Ben smiled. “He’s been very supportive. Some idiots in Russia tried to kidnap me and put my family in danger. Once I got home, I built the Spa, and the General rotates teams of soldiers, SEAL teams, and Special forces through it to protect my neighborhood. In return, I work on engineering issues for the Army.”
“I’ve heard of the Spa!” one of the Lieutenant Commanders exclaimed. “Lieutenant Ashton’s SEAL Platoon Five spent some time there, and he gave me the details. It’s a state-of-the-art base but very posh!” He frowned. “Is it true you have a tower built onto your house that they used to zipline into a forest?”
Ben nodded. “Yes. I built the tower on the back of my home to contain a multilevel children’s play zone for the kids from a neighborhood daycare to use in bad weather. I built a party deck on top for treetop-level relaxing. The SEAL team used it to do nighttime zipline drills into the forest. Just before I was abducted by the CIA, a special forces team used a zipline from there to take out a team of gunmen sneaking through the forest to attack my neighborhood. I’m very grateful to them! They also wore my new body armor over their usual armor, and it proved its effectiveness.”
“Any chance you’d like to build a Spa on an aircraft carrier?” another officer chimed in, and the group laughed but looked at him eagerly.
Ben’s eyes lit up. The sheer scale of this engineering marvel dazzled him. “I must admit, being on an aircraft carrier is an engineer’s dream!”
That brought chuckles from the group.
“Seriously, I’m always looking for new puzzles to solve. If you have any technical issues you think could be improved, please send them my way! I’m not a weapon designer, contrary to my work on the assault rifle, which was just an efficiency improvement. Captain Kendricks from OASA(ALT) has been struggling to keep me occupied. I review civilian engineering boards looking for things to do as well,” Ben explained.
“We’ll get in touch with the captain if we have any issues you might be able to resolve for us,” Garrick said with a smile.
Ben nodded. “Big or small, I love a good engineering puzzle!”
Garrick glanced at the clock, then smiled at Ben. “Ever been to Italy, Ben?”
He looked at the captain and shook his head. A memory flashed through his mind. It was Daniel’s enthusiasm about their trip to Turin, Italy, while they were staying at Gabriella’s cousin’s B&B in Saint Pierre d’Albigny, France. This made his thoughts swing over to Stephanie Murino, and he was unsettled by how his heart jumped at the idea of how close she was now. He struggled to push that aside.
“No. Uh, I don’t have a passport. Agent Russo was a little rushed when she stole me away from my home, so aside from my wallet, and thank you for retrieving it from Sadik’s safe, by the way, I have no documentation.”
“I understand that will be taken care of when we reach Naples. That’s where we’ll part ways. Your security team will take over from there,” Garrick said.
Ben felt another surge of emotion rush through him at the thought of seeing Liliya and Evelyn. “Good, thanks!”
Another junior officer entered the room and addressed the captain before turning to Ben.
“One of our new passengers is refusing to eat. All he says is Ben,” the Lieutenant said.
Ben looked at her in worry. “Is he ill?”
“Some malnutrition and dehydration, but we can deal with that if we can get his cooperation,” she replied.
“Thank you for dinner. If I may be excused?” Ben said to the captain distractedly and received a bemused nod from the senior officer.
Ben followed the smiling lieutenant from the officer’s dining room, and they headed to where the children were staying.
“Did you learn anything about his family or his name?” Ben asked.
She shook her head. “Not from him, but one of the older boys was awake when he was added to the cage. He heard one of Sadik’s men tell Yavuz he killed the parents and took the boy from a home in Freeport when they were in Sierra Leone. It is highly likely he’s an orphan, and based on his behavior, he may have witnessed the killing.”
“Fuck!” Ben growled. “I’m feeling better about taking those bastards out with the fire ax.”
She glanced back at him with wide eyes and brought him to a large room where the kids were eating and resting. Several sailors were sitting with them. Everyone turned their eyes toward Ben when he entered behind the lieutenant.
One little boy got to his feet and rushed toward him, but he was wobbly as he ran, so Ben moved forward and scooped him up into his arms. Little hands held Ben’s face as he tipped his forward to touch foreheads.
Ben pulled back to speak to the boy. “What’s this I hear about you not eating? I need you to eat and drink to be healthy. That way, you can grow big and strong like me!” Ben said to him gently.
Big eyes looked back at him seriously.
“Will you let my friends feed you?” Ben asked.
The little man’s head nodded slowly, and Ben smiled and kissed the boy’s forehead. “Thank you. Can you tell me your name?” He got a shake of his head for that.
“Do you remember it?” Ben asked and got another head shake. He wasn’t sure what that meant.
“May I call you Leo? Named after a brave Lion?” Ben asked gently.
Little eyes widened, and the hint of a smile showed on his lips. He nodded.
Ben didn’t want to remind him of the trauma he’d gone through, but the thought of this little guy being alone made him a little ill. Maybe he could recall a relative. “Does your Uncle or Auntie visit you?”
His little face lit up momentarily. “Aunt Binta.”
Ben’s muscles relaxed as the boy did have a family after all. “Does she have children too?”
His smile was wider as he nodded, likely thinking of playing with his cousins.
“Okay, Leo. Please eat some food, drink, and get some rest. My friends will watch over you and the others. I’ll check on you soon. Okay?”
Leo hugged Ben, tucking his head into Ben’s neck, and Ben returned the hug. Then he set him on his feet, and the lieutenant took his hand to lead him over to a table to get him some food. He looked back at Ben and smiled his first real smile for Ben, who returned it.
He walked over to the side of the room where several sailors were working. “Excuse me? Are you the ones working on finding the parents of the children?”
They turned to face him and froze. Ben struggled to clear his stern expression, but it was a lost cause. “I just learned that little fellow there is an orphan. He does have an Aunt whose name is Binta. Maybe you can get more about her from Leo.”
“His name is Leo? How did you get him to recall-”
“I didn’t. He can’t recall his name or his parents, who may have been murdered in front of him. I called him Leo so I could speak to him. He approved. I asked him about his uncle and aunt, and he does remember an Aunt Binta and her children, so I hope that helps you find his family.
The three sailors nodded and watched him leave.
When Ben reached the door, he looked back and saw Leo was happily eating. Ben’s heart was twisting, but Gabriella’s words came to him once more. He slipped outside, where another sailor was waiting for him. “Princess Zama would like to speak to you,” the man said.
With a snort, Ben nodded. “I’ve been summoned.”
The sailor nodded with a smile. “Seemed that way to me too.”
“Lead on. Let’s not keep the Princess waiting,” Ben said and smiled back at Leo, who was chowing down on something in a bowl. The lieutenant at his side smiled at Ben.
Ben was led through the ship and up one level to a lounge where Zama and Yvonne were reading. They were wearing their own clothes as they’d been returned their luggage from the ship. They both looked up and burst into smiles. Zama leaped to her feet with a squeal and rushed over to hug Ben. He enjoyed that and returned it, but she moved in and kissed him when he began to pull back.
He gently pushed her back. “Slow down, Zama.”
She grinned at him and gave him a shy smile.
“May I get a hug too?” Yvonne asked.
Ben gave her one, and she behaved and didn’t try to kiss him.
“Where are the others? Lars, Lola, and Mara?” Ben asked.
“I heard they are detoxing in sickbay,” Yvonne said. “I don’t think Lola has much left of her mind. I don’t know what she was taking, but she’s more instinct than intellect now.”
“What a waste,” Ben said sadly.
“The kitchen crew and the companions are still being interviewed. I got to speak to Megan. Kaan didn’t keep their documents, which probably means he killed those who completed their term of employment instead of freeing them as he promised,” Zama said.
Ben’s expression darkened, but he remembered how he’d made the man suffer for his crimes. It had to be enough that he was dead.
He looked Yvonne in the eye. “How went your interview?”
She nodded. “Fine. I’ll catch a flight back to France when they bring us to Naples. I have a career to restore.”
Ben smiled at her. “You go, girl!” Yvonne giggled. Ben nodded. “I have friends in Hollywood now. If you have trouble, let me know, and I’ll reach out to them to see if, maybe, they can help.” She gave him a wide smile at that news.
Then Ben turned his attention to Zama. “What about you? Have you thought about what you are going to do next?”
“I wish to be one of your wives,” Zama insisted.
Yvonne burst into surprised laughter, then she suddenly stopped and gaped at Zama as she realized the young woman was serious. “Zama! You should find someone younger and be their only wife!”
Ben nodded as this matched his expectations for the young woman.
“I have chosen Ben as he is a superior mate!” the princess asserted.
“But I can’t give you children,” Ben insisted as his face heated up.
“There are many children in the world who deserve better lives. I wish to dedicate my life to improving their conditions. I do not need to bring one of my own into a world that cannot support these others.”
Ben blinked in surprise at her. “That’s… a very enlightened viewpoint, but you may change your mind, and I still won’t be able to help you.”
She gave him a gentle smile. “Ben, there are many ways for a modern woman to become pregnant should that suddenly become a personal priority, though I do not believe it will.”