Chapter 20

I realized I was tied at the wrists, but what I didn't realize was that the harder I struggled, the more my wrists began to bleed. The edges of the tip-ties tearing at my skin brought fresh tears to my eyes.

Then I noticed Will. He wasn't waking up when I nudged him with my foot and he was drenched in sweat.

"Will? Will, wake up!" I was beginning to panic, which only made me work harder against the wires tearing into my skin.

"He's okay, Eva, he's okay." Gio replied hoarsely. "The pain just knocked him out for a moment."

The tears flowed at full speed as I gazed at his limp, unconscious body.

"What have I done?" I sobbed into my knees. Maybe it was the lack of food or the fact that I was in more pain than I ever had been in before, but I felt like I was going crazy. The truck was parked in the trees next to some private airport where there was a single small jet. Hisjet. We were alone besides one of Plymouth's men standing guard beside us.

"Eva." Gio's gentle voice somehow calmed me. "Do you remember anything about that note he gave you?" I sniffed back more tears, realizing that I still hadn't told him about it. Guilt clawed at me.

"It's in my pocket." Which I couldn't reach.

"Yes, but do you remember anything?" I thought hard.

"Only something about the ocean and family. It made no sense." He sank deeper in his sitting position. I stared at the dark floor of the truck bed. It took me several minutes to notice he was watching me.

"How was Austin?"

I shook my head. He seemed to get the point.

"I should have told him when I had the chance. Now he's in as much trouble as us." Who knows what he could be going through at this moment. All I knew was that I felt guilt clawing inside of me. Plymouth's men came back and helped us get out of the bed. They had to carry Will. He started mumbling.

"He needs a hospital." I said to Plymouth, who looked like he was getting too much delight out of watching us struggle.

"His pulse is fine, breathing normal. He stays with us." The engines started as we were dragged like wild animals up the steps leading into the plane. I couldn't stand the thought of being in another airplane, but I was going to have to get over it. Lives counted on me now, including the ones of the agents still probably waiting by WWM. Plymouth's men had gotten rid of Will's radio long down the road. I could almost still hear it crackling now. Our last source of contact. Will finally began to sound coherent as they tied us together backs facing each other on the floor of the plane. Gio was tied across from me to one of the chairs.

"Holy shit, where are we?" Will tried to look around, but it only made my wrists hurt more.

"Cut it out!" I ordered. "We're in his plane." He let out a cry and I could tell he was hurting badly. I couldn't help him which only made me more angry.

"Where's your Yvonne when we need her?" The plane shook as it took off. Suddenly I felt like I was going to throw up again.

"Oh no, this isn't good." He groaned.

"What isn't good?"

"Loraine. I was supposed to meet them tomorrow for a payment."

"What are you paying those crooks for anyway?"

He sighed deeply, I could still hear him wincing. "It's a long story."

"Babe, we got a long flight." I couldn't see him, but I could tell he was smiling.

"I like it when you call me that." He said. I kept my smile inward.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it."

He waited a moment before speaking. I peeked into the cockpit seeing Plymouth stand talking to the pilots. "Long story short, I kind of—stole some of their shipments and sold them to make money."

"Shipments? Drugs?"

He nodded."It was all for—" He paused, I could tell the conversation was bringing up bad memories. "Ally. She had Leukemia and needed money to pay for her treatments."

"Oh Will, I had no idea." I felt terrible asking about it now. Will was definitely not that tough trickster he portrayed himself to be. He had a heart of gold, and I was slowly beginning to see that.

"I only wish I wasn't still involved with them. Looks like we're going to be soon." He muttered.

I swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"

"They'll come for me. They'll know I'm in Greece and they'll think I ran away." Holy crap, my mouth dropped open.

"Surly, they'll understand."

"Not them, not Loraine and her boss. Looks like our only safety net is Plymouth." I grit my teeth. That was the last straw. We needed to get out, and fast.

"Will, see if you can reach in my pocket. That's where I put Dad's note." I ignored the searing pain as he reached back. His blood-crusted fingers gingerly slipped into my pants pocket and managed to extract the slip of paper. I reached for it and opened it as best as I could. Good thing the cabin lights were on.

"Thanks, Will."

"I'm not in MI6 for nothing."

Gio chuckled hearing us. I was so relieved to see him in better spirts. I held the note closer to the light and read it again, aloud.

My love is like the Ocean Waves. It rises and falls but stays strong in the face of danger. Be strong, my love, ever strong. As you battle the tempest and come ashore to your waiting loved ones. The journey across the rocky cliffs is great but I will wait for you, as family is the most important thing. I will wait and wait until they burry me in the rocks of my own pain as I bear my dear child, Nefeli. My time long after is not long, but my love is ever strong. Strong as the waves of the ocean.

I was more confused than the first time around. Gio looked towards the ceiling of the plane. Another turbulence bump made me grimace.

"Maybe it's inside a rocky cliff." Will offered.

"Which one? There are hundreds!" I replied. "Gio, did he ever say anything about that to you?" He shook his head. "He must not have trusted me with that information."

I frowned realizing how the thought hurt him. I was just as guilty of not putting all of my trust in Gio, even though I realized my mistake now.

"Maybe it's just as well we never find it. He'll kill us either way." I mumbled. Gio half-smiled.

"We'll see about that." Before I could ask him what he meant, Plymouth stormed into the cabin with one of his men. I bit my lip and forced the note into my back pocket.

He sat down next to Gio, reaching for a cigarette. He clicked the lighter on and with one long drag on his dry lips had the thing billowing white clouds. I resisted the urge to cough.

"So, little lady, where are we going?" I looked to Gio for answers. Should I tell him I didn't know or should I lie? I decided on the latter, sort of.

"We think it's in a rocky cliff, somewhere by—" think, Eva, think. "The bait and tackle place." Will turned his head. "Huh?"

"We were looking for it when your men shotus." I added. Gio looked confused but went along with it.

"What part of that stupid poem says it's there?" He barked, taking another drag, I could see his hands were shaking again.

"The part about the cliffs and—the ocean." I was almost out of steam with this lie. He eyed my skeptically.

"If I find out your pulling my leg, Westfield, I'll shoot yours." My mouth snapped shut. He took his cigarette and stamped in out on the floor next to Gio then went into some sort of back room, probably where he slept.

"I'm sorry guys." I said once I was sure he was out of earshot. "I should have just told him the truth." Gio sighed.

"You did the right thing, he probably would have shot one of us if you told him you didn't know. But this won't last long, we need to come up with a plan B." Will and him started talking about what they could do when I started to feel the pain in my wrists again.

"Well, no matter what happens, we need to stick together." Gio responded to something Will said. "We are family after all."

I stared at the floor hard. "Family?" I responded. My mind gears were suddenly turning overtime.

"I mean, unless you don't want to be, I guess." Gio responded to my questioning look.

"No, family." I almost couldn't believe what was happening. Could it be right? "Family is the most important thing!" I gasped aloud.

Will turned his head. "Eva, are you alright? I'm starving too but—"

"No, guys!" I exclaimed. "The poem! The part it talks about family!"

Gio looked more irritated than amused. "What does that have to do with the price of rice?"

"Family! Do I have any living relatives in Greece? Any Aunts or Uncles or Cousins?" From nowhere, Gio's eyes lit up.

"Westfield, brilliant!" Will said.

"If only I had my computer." Gio mused. "I'd never thought about that before!" He winked. "I guess you havelearned from the best."

"Maybe they are related to my Mom!" I exclaimed.

"Shh, do not say a word about this to Plymouth until I can figure something out." Gio said.

I nodded my agreement. Relatives! Living, breathing, relatives! Suddenly I wasn't thinking about the pain in my wrists or Plymouth or a sparkling cache of diamonds. I was thinking about reconnecting with real family.

**********

When the plane finally landed, I realized how the lack of food and sleep was almost causing me to be delirious. Inside, I was desperate to tell Plymouth where his precious diamonds really were so that I could get out of these painful wires. If I wasn't careful, infection could set in, not that Plymouth even cared. At least they had the decency to separate Will and I finally.

My heart was sinking the more I realized once Plymouth discovered the truth, someone would die because of it. Will and I exchanged glances as they cut us apart.

"I feel like it's been hours since I've seen your face." His words shocked me. Here he was, in pain beyond humanly possible, and he was acting as if none of this was even happening. I smiled softly in turn. Gio was the first to walk off the airplane with one of Plymouth's men.

I couldn't help but wonder if Gio had some sort of secret plan he wasn't telling us about. It had surprised me that he had been captured in the first place. In all the years I'd known him, he had never been wrong about anything as hard as it was for me to admit, especially in my rebellious teen years. Stepping out of that aircraft was like stepping back into to square one. Back in Santorini, except it wasn't sunny like every day I had been there. Thick storm clouds loomed on the horizon. I couldn't imagine on top of everything else that it would be raining.

Out in the light, I realized how dirty and tired we all looked.

The wind blew as they moved us closer to the vehicles.

"Where's the marina, Westfield?" Plymouth barked.

"Don't you know? Your men attacked us there yesterday!" He glared at me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" As if I wasn't already delirious, my head began spinning. What?

"Off of Vestina road, next to Rahel cliff." Will quickly spoke for me. Plymouth scoffed as if he was crazy.

I looked to Will intently. "Then who was that?" We stared at each other as if time was standing still. It couldn't be...

"Holy fuck!" One of Plymouth's men suddenly dived under the car. The tatter of a machine gun sounded, along with the chinking of metal. Will dove towards me, knocking me in full force to the ground. It took me a moment to realize whoever had just started shooting was firing at the plane, punching holes everywhere. All of Plymouth's men were suddenly in full military mode, shouting commands back and forth, wondering what on earth had just happened.

"Get them in the car!" Plymouth shouted. Two very bulky men hustled towards us and picked us up off of the floor. I began kicking and screaming until one of them dropped me. I stood up with my hands still tied realizing he hadn't let me go at all. He was lying dead with a hole in his chest.

"Oh my God!" For no reason at all I began hyperventilating, looking at all of the limp bodies around me. Brakes squealed and I realized Plymouth had just made a clean get-away in one of his cars.

"Eva?" The voice was too familiar to ignore. I whirled around, the wind evaporating my tears. It was Charles.