Say the Word(141)

“Fuck you,” she bit out, laughing once again. “My men will take you down before you ever leave this ship.”

Ship?

Nearly as soon as the words left her mouth, I heard it — the low sound of a fog horn, echoing out over the bay. I shoved the gag back inside her mouth and raced for the window, the sight before me making my heart stutter.

We were most definitely on a ship — a big one, judging by the height of my view.

The ocean swirled fifty feet below my vantage point, black water churning in the darkness like a huge spill of oil, stretching from the ship deck to the bank of city lights a half-mile away. I looked out across New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty glowing like a bright beacon in the middle of the waterway, and realized I must be at a dock somewhere on the Brooklyn shoreline — perhaps in Red Hook, by the brewery I’d come to know so well, or at another port further south. A passing freighter in the middle of the sound blew again on its fog horn as it left harbor, warning arriving ships of its presence.

I inhaled sharply at the sight and raced back to Judith, crouching before her with my knife held at her throat.

“I’m done playing nice,” I informed her. “Is there a guard outside this door?”

She glared at me, unmoved.

“Answer me,” I hissed, pressing the blade tighter against her jugular. I could see her carotid artery pulsing beneath the skin at twice the normal rate — despite her defiance, she was afraid of me. A tense moment passed, each of us deadlocked and determined to hold our ground.

But, when all was said and done, I was the one with the knife.

“Yes,” she muttered, her voice muffled by the gauze in her mouth.

“Just one?”

“Yes,” she repeated.

“Good.” I swallowed. “If you do what I say, I won’t hurt you. Don’t pretend you don’t care about your life. We both know you want to see your son again.”

She bobbed her head slightly in acknowledgement, and I loosened the press of my knife against her skin.

“I’m going to take out your gag and press the intercom. You’re going to yell for the guard to come in. Tell him—” I broke off, my mind racing into overdrive as I fabricated a plan from thin air. “Tell him it’s time to move me outside. Make it convincing, or I swear to god, I’ll be the last person you ever see.” I held her eyes for a beat. “And we both know, out of everyone you could envision spending your last moments with, I’d be at the absolute bottom of your list.”

Her reluctant nod of agreement brought a smile to my face.

“Glad we’re on the same page,” I told her.

I kept my eyes on her as I rose to my feet and backed up several steps to reach the upturned wooden chair. Dragging it behind me, I walked back to the portal door, stopped next to Judith and tucked my glass blade into the neckline of my gown. I knew it might slice into the fragile flesh there, but I had nowhere else to store it and I sure as hell wasn’t relinquishing hold of my only weapon. With a steadying breath, I reached down and took off my high heels, throwing them across the room and out of Judith’s reach.

I stared at her for a long moment before pulling the gag from her mouth. She glared back at me with an icy intensity, but remained dutifully silent. With a nod, I rose and took hold of the wooden chair with both hands, my palms sweaty as I wrapped them around the rungs.

“Now,” I hissed at Judith, pressing the intercom button with my elbow.

She shot daggers at me with chilly eyes. “Miller!” she called in a shrill voice. “Get in here! It’s time to move her.”

Immediately I heard the sound of metal grating. My eyes followed the door’s lever as it rotated open and I pressed my body close against the wall, not daring to move a muscle as the portal swung open with a heavy groan and a man’s booted foot stepped through the entryway.

I allowed him to take a full step inside, his distinct facial profile immediately recognizable — Smash-Nose.

“What the hell?” he yelled catching sight of the empty room and starting forward.

Before he could make another sound or take another step, I used all the strength in my arms to heave the chair up and clip him hard across the chest. With an audible gasp he doubled over in pain, clutching at both his stomach and his nose which, if the blood pouring out of each nostril was any indication, I’d broken once more.

I didn’t spare a second, jumping over his prone form and out onto a thin metal gangway on the other side of the portal. I turned and reached for the heavy door, pulling it closed and locking it into place before Smash-Nose could even regain his feet. On the outside, the latch was simple enough — shaped like a small steering wheel, it rotated clockwise and slid a deadbolt into place, barring the door.

Once it was locked, I turned and collapsed back against the cool metal, heaving deep breaths in through my nose. My eyes went wide when I saw the view of the ship sprawled out below me.

I was standing on an open-air, partially enclosed passageway on the ship’s bridge platform, looking down at a vast cargo freighter roughly the length of two football fields, give or take twenty yards. The lower deck was dimly illuminated by tall light posts and stacked with shipping containers, which I’d always thought looked like LEGO pieces from afar. Up close they were huge, each towering at least eight feet high and stretching nearly twenty feet long.