Little Girl Gone

For several minutes, they continued on in this way, their presence masked by the massive barge at their side. Logan constantly scanned in both directions, ready to shout out if the other boat reappeared. Finally, Daeng lifted the propeller out of the water, and they slowed until they were simply moving with the current.

Beside them, the dark hulks moved by, until the third barge passed and they were alone in the river again. Daeng dipped the propeller back in the water, and aimed them across the wake toward the other side. Then, just as they were clearing the first of the swells, the sound of another engine cut through the night.

Ryan’s boat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Logan yelled.

Apparently, Ryan and his pilot had been doing the same thing Logan and Daeng had, only on the other side of the barge. Now they were headed straight at them.

The pilot of the other boat yelled across the short distance between them.

“He wants us to stop,” Daeng said.

“Don’t!”

Daeng kept them moving forward as fast as possible, the front of the boat flying out of the water, then bouncing hard against the river with each swell.

As the other pilot was yelling at them again, Logan saw something directly in front of their boat. “Watch out!”

But his warning came too late. By the time Daeng started to turn, they had already traveled into one of the floating islands of vegetation. Logan heard the propeller chew on some of the vines, then catch and stop cold, killing the engine at once.

The other boat slowed as it approached, then stopped beside them, just outside the vine trap. Logan kept his back to them, hoping they could somehow get out of this without Ryan getting a look at him. Because if that happened, and Ryan reported back that Logan was here, the people who had Elyse might decide it was time to cut their losses and make her disappear forever.

“You speak English?” Ryan asked.

“Little,” Daeng said, falling easily into a Thai accent.

“What about your friend there?”

“No speak.”

“What were you looking for?”

“Looking for? Mai khao jai. Don’t understand.”

There was a pause, then Ryan asked, “What were you doing?”

“Doing? Fishing. On boat.”

“I don’t see any fishing equipment.”

“Fall out when you chase us.”

“Right. Sure. What were you doing?”

“I tell you already,” Daeng said.

“You there in the middle. What were you doing out here?”

Logan didn’t move.

“Hey, I bet you do speak English. Tell me what you were doing? You were looking for something, weren’t you? I could tell.”

Logan continued to act like he couldn’t hear him.

“Move us in closer,” Ryan said to his pilot.

The motor on the other boat throttled up for a moment. A few seconds later, there was a bump, and the boat Logan was in rocked back and forth.

“Why were you out here?” Ryan said, his voice only a few feet away. “Hey. I’m talking to you. Turn around.”

Logan continued to stare out at the water.

“Tell him to turn around,” Ryan said.

The pilot spoke in Thai, relaying the command to Logan.

Slowly, Logan rose, his back still to Ryan.

“Turn around,” Ryan commanded.

When he didn’t move right away, Ryan grabbed Logan’s shoulder, then pulled at him. Logan resisted for a moment, then finally turned.

A second passed before recognition flashed across Ryan’s eyes. “What the hell? You? ”

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do anything stupid again,” Logan said, then slugged him in the gut.

He’d hoped the blow would send Ryan over the side of his boat, but Ryan caught himself, then swung his gun around, its barrel making a quick arc that would end with its muzzle pointed at Logan’s chest. Before that could happen, though, Logan leaped at him.