Page 49 of Ozzie

The boat pulls up, and it’s not at all what I expect. I lean down so only Harding can hear me. “An oil tanker?”

She smiles. “I bet they won’t think to look for us here.”

The tanker pulls up, and we all board.

“Mark, these are my associates, Lightning and Ozzie. And this is our current assignment.” She points to the boy but doesn’t give a name.

“He speaks English?” I ask Harding.

Mark nods. “I do. And it’s good to meet you.” His accent is thick.

“Thanks for the lift,” I say.

“Yeah, thanks,” Lightning says.

The tanker moves out from the port, and JB looks kind of green.

“You okay?” I ask.

“I don’t feel so good,” he says as he runs to the edge of the deck. He vomits over the side.

“The sea is a bit choppy today,” Harding says. “Poor kid might be in for a rough ride.”

Rough? We’re still in the strait. If this is too rough, this kid isn’t going to handle the Black Sea. Fortunately, the rocking doesn’t bother the rest of us. We take turns checking on JB as we sail along. One of the guys from below brought him some lemon-lime soda that seems to be helping.

Harding argues with Mark, but I have no idea what about, since they are both speaking in Romanian.

Lightning and I step away from JB to get closer. When Mark replies, her smile falls, and they go back and forth until, finally, she sighs. Mark walks away, leaving us alone.

“There’s been a change in plans. We aren’t going to Romania. It turns out this ship is expected in Greece. The good news is I have some contacts in Kavala, where we’ll be dropped off.”

One thing about Harding, she has contacts everywhere, and they’ve saved us countless times. Despite serving in this area, most of those I’ve worked with have long since moved on and we’ve lost contact.

“And these contacts can get us back to the States?” Lightning asks.

Harding doesn’t smile. “I hope so, but we might be on our own.”

“I can get us back,” JB says. He’s pried himself away from the edge. “One of you needs to call my dad.”

I step between Harding and JB before she harms him.

“Not necessary. We can manage,” I say.

Although, if this kid doesn’t shut up, we might not manage to keep him safe from Harding.

CHAPTER 15

Ozzie

As we approach the dock in Kavala, I’m happy to be one step closer to getting home. It’s not like me not to be one hundred percent focused on my assignment, but I need to see that Piper is safe for myself.

A man in a suit meets us as we exit the ship. Harding steps up to him, and they talk quietly for a minute as Lightning and I help JB off the dock and onto solid land.

“You feeling better?” I ask him as he takes several deep breaths.

He nods. “I’ve been on boats, but those waves were intense.”

I glance at Lightning as he bites back a smile. Those waves were mild, and if I had to guess, this kid has been on yachts docked and not on the open water.

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