Hold ’em.” The command came from the first captor they had seen. “He’ll be here in a moment.”
Judith looked around the room. They had been led up a sturdy metal ramp that bridged the gap between boat deck and concrete pier around the cabin structure and into a large space that nearly spanned the width of the boat. Judith’s practiced eye couldn’t help noticing that the space was beautifully designed and appointed. In less stressful times she might have taken notice of the furnishings, the carpet, and the wall treatment. At the moment she had trouble looking away from the man with the gun. Once on the monster yacht, he had ceased hiding the weapon.
She didn’t know much about yachts but the few times she had attended parties on such vessels she learned that this room was called the salon — the equivalent of a large living room in a mansion. Tinted windows ran the perimeter of the space; the smoke-colored glass complemented teak panels.
Luke moved to the set of windows overlooking the dock area.
“I didn’t say you could move.” The gunman raised the weapon a few inches.
“Then shoot me. After what I’ve been through the last two days, you’d be doing me a favor.” Luke returned his attention to the window.
Judith joined him. The gunman said nothing.
The tint darkened the view of the outside but the view remained clear. She could see the stacks of shipping containers waiting to be moved to or from the container ships that loaded on this part of the pier. She could see the wide expanse of asphalt they had been forced to walk before being led up the ramp to the yacht. She could also see a bright yellow school bus pull onto the lot and park near the ramp.
Pennington had arrived with the children.
The overpowering sense of helplessness she had been fending off for two days returned with irresistible force. One thought ricocheted in her mind: we failed.
The door to the bus opened and the children filed out in quiet order, like students following a teacher from the classroom to the auditorium. They looked helpless. All separated from their parents; all held in the grip of a man with no conscience. She and Luke were no better off.
Abel stepped from the bus last and took his place at the end of the line. He paused, looked puzzled, then gazed at the window through which Judith gazed as if he knew she was there looking back at him.
One of the men who had taken Judith hostage trotted down the ramp and spoke to Pennington. Pennington gave him a slap on the shoulder. The man stepped to the head of the line of children and led them up the ramp. Pennington followed at the line’s end, a step behind Abel.
A set of stairs at the stern side of the salon ran to the lower deck. The crewman at the front of the line made a sharp turn and started down the steps. The children followed. Not one cried. Not one seemed upset or worried. Each child did, however, take the time to look at Judith and Luke.
Judith wanted to run to them, to take each one in her arms, but a man with a gun stood in her way and any confrontation would only endanger the children.
The floor vibrated and a guttural rumble rolled through the yacht.
The engines had come alive. The nightmare grew worse, something Judith didn’t think possible. She looked out the window again and saw men removing the mooring lines.
“Not good,” Luke said.
Judith had no response.
Pennington appeared at the top of the stairs. Judith felt a fury that came from a dark place in her she didn’t know existed. For a long moment, she had the urge to launch herself at the man; to push him down the steps; to strangle him; to find something hard and beat him until he couldn’t move.
Pennington paused and then smiled. He walked toward them in casual, easy steps. “Mr. Becker, we meet again.”
Luke doubled over as Pennington buried his fist in his belly.
“Don’t — ”
A backhand quieted Judith and she dropped to the deck.
“I don’t know how it is that you are still alive,” Pennington spat, “but you have meddled in my affairs for the last time.”
Luke straightened the best he could and Judith struggled to her feet.
Pennington smiled again. “I was beginning to think you two were clever; worthy adversaries and all that. Turns out you’re just a pair of lucky idiots. You should have hidden the Humvee better.”
“Not many hiding places around here.” Luke coughed and Judith expected to see blood. Thankfully, she didn’t. “Nothing here but open pavement for parking or shipping containers. And just for the record, I did hide it behind an eighteen-wheeler.”
“You see, that’s the difference between us. I would have known that the truck’s driver could return and drive off in his rig. You’re not devious enough, Becker. Not by a long shot. Personally, I would have flattened a tire or two on the truck. It takes a long time to get those things changed. But you didn’t and I saw the Humvee when I drove by the lot. All I had to do was send a couple of crewmen to find you and bide my time driving in circles until they did. Now, here we are.”
“I take it we’re going for a little trip.” Luke struggled to get his words out. His hands still clutched his stomach. “Say … to Singapore.”
“How do you know about Singapore?” Pennington’s smile dissolved.
“My Humvee hiding skills may be weak but I have other talents.”
Judith braced herself to see another punch launched at Luke. It didn’t come.
“What are you going to do with the children?” Judith tried to sound forceful but to little effect.
“You got the Singapore thing right. I’m going to take the kids on an ocean voyage. This yacht is designed to sail across the Pacific, but most of all, it’s designed to stay at sea for long periods of time. When we get close to the island of Singapore we’ll take on a few more passengers.”
“Who?” Judith pressed.
“People who work for the company that owns this vessel and several others. The people who own the children.”
“Own the children? You can’t own another person.”
“Sure you can. Slavery still exists in some countries, but I’m talking about something else. I’m sure you’ve noticed the children are different. They’re genetically engineered or so I’m told. As such, they are as much product as people.”
“Engineered for what?”
“I don’t know. I’m not a scientist. I just work for those who are.”
“What are their plans?” Luke finally lowered his hands.
Pennington shrugged. “Beats me. They hire me and pay my exorbitant fee and I do what I’m told. Then I disappear for a long time. With what I’m making on this gig, I may disappear forever.”
“You don’t care what happens to the children?” Judith couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“In a word, no. I don’t care one bit. I only care what happens to me.”
“What do you plan to do with us?” Luke asked.
Judith didn’t understand. “Movie question?”
“In the movies, the abducted always ask something like, ‘What are you going to do?’ Dumb question. No one in that situation really wants to know. They’re just buying time. But since you ask: I plan to get rid of you once and for all. When we’re out of sight of other vessels, you’re going for a swim. Having you around dead or alive is a problem. Dead bodies are annoying in so many ways.”
“You plan to throw us overboard,” Luke said.
“You are bright. Of course, I’ll have to weight your bodies. I can’t have some current carrying your corpses to shore. If you’re nice to me, I might suffocate you before putting you over the edge.” He turned to the gunman. “Take them below and lock them away.”