The Taken Girls by Glenn Cooper

Author:Glenn Cooper [Cooper, Glenn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800242227
Publisher: Head of Zeus

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The return flight to Reggio Calabria was crowded. Every seat of Mickey’s Gulfstream was filled, thanks to the presence of one shift of the British private security guards. Mickey chartered a second plane for the other two shifts of Brits. By popular demand, Marcus sat with the girls and their omnipresent board games. It was the first he’d seen them since the attack and they were noticeably subdued.

Victoria wanted to know why his arm was in a sling.

“The bad man poked me with something sharp,” was the most benign way he could think to put it.

“Does it hurt?”

“Of course, it hurts,” Elizabeth interjected.

“It only hurts a little now,” he said. Just about the last thing he could be accused of was having the sensitivity of a therapist, but he felt he ought to confront the obvious. “What happened in your room was scary.”

“Were you scared?” Victoria asked.

“I was very scared,” he said.

“I thought you were going to die,” Elizabeth said, playing with her hair.

“I did too,” he admitted.

“I’m glad you didn’t die,” Victoria said.

“Yeah, me too,” he said. “I’ve heard it helps to talk about scary things.”

“A lady came to talk to us,” Elizabeth told him. “She was nice. Did she talk to you?”

“No, I talked to your granddad, Mickey, and my friend, Roberto.”

“Oh,” Victoria said, setting up the pieces on the board. “Let’s play.”

Mickey was watching from his seat by the cockpit. He flashed Marcus a thumbs-up.

Later, when they were airborne, Marcus sidled back toward the lavatory and stopped to exchange pleasantries with Celeste and Carter who were sitting together. They had boarded before him and he hadn’t seen them since the incident.

“Good to see you’re on the mend,” Carter said. “I mean, what the hell, Marcus? This place is like the wild west. And in the shadow of the Vatican! But you’re one tough hombre, my friend. My hat is off to you.”

“The girls are bringing the crazies out, that’s for sure,” Marcus said. He pointed toward the musclemen aft. “It’s good that Mickey has the resources for these guys. I’m done playing Superman.”

“Well, when you’re up for it, I’ve got some interesting info for you from the CUFOM people.”

“Good,” he said unconvincingly. “Later.”

Celeste had been looking at him intently and she reached out to touch his hand. “I was so, so worried about you, Marcus. They wouldn’t allow me to see you.”

He told her he appreciated it, then added, “I understand from Mickey that your vision factory’s been busy.”

“It’s hardly a factory, Marcus,” she said. “My visions come to me spontaneously, wholly unlike the output of a factory. But yes, I had a vision about Jesper. I saw him in a remote forest, bathed in light. He said he was coming home.”

“Well, let’s hope you’re right,” Marcus said. “That would make his father extremely happy.”

His last few paces toward the lavatory were interrupted by a huge arm projecting from a bulging T-shirt.

“Just wanted to shake your hand, sir,” the man said in a British accent as three other young men looked on, nodding.

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