’t particularly comfortable doing so.
A round of manly arm punches ensued and the three made their way back into the restaurant. The twins entirely comfortable now that their parents were settled and able to concentrate on their next task, garnering as much information from Val as they could.
*****
Gary awoke to loud voices on the final morning of the journey. He could hear Saul shouting but there was no panic in his voice, just anger. He took a drink of water and sat down for a few minutes to ensure it wasn’t going to come back up. Feeling weak he dressed as quickly as he could and made his way up to the deck to see what the problem was.
As Gary was on his way up Captain Saul was making his way down to his cabin and they met on an unmanned deck.
‘The guard who messed up on duty has disappeared.’
‘What do you mean disappeared?’
‘Exactly what I say, Gary. Their leader woke me earlier and told me he’s missing. They’re searching the whole ship now, along with my crew to see if he’s hiding.’
Gary held his chin with his thumb and stroked it thoughtfully with his index finger. ‘Anyone or anything else...’
He stopped talking and they both looked up as they heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. Daniel appeared, breathless, and immediately behind him was the leader of the mercenaries.
‘Two girls are missing.’ Daniel didn’t wait for the invitation to speak. ‘Mary and her little sheep.’
‘Shit,’ said Gary and the captain tried his best to look surprised. He spoke to the mercenary leader then turned to Gary.
‘His man has definitely disappeared and he thinks he’s taken the girls with him.’
‘But how could he do that without sounding the alarm,’ Gary felt his blood boil and it gave him strength. He covered the short distance to the mercenary and punched the man with all his force. The man hit the deck, banging his head on the stair as he did so. Blood spurted out but he was still very much conscious and had murder in his eyes. He regained his composure and sat up, his hand moving toward the knife in his waistband. Daniel moved toward him and grabbed his hand before it reached the knife. Gary moved to pounce on the man but Captain Saul took hold of him and stopped him before he could do so.
‘Enough!’ his voice stilled them all for a second. Had Gary been at his normal size and strength Captain Saul would not have been able to hold him back, but the anger had left him feeling tired again and the captain could feel him slump in his hold. He spoke to the mercenary in his own language and the man shook his hand out of Daniel’s, pushing Daniel away at the same time. He put his hand on his head then looked at the blood on it. He said something to Gary who didn’t need to
know the language to understand the meaning.
‘This will get us nowhere,’ Captain Saul said to all of them, then turned to Gary. ‘The others knew nothing about his disappearance. It seems pretty obvious that he’s taken the girls.’
‘I want compensation.’
So it was all about the money then, thought Saul. ‘May I remind you that you employed these men and if you think you can get a refund from him,’ he thumbed towards the man who was still sitting on the stair, ‘then good luck with that. Be my guest.’
Gary knew he was the meanest bastard on the ship. But he also knew that he couldn’t fight them all in his weakened state. He would put this one in the bag for another day, but return to it he would and get his revenge. He looked to Daniel who seemed to be about to say something.
‘What is it?’ that’s all he needed, another fucking problem.
All eyes turned to Daniel. Saul was pleased to see that the expression on Gary’s face had made him reconsider.
‘Shall I get the other girls ready to leave.’
Gary nodded. ‘Get rid of him too,’ he said to Saul and the mercenary disappeared after a few words from the captain.
When they could no longer hear footsteps Gary stood up to his full height and leaned into Captain Saul’s face, invading his space. ‘I will not forget this and I will find out what really happened here.’
It took an iron will for Saul to look him in the eye. He could feel the evil emanating from the man and if he let this go without comment Gary might figure out the truth. Even though he was ill, Saul was convinced that he’d come back for him and he tried to force down the bile that was making its way to his throat before replying.
‘You already know what really happened. I’m not making it up. Ask any of the men, any one of them.’ The last words were emphasised and Gary stepped back and studied the captain. He was pleased to see that the man was frightened and that he could still terrorise powerful men, even in his present state of health. He spat in the captain’s face and Saul quickly wiped it off his cheek, the veins in his neck sticking out as he did so.
Saul struggled with his emotions, his fists clenching in and out. He turned around swiftly and ran up the stairs without saying a word. He could kill the man now and knew his crew were loyal to him. But Gary would be off his ship within a matter of hours. He’d bank his money shortly after and would never have to see the bastard again. He hoped he had the illness and that it would soon lay waste to him. He also hoped that he had all the misfortune his enemies wished on him until his time ran out. Saul hurried to his cabin and scrubbed his face until he was satisfied that all traces of the saliva and potentially killer bacteria contained within it had disappeared. He knew the disease couldn’t be transmitted in that way unless he had an open wound, but he was as superstitious as the next man. He had the girls and he had won so why then did he feel like a sad, dirty loser? Maybe it was time to turn legitimate and to say goodbye to Gary and his like for good.
*****
Carol was put out that Mel had asked to sit next to Marion at the dinner. As her eyes drifted to her daughter and her previously sworn enemy she could see they were still getting on like a house on fire, through the first and onto the main course. Graham was talking to Fiona and Carol used the lull in the conversation to look around. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who was miffed with her daughter. Libby had been leaning across the table talking to her mother and there was silence when Val raised her voice in response.
‘Enough with the questions! I didn’t realise that my love life or lack of it, was of such interest to you lot,’ she pointed to Libby and the twins in turn. Fiona lowered her head and wasn’t included.
‘Mum!’ Libby was embarrassed.
‘Mum nothing. It’s your big day tomorrow and all you and the twins seem interested in is when I’m going to see Gary. What’s wrong with you all?’
‘We have your best interests at heart, Val, that’s all,’ Tony winked at his mother-in-law. ‘We’re happy so we just want you to be too.’
Graham had taken a gulp of beer and he spluttered it over the table at hearing Tony’s words.
‘Dad,’ complained Mel. ‘Can’t take you anywhere.’
‘Bit OTT, son,’ said Graham when everyone looked at him.
The conversation moved on but Graham noticed the look between the twins and Fiona and wondered what they were up to.
It was playing on Graham’s mind when they returned to the hotel later that evening but when he’d tried to discuss it with Carol she wasn’t interested. She was too absorbed by Mel and Marion’s new friendship and bothered that Graham didn’t feel the same way about it. He excused himself and put on his sports kit. Luckily the receptionist was a weightlifting fan and asked Graham for a signed photograph to which he obliged. The receptionist returned the favour and opened the gym for his hero. Graham always found his training therapeutic and he tried to piece together the events of the evening and come up with a logical explanation. He failed to do so but the more he thought the more he was convinced that his boys were up to something and that Val was somehow involved. By the time Graham had finished training he was exhausted but also determined to discover what was going on.
Marion had said goodnight when they returned to the hotel and made her way up to the room she shared with Val, who was having a last drink with Libby before retiring for the night. She took her clothes off and with them disappeared the enforced happy mood of earlier. She removed her make-up and cleaned her teeth, all the time thinking of the evening. She’d had a lovely time talking to Mel who’d turned out to be kind, pleasant and charming, no thanks to her parents, thought Marion. But it had also been a shock to look into those eyes and to recognise the familiar way she flicked back her hair. She’d also sounded exactly like Claire when she’d admonished Graham. Getting into bed Marion laughed at that thought and the laughter soon turned to tears. She still missed Claire so much, and knew she’d always miss her. As she approached that mysterious place between wakefulness and sleep, Marion heard her daughter’s voice.
‘I’m all right, Mum, I really am. I’ve met someone and I’m happy again. It’s time for you to move on now and find someone to share your life with. By the way, you were brill tonight, Mum, really brill.’
Marion smiled to herself as she nodded off. Her baby was happy and pleased with her. All was well with the world.
As Claire left her mother she felt as she used to when work was about to finish on a Friday and she had the whole weekend to look forward to. She smirked to herself as she remembered once wishing she had a tail so she could thump it and everybody would see how happy she was. Those days were long gone but the uncertainties of death that she’d felt when she arrived at Cherussola with Ron were starting to disappear, and she was carving herself a place in this strange and mysterious world. Seeing her mother as a confident self-assured woman earlier had made her happy and so had her peaceful sleeping face just now, but Claire knew that the major source of her current euphoria was Raphael. Her wonderful angel who could take his pick of beautiful and intelligent beings had chosen to be with her. Claire hugged herself and decided to pop in and see how her father was getting on.
Graham looked at the chasm between him and Carol in the king-sized bed. She wasn’t sleeping but was laying on her back with her hands behind her head looking up at the ceiling. She appeared to him to be deep in thought and had already told him that she wasn’t happy about the way he’d looked at Marion earlier. He wondered if they were both happy to give their relationship a second chance as he tried to put Marion out of his head. It was only fair to think about Carol when he was with her and, he admitted to himself, the sex with Carol had always been fantastic. Sensing her eyes on him he didn’t make eye contact but sat up in bed. She turned to him, elbow on the bed now leaning her head on her hand and looking at him intently. He could see she was curious out of the corner of his eye and he straightened his right arm and then bent it and flexed it so his biceps bulged,
he did the same with the left, then winked at his lover.
‘I’m almost impressed,’ she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. ‘But surely you can do better than that?’
They seemed happy enough to Claire but she sensed that something wasn’t quite right with her father. Guessing what her father’s performance was leading to, she had no desire to stay around and watch, so disappeared to see what her stepsister was up to.
Graham leapt off the bed and stood up straight. He flexed his arms in turn, making his pectoral muscles twitch and started humming a tune in rhythm to his muscle movements.
‘Bravo, bravo,’ shouted Carol and Graham continued to hum a tune as he stepped out of his boxers, his penis stood smartly erect.
‘Come on then, Big Boy,’ said Carol. ‘Let’s see how good you really are.’
Mel was in the bathroom and had just finished cleaning her teeth. She shivered and goose bumps suddenly appeared on her arms. She turned to look behind her very slowly and let out a big breath when she discovered nobody there. She tutted to herself and made her way to bed. Claire didn’t want to scare her stepsister so left quietly and returned to the others.
*****
The guests were seated comfortably and waiting for the first bride to arrive. The music started and Marion turned around and gasped, not because of how wonderful Fiona looked as she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm, but because Mel had had her hair curled and it could have been Claire that was following Fiona up the aisle, albeit a younger and taller Claire, but Claire nonetheless. Marion wiped away the first tear and tried her best to stem the flow of the others.
