Captured by the Criminal (Taken)

I’m willing to try. Because I cannot end up in the arms of Bishop.

I have a life. I have personal goals I want to achieve. I won’t allow Costi to steal my future from me.

I sneak down the hallways of the ship and make my way to the galley, watching from the doorway as the crewmen sit around the table, chatting and drinking beer.

“I think Costi forgot the mission,” one of them says.

“She’s hot. I’d be forgettin’ everything else too if I were him,” a bald man sitting near the door says with a grin.

“She’s bad luck. I think Costi should throw her overboard.” They all chuckle at these words, and I shrink out of the doorway.

Nobody in there will help me.

I spin around and slam into a younger man with shifty brown eyes. Upon closer inspection, he’s not a man at all, but just a boy, around twelve or thirteen.

“I’m sorry,” I say, stepping to the side so he can pass.

“It’s fine,” he mutters as he rummages a hand through his copper hair.

“Actually, would you give me a tour of the ship?”

He appears nervous, biting his bottom lip. “I’m not sure I should do that.”

I touch his arm and give him the same smile I give my father when I want something. “No one even has to know.”

The boy shifts on his feet. “Um…”

“I’m Bianca. What’s your name?” I try to make him feel comfortable.

“Toby.”

“I love that name. You sure you can’t show me around?”

He thinks a moment. “Ok, Miss Bianca, I’ll show you around.” He turns and I follow him through the narrow corridor, moving further away from the kitchen.

Toby’s sweet as he shows me the hull of the ship where the crew sleeps in bunk beds. It’s a sizable area, but the place is empty. Toby shows me his personal area and a picture of him and Costi next to a mountain. Costi’s arm is slung over Toby’s shoulder and they both have fetching grins on their faces.

“Cap says he looks after me because my father and him were friends.”

“That’s so sweet. Where’s your father now?”

The boy’s whiskey-colored eyes gaze up at me. “He’s at home with my mother and sister.”

“He doesn’t mind you coming on the ship alone?”

Toby’s chest puffs out a little. “Nope. This is my job. I scrub the decks.”

“I’m sure you do a great job.”

He beams with pride. “I do my best.”

“What time do you think we’ll get to Greece?”

Toby chews the corner of his lip while he figures it out in his head. “Morning time.”

“Is there a way I can get off the boat first?”

“Why would you want to get off the ship first? You’ll leave with Captain.”

“I know. I know.” I try to placate him, thinking quickly on my feet. “I’m just wondering if I can sneak off because I have something special planned. I just have to pick up a surprise for Cap.”

“Maybe you could jump once we’re in the harbor and swim to shore?” Toby’s eyes light up.

“Could I do that? Would it be safe?”

He rubs his hand across the back of his neck. “Well, I did it once when I needed to get home to my mom in a hurry.”

“And you didn’t get hurt?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. I’m a fast swimmer.”

“I’m sure you are.” Am I fast enough to get away from the ship without getting hurt? Is this idea insane?

I think it is.

“Yeah, Cap said it was ok to jump from the ship once we docked.”

He did? “Interesting. And you think I’ll be able to do it?”

“Can you swim?”

“I can.”

This is my only chance. I can barely contain my glee, knowing I can return to Miami soon. Hopefully there won’t be any sharks off the coast of Greece. It’s fine. I’ll just swim faster. Toby continues his tour, and I remind myself of where everyone on the ship will be stationed once we pull into port.

I want to make sure I leave from this boat undetected, which Toby has ensured I’ll be able to. He even offered to help.

“There you are,” Costi says not long after I’ve ditched Toby.

I’m standing on the deck of the ship, watching the waters down below. “Here I am.”

“Have dinner with me tonight.” There’s no question. No ask. It’s a demand, and he doesn’t want me to refuse.

“Fine,” I mumble, wanting more than anything to be off this ship and back home. I head back to my cabin, wanting some alone time before dinner.

It’s crazy how you can know someone so well. You can know every part of their soul and after years of not being around them, they change so much. It’s almost not fair. Like we should be able to freeze time and keep people exactly the way they used to be. If we’re freezing time, I’d love to freeze everything back when Costi and I were growing up.