Page 11 of Romania
“I’m Romania, but everyone can call me Rommy. I promise I will do everything in my power to get us out of this.”
“No offense, but you’re like a…”
Someone else finished: “You’re tiny. Who’d be scared of you?”
Smiling, I pressed my hands together under my chin. “I’ll make them scared in the end.”
“Who taught you all this?” Iola asked.
“My dad and his brothers. They’re a part of the Hawks Motorcycle Club.”
There were many gasps, and it made me proud that people knew about my family.
“Will they be looking for you?” Cal questioned.
I pushed my shoulders back and said with confidence, “My family will do anything to get me back, and they won’t stop until I’m safe. Which means all of you will be safe too. For now, we need to do as they say. We need to stay protected and calm and strong until we can get some help or until we can get off this ship. We’ll do recon every time we’re let out. I want to know how many guards there are. I know they wear masks, but try and make a note of some type of different feature on them.” I took a breath and warned, “In the time we’re together, you may think I’m weird or something. I do tend to ramble on about whatever comes to mind, but I promise, you can put your faith in me and my family.”
Jenny shifted on her feet. “I trust you, Rommy. She already had a plan when she woke up.”
Cal grunted. “Yeah, I believe you.” He turned to the others. “She damn near broke my fingers when she woke up in the dark.”
Iola took my hand before she softly said, “I trust you.”
Smiling, I squeezed her hand. “Thank you.” I curled an arm around her shoulders and addressed everyone again. “In one way or another, we will get through this.”
There was a huff and then a guy said, “I want to trust you, but you could be making all this up just to be in charge.” He stepped forward. “She’s probably saying this so we give her extra rations or to have more blankets.” He turned to me again. “We were the first here. We get to pick who gets what and what we do.”
There was a nod from a couple of them.
A woman stood by this guy. “Trevor is right. Just because she says the right things doesn’t mean we should fold to whatever she says.” She thumbed at herself and then pointed to the guy. “We’re the ones in charge. We’re the ones who will get us out of here.”
Calmly, I asked, “Can you fight?”
She sneered. “It doesn’t have to come down to fighting. There’ll be a chance we can escape and then?—”
“Be shot down while we all run. I don’t want just some of you safe. I want all of you protected.” I looked to the other two. “Will you both throw yourselves in front of danger for the other people in here?”
Trevor snorted. “Like you would.”
Sighing, I shook my head. “We’re in a bad situation, and I really don’t want there to be fighting between us. With the training I’ve had, I’m more than comfortable to be the first and only one to run into danger if it means all of us get to safety.”
“She probably doesn’t even know how to fight,” the woman said.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Pamela.”
“Pamela, do you know how to fight?”
“I do boxing.”
“Then come at me and throw a punch. Actually, both of you try to hit me.” I gently moved Iola out of the way and closer to Cal and Jenny.
Couldn’t they see I really didn’t want to be in charge but would if it meant I could save everyone?
“Rommy,” Cal shouted as he gripped Iola’s arm to drag her back.
I’d already felt the shift in the air and ducked while sweeping my leg out. Pamela dropped to the steel floor.
