Chapter 5
Heath studied the woman crouched down beside him in a dingy area of the ship. She hadn’t hesitated throughout this entire mission. He’d thought she’d baulk at the thought of being stranded at sea, but she’d agreed with very little hesitation.
They’d sneaked onto the ship after he’d found some high-visibility shirts and hard hats and the crew were all busy lashing down containers and finalising paperwork to question why two other people were boarding.
Now they were near the reefers, or refrigerated freezer containers, which wasn’t the best place to be because crew would be around to check them regularly.
The container they were looking for was towards the bow so they would have to move, but not until they were underway.
He couldn’t risk them being caught and thrown off the ship.
The ship’s frame blocked most of the dust storm, leaving them with the smell of salt and diesel, but at least there were fewer particles in the air. He lowered his scarf and took a couple of deep breaths.
“What now?” Zoe asked as she adjusted her hijab.
He hadn’t had a chance to pull up the ship’s schematics, identify any hidey holes or any of the usual things he did prior to a mission, but the ship was like one he’d worked on before.
One of the lockers just below deck was their best bet until they were underway, because there were only long gangways down the port and starboard sides and nowhere to hide from the crew who would be doing last-minute checks.
It would be a squeeze, but there was no reason for the crew to check them now. “This way.” He took her hand to keep her next to him and pulled her along, down some stairs and along a tight corridor until he spotted a sign that said Pollution Locker.
Perfect.
He opened the door and squeezed inside. The walls were lined with absorption material, boxes and hoses, ready for an emergency if the ship had an environmental spill like oil or fuel.
The absorption material had the bonus of muffling some of the sound of the engine, which was firing up.
He pulled Zoe in after him and closed the door.
“Why are we here? Can’t we try to get the kids off before we leave the dock?” She glanced around the small space, urgency in her voice.
He shook his head and kept his voice low.
He doubted anyone would hear them talking over the hum of the engine, but it paid to be careful.
“Too many people are on deck doing final checks. If we get caught, they’ll kick us off.
We don’t know if the crew is aware of the kids, and they won’t open a container just on our say. It’s not worth their jobs.”
Concern covered her face. “Then what do we do?”
“Make ourselves comfortable,” he said, shifting past her so he was between the door and her.
He gestured to a crate in the corner for her to sit on.
“When we get underway, the crew will break into their shifts. Some will head to their cabins to sleep before their shift starts, and others will begin their rounds. We wait for an hour, when things should have settled, and then we go.”
Zoe lowered herself onto the crate, her face creased in a frown. “So we’re stealing a lifeboat?” She clutched her hands together and exhaled as if bracing herself.
He nodded. “We’ll get the kids into the boat, lower it into the water and head to shore.”
“Back to Qatar?”
He pressed his lips together. “Maybe. I’m hoping to get in touch with my team when we get into international waters.” He smiled to remove her worry. “I’ll figure it out.”
She nodded slowly as if not quite convinced.
Now wasn’t the time for her to underestimate him. He needed her to react fast, do exactly what he said, when he said it, without question.
He needed her trust.
“Look, I get that it sounds unconventional, but I’m trained for this. There are always things you can’t plan for, but I’m great at responding to changes.” He smiled, hoping to put her at ease.
Zoe exhaled. “I understand, but this is my first rodeo so to speak.”
He nodded. “And you’re doing great so far.” Heath grabbed a bucket and moved it closer to the door so he could sit. Time for some get to know you, so she didn’t question everything he did. “Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”
“Born and raised in Perth.”
“That’s where I live now.” He smiled. “Which suburb?”
“Fremantle.”
He glanced at her. Short dark hair, hazel eyes. “Italian descent?”
“Yeah. The weekend treat was going to Gino’s.” She gazed towards the door, a smile on her face, not really in this room. A picture of serenity now he’d distracted her from what came next.
“Best coffee in the city.” Gino’s was an institution that had been there for decades.
“Damn straight, and I’ll fight anyone who denies it.” Her smile hit him like a burst of sunlight.
He shifted back at the force of it, his heart racing in response. He cleared his throat. “Siblings?”
“Three sisters. You?”
“Younger sister.”
“What does she think about what you do?” Zoe asked.
He grinned, thinking about Leila. “I’d like to say she thinks I’m a bad ass, but in truth, she most likely thinks I’m crazy.”
Crazy for risking his life mission after mission after he’d almost lost it as a child. Though she understood his need to protect others from experiencing the same terror they’d gone through.
“I’m sure she’s very proud of you.”
“She’s over in London doing a Masters in Political Science and Law. She’s so smart.” And trying to fix the injustices in the world through talk and diplomacy.
“Is she considering getting into politics, or does she want to join foreign affairs?”
“Depends on the day I speak to her and what’s happening in the world. She’s got more causes and ideas than she has minutes in the day.” His heart swelled with pride.
“I can put her in touch with some people if she wants to go the embassy route,” Zoe said, then grimaced. “Assuming I still have a job when this is over.”
More kindness. “That’s a nice offer. Thank you.” It also brought about a nice segue into what he wanted to know. “What made you ignore orders and your own safety to rescue a bunch of kids you don’t know?”
She shrugged and fiddled with a loose thread from her hijab. “It was the right thing to do.”
He shook his head. It wasn’t that simple.
“Are you suggesting I shouldn’t have tried to save them?” Her voice rose with incredulity.
“No, it’s not that. You should have alerted authorities, but not everyone would have taken the time to meet Nisha, particularly when they’d been ordered to pack up.” He tilted his head. “Why did you?”
“Because she’s my friend, and she was desperate. You don’t just leave your friends like that.” She hesitated, before firmly pressing her lips together.
He was curious about what she was going to add, but he left it. Her beliefs in supporting friends was something Heath believed down to his core, but over the years he’d discovered not everyone had the same values. His respect for Zoe grew.
“I agree. That’s why I know, as soon as they can, my team will look for us.” He met Zoe’s gaze and saw she understood.
“Thanks, Heath. For believing me and for helping me. I know this isn’t what you expected on this mission.”
He shrugged. “I always expect the unexpected, but I’m damned glad those protesters were more organised than we anticipated, because I wasn’t sure how I was going to save the kids from Australia.”
Another sunbeam smile and he felt like a hero. “You wouldn’t have forgotten about them?”
“Never.” The engine tone changed and there was a slight shift. “We’re moving.” Which meant the crew would start heading below deck soon.
He checked the time. Still a few hours before dark, but the longer they waited, the further from the coast they would be.
They could make their way to the United Arab Emirates, but it would take longer to get the children back to their parents.
Qatar would probably be closer anyway and they could then make their way to the Saudi Arabian border.
“Should we go now?” Zoe asked.
“Let’s wait another half an hour,” he said. “So they can settle into their routines.” He was tempted to leave Zoe here where she should be safe, but the thought of not having eyes on her at all times made him uneasy.
And if she was caught, they’d question her and radio the mainland to send out a boat to pick her up. Then he’d be in a real rush for time.
He visualised the ship. It was about a hundred and fifty metres to the container they were after and their only option of hiding would be ducking behind pillars.
“How are we going to get the container open?” Zoe asked.
“I know how to work the lashing rods,” he replied. One unlashed container shouldn’t affect the stability of the others, particularly as it was in the middle. One of the crew would find it on their next rounds and fix it.
“Then we take them to the lifeboat?”
He nodded. Trying to sneak half a dozen kids to the lifeboat would be the difficult part. If the crew spotted someone, the alarm would be raised and he doubted they’d let him steal a lifeboat.
This had to be a non-lethal mission. None of the crew might know what they were carrying. They were just doing their jobs.
But if they were caught, he needed to make sure they could both escape.
Which meant he needed to prepare Zoe in case they got separated.
He glanced over her clothing. Her outfit was bulky enough that she should be able to hide a few things, and he’d bought extra at the markets in case things got worse.
He handed her a small multi-tool. “Take this.”
“Why?” She examined the tool, pulling out the knife.
“You might need it. Just in case.”
“You think I might need to protect myself?”
“The hope is you won’t need to. It’s a backup. If we get locked up somewhere, you’ll have a tool which might help you get out.”
“This assumes I don’t get locked up with you,” she pointed out as she tucked it into her pocket.