by Jools Louise
“We will board most people on the cutter, some on the fishing vessel behind,” Tonio shouted from the deck. “We’re going to scuttle the other boat, it’s probably rife with filth by now.”
The captain of the Navy ship appeared briefly, directing operations before leaving the logistics to his lieutenant. The captain would need to get in touch with the relevant authorities to decide what to do next.
The two men in the water began explaining what would happen, gesturing to Najib’s fishing boat that was trailing behind, large fenders along its sides and bow to stop it causing damage.
The operation was not without incident.
A lot of the passengers had no swimming ability which added to their fear. They were also tired and fractious, with some wanting to push ahead in their eagerness to escape the misery of being cooped up aboard the dirty, smelly conditions on their own boat. The stench wafted toward Aaron and he felt sick.
He had no clue how long the people had been on board, but apparently the toilet facilities were non-existent. He suddenly felt safe in the water, thinking no sharks would swim within a thousand miles of this place. The toxic fumes were enough to send most things in the opposite direction.
Eventually, an exhausted Aaron and Kadil had managed to get equally exhausted, travel-weary passengers divided onto two vessels. It had been a drawn out process, but they had helped hand out food and water for the short-term. Interviews were now being carried out among the people to determine countries of origin.
A few tried to play games, not wanting to talk, but Kadil had stepped in and told any who suddenly forgot where they were from, that they would be dropped off the side of the boat and would be forced to swim back to Libya…about a hundred miles away. Kadil looked like he meant business and soon people were cooperating. No one wanted another dip in the sea.
“I thank you for your assistance,” the captain came back up on deck to assess the situation once everyone had been processed. “We will be stopping off in Sicily before we go to Naples. There is a facility being set up to house these people until they can be given papers. If you wish to be set ashore there, we can arrange it. If you would prefer to continue on to Naples with the ship, I have permission from my superiors to transport you there.”
The captain was a small, slim man in his fifties, with a wealth of experience and humor in his dark eyes, shown in the laugh lines that spanned out from the corners of his eyes. His salt and pepper hair was cut short, military style, and he had the bearing of a leader.
“My mother is meeting us in Naples, sir,” Aaron said, meeting those dark eyes steadily. “I would be grateful if we could continue on. We would like to travel together, I’m sure you are aware the reason why?” The captain nodded, his eyes showing compassion.
“Yes, the bambinos are orphans I understand. A terrible business, having their families killed. It would be unwise, I think, to separate them from the people who have been their saviors.” He looked at both Aaron and Kadil, smiling slightly. “Your mother has been in contact. She has apparently gained access to our base in Naples, and has informed my base commander that she will await your arrival.” His smile widened as Aaron flushed a little in embarrassment.
“I shall apologize for my mother’s…forthright behavior. She can be a terror.” Aaron shook his head, closing his eyes as he imagined just what kind of ruckus his mum must be causing. A human rights lawyer for over two decades, she had stood toe to toe against some of the worst abusers of human rights on the planet, not batting an eyelash at their threats and blustering.
A few Italian Navy officers would be child’s play to her.
“I believe my commanding officer has a mother who has instilled the fear of women into him…especially women who are worried for their offspring.” The captain chuckled suddenly, his smile white against his tanned cheeks. “I believe he is used to dealing with formidable women.” Aaron gave a startled laugh, sharing an amused glance with Tonio who nodded vigorously.
“It is true, Aaron. Our commander is used to dealing with all sorts of troubles, but a mother on the warpath? He will be eager for your arrival, I think.” The captain shot his lieutenant a speaking glance, raising one brow which had Tonio flushing a little and straightening.
“I shall now go and do whatever it is I should be doing, sir.” Tonio gave his captain a sharp salute and vanished below decks.
“Why do I think that whatever it is he should be doing will involve a certain fishing captain?” The cutter’s captain drawled, shaking his head. Aaron grinned at him, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Najib lost his wife and daughter recently, within the last year I think,” Aaron answered solemnly. “He risked his life to get us all to safety. Perhaps he will find a new happiness soon. He is a good man, a brave man.” The captain nodded, clapping a hand on Aaron’s shoulder.
“Tonio is also a good man, who has fought off the advances of several women over the years. Maybe now I know why.” He said no more, winking at Aaron and Kadil before heading to the bridge.
“So, Sicily first?” Kadil asked casually, his clothes still dripping wet from the unplanned swim.
Aaron eyed him with a grin.
“Yes, then on to Naples…and you get to meet my mother.” Aaron laughed as Kadil gave a mock-shudder in response. “My mother’s not that bad. I’m sure she’ll be fine with you. Unless you try to tell her something she doesn’t want to do…then watch out.”
“I think maybe we should get changed, my skin is beginning to prune,” Aaron looked at his hands ruefully, the skin wrinkled from his immersion in the sea.
They stepped below, away from the crowded deck. With not much room for their new passengers below, the refugees were happy to stay up on deck, wrapped in emergency blankets and sipping water. Rations of biscuits and fruit had been handed out as well, and for the next few hours, they would be enjoying one last night under the stars.
The vessel that had been used to transport the migrants had been boarded by some of the crew, searching for any illegal drugs or weapons. Sometimes, according to Tonio, the people traffickers used their human cargo as shields for other cargo that was transported as well. This time there had only been people, and a couple of holes had been blasted into the hull of the laboring vessel, scuppering it to prevent anyone else using it for nefarious purposes. The disgusting mess that covered parts of it deserved nothing less than to be sent straight to the bottom of the deep water.
Chapter Seven
The next couple of days were uneventful. Kadil watched the unexpected passengers being off loaded, provided with transport to the holding facility as well as more food and water plus medical assistance for those who needed it. The port they had left, on the east coast of Sicily, was hours behind them, the cutter refueled and the crew having spent several hours scrubbing decks and bilges clean. Their passengers had not been dirty, as such, but the added pressure of more than a hundred extra bodies…with requisite waste, had put some strain on the cutter’s resources.
Sitting at the stern, his back resting against a stanchion, he looked out to sea, taking a few minutes to get his head straight.
“Do you need to be alone?” Aaron’s voice suddenly interrupted Kadil’s thoughts and he looked up, smiling into those stunning green eyes, surrounded by darkly tanned skin and a mess of white blond hair framing the handsome face.
Kadil wondered how he could ever have thought this man weak. The guy had more backbone and determination than anyone Kadil had ever met. Diving into the sea to help people he didn’t know. Rescuing two children, putting his own life at risk for them. He was also fiercely protective of Kadil himself, his anger when Kadil had told the story of the incident in Jordan had just made his lover all the more attractive.
Aaron just kept surprising Kadil, and now Kadil’s thoughts were all over the place. He had expected to be able to part company from his three companions with no problem. He was finding the ties that bound him to them, those invisible bonds that strengthened with each
day, were not so easy to break.
He felt ashamed of himself for continuing to think selfish thoughts of leaving Aaron and the children when they got to safety. He knew it was a survival mechanism, something he’d learned as a means to protect his heart, a hard habit to stop after so long, but he was fast realizing that staying with Aaron was the only option. And not for the reasons he had imagined when he first spied the sexy Brit over two weeks ago.
“I don’t mind the company,” he finally answered, smiling as Aaron sat down beside him, his leg resting against his.
“You looked deep in thought. Is everything okay?” Aaron’s green gaze rested on Kadil’s, searching for answers.
“I was thinking that I’m a little scared.” Kadil admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment. He laughed a little, at himself. He wasn’t one to admit to fear. Ever. Yet something about Aaron had him letting down his guard.
“What are you afraid of?” Aaron asked gently, his arm going around Kadil’s shoulders. “The worst must surely be behind us.” He rested his blond head against Kadil’s, his fresh, clean scent wafting into Kadil’s nostrils, perking him up like a pep pill.
“My people don’t like my kind of people.” Kadil tried to explain, frowning slightly.
“Your kind of people?” Aaron sounded confused.
“I’m gay. You know that,” Kadil whispered softly, then looked around in fear in case they were overheard. “I’ve lived in fear of being killed since I first began noticing I liked boys not girls.” His mouth quirked into a wry smile. “My mother knew, and she said I had to leave. The excuse was that they could not afford to feed me anymore, but I know it was really because she was afraid that the family would be shamed if anyone found out.”
“How old were you?” Aaron stroked Kadil’s arm gently, squeezing a little.
“I think I was about twelve years old, maybe a little younger.” Kadil leaned into Aaron’s touch, snuggling into his lover’s warmth. “Children grow up fast in our country. It has always been that way. We used to be a happy family, close. Then I ruined it by being gay.” He felt the words choke in his throat, felt a whimper of sadness tremble there.
“Being gay is not a choice, it’s something that we’re born with, like having a penis.” Aaron smiled a little when Kadil chuckled. “It’s just some dicks need a certain type of hole to be happy.” Kadil laughed louder, nudging Aaron’s shoulder at the analogy.
Aaron paused for a while, both men lost in their thoughts. “I knew when I was about ten that I liked things that weren’t considered ‘manly’ enough for my dad. Both my parents knew what I was. They didn’t really understand at first, none of us did. At school I didn’t really like sports particularly, but to please my father, I played rugby. He thought it meant I was ‘cured.’” Aaron chuckled in amusement, a smile creasing his face. “He didn’t know I spent many a night when I was fourteen or fifteen crushing over the full back and the wingers. They were studs.” Kadil laughed gently, imagining a young Aaron trying to be tough to please his dad, but satisfying his own fantasies at the same time.
“So, you started young?” Kadil chuckled again. “I remember seeing a movie, Titanic I think it was, and falling in lust with Leo DiCaprio.” He sighed dreamily.
“Ooh, he was sooo sexy in that film. I loved Legends of the Fall, a hunky Brad Pitt with all that long blond hair.” Aaron nudged Kadil with his shoulder as they both sighed, then laughed together in shared agreement.
“Then it was Zac Efron. I hated the High School Musical franchise, but I watched it just to drool over that boy.” Kadil actually giggled as he reminisced.
“Orlando Bloom was it for me. Pirates of the Caribbean, Kingdom of Heaven, Lord of the Rings.” Aaron hugged Kadil closer, nuzzling his chin against Kadil’s dark mop of hair, which was growing curlier every day.
“Hmmm, he’s cute, too,” Kadil agreed. Then his thoughts turned darker, his fears returning.
“If I’m refused entry, if I’m sent back to Syria, I’ll be killed for sure. People knew I was good friends with the guy who was killed, whose own mother shopped him to the fanatics. Bahir. They suspected, I think, that I was gay also, but had no proof. The way things were heading, just before the bombing raid, they were rounding up people even if they only suspected them of being gay.” He shook his head, closing his eyes wearily. “I can’t go back there. My family have disowned me, and it would be too dangerous to live in Syria.”
“Kadil?” Aaron’s fingers found their way under Kadil’s chin, tipping his face up to meet green eyes sparkling with fierce resolve. “There’s no way I’m letting any of you, not Zada or Akeem or you, Kadil, return to that place. You’re right, after what happened in Tartus, even if Malik and Qasim survived their boat’s sinking, the other militants will know about us now. Someone else sent those thugs after Zada. They ordered the murder of Akeem’s parents. If anyone has claim to political asylum it’s you three.”
He cupped Kadil’s face in both of his hands, his thumb stroking gently across Kadil’s downturned mouth.
“I won’t let you go anywhere you don’t want to go. I think I may be falling for you Kadil. I don’t want to risk losing that.” His eyes glimmered with a soft light, glitters of gold shining in their depths, like warm honey.
“I thought you were just another silly tourist.” Kadil smiled, laughing a little at Aaron’s startled expression, then the rueful grin. “You were right the other day. I did use you. I thought the authorities, if they asked questions, would be more inclined to listen to a British tourist, than a Syrian with questionable friends.”
His mouth quirked into a grimace.
“I think, maybe, you’re stronger than any of us.” He turned his face into Aaron’s palm, kissing the smooth skin softly. “I’ve been using people my entire adult life, getting close to them for whatever they could give me. I never thought of Bahir like that, but everyone else was fair game.” He stared deeply into Aaron’s eyes, seeing the touch of hurt there, plus the awareness of their close proximity. He could practically hear the rampant pheromones humming in the air between them, sending sparks back and forth like sheet lightning in the charged atmosphere.
“I haven’t felt like that about you since we left Tartus. I tried to imagine leaving you when we got to Naples, but I can’t do it. I can’t stop thinking about your smile, or the taste of your lips. I love the feel of you against me, how safe you make me feel.” He pressed another kiss against Aaron’s hand, feeling the slight shudder as his touch sent shockwaves through them both.
“I don’t want to leave you. I’ve been falling for you from day one.” Suddenly, he wrenched Aaron’s hand from his face, his mouth closing over the sweetly succulent mounds of Aaron’s lips, delving inside with his tongue. Aaron’s arms wrapped around him, his mouth accepting Kadil’s voracious tongue willingly, moaning a little as their tongues clashed for dominance, the kiss passionate and hot as molten lava, scorching the air between them.
“Zada, why are Aaron and Kadil kissing?” Akeem’s little voice asked timidly, interrupting the two men before things got out of hand.
“I think they like each other.” Zada giggled softly, moving closer.
“My father kissed my mother like that. I never saw two men kissing like that,” Akeem answered, giggling too.
Kadil eased away from the temptation of Aaron’s searing kisses, panting hard, trying to rescue his libido which had shattered with the first touch of his lips to his lover’s.
“In some places, kissing like that gets you arrested. I think we should maybe keep it a secret, what do you think?” Najib appeared behind the children, grinning at the embarrassed men.
“Arrested? Is that like murdered?” Akeem asked, looking terrified all of a sudden.
“No, Akeem, arrested means you’ve broken a law, a rule, put into place by a government,” Kadil answered gently, gathering his shaky thoughts together. “In Syria, where we are from, kissing a man is considered wrong, and people are locked up or killed for it. I
n places like England, where Aaron is from, it is not a crime for a man to love another man. Or kiss another man.”
Akeem looked thoughtful, sucking the ends of his fingers as he considered.
“Why is it a crime?” Zada asked, head tilted to one side. “One of my uncles used to kiss one of his friends all the time, like you were doing with Aaron. I thought it was nice. That was when we went to visit him in California. Nobody thought it too strange, although a few people did laugh a little.”
“Is America like England?” Akeem asked, brown eyes wide.
“A little bit. Only much, much bigger. America is not quite so happy about men kissing men in some places. It is illegal now for people to be unkind about it, though.” Kadil was simplifying the recent events in America. He didn’t think Akeem was quite ready for the whole debate yet.
“Can we go to England, then? I don’t want you to be arrested.” Akeem looked worried, grinning as Kadil stretched out an arm and dragged him onto his lap, tickling the little boy across his ribs. Giggling loudly, Akeem squirmed away from the torment, his strong little legs kicking vigorously as he tried to escape.
“We will see what happens when we get to Naples.” Aaron laughed, ruffling Akeem’s hair gently. “Maybe my mum has some ideas.”
“Tonio says we’ll be there tomorrow afternoon.” Najib sat down opposite them, looking tense. “I have to decide what to do.” He looked conflicted, his swarthy, bearded face looking weary.
“Perhaps you should ask yourself what is left for you in Syria,” Kadil suggested, empathizing.
He knew how tough a decision it was to suddenly decide to leave everything you knew far behind and step into unknown waters. He met Najib’s look with a sympathetic one of his own.
“If you think to avenge your friends and family, you will lose your life, I think you know that. For what? Your wife and daughter cannot be helped, they are in a better place now. Your friends too. Perhaps our duty now is to fight our enemies in a different way. Perhaps we need to let the world know what we have been dealing with. Help those in a similar situation. The dead are beyond our reach, but we have plenty of the living within our grasp, reaching out to us.” Kadil found a new resolve forming as he spoke, a promise to make something of his new life.