“Thank you.”
She nodded and hurried out of the room.The clock was ticking now.
“Stefan,”Omar spoke to the empty stateroom.
The first mate appeared at the door in under three minutes.“What can I do for you, Mr.Irfan?”
Omar gestured toward the two expensive roller cases sitting alongside the dresser.“Margaux and I have finished packing.Would you handle getting our bags downstairs?I’m going to say my goodbyes to the others.”
“Of course.Leave it to me.I’ll take very good care of them.”
“Thank you.”Omar reached into his pocket and pulled out a fistful of U.S.currency.He pressed it into Stefan’s hand.
“I’ll make sure the bags are at the very front of the line when the Customs agents board,” Stefan promised.
Omar smiled broadly, as if he cared what happened to two bags they would never see again.“Great.And when will that be?”
Stefan checked the time.“Maybe another hour.”
Omar patted him on the back and walked out of the room.T minus fifteen and counting.
He strolled casually to the end of the hall and then sprinted down the stairs to the tender platform.As he burst out of the stairwell, he nearly collided with one of Idris’s guards.
It was Bashir, who’d caught him in the weapons room.
The man stepped directly into Omar’s path, forcing him to stop.
“You are leaving today,” Bashir said.It wasn’t a question.
“That’s the plan.”
“Good.”The guard’s hand rested casually on his sidearm.“Mr.Mahmoud has been very generous with his hospitality.It would be unfortunate if there were any … complications.”
“No complications,” Omar assured him.
He eyed Omar for another moment before moving aside and letting him pass.
Omar walked to the rail and looked out at the water until Bashir got bored and left.He waited another three minutes to make sure the guard didn’t return, ran down to the jet skis, and grabbed all four sets of keys from the pegboard.Then he sprinted.
He reached the ship’s library two minutes ahead of schedule.It was a cozy room complete with a stone fireplace.Three walls were lined with leather-bound books and scattered club chairs faced the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Marielle was nowhere to be seen, but Hanna was curled up in one of the chairs, staring out at the sea and the land beyond it.
She looked up with surprise when he walked into the room.
“Where’s Margaux?”she asked.
“She’s on her way.”He handed her the keys labeled “1” and “2” and returned the other two to his pocket.“Keep one and give her the other.I’ll meet you at the jet skis.”
She stared down at the digital keys in her palm.“The numbers don’t matter.”
“What do you mean?”
“Idris had the keys all coded to pair with all four jet skis.They’re only numbered to keep track of them.”
Thank you, Allah.He’d been worried they’d waste time trying to find the right jet skis.This small bit of luck felt like a good omen.
“Make sure you tell Margaux that.”
