The Power Trip

  ‘The Senator,’ Taye said. ‘Never stops yellin’ at that poor wife of his.’

  ‘Okay,’ Flynn said, tucking that information away for later. ‘You take care of Ashley. I gotta try to warn everyone else. I’ll see you up there.’

  Moving fast, he took off again, not certain how he could convince Hammond to help get Sierra to safety. But he sure as hell was going to try.

  * * *

  Frog-marching Captain Dickson back to the bridge, Amiin passed Kyril’s room and spotted Basra asleep on a chair in front of a slew of blank monitors.

  ‘You,’ Amiin warned the Captain, ‘no move.’ Then he began screaming a stream of expletives at Basra in Somali. Basically telling him to move his lazy ass, and continue looking for any stragglers – which was what he was supposed to be doing.

  Basra forced his eyes open, mumbled a weak excuse, stood up, picked up his gun, and set off downstairs.

  His job was to inspect the crew’s quarters, make sure they had them all stashed in the mess-hall. Yes, and if he came across anyone, he decided in his groggy state of mind, then he might as well shoot to kill.

  Basra had a strong taste for violence.

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  ‘Whaddaya mean, he won’t come out?’ Cruz demanded, glaring at Amiin as if it was his fault. ‘Open the fuckin’ door an’ haul him out.’

  ‘He got door locked from inside,’ Amiin explained.

  ‘Jeez! What a cabron,’ Cruz snarled. ‘Gettin’ him up here is for his own fuckin’ good.’

  ‘Why do you want him?’ Mercedes piped up.

  Captain Dickson stared at her in shock. Mercedes was standing there as if she was one of them. Then it struck him – she was one of them. The little bitch he’d told Guy not to hire was with the pirates! She must have been working with them all along.

  Guy was such a fool. Captain Dickson couldn’t wait to confront his director of entertainment – if he was lucky enough for that day to ever come, for right now he had a gun stuck in his face and a strong urge to crap his pants.

  Mercedes felt the hate in Captain Dickson’s eyes burning into her. ‘Get over it,’ she spat.

  ‘I need Kasianenko here,’ Cruz said heatedly. ‘To get the ransom demand started.’ Time was important. He expected the money to be paid within twenty-four hours, every moment wasted ate up precious time.

  ‘Blow a hole in the chingado‘s door an’ drag him up here,’ he ordered Amiin. ‘Do it now.’

  ‘Yes, boss,’ Amiin said.

  * * *

  The door to the Pattersons’ terrace was not locked. Flynn opened it, slid inside and approached the bed.

  Sierra was in the bed. Hammond was not.

  Flynn checked out the bathroom. Empty. He leaned over the bed and shook Sierra awake. She opened her eyes and gasped.

  ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said, speaking fast. ‘There are pirates aboard.’

  She sat up, coppery hair tumbling around her beautiful face. ‘Flynn,’ she murmured, her eyes widening. ‘Pirates. Seriously?’

  ‘Yeah, I know, it’s crazy,’ he said. ‘I can hardly believe it myself.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure. Where’s Ham?’

  ‘I . . . I don’t know. He never came to bed.’

  ‘Put on something warm and grab your tennis shoes. I’m getting you to safety.’

  * * *

  Cashoo had been expecting to see gorgeous women on this luxurious yacht, but to his disappointment the three females sitting with the male hostages were nothing special.

  As usual he was feeling horny. He couldn’t seem to get his mind off the big boss’s woman with her huge breasts – breasts he could play with all day long, given the opportunity.

  He had a hunch that they might not be returning to the villa since Cruz had disposed of the two Russian bodyguards. That was a shame, because he would’ve liked to have played around with the boss’s woman some more. Still, Cruz always had a plan, and at the end of the plan there was always plenty of money to share, so he couldn’t complain.

  Once more Cashoo eyed the crew of The Bianca. A sorry-looking bunch – and the three women captives, not so pretty.

  He started wondering where Mercedes was. The two of them got along fine. Mercedes was a spitfire, up for anything. She was his kind of girl, pretty and dangerous.

  Tired of guarding the hostages, he told Daleel that he had to take a piss and would be right back.

  Daleel nodded, and Cashoo headed off to search out Mercedes.

  * * *

  As soon as Cashoo left, Den nudged Guy. ‘There’s only two of ’em now,’ he muttered. ‘C’mon, mate, grow a pair. If we all move together, we can rush ’em’

  ‘It’s not going to happen,’ Guy said, wishing that Den would settle down and stop bugging him. ‘In case you haven’t noticed, they’ve got guns – nobody wants to risk getting shot. We stay calm, they’ll stay calm,’ he added, trying to convince himself.

  ‘You think?’ Den argued, jutting out his chin. ‘They’re getting’ drunker by the minute. We don’t do somethin’, we’re gonna be toast. Shove that in your Little Book of Calm.’

  * * *

  Over in the corner it occurred to Jeromy that if everyone was murdered on the yacht, who would even remember that he was aboard? The headlines would be all about the famous people – Luca, Cliff Baxter, Taye, Bianca, the Senator, and of course, Aleksandr. There was a strong possibility that he might not be mentioned at all. Jeromy Milton-Gold – an also-ran.

  For some obscure reason he experienced a strong burst of anger towards Luca. Where was his blond god? Why wasn’t he doing anything?

  Jeromy knew he was thinking in an unreasonable fashion because unfortunately there was nothing Luca could do. Stone cold fact – there was nothing anyone could do.

  He glanced over at Guy. Was he an enemy or a friend?

  Jeromy hoped he was a friend, for he needed to be close to someone at this frightening time.

  * * *

  Moving like a sure-footed cat, Flynn jumped from terrace to terrace, alerting everyone, and telling them to get up to Aleksandr’s suite. The only two people missing were Hammond and Jeromy Milton-Gold. Flynn had no idea where either of them were, and right now they were the least of his worries.

  The women turned out to be a hardy bunch, climbing the rope like veterans, crowding into the safe room with Bianca. The safe room was soundproof, and at the top of the panel was a two-way mirrored section that allowed whoever was inside to see what was going on outside.

  Once everyone was assembled, Xuan confronted Flynn and insisted that she stay and face the pirates with the men.

  Flynn was having none of it. ‘You will stay in here until we come and get you. Do not come out for anything, and stay quiet. You’ll all be safe if you do that.’

  Sierra gave him a long look. ‘How about you?’ she asked softly. ‘Will you be safe?’

  ‘I can look after myself,’ he said tersely. Then gesturing towards the other men, he said – ‘We all can.’

  ‘What about Hammond?’ she asked.

  ‘We’ll find him,’ Flynn assured her, wondering if she was asking because she cared.

  On the other side of the door, Amiin started to yell, ‘Out now or me shoot!’

  Aleksandr slid the panel to the safe room shut.

  Flynn looked around at Taye, Luca and Cliff. ‘We gonna go for the bastard or be trapped as hostages?’

  ‘No question, we’ll take the bugger,’ Taye said, eyes gleaming

  Cliff nodded his agreement. ‘I’ve done it in movies enough times,’ he said wryly. ‘Let’s put it to the test and see how I make out in real life.’

  ‘I’m ready,’ Luca said, nervous inside but determined to put on a strong front. He was worried about Jeromy, but there was nothing he could do about finding him now.

  Aleksandr removed the gun from his belt. ‘We’re all in this together,’ he said, full of steely determination. ‘Five men as one.’ br />
  ‘Right,’ Flynn said. ‘Gimme the gun. I reckon I’ve had more practice than you.’

  Aleksandr didn’t argue, he handed Flynn his gun.

  Outside the door Amiin yelled a final warning. ‘Open or I blast in.’

  ‘Go for it, cocksucker,’ Flynn muttered. ‘We’re ready an’ waiting.’

  * * *

  Thrusting into the girl with all the force he could muster, Hammond found himself riding high, in a state of total dominance.

  At one point, the girl – what was her name, Gemma, Renna, ah yes, Renee – had pleaded with him to stop. He knew she didn’t mean it, he knew she was loving every second of his enormous member penetrating her virgin territory.

  When he heard muffled noises going on outside the room he took no notice: he was on his way to the ultimate orgasm.

  Building . . . building . . .

  And YES! ‘Aargh!’ Hammond’s body shook with the exquisite release, while Renee trembled beneath him.

  And at that exact moment, the door to the room opened, and a groggy Basra – not quite sure what he was seeing – staggered in, raised his gun and shot the heaving naked figure on top of the girl.

  Blood flowed.

  And for Senator Hammond Patterson, death and orgasm happened at the exact same moment.

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  Pacing up and down, Sergei kept consulting his watch, muttering to himself about what he would do to Kasianenko when he had him safely shackled in the basement.

  After a while Ina emerged from the bedroom wearing little more than a short baby-doll nightie, and furry high-heeled mules. ‘When you comin’ to bed?’ she whined.

  ‘When I feel like it,’ he snapped back at her.

  He had no intention of sleeping until Kasianenko was his prisoner, chained and trussed up, ready to be put in the oven and roasted.

  Ah yes, Sergei enjoyed the imagery of Kasianenko being roasted like a stuck pig, it made an appealing picture.

  ‘I don’t feel safe sleepin’ alone,’ Ina complained, curling a loose strand of hair around her finger. ‘This place is scary at night. Come to bed.’

  Sergei shot her a look. ‘Stop bitchin’ like a little pizda,’ he muttered. ‘I’ll come to bed when I’m ready.’

  And he wouldn’t be ready until Maksim and Viktor returned with Kasianenko.

  He checked his watch once more. Cruz and his men had been gone over four hours. They should be arriving back any minute now.

  Sergei licked his lips in anticipation. He was more than ready.

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  ‘You’ll never get away with this,’ Captain Dickson warned, desperately trying to assert an air of authority as he faced the grungy-looking Mexican man with the lethal scar running across his neck and the automatic Uzi balanced precariously on his knee. ‘Do you even realize who this yacht belongs to?’

  ‘I say it was okay for you to speak?’ Cruz snarled, giving Captain Dickson a long hard look.

  ‘Here’s what’ll happen,’ Captain Dickson continued, refusing to be intimidated. ‘You’ll be caught and punished. This is treason on the high seas.’

  ‘What century you from?’ Cruz sneered, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.

  ‘I’m warning you, if any of my crew are harmed—’

  ‘Shut the fuck up,’ Cruz said, spitting on the ground. ‘When Kasianenko gets here, I’m sendin’ you down to be with your fuckin’ crew. How does that suit you?’

  Captain Dickson was silent. He’d sooner be with his crew than up on the bridge with this gun-wielding maniac.

  * * *

  Lie still.

  Don’t move.

  What happened?

  Should I scream?

  Blood trickled onto Renee’s naked body as a hundred thoughts rambled through her head.

  Hammond was heavy on top of her, crushing her with his full weight, his penis still inside her.

  Or was it? She didn’t know.

  Tears formed in her eyes and fell mournfully down her cheeks.

  Something awful had happened.

  She could feel Hammond’s blood dripping onto her skin.

  Paralyzed with fear, she found herself unable to move.

  Then someone was rolling the Senator off her, landing him on the floor with a thud, and she found herself staring into the eyes of the most frightening-looking man she had ever seen.

  She wanted to scream. But when she opened her mouth to do so, nothing came out.

  * * *

  Cashoo caught Mercedes on the top stairs. She was hovering there, waiting to run down to the guest suites when Amiin got Kasianenko out. She had jewelry on her mind. And clothes. And cash, plenty of it.

  Cashoo shot her a jaunty grin and a quick hug. His raggedy facial hair scratched her cheek. She didn’t mind; she’d always liked Cashoo, ever since they’d worked together a few times. He was young and handsome with his high cheekbones, piercing eyes and smooth mocha skin, and although they didn’t speak a word of each other’s language, they’d always managed to communicate.

  Once she’d given him a quick blow-job, which had progressed to them almost having sex, until Amiin had interrupted them and screamed at his nephew to never touch her again.

  Right now, Cashoo was determined not to waste time. He leaned in and kissed her, his slithery tongue darting in and out of her mouth like a fast-moving snake.

  Mercedes responded with equal enthusiasm. She was as horny as he was, having been on the yacht with no one to play with except herself, which wasn’t easy with Renee sleeping in the bunk above her.

  Cashoo touched her breasts, before hurriedly pulling her shorts down, then plunging his hand between her legs.

  Mercedes responded accordingly, unzipping his jeans and releasing his pulsating hard-on.

  Cashoo was a big boy with plenty to offer.

  Mercedes was into the distraction. She knew it would be fast and furious, like the raid on the yacht. And that’s exactly the way she wanted it, for she had things to get on with.

  After kicking her shorts away from her ankles, she wrapped her legs tightly around Cashoo’s waist, feeling him slide inside her, whereupon they proceeded to take a wild ride, both of them enjoying the ride equally.

  The sound of gunfire rang out just as they were reaching the peak.

  ‘Mierda!’ Mercedes exclaimed, still managing to shudder to a satisfying climax.

  Cashoo did the same.

  Then without exchanging a word, they grabbed their clothes and both took off in different directions.

  * * *

  ‘This isn’t exactly turning out to be the trip we’d planned,’ Bianca said, deciding that if she was going to be stuck in confined quarters with the other women, she may as well try to make light of it. ‘Beverage, anyone?’ she offered, gesturing towards a shelf stocked with cans of Coca Cola and 7-Up.

  ‘Thanks,’ Lori said, determined not to show fear. ‘I’ll take a Coke.’

  ‘How’s everyone holding up?’ Sierra asked.

  ‘Not so good,’ Ashley muttered, a slight tremor in her voice. ‘I get claustrophobic. This is freaking me out.’

  ‘You must breathe deeply,’ Xuan advised. ‘Imagine something you take pleasure in doing. Can you meditate?’

  ‘Never done that,’ Ashley said, clutching her pink velour Victoria’s Secret hoodie around her.

  ‘I know,’ Lori encouraged. ‘Think about your twins. Taye showed me some photos of them – they’re so adorable.’

  ‘What if something happens to us?’ Ashley wailed, beginning to panic. ‘Who’ll take care of my babies then?’

  ‘We’re going to be fine,’ Sierra assured her. ‘Flynn knows what he’s doing. He’ll get us out of this.’

  ‘You must know him pretty well then,’ Bianca said, giving her a piercing look.

  ‘We both do,’ Xuan interjected. ‘If anyone can figure a way out of this, it’ll be Flynn.’

  ‘Then I guess all we gotta do is stay calm and trust him
,’ Bianca said brightly, the perfect hostess. ‘Right, girls?’

  ‘We can but try,’ Xuan said.

  Then they were all silent as the sound of gunfire took over.

  * * *

  Taken by surprise, thinking he was the one in control, Amiin blasted open the door to the master suite, and was immediately set upon by several men.

  Before he could even think of using his gun against them, they’d wrestled it away from him, and pinned him to the floor. One of them sat astride him, while the others tied his ankles and wrists together with strips of sheets.

  ‘How many of you are there?’ Flynn demanded. ‘And don’t pretend you can’t understand me, ’cause I know you can.’

  Amiin was mortified. Cruz would blame him, although it wasn’t his fault. There was only supposed to be one couple in this room and no weapons. Mercedes had given the information to Cruz. She’d made a serious mistake, and her mistake could ruin everything. She was the one to blame.

  Amiin glared at his captors with bloodshot eyes. ‘No Engleesh,’ he muttered.

  ‘No English, my black arse,’ Taye threatened. ‘Spit it out, moron, or you’ll end up wearin’ your teeth around your neck.’

  * * *

  Basra grimaced at the naked girl.

  She shrank away from him in horror and opened her mouth as if to scream.

  But she didn’t. Couldn’t.

  Basra appreciated her silence, for he was so very tired. He’d done his duty, got rid of a straggler who should’ve been in the mess-hall with the others, and now he deserved to rest.

  Only for a minute, he thought as he settled himself on the bed next to the naked girl and closed his eyes. Only for a minute . . .

  Second later he was snoring as loud as a snorting pig.

  * * *

  Cruz took stock. Where the fuck was Mercedes? He had to send her to find out why Amiin was taking so long. He’d heard the shots – surely Amiin had gotten Kasianenko by now and was bringing him up to the bridge?

  It was time to alert Kasianenko’s people to start getting the ransom money together. He was giving them twenty-four hours only. After that, if his demands were not met, he would put Basra to work. Basra would have no compunction about knocking off the hostages one by one. If Kasianenko could not get his people to pay the ransom, then the fuckers deserved it.