Island Love

by Curtis Bennett

  “Okay, may I ask what’s going on?” I said, raising my hands slowly. I eyed the man who appeared to be the spokesman and leader. He was Latino and wore a dark black scruffy beard and jet black hair. On his face sat a pair of dark glasses. All of them were dressed casually. A smirk appeared on his face as he approached me.

  “Listen, bro,” he began, his voice a raspy croak of sorts.

  “You look highly intelligent. And I appreciate you and your people’s struggle up there in the States. We don’t want any trouble. We just want the boat.”

  “And why is that, may I ask?” I inquired, realizing that our paradise just went out the door with the bath water.

  “Okay,” he chuckled, seemingly amused. “I don’t feel that I have to explain why we need it but for you I will, just this one time. And why? Because when we our finished with our business here I want us all to part on good terms. It’s not good to harbor bad feelings inside. We should all get along. Agreed?”

  I said nothing. I just stared at him and sized up his men.

  “We run what some would call a private transportation company,” he began pacing the floor. “Our business involves a very unique cargo. Unfortunately we had a run in with your navy and the Coast Guard. We fled but incurred substantial damage to our boat in the process. We managed to escape our pursuers but began to drift after a while. Fortunately, your kind captain came to our rescue and we commandeered his boat in the process. It’s as simple as that.”

  Drug runners I concluded, silently. These guys were dangerous, no doubt. I’d have to play this one close to the vest. From what I observed no harm had come to Leïla or the skipper Hosea Morales.

  “And what about us?” I asked, almost demanded.

  “What about you?” he laughed, as his accomplices joined in. “We have no need for you. After we took over the boat we asked the skipper, as you call him, where was he going and after some persuasion, he told us about you two. So, we’ve decided to drop the skipper off here on this island with you two, as well. Besides, it would serve us well to leave some of our cargo here until we can return at a later date, in case the pesky Coast Guard should intercept us. But we shall return, no doubt.”

  “Listen, we don’t have enough provisions to last out here,” I said.

  “Hey, my friend, we could always toss you all overboard but then your swollen bodies might show up causing the Coast Guard to intensify their pursuit. That is not what we want but I wouldn’t advise you to press the issue in hopes that I am bluffing. Believe me, I am not.”

  I looked over in the direction of Leïla and saw that her eyes were rife with fear. I scanned over to the skipper who looked dazed, almost listless. I sensed that they had worked him over before they arrived here.

  “Okay,” I said, my arms still positioned in an upright position. “I imagine the sooner you get us to shore the sooner you can get on with your business.”

  “See, I told you he was intelligent, Armando,” he said with a toothy grin to the guy holding me at bay with his pistol. “Let’s get them in the dinghy.”

  After my hands were tied behind my back we were frog-walked up the stairs until we were topside. Wrapping rope around our waists, they lowered each one of us into the dinghy below.

  Once on the beach they had us huddle together just outside of the campsite we had previously established. We were instructed to sit with our backs towards each other. Our generator and portable refrigerator sat a few feet away. Above us, storm clouds gathered. I wanted to reassure Leïla especially, but my mouth was gagged. What fate awaited us, I did not know.

  Since our detainers were careful to avoid using one another’s names, except for the one instance the ringleader slipped up and called out to Armando, I studied every detail I could, which included hair color, tattoos, scars, and distinct facial features. I wanted to be able to give law enforcement authorities enough of a description so that these fiends could be tracked down and prosecuted.

  As we watched them offload large containers and big bales of dark plastic covered and unspecified items and disappear into the thick forest, we glanced at one another in an effort to reassure each other nonverbally. In the interim my mind was working overtime to figure out a solution to our dilemma. Every problem had a solution I truly believed.

  Minutes later the four desperadoes exited the forest, apparently having completed their task. It had already begun to rain, though lightly. The leader of the group found his way over to us and paused, eyeing Leïla in particularly.

  “Such beauty,” he said grinning. “If I did not think you would slow us down, I’d bring you along.”

  Leïla turned, her eyes averted. I gave him the evil eye but he seemed not to notice.

  “Listen, my friends,” he continued. “We’re about to head out, my comrades and I. But to show you we’re not unsympathetic to your predicament, I will cut the girl free and when we have boarded the boat she can free you two. You agree?”

  I nodded in the affirmative as did the other two.

  “However, there is one condition,” he said, a cruel smile appearing on his lips.

  We looked on pondering what he had in mind.

  The fiend continued, turning to face Leïla. “I will set the girl free only if she agrees to let me taste the sweet nectar of her lovely lips. That’s all I demand for your freedom.”

  I was furious, just plain outraged. I could see that he was infatuated with her to a degree. It did not help that the rain wetting her top made it look as though she had been in a wet T-shirt contest as the shape of her round breasts became more pronounced beneath the material, as well as her nipples. But he wanted to taste a piece of the pie. Was that too much to ask for, I asked myself? My hope was that they’d move on before he decided to go for the whole pie.

  Facing Leïla I nodded no. I was certain we could find a way out of this predicament without him putting his vile lips on the lips of the woman I loved. To my dismay, Leïla ignored my nonverbal plea and nodded yes. With a sheepish grin he kneeled down and untied her and removed the gag from her mouth. Standing just a foot away from where I sat steaming, he wrapped his arms around her waistline and pulled her close to him. He did not kiss her right away as I thought he would. He just stared down into her eyes, eyes that continued to look away in anger. It was as though he wanted to taunt me.

  As his men called out to him from inside of the bobbing dinghy, he turned their way and called out saying that he’d join them in a second. Glaring down into Leïla’s eyes and at her heaving breasts, he lowered his mouth and kissed her long and hard. I turned my head away in anger and disgust.

  “Listen, I’ll be back to claim what’s mine,” he said with a menacing look. “If you are still alive at that time, my stash had better be where I put it. So long sweetheart.” Leïla continued to look away.

  Backing away, he bid us good luck and took off to join his comrades-in-arms. As they headed back to the boat Leïla quickly kneeled down and started to untie the skipper and myself. She had decided not to wait. By the time she had freed us the men had taken off with the skipper’s boat.

  “Dammit!” he snarled, kicking at the sand. “What do we do now?”

  “Two things,” I answered. “First, we remain calm. Second, we relocate to the shelter Leïla and I came upon earlier today. This rain doesn’t seem as though it’s going to let up anytime soon.”

  We quickly unfolded the tent and just enough to use it to cover the generator and refrigerator. Then we headed inland to find the shelter. Along the way I noticed that Leïla had not uttered a word since the encounter she had with that low down dirty crook. Pausing I turned and faced her. I gripped her by the shoulders gently.

  “Listen Leïla,” I said tenderly. “I know that what you did back there you did on our behalf. I do not hold that against you, baby. Do you understand that?”

  After giving me a prolonged stare, with moist eyes, she finally nodded yes. I kissed her right then in an effort to erase any foul memory she had of the one placed
there by our one time oppressor. She reciprocated with a deep probing kiss of her own then collapsed against me. With my arms wrapped protectively around her waist, I held her, comforted her, and reassured her with my words.

  Composing herself, she offered me a trace of a smile saying, “I had no idea things would turn out like this. I just wasn’t prepared for this Marcus.”

  “None of us were,” I told her, as we turned and resumed our walk.

  “I am glad that you were here,” she added. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. And I cringed when I think what he would have done with me if he had forced me to come with him.”

  “Listen, that’s all over with, so don’t even think about it, okay?” I said, stroking the side of her shoulder as we walked under some branches. The skipper was just ahead of us.

  Shortly after I took the lead, we found the shelter and hurried inside its protective walls. By now the light rain had become a heavy downpour. There we rode out the storm for the next two hours. During that time we fell asleep, tired from our unexpected and shocking ordeal.

  Chapter Nine

  Using a small knife the skipper had concealed in his socks, we found some long tree limbs and sharpened the tips to go spear fishing. We knew we’d have to have food to eat. Fortunately, there were some food items in the refrigerator we had not used, though not enough to last us more than two or three days. Leaving the shelter, we returned to our campsite.

  A plastic pail sat next to the refrigerator half full of fresh water from the downpour, which was a good thing. I knew once this ran out there was that fresh water pond about a mile away Leïla and I had discovered the day before. My hope was that a passing plane or cargo ship would see us or the bonfire we planned to burn that night and come to our rescue. I dared not think about the consequences if no one spotted us. And though we had come quite prepared, in case of something like this, most of our extra provisions were back on the Blue Oyster. Looking out at the expansive sea brought home the dire situation we had found ourselves in, and with clarity.

  The skipper and I managed to rig the tent and under fifteen minutes. If we were going to hang around the beach we needed shelter. Besides, the bright sun was beating down on our heads. Minutes later we decided to go fishing, the skipper and I.

  “What do you think?” I asked the skipper as we waded in the water at knee level with our makeshift spears in hand. “Do you think they will get far?”

  “Well, they certainly have enough gas to make it back to shore but where on shore they plan to moor, I just don’t know.”

  “Yeah, and who says that they are necessarily heading to St Thomas,” I said looking down into the water for fish.

  “That’s right,” the skipper replied. “There are other small islands around this area they can hide out on but they must know that they are being pursued by law enforcement.”

  “Let’s just hope they slip up and get caught,” I added.

  Hearing splashing sounds we gravitated towards the area it originated from. Once there, the skipper and I stood perfectly still. Our patience paid off handsomely when splashing occurred near where the skipper stood. Like lightning, he struck and without hesitation. Driving his spear with a forceful downward thrust, he struggled for several seconds as he fought to maintain his balance while his prey struggled to get free. In the end, and with a big grin and then a hearty laugh, he showed me a large fish on the end of his spear. It was a beautiful looking trout. Seconds later I came to life and speared a smaller version. This one Leïla will enjoy, I told myself and the skipper.

  That evening we had a pretty delicious meal, considering our predicament. It consisted of grilled trout, roasted new potatoes, and some of Leïla’s leftover salad. Thankfully we had salt and pepper, a small bottle of hot sauce, some seasoning and a small container of butter on hand. We chased it all down with rain water. Unfortunately, our makeshift bonfire failed to catch anyone’s attention. After trading jokes and sharing personal stories, we headed inside of the tent and called it a night. How many more nights like this we’d have to spend on the island was anyone’s guest. But while we were marooned here I planned on making the most out of it.

  The sound of waves crashing onto the beach awakened me. Going outside of the tent I looked around and saw that low tide was setting in. Making my way into the wooded area behind the tent, I found a private spot to relieve my bladder. Bathrooms were one of the modern comforts of the civilized world that I sorely missed right now. When I returned to the tent, Leïla had already exited it. She greeted me cheerfully with a warm hug and kiss. Then she vanished into the woods. The skipper woke up after Leïla and I went for an early morning swim. For breakfast we heated up water in a small pot until it boiled and poured several packets of instant oatmeal into it. We mixed butter and a half box of raisins into it and some honey. The three of us ate from the pot since we had returned all of our bowls to the boat. Sharing was an integral aspect in our quest to survive this ordeal, if we were to survive it at all.

  After breakfast we embarked on a mission to collect any edible fruit, root, or vegetable we could find on the island. Leïla knew quite a bit about edible fruits and vegetables indigenous to the area. The question remained; did any of them grow on this island?

  We struck out on our first expedition but later that morning found some berries that we could collect and store. As for vegetables, we had enough potatoes for one more meal. If only I had held onto my laptop computer I might had attempted to use the air card to connect to the internet, provided I could get a signal. But I had taken that back to the boat as well.

  The skipper produced a deck of playing cards he had stuffed in his shirt pocket. We decided to play a game of Spades. Afterwards, we shared personal stories and traded jokes again. The skipper happened to be a great story teller, sharing with us his adventures at sea. None, though, had ever risen to this level of intrigue and excitement he told us. And although we passed the time away as if we were at some regional summer camp, it never escaped us that we were trapped on a desolate island 60 miles out to sea and without any means of communicating with the world.

  After lunch, which consisted of grilled burgers, served sans bread, and instant potatoes with butter, salt, and seasoning, we decided to take a nap. We ate the wild berries we had collected for dessert. It was then time to rest. Though we were anything but bored, we had to be careful about being overexposed to the ultra-violet rays of the sun and we had to be mindful to conserve our energy. The pond of fresh water was not all that large and who knew when it would rain again. As for our energy level, our food supply would surely run out in another day or two. We needed our strength to continue our search for food. Unfortunately, Leïla and I had not counted on a third mouth to feed.

  Two hours into our nap we heard what sounded like the motor of a fast moving boat. Leaping to our feet and exiting the tent we turned our gaze to the expansive ocean. We had hopes that our rescue was at hand. Our hope was dashed the moment we saw that it was the Blue Oyster returning and likely being driven by our former captors. Leïla began to shake with fear. Again, I assured her that I would protect her and not to worry.

  Hurrying, we grabbed a few items and headed for the woods. We wanted to put as much distance between us and the bad guys as possible. Aside from the loot they had stashed away, we were not sure what else they had in mind while here. One thing was for certain, no one was going to get close to Leïla if I had anything to do with it. She had been through enough.

  We found our secret hidden shelter and decided to hide out there. We were certain that the drug runners were unaware of its existence. The fact that the shelter was well hidden and camouflaged by tall trees and large tropical leaves gave us some added comfort. I surmised that we were about a mile and half away from our encampment. After an hour had passed by, I decided to head back to the campsite to see if the drug runners had departed. I asked Leïla to remain behind. She did not want to leave my side but I impressed upon her that what I had asked was
for her own good. In the end she agreed with me.

  The skipper and I approached the campsite deliberately and carefully. His boat was still anchored just off the beach. But we could not tell if anyone was onboard. Obviously, they were still here, we just did not know where. We then made our way over to the tent to take a peek inside. Thankfully, no one was there. We decided to collect a few more items before taking off into the woods again.

  To our dismay, three of the men were waiting for us outside of the tent. One held a gun in his hand. It was déjà vu all over again.

  “So, my friend, as I warned you…I would and have returned,” boasted the leader of this band of malcontents.

  “Unfortunately, we ran into a situation that forced our early return. I can see that you two are happy to see us.”

  No one responded.

  Looking around, he croaked, “By the way, where is that lovely looking girlfriend of yours?”

  “Over here!” shouted the fourth man with Leïla at his side, his hand gripped tightly around her arm as they approached us.

  I wasn’t sure if I should be at odds with her or not for I had instructed her to remain at the shelter. It was our safe haven, or so I thought. Whether she followed us or was discovered wasn’t important now. Getting out of this predicament was. Besides, I did not like the wanton look in his eyes as he closed the gap between them.

  When he placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her that look, one you might see on the face of a hungry coyote panting and hovering over a cornered and frightened prey, I took a step forward but for the second time, and last time I was determined, a gun was thrust against my temple. The ringleader turned and glanced my way, momentarily, then skyward, as we all did. Heading towards our way was a helicopter, no doubt a Coast Guard chopper looking for these rogue banditos.