I slow the throttle and do the best I can to get close to the ship. I keep my head down. Easton turns the radio off and tucks it in his belt. He’s got the gun under the flap of his jacket.
My throat closes up. There’s a crew member on the back of the boat. But of course there would be. He’s not even looking at us but at the side of the tender, his hands extended, waiting to grab the rope. I push it with my dark trainer. And Easton gets the hint. He picks it up and tosses it to the guy. The guard ties us up without glancing into the tender.
Easton climbs out of the boat as I turn the tender off. I need to play the part—leaving the engine on would be a dead giveaway.
Easton’s after him. He cocks the gun and has it up when he stands from tying the tender. “Quiet.”
“No, no kill me.” His English is different than the others, less of a French accent and more a British one. “I’m...” He’s clearly searching for a word. This is the lazy guard. “They take me...”
“Are you a prisoner?”
“Yes,mga lalaki.” He shakes his head. “Les hommes.”
“Like the men?”
“Men, yes. Come.” He reaches out and pushes the barrel of Easton’s gun down. He steps to the port side.
Easton and I lock eyes.
“It seems reasonable. He’s not really trying to guard anything,” I say.
We follow him. Easton has his gun tucked under his jacket. And the man turns and stares at the gun. Then he points to the island. “Fantôme.”
“Ghosts?” Easton says.
“Oui, no good.”
I shiver. They know about the massacre on the other side of the island. “Are you taking us to our friends?” I ask.
“Oui,” he says. But then I get the feeling he might agree to anything with a gun pointed at him. I don’t blame the guy. He’s not that old, maybe twenty.
He stops at a hatch in the deck. There’s no one around. But then a ship like this... needs what—maybe seven to ten to run it? Three are dead, another three are on the island. There’s whomever radioed earlier.
The guy flips the latch and pulls the hatch open. It’s pitch-black down there.
“If you’re going to piss on us again, you could try and have a little better aim. You missed me last time, mate,” Zane says.
“Zane,” Easton calls out.
It’s killing me to not speak, but we both decided the longer we can hide that I’m a woman, the better.
“Easton?”
“Get up here,” Easton says.
Zane’s up first, followed by Calvin. He takes a glance at me but then lunges for our captive helper.
“No, Green. He’s helping us.” Easton blocks Calvin from hitting the guard.
Sam and Dante are up the ladder now too.
“What’s the plan?” Sam asks me, and I want to laugh.
I want to saythisisthe plan,but I counter with, “Take over the boat?”
“Love it, Sugar.”
Our captive friend gawks between Sam and me, then he cocks his head at me, squinting. It’s dark, but I’m pulling off my best teenage boy voice.
