Saviours

by Beth Abbott

  If the team’s cabin was comfortable and functional, this was best described as lavish.

  There was a king-sized bed with a wall mounted TV at the end. A plush sofa and chair sat to one side, with a mirrored wardrobe. Even the bathroom looked far more opulent.

  “This will do nicely.” Drago grinned at Kellen who was standing at the door.

  “Are you ready to see the lower floor now?” Alan was obviously anxious to get them downstairs. “I can show you around quickly and we won’t interfere with Mr Lebedev when he arrives.”

  Grabbing their key-cards and closing the doors behind them, they followed Alan along the corridor, and back down the set of stairs at the end of the hallway.

  As they reached the bottom, they encountered the first signs of other people.

  A clanking sound was coming from what Kellen guessed was the kitchen, or maybe that should be the ‘galley’?

  Over to his right there seemed to be an open area with soft mats on the floor, like you might find in a sports hall. Several men were having a wrestling session, albeit it looked like more of a training session than an actual fight.

  Kellen glanced back at his team-mates who’d obviously stopped to get a look at some of the competition.

  The guys on the mat were big and packed with muscle, but, in Kellen’s humble opinion, seemed a lot more sluggish than their guys, who were quick and agile as well as big.

  “This room will be transformed by tonight.” Alan explained. “The ring will be assembled in the centre of the room, and the guests’ chairs will be set up all around.”

  He pointed to the far side where what looked like armchairs were set in rows, presumably waiting for someone to come and put them in place.

  There was a pile of large floor cushions off to one side, and Kellen pointed to them.

  “What are they for?” He asked, not seeing their relevance to the event.

  “Oh, well, they’re for the hostesses.” Alan explained. “Before the fighting starts, the guests are given their pick of the casino hostesses for the evening. The young ladies then sit on the cushions at their feet and perform whatever… tasks… the guests ask of them. Fetching drinks or food, or… anything else.”

  “What kind of services should Drago expect to receive from his hostess?” Kris asked, and Kellen could see his friend trying not to smirk.

  Alan shrugged.

  “They’re hostesses.” He repeated, as though the services they would provide should be self-evident. “They’ll do whatever you ask them to. The only house rule, if you like, is that whatever you do, you shouldn’t disturb or distract your neighbour from his enjoyment of the fighting or his own hostess.”

  “That sounds like quite a civilised rule.” Abram nodded, and Kellen couldn’t help but smile.

  “There’s a dining area through those doors for staff and team members, and mealtimes are posted on the signs, along with your cabin numbers, so you need to make yourselves aware of what times you’re expected to come down for food.” Alan explained. “You’re all given different times as Mr Lebedev doesn’t want you mingling together except when the fighting is on.”

  “Is he concerned that we’ll all start fighting?” Kellen grinned.

  “That has happened in the past.” Alan admitted. “But he’s actually more worried that you’ll all become so friendly that the fighting won’t be vicious enough.”

  “Nice.” Zach murmured to Drago. “If that’s the case I’m surprised he’s even bothered to feed us. It sounds like he’d be better off with a bunch of fighting dogs.”

  “Well, that’s about it.” Alan shrugged. “You can go through the doors over there and walk around the containers if you want some fresh air and exercise, although, if we have stormy weather, you won’t be able to go out there in case the containers move. It shouldn’t happen, but because there are so few, it can be a risk. You can also go up on deck if you want to, but the other cargo holds and below deck spaces are off limits, I’m afraid. Apart from this section of the ship, the rest is business as usual, and the Captain won’t hesitate to have anyone removed from the ship who doesn’t respect that.”

  “That sounds fair enough.” Drago nodded.

  “Ok, then if you’d like to check the dining rota, I believe the group eating now will be finished shortly, and your meal slot will start in about half an hour.” Alan smiled. “I’d suggest you have a quick refresh and be down to have your meal on time. The food is very good, so you don’t want to miss it. Besides, you won’t get another meal until this evening.”

  “Are we able to get snacks in between?” Kellen asked, wondering how long his chocolate stash would last him.

  “There’s a fridge in the dining room with cold drinks you can take as you wish, and the kitchen staff can provide sandwiches if someone is particularly hungry.” Alan shrugged. “You’ll get three good meals a day while you’re on the ship, so I don’t think you’ll go hungry.”

  Kellen looked at the crewman who was probably half his bodyweight.

  “I don’t think you’ve grasped exactly how much food we can consume.” He pointed out.

  “Oh, I think they’ve been doing this long enough to have learned that lesson well.” Alan grinned. “There is more food in that kitchen for one weekend than my wife would buy in two years, and we have five teenagers living at home.”

  “That’ll probably be enough to feed my team.” Drago joked. “But what about everyone else?”

  “Perhaps you should eat your lunch first, and then let me know if there was a food shortage, hmm?” Alan smiled. “I’ll leave you to your exploring for now. If you need me for anything, just pick up one of the green phones you see around the two levels and dial twenty-four. That will come straight through to me.”

  Kellen watched the guy head for the kitchen, probably to tell the chef to cook extra food, and then looked around the room.

  He could see where the ring would be set up, just from the position of the overhead lights. Even with the ceiling at about twenty feet up, it was going to get mighty hot in the middle once they were all lit up, and there were chairs set up around the ring keeping the heat from escaping.

  Out of the corner of his eye he saw the door to the hold open, and a group of women were ushered in.

  Judging by the trashy clothing and make-up they were wearing, and the level of laughter and chatting going on, Kellen guessed these were the women from the casino, and not the ones being trafficked.

  A few of them turned to stare at the men as they walked by, and Kellen guessed this was what it must feel like to be a woman, treated like a piece of meat by the men who leered at their bodies. The feeling was surprisingly unpleasant.

  A couple of the women called out to them, but as it was in Russian, Kellen could only guess what they might be saying.

  “Hah, I’m not sure which of you three blonds that was directed at…” Kris grinned at him. “But, apparently, one of you has something that the red-head would like to suck on later.”

  Kellen looked at Drago, Abram and Zach, who were the three blonds on the team.

  “Count me out.” Zach spluttered. “I’m not looking, and I’m definitely not touching! Sacha would happily remove anything that had been sucked on when I got home.”

  “I don’t think I qualify for that special offer, as I’m one of the fighters, not one of Lebedev’s associates.” Abram pretended to be disappointed. “Drago, I think this is down to you. You wouldn’t want to disappoint them, would you?”

  Drago snorted a laugh.

  “As lovely as those ladies appear to be, I prefer women who are a little less…” he struggled to find the right word.

  “Accommodating?” Kellen offered.

  “Exactly.” He laughed. “I like my women to have slightly fewer notches on their bedposts.”

  “Double-standard much?” Kris laughed.

  “Not at all.” Drago shook his head. “I don’t expect a woman to be pure as snow, but I’d like them to have had a ‘normal’
number of partners, if there is such a thing.”

  “How about you, though?” Kris teased. “Is it Ok for you to have slept with a lot of women?”

  “You’re making assumptions.” Drago shrugged. “The reality for anyone doing the sort of work I do is that we don’t get the same opportunities that you guys have had. Abram will verify that when we were on active service, we didn’t get much down time to go out and find women. And while I was with Ilya, there was plenty of opportunity, but not the sort of women you’d want to entertain, especially as they would have probably only been agreeing to it out of fear.”

  “Are you actually trying to tell me you’ve lived like a monk for the last decade?” Kellen asked, sceptically.

  “Yeah, I’m still a virgin.” Drago grinned.

  “Now, I know that’s not true.” Abram shook his head. “Drago was always our good luck charm when we were going through basic training. Go to a bar with him in the group and we all pulled. Maybe not as much as he did, but none of us were complaining.”

  “That was my misspent youth.” Drago protested. “When all you were interested in was quantity over quality.”

  “Well, you definitely had the quantity nailed back then.” Abram nodded. “Even if you do claim to have turned into a born-again virgin.”

  “Yeah, well for the last few years, I’ve kept those numbers very low.” Drago shrugged. “And almost exclusively with women unconnected with Ilya and his businesses. And that’s how it’s going to be going forward as well. Business and pleasure kept separate.”

  “Well, now that the lovely ladies have gone through to the back, why don’t we take a look around in the few minutes we have left before lunch?” Zach suggested. “We need to check that there’s good wi-fi coverage, and that our phones are working Ok.”

  They walked around the room and exited by the door that led out into the relatively fresh air of the hold.

  By unspoken agreement they walked a full circuit around the stacked containers, coming to a stop outside the one they were sure contained the women.

  No noise could be heard through the metal walls, and Kellen wasn’t sure if that was because the women were asleep, or because they’d been warned that their lives depended on how quiet and still they could be.

  “I’ve got strong signals for phone and wi-fi.” Zach said quietly. “I’m going to stay out here and try and get hold of Sacha. I’ll meet you back in the cabin in about ten minutes.”

  “Ok, we’ll give you some peace and quiet to sweet-talk that gorgeous wife of yours.” Kellen smiled, turning back towards the door. “I still can’t believe she let you come with us.”

  As they followed after him, Kellen heard Abram whisper loudly to Zach.

  “Don’t mention the hostesses.”

  Yeah, the man wasn’t that stupid!

  Chapter 26 – Micky

  Micky had just walked through the entertainment area for the twentieth time that day, this time accompanying the hostesses to their sleeping area, but for the first time ever, it had left her feeling nauseous.

  Not that there was anything sickening about the room itself, but there was certainly something about one of its occupants that had her palms damp with perspiration, and sweat trickling down her neck, following a tortuously slow path down her spine.

  While she’d been talking to one of the hostesses, Micky had recognised one of the newest arrivals as someone she’d served with in the FSB a few years before, and she was now absolutely petrified that her cover was about to be blown.

  How the hell was she going to get herself out of this little predicament?

  She had to settle all the women down as quickly as she could, and then she could go and see which team he was on. Maybe if she intercepted him, Micky could explain that she was here under an assumed identity, as she didn’t want Lebedev to find out about her previous employment. After all, he was ex-special forces himself, and probably not broadcasting the fact. He might understand and agree to keep her secret.

  After Micky finished supervising the luggage arrival and showed the women where the kitchen and dining areas could be found, she finally managed to slip away.

  When she moved through the entertainment area, men were already starting to set up the ring under Stan’s supervision, and she quickly sidestepped them and headed out of the door and up the stairs. Those men were all from a fight club in Moscow, and they were going to act as security later in case anything kicked off. Of all the men Sergei used in his businesses, these were the ones who scared her the most. It wasn’t just the fact that they could beat a man to death in minutes that scared her. It was that they could switch that rage on and off with such ease and almost no provocation.

  As she came out on the upper level, she was just starting to breathe easier that she’d managed to avoid a public reconciliation with her former colleague, when she saw Lebedev come out of his cabin walking towards her.

  “Micky, my dear.” He smiled at her. “Is everything ready for this evening?”

  She walked towards him taking a deep, calming breath in through her nose, and blowing it out through her mouth.

  “Your guests have arrived and are either in their cabins or are enjoying their lunch below.” She nodded. “The girls from the casino are here, and the ring is being set up ready for tonight. The chefs are already preparing tonight’s meal, and the bar is stocked with all your favourite drinks.”

  “Excellent.” Lebedev nodded in satisfaction. “And have you made me plenty of money today?”

  “By the time you check in the morning, you should find that your balance has increased by around four hundred thousand dollars overnight.” Micky shrugged. “Not as much as usual, I grant you, but then you did have me running around doing fifty different things this morning. Sadly, while I can multi-task, I still can’t manage to be in two places at once.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make up for it tomorrow.” Lebedev patted her cheek in a patronising manner that left her skin crawling with disgust. “What are your plans for this afternoon?”

  “We have to sail with the tide, so we’ll be leaving port by two o’clock.” Micky glanced at her watch. “It’s almost that now, so I’m going to get myself something to eat, deal with the women in the container, and then maybe catch an hour’s rest before I check on things for this evening. Virtually everyone has eaten already, and most have retired to their cabins for the afternoon.”

  “What about the women in the container?” Lebedev asked. What are you going to do with them?”

  “There’s another room off a small corridor behind the dining area.” Micky explained. “As soon as everyone is out of the way, I’ll move them inside.”

  “Why can’t they stay in the container?” Sergei frowned.

  “Because it’s disgusting in there.” Micky pointed out. “You want them given to the fighters as a reward, right?”

  “That was the plan.” Lebedev nodded.

  “Then they need to be showered and dressed in fresh clothes to rid them of the smell of piss and shit.” Micky pointed out. “You can’t transport people in conditions not fit for animals and expect them to come out smelling of roses.”

  “You don’t like the way the women are treated?” Sergei laughed.

  Micky looked at him as though he was crazy.

  “Of course, I don’t.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand why you trade in women anyway. Don’t you have enough business with the weapons and drugs to keep you occupied? You have women at the casino who will entertain your colleagues for a pittance. Why the hell do you have to trade women who’ve been stolen from their families?”

  “Because I can.” Lebedev chuckled. “And because there are men in the world who need something more to get them off. I give them what they need. I like to think of it as providing a community service.”

  “You’re not providing a service to the community, Sergei.” Micky lowered her voice. “You’re stealing women from their communities and selling them to a bunc
h of rich depraved perverts. Spin it however you like, Sergei, but this is the most disgusting of your businesses. I know you like to be seen as the man who can supply everything, but you don’t need to sink this low. It’s beneath you. Why do you lower yourself to the standards of the men who trade in slaves, when I can make you more money in three days than trafficking human flesh will make you in a year?”

  Micky watched the colour stain Lebedev’s neck and then creep slowly up into his cheeks.

  “You’re getting awfully sure of yourself, sweetheart.” He said quietly, stepping into her personal space. “Don’t think for one minute that because you make me money you can tender your opinion whenever the mood strikes you. Whether you believe it or not, you are not irreplaceable, and you would do well to recognise the fact. That big mouth of yours is going to be your downfall. One of these days, Micky, you’re going to push your luck too far, and maybe you’ll find yourself in the back of one of those containers.”

  Micky had heard Lebedev’s threats before, so she knew to keep her face expressionless, but inside her stomach was rolling like she was about to throw up.

  “I’ve shown you nothing but loyalty for the last three years, Sergei, but those who get my loyalty also get my honest opinion, whether they’ve asked for it or not.” She kept her head held high even though she was trembling from the neck down. “If you think you can find someone who can make you anywhere close to the money I’ve made you, go ahead. Personally, I think it will prove a costly way to silence me, but it’s your choice. If you’d rather surround yourself with nodding dogs who’ll agree with everything you say, knock yourself out.”

  It took every ounce of her courage to stare him down, but she did it anyway.

  Sergei was a man who watched for any sign of weakness and exploited it, and Micky was determined that she wouldn’t back down over this.

  Apart from the fact that it would leave her in an almost untenable position, she would lose any measure of respect Sergei currently had for her.

  Eventually Sergei chuckled, and the tension cracked just enough to allow her to breathe again.