A Player for A Princess

My throat tightens, and I start to panic. “Selena, I need a doctor. I need to leave the island.”

She drops the plate she’s holding into the sink and takes my hands. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? Is it your head?”

“Beibi,” Ximena says.

We look up and she’s standing in the doorway watching us. Her face is calm. She’s entirely focused on her daughter and me. In the meantime, I’m terrified. I have to have a doctor, vitamins, Cal…

Selena smiles and walks to the door. We’re all standing in the space when noise breaks out behind us. Mako is back and the women in the other house are howling and crying. It sounds like they’re struggling. Ximena holds her arms out, guiding us all to the back wall of our tiny shelter, then steps to the window to peek out.

Mako is speaking rapidly, and one of the other women is arguing with him. We all hold our breath. I’ve never heard the other women speak much less argue with Mako. Selena is beside me, and I can feel her body rigid with fear.

“Another boat has come,” she whispers. “He’s telling them they must go, and they’re angry. They say it’s not their turn.”

The three of us hold our breath, and all I can think is how I have no leverage. I have no money, none of us has anything, and we’re counting on some pimp to keep a deal he made over a game of cards?

“What kind of boat is it?” I ask, but Selena doesn’t know. “Ask your mother. Is it a cruise ship? A cargo ship? Some kind of kinky yacht club?”

She speaks to her mother in their language, and Ximena gives a short answer.

“She said they are workers. It’s a big ship, and they all work.”

Chewing my lip, I think about this. “It’s a cargo ship,” I say, still thinking.

They must dock here, and the men pay to be with these women. A shudder moves through me as I realize no one probably even knows about these unscheduled stops on unknown islands. It’s inhumane, and no one knows. Only now I know, and I have to stop it. How is the question with no clear answer. Instinctively, I opt for what could be the stupidest thing I’ve done so far.

Pushing through the curtain, I go out to Mako. “Hey!” I say, pulling his arm.

He’s angry when he turns to face me. “Kí?”

I motion to him and me, and then I hold my hands like I’m holding cards. I point around at the women, and I point to my hand. He frowns and he shakes his head no, placing a hand on my face and shoving me backwards.

Stumbling, I manage to regain my footing before I fall on my ass, only now I’m furious. “No!” I say, shaking my head. “Pass!” I say, pointing to my hand again.

His jaw sets, and he reaches out to push me by my face again, but I dodge. He only manages to push my shoulder. I’m right behind him as he grabs the woman I’ve watched a few times from the other house. She begins to wail, and I reach for his other arm, holding him back.

“NO!” I shout. “It’s wrong! It isn’t right!”

The woman he’s taking is crying, and I’m hanging on his arm. I’m not sure this will work, and he starts to shake me off. Finally, he releases the woman, but he isn’t stopping. He steps right into my face and yells in that foreign tongue words I can’t understand. His hand is around my neck, and he walks me backwards to Ximena’s house. I can’t breathe. I grip his hand, stumbling the entire way until he pushes me up against the wall, banging my head against the concrete blocks.

Selena and her mother rush out and take my arms, pulling me away from him and inside the one-room structure. The curtain door swings shut and the shouting and yelling outside resumes. Ximena is speaking rapidly under her breath and Selena is answering her in short, one-word responses.

I’m on my side on the cot, injured again. Pain, debilitating nausea grip me. I’m pregnant, and I can’t risk being seriously injured. Still, the women’s cries tear at my heart. I can’t let them be hurt. Oh, god! I close my eyes as I cover my ears with trembling hands. What can I do?

18

Going Back

Cal

Rowan is on the phone with the American tech company, and I’m sitting across from him with my fingers steepled in front of my lips. Another week is gone. We’re running out of time, and I’ve passed from worried to frantic. We’ve got to find Zelda. We’re a week away from our deadline, and even with Reggie’s help we haven’t been able to locate either the Turkish captain or the mysterious island.

“Is it possible to engage a satellite to search for the island?” He waits, and I’m on pins and needles waiting with him. “How long does something like that take?”

Another long pause. Another eternity.

“We don’t have that much time. Is there a way to move ahead in the line? We’re dealing with a life or death situation. Matters of extreme urgency.”

He listens, and I strain against the minutes. “Thank you, Gil. I’ll be waiting for your call.”