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Something changes in her face, but she wraps the throw tighter around herself.
“Where’s Garrett?” I ask quietly.
“I… I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since last night. He usually comes to see me.” She looks like she’s getting more upset by the minute.
“It’s okay, we’ll find him. Carys, I need you to really pay attention. I’m going to get you out of here, but you have to do exactly as I say.”
She shakes her head and starts side-walking along the wall to get to the furthest corner from me. “We can’t leave Garrett. I think they’re onto us.”
My heart kicks against my ribs. “What makes you think that?”
“Last night, the buyer came back about two hours after he left. He came into my room and asked me if we’d enjoyed our night. Garrett had let me onto the deck to watch the dolphins. When Saeed asked me that, Garrett got a weird look on his face and I haven’t seen him since. They… They took his phone and made him unlock it.”
My stomach rolls. Fuck! They know everything.
“Carys, do you have anything warm to wear?” Based on the nightdress she’s in, I’m not hopeful.
“No, they pretty much have me dressed in this kind of stuff all the time now.”
I start unstrapping my bulletproof jacket. Carys’s eyes immediately widen, and a look of undiluted fear spreads across her face.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” I hand her my jacket. “Wear this under the blanket. It’s for protection.” I look at my watch. “We’ve gotta move.”
She tears up as I speak, and I know she has to be terrified. “I—I’m scared.”
“I’m right here with you, and I’ve got a team of people here with the sole purpose of getting you off this yacht.”
“What about Garrett?”
“We’ll find him and get him out too. Let’s go.”
I hold out a hand to her, and she places hers in mine. She hesitates. “Wait, I need my diary.”
I notice the green book on the table with a blue dandelion drawn on it. “This it?” She nods.
“Okay, we’ve gotta move.”
“One more thing,” Carys says as I lead her to the door. Her small arms go around me as she encases me with the blanket. “Thank you. I was sure I wasn’t going to see my family ever again. I can’t believe I’m going to be free.”
“That’s because you’re not.”
A deep voice sounds from the doorway, and I whip Carys behind me.
A tall guy, his skin an olive tone that looks like he’s spent too much in the sun, enters. Two bodyguards that make me look like a stick man flank him. I reach for my weapon but stop short as the goons draw theirs. “That’s not a good idea.”
Seconds later, Garrett is dragged into the room, his head hanging low like he’s passed out, with James and Harry following at gunpoint. Jesus, I thought I told these guys to stay put.
Carys peeks her head around me and screams Garett’s name. He looks up. Fuck, he looks bad. Both his eyes are nearly swollen shut, and his face is full of blood and bruises. She starts sobbing behind me, and I realize she knows what I know, which is that we’re fucked.
“All these hysterics. If you could all settle down so I can introduce myself, my name is Saeed. I am purchasing this lovely young lady here. Or at least I was going to until I discovered she was soiled. You see, she was for my son, and nothing but the best is good enough for him. Miss McNamara, your father should’ve just done what was asked of him, and you wouldn’t be in this situation. Now, if you’ll surrender your weapon, we can continue with the rest of the evening.”
I had to think. Shit, the entire alphabet of alternate plans was not going to get us out of this situation. Hoping against hope the guys I deployed to other areas of the ship will come looking, I raise my hands and submit my weapon. Garrett looks completely tormented, his eyes wide and manic. I can see in that moment what Saeed must have seen. He’s made this mission personal and formed a bond with Carys.
“I believe Garrett took you to the deck last night. Shall we all go up and see what the fuss was about?” They train their guns on us in earnest, and Carys reaches out and clings to me. Everyone gets escorted out of the room, and one of the goons comes over and grabs Carys. She screams and holds on tighter, her diary landing on the floor. Saeed’s bodyguard drags Carys from the room. Her blanket falls to the floor, and she trips over it and starts screaming. I hope her screams reach the other guys. Garrett is lifted up by two of the goons. “Let’s go.”
They hold us at gunpoint and make us walk to the railing. The wind blowing off the Mediterranean should be a lot warmer than this, but it feels like the air is cutting right through me. Carys starts shivering, and I wish it was from the cold but know it isn’t. She looks at me, eyes pleading, and then at Garrett. He shakes his head almost imperceptibly, but I see it, and I know then that it’s all over.
I think about the photo of Jess in my breast pocket. I think about all the nights spent loving her, and I’m never going to get the opportunity again. I failed Carys. I promised her she would be okay. I promised her she’d be home soon. How are her parents and sister going to go on without her?
