“You won’t touch me, will you?” asked the littlest girl. “I know what those men wanted to do. They talked about it all the time. You’re not supposed to touch a little girl’s privates.”
“No, you’re not, sweetie,” said Cade, kneeling in front of her. “Only a bad man would do that, and we’re all good men. You’re far too young for that. We’re going to get you home.”
“We’re sending Doug and Chipper with the other plane to pick up the girls.”
Someone pounded on the door, and Remy looked at the others. Cade turned to the little girl.
“Can you act scared for me?”
“I am scared,” she said, confused. Cade laughed, shaking his head.
“Of course you are. But I need you to act really, really scared. We’re going to let that man in, and you pretend like I was going to touch you, okay?” She nodded as Remy opened the door.
“Don’t touch me!” yelled the little girl, kicking and screaming. The man at the door smiled, nodding.
“We were wondering who was gonna get to taste her. Boss said John was bringing some important visitors. Hey? When you’re done with her, can I have her?”
“Sorry, friend,” smiled Bodhi. “Not in this lifetime.” Bodhi slammed the man into the steel wall of the ship, driving his knee into his back, hearing the satisfying snap of his spine. When he fell next to his friend, the girls just stared.
“We’re at the bay doors,” said Ham. “Ship is cleared. Bring the girls, and we’ll take them out by boat.”
“What do we do with all the bodies?” asked Cade.
“Leave them,”said Eric.“Sooner or later, someone will smell the death.”
The girls were hidden in the boats, then driven up the canal to waiting cars, then sent to the runway and packed into the jet with Bree, Jane, Kelsey, Lena, Ally, and Ajei making sure they were physically unharmed. Other than being dehydrated and thin, they were in relatively good spirits, telling the women about the giants that saved them.
Back at Belle Fleur, Remy and the others relayed all the information about their meeting with Myer and what they believed his plan was.
“Well, we know he’s tied in with the Russians and maybe even the Chinese,” said Luke. “He can’t leave the country unless it’s on a private plane. When he doesn’t hear from those men on the ship, he’ll be suspicious.”
“I have an idea about that,” said Hiro. “Actually, it was Tony’s idea.” They all smiled at the ghost-boy who had given his life for their own. He stepped forward, his head down.
“Do you remember when I overlayed the voice of Miguel’s brother for that Russian? We could do it here. Overlay the voices of the men on the ship, creating an algorithm that allows us to create sentences and conversations and make sure Myer thinks they’re still there.”
“But we don’t have any recordings of their voices,” said Cam.
“We do,” said Hiro. “They had open comms and recorded almost everything. It’s a lot, but with Tony’s help, we can do this, and when Myer calls in, ensure him that everything is okay.”
“And what about the authorities and the stench of death that will inevitably invade the dock?” asked Ham.
“We took care of that,” smiled Patrick. “Once you had the girls off, we just loaded all the bodies into the freezer. They’ll be good for at least a month.” Ham just shook his head, laughing.
“Alright then. Let’s stop this asshole.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Grateful to be home and back at the island mansion, Sadie cooked dinner for Ham and her brothers. They laughed about their childhoods, telling stories on one another. It was strange seeing them all seated together, thought Ham. They looked so much alike it was disconcerting. When they were expressionless, you couldn’t tell which was Patrick or which one was Christopher.
“What about you, Ham? Siblings? Folks alive?” asked Patrick.
“No siblings. My mom died about six years ago, but my dad is still alive. The great Scotsman,” he grinned. The others smiled at him, waiting. “I got teased a lot for my name. Hamish isn’t exactly common, and my middle name is Angus, so I couldn’t use that either. My dad, Callum Lachlan McDonald, made sure I knew that my name was important and it was a name I could be proud of.
“He used to tell me stories of my great-great-grandfather and all my ancestors fighting the English for Scotland’s freedom. In fact, he said that one of my ancestors actually fought with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Not sure if it’s true.”
Sadie, Patrick, and Christopher stared at him, then smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked. Sadie nodded behind him. “Oh, hello, Claudette.”
