Phoenix Rising

West End Key is a western extension of Great Abaco, a narrow bar of sand, coral and rock that extends like an accusing finger pointing at Florida. Below it, just to the south, are a collection of cays that nestle in the shallow waters and provide sighting marks for sailors and a distraction from the intense blue for tourists.

The fishing is good and the diving is great there, amongst those slivers of land. It was there that the Phoenix finished up with its four diverse passengers.

They spent a day fishing while Steve spent his day gazing through the powerful binoculars that he pulled out of his cabin.

It was Valerie that most seemed to want to reel in a big Bluefin but it was Trudy that attracted the fish. The pan fried steaks that resulted were one of the best meals that Henry had ever eaten, or maybe it was just the blue of the sea in the sunset and the gentle swaying of the cutter that lulled him into his state of enjoyment.

The next day Valerie moved the boat closer to the small cays and Steve, Valerie and Trudy did some scuba diving. The water was shallow and clear as crystal so Henry spent his time watching the three of them as they swam.

To his imagination Trudy was like some exotic fish, the patterns of her tattoos seemed like scales on her body. Steve was a whale, even through the surface of the azure he seemed huge and powerful, a deliberate and purposeful swimmer. Valerie was the lurking shark, she stayed by Trudy and swam to and fro as she kept a watch over her prey, continually looking up to check that the cutter was still in sight.

In the end Henry got bored and turned to the various small tasks that Valerie had given him before the dive. He was a little jealous of the other three, but then, not only had diving and swimming never really appealed to him, he convinced himself that one of the four had to stay aboard.

The sun burned down and Henry put on a huge battered straw hat that he had found in a locker. Starting at the front of the boat, over his own cabin he worked his way back, polishing the brass before working on all the varnished wood that formed the decks of the boat. Finally he lifted the hatches over the engines so that he could polish the gratings and he got a surprise.

Anyone who is interested in American cars will know about the Hemi-426. Henry, who was a bit of an aficionado, immediately recognised the four huge Chrysler car engines that sat in the rear of this boat that would make it one of the fastest things on the water! This was untrammelled raw power even if these engines had not been tuned.

Henry quickly put the hatches back in their place all the while he wondered why a boat like this, a pleasure cutter, a casual cruiser, might need over two thousand horsepower under its bonnet. It really didn't make any sense unless... unless of course the boat was some sort of 'go fast', in other words a smuggling boat.

But what was there to smuggle here, on a diving and fishing trip in the north Caribbean?

Well, he decided it had to be drugs, what else was there to move from South to North America that could be worth enough to afford this type of boat?

A shiver passed along his spine as thought that he was involved in some sort of illegal activity that was punishable by life in jail. Somehow he had to get off this boat. Then another thought occurred to him.

They knew who he was!

If he cut and ran then some crazy drugs cartel or some such would be after him, he knew the boat, the people and now that they were smuggling.

A rising tide of fear made his legs feel weak and a pit in his stomach full of nervous butterflies made him feel enervated. It had all seemed such a lark, a way to pick up a little money and spend a couple of weeks lounging around. A couple of weeks that would bring him ever closer to his all important twenty fifth birthday.

'So should I stay or should I go?' he asked himself, 'If I stay there will be trouble...'

The song rattled through his head and somehow made it all look like some sort of television story. Miami Vice or something else dated from the eighties like Magnum. Glamorous smugglers and their innocent, naive but clever dupe.

'Well they haven't been caught yet and they don't even know that my name is anything other than just 'Henry',' he thought as he wondered about bailing out. 'I'll just go along for the ride and disappear.'

Then it occurred to him that his passport was in a drawer his cabin, he'd better hide it or keep it with him to make sure...

He made his way to the small cabin and opened the top drawer where he had put the passport, but it was gone. Frantically, and somewhat illogically, he looked around before starting a search of the tiny space.

He opened the second drawer to find the passport safe and sound. He paused as he tried to remember when he had moved it; he had been so sure that it was in the top drawer. He flipped it in the air and slid it into the pocket on his cargo pants.

At that moment he heard the return of his three passengers and he headed to the deck to meet them.

Chapter 5.

Revelation.

------------------

A couple of days passed in a seemingly idyllic setting.

A boat sitting on the azure waters of various lagoons with the palms and beaches of the cays in the background. Frosty Valerie, painted Trudy and silent Steve dived and fished. Sometimes with scuba gear and tanks, sometimes just snorkelling they enjoyed themselves while Henry sat on the deck and watched the boat.

It was starting to look as if Henry's fears were unfounded.

He was expecting to see them hauling packets of drugs from the sea or some such, but even though he watched every move that they made they only brought up speared fish for their meals.

"We have to be heading back soon," said Trudy to Henry one evening, "but the weather is perfect and the moon is full so Valerie wants to do a midnight dive tonight."

"How long will the dive be?" asked Henry, concerned about having to steer the boat at night when he could not follow the divers.

"Just an hour or two."

"Where?"

Valerie entered the galley and put an arm about Trudy possessively.

"Around here, the coral is perfect," said Valerie.

"I'm not sure if I should come along," said Trudy as she held up her hand with the bandage that covered a cut that she had got whilst on the last dive.

"Nonsense," said Valerie. "That little cut is nothing."

"Please, it hurts."

It was the first time that Henry had seen the pair of them argue or act anything other than like the perfect couple. He stayed out of the squabble, not wanting to get involved.

"The conditions are perfect, you really should come."

There was a moment's pause and Henry wondered whether Trudy would take the way out or not.

"No, really," said Trudy as a slight whine entered her voice. "The sea water will make it worse."

Valerie made a dissatisfied sound and then stared at Henry as if he were the cause of the disagreement. Finally, since he said nothing but continued to beat the eggs and grate the cheese for the evening meal, Valerie gave up and stomped out of the galley and paced the deck.

Henry did not speak to Trudy he just continued making the meal.

"I just hate diving," said Trudy confidentially to Henry. "I just do it because Valerie says that I have to!"

"Mmm," replied Henry.

There was no way that he was going to get involved in this spat between lovers, he had decided that all he wanted to do was get off this strange ship of fools and get back to Miami. He would breathe a sigh of relief when it was all over.

*****

That night at eleven the two divers, Steve and Valerie, started to prepare for their adventure. It was clear that Valerie was angry with Trudy as she did not speak to her at all and cast her continuous looks of ill will that spoke volumes.

At last they were in the water and the navigation lights were switched on. The sea, with its soft swell, had an eerie quality, contemplative and flecked with the reflections of the full moon that was almost at zenith.

With two soft splashes, Steve and Valerie were gone and Henry stood in the cockpit looking for signs of the bubble trails from the divers that would give some small indication of their position under the water.

Trudy climbed the couple of steps and stood by him for a while. She seemed nervous, almost frightened as he stood watching the water.

Finally, after thirty minutes or so, she spoke in a soft voice.

"Henry?"

Without taking his eyes from the smooth water Henry answered with a small sound.

"We have to go!"

Henry turned to her and saw that she had tears in her eyes and her face was animated by some passion that he could not quite put his finger on.

"Pardon?" he said.

"We have to start the engines and leave, now!"

"What? Why?"

Her voice carried a quiver of a sob as she continued.

"Valerie! I have to escape her!"

"That's a bit heavy isn't it? I mean leaving them in the middle of the Caribbean here, to end a love affair over a small spat?"

"You just don't understand," she cried as she tried to reach the starter button. "She's not my lover, not willingly anyway. She owns me!"

At last Henry took his gaze from the swell and looked at her.

"What do you mean? Owns you?"

For a moment Trudy was so emotionally distressed that she could not speak. Henry put his hands on her shoulders.

"Just leave her in Nassau," he said. "I mean we get back in a day or so..."

"God! Henry, I cannot just run in Nassau," sobbed Trudy, "She has my passport and, and everything."

Henry looked at her and wondered what was going on that he didn't understand.

"Valerie owns me. That means that I am hers, she bought me from a place in Long Island where they train their victims and then sell them to rich people like Valerie for their amusement."

Henry had never heard anything like it in his wildest dreams.

"She is the very devil and I have to escape," said Trudy. "Please help me!"

Henry started to think that Trudy was crazy. This was a preposterous tale that belonged to the script of some cheap film.

"That's none of my concern," he said as he turned his gaze back to the water and hoped that this mad woman would just go away and stop spinning fantastic tales.

"You just don't believe me, do you?"

"No!" he replied in a strong tone. "Speak to her and leave at Nassau, like I said. It's nothing to do with me!"

There was a moment's silence before Trudy shook him by the shoulder and said, "We haven't got much time, I'll just have to show you the truth and then if what I say is verifiable then you promise to get us out of here?"

Henry looked at his watch. One hour of the dive was done and the tanks held just over two hours of gas for Valerie and Steve. He nodded assent wearily and followed the eager Trudy down into the depths of the cruiser.

She opened the cabin that she and Valerie used to reveal that almost the whole cabin was a bed. Henry squeezed into the small space and shrugged his shoulders. That Trudy and Valerie were addicted to fucking was certainly no surprise.

Trudy threw herself onto the bed and Henry almost cut and ran as he misinterpreted the move as a pass, an invitation of sorts.

"It's here," muttered Trudy as she pulled up a corner of the thin mattress and pulled out a box that rattled.

In triumph she opened the box to reveal a selection of sex toys that would have shamed a depraved debauchee. Chains and plastic cocks filled the box as well as other items that Henry could not really identify that looked like jewellery.

He shrugged noncommittally at the tearful Trudy.

All of this was proof that he'd better not get mixed up with these two strange women.

Trudy started to shout at him in a loud voice: "Don't you see, they want you too. It's you they want..."

"Pardon, why would an aging dyke lesbian like Valerie want me when she has a cute little thing like you?"

Henry had already turned and was on his way back to the deck when the answer came and stopped him dead.

"For your money!"

He came back to see her tipping the contents of the box onto the bed with a rattle of chains and handcuffs and then she turned to face him.

"I didn't hear all of it; I only caught part of the conversation..."

Henry was shaking her now. "What conversation?"

"That there was some person, a woman I think, that has asked Valerie to do something with you. I think I heard something about a loan being signed."

Henry let her go and stared at her.

'What the fuck is all this?' he thought with his mind in turmoil.

"Do you owe money?" asked Trudy. "I mean I know that some of the people who were being trained as slaves owed money that they couldn't pay back."

"No, I don't owe money," he said.

There must be more truth to this than he had thought after all. He thought of that bitch lawyer in Miami and how she had had him followed.

"Well I don't know why that awful policeman in Nassau pretended to be someone else then!"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Policeman?"

That 'Las' guy, he owes a fortune in the casinos and Valerie was laughing about how cheaply she had bought him.

Henry thought back.

They had met in the Pilot's office in the docks. No; that was not true they had met outside and then Henry thought of how easily he had been tricked onto the boat.

Another thing occurred to him and he pulled his passport from his pocket and opened it. All the pages were blank!

Every single one.

It had the right cover but it was not his passport, it was nobody's passport. No wonder that it had been in the wrong drawer!

"We can't waste time like this," cried Trudy. "We have to get out of here before they come back.

"I need my passport," he said as he crashed through the boat and flung open his cabin door.

"It will still be on the bloody boat if we escape," shouted Trudy. "Find it later but for fuck's sake get a fucking move on."

It took a moment before Henry realised that she was keeping her head while he was losing his and he raced for the exit to the deck.

Trudy disappeared out of his sight and then he saw Steve stepping into corridor by the galley!

He was dressed in his wet suit and a knife was in his hand.

Chapter 6.

Negotiation.

------------------

For a moment Henry was actually on the point of attacking Steve despite the knife and his physical prowess. Steve made a small movement with his hand and flipped the savage looking knife to face the point away from his thumb so that he was holding it like a dagger and Henry felt his enthusiasm for a fight fade and wither.

As the two stood in a standoff that could only end in Henry surrendering Valerie appeared behind Steve dragging Tanya by the wrist. Valerie in a wet suit was a sight to behold, all curves and overly feminine contour.

With a jerk she flung Tanya to the floor and placed a foot on her neck as if to prove her complete control.

"I think that we caught the two elopers just in time," said Valerie in a grating voice. "This slave has managed to overcome her training and act independently. I suppose that I will have to claim a refund on goods that do not serve their intended purpose!"

A smile played on Steve's lips for a moment as the irony of her comment tickled his black sense of humour.

The boat moved as there was a dull thump, another boat had come alongside and there was a call from the deck. Valerie and Steve ignored the voices and continued.

"On the floor bitch," said Steve.

Henry did not understand that Steve was talking to him and did not move; so that he blow from the left forearm caught him by surprise and laid Henry out on the narrow floor.

"That's better, bitch," said Steve as he reached into Valerie's cabin and recovered a pair of handcuffs. He tossed these to Valerie who cuffed Tanya to a pipe before he did the same for Henry himself.

Valerie padded over to Henry and looked down at him with a smile.

"This was not quite the way that we had it planned, Henry," she said as she started to unzip the wet suit. "We were going to just make you sign the backdated loan form so that when you got back to the casino you would have a bit of credit. Then, if I understand it right, you would lose your trust fund and so on and I would receive a remuneration that paid for all my expense and hard work in organising this small undertaking. Our plans have changed now that my friend has turned up, so we will have to extemporise now and throw the old strategy away."

"I will pay you myself if you let me go," said Henry. "I mean, in six months I get my inheritance and I can pay you."

"Mmm. An interesting offer, Henry, and one that certainly is worth considering. How much are you willing to give me?"

"Double what you are getting from Crystal, that bitch of a lawyer," offered Henry.

"I don't think that Mrs Crystal Veryon, my lawyer as well incidentally, would be very happy with me auctioning my services to the highest bidder. I mean, how little trust there is in the world already and you just lowered the average by a small amount."

A pair of legs appeared in the gangway entrance to the deck. Low oxfords and stockings first and then Crystal came fully into view. Short skirt and a windcheater jacket she was wearing the usual heavy makeup and her hair was hidden beneath a baseball cap.

By now Valerie had stripped off her wetsuit and stood naked, still dripping with the water that had been trapped inside. To Henry the tableau was outlandish in the extreme.

Though Steve had put the knife away he was standing watching Henry as though he thought he would attempt some act even when he was handcuffed to the boat.

Just behind him was the naked Valerie looking triumphant and enjoying living in the moment of triumph. Her large breasts were without support and hung long almost to her swelling belly. Her sex was naked, naked of clothing and naked of hair.

Dark skin lipped the half parted opening.

"Was this little shit trying to bribe you Valerie?" asked Crystal. "I mean if he offers you money that he hasn't got yet, he might just think that he does not have to pay you when the bill comes due."

Valerie laughed at Crystal even taking the whole idea of accepting money from Henry seriously.

So she teased a bit more.

"So, Henry," she said, " We are talking about six million dollars here, I mean if you double the three and add my costs then we are talking about six to six and a half million."

"Yes," said Henry who felt that he was getting somewhere. "Seven is fine!"

"But that's half your fortune," came the reply. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

Valerie turned to Crystal and smiled.

"That's a lot for you to compete with, Crystal. Are you prepared to up the bid?"

"No way! We had a deal!"

By now Valerie was creased with mirth, she couldn't hold it in any longer and doubled up with the repressed laughter.

"Darling Crystal!" she said between gusts of hilarity, "I would not sell you out for the world. What are you thinking? But I'll tell you what! I'm sick of that little painted shit," Valerie pointed at Trudy, "so how about you and me? I mean we would make the perfect couple!"

Crystal relaxed visibly. The moment of stress had passed and been just a joke so she took this new offer in good part.

"Valerie, if I liked women I would go for it, but I'll certainly consider it, you are looking quite ready for a little rough fuck dressed as you are! I'll just trust you to look after our business and I'll owe you a favour. Come up on deck and we'll discuss the details. It's important business that needs to be done privately."

The two women went on deck and left Steve with the two captives.

Chapter 7.

Choices.

-------------

The signing took moments.

On Valerie's cruiser the scene in the large living room was one of grim formality. Henry sat at the small desk with a pen in his hand while Valerie sat, relaxed by the window, Crystal stood over Henry and pointed to where he should sign.