“But you do, eh?”The speaker switched to English seamlessly, smirking at my explanation.
“Un peu,” I rasped, managing a small smile at the quip.“I speak a little French, yes.”
“You are all in French custody now!”He glared around at the cameramen, his focus landing on the one who’d swung the whip.
“What?”the Brits stared at each other in disbelief, but it was the guy who’d been happy to wallop me who spoke up.“This is a British ship.How dare you fire here!Boarding this vessel is an act of war!”
“Get them out of here.”The soldier seemingly in charge rolled his eyes and gestured for his colleagues to act.
Another three Frenchmen appeared in the doorway, grabbing the hapless Brits and wrestling their wrists into cuffs.They gasped and winced at the manhandling, but it must have taken less than five minutes to march all of them out of the door toward their fate.
“And you?”The original rescuer turned in my direction.“What is your name?”
“I’m Adam Harper,” I croaked, hoping my identity would mean something to one of them.
“Harper.”Another French naval soldier who hadn’t marched the cameramen out of the room piped up, responding to his colleague.“Laurent asked that he be brought back to shore, no?”
“That’s right,” I confirmed.“Monsieur Laurent of the ICC arranged for you to take Ian Jackson into custody.My return to The Hague was part of the deal.”
The two men stared at me as they considered my words until the first eventually replied.
“Oui, we ‘ave heard of you, Monsieur Harper.”
“Any chance you can untie me?”I rolled my neck, stretching my weary muscles and trying not to dwell on the damage the whip had caused.I’d got off lightly in the big picture, but I had no doubt the wounds were going to be excruciating in the long term.
“Oui.”The chattier of the two motioned to the other, who strode in my direction.Lowering his weapon, he crouched to start work on the ropes above me, and within a moment, my arms fell heavily to my sides.
“Merci.”I sighed, absurdly grateful for the liberation as I climbed slowly to my feet.Being forced to my knees for so long meant my muscles were slow and sore as I sought their cooperation.
“You have some nasty wounds there.”The seaman pointed to my back.
“Yeah.”The pain ensured I didn’t need the reminder.“You guys arrived just in time.So, what happens next?”
As if he’d been waiting around the corner for the perfect moment to mount his arrival, Laurent appeared in the narrow doorway.
“Monsieur Harper.”Concern flashed in his eyes as he extended a hand.“It is good to see you have survived your ordeal.”
“Not without a few scars,” I joked, suppressing my grimace as he shook my hand roughly.“Is Kaspar okay?”
“She has been found and is being consoled.”He shook his head.“We should have listened to you.It was not wise to have brought her here.”
Suppressing my weariness, I didn’t argue.I was sorry for what had happened to Kaspar.She’d become unnecessary collateral damage.
“And what of Ian?”I pressed, ignoring the way my pulse spiked at the thought of him.“Do you have him?”
The answer surely had to be yes.I couldn’t imagine having gone through the last few hours only to have been told the bastard had somehow slipped away.Having resolved myself to the path of redemption, I needed to know he was being sent in a similar direction—whether he liked the destination or not.
“President Jackson has been apprehended,” Laurent confirmed with a nod.“But he did not give himself up and sacrificed several of his men, who were shot in the process.”
“That sounds like Ian.”I sighed, relief decreasing the adrenaline in my system and reminding me of just how bloody sore my back was.“What about your men?Did you lose anyone?”
Laurent turned to one of the accompanying soldiers.“Officier?”
“Oui, some were shot.”His jaw tightened.“I do not know how they are doing.”
“I’m sorry.”My contrition was real.“I didn’t want anyone else to suffer for me.”
“They were following orders,” he corrected.“And doing their jobs.”
