by Eva Charles
“What are you talking about?”
I already hear the anxiety in her voice.
“I know this is out of nowhere, but you need to be strong, Isabel. Valentina can help translate for you at the bus station and in Boston. But please don’t burden her too much. She’s still a child. And don’t tell her what I’m about to tell you. I mean it. Promise me.” Isabel would do anything to protect Valentina, but when things are bad, she sometimes lets her anxiety spill out all over the place until everyone around her is drowning in it.
“I promise.” Her tone is already shaky and garbled, and I haven’t even started.
“Antonio Huntsman was at Moniz’s office when I got there.”
She gasps.
“He’s been holding me prisoner, but I managed to escape.”
She starts to sob.
“Isabel, please don’t cry. He didn’t hurt me. Not once. If you can’t be strong for me, do it for Mamai, and for Valentina. I know you can do this.”
“They’re going to kill you, Daniela, so that you don’t tell anyone what happened. Valentina’s at that age where—” She can’t bear to finish the thought. Isabel was kidnapped and trafficked. It’s always been her worst fear for Valentina. “They’ll take the vineyards.”
She doesn’t say that they’ll kill her, too, because she cares more about what happens to me and Valentina than she cares about herself. And the thought of my mother’s vineyards in Huntsman hands makes her as sick as it makes me. I fight back my own sobs.
“Listen to me,” I say as calmly as possible. “Antonio doesn’t know anything about what happened. My father made a betrothal contract with him. They signed in blood. He gave Antonio the vineyards in exchange for marrying me. He saw holding me captive as complying with his part of the agreement.”
“No!” she says sharply. “No. They are liars. Your father would never give you to them—or the vineyards. Don’t believe it.”
I don’t bother to burden her with the video evidence. “It doesn’t matter right now.” A small sigh twists from my chest. “I’m fine. We’re all going to be fine. Please do as I ask, and wait for me to call you again. I don’t have a passport, so I need to find another way out of the country, and as soon as my travel plans are settled, I’ll call you.”
“What if you can’t get out?” she asks, each syllable quivering with stress.
“I can. Freighters carry passengers all the time. I just need to get to the docks to figure out how it works.”
“Daniela!” she shouts. “That plan is foolish. The docks are too dangerous.”
“Someone I worked with at the mill has done it. Not everyone can afford plane tickets to travel. It’s a new thing.” The calling time on this phone is limited, and I can’t waste it arguing with her.
“Please go. Take the papers and Valentina, pack a few things, go to the bank before it closes, and the pawn shop, and then get on the bus to Boston. Don’t waste any time. They know where we live, and eventually they’ll show up there.” I hate to tell her this, but I need to light a fire under her. “Tell Valentina we’re going on a surprise vacation. Make sure she doesn’t tell her friends anything.” I squeeze my eyes tight at the thought of Valentina so abruptly, without even a goodbye, leaving her friends. I didn’t want this life for you, sweetheart.
“May God be with you,” Isabel murmurs. “May your mother watch over you.”
“I love you, Isabel, and that little girl. There’s nothing on this earth I love more.” Not even my life. “We’ll be together soon.”
I end the call and find an ATM, but I can withdraw only five hundred euros. I’m not sure if it’s a limit on the machine or if it’s a limit set by my bank. There’s only one way to know.
A few blocks away, I find a bank with an ATM and try again. While it spits out the money, a tear trickles down my face.
Maybe the bad luck is behind me.
46
Daniela
When I arrive at the port, I wander aimlessly for a few minutes. It’s almost eleven thirty, and there are more people milling around than I expected. Although I don’t know why I had any expectations. I’ve been here only a couple of times as a child. And only to the area with the cruise ships, never to the working section of the docks.
“Can I help you?” a security guard asks.
I draw a large breath. Here we go. “I’m looking to purchase a ticket for a trip on a cargo ship.”
“Vacation?” he asks, sizing me up.
“Yes.” I smile brightly.
“Where you headed?”
“Somewhere warm, I hope. Although I read it’s best to be flexible if you’re catching a ride on a freighter.”
“Those tickets have to be bought in advance,” he says with a wrinkled brow. “You can’t just come down here and hop on a ship. We don’t allow it. What if you were a terrorist?”
“I’m not a terrorist. Or a criminal of any kind,” I assure him.
“No exceptions.”
I’ve come too far now to let a security guard stand in my way. I swallow hard.
“I understand. Do you mind if I walk around a bit to get the lay of the land? I’ll come back tomorrow and purchase a ticket for some time in the future.”
“I’m not going to stop you from walking around. Just don’t wander into any restricted areas. And I wouldn’t go too much beyond that red light.” He points to a light on a warehouse along the pier, some distance away. “It starts to get dangerous when you get too much past that point. Unsavory characters.”
No shortage of unsavory characters in the world. Some of them live in castles.
Without another word, he walks away to harangue a couple kissing on a bench.
What am I going to do now? If I can’t get on a freighter, I’m screwed. Even the train requires papers or a passport.
“Hey.”
I glance up, and a young man is leaning against a pole a few feet away. He’s talking to me. When I don’t acknowledge him, he beckons with two fingers. But I don’t move.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, walking toward me.
Unlike the man in the convenience store, this guy doesn’t seem very menacing. He has a baby face, and even the leather jacket and baggy jeans can’t hide his scrawny frame.
“I heard you talking to the guard.” He holds out a bag of croquettes. I’m starving, but I shake my head. “You sure? They’re not warm anymore, but they’re delicious.”
He’s not going to poison you. What about date-rape drugs? Are they just for drinks, or can they go into food too? I’m not taking any chances.
“They look scrumptious, but no thank you.”
He nods and takes a bite, and for a second I wonder why he came over to talk to me. “I need to go.” I turn and start to walk away.
“If you want to get on a ship, I can help you.”
I stop in my tracks and take a breath before stepping toward him. “You know of a cargo ship that carries vacationing passengers?”
He nods. “More than one, actually.”
“I’m interested, but I need to hear more.” This could be the answer to my prayers, or a trap.
“Do you have papers or a passport?” he asks, studying me carefully.
I have an ID, but it’s issued in the US. I’ll still need a passport to travel. “No. I’m a Portuguese citizen, but I don’t have papers.”
“That’s okay. It’ll cost you extra, but I know a ship where they look the other way, as long as you have money.”
“How much money?” I ask, holding my breath.
He shrugs. “It depends how far you’re going, and how generous the captain feels today.”
I glance at the man. He’s a little rough around the edges, but he seems like a nice enough guy. It’s not as though the docks are deserted. There are plenty of people around. But more than that, I don’t have a better option. I don’t have any other option.
“Let’s go talk to the captain.” My insides are shaking, and the bravado in my
voice surprises me.
“Let’s go,” he says, walking in the direction of the red light the guard cautioned me about. “By the way, I’m Joey.”
“Nice to meet you, Joey. I’m Rosa,” I add without missing a beat. He doesn’t give me the creeps like the guy in the market, but I don’t know him, and there’s no way I’m giving him my real name.
As we get closer to the ominous red glow, I start to get anxious. Joey doesn’t look like he could fight off unsavory characters or whatever trouble might lurk beyond the red light. “The guard warned me not to go beyond this point. He made it seem dangerous.”
“Yeah. I heard that. But there’s no way you’re getting on a ship without papers, unless you venture farther into the port. Besides, he was talking about you walking around alone. You’re not alone anymore.”
I side-eye the stranger with his gangly frame. It feels like I’m still alone.
47
Daniela
Joey whistles, and a young man peers over the side of the ship.
“Captain around?” Joey yells up to him.
The man nods.
We stand on the edge of the pier, the diesel fluid competing with the smell of brackish water. It’s nauseating. My stomach’s empty, but I’m glad I didn’t eat one of those greasy croquettes.
“Do you know the captain well?” I ask before taking out the water bottle from my pack. I’m still not comfortable with any of this. It’s not at all what I’d envisioned when Melissa described her vacation travel. People embellish.
“We’re not drinking buddies, but I’ve known the captain a long time. He can be intimidating—got to be to take those tankers out on the open ocean, day after day. Nerves of steel. But he’s a good guy when you get to know him.”
Maybe. “Do you know other people who have traveled with him?”
“Plenty. You worried?”
Scared to death. I shrug.
“You don’t need to worry. The ship’s solid, the crew competent, and the captain knows what he’s doing. You’ll be basking in the sun before you know it.”
Before I can ask any more questions, a man comes into view, unhooks a rope from the top of a ramp, and jogs down toward us. He’s in his forties, maybe, tall and muscular with a suntan. I don’t know if it’s because of his size, or because he has such a stern look, but he’s intimidating. Joey was right.
“Good evening,” he says, sliding his hands into his pants pockets.
“Good evening, Captain. I’d like you to meet Rosa. She’s interested in an adventure, but her passport was stolen.”
The lie trips easily off his tongue. I never said my passport was stolen, but I suppose he had to say something.
“No papers?” the captain asks, turning to me with hardened features.
“No.”
“Where are you from?”
“I’m a Portuguese citizen, but I’ve been living in the US for many years.” And I should have never left.
He nods. “Where you going?”
“I read it’s best to be flexible about location and departure when traveling on a cargo ship. I’m willing to be adventurous.” God, I sound like a moron.
The captain scratches a sideburn as he glances at Joey. He seems to be weighing the decision. “We’re leaving for Barcelona tonight, and we go on to the Middle East from there.”
“Barcelona sounds wonderful.” It’s perfect. I won’t have to be on the freighter for too long, but it will get me out of the country. “I’ll get off the ship there. What time do you leave?”
“In a few hours. I’m shooting for two o’clock, but it’s likely to be closer to two thirty. There’s a lot of traffic in the port tonight.”
“That sounds perfect. How much is the fare?”
“Without documents, one thousand euros.”
A thousand euros. A plane ticket to Barcelona would cost only a small fraction of that, and a train ticket even less. But I’m not getting on a plane or a train without documents.
“Would you be willing to take seven hundred and fifty euros?” I should have offered him less, because if he agrees, I’ll be out of euros. That was foolish, Daniela.
“Sorry.” He starts to leave.
My heart plops into my stomach as he turns.
“Maybe she has something else of value,” Joey pipes up.
The captain pivots. “Like what?”
Joey cocks his chin at me. “Do you have a watch or jewelry, anything?”
“I have some American dollars.”
“No use to me,” the captain mutters.
My watch is a piece of junk, but I hold my wrist out to him.
“That’s not worth anything,” he grumbles. “What’s that around your neck?”
My heart breaks, but I keep my head up. “It’s an antique locket. I’m sure you can recoup your money if you sell it.” I take the necklace off and open the locket, using my fingernails to pry the pictures out carefully. He’s not getting these photos. I don’t care if I have to swim to Barcelona.
“I’m not sure it’s worth two hundred and fifty euros, plus the trouble of selling it.” He gazes at me. “But you seem like a nice girl. I’ll take you to Barcelona.”
I smile at him, even though the longer I stand here, the more nervous I am.
My anxiety about being caught and dragged back to Antonio has melded with the concerns about getting on the ship alone. It’s all a jumbled mess, and I don’t know what worries me most.
“Thank you,” I say softly. Because no matter how unsure I am, I have to take my chances with the captain.
“You’ll need to board now and settle in before we pull out. But you can’t come aboard until I have the cash and the necklace. Your watch too.”
This is extortion, but it’s his freighter, and I can either ante up or find another way out of the country.
As I dig in the backpack for my wallet, the knife blade winks at me. It’s not large, but it has a sharp point. I have scissors too. Hopefully I won’t need to use either, but having them makes me feel a little better.
I give the captain my jewelry and the cash. He counts it and hands Joey what looks to be fifty euros. So much for seems like a nice guy. Not a good Samaritan at all, but an opportunist.
“What’s the money for?” I ask Joey.
“I connect travelers with ships.” He shrugs. “Like a travel agent.”
I guess everyone needs a side hustle.
“Have fun,” Joey calls, striding toward the main entrance, probably in search of another desperate soul.
“Follow me,” the captain says.
I glance up at the ship and out toward the ocean, then at the tiny photos in my hand. With fear in my heart, I follow him up the ramp.
48
Antonio
After spending the better part of the afternoon and the evening working on things that I’ve neglected since Daniela arrived, I came up to my apartment to change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. At least that’s the excuse I gave Cristiano and Lucas. The truth is, I was driving them crazy and making it difficult for them to focus. And somebody has to focus.
We have a shipment expected to arrive in the UK tonight. The same type of goods that went missing a couple of weeks ago. There were traitors in the ranks, and we flushed them out, but they weren’t working alone. Neither of them had the brains to be masterminds. That’s for sure.
But we can’t afford to have any more cargo taken right under our noses, especially so soon. We’re all on pins and needles until it arrives and is transported to the final destination.
Daniela picked the perfect day to run. Goddamn woman.
Despite the cargo concerns, I’ve been having a hard time keeping my mind off her—keeping my rage in check. The risks she’s willing to take for freedom are unfathomable. She’s naive but not stupid. The trouble she could find is chilling, even to me.
I made every mistake when it came to Daniela. I should have married her right after her father died. Before she tasted real freed
om.
Her escape is not going to be like last time. No one’s covering her tracks to save her from reckless choices. She’s going to have to suffer the consequences of her decisions. And she deserves what she gets.
I’m not going to lose a wink of sleep over it. My conscience is clear.
I turn off the racing simulator. I figured I’d work with it while I was up here killing time. Thirty minutes is normally enough to clear my mind and relax me. Not today.
My phone rings, and I reach for it immediately.
When I see Sonia’s name on the screen, a sense of disappointment hits me—hard.
You are a stupid, stupid bastard, Antonio. She’s not calling. What the fuck is wrong with you?
I swallow my anger, my pride, and all good sense, and take the call.
“I didn’t expect to hear from you tonight. What’s up?” Even as I ask, I know why she’s calling.
“Booty call.”
Despite my dark mood, I laugh.
Sonia and I have a complicated history. My mother not so secretly hopes I’ll marry Sonia and give her some grandbabies to spoil. That’s never happening.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she says, quietly. “Went out for a walk, ended up at the lodge.”
“You’re here, now?”
“In the lobby.”
“I’ll be down in a minute. Don’t go anywhere.”
Ordinarily I wouldn’t deal with Sonia at this hour. She’s the type of woman who shouldn’t be encouraged to show up whenever the mood strikes her.
But I need a distraction.
49
Daniela
I have to get in touch with Isabel, it occurs to me when I’m halfway up the ramp. “Is there cell service on the ship? I need to make a call.”