I blinked at the light. The sun hung just a few degrees above the eastern horizon. A small boat had been secured near the back of the yacht. A four-man craft, but if need be, it could squeeze in a fifth and sixth.
At the railing, I stopped and leaned my back against it. Hands grasping the metal kept my captors from tugging me away immediately, let me get a better look at the situation. An unfamiliar face appeared through the bridge windows above. No sign of Pavel.
The man with the stun gun held it between us. A flick of his finger had it crackling with lighting. When he had my attention, he pointed to the stairs down to the next deck. I’d seen all I could, so I complied.
Every step sent throbbing pain through my leg. If one of my captors hadn’t grabbed my arms, I’d have fallen head over heels on the first one. At the bottom, I received not a moment of rest. The man behind me pushed me toward the open door to the lower cabins.
A third man dressed the same as the other two in black tactical gear stood in front of the door to Gianna’s cabin. He stiffened when we neared and stepped across the hall. The gun hanging over his shoulders slipped into his hand before he opened Oleg’s door. He brandished it and stepped back.
Mr. Stun Gun to the Back pushed me through the door. It closed behind me. Footsteps retreated. Oleg lay on his bunk, face down and unconscious. A purple bruise swelled one eye shut. His arms and legs had been yanked behind his back, cuffed to each other and the cuffs were secured together.
Pavel sat beside him, hands held behind his back. A scuff marred one of his cheeks and he was missing his glasses. He sighed and shook his head when I stepped closer.
“I’m sorry, boss,” he whispered in Russian, “I didn’t see their boat, too small for our radar, they were running dark. The fuckers surprised me. Oleg was asleep, but he took one of them out when they came down here, I know that. They drugged him, I think.”
“Have you seen G— our guest?” I asked. Better to not use her name. I still didn’t know exactly what had happened. “Did they say anything to you?”
“I have not seen her but they took me straight here when they secured the bridge,” he replied, shaking his head again. “They spoke to each other; Italian, but I couldn’t tell what they said.”
My eyes closed for a moment. I plotted best without distractions. The pain in my leg provided enough of one to hamper me already. The men who’d taken us were Italian, being Franco’s was the obvious choice. But the engine was still off. Were they waiting for someone?
That possibility gave us time. My eyes flew open and I surveyed Oleg’s cabin. Spartan and clean, unsurprising given the man. An olive green military pack leaned against the small closet. No personal effects hung on the walls. An empty oil-stained cloth covered the small desk. The tools, cleaning kit and his side arm had all been removed. Sometimes, even I wished for an easier, stupid opponent. Not on the cards today.
Still, we had time and the cabin to ourselves. I hobbled to the closet and fumbled for the handle with my hands bound. It opened but I winced as I hopped away to open it completely. Oleg’s suits hung right where they always were. Our captors made their first mistake.
Some people thought you could get out of handcuffs by dislocating your thumb. Technically, this was true, but you needed to dislocate the bone where it connected to the wrist. To do that, you had to break bones or tear out all sorts of important ligaments. In the end, you might escape the cuffs, but there was a good possibility you’d never use that thumb the same way.
Oleg, dependable and crafty as always, sewed handcuff keys into the cuffs of his suit coats. If a cursory search actually found and removed them, he’d still have one at the end of his shoelace. I’d done the same, but our captors hadn’t given me a chance to cover my nakedness.
I grabbed the closest shoe and had my cuffs off in a moment before I passed it to Pavel. We left Oleg bound for the moment, just in case they returned. As much as I wanted to storm out of the cabin and take the men on, save Gianna… assuming she wasn’t on their side, I only had one opportunity for a surprise attack.
Free of my restraints for the moment, both Pavel and I searched Oleg’s cabin for any other weapons. I also slipped one of his suit coats over my shoulders. It almost hung to my knees and reminded me of the suit my grandmother had bought me before taking me to church when I was little. It had ‘room to grow into.’ Pavel would have looked like a boy trying on his father’s clothes in it.
While I played dress up, our captain shimmied out from under Oleg’s bunk. He held up a wrist holster with two sheathed knives attached. Another mistake by our captives. I tore into Oleg’s military bag and found a roll of utility tape.
By the time muffled foot falls sounded through the cabin doors, I’d clicked the cuffs back into place. Pavel had taped one of the sheaths to my back, handcuff key next to it. He held the other knife behind his. Oleg’s suit coat hung from my shoulders, buttoned at the front.
A different door opened and closed. Several minutes later, the footfalls faded only to return a few minutes later. Finally, the door opened. The barrel of the guard’s rifle pointed inside. The two men who’d brought me down here appeared behind him. Their eyes narrowed when they saw the coat covering me. Time to find out just how sloppy they were.
“Where did you get that coat?” the man with Caesar’s nose asked in Italian.
“The coat? I got it out of the closet,” I replied. “Do you really think I want to meet your boss naked?”
“Show me your hands,” he demanded. The guard shook his gun.
I’d planned for that. After slipping the handcuffs back on, I hiked the back of Oleg’s jacket up. I pivoted on my good leg and wiggled my fingers at the man, then pulled my arms apart to show the handcuffs still held me.
“Fine, I’m sure the capo won’t mind if you’ve covered yourself,” he said before stepping away from the door, “but it’s time you met him face to face.”
17
Gianna
Icouldn’t sleep, not a wink. Once Alexei’s breathing came regular and slow, I rolled to the edge of the bed and padded to my feet. He fell asleep quickly. I’d had a few hours of sleep on the cruise ship – and I hadn’t been shot.
The shirt he’d torn off covered me a moment later. I’d have to hold it close if I wanted modesty, thanks to his actions. With it over my shoulders, the moment he ripped it off me, the look in his eyes flooded my mind.
Eyes drifted back to the bed. Katie was right. I’d never forget my first time. If he hadn’t been shot, I’d be waking him up for a second round. I shook my head and turned to the door.
