I turned my head and saw the concern in William’s eyes. He still didn’t know about Shannon or what I’d promised to do tonight.
“Sorry. It’s not about the computer.”
He looked puzzled and said, “Then what is it?”
“Do you remember that girl, the one that came over that day?”
He smiled and said, “You mean your girlfriend ?”
“I told you she wasn’t… yeah okay… my girlfriend. After she left that day, her boat was—”
I swallowed hard and he finished the sentence for me.
“Her boat was attacked by the pirates, wasn’t it? I heard Mohamed say something when he came for you yesterday.”
I nodded and cleared my throat.
“Is she… dead?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. A friend found her data mat on the boat and he thinks he knows where they took her.”
William looked worried and said, “You’re going after her, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “I have to. I can’t just leave her with them. But I’m not going alone. My friend’s son might be there too. We’re going together.”
William’s eyes began to tear up. I walked over to him, laid a hand on his shoulder, and said, “It’s okay. I’m not going to do anything stupid. Look at me.” I lifted his chin until his eyes met mine. “I’m no warrior, I’m a geek.” I smiled, but he still looked worried. “My friend and I aren’t going to fight anyone, we’re just going to sneak onto the island, get Shannon and his son, and then sneak off before anyone knows we’re there. That’s it. I promise.” The lie almost got stuck in my throat.
Tears fell freely down his cheeks and he shouted, “My dad said the same thing before he left! He said that he’d watch out for the bad guys and now he’s dead and mom’s dead and you’re going to die too!”
He jumped off the bed and ran to the door. I reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Look. I have to go, okay? And I need your help.”
He tried to pull away, but I held firm. Finally, he looked up and said, “Help with what?”
“With getting away. That guy out there, Pun, he won’t let me go. I’m not supposed to leave the island.”
Sniffling, he said, “So? What can I do?”
I let go of his arm and smiled. “I need a diversion. Do you know what that means?”
He shook his head.
“I need you to distract the guard long enough for me to get to the pier.”
William wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and said, “Okay. How?”
I told him the plan. He smiled. That kid really was fearless. I wouldn’t have had the guts to do what I had just asked him to do… not at his age.
I sent a message to Mohamed and waited for the reply. When it came, I asked, “Ready?”
He nodded.
“Okay, do it just like before, but louder.”
William and I stood a few steps from the door. I nodded and William yelled, “That’s not fair. I hate you. I really hate you.” Then he ran to the door and opened it. Pun turned to look. William pushed him, but Pun didn’t budge. William squeezed by him and started to run, but fell as he jumped off the deck.
“Ow!” William screamed. “My leg, my leg.”
I pushed Pun out of the way and ran to William.
“It’s okay, William. Let me see.” I pretended to examine his leg and looked up at Pun. “I think it’s broken. I need your help to get him over to the infirmary.”
Pun looked down at us. That look of conflict returned to his face again.
“Come on. You’re going to follow me over there anyway. I’m just asking you to carry him for me. I can’t lift him with this hand.” I held up my hand, which was still covered in scabs from the close call in the kayak. “It’s broken,” I lied. “I can’t lift him.”
Pun hesitated, but finally came over, bent down, and gently picked up William. William screamed out in pain. Damn, that kid was a good actor.
I motioned with my other hand. “This way.”
We walked quickly over to the infirmary. I knocked and Mohamed opened the door.
Looking first at Pun, who held William, and then at me, he asked, “What is it? What is wrong?”
“It’s William. I think he broke his ankle,” I said.
“Come in, quickly,” Mohamed said.
Pun went in first and I followed.
“Over there. Put him on the table,” Mohamed ordered. “Gently.”
Pun did as he was ordered.
“Good,” Mohamed said. “Now hold him firmly by the shoulders. I don’t want him to fall off the table when I examine his leg.” Then looking up at me, he said. “Aron, I need you to bring me some extra gauze. It’s out on the deck, in the big box marked Emergency Supplies.”
Pun looked at me. William gave another award-winning scream. Pun looked back at him. I did too. I winked and went outside.
I ran to the pier without stopping. Michio was waiting for me on his friend’s boat.
Chapter 16
The vibration of the ship’s diesel hybrid engines resonated through my body. I stared into the mug that I cradled in my hands and watched the chicory dance to its rhythm. I was buying time. Michio had just gone over the plan. Everyone was waiting for me to say something. But what could I say?
I glanced at the scars on my wrists and realized that this plan wasn’t that much different from what I had attempted twelve years ago. The only difference was that this would be a mass suicide. But that wasn’t the sort of pep talk that this ragtag group needed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to lie and tell them that it was a great plan. It wasn’t.
“Aron?” Nisha asked softly near my ear. I looked up. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled like they did eight years ago when I first met her on Dhonakulhi. Even her round, dark-skinned face hadn’t changed much. It was easy to see why Anand fought so hard to marry her. Sure, she was a little plumper, but anyone who squeezed out six kids in eight years earned the right to carry around a little extra weight.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Would you like another cup? Yours looks cold.”
Her smile was infectious. I smiled back. “Sure, thanks, Nisha.”
She took the cup, inched past Michio, and smiled at Anand before walking down the stairs into the galley. I still couldn’t believe that Anand was the friend that Michio had talked about.
When I had boarded the ship and saw Anand standing at the top of the gangplank, I almost ran up and hugged him. After he saved my ass on North Point, there was nobody I trusted more on a mission like this. But after we had gotten underway, I saw a group of kids playing ball in the cargo hold. Anand had brought his entire family along. I begged him to go back and drop them off.
He had tried to assure me that it was okay. His family always traveled with him on long supply runs. But this wasn’t a normal supply run and we both knew it. In the end, he finally confessed that he didn’t want to leave his family alone and unprotected. I couldn’t blame him.
Nisha returned a minute later with a steaming mug. She bowed slightly as she offered it to me.
“Thanks,” I said with a nod. She smiled and returned to the galley. When she was gone, I looked around the bridge. Anand stood at the helm, one hand on the wheel and the other on the throttles. Michio leaned against the outer bulkhead on my right. His son, Yoshirou, stood beside him. Both wore black, loose fitting clothes that looked like martial arts uniforms. Michio had never mentioned that he knew martial arts, but then again I had never asked him. I just assumed that a bureaucrat like him collected stamps or butterflies. It never dawned on me that he might know how to break a concrete block with his forehead.
Yoshirou looked to be in his late teens. He had wide, glossy eyes and straight black hair. Like his father, he walked like a panther stalking its prey. Unlike his father, Yoshirou had a goatee, or at least what I assumed was supposed to be a goatee. It was faint and patchy; the kind of facial hair that makes a kid think that he looks like a man. I thought he looked like a kid who had just finished eating a chocolate ice cream cone.