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“I wasn’t running.” I’m not sure why that’s the lie that comes out of my mouth, but it is.
“Sir, I watched you. There’s no running allowed,” he repeats, lowering his hand but moving to stand in front of me.
I read his name tag.
John B.
Security
Security.A new idea strikes me. “Listen, can you call your boss? Diego’s your boss, right? Tell him it’s Blake Barlowe. I’m the one whose wife is missing. Tell him I’ve found the man we were looking for. That he just ran through this way. He’ll know what I mean.” I try to catch sight of the mysterious man again, but he’s gone. I’ve lost him.
I’ve lost him.
The man eyes me. “If you need to speak with Mr. Diaz, you’ll need to contact his office. And you’ll need to do that while walking, not running.”
It’s obvious John is going to be of no help, and I have no more time to think. I shove past him, bolting at full speed in the direction of where the man is headed.
“Hey, stop!” John calls after me.
“Runner! Runner!” another voice calls from behind me. To my right, a guard lunges at me. There’s another on my left. A woman at the quarter machine screams with delight over a recent win.
It’s pure chaos, but it’s over in seconds. I struggle to free myself, but it’s no use. Four security guards surround me. One shoves me to the ground while another places a knee on my back.
“Let me go! I wasn’t doing anything!” I cry.
“I told you not to run.” I recognize John’s smug voice from behind me. “You were endangering the other guests. Cuff him.”
“I wasn’t endangering anyone.” The guard who has my hands grips them tighter behind my back, tugging them close together as I feel zip-tie handcuffs clasp my wrists. A muscle in my back burns from the awkward angle he’s holding me in. “Please!” I beg as people begin gathering around.
“Get back! Get back!” one of the guards shouts at them, waving his hands to keep people away.
“My wife is missing!” I cry, with no power left in my voice. “There’s a man… He knows where she is.”
“He’s drunk,” the guard on my back mutters, prompting laughter from the others.
“I’m not. I swear. Please just call Diego. He’ll tell you.”
“Come on.” The man pulls me to my feet. “We need to get you out of here before the crowd gets any bigger.”
I’m dizzy as the two guards spin me around to face the doorway I just entered through. “Please call Diego. I’m not drunk or dangerous. I was just trying to catch the man who was with my wife before she disappeared. My name’s Blake Barlowe. You searched the ship for my missing wife this morning.”
The man looks at me, something changing in his face. “Did someone call Diego?” he asks, looking over my shoulder at one of the other men.
“Not yet. Working on it.”
I feel his grip on my arm loosen slightly. “We’ll get Diego down here to sort this out. In the meantime, you can’t be acting like that. People get crazy on these ships. All it takes is one and we have chaos.”
“I get it. I’m sorry.”
He nods, but he doesn’t look at me this time.
“I won’t run again. I promise. I was just trying not to lose him. He was also running.”
They don’t release me, though. Or say anything else on the subject. I’ve lost my chance. Two of the men continue leading me in the opposite direction of where I was headed. The opposite direction of the man. They lead me through the casino and past the bar, still holding my arm, my hands still cuffed as if I’m a criminal. I remain steady. Patient. Calm.
Embarrassment over what just happened has begun to creep in. I can’t help Mae if I’m in some sort of cruise ship prison.
The brig … Is that what it’s called?
