by Kenneth Eade
The sea was calm today, the surface smooth as glass, leaving no trace of the ugly storm that had pitched the small sailboat and almost capsized her the night before. Such was the hidden power of nature, capable of producing extreme beauty and cruelty at the same time. A few remnants of the storm still remained – garbage – evidence of human waste probably from a ferry or cruise boat – visibly bobbing on the surface from time to time. Other than that, it was a perfect day – the proverbial calm after the storm.
The line jerked and the pole bowed. The reel begin spinning out rapidly. On the deck, the floppy ears of a big, ugly dog perked up from a mass of brown and beige fur that could have passed for a thick flokati rug had it not been moving. His master had landed a live one, and that meant cooking, cooking meant eating and eating meant table scraps for him. Life was good.
Robert pulled back on the fishing rod, at first gently, and then with vigor, and the battle was on. This was life on the surface of the sea. A calm, placid exterior that could swell up and kill at no notice, but beneath it always a dangerous world of life and death. Robert reeled and reeled, bringing the conflict to the surface. The dog sat at attention, fixated on the activity of his master while his tail swished against the deck.
“You’ve got one!”
A lovely, dark-haired, dark-skinned beauty in a yellow bikini, her silky black hair topped with a cap and her hauntingly beautiful dark eyes hiding behind a pair of sunglasses, came from the bow to see what the commotion was all about.
“I do!”
Robert kept spinning the reel and pulling. If he won this battle, this would be tonight’s meal as well as tomorrow’s. They had been on rations for a few days. Like living off the land, living off the sea was a daily challenge for survival. The struggling fish seemed to fly as it broke the surface. The dog barked in celebration while Joelle picked up the net and made it ready.
“It’s a big one!”
“A real gem!”
When it came to fishing, Joelle was not much of a fisherman, but there was one thing they could both agree on: this creature was a true thing of beauty. His sacrifice would ensure the survival of three other lives. Robert reeled the fish in closer, wearing it down, until it was flopping in and out of the water right by the side of the boat.
Joelle held the net with both hands, over the rail of the small sailboat as Robert swung the fish into it.
“You got it?”
“I think so.”
The net dipped with the weight of the fish and Joelle strained to contain it. Robert set the rod down, and together they hoisted the enormous sea bass onto the deck, where it flopped around, inciting more yelping. Joelle’s smile faded as she peered over the railing.
“What’s that?”
“What?”
“Over there! Floating.”
Robert strained his eyes. He picked up his field glasses and focused on the object bobbing on the surface.
“Looks like a body.”
Click here to order “Unwanted” now!
OTHER BOOKS BY KENNETH EADE
Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series
A Patriot’s Act
Predatory Kill
HOA Wire
Unreasonable Force
Killer.com
Absolute Intolerance
The Spy Files
Decree of Finality
Beyond All Recognition
Involuntary Spy Espionage Series
An Involuntary Spy
To Russia for Love
Stand Alone
Terror on Wall Street
Paladine Political Thriller Series
Paladine
Russian Holiday
Traffick Stop
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning and best-selling author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the thriller genre, has been described by critics as “one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene, and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit.” Critics have also said that “his novels will remind readers of John Grisham, proving that Kenneth Eade deserves to be on the same lists with the world's greatest thriller authors.”
Said Eade of the comparisons: “John Grisham is famous for saying that sometimes he likes to wrap a good story around an important issue. In all of my novels, the story and the important issues are always present.”
Eade is known to keep in touch with his readers, offering free gifts and discounts to all those who sign up at his website, www.kennetheade.com.
Copyright 2017 Queen City Trading, Ltd.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persona, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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[1] UN: 2.4 Million Human Trafficking Victims, US Today, April 4, 2012.
[2] Sex Slavery/Trafficking: Frequently Asked Questions, Soroptomist.
[3] Sex Slavery/Trafficking: Frequently Asked Questions, Soroptomist.
[4] Shelley, Louise, ISIS, Boko Haram and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism, The Daily Beast, December 26, 2014
[5] Shelley, Louise, ISIS, Boko Haram and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism, The Daily Beast, December 26, 2014
[6] Giannageli, Marco, Daesh kidnaps women and children to sell as sex slaves on social media, Express, December 27, 2015
[7] Callimachi, Rukmini, To Maintain Supply of Sex Slaves, ISIS Pushes Birth Control, March 12, 2016, New York Times
[8] ISIS Laws on ‘proper’ sex slave treatment revealed, December 29, 2015, RT
[9] Engel, Richard, Inside the Secret Rescue of Yazidi Sex Slaves from ISIS Captors, December 6, 2016, NBC News Storyline
[10] Bloom, Mia, How ISIS is Using Marriage as a Trap, March 2, 2015, Huffington Post
[11] Bardin, Jeff, What it’s like to be recruited by ISIS online, May 22, 2015, Business Insider
[12] Geiger, Gloria, This is How ISIS Uses Social Media to Recruit American Teens, November 20, 2015, Teen Vogue
[13] Sandeman, George, Western Women Wanted: Escaped ISIS sex slave says “blonde, blue-eyed girls are particularly popular amongst jihadis, The Sun, August 13, 2016.
[14] Hankel, Jenni, ISIS: One of the Many Contributions to Trafficking in Iraq and Syria, Human Trafficking Center Blog