As Long As She Lives (full published version!)

Chapter 33

"My men have reported the sound of a saw– Is that a camera in the crew room? What are– Stop them. Now!"

Henri motioned to the man with the radio, who muttered into his handset. The men stopped sawing.

"I'll ask one more time. What are your men doing to my ship?"

"We'll put everything back–"

"They're cutting through the door," Cait interrupted him. Polzin turned to her for the first time. "My niece is hiding in the bathroom."

"Shut up!" Henri said.

Polzin turned to Cait. "Your niece?"

"Yes."

"That's what she calls her." The lie came from Henri's mouth as though he'd practised it. "She gave her up to her brother to hide her shame."

"You said she was the mother!"

"She is!"

Cait didn't know why it mattered, but she'd take whatever she could get. "She's not! She's my brother's daughter. They'll be frantic."

"You had my men kidnap a child?" Polzin stalked toward the bar, his face reddening with each step closer to Henri. The men did nothing. "Do you understand the risk you took? A woman disappearing with her child is completely different to a child going missing. They look for a child immediately! If their police had pursued you, they'd have had legal reason to board my ship!"

Henri's men drew their weapons, pointing them at Polzin.

The Russian rolled his eyes. "Andrei!"

The man who had helped Cait and Daisy from the helicopter entered with four uniformed men. They took up protective positions in front of Andrei and Polzin. They brandished guns Cait hadn't seen before but even she could tell would do far more damage than the white-suits' handguns.

"What are you going to do Henri?" Polzin folded his arms. "Take the ship with eleven men? Sail back to Umoja without a crew?"

"Of course not." Henri motioned for his men to lower their weapons. "My men want you to show me the appropriate respect, that's all. Not for me, you understand – I'm a man of the people – but for my country."

"The people?" The sniggering words left Cait's mouth before she could think. Then it felt good. "Which people? The ones you've set killing each other on your behalf?"

"I have not set anyone killing anyone. They are fighting for their rightful King."

Anger clenched her fists and her jaw. The news reports of what was left of St Brigitte's after the attack flooded her mind. "So the slaughter of six hundred children, teachers and nuns at St Brigitte's was a spontaneous outpouring of love for you, was it?"

"That was my brother's doing, not mine." His denial startled her, but she quickly saw it hadn't been for her; Polzin was glaring at him. The Russian raised a hand to touch a small gold pendant, a Russian Orthodox crucifix, not flashy like the diamond encrusted watch he wore.

"Of course it was you! Everyone knows it was you!"

"Shut up, woman," Henri said. "He's not going to listen to your lies."

"How?" Polzin said. "How does everyone know it was him?"

"They don't," Henri said, "because it wasn't. It was Julien. I told you."

"Why would Julien kidnap the daughters of his closest ministers? He already had their support."

"Whose daughters?" Polzin asked.