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He hadn’t seen me.
I’d pulled out a fist of money, ready to bribe and cajole, only to freeze beneath the stare of a sea-weathered captain as he popped out from the tiny cabin above.
Our eyes had locked.
Something sinister slithered down my spine.
A harbour breeze sprang up and danced in my dress with warning.
If it’d just been him on that boat, I would’ve heeded the ominous sinking in my belly and admitted that not everything was fate’s design. But a girl appeared and kissed his whiskered cheek.
A granddaughter perhaps?
A girl dressed in the subtle olive uniform of the gardeners on Lebah.
It was another sign. Sully’s staff and his supplies. If I didn’t grasp this opportunity, I might never get another.
Something had happened to Sully.
I knew that in my bones.
I was past the rational stage of what I could do to help.
I gave up believing I was some Amazonian warrior with talents to free him.
I was just a simple goddess in love, willingly putting her life on the line because Sully had done the same for her.
Intan smiled and came toward me, holding out my phone. His young, tanned face was the epitome of innocence while the salt-cragged captain still set my teeth on edge. “Here. Charged.”
“Thank you.” Taking it, I checked the connection. No bars. No service. Would my dad be able to track me without cellular towers to guide his way?
I was walking into danger, but I had an army coming…I hope.
“Grandfather say dock no big. We get closer. You swim.”
I looked past Intan to the old man in his cabin. A man who’d never taken his gaze off me the entire journey. Every now and again, I’d catch guilt in his black stare, followed by pissed-off acceptance.
Something wasn’t right about him.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew I should heed the vibe he gave, whispering harsh with warning. But his grandkids had been a buffer between us, and my priorities overshadowed my concern.
Besides, Intan had been nothing but sweet to me, sharing his packed dinner of rice and watermelon, charging my phone when it died an hour into the cruise, staying up with me to stargaze—even though exhaustion made my words slur and my heart skip with nervousness. He’d kept me awake, chattering in a hiccupping blend of English and Indonesian.
He’d been the one I’d approached first. After he’d deposited the pallets onboard the tatty boat that waited like an old family pet—a pet that probably had arthritis and kidney issues—I’d ignored the old man above and stepped in front of Intan, holding out two thousand dollars. “I know where you’re going, and I know who those boxes are destined for. I want to come with you.”
He’d turned off his loader and tiptoed toward me as if the money would suddenly vanish. His mouth had fallen open, his cheeks covered in pimples and his chin cute with a dimple. “You want go Lebah?”
I’d nodded. “I’ll pay.”
His shorts were torn at the bottom, and his t-shirt held a few nibble holes. He wasn’t rich and was obviously well-acquainted with hard work. I’d wanted to offer more. I’d wanted to hand over Sully’s credit card if he agreed to give me a lift.
The old man and the girl in Sully’s gardener uniform had yelled down to the dock, muttering in Indonesian to Intan. I’d braced myself. So, so sure that the old man would forbid such a trade.
But surprisingly…he was on my side.
He’d silenced the girl who’d shaken her head and waved her arms aggressively in my direction. He’d nodded at Intan and narrowed his eyes my way. He’d said yes without knowing anything about me, which set off more alarm bells, but I was far too grateful to care.
“Money good for grandmother.” Intan grinned as we sailed closer to Sully’s islands, patting his short’s pocket where the cash had found a new home. “She need…medicine. No long live. You help. Help lots. Grandfather not happy. Very sad.”
I smiled. “I’m glad the money can go toward helping your grandmother. Hopefully, she gets better soon, and your grandfather is happy again.”
Intan smiled, then stiffened as his sister stormed toward us. She hadn’t spoken a word to me since I’d climbed aboard and we’d set sail from the busy harbour, past paint-peeling boats, fishy fishermen, and into the open waters in the dark.
Unlike Intan, who worked as his grandfather’s strength and agility, she was hitching a ride to her employment. Two weeks on and four days off. She had the best green fingers in her family and had been hired by Sully’s head horticulturist—according to my midnight conversation with Intan.
“Why you go back?” She crossed her arms, her petite frame and face almost identical to her brother. “You free.”
I narrowed my eyes. How much did she know of Sully’s business and his goddesses? Did she know that the women who lounged around all day and ate the food she painstakingly grew actually paid for that luxury with forced sex?
