Enslaved By The Ocean (19 page)

She looks away. “What I want and what I have are two different things, but it doesn’t mean I’m not grateful.”
 

“Well you’re a better woman than me.”
 

“Jess?”
 

I stiffen when I hear the sound of Hendrix’s voice coming up from behind us. We both turn, and see Hendrix, fully clothed now, standing and staring down at us. Jess turns to me, and mouths “one hour,” and then she stands. She’s risking her life for me, I don’t know why, but I know I’ll be forever grateful to her for it. When she disappears into the trees, Hendrix walks over and then drops down beside me. He’s got a first aid kit in his hands. It’s clear he didn’t hear us, as he’s acting far too casual.
 

“You need to clean your foot.”
 

I stare out at the ocean. The water is clearing now, that soft haze is disappearing and showing the aqua water that is just stunning.
 

“Indi?”
 

I turn, and meet Hendrix’s gaze. “Why are you here?”
 

He shakes his head in confusion. “To clean your foot.”
 

“Why? We both know I’m no more than a sale to you. So stop pretending my life actually matters.”
 

He growls, and
takes m
y foot, tugging it towards him. I lost the shirt he wrapped around it last night, and I can see the deep gash in my foot now. It’s kind of dirty, and I’m ashamed that I didn’t clean it up sooner. No, instead I let Hendrix seduce me…again. I was never in control.
Never
. Hendrix opens the kit, and begins cleaning it up. A sharp sting shoots up my leg, and I grit my teeth to stop from crying out.
 

“I’m not going to let you sit in pain.”
 

I shake my head. “What?”
 

“You think you’re no more than a sale, but I’m not going to let you suffer.”
 

“Did that truly mean nothing to you before?” I whisper. “Is it really that easy to just fuck someone and walk away?”
 

He stiffens, and he lifts his gaze to mine. “I told you what it meant.”
 

“And I’m asking if it was a lie?” I scream suddenly, feeling my hands shake.
 

He puts a bandage on my foot, and drops it. I need to know. If I’m about to run, and never see him again, I need to know. I have to hear his answer, because a big part of me is hoping he will say it meant something and he doesn’t want to sell me, because a tiny part of me wants to stay here with him, and I don’t understand it. I need a reason to go…I just can’t do it on my own.
 

“It’s beside the point.”
 

“Just answer me one thing then,” I snarl, getting to my feet. “Are you even reconsidering selling me after that? Was there even a goddamned moment where you thought about changing your mind?”
 

He stiffens, and his eyes search my face. “Don’t go there, Indigo.”
 

“Just answer me goddammit, fucking answer me you gutless pig! The least you can fucking do is give it to me straight.”
 

“No,” he bellows. “I am not reconsidering selling you, because you’re nothing more to me than a moment of fun.”
 

My entire face drains
of blood
, and my knees wobble. Everything in my world spins. He…he feels nothing. Nothing at all. I’ve been living in a fantasy. I’ve been fooling myself, thinking that he would ever see me as anything more than a debt payment. My entire body is shaking, to the point where my teeth are clattering together. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Nothing but a rasping hiss. I turn slowly, feeling like I’m going to collapse at any second.
 

He doesn’t stop me.
 

I’m sure that hurts more.
 

Why is it that we, as humans, always hope that something will change, even when we know the answer? We’re walking away, broken, ripped to pieces and yet we’re still hoping that something will happen to make it all go away. Fact is, nothing can take away the harsh pain of cruel words.
Nothing
. I hobble down the beach, and I let the tears flow. I was a fool, and that’s on me.
 

I get to the north end of the island where Jess told me Eric would be, and I collapse against a tree. My head spins, and my body aches. It throbs in the worst way, and in the best. I can smell Hendrix on me—I can feel the ache between my legs that equally matches the ache in my heart.  It’s a pain I’m almost sure I’ll never forget. A mix of betrayal, and desperation, and something else I can’t name, or maybe I’m just too scared to face it.
 

I hear the sound of rustling leaves, and I turn to see Eric and Jess appear. Right now, I’m as grateful as anyone can be for Jess. She’s saving my life, even if she doesn’t know it. Eric sees me, and his face softens and he walks over, pulling me into his arms.
 

I let him, because I need him.
 

Jess grips my hand, and I press my cheek to Eric’s chest. He’s gotten skinnier; I can feel the bones in his chest pressing into my face. He pulls back, and stares down at me, stroking a piece of hair from my face.
 

“We’re going home, it’s all going to be over soon.”
 

“I am only guessing the time, but they should be here
in a bit
,” Jess says, scanning the horizon.
 

“I can’t thank you enough for this, Jess,” I rasp.
 

She takes me from Eric’s arms, and holds me tight. “I see something in you, and I can’t let you be given to a rogue pirate because of a debt Hendrix created for himself.”
 

“He told me I mean nothing,” I whisper, trembling.
 

“I don’t believe him, but I’m also not willing to put my money on it. You need your freedom back. I never got a choice, and I’ll regret that forever, but you have a choice, Indi. I couldn’t just sit back and let that be taken from you, knowing that you had a chance at escape…”
 

Tears burn under my eyelids as I squeeze her close. “I’ll be forever grateful.”
 

We all sit in silence for about twenty minutes. What is there to say? We’re all thinking different things, and we’re all terrified.
 

“Ladies…is that…a ship?” Eric says suddenly.
 

We both lift our heads to see a small ship in the distance nearing closer to the island. My heart thumps, and I get to my feet. This is it. I shove any thoughts of Hendrix from my head. I have to. I can’t…I just can’t…I have to protect myself, and my friend. Hendrix will fade; he’ll fade. I tell myself this, over and over as we walk toward the ocean. Jess lifts her hands, and she does some sort of signal. The small ship nears us.
 

“They won’t be able to stop, you’re going to have to swim out,” she says.
 

“B…b…but…”
 

“It’s the only way,” she says frantically.
 

“We’re going to be okay,” Eric says, gr
abbing
my hand and tugging me toward the water.
 

I turn, tears tumbling down my cheeks. I
hold out my arms and Jess comes to me, wrapping me in a hug
. “I’ll never forget this, Jess, never.”
 

“Be safe, and find the life you deserve.”
 

I hug her harder, and then let her go, taking Eric’s hand. He squeezes it tight, and we take our first step into the water, our first step to freedom. The cool water washes up my leg, and I tremble. My entire body is prickling, my heart is pounding, and my head is spinning. Adrenalin fills my veins. One moment, it’s all we need, and yet anything could change it so easily.
 

When we’re waist deep, and the ship is in clear view, my heart begins to speed up, until I can hardly breathe through the pounding. I can see the men in white suits standing, waving us closer. Freedom. It’s so close. This is what I’ve been fighting for since I got captured, so why the hell does it feel so damned wrong? Why is my heart aching? Why am I struggling to breathe?
 

We begin swimming, no longer able to walk, and that’s when everything changes. The man closest to us, who is standing, leaning over and encouraging us forward, suddenly jerks, and blood splatters from his head as he slides forward and drops into the water. A strangled scream escapes my throat, and my legs turn to jelly. I struggle to keep swimming as I turn my eyes to the shore. I see Hendrix, holding up a gun. He has Drake beside him, who is also holding a gun.
 

Another shot rings out.
 

Another man drops.
 

Blood fills the ocean swirling and surrounding us, and the bodies slowly begin sinking, lives wasted. Oh, God. Eric grips me, forcing me forward, kicking with all his might.
 

“Keep swimming, Indi!”
 

“T
h
-t
h
-they’re dead,” I wail.
 

“Get back here, Indigo, or I keep killing them. You’re mine, goddammit, don’t make me force you back!” Hendrix roars, and it sounds like a far off hum.
 

“Don’t listen to him, Indi, keep swimming.”
 

Another shot fires, from the ship this time. I turn my head frantically, but see everyone on the shore is still standing.
 

“Fuck it, Indi, get back here, you’re mine,” Hendrix bellows.
 

You’re mine.
 

He doesn’t mean that.
 

He doesn’t.
 

“Don’t you listen,” Eric cries, tugging me closer.
 

We’re swimming hard, and the ship is getting closer and closer. Men are lining the outside, guns pointed. Another shot rings out, and another one drops into the water. I wail loudly, and saltwater fills my mouth and I begin to choke. He’s putting this on me, and I know that if I don’t stop swimming, he will keep killing. I cough and splutter, and my legs are aching so badly that each movement is painful. I begin to struggle in the water, my mind making me doubt my actions.
 

“Don’t let him do this
. He
’s the one with the gun, he’s the one killing them,” Eric yells, not letting me go.
 

“I…I…I have to go back, I can’t let him kill anymore.”
 

“You keep swimming goddammit,” he screams, pulling me.
 

“Eric, please!”
 

“No, we’re not going back.”
 

“Keep swimming,” one of the men yells. “You’re nearly here.”
 

My vision blurs, and I’m hiccupping and crying so loudly I sound like a wounded animal. Eric is pulling, guns are shooting, Hendrix is screaming and I’m hyperventilating. The next few minutes pass as a blur. We wade past at least six sinking bodies, and the water is filled with a reddish color that is fading to almost brown. By the time we reach the ship, I’m completely out of it. Eric is holding my weight, because I have nothing left.
 

I hear the sound of more gunshots.
 

I feel them pull me up.
 

And then everything goes black.
 

“Hey, Indi, wake up.”
 

My eyelids flutter open, and I see Eric’s face. The moment I realize where I am, and what happened, a sick feeling crashes into my chest, and my stomach turns. I roll off the bed, crying out in pain as I lean over the side and throw up. All those people.
Dead
. Because of me.
It was hard enough knowing John the yacht owner died because of me, now this?
The one thing I knew I could never recover from was being the reason someone died. I throw up, until I’m dry heaving and gasping for air.
 

“Oh, Indi,” Eric soothes, stroking my hair.
 

“It’s all my fault,” I sob.
 

“No, it’s not. He did it, he was the one who made the decision to shoot them.”
 

“If I went back…”
 

“Indi, he would have shot them anyway. He’s a goddamned pirate, do you honestly believe he’s never done anything like that in his life?”
 

“Stop!” I cry, covering my face.
 

“We’re free, we’re going to get home and…”
 

“And what?” I scream. “And live in fear? Live our lives running? What, Eric?”
 

“We’re going to be okay.”
 

Black and white. Black and fucking white. He sees nothing else.
 

“Indigo?”
 

I lift my head to see a tall, dark-haired man coming into the room. He’s wearing a crisp, white sailor suit. He has kind blue eyes.
 

“That’s me,” I whisper, sitting up.
 

“Are you ill?
”
 

“No.”
 

He nods, and walks in further. “I’ll have someone look after that mess for you. If you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you about our plans.”
 

“Plans?” I rasp.
 

“Obviously you’re not safe until we get you out of the ship and onto a plane home, but before then we’re going to need some statements. Now, you’re safe here with us, but when we arrive at the small docking island we’re going to have to keep full cover on you until we can sort out safe transportation. Even after you arrive home, I would suggest full watch for a few months at least.”
 

“W…w…w…we’re stopping at an island?”
 

“It’s a small town, really. We have full protection for you there, but you will need to follow instruction. We’re not sure what we’re dealing with yet, and whether or not you’re in danger.”