Saviours

by Beth Abbott

  “Leave it open.” Micky instructed. “When the rest of the security guys get here, we’re taking them upstairs.”

  The guy shrugged as if he didn’t care less, and Micky and Kellen slipped inside.

  The smell was particularly disgusting by now, but the women at least seemed to be tolerating it.

  Micky watched as the expression on the women’s faces changed from miserable and pathetic, to curious and scared.

  Obviously, they’d just spotted her injured face.

  Micky looked around for the woman she’d first spoken to a few days before.

  Olga was already making her way across the room to her, looking shocked at Micky’s appearance.

  “What happened to you?” She whispered, favouring Kellen with an evil stare.

  “It wasn’t Kellen.” Micky smiled, placing her hand on his arm. “He’s one of the good guys, the ones here to rescue you all.”

  Olga stared at Kellen for a moment before looking back at Micky.

  “Who did that to you?” She pointed to Micky’s face.

  “Sergei Lebedev.” Micky shrugged. “The same man responsible for you being here.”

  Olga looked at Kellen again.

  “You allowed him to do this?” She asked bluntly. “Why isn’t he dead yet?”

  Kellen didn’t take any offence at the insinuation that he should have prevented what happened to Micky.

  “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to remove Lebedev’s ability to breathe.” He smiled. “Unfortunately, he’s part of a bigger plan which prevents me from killing him yet. But, there’s always tomorrow.”

  Olga snorted a laugh.

  “If he’s still close enough once we’re all free…” She glanced around the room. “Then I think you’ll have to stand in line.”

  “Listen, we don’t have much time.” Micky explained. “In a minute, Lebedev’s men will be here to escort you upstairs to some cabins. You’ll all need to wash and change into the clothes I provide ready for tonight. Keep them on until I come for you, just in case Sergei or his men come to check on you.”

  “What sort of clothes are you talking about?” Olga asked.

  “The dresses Sergei will expect you all to wear to impress his customers.” Micky smiled. “I’ll provide a second set of warmer clothes which you’ll need to keep close at hand, along with any shoes or trainers you have. Once I come for you, we’ll need you to slip the clothes on over the top of the dresses and carry the shoes down the stairs, so they don’t make any sound. Once we’re outside, they can slip their shoes on to make a run for the lifeboats.”

  Olga’s eyes widened.

  “We’re really escaping tonight?” She whispered.

  “That’s the plan.” Kellen smiled. “But you have to make sure everyone understands that silence is the key to success. My men and I are heavily outnumbered, so the longer we can last before someone notices something’s amiss, the better.”

  “Will we get to shore in a lifeboat?” Olga asked. “Are we close to land?”

  “No, we’re not close to land.” Micky shook her head. “But we have a Russian submarine as back-up that will take us far away from Lebedev, and people who will help get you back to your families.”

  “The military are going to take us home?” Olga shook her head in disbelief.

  “Look, can you make sure everyone understands what’s going on?” Micky asked. “Make sure they all understand not to make a fuss when we take them upstairs. No harm will come to them, and it’s absolutely vital they all stay together, ready for when the rescue begins.”

  “I’ll tell them.” Olga nodded. “They’re all so desperate to go home they’ll do anything you need them to.”

  Micky and Kellen stepped outside the door and back into the dining room, where half a dozen of Sergei’s men waited.

  She pulled out her phone and pretended to answer it, turning her back to the men as she did.

  She glanced at Kellen and whispered… “Just buying them a few more minutes for Olga to spread the message.”

  Kellen leaned casually against the wall and pulled out his phone. He quickly typed out a message to Drago to let him know what was happening, half a smile on his face as he did.

  He pretended to scroll down the screen as he typed, chuckling to himself as though he was reading something funny off the internet.

  When she noticed Stan walking towards her, Micky pretended to end her call and return her phone to her pocket.

  “Have you arranged enough cabins?” She asked him, and Stan held out his hand, giving her five key-cards.

  “That should give you enough space.” He nodded. “Roughly eight women per cabin.”

  “Excellent.” Micky nodded. “Where is Sergei?”

  “I last saw him about twenty minutes ago, going into his cabin with Mara.” Stan shrugged.

  “Good.” Micky smiled. “He’ll probably ask her to give him a massage before she provides any other services. That should keep him out of our way for a while.”

  Micky returned to the room where the women were being held, and while Kellen waited at the door, she stepped inside.

  She spoke loudly, issuing instructions for them all to stand and follow her.

  A few of them glanced at Olga for reassurance, but all of them stood up to go with her.

  Micky nodded and smiled at them, before placing her finger on her lips to warn them to stay silent.

  When most of them nodded their understanding, she stepped towards them.

  “Get into groups of eight.” She said quietly. “You’ll be split up when we go upstairs to the cabins, but only for your own comfort. I’ll deliver clothes to each cabin shortly and will answer any questions you have. Until then, silence is the key. By tonight, you’ll all be back together and off this ship.”

  She waited for the low rumble of excitement to die down before leading the women out.

  They followed silently, most of them keeping their heads down, staring at the floor as they made their way through the dining room and out to the stairs.

  Sergei’s men made the occasional comment, but beyond that they ignored the women almost completely.

  Those that got a bit too close for Micky’s liking got one of her infamous ice-cold stares, and a reminder of what Sergei would do to anyone who displeased him.

  Remarkably, they were unusually subdued, and Micky put it down to their nervousness over Sergei’s mental stability. After all, if he could flip out and give a beating to the person everyone considered to be his right hand, and a woman at that, what would he do to anyone else that upset him?

  Micky settled each group into their respective cabins with a stern warning for them not to try and leave. She pointed out that Sergei’s men would be patrolling the corridor outside with orders to shoot anyone caught trying to escape.

  When all the doors were securely locked, Micky turned to Stan.

  “Just leave two men you can trust at the end of the corridor.” She instructed. “They’re not dumb enough to try anything. They know there’s nowhere for them to go.”

  She turned back to her cabin as the rest of Sergei’s men retreated down the stairs.

  “I’m going to take a few more painkillers and try and get an hour’s rest before I distribute the clothes to the women.” She opened her door. “I have a feeling it’s going to be another long night.”

  Chapter 53 – Kellen

  As Micky shut the cabin door behind her, and Stan’s men took up their sentry posts virtually outside her door, Kellen realised that he had no choice but to go back to his cabin.

  He let himself in to find the others positioned around their tablets.

  “What’s the latest?” Drago looked up at him.

  “All the women have been moved up to this level, which will make extracting them so much easier.” Kellen shrugged. “Micky has gone back to her cabin to rest, leaving two of Sergei’s men standing guard outside in the corridor.”

  Kellen walked around behind Abram and
saw Hannah’s smiling face on the tablet screen.

  “Hey, honey.” He smiled. “What’s new?”

  “Oh, just going through the extraction plan for tonight.” She grinned at him. “Zach, you’ve been taking notes… do you want to run through it again?”

  “Ok, the first thing we have to do as soon as it gets dark, is go down with Micky and recover some weapons from one of the containers. We’ll keep a few of the semi-automatics and some spare clips of ammo handy, but we’ll hide the rest up on deck in case we need them when we’re launching the lifeboats.” Zach explained. “Then, when Kris starts his fight later on, Abram and Drago will stay downstairs as his corner-men. You and I, along with Micky, will come up here and get the women. I’ll send the Russians the five-minute warning that we need the sub on the surface, and then we’ll escort the women down the stairs, out of the main door and up the steps outside until we’re on the top deck. You’ll get them onto the larger of the lifeboats, while I deactivate the warning light on top, and then we’ll put it over the side, with you and Micky in it.”

  Kellen sat up straighter.

  “Why me?” He argued. “I’ll be more use to you if I stay on the ship.”

  “Who’s going to launch the lifeboat from the inside, make sure it releases once it hits the water, and more importantly, get it to the sub so the women can switch vessels?” Drago asked. “Micky is supremely competent, but she can’t do everything by herself.”

  Kellen’s shoulders fell in the face of a sound argument.

  “As soon as the fight is over, Kris, and Abram will make their way up onto the deck where I’ll be waiting aboard the second lifeboat to give cover, having already deactivated the warning light, while Drago makes the all-important wire transfer of the money to Sergei’s bank.” Zach continued. “Once that’s done, he’ll head for the lifeboat and I’ll launch it as quickly as possible.”

  “We’ll be on the sub within ten minutes of the fight ending.” Kris smiled smugly.

  “Yeah, that all sounds great.” Kellen nodded. “Except your plan has a fundamental flaw.”

  “It’s all based around Kris winning?” Abram offered with a grin, causing Kris to flip him off.

  “Nope, you’ve forgotten that Micky can’t leave with the first lifeboat.” He shrugged. “She has to be there at the end to do the money transfer with Drago. Sergei doesn’t get involved in that side of things.”

  “Fuck it!” Hannah’s sigh could be heard clearly in the small cabin. “Any ideas, guys?”

  “Kellen could still get the first lifeboat away.” Kris suggested. “And we’d take Micky out with us.”

  “Hell, to the fucking no!” Kellen shook his head. “I’m not leaving until Micky does, so if that means we have to wait to launch the first lifeboat, that’s what we’ll do. Once the women are loaded, we can cover them back up so nobody will see them.”

  He looked around the room for someone to argue.

  “It’s probably the best we can do under the circumstances.” Drago nodded.

  “What time is the fight due to start?” Hannah asked, and Kellen could see she was sitting with JT and Danny.

  “Probably about eight o’clock.” Drago guessed. “There’s only one fight tonight, but Sergei has plenty of entertainment scheduled for afterwards.”

  “Ok, I’ll let the Russians and the Commodore know what’s going on, so they’re on standby.” Hannah nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll let you guys grab some rest. It’s gonna be a bit hectic there tonight.”

  “Hannah, if Sacha gets back early, could you ask her to call me?” Zach asked.

  Hannah smiled at the screen.

  “Sure thing, Zach. The minute she comes through the door.”

  Kellen watched the screen go black and then turned to his team-mates.

  “Is everyone happy with the plan?” He asked.

  Abram snorted a laugh.

  “The only plan I’ve ever been happy with is the one that’s been successfully executed.” He grinned. “Until then, every plan is a disaster or a triumph in the making, and nobody knows which.”

  Kellen shook his head.

  “On that cheery note, I’m going to take a shower.” He smirked. “If anything crops up between now and when I’ve finished, I’m sure you ladies can handle it without me.”

  Chapter 54 – Micky

  Micky tried to blink her eyes open, but for some reason her left eye seemed to be unwilling to comply.

  She rolled over and winced as the pain shot from her chin to her ears.

  “Oh, holy f…” Micky groaned as she pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the bed.

  Her whole head ached, but her cheek and eye socket felt like they’d been the site of an explosion, and someone had tried to piece her back together again. Badly!

  She staggered to her feet and groped her way along the wall to the bathroom.

  As her face started to appear in the mirror, Micky could see where the problem lay. She must have rolled over in her sleep, because one of the stitches on her brow seemed to have caught on something and pulled apart. The blood had dripped down into her eye while she slept and glued her lashes shut.

  She started to run the water until the sink was half-full, and scooping up a handful, splashed it in her eye. It took a minute or two of splashing, and a little careful rubbing of her tender eyelid, but eventually she was able to prise her eyelashes apart.

  When Micky could finally look at her face with both eyes, she almost wished she hadn’t bothered.

  The bruising was coming out now, and she had matching black eyes where they met the bridge of her nose. The area around her cheekbone was still badly swollen, and she had a natural line of bruising just below, which would have given her a nice jawline had it been lightening her skin instead of darkening it. As it was, the bruise just added another shade of plum to the autumnal colour palette that was her face.

  She patted her skin dry and stared at the mess.

  There probably weren’t enough cosmetics in the northern hemisphere to cover up her bruises, which probably meant she’d be better off staying out of Sergei’s way.

  But, well… fuck him! Sergei did this to her, so if anyone should be embarrassed by it, it should be him, not her.

  He could answer all the questions from his guests. It wouldn’t hurt his reputation with some of them, but with others? The ones connected with the upper ranks of the Russian mafia? They had peculiar rules on behaviour, and she had no doubt Sergei would have broken some of them. At the very least they would regard him as volatile and unstable.

  She pulled her black top out of the wardrobe and carefully tugged it on over her head. Her bedside clock said it was already after six o’clock, so the team would probably be waiting for her to retrieve the weapons.

  She flipped the light off and exited her cabin, pulling the door securely shut behind her.

  “Has there been any noise or movement?” She asked the men Stan had sent to patrol the corridor.

  “No, nothing.” The taller guy nodded. “A few of the guys left cabin twelve a few minutes ago, but there’s been nothing from the women’s cabins, and nobody else has stirred.”

  “Ok. Good job.” She nodded, and almost laughed when the two men preened as though they’d done something ridiculously clever.

  She headed for the stairs, and once she was away from their gaze, Micky skipped down the rest of the steps two at a time.

  When she reached the bottom and went to turn the corner, a hand came out of the gloom, making her jump.

  Zach was standing just outside the doorway, and beyond him she could see Kellen and Drago standing by the containers.

  She glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, and once she was satisfied, Micky slipped through the door and into the darkness.

  The container with the weapons in was at the far side of the hold, and they wouldn’t be seen by anyone as long as nobody decided to go for an unfortunately timed walk in the fresh air.

  Kell
en followed directly behind her, and as soon as she pointed out the correct container, he bent down to examine the lock.

  “We’ll need…”

  “Wire cutters?” She smiled, pulling a pair out of her pocket.

  “Thanks.” Kellen smiled up at her, taking them from her hand. “But unless you’re planning on leaving the door open, we’ll need…”

  “Another wire cable to lock it with?” She held the coiled wire out to him.

  “Why do I sense that this isn’t your first rodeo?” Kellen smirked.

  He cut through the cable and pulled the bolt back, allowing him to swing the big door open.

  “Get what you need as quickly as possible.” Micky urged them. “I don’t want to be out here in the open any longer than necessary.”

  Kellen pulled a torch out of his pocket and she noticed that Drago and Zach were both carrying large canvas bags.

  She waited at the door as they filled the bags, the occasional rattle as things bumped together the only sounds coming from inside the container.

  It probably only took them five minutes to select what they wanted, but it felt like the longest five minutes of her life.

  When they all stepped outside within seconds of each other, her ragged sigh was probably the loudest sound she’d heard.

  Kellen closed the big metal door and set the wire lock again, so that it didn’t look like it had been tampered with.

  “You go on inside now and carry on as though everything was perfectly normal.” Kellen smiled. “We’ll stow some of the weapons in strategic places on deck, and then place the rest in the lifeboats. I’ll come straight to the entertainment area as soon as we’re done, in case you have any problems.”

  “Ok, I’ll see you inside.” She nodded.

  As the three men walked past her, headed for the stairs, she was surprised when she felt Kellen’s hand brush past hers. It was deliberate, of that there was no doubt, and she felt quite like a teenager again, wanting to blush and smile at the innocent intimacy of the gesture.

  Micky waited for them to disappear around the corner to the stairs, before walking in the opposite direction. By the time she reached the door next to the steps they were long gone.