Making Friends
Making Friends
After permitting herself a good cry, Presley decided enough was enough. She wrote heroic heroines all the time and she needed to find a way to get the hell out of this situation. Realizing she couldn’t do a lot in a dress she made a change into the silk pajamas left out for her on the bed.
“Why did the nicest pjs I ever put on my body have to have come from a mad man?” she grumbled as she smoothed them over her hips. She walked around the room in them reminded of the times as a child when she was certain new sneakers would make her run faster or her corduroy pants could catch fire if she rubbed them together enough. These things could get her down a slide in a playpark in under a second, she was
sure.
She knew it was fruitless to try the door knowing Estrella told her more than once she would be locked in this room but imagine her surprise when the door opened under a simple tug. In his rage, storming out of the room, Liborio forgot to lock the door behind him. She almost danced with glee. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get free while stranded in a boat in the middle of the sea but at least she could get out of the room.
She heard arguing at the end of the hall and immediately recognized Liborio’s voice. Someone was getting told off in heated Italian and she immediately started walking in the opposite direction. It was deeper into the ship she suspected but it was not like she wanted to go back to her room or encounter Liborio. She made wide eyes as she heard Estrella’s voice give a yell.
“Oh s**t, she’s getting a smackdown.” Presley realized she didn’t have an ounce of sympathy. She really didn’t like the other woman an ounce. “Put her over your knee and spank the b***h for all I care,” she growled as she found herself in a corridor with many doors.
One of the doors suddenly opened and she found herself face to face with a man wearing a pair of blue
coveralls and he stared at her while she stared terrified back at him. He c****d his head to one side while she
swallowed the lump in her throat and then in a move which surprised her, he put his fingers to his lips as if shushing her and then stepped past her. She noted he didn’t close his door all the way and the way he winked at her as she went past told her he did it purposefully.
She ducked into the room at the same moment the sound of pounding feet came down the hall. She leaned against the closed door when the men started yelling at the man in the coveralls. She figured they were asking if he’d seen her, but the man gave the only word she knew in Russian as answers. No.
The Russian crewman lied for her. Why? She looked around the room and found it was tidy, but it also looked like it was quickly put together. Was this man being forced out of his regular room for Liborio’s men? She quickly looked around the room and noted it was sparse and utilitarian like hers and it didn’t even have its own bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and when the feet pounded off in the opposite direction, she debated whether she wanted to leave the safety of this room for the other. She knew though if she stayed
‘d have to to here, the man who left the door open would be the one to pay the price. Figuring though she find a way to get a phone to call someone she looked through the man’s belongings and wasn’t surprised to see there was no phone. Either he took it with him or when Liborio’s men seized the ship to kidnap her he took their phones. Increasingly it was looking like bringing aboard this ship was not part of an agreement he shared with his Russian friends.
She ducked into the hall, making sure to close the door tightly behind her and then continued in the direction she was originally heading. Maybe she could find the engine room and mess with the engines or perhaps she
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could find the galley and figure out which food was meant for Liborio and polson it somehow. The notion of him being stuck on a tollet filled her with glee.
Presley was still smiling when she indeed found the galley and pushed the doors open to find another
Russian man standing there. The only reason she knew he was Russian was like the first man he was in blue coveralls and the flag was on his chest. The man looked at her curiously and then with a shrug held out a cookie to her. He bit half of it when she hesitated and then she took it.
“Do you speak English?” she whispered to him as she hungrily devoured the treat realizing she’d not eaten her dinner.
He held his fingers apart, “little.”
“He kidnapped me.” Saying it out loud made it real and her eyes watered, “with a taser. You know,” she made
a buzzing noise and then shook her body.
The man nodded.
“I’m scared. I want to go home.” She accepted another cookie and when the man held out his cup of tea she gratefully took it. “Do you have a phone?” She held her hand to her ear, “phone?”
“No phone. Italian take.”
“Thought so. What an asshole.” She grumbled angrily. It seemed this Russian man knew the word asshole because he nodded his agreement. “You couldn’t fight back?” She made punching motions with her hands.
“Small crew.” The Russian man spoke again. “We twelve men.”
“There are only twelve of you?”
“Yes. Bartoli fifty men. Maybe more.”
“Oh shit.” She pouted and looked to the ceiling tearfully. A thought occurred to her, “Belkin.”
The man’s eyes lit up, “you know Belkin?”
“He called Liborio.” She put hand to phone, “told him this would start a war. Maybe Belkin will come?”
The man held up his fingers and crossed them, “I hope. Don’t want to die by Italian.”
“He doesn’t want to kill anyone. He wants me to have his babies.” She rounded her hand in front of her belly. This seemed to anger the Russian man, and she was surprised.
“No force babies.” Man said angrily. He muttered a series of words which Presley was certain in English were
all four letters long.
The stomping of feet sounded again, and she was wide–eyed. The Russian man held out the cupboard door by his feet. It was small and tight, but she managed to get in with the door barely closed when the Russian
zily stood in front of it. Through the small crack she could see the way he leaned against the count drinking his tea and chomping a cookie. He was cool as a cucumber, and she was aware this man was not a simple seaman. He was highly trained in whatever work he did for Belkin, probably running drugs.
“My kitchen. You out.” He spoke English to the men.
Liborio entered the space, “where is the girl?”
“Mr. Bartoli,” The Russian man bowed to him respectfully. “No girl. I make cookies.” He held one out and then motioned to the small oven, pointing to his chest, “cook because can’t do other work.”
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“She didn’t go the other way, so she must have come this way”
The Russian shrugged and ate his cookie. “No girl. Just cookies.”
“Find her.” Liborio growled at his men. “Find her and take her to my room. It’s clear she can’t be trusted in a room on her own so I will have to watch her every damn move.”
“You rescue girl?” The Russian asked curiously. “Like Belkin? Rescue?”
Liborio didn’t answer. He slammed out of the room ordering the men to check every single room and find her
She stayed tucked in the cabinet watching angrily as one of Liborio’s men grabbed the cookie out of the Russian man’s hand and shoved it in his own mouth with a sneer. He gave him a shove and then walked out
of the galley.
These were men who worked together? She was incredulous. There was a lot of animosity for people who were supposed to be friendly. She watched as the Russian man walked to the door of the galley and watched through the small glass hole as the men pounded on all the doors demanding they be opened up. Eventually they realized she was not in any of the rooms, and they left the area to go report back to Liborio. The cabinet door opened, and the Russian man extended his hand to her…
“Not safe.” He said sadly.
“I know.” She squeezed his hand.
“Come,” he held her hand and then took her from the kitchenette to a room. He knocked once and it opened. He said a bunch of words to the stunned man inside and the man nodded vigorously. The cook smiled at Presley, “he has sisters.” He held up four fingers. “Hide here for now.” He went back to the kitchen.
She nodded and let the other man lead her into the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched as the man sat back down on a chair and began tinkering with a device.
The man surprised her by suddenly speaking in perfect English. “What did you do to get on Bartoli’s bad side?
”
“I didn’t. He wants me to have his babies and threatened to kill all my family if I didn’t. Told me since I chose not to let them die, it is my freewill to be the mother of his children.”
“I told Belkin many times Liborio Bartoli is crazy. He believes his own lies and it takes a special kind of insane to be as committed to his ideas.”
“Tell me about it. I need to get out of here. Belkin told him off on the phone earlier and said taking me and threatening my family would be declaring war. I think Liborio is going to order my fiancé to be killed too.” “Belkin called him. Did you hear for yourself?”
“Yes. I spoke to him very briefly. He seemed really angry at Liborio.”
“He will come.” The man nodded with a smile pulling his lips. “Belkin is a man of his word. He should be ready. You can hide here.”
“What if they come back and hurt you because you’re hiding me?”
come. You
“Belkin will come. If I die, he will take care
of
my sisters.”
“You can’t die.”
“Every time I do one of these runs, there is a risk I die. I could be killed by police, pirates, enemies of Belkin or
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Making Friends
“She didn’t go the other way, so she must have come this way.”
The Russian shrugged and ate his cookie. “No girl. Just cookies.”
“Find her.” Liborio growled at his men. “Find her and take her to my room. It’s clear she can’t be trusted in a room on her own so I will have to watch her every damn move.”
“You rescue girl?” The Russian asked curiously. “Like Belkin? Rescue?”
Liborio didn’t answer. He slammed out of the room ordering the men to check every single room and find her.
She stayed tucked in the cabinet watching angrily as one of Liborio’s men grabbed the cookie out of the Russian man’s hand and shoved it in his own mouth with a sneer. He gave him a shove and then walked out of the galley.
These were men who worked together? She was incredulous. There was a lot of animosity for people who were supposed to be friendly. She watched as the Russian man walked to the door of the galley and watched through the small glass hole as the men pounded on all the doors demanding they be opened up. Eventually they realized she was not in any of the rooms, and they left the area to go report back to Liborio. The cabinet door opened, and the Russian man extended his hand to her.
“Not safe.” He said sadly.
“I know.” She squeezed his hand.
“Come,” he held her hand and then took her from the kitchenette to a room. He knocked once and it opened.
He said a bunch of words to the stunned man inside and the man nodded vigorously. The cook smiled at
Presley, “he has sisters.” He held up four fingers. “Hide here for now.” He went back to the kitchen.
She nodded and let the other man lead her into the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched as the
man sat back down on a chair and began tinkering with a device.
The man surprised her by suddenly speaking in perfect English. “What did you do to get on Bartoli’s bad side?
“I didn’t. He wants me to have his babies and threatened to kill all my family if I didn’t. Told me since I chose
not to let them die, it is my freewill to be the mother of his children.”
“I told Belkin many times Liborio Bartoli is crazy. He believes his own lies and it takes a special kind of insane
to be as committed to his ideas.”
“Tell me about it. I need to get out of here. Belkin told him off on the phone earlier and said taking me and threatening my family would be declaring war. I think Liborio is going to order my fiancé to be killed too.”
“Belkin called him. Did you hear for yourself?”
“Yes. I spoke to him very briefly. He seemed really angry at Liborio.”
“He will come.” The man nodded with a smile pulling his lips. “Belkin is a man of his word. He will come.
should be ready. You can hide here.”
“What if they come back and hurt you because you’re hiding me?”
“Belkin will come. If I die, he will take care of my sisters.”
“You can’t die.”
“Every time I do one of these runs, there is a risk I die. I could be killed by police, pirates, enemies of Belkin or
=
O
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Making Friends
friends apparently,” he looked in disgust towards the ceiling. “I am not afraid of dying.”
“My name is Presley.” She said suddenly.
“I am Rami. I am the mechanic on this ship. I was relieved of my duties and ordered to stay away from the engine room because Liborio knows I am more dangerous than the captain when it comes to the boat. I’ve been on jobs with him before.”
“You’re a smart man, aren’t you?” she smiled as he gave a grin.
“I am a very smart man but,” he tapped his temple, “I am also very willful man which often gets in the way of being smart. Boss tells me all the time being brave can make a man stupid.”
“Do you think you’re stupid for hiding me here?”
“I think,” he pursed his lips, his blue eyes sparkling, “if you were my sister, I would want someone to be stupid
for her.”
With that, Presley felt the first bit of hope in her chest. Maybe, just maybe she could get out of this.
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