AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A brief pause as I consider my stocky guard’s interest in my fiancée. “He cares about her,” I say.
Freddie’s stern expression falters. “We all do. She’s a captivating subject.”
Nodding, I think about my Zee and her cons, her globetrotting, and her penchant for besting the bad guys. “She’s pretty incredible.”
“We’re going to find her, Sir.”
Digging in my pocket, I place my hand on the claim ticket for her ring. “Text me the second you find Hines.”
11
Lost
Zelda
Consciousness fades in like the raising of a dimmer switch. I open my eyes slowly, but all I see is dark. A black hood is over my head, and I’m lying on a very cold, very hard surface. Placing my palm on it, it feels like metal, and a sudden vibration followed by the echo of what sounds like a drill comes from somewhere far below me.
Inside the hood, my lips are crusted and dry. I still taste salt and coppery blood in my mouth, but I’m not actively bleeding. Still, my jaw is painfully sore from my missing tooth, and I’m so thirsty.
Lying here, I feel rocking, an occasional dip. As I listen, I try to place the sensation until at last I realize, I’m either on a boat or I have a concussion. Or both. The last thing I remember is Gorilla Man’s fist slamming into my skull.
If I live through this, I’m going to stick a shiv in Seth Hines.
“She’ll stay on the island,” an accented male voice I don’t recognize says.
“It’s not on any map.” That voice I do recognize. It’s Wade Paxton. “They won’t even know where to start searching for her.”
“How did you find this place?” the other man asks.
“When I was in Turkey, they told me about an island where the Australians sent Islamic refugees. It’s larger, more densely populated, so I continued searching. I found this little island about a thousand miles east of there.”
Fear trickles through my veins. I don’t move. Where are they taking me?
The noise of the door, and another male voice joins Wade and his companion. “We’re twenty feet off the shore of Uranu.”
“Good work, Blix,” Wade says. “You’ll stay with them until it’s time to dispose of her.”
“Yes, sir.” More noise of doors, and we’re back to just the three of us.
“Who knew she would prove so useful?” From the sound of his voice, Wade is standing above me. It’s almost impossible to keep from shivering. “To think I almost wasted her life in Monagasco.”
“What do you expect to get for her?”
Wade turns, and I lie still, listening. Perhaps if I know what he wants, I can figure out how to escape.
“Power. Leverage. She’s the sister of the crown prince’s fiancée. She’s the presumptive heir’s girlfriend. They’ll come to the bargaining table in exchange for her life.” My stomach tightens, and I can’t help the shiver that passes over my shoulders. “Ahh, and it seems she’s awake.”
The hood is jerked off my head, and bright light dazzles my eyes. It takes a few moments of blinking and squinting before I’m able to make out Wade’s greasy hair, slimy face, and thin moustache.
&
nbsp; I’m in a small cabin on a boat that has three twin beds arranged around the walls. In the center is a small table and one long shelf system runs along the perimeter. A veranda is in the very back, and I can see the green brush of an island through the glass door.
The clicking of a photograph makes me jump and look at the other man. He’s holding his phone up and taking pictures of me.
“Hold this.” He shoves a newspaper at me, and I look down at the cover. It’s a USA Today, and the date is June 12. “Turn it around.”
“May I please have a drink?” My voice is dry and rough as sandpaper.
