“Sounds like a lovely vacation spot,” Anouk muttered.
He chuckled. “It’s a small island not far from Rondon’s shore. Industrial scrap metal and other metal waste are taken there to be dismantled and melted down for reuse.”
“Do you think Stalo has gone into hiding there?”
“It’s possible. The island is not easy to get onto, so it’s a rather good place to hide, albeit a primitive one.”
“And we are checking it out, aren’t we?”
“Of course.” Nat winked.
“Of course.” Anouk sighed. “And how will we get there?”
“There is a steam freighter that ships the metal to the island every night.”
“Ah, I think I saw it on the night we rescued you from the Ibars’ warehouse.” Anouk stopped and frowned at Nat. “Why do I have a feeling we are going to sneak onto the boat and travel as stowaways?”
“Because that’s what we are going to do.” Nat grinned.
“Why can’t we pay someone to take us there and wait for us while we do our investigations? If Stalo is there, we have to get him back to Rondon, don’t we?”
“Because it’s an industrial area, and it’s guarded. The company that owns it doesn’t want any visitors. So that’s why we can’t go there during the daytime. An approaching unscheduled boat will raise suspicions.”
“Guess you’re right, but how will we get Stalo and Captain Biddulph off the island back to the mainland?”
“On the steamboat, of course.”
Anouk’s eyebrows shot up. “As stowaways?”
“No, it’d be too risky. We’ll call the enforcers and they’ll come to pick them and us up.”
“You are awfully sure about this.” Anouk narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “Have you done this before?”
Nat’s grin widened.
“Okay, I might be a bit inexperienced, but why can’t we just tell the captain what we are up to and ask if we could board? He might be willing to help, especially if we paid for the journey handsomely.”
“And jeopardise the surprise element? Stalo is most likely keeping an eye on the ship, so if the crew behaves normally, he won’t suspect a thing.”
Anouk lifted her palms, facing Nat. “Alright, alright. We’ll do it your way.”
“Glad to hear you approve, partner.” Nat smiled with a glint of cheekiness in his eyes but then his expression sobered. “You played your role extremely well at Madam Valeria’s. It was a dangerous mission and the chances of survival weren’t favourable, yet you didn’t hesitate.” Nat placed his hand on her shoulder. “I trust you with my life.”
Nat’s confession tightened Anouk’s throat. “Likewise.”
Nat nodded once. “I’m honoured. I’m afraid, though, this mission won’t be any less dangerous, especially if Stalo has indeed taken refuge there.”
“I know.”
Nat squeezed her shoulder gently before continuing with a warm tone. “We have the whole day tomorrow to come up with a plan and to prepare. We start with a visit to Amanda’s Emporium to get more weapons.”
Anouk smiled. Since when had she become more excited about a man taking her shopping for weapons than sexy lingerie? “Yes, I need a new Phines. Stalo stole mine.”
* * *
The darkness lay heavy over Rondon Port. The lights of the harbour and headlights of steam-powered cranes pierced the night like solitary stars. Clangs and hisses of steam engines and occasional shouts of the men cut through the general background buzz.
Anouk and Nat slipped past the warehouses towards the wharf where dockworkers were busy loading the freighter for Garbage Island.
The shoulder straps of her backpack bit into Anouk’s shoulders. She tried to adjust them once again, but to no avail. She gritted her teeth against the pain. There was nothing she could do. They needed everything that was in her pack: gas bombs, knockout gases, ammunition, and food.
She had fastened her katana on her waist. On the other hip hung her brand new Phines revolver. She touched it with her hand; the feel of the cool metal against her fingers brought a smile on her face. No one could argue she hadn’t come prepared.
The skeleton of Ibars’ warehouse came into view. A few charred beams rose from the rubble like ghosts. The sight sparked a cold shiver down her spine. The memory of saving Nat was still raw. Now the abandoned warehouse had reduced into a pile of debris. There was no sign it had been the stage where the death scene of eight men had been played out—the men hired by Stalo. He left bodies and sorrow behind like the Grim Reaper. Anouk wondered if it was selfish to hope she and Nat would not end up like the others. No, she decided.
Nat and Anouk hid behind a warehouse, observing the ship. The cranes worked tirelessly, loading scrap metal from huge heaps at the dock onto the deck. The engines exhausted pillars of smoke skyward like volcanoes. Metal shrieked when the cranes’ grapples squeezed around the scrap. A thunder followed when they released their load onto the deck. The noise was deafening.
The steam freighter looked more a large version of a tugboat. The back part was for the metal junk, the front situated a small wheelhouse and behind it, a tall smokestack. It released a similar thick smoke as the cranes, upwards in the night sky. The lights of the machines and the dock illuminated the boat like a solo performer on the stage. Men came and went in a constant flow around it.
“How on earth are we going to board the ship without being noticed?” Anouk whispered in Nat’s ear.
“We have to wait for the right moment,” Nat whispered back.
“And that is?”
“When the loading is finished and they are ready to depart.”
“I don’t want to sound sceptical, but there are too many people around, and the boat is lit like a Christmas tree.”
Nat twisted his head. “A Christmas tree?”
“It’s a decorated spruce and part of a big seasonal celebration back home where a man called Father Christmas brings gifts down the chimney when everyone is sleeping.”
“So he breaks into a house to give presents?”
Anouk frowned at him. “Now you’re just making it sound weird.”
“Because it is
