Stephanie was quiet for a moment. When her voice returned, it was shaky. “I need to get them out. It’s my fault they’re there.”
“It’s also your fault Ben is,” Davis insisted.
“Yes,” she agreed softly.
The General sighed. He needed to sleep. “Stay there. I’ll contact you when I know more.”
He tugged the headset off and looked to the Lieutenant in charge of the situation room. “Have you been able to reach the Harry S. Truman?”
“Yes, sir. Captain Garrick has indicated they are underway at their top speed and should reach the Strait of Gibraltar in roughly fourteen hours and be in the area of Casablanca in another six.”
“Twenty hours. Shit. Call him back and let him know there is surveillance reporting his location to the target ship all along the coast,” the General said.
The Lieutenant stared at him. “Nothing gets through the Strait of Gibraltar unwitnessed, especially something as large as a Nimitz class aircraft carrier!”
Davis stewed on that. “Inform the captain that his course should appear to indicate he is returning to the states until he is beyond the visible range of shore observation. Then and only then should he turn south.”
“Yes, sir!”
Davis looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be on the ball, so he could afford to catch some rest.
He hoped Ben wouldn’t be feeding the fishes by the time the Truman reached his location. If they could find the damn yacht at all!
-=-
For the second time, Ben woke to feel a gentle and warm breeze blowing across his body. He picked up the scent of perfume and salt. Sunlight was warming his bare skin from his waist upwards. He raised a hand to his forehead as he could feel his pulse thumping in his head.
“Leave us.”
That voice didn’t belong to Russo, and his sore brain tried to place it. He felt the mattress he was on shift when someone stood up and walked away.
Finally, he gave up trying to guess the face that matched the voice and cracked his eyes open. He immediately closed them with a moan as they were too sensitive to the light. He’d been drugged again?
“There’s a glass of water and painkillers on the table next to the bed. The sedatives can be rough.”
Ben got himself to a seated position on the edge of the bed and managed to minimally open his eyes. He found the glass and pills. He paused as he looked at the drugs.
“They are just painkillers. Take them or not. You’ve been out for sixteen hours. You need the water.”
Ben took the pills and drank the water. Then his bladder announced it needed attention.
He turned his head and saw Kaan Sadik watching him from the doorway with two of his goons standing just inside with stun rods in their hands.
Ben looked around the room and suddenly realized he was moving. It was a gentle sway, but he guessed that meant he was on the yacht. He also thought they weren’t underway as he didn’t feel that kind of motion. The bedroom he was in was very luxurious, and his patio doors were open to let in the afternoon sunlight.
“Nice room. Is there a washroom?” Ben asked.
“To your left,” Kaan said, his tone more relaxed now that Ben hadn’t gone off.
Ben stood, bracing himself against the wall, and went into the bathroom to relieve himself. He saw he was wearing the gauzy white pants Russo claimed were the outfit of Kaan’s guests. He assumed this meant he was to be treated like a guest too. If he behaved.
He washed his hands, dried them, then stepped back out into the stateroom to look into Kaan’s eyes. “So, you brought me onto a yacht?”
The man smiled. “Yes! My moving oasis of calm in a chaotic world.”
“You could have asked,” Ben replied.
Kaan tilted his head and fixed an evaluating stare at him. “The woman you were with. She was CIA.”
Ben looked at him cautiously. He said was. Past tense. Did that mean they’d killed her? “Where is she?”
“I have no idea. We didn’t collect her.” Kaan frowned at him. “My question is, why were you working for them?” Kaan asked.
Ben sighed in relief. Stephanie was safe. He rubbed his aching head. He had the truth, so he’d use it. “You make it sound like they asked me.”
Kaan’s eyebrows rose, and Ben nodded. “This is the second time in a row I’ve been drugged and woke up without my clothes.” He looked around. “Is my suit not available? This outfit is a little revealing.”
“The CIA kidnapped you and brought you here? Why?” Kaan said incredulously.
Ben looked at him and gestured to the room. “To get aboard the yacht. They used me as bait. They said you would invite me. They said nothing about me getting abducted again!”
Kaan was looking at him suspiciously. “What was your mission once you were onboard?”
Ben chuckled. “Mission? Let me be clear here. I wasn’t meant to do anything. I’m just the bait. My companion was supposed to come with me. You’d have to ask her what her mission was, but she’s not here. So, I guess her mission was a bust.”
Kaan watched Ben carefully, suspicion and confusion warring in his expression.
“I would like to believe you, Ben, but you’ve already proven to me that you are a master-level grifter,” he said stiffly.
“Because I won one hand of poker by sheer luck?” Ben snorted.
“You claim your win wasn’t due to your gambling skill?” Kaan asked in disbelief.
Ben nodded. “The last time I played poker of any kind was when I was in college with roommates. I wasn’t very good at it back then, either. I have no poker face, so I can’t bluff at all. I told the CIA agent this, but she said it was better if I lost as you’d more likely ask me to join you on your boat-”
“Ship,” Kaan interrupted.
Ben watched him for a second, then continued. “Ship. She asked me to lose the game, but I picked up while we played that you’d notice if I played to intentionally lose.” Kaan nodded. “So, I just left it up to pure chance as I have no skill at the game.”
Kaan burst into sudden and loud laughter, and Ben watched him carefully. If the man was unstable, he might order his men to kill him.
“This is highly amusing, and if true, I’m delighted by the outcome. I’m certain the CIA told you who I am and what I do.”
Ben nodded. “They told me you were an arms dealer.”
Kaan watched Ben’s face, then finally nodded. “Yes, this is one of my areas of interest.”
The man paused to examine Ben for a while, and Ben felt that his right to live was being determined. A cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Kaan finally nodded. “We must come to an agreement. I would like to host you on my ship until we next go to port. You will be free to move amongst my other guests and enjoy all the amenities onboard as long as you restrict your movements to decks B to D. That’s three levels you can explore. Everything else is off limits.”
Ben nodded.
“If you mention anything about my occupation or how you came to be on my ship to my guests, I will not punish you. I will kill them. Their death will be on your hands. Can you behave yourself until our next port of call?”
“Yes. My family will be worried about me in my absence. Is there any way I could get word to them?”
“No, Ben. That is the point of my oasis. No connection to the outside world,” Kaan said with an intense look.
“I see. Okay,” Ben said.
“I also want my money back,” Kaan stated flatly.
Ben looked at him carefully. “Your money?”
“The thirteen million I should have won in that game,” Sadik explained.
Ben scowled. “You lost that game to pure random chance. That happens in poker. It happens in life. I should have grown up with parents, but some asshole drunk driver killed them when I was five. That’s what life dishes out, and it doesn’t care what you want. Life doesn’t give do-overs. You just accept it and move forward,” Ben growled, holding Kaan’s eyes with his.
He saw Kaan’s eye twitch as he stared back at Ben. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest thing to tell a psychotic criminal to Suck it up, Buttercup, but what Kaan just said flew in the face of Ben’s firmest beliefs.
Ben picked up the nervous body language of Kaan’s associates.
“Then we will play again over the next few weeks, and we’ll see how your pure random chance stands up against my skill. You will play with credit I will grant you, and you will repay your debt before you leave this ship,” Kaan said stiffly.
Ben was going to argue this was extortion, but he realized this option allowed him to live and gave him time for rescuers to find him. So, he nodded.
Kaan relaxed. “Good. You may walk amongst my guests and enjoy their company. There is also plenty of female companionship available for sex, or male if that’s your preference.” He looked at Ben curiously.
“I’m not interested in sex with strangers,” Ben stated.
“Another thing to be determined over the next month,” Kaan said with a smirk. “Remember, a slip of the tongue means death for the one you spoke with, so be discreet.”
“Understood,” Ben said stiffly.
Kaan smiled. “Let’s make the best of this opportunity. I believe you will find the other guests to be quite entertaining, and like I said, the companions are also delightful. You don’t have to use them for sex. They’re here to cater to your every whim. Get creative!”