Chapter 50

Ashley reached the edge of the boat and peered over. They had made it undetected thus far. Ashley continued to pray as she led Kayla and Julia to the edge of the boat. The very back of the boat was level with the water which was their saving grace. Julia and Kayla could lower themselves into the water without fear of making a splash and alerting their captors.
Something moved in the water and Ashley jumped back. A head covered in scuba gear came up from the surface of the water. “Who are you?”
“Ma’am I’m Special Agent Chris Johnson and I’m here to bring you in.”
“Who are you working for?” Ashley said holding her hands out to keep Julia and Kayla from moving any closer to the water.
“Ma’am, I’m working with Special Agent Nate Zimmerman and SA Eric Walker.”
“Do you have ID?” Amazingly the scuba diver held up a badge for Ashley to see. Looking closely she recognized the badge, it was similar to Nate’s. “Fine. You can have the girls but I need to find Kyle.”
“No, ma’am we need to take you in as well.”
“You are not taking me in without Kyle.”
“I’m sorry, who?” Chris said.
“My brother!” Kayla yelled.
“Ssh, sshh sweetie, I will find him. You let me look and you go with this agent. He will take you to Mr. Nate. Remember how I told you Mr. Nate has been looking for you?”
Kayla nodded.
“Come on, Kayla, let me take you to shore.” Chris Johnson held out his arms for Kayla to move into. After a moment’s hesitation Kayla stepped into the water. Julia followed and both of them tread water next to Chris. Ashley made no move to follow them in. “Ma’am you need to come with us.”
“I can’t, I have to look for Kyle. I can’t leave without him. Take these girls to shore and come back. If I find him I’ll bring him to you.” Ashley turned away from the edge without another word.

A big commotion caught Nate’s attention by the shore. “What’s going on?” Nate asked Eric. Eric shook his head and shrugged. He was on the phone with the negotiator who had yet to show up. Supposedly she was caught in traffic.
Nate jogged over to the water’s edge to find out what the big deal was about. “We’ve got the girls.” It was Special Agent Chris Johnson.
“All of them?” Nate smiled and looked around. He saw two small girls wrapped in thick blankets, their hair soaking wet and clinging to their faces but he didn’t see Ashley. “Where’s Ashley Parks?”
“She refused to come with me,” Chris said.
“What do you mean refused?”
“She said she had to look for Kyle.”
“Kyle’s on the yacht?” Nate looked from Chris to the small girls shivering beside him. Nate recognized them as Julia and Kayla. While he was relieved to see these young girls healthy and well he couldn’t help but wonder about Ashley. Nate repeated his question.
“I…I think so,” Kayla said. “I heard the men talking about him and it sounded like he was on the boat.” The girl broke down in tears.
“It’s okay. We’ll find him.” Nate looked from Kayla to the yacht. From where he stood he could see Todd in the driver’s seat of the boat but he couldn’t see Geoffrey. Without two of their human shields Ashley was in even more danger. Nate hoped she knew what she was doing.

Ashley heard footsteps behind her. She ducked behind the curtain next to the sliding glass door in the sunroom of the yacht. The footsteps moved heavier on the hardwood floor.
Ashley held her breath.
“Ashley, I’m coming for you girl.”
Did he know she was there? Had he seen her step away from the back of the yacht? Oh God, please let me find Kyle before Geoffrey finds me.
The room was silent again. She let herself breathe but did she dare move? She waited for what felt like an eternity before moving the curtain away from her face to peer out into the room.
It was empty. Forcing herself to take slow breaths she stepped out into the room holding on to the leather bench. Hearing footsteps again she was forced back behind the curtain.
“Todd! Todd, where did you put the girls?” Geoffrey yelled as he flew up the stairs.
“What are you talking about?” Todd yelled back. “You put ‘em down there. Did you lose ‘em?”
Geoffrey let out a string of curses. “Where’s the boy?”
“He’s in the suite, I didn’t know where else to put ‘em.”
The suite. Ashley didn’t know where that was but she was certain she could find it. How many could there be even on a boat this size? Ashley heard Geoffrey run down the stairs again. Before she could step from behind the curtain Geoffrey was back. Kyle must have been where he was left. “Where is that woman?” Geoffrey cursed again and spit on the hardwood floor. Ashley clung to the curtain and prayed it didn’t move. Why had she chosen to hide behind cloth?
Expecting Geoffrey to fling open the curtain at any moment, Ashley forced herself to stand perfectly still. Why couldn’t this have been a cruise ship? At least then there would have been more places to hide.
Ashley waited until she heard the sliding doors close. She peered out from the curtains again. Seeing no one she stepped on to the hard wood floors. When her sneakers squeaked she froze expecting Geoffrey to step back in at any moment. But there was no one so she continued down the stairs. She passed the kitchen on her right and a sectional leather couch on her left. The same hallway she had come through earlier was ahead of her with doors on all sides. Which one was the suite?
“Kyle? Kyle?” Ashley whispered as loudly as she could. She wished she could just burst through each door but she didn’t want to get noticed. “Kyle?”
She heard a muffled noise and then some bumping. She followed it to a door at the end of the hallway. She tried the door handle but it was locked. “Kyle, can you open the door? It’s Miss Ashley.”
Ashley jiggled the doorknob again then searched above her for some kind of key but found nothing. She quickly made her way back to the kitchen careful to walk softly. There on the counter sat a set of keys. She grabbed them and made her way back to the room. After what felt like an eternity she found a key that fit the door and opened it.
Kyle was alive.
But he was tied up. His arms were held by ropes to the head of the bed and his mouth was covered in duct tape. Ashley set about untangling him. Once free he stood to follow her. They were back in the hallway when she heard footsteps again.
“I knew I’d find you down here.” It was Geoffrey and he still had his gun. “Trying to save someone else?”
“Maybe I am.” Ashley was too angry to be stopped. She did not just come all the way down here to be killed by this man. Ashley held her hand up and pushed Geoffrey as hard as she could. Not expecting such a resistance Geoffrey lost his footing and fell back. Ashley grabbed Kyle’s hand and pulled him up the stairs. She knew Geoffrey wasn’t out and would be on her heels soon.
They were in the sunroom before Geoffrey started up the first stairs. “Come on Kyle.” Ashley pulled him across the sunroom and to the sliding glass doors. They were locked. She jiggled the doors to no avail.
Turning around she saw Geoffrey reaching the top of the stairs. He smiled and licked his lips. “Going somewhere?”
Ashley placed Kyle behind her and turned to face Geoffrey. Maybe he would be content with just killing her. “You don’t want to do this.”
“I don’t? But I think I do. Maybe I could break you in before we sell you to some people in Thailand. How about that?”
Ashley looked around the room. She didn’t see anything she could use against her attacker until her eyes landed on the bar next to one of the leather couches. A large ice bucket sat there as well as a vase. If Ashley could maneuver herself there she might be able to gain a small advantage.
Geoffrey laid his gun down and pulled a knife from his pocket. He waved it in front of Ashley’s face. “I think its time for me and you to have some fun. I’m not big into little girls but I could certainly have fun with a grown woman. And a pretty one at that.”
Geoffrey moved towards her but Ashley dodged him to the right landing on the couch. Geoffrey took this as invitation and sat next to her. He waved the knife in front of her nose. He moved his face closer to hers and she could smell alcohol on his breath. She leaned away from him. He followed her every move.
She leaned further away, reaching her arm out for the vase. Geoffrey didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy admiring her chest. Her fingertips just touched. Just a little further.
There.
Her fingers wrapped around the vase. She lifted it off the bar and swung down on Geoffrey’s head as hard as she could. He dropped the knife.
Ashley jumped off the couch and grabbed the handgun off the bar. She held it towards Geoffrey. “You are not coming near us. Do you understand?”
Still holding his head where blood was beginning to trickle Geoffrey only smiled. “You don’t know how to use that thing.”
“Oh yea? Do you want to take that chance?” Ashley knew he was right. She had never held a gun in her life. But how hard could it be? She’d seen Nate use his a few times. She looked over the gun. It didn’t look like the safety was on. Geoffrey didn’t seem like the safe type anyway. She pulled back on the hammer.
Instead of aiming towards Geoffrey she pointed the gun towards the glass door and pulled the trigger. A loud bang filled the sunroom.
Geoffrey jumped at the noise. The glass began to splinter.
Ashley held the gun on Geoffrey again who this time didn’t argue. She moved the gun from Geoffrey and aimed at the door once again. Pulling the trigger one more time the glass shattered on impact. “Go Kyle, quickly. Into the water.”
Ashley knew Todd had to have heard the commotion and would be downstairs soon. Keeping the gun pointed at Geoffrey, Ashley followed Kyle out of the sunroom, to the edge of the yacht and into the water.
Being careful to hold the gun above the water Ashley and Kyle swam away from their captors, towards land and towards freedom.