Destined for Algeria Ch. 06

"Hi." Tess said in a rather blasé fashion without any knowledge of the drastic differences of the two women's circumstances.

"Hi." Ingrid light heartedly replied temporarily forgetting that this boat journey would end in her being tortured at the hands of Gus, the powerful diamond dealer she had betrayed months earlier.

Embarrassed, Ingrid shimmied up the bed to hide the handcuffs and straightening her hair with her fingers as she bounced along the mattress.

The captain had originally decided to remove Ingrid's cuffs to not scare Tess when she first saw her but seeing Ingrid's attempt at concealment caused an immediate switch of his mind-set.

By pushing Ingrid aside he reached behind her with the key to the cuffs.

Now in plain view, Tess watched as he unlocked them from the metal tube which formed the head of the bed and passed them to Ingrid who lay sideways in silence.

"Put them on." Musser ordered recognising the captain's intentions. "You have to wear them." He continued.

Walking from the bottom of the ladder Musser spoke briefly to the captain and relieved him of custody of the key.

"Put them on." He repeated.

Tess watched in horror knowing that she had zero chance of climbing the ladder out of there without being dragged back down again by one leg and wondered if she was next to be ordered to wear handcuffs.

Now in shock with the blood drained from her lips, she observed Ingrid slowly and reluctantly click the handcuffs loosely around her own wrists, all the time staring at Musser as if asking for some sort of approval.

Standing between Ingrid and the captain Musser turned and said something reassuring enough for the captain to exit the room without further question.

Musser followed his lead but stopped in front of Tess to purposely speak to her in a quiet manor.

Taking hold of her hand he painfully pressed the small key into her palm with his thumb and mumbled quietly so that only the two of them could be heard, "Do not let anybody catch her without those on."

Tess felt the blood pulse back into her lips as she closed her hand around the key and nodded in confirmation of his request.

He turned to Ingrid and exchanged a smile with her before turning and climbing the ladder, leaving the two girls to become acquainted with each other.

Tess watched the flimsy wooden hatch fall closed, giving her the privacy to immediately pass Ingrid the key to unlock herself. This wouldn't be necessary. Ingrid pulled her wrists free of the loose fitting manacles and tossed the closed cuffs onto the mattress next to her.

"Thanks." Ingrid said politely taking the key and causing a metal on metal chinking sound as she threw it in the same direction.

"What's going on?" Tess asked.

"What are you here for?" Ingrid replied.

"I'm going to Algeria." She said. "What are those for?" Tess asked pointing to the shiny hinged cuffs on the bed next to Ingrid.

"I've been kidnapped." Ingrid explained. "Can you help me?"

"What?" She asked.

Ingrid explained her situation to Tess pleading for help all the time.

Tess took her phone from her bag only to find that they were already too far from land to have any signal.

"My boyfriend Ally is meeting me in Morocco he'll be able to help. He's taking me to Algiers where we're getting married. We faked my death so I have to avoid any officials, that's why I'm sailing on here."

"We're picking up a man from Portugal on the way." Ingrid told her. "Do you think you could help me get away?"

"Of course." Tess replied.

The two ladies were interrupted by the hatch opening and Musser's face appearing at the entrance hole.

"Missis Tess." He called. "Can you come up here please?" They both looked in his direction as he continued. "Make sure Ingrid can't escape and bring the key with you when you come up please."

What the hell did that mean? She thought.

"It's ok." Ingrid told Tess. "He means these." She picked up the handcuffs and handed the key to Tess. "We'd better play their game until we get to Portugal." She whispered.

Musser watched from above as Ingrid loosely cuffed her wrists unnecessarily behind her back in an attempt to please him by overkilling her own restraint.

None of the three men checked that Tess had the key with her when they introduced themselves and explained the rules. They told Tess the severity of Ingrid's situation and how she must report any wrongdoing by Ingrid to one of the crew immediately.

"When do we get to Portugal?" she asked looking at Musser who'd been doing most of the talking.

"Tomorrow." He told her.

"No." the captain said. "We're not going to Portugal anymore." He explained in English respecting Tess's company. "It is cancelled." He then turned to Tess. "We will be in Morocco in two days."

The rest of the crew accepted this change of schedule with a pinch of salt but Tess knew that Ingrid had her heart set on escaping when they next docked. Tess decided she would keep this critical new bit of information from Ingrid for as long as possible.

Back in their dorm Tess offered Ingrid the key but again it wasn't necessary as Ingrid hadn't fitted the cuffs tight enough to not be able to slip them.

Tess removed her coat and began to unpack her bag as Ingrid quizzed her about what the men had briefed her on.

"I didn't realise you were in so much trouble." Tess explained. "They told me that I had to watch you." Tess laughed.

Ingrid smiled and hugged Tess. "I'm so glad you're here with me." She explained what had happened between her and Musser and how she had played him like a fiddle and thinks he's now on her side.

Housing the key in her pocket Tess picked up the handcuffs and shook her head in disbelief at their strength and security. "Ally would love to play with these." She said. "He's into that sort of stuff."

"Really?" Ingrid asked. "Well when I gat away then maybe he can have them.

"Do they hurt?" she asked.

"Put them on." Ingrid suggested. "You have the key don't you?"

"I suppose so." Tess replied looking at the shiny metal with an inquisitive grin on her face.

With Tess holding the cuffs at the hinge in one hand Ingrid ratcheted both cuffs open in readiness for her to satisfy her curiosity.

Tess stood still contemplating her next move.

"Here." Ingrid said relieving Tess of the weight and moving one of the open cuffs to the underside of the wrist she held in front of her. After closing the cuff Ingrid asked for Tess's other wrist and entrapped this one in the same manor.

"They don't hurt like this but I had to fuck Musser with them around the bed frame." She admitted.

"Oh my god." Tess replied looking at the keyholes facing up at her.

"Can you imagine your Ally doing that to you?" Ingrid asked.

Tess didn't reply.

"Where's the key?" Ingrid asked.

"It's here in my back pocket." She replied turning her shoulders around and taking it out with her fingers.

"Here. Let me." Ingrid said taking the key from her possession and inserting it into one of the little release holes.

"Come here and put your hands behind you." Ingrid said enticing Tess over to one of the uprights of the metal bunk beds. "Imagine I'm Ally on your wedding night." She smiled.

Tess knew she could trust Ingrid and allowed herself to be cuffed around the pole just to see how it felt.

After plenty of clicks from the open cuff she felt the already attached cuff being closed further too.

Tess savoured the moment for a few seconds imagining what Ally would say if she were to surprise him with this situation when she saw him next.

"Is this what they've been doing to you?" Tess asked.

"Worse." Ingrid replied. She picked up the canvas bag and held it in front of Tess's face. "They put this over my head when they kidnapped me."

Tess frowned.

"Let me show you for just a second."

Tess's silence didn't discourage Ingrid from placing the canvas bag over the head of her trustworthy friend, to demonstrate what she had been through so far.

Her timing couldn't have been worse.

As she stood with her back turned in the direction of the ladder she heard the creaking of the hatch as it began to open.

Ingrid quickly picked up Tess's large green fur lined Parka coat and flung it over her shoulders, fighting to get her arms in the sleeves as she bent down to hide her head. Flicking up the hood she stood facing away as the visitor announced it to be dinner time.

"Ok." Ingrid replied. "Two minutes."

Both girls froze until the man disappeared.

Ingrid removed the handcuffs quickly which allowed Tess to remove the bag from her head.

"Fucking hell." Tess said. "Who was that?"

"I didn't look." Ingrid replied "I just stood here shitting myself."

Tess laughed and took the offer of the coat from Ingrid.

At the top of the ladder Ingrid applied the cuffs convincingly tight enough, reassured by the fact that her new found friend held on to the key right next to her.

Ingrid lead the way to the kitchen where she knew to expect nothing dietary but certainly something tasty.

When the captain and the third crew member left the room Tess caught the look in Musser's eye as he stared lovingly at Ingrid who sat quietly at the table next to her.

"You still have the key right?" he asked looking in Tess's direction.

She nodded an affirmative smile back.

"Please don't make a fool of me." He said.

Initially confused, Tess listened as Ingrid replied "We won't." she then stood up and held Musser's hands "Thank you." She said twisting the hips of her body towards him in an obvious show of flirting.

He walked with the two girls via the bathroom, to the bedroom where he failed to climb down the ladder and join them. Instead he remained at the entrance to the hatch. "If you leave this room tonight I won't help you anymore." He said directing his stare towards Ingrid.

Unexpectedly by all Ingrid put her cuffed arms around Tess's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Trust me." She replied looking up at Musser then lifted her arms away as soon as she'd spoken.

As soon as the hatch had closed Ingrid spoke softly to Tess with her ever apparent Norwegian accent. "Can I have the key?"

Tess fumbled to remove the first cuff then handed control over to Ingrid for the removal of the second one.

The heat from the engines kept them warm all night but neither girl could manage any quality sleep because of their minds running away with themselves at different intervals. Before they knew it the clock on Tess's phone confirmed it to be morning.

Ingrid knew that Tess was awake and after her night of thinking she broke the silence. "Hey. Lucky girl."

"What do you mean?" Tess called up into the void of the room without turning her head.

"Well you're luckier than I am." Ingrid said. "I want to try something when they come to wake us for breakfast."

"Try what?" Tess asked.

"Put your coat on." Ingrid told her.

She took the canvas bag and placed it next to her head in a position where she could don it in a hurry. Ingrid then applied one of the cuffs to her wrist and waited for a few moments.

"Let them think that you did this to me." Ingrid said.

Tess watched as Ingrid pulled the hood over her own head and reached her hands up towards the head of the bed where she lay. By feeling for the metal cross piece Ingrid locked her wrists around the bar and relaxed in a position where she would be able to remove the canvas bag from her own head by tugging at the top of it if she began to feel uncomfortable.

The two women could be sisters with their similar hair, their height and their build, so Tess understood that a casual observer wouldn't be able to tell the two girls apart except for her wearing full length jeans and Ingrid only wearing shorts.

Tess sat on the bed next to Ingrid and raised the hood up over Ingrid's eyes to speak to her.

"Why?" Tess asked.

Let's see if this raises any suspicion." Ingrid replied.

Their morning visit came from the captain. Tess pulled the hood down quickly as soon as the hatch began to open and turned to greet him.

"Breakfast." He said looking over at Ingrid on the bed. "You can bring her." Then as quickly as that he walked away.

Tess immediately freed Ingrid and the two of them ate in the kitchen.

Shortly after they'd eaten, the captain ordered Ingrid back to her quarters where he secured her by one wrist to the bunkbed.

Tess had the freedom to roam around the boat of her own accord but chose to remain in the kitchen area for a little longer.

Minutes later the captain approached Tess and handed her the handcuff key that he'd brought back with him from Ingrid's bed where Tess had left it before breakfast.

"You did a good job last night." He told her, referring to the state of security he'd found Ingrid first thing in the morning. "This is the only key. Don't loose it."

Tess hated herself for letting the captain take Ingrid back to the bedroom alone and not going with them.

The thought of the potential of what he could do to her riled her insides and so she hurried back below deck to be with her.

She found Ingrid sitting on the side of her mattress with a huge smile on her face where the captain had only cuffed one arm to the bottom upright of the bed's framework.

"Let me get those off you." Tess said taking the key from her pocket and approaching the bed. "Girl done good." She said.

"What?" Ingrid replied totally confused at what this meant.

"Girl done good he told me." She repeated.

"Who?" asked Ingrid.

"That captain, or whatever he is, told me that I did a good job of tying you up last night." She explained. "Fucking arsehole he is!"

The cuff fell open and Ingrid stood up. "You know I love you for helping me right?" Ingrid said.

Tess hugged her. "You'd do the same for me wouldn't you."

"Of course I would." She replied. "I do need a favour."

"Go on." Tess enquired.

"Can we switch clothes so that I can go up on deck and have a look around?"

"What?" Tess asked in amazement of the gutsy move Ingrid had just suggested.

"I need to see how the lifeboat works or find some way of hiding so that I can make a run for it when we get to Portugal." "I'll keep your hood up and face away from everyone so that nobody will know."

"I could have a look around on the deck for you." Tess offered.

"Please?" Ingrid begged.

"No because that means that I'll have to stay down here in your clothes with that bag over my head in case anybody finds me.

"Please. I will be quick I promise." Ingrid pushed, staring directly at her.

"Ok but it will have to be tonight in the dark." Tess said. "I'll have a good look around now and see if I can find anything to help you get away. In the meantime you get ready to put this back on if somebody opens that hatch." Tess told her pointing to the open cuff still attached to the upright of the bedframe.

Tess wasn't gone long before Ingrid heard the wooden hatch being opened. It was Musser. She didn't bother putting the cuff on as she knew he wouldn't mind.

"Hi." She smiled pretending to be overly pleased to see him. "Are you here for some fun?"

He laughed, bent down and kissed her on the lips. "No." he said. "I've come to tell you that we are passing Portugal and we're heading straight for Casablanca in Morocco."

Ingrid froze in shock at the downfall of her plan to escape to Portuguese authorities and be returned safely home to go into hiding with her husband.

"Will you still be able to help me in Morocco?" she asked.

He smiled and stroked her hair. "I'll make sure somebody knows where you are sweet thing. "Who do you want me to tell?" he asked taking his phone from his pocket ready to take down as many details as Ingrid could give him.

Meanwhile the captain had to call his paying customers Ally and Gus from his sat-phone to let them know that the schedule had changed and that they were going to be docking at eight pm, two hours earlier than expected that evening.

After speaking to Gus, he called out to Tess who he could see standing on the deck near the lifeboat and offered her the chance to tell Ally herself.

He stood over Tess for the duration of the short phone call making it impossible for her to warn Ally about her kidnapped friend that she so desperately wanted him to help.

Musser had left the girls cabin when Tess returned with the timing update and her observations on the impracticalities of using the lifeboat.

Tess sent a text message to Ally explaining all about the kidnapping of her friend and that he was a diamond dealer called Gus and the details of where he lived. The phone had battery but no signal, however the message would be sent as soon as they were close enough to land.

The two girls agreed on a plan for Ingrid to go up on deck disguised as Tess when they were close enough to land and then swim to shore using a float that Tess described which hung over the side of the boat.

Ingrid listened and imagined her plan working. "What about you?" she asked.

"I'll stay down here loosely cuffed to this vertical bar until I'm discovered and tell them that you made it out to be cold and tricked me into swapping my jeans for these before overpowering me." Tess told her. "Hopefully you'll have a couple of hours head start as they won't be looking for you initially."

Pondering over the idea of swimming to the shore undetected she hugged Tess. "Thank you. You're a genius."

Lunch would probably be their last meal so Ingrid had to get some calories inside her for the swim to freedom. Tess passed her own food under the table to Ingrid and talked as normal to not raise suspicion, openly talking abut the time left until docking.

Tess remained on deck until she could see land in the far distance and checked the time.

With two and a half hours to go the sun remained bright in the sky and the land too far to swim to. She remained on the deck with her hood both up and down from time to time getting herself noticed by the three crew members as much as possible.

Eventually she could tell the boat had now turned and headed directly towards land. This would be still too far for Ingrid to swim but they only had an hour and a half of journey time left.

She had to stick to the plan and smiled at the sailors before heading down below deck to implement it.

Ingrid sat on the bed, cuffed to the metal upright. Tess looked at the cuff around her wrist and frowned.

"I had a visitor who didn't think this was on tight enough." Ingrid explained. "And you still have the key."

"Shit." Tess replied. "Sorry." She removed the handcuffs and placed them on the bed.

"This isn't going to be as easy as I first thought." She explained. "We are still miles out to sea but heading towards land. Musser tells me that we are travelling at about thirty eight kilometres per hour and we have roughly an hour and a half left."

Ingrid did a quick calculation in her head. "That's about fifty kilometres." She said. "I can't swim that."

"I know." Tess interrupted. "I still have no phone signal either. Hurry, get undressed."

Ingrid joined in the panic striptease by removing her shorts and shoes, putting them on the bed next to her.

"There is a ladder leading to the sea just behind the lifeboat. Hide my clothes in the lifeboat. You can untie one of the floatation devices from near the side of the ladder as you quietly slip into the water.

Ingrid pulled on Tess's jeans with ease followed by her tennis shoe trainers and reached out for the large hooded parka jacket which she hoped would disguise her identity.

Tess pulled on Ingrid's shorts with a little less ease than Ingrid but in the knowledge that they had to go on.

"I need your top." Tess told her.

"Shit. Yes sorry." Ingrid said ripping off her white crop top and swapping it for Tess's similarly yellow one.