Page 5 of Finding Elodie
Not wanting hostages could be good or bad. It could mean the pirates really did just want money and valuables. After the Maersk Alabama incident, when the pirate in charge had been taken back to the States and thrown in prison and his comrades had been killed, hostage-taking by pirates had fallen out of favor. But not taking hostages could also mean the lives of every single one of the crew were in danger. It was easier to shoot to kill than to try to wrangle two dozen men.
And Mustang really didn’t want to think about what they’d do to a woman if they found her onboard.
“Oh, crap…I hear something!” Rachel said.
“Stay quiet, turn down the volume on your radio, but don’t disconnect,” Mustang ordered.
“Okay…um…can I ask your name? I just…it feels more personal.”
“I’m Mustang,” he told her. “And my team is all here. Midas, Aleck, Pid, Jag, and Slate.”
There was silence for a second, then a slight huff of breath. “I had to ask,” she muttered.
Mustang hadn’t thought twice about sharing his team’s nicknames, but he’d forgotten how weird they’d sound to a civilian. “Scott,” he said quietly. “My name is Scott.”
“Scott. Okay,” she whispered, then inhaled sharply as a loud bang sounded through the connection.
All six SEALs leaned forward, as if that could somehow help keep the woman on the other end of the line safe from whatever was happening. Admiral Light sat tense in his chair as he listened as well.
They could all hear raised voices in the background. Mustang closed his eyes and tried to distinguish what language was being spoken. He wasn’t a language expert, but it sounded like a mix of Arabic and French to him.
“Stop pushing me!” a man’s voice said in English.
Rachel’s breathing was loud and fast. Mustang wanted to comfort her. Tell her to slow her breathing before she passed out, but he didn’t dare say a word in case it would give away her hiding place.
“There’s no one here,” said the man speaking English.
“Men will regret not show themselves,” a man said, obviously one of the pirates by the sound of his accent.
“Where more food?” another man asked.
“There are a few freezers in this hallway,” the crew member said, “and more storage, but the best bet for stuff that can be eaten quickly, without having to cook it, is in the pantries on either side of the galley. That’s where the snacks and things are kept. Back here is mostly flour, sugar, stuff like that. Things the cook uses to make the meals.”
“Show us these pantries. And no try anything.”
“I’m not,” the officer said. “I’m doing exactly what you’ve told me.”
“We come back for water and food,” one of the pirates said. “We look more for money now.”
Everyone in the conference room strained to listen for footsteps retreating, or for more conversation, but all they could hear were Rachel’s terrified breaths.
“You’re okay,” Mustang said softly after a long moment, not able to keep quiet any longer. “They didn’t find you.”
“I know,” she whispered back in a voice so low, everyone had to struggle to hear.
“Who was that?” Midas asked.
“I think it was Bryce…he’s one of the officers who works with the captain on the bridge.”
Mustang saw the admiral writing the name down, though he was sure someone was working on getting a list of every crew member onboard the Asaka Express.
“Had you heard either of those two pirates before?” Aleck asked.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry. God, I wish I was better at this,” she moaned.
“You’re doing fine,” Mustang reassured her.
“I’m not. So far I’ve told you nothing you probably didn’t already know,” she said.
