REDThe water stole the warmth from my bones. Each kick was a desperate, burning effort against the weight of my soaked clothes, the dock a distant promise of freedom I could feel slipping away. The ship's horn, a mournful blast in the night air, was the sound of my hope dying. I was so close. So close I could taste the salt on my lips and imagine the anonymous crowd in the port city, a place to disappear.Then a light cut through the darkness, sweeping across the churning black surface. It found me, pinned me like an insect. A boat engine growled to life, closing the distance with terrifying speed. I knew before I saw him. It wasn't the frantic scramble of guards. It was the calm, certain approach of a man retrieving his property.Ricki cut the engine, letting the small craft drift alongside me. He didn't call my name. He didn't speak at all. He simply leaned over the gunwale, his silhouette a stark monument against the lesser lights of the facility, and reached into the water. His h
Last Updated : 2026-06-01 Read more