Wild Fiction

‘Wait,’ Conrad said. ‘I think I know what you’re looking for. It’s under the bench next to the navigation table.’
Hog looked at Conrad and then at Corp and raised his eyebrows.
‘Look under the bench next to the navigation table,’ Corp said to him.
He disappeared inside again and reappeared moments later with the camera case and a wide grin on his face. ‘I have it Corp.’
Corp’s expression did not change. He stared at Conrad for a while before turning to Hog. ‘Throw it down and then go through the rest of the boat and see what they’re trying to hide.’
The smile disappeared from Hog’s face. He threw the case down to Corp who caught it. Corp turned it over in his bony hands, glancing between the box and James and Conrad. He dropped it onto the floor in the back of the powerboat and kicked it into a corner. Hog disappeared inside before emerging again, this time with Rebecca. He was holding her head back by her hair and had one of her arms pinned behind her back. A scratch on his left cheek was bleeding and the blood ran down to his jaw line. There it mixed with the sweat coming from his temples and trickled down his neck to stain his vest.
‘Look what I’ve found,’ Hog said with a proud smile on his face. ‘A little bonus for our efforts. A bit of entertainment for the journey home.’
Rebecca cried out as he twisted her arm further and her bottom lip quivered. Tears were streaming from her eyes and strands of loose hair were plastered across her face. Conrad turned and faced Hog and opened his mouth.
‘Shut it,’ Corp said before Conrad could speak. ‘Hog, leave the girl and get down here. We’ve a job to do mate, we’re not here to play. Plenty of time to play when we’re back in Blighty. Now be a good chap and let her go and let’s get on with business.’
‘Please Corp, just a bit of fun?’ Hog looked imploringly at Corp.
Corp picked the Uzi up to his shoulder and aimed it at Hog’s head. ‘Leave her and get on the boat,’ he said enunciating each word as if it was a bullet coming from the machine gun.
Hog let go of Rebecca who collapsed to the deck crying. ‘Okay Corp now relax. You know I didn’t mean any harm mate,’ he said clambering onto the powerboat.
‘Untie us and push away,’ Corp had his eyes, and the Uzi, pointed at the two boys. From where he was standing Rebecca’s collapsed body was hidden but he could still hear her sobbing.