Loving You Too Long

“They will take you to the dock, which will then take you to where Loretta is. The man who will pick you up later is not my henchman. So, you have to be cautious,” Antony warned. “The two men with you now will give you some items.” The man next to him then took out a small box from his shirt pocket, opened it, and took out a small round object about the size of a headset’s knob, no bigger than a thumb.

“This is a GPS and a mic. Place this object where it can’t be seen,” the henchman said with a mischievous smile. “Maybe in your clothes.” He chuckled, making the driver laugh heartily. “And this, although small, is very sharp.” The man handed Haisley a metal object. “If you press this,” he pressed his thumb on a point, and then a sharp-edged knife quickly appeared. “This knife can accidentally hurt you, so be careful and use it wisely.” He said as he placed the object next to the previous black item.

“Uncle’s people will monitor you. With the GPS, we’ll know where that man is taking you. With the mic, we’ll know what they’re going to do. Don’t worry. Uncle has hired experts. Just trust that you’ll be fine. Even if you’re in the middle of the ocean, Uncle’s divers will find you.” Her friend’s father reassured. Haisley couldn’t say anything. She could only nod her head while crying. “Calm down, you and Nathan will be safe. Uncle ensures that.” Antony said again.

“Th-thank you, uncle.”

“Don’t thank me yet; everything is not finished. What you need to do is to buy time until my people are ready.” Antony said again, nodded by Haisley once more.

They didn’t talk anymore because both Haisley and the two men in the car already knew what they had to do.

“You know, we promised to retire from our dirty job after this. The man you call uncle promised to give us more decent jobs afterward.” The driver said, staring at Haisley through the rearview mirror. “Sincerely, we apologize and regret what happened to you and your husband. But perhaps this is God’s plan for us.” He continued, and Haisley could only respond with silence.

Following the man’s advice, Haisley tucked the GPS behind her bra. She didn’t feel embarrassed as she believed it was necessary. As for the small knife, she slipped it into her shoe. She took a deep breath several times and prayed that everything would be okay. She hoped she and Nathan could return safely.

When she later entered the cabin, she ran to Nathan, hugged him, and slipped the knife into Nathan’s bound hands. “Be careful, the knife is very sharp. We’ll be fine; someone will save us.” She whispered in Nathan’s ear while hugging him before focusing her attention on Loretta.

The ship’s deck looked ominous in her eyes. The dark sea and the strong wind made Haisley feel like her death was imminent. But she remembered her friend’s father’s words-they would be fine. Someone would save them.

When Loretta ordered the big man to tie a rope to her legs, Haisley accidentally looked down. There, she could see someone’s head emerging from the water, as if staring back at Haisley behind dark, shimmering swim goggles. Haisley instantly swallowed her saliva. She had to face her fear.

She looked at Nathan, nodding her head faintly. Hoping her husband understood the code she gave, that they would be safe. When she was then thrown into the water, she could hear her husband’s screams, which she knew came out reflexively.

Haisley felt the cold water enveloping her body. She tried to stay calm because she knew that panic would only make her swallow too much water, causing pain and sinking too deep. In the silence, she felt her body embraced by someone, and then the weight pulling at her legs was released.

In the darkness, Haisley felt something brought close to her face. She knew it was a device connected to an oxygen tank that could help her breathe. She opened her mouth and then drew air from it. It continued until she was brought to the surface and hidden on the side of the ship that wouldn’t be visible from above.

Haisley could hear roars, the sound of things falling, including Loretta’s screams from above, making her shiver in the grip of the diver she now knew was a woman. She held on to the woman and clung to the rope tied to the float on the side of the ship, then slowly crawled to the back of the ship. She heard explosions and tried to stifle her gasp, then caught Loretta’s muffled curses against her.

Haisley dropped her body at the back of the ship just as Nathan was assisted by a man dressed in all black. Loretta and her two henchmen were dragged by one man each, also wearing all black, approaching her. When Nathan saw her, he tried to move quickly and hugged Haisley tightly.

“Are you okay?” Nathan asked, carefully examining Haisley’s face and body.

Haisley couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. The scared tears she had been holding back since earlier now turned into tears of relief. She hugged Nathan tightly and cried on his neck, ignoring Loretta who continued to curse at her amid her groans.

“I hurt her,” Nathan whispered as Haisley caught sight of something emerging from the woman’s leather pants. “I think it’ll leave her paralyzed,” he said with a satisfied tone. Haisley shivered in fear as she witnessed the cruelty on Nathan’s face. “I really want to kill him, but I don’t want to be someone even more stained with sin,” he confessed while embracing Haisley again and comforting his wife, kissing her wet head. Their fear was now completely gone.

The ship had reached the dock. There, Haisley and Nathan were welcomed by two tall, imposing men standing upright with blank expressions. Behind them were three black Jeep Gladiator cars shining their lights towards the sea.

The men in all-black uniforms, not carrying any criminals, assisted Haisley and Nathan, who limped off the ship first. “Take those three people away,” the leader of the squad instructed his subordinates who were holding the criminals.

That’s when Haisley noticed another man being carried unconscious. The three men in black dragged the criminals roughly towards one of the cars. “That woman,” he pointed to the man still holding Loretta. “Separate her and take her to the location.” His command was acknowledged with a nod from the man. Then, accompanied by the female diver, they took Loretta away in another black Jeep Gladiator.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Loretta looked frightened. She widened her eyes, looked at the leader, and screamed, “Where? Where are you taking me?” She asked loudly and hysterically.

“To a place where someone has been waiting for your arrival,” the leader casually replied. He no longer paid attention to Loretta’s cries and now focused on Nathan and Haisley.