3 Hour Tour (Dee Sanders Book 1), page 19
Angelic moved the woman’s shoulder and gauged the pain caused. “I think you have a severe bruise and not a fracture. How were you hit?”
"The waves crashed into the hut, and I was slammed to the ground. I landed on Daryl, but hit the sand with my shoulder."
“Let’s put it in a sling for a day or so and take the pressure off.” Angelic pulled a length of vine from the carry bag and began to wrap it about Mrs. Johnson’s shoulder.
The others sat in silence and ate.
“My,” said Antoine, looking up from the sand, “you are well equipped. Did you have all that in your gym bag?” He nodded to the supplies and to the shotguns.
“We got lucky, found a few things,” I replied.
Holly had been staring out to sea. She pointed. “There, what is that?”
I turned and saw something bobbing in the surf. “Jamal, Mike, keep an eye on everyone,” I called as I ran for the beach. Holly followed.
She pointed, and I saw a figure bobbing in the outgoing tide. I stripped off my vest and left the Glock inside it. I ran through the surf and dove into the water toward the figure.
I swam for a distance and then floated, to take another look. I didn’t see anything. Holly called from the shore and pointed to my right. I caught another glimpse of the figure, definitely a body, white shirt, dark hair, going grey. I swam for it.
Again I surfaced and treaded water. I couldn’t see anything nearby. I waved to Holly. She shook her head. “I lost it.”
I swam for several more minutes, checking and changing directions. I looked to her several times, only to get a shake of the head. I swam back to the shore.
“What was he wearing?” I asked.
“A white shirt, slacks, boat shoes.”
“Describe his hair.“
“Dark, turning grey.”
"I think that was him. Did you see it?"
She nodded, without reply, and turned to the shore.
I thought I saw her shoulders shake as she walked up the beach. I didn’t know how well she knew him, but to lose someone around you is never easy. I hoped she would be alright.
We reached the group, and I saw the others looking at me. No one spoke. I shook my head.
“Tragic,” said Antoine from his perch in the sand. He wiped his hands together, dismissing Jim, like he’d never existed. “I think he had a bad heart anyway.”
I started to shoot him right then, but I didn’t.
“We’ll help you,” I said to Antoine and his group. Tom Jones and Daryl smiled.
Mrs. Johnson, her arm in a sling, said, “Why would you help us now, you run off, and took the others, left us to fend for ourselves. We don’t need your help.”
“I’m afraid she’s right,” parroted Antoine. “We’ll manage.”
“Any of you want to come with us?” I asked Antoine’s remaining group. No one responded.
His men still had guns. I didn't want to waste time or energy arguing with them. I motioned to Mike and Jamal, and they grabbed the shoulder bags after emptying everything left inside.
“Suit yourself," I said as we backed away from them and onto the beach. We walked several yards down the beach, covering our retreat as we went.
When we got back to our camp, I posted Mike at the trailhead that led to the beach.
“Keep an eye out for a few minutes, then come and eat. I don’t think they’d follow us, but it’s hard to be certain.” He nodded in response.
Night had fallen, and we sat around the fire after eating.
“Why wouldn’t any of them come with us?” asked Keno.
“I think they were afraid to,” responded Jamal.
Gina spoke, "Antoine has them intimidated, at least Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. They're afraid of him, and as long as he has them, he knows the man will fish, and the woman will cook, and Tom will tend the fire. I think Tom stays because he wants to help the couple. Antoine and his goons piggyback off of the others."
“That’s sad,” commented Angelic.
“The strong intimidate the weak,” continued Gina. “That’s the world we live in.”
“I don’t truck with that. It shouldn’t be that way,” said Jamal.
“It shouldn’t, but it is,” concluded Gina.
“Well, we’ll keep an eye on them and make sure the Johnsons and Tom has enough to eat,” said Angelic. Keno nodded first, followed by the rest of us.
We crawled into the sleep pits that night, and as I snuggled up to Gina, I whispered in her ear, "That was impressive, what you were saying about the situation, and how clearly you saw what was happening."
“It’s not the first time in my life I’ve seen it, “she replied and settled in next to me.
The following morning we gathered a few more things. Jamal and I elected to take them to the camp and let Mike keep an eye on the rest of our group. It was most of what we had left, and we would have to make the trek to the HOE (Heaven on Earth) camp to replenish. We also needed to check the "help" sign at the mountain camp.
Jamal and I made our way along the beach. He had one of the shotguns. I had the Glock. Mike had the other shotgun at the camp.
We looked up the beach and saw a cluster of people in the distance. As we got closer, we recognized Holly and Antoine's two men, William and the other one. We didn't even know his name. They were all naked and intermingled near the waterline.
Holly was on her knees, with the one man standing in front of her. William was on his knees behind her. They were grunting or moaning and thrusting against each other.
“Beach orgy,” whispered Jamal.
I nodded. “They didn’t wait long.”
We walked past, and not one of them stopped or noticed. We walked into the campsite. Tom Jones was standing by the fire, separating kindling.
He waved at us.
Jamal and I dropped our bags and dumped food supplies and water. He dropped to his knees and sorted through it. He shoved some fruit in his mouth.
“Thank you, boys, I’m getting mighty tired of fish and coconuts.”
I nodded to the camp. “Where are the others?”
"Well, you probably saw sex on the beach," he said, pointing toward them. "Mrs. Johnson is out with Mr. Johnson fishing, and I'm tending the fire."
“Where’s Antoine? “ I asked.
"He wandered off down the beach. He was watching, but he seemed to get bored."
“He doesn’t participate?” asked Jamal, his back to Tom and me, watching the beach, scanning with the shotgun.
“No,” replied Tom. “He prefers William, they go one on one. William seems to be the glue that holds them all together.”
“She didn’t seem to upset about the two on one or the act itself,” Jamal replied.
“I think she knew it was bound to happen,” replied Tom. "They had been staring at her since the beginning. Antoine kept them away from her for a time. He maintained a veneer of propriety, despite the powerful intimidation he supported. Since the storm, he just doesn't seem to care. You fella's hadn't been gone an hour when they took her down to the beach. She called out at first, but in a couple of minutes, they were all naked and going at it. They've been naked ever since, Antoine, too, gratifying themselves every chance they get. As long as we provide food, water, and fire, they don't pay any attention to us. We get whatever food's leftover. "
“Did they ever actually threaten you or her?” I asked.
“Early on, Kyle—he’s the other thug beside William—grabbed Holly, and Jim jumped up to protect her. They beat him pretty bad, which led to his health deteriorating even worse. He had a bad heart. He told me himself.”
“Come with us,” I said.
"No, I got to keep an eye on the couple. Besides, I'm your inside man," he replied. "Just keep some of this food coming, if you can, I'm wearing out myself."
We nodded to him and started back to our camp. The naked trio was lounging now. At least we didn’t have to worry about their guns. One of them had his hands on Holly’s shoulders, and the other one had her by the thighs.
When we got back to camp, we didn’t share what we had learned or seen. It seemed best for the moment.
Part III
The Third Hour
49
The Pirates
We rose early the next morning and started for the HOE camp. No one spoke during the climb, and we arrived mid-morning. Everyone relaxed as we rolled into camp. I checked again for any signs of activity, but there were none. Everything was as we left it.
I wanted to spend a few days, but I worried about Tom and the others, even about Antoine and his boys. Things had gotten primal for all of them.
We spent the day gathering food and planning on what to do next. We decided, before we turned in that evening, to leave most of the food at the trail split. Then we'd hike to the top of the cliff to check the sign and surrounding area.
Waking early, we started the climb for the top. By late morning we arrived. Almost three weeks on the island and we'd become good hikers, efficient and strong.
Nothing had changed at the top. The sign was there, the fire pits, the sea, and, most importantly, with the sign flat against the sand, no damage from the storm. The sky was clear. It faded from a light pale to a deep, dark blue. High up and far back, I could see the moon. As I looked at the darker blue beyond, it was so vast and empty, I felt completely disconnected from the world I had known.
As I stared at the sky, the wind whispered across my face, and the water glistened and shimmered in the distance. We were displaced and alone.
“Hey, it’s a ship. At least I think it is. I can only see the mast!” Jamal yelled.
He gestured in the direction of Antoine’s camp, and there appeared a large shape that looked like the top of a mast.
“We need to get down there quickly,” said Mike. I nodded and waved to gather everyone.
“That could be whoever built the HOE camp. They may not be happy to see us.”
Gina and I hadn’t told the others about the underwater cave or the guns or the gold. Whoever was on that ship might be coming back for them, if it wasn’t the same group that built the cliff camp. Either way, I felt like it wasn’t a Good Samaritan or a random chance. I didn’t think it was someone who’d be willing to help us. We’d been on the island too long without a sighting of any kind.
We were isolated in the world. Based upon the cruise ship’s direction, Honolulu to Tahiti, due south, we could be somewhere in the Marquesas Islands, which were north of the Society Islands, home to Tahiti.
Or, Tahiti is about as far below the equator as Hawaii is above it. We weren't quite halfway between the two when we got separated from the ship. If we drifted east, we could still be north of the equator. But the heat, and the location of the sun, for the time of year, made me think we drifted south into open, empty ocean, and below the equator. Either way, anybody coming here would have a good reason. It wouldn't be by chance.
"Look, we don't know who this is, but we do know that it's a remote island. Let's proceed with caution. Hopefully it's just someone passing by and they can help us. It's hard to imagine what they might think, seeing Antoine and his group."
We gathered our gear and started for the trail. We stopped at the fork and retrieved the extra food. If these were friendly people, maybe they'd appreciate some pineapple. We moved quickly down the trail. From our location, I couldn't see the ship once we dropped off the clifftop.
By mid-afternoon, we arrived at the beach camp. We stashed everything in the cave and, as a group, moved to see what was happening.
We followed the foot of the cliff and made our way toward their drinking pool. I stopped everyone when we were still thirty yards from the stream.
“Jamal and I will work our way to the beach and see if we can spot anything through the scope. We’ll circle back here and advise you what we see, and what we might do. Stay put, unless you’re forced to move.”
The others nodded.
Jamal and I started for the beach. We made our way to a small rise in the tree line at the edge of the beach. We could see the ship clearly. It was a three-mast barquentine.
"Surely it's motorized, too," said Jamal.
“I imagine they use the wind to save fuel,” I replied.
I eyed the ship through the scope and couldn't see anyone. I scanned the deck and then the rigging. I swore as I lay there, the ship was flying a Jolly Rodger. Seriously, I thought to myself. There was a Panamanian flag, and some other pennants, but there hung the “skull and crossbones”. Maybe they just had a wicked sense of humor. I went back to the decks and looked again. The ship was worn and much of it needed repainted. It didn't have the look of a luxury yacht or a weekender. It looked like a working ship.
Maybe it was the people who had built the camp, or the people looking for the guns and gold. I swung the scope to the shore, and it got worse.
Holly was staked between two palms with her feet on the ground, legs spread wide, and arms tied to a crossbar above her. She was naked. Every few seconds, a different man approached to ogle her.
It wasn’t just a few men, either. There were a lot of them. I tried to get a total count and lost track after twenty.
I changed positions and saw Antoine, who was talking to a light-skinned black man in a flamboyant costume, complete with a feathered hat. He had on a wide sleeved shirt, striped pants, and knee-high boots. He waved his hands vigorously at Antoine, who didn’t seem bothered. In fact, Antoine looked quite comfortable.
Settling in place, I continued to survey the camp to get an idea of what was going on. Tom and the Johnsons were down by the water, fishing. A couple of men from the ship, armed with AK-47’s, watched them. So, the sailors could be here for the gold and the guns but probably not for the HOE camp.
I handed the scope to Jamal. He scanned the area quickly, nodded, and we started back to our group.
50
The Preview
We found the group where we had left them. I filled them in on what we had seen.
“Seriously?” asked Keno. “Pirates!”
“Absolutely,” responded Jamal.
“What are we going to do?” asked Mike.
“We have to help Tom and the others,” said Angelic.
I looked over at Gina. She was smiling at me.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure the best way to help them. They have guns.”
“Lots of them," threw in Jamal.
“We have guns,” said Mike, shaking a shotgun.
“I expect they know how to use them better than we do. They’re pirates. We’re tourists,” I replied.
“We’re islanders. They’re intruders. Doesn’t that count?” asked Gina.
I grinned at her and said, “Probably not enough. They may have been here before we were.” I paused. “They surely have a radio on the ship. Maybe we could get to that.”
“How?” asked Mike.
“Carefully,” added Jamal, with a grin.
“I think we should observe them a bit more,” I said.
“Is there time?” asked Angelic. “What are they going to do to their hostages?”
“How long will they stay?” asked Keno.
“Based on having the woman tied up and the others providing food, I think they might stay a while,” added Gina.
Everyone turned to look at her. She shrugged.
“That’s just how men are. Most men, anyway!" She looked at Jamal, Mike, and me.
“She’s right,” noted Angelic. “If what you said is true, and they have a reason to be here, they’ll stay for at least a few days. Until they get bored or get what they need.”
"You said Antoine was discussing something with them. What could that be about?" asked Mike.
“I don’t know,” I replied, looking at Gina. She took the cue.
"A couple of days ago, Dee and I were swimming by the point. I dove underwater to get a shell, a conch, and I thought I saw a reflection above me. When I swam for it, I came up in a cave. Dee followed me. We explored it. At the top, which is probably right underneath our cave, we found guns, AK-47's like these guys are carrying. Also, we found gold, lots of it, gold bars.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” asked Keno.
"We were going to, and the storm came in and everything that happened with that, and now this. There wasn't any way to get it out of there, and what were we going to do with it? We have guns, and the gold was heavy, and what would we have done with it on the island anyway?" Gina replied.
Mike put his hand on Keno’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It was just the first thing that came to mind.”
Gina smiled at her, and they hugged. Angelic smiled.
“We need to work together,” she said.
“I agree, but I still think we need to observe them for a little while, to get an idea of what they’re doing,” I responded. “We’ll go armed and intervene if needed.”
“So you think they’re here for the guns and the gold?” asked Mike.
“More than likely. There are too many of them for the HOE camp. There were only four beds.”
“They could be brutal,” Mike answered.
“Very,” said Jamal.
“Do you think Antoine will tell them about us?” asked Angelic.
“I don’t think he’d hesitate to,” I answered. “It would depend on what purpose he thought we could serve. He didn’t seem uncomfortable or act like he’d been captured. He may have bartered with them using us as bait.”
“Bait, for what?” asked Keno.
I could only shrug. "I don't know. We'd be able to tell pretty quickly if Antoine told them. If it looks like they're searching for us. We need to be very careful. Keep down the noise, only light a fire at night. Sleep in the cave. These guys are probably better trackers than Antoine’s boys.”
We started for camp. Angelic said to Gina, “Can I see the shell you found?”
