Alison Found

No words were required, the inflatable was launched, and the almost silent electric outboard started. We headed out to sea, moving out of the safety of the cove, and began the long sweep around the headland that hid our destination.

The 'Mirabelle' swung at anchor, only her anchor lights and a lone deck lamp visible in the dark. We approached slowly, easing up to the dingy platform at the stern. A shadowy figure stepped forward as our rubber hull grazed the platform. We froze until an Italian voice said softly, "Signore David?"

"Yes."

"I'm Carlo; you were told that we would be on board." He tied off our painter, and we stepped on board.

Keeping his voice low he said, "The crew except the captain are in their cabins and won't come out unless there is an issue with the boat. The captain is on the bridge."

"The others?"

"Signorina Bell is in her cabin, she has the key and is safe. Signore Rossi is in his cabin; my colleague is keeping watch on his door."

"And Simon?"

"He is in the cabin of one of the stewardesses, a liaison of mutual benefits, money for her and sex for him."

Jeff gave a soft snort and grinned at Carlo, who gave a quintessential Italian shrug.

David asked, "Where is Petra."

"She wasn't on board when we left Signore, she helped bring Signorina Bell on board and then left."

David cursed, "Damn it. I will find the bitch; she must have been watching us all the time."

Carlo led us into the boat, and down a stairway. A second bodyguard stood by a closed door partway along the passageway. "He is in there; you wish to talk with him?" he asked.

"Ali first," I said to David, and he nodded.

"That cabin," Carlo said pointing at another closed door further along the passageway.

"You go and get her," I was told by David. "Carlo here can take Jeff to fetch our mister Simon. Bring him to the main salon, Jeff. This gentleman and I will politely ask Antonio to join us for a little discussion."

Carlo and the other bodyguard exchanged a few words in Italian before nodding in agreement.

Ali's door was locked, so I knocked. Shit, it was stupid I was rescuing my woman, and I was knocking politely on her cell door.

"Fuck off," Ali's voice was harsh and panicky.

I stumbled to string out a coherent sentence. "Ali, love, open the door, it's me," Then I added belatedly, "Jos."

A key turned in the lock, and the door opened a crack then swung all the way open when she recognized me. A blonde rocket launched herself across the gap, thudding into my arms.

"It is you," she babbled as we hugged and kissed. "I thought Antonio was playing another cruel game when the bodyguard gave me the key and told me to lock myself in and help was coming."

"We're here now, have you any idea what his game was supposed to be?"

She shook her head and let me lead her along the passageway and back up the stairs to the main salon. Antonio stood just inside the room arguing in loud Italian with the second bodyguard.

I couldn't resist the temptation. I stepped close and sank my fist into his belly. He gasped, trying desperately to suck air into his lungs as he folded up, collapsing to his knees. His bodyguard watched him impassively but shook his head when I drew back my arm for a second punch.

"One, okay, but no more, we have our orders, others will deal with him."

Regretfully, I returned to Ali as the bodyguard helped the stricken man to a chair and then took his place behind him. David was talking in a low voice to Ali, reassuring himself she was okay.

We heard Simon before we saw him. Jeff was holding his arm as he was thrust into the room, wearing only a pair of shorts. Any worries that it would be difficult to find out what their intentions were was quickly dispelled when he saw me beside Ali.

"It's all your fault, you sanctimonious bastard," Simon moaned. "We had it all worked out and then you had to go and be sick."

"What the hell did me being sick have to do with it?"

"We were told both of you would be at the club. We were going to be surprised to bump into you, then invite you to join us for a drink. The drinks would have been spiked with a special concoction Tony uses on occasions. Not a rape drug, more a hypnotic that would have made you and your friends easy to manipulate."

Antonio growled from the chair he'd been thrust into, "Would have fucking worked."

"You weren't there, and the other couple was leaving so I thought we'd blown our chance, but Tony got Ash to stop for one drink."

"But what were you going do with us?" Ali asked.

"You nothing, we'd have let the hypnotic do most of the work for us. You would have come back here, thinking it was your own idea. Tony was supposed to convince you that Josh was playing the field, that he was only interested in you for your money. The drug would have made you think it was your own idea."

He shrugged, "If that pretty crew girl had stayed on at the club we would have drugged her with a mix of the hypnotic and a rape drug to convince her that she was madly in love with Josh and desperately wanted to fuck him. We had drugs that would have made Josh eager for sex."

At that Ali smirked, "A waste of drugs, he's always eager, I should know."

I was surprised she could see any humor in the situation. She grasped my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She needed to release some of the tension, and this was apparently her way.

I responded in kind, and it gave me a chance to have a dig at her kidnapper. "That's true, love, I've never needed to use drugs to make a woman love me."

Ali said, "I guess the idea was that I was supposed to find them fucking, feel totally betrayed because of my friendship with her, and then I'd break up with Josh. Which of your shoulders was I supposed to cry on, or was it going to be both of you?"

Neither would look at her, but neither did they deny she was wrong.

"So why carry on, when it didn't work out at the club?" I wanted to know.

Antonio snapped his head up, a look of madness flashing across his face. "She's mine, and if I'd had a few more days, she'd never want to come back to you."

"What the fuck did you think you were going to do? Keep me strung out on drugs until I let you fuck me," she snarled and spat in his direction.

The cabin grew silent as one of the Italian bodyguards put his hand on Antonio's shoulder to keep him from rising.

"He and that stupid bitch Petra decided to carry on," Simon said. "She spiked Ash's drink and the other bodyguard's bottle of water."

"Who was the third man at the club that night?" David wanted to know.

"An acquaintance of his, a high-class pimp. The women were his, all ex-models, a couple had met Ash before. We were going to use one of them if that girl of yours didn't work out. He left and took them with him when he realized what Tony was up to."

David tapped his watch, "We need to go before the town wakes up."

No argument from me, I stood, and Ali took my hand. David and Jeff nodded at the pair of Italian bodyguards, who nodded back. We made our way on deck, but not before Ali paused in the doorway.

"Simon, I'll make sure you're dead in the industry, find a rock and hide under it." He seemed to collapse into himself, a small man in a big world. Her gaze settled on Antonio but she just shook her head dismissively and left the cabin.

We boarded the inflatable and headed back to the 'Girl' leaving Antonio and Simon with the bodyguards. Waiting to hear their fate from Maurice, I gathered from Jamal that he was less than amused with the actions of his son.

We were back on the 'Girl' before the sun broke the horizon. Ali hugged Paul and Mandy. Her emotions finally getting the better of her, she sobbed uncontrollably as she hung onto the younger woman. Mandy gathered her up in her arms, and at my gesture took her down to the cabin.

Paul was raising the anchor, and we motored out to sea heading for our rendezvous with the 'Xander.' As soon as we were underway and Paul was comfortable at the helm. I went below deck. David and Jeff were half asleep, resting on the sofas, a couple of half empty bottles of beer on the table.

Ali was curled up under the cover on our bed, her hair wrapped in a towel. She'd obviously just got out of the shower. Mandy sat on the edge of the bed holding her hand.

She looked up when I entered. "She wanted a shower; I thought it was a good idea."

I nodded, sat down on the bed and curled up behind the woman I loved. It had only been 48 hours since I learned she was missing. Only 48 hours! It had been the longest two days of my life.

I heard the door close behind Mandy, and Ali rolled over to face me. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"Why? It's not your fault."

"I should have guessed there was no way it could be an accident that Antonio and Simon turned up in that club. I was so stupid to sit down and accept a drink."

She looked at me wanting me to understand and believe her. "I woke up in the cabin you found me in. Antonio was standing at the foot of the bed. It was creepy; he stood there without saying anything for five minutes. He wouldn't answer any of my questions, then left. That was the only time I saw him until you appeared."

"And Simon?"

"I didn't see him until David dragged him into that cabin."

"It's over love; we go back to living our lives with one difference."

"Which is?"

"Next week you change your name to Alison Thomas.

Her arms tightened around me, and her answer was a kiss that would last a lifetime.

The end?