Chapter 231 - The Islet Mystery 47

Mr. Te reached for his phone as soon as he was inside the jail warden's office. It was where he could have the freedom of calling anyone without being conscious of getting caught.

"Have you checked the site?" Mr. Te asked one of his men whom he assigned to monitor Ryan's activity on the island.

"Yes, sir, and there's no sign of anyone of them surviving," answered the man whose brows creased into a frown. Who would ever survive in that strong water vortex? He couldn't even imagine how the boat would crush into tiny pieces once it slams into the seabed.

"That's good," Mr. Te answered, his thoughts immediately recaptured the full span of the mighty vortex. He who was familiar with the rocky bottoms and the caves underneath the water in this territory, couldn't doubt his report. There was one time when a yacht capsized in this area, and most of its passengers were no longer found. The search and rescue team then concluded that, perhaps, all of them were trapped into vortices and got sucked under the caves. It was too dangerous for any rescuer to go deeper and their scanner could not detect what's inside those caves. Snorkelers and divers were even restricted in this area.

Mr. Te called another number, and this time, a low and husky voice answered. He shook his head as he listened to Joey. This man stayed loyal to them and followed their orders even through phone calls only.

"Joey, how are your guests?" Joey could now tell that this voice belonged to Mr.Te, and he instantly felt his blood rising into his head. Throughout the years he had been serving them, he had not seen any of his two bosses yet. However, he was already familiar with their voices.

"They are with me," he answered softly, holding back the desire to cuss and snarl at him. He knew he was worthless against the might of  Mr. Te, but he could still harm him in small ways as a speck of irritating dust to the eye.

"Keep them there until I tell you what's the next thing to do," Mr. Te ordered,  his voice a lazy tone. "In a few days, I will be busy with the wedding preparation, so I'll get back once I'm over with this. Let them enjoy their watery prison."

"Noted, sir," he replied, throwing a glance at Allie and Ajie, who held their breaths as they listened to him.

Joey did not talk about what he and Mr. Te discussed. He smiled at them and looked ahead. However, his smile disappeared as he looked into the now opened cove. The water had started subsiding, separating the rocky top border from the water level. It was dark and cold ahead, and his worries for Allie heightened.

"Let's bring a water mat so Allie can lie down in it when she gets tired." Having suggested this, he went back inside and grabbed three light water mats. With lights turned off outside the house, they made their way out of the cove, following the course of the Chara channels.

With the surge of adrenaline and the will to escape, Allie swam fast with the two men with her, resting at intervals when they got tired. All they could see around was total darkness and the only light they could see was the glow of Chara blooms underneath. After several miles of swimming when their strong will to survive was their only propellers, they decided to spread their mats and gather strength for those other miles they had to overcome.cos

"I, now, understand," Joey broke the silence as their panting subsided. They lay on their stomach to keep their eyes on the glow of Chara blooms while floating snugly on their mats together.

"What, uncle?" Ajie asked, lifting his head over Allie to look at Joey.

"I, now, understand why Ryan did not hesitate to help me. Shiela's medication costs more than a million, not to mention the cost of her rehabilitation."

"Do you mean Ryan saw her at the hospital?" Allie butted in.

"I don't know, but all this time, the salary he gives me is too big for the scope of my assignment. When Shiela decided to venture on her business,  I only borrowed a little from him to add into the savings I had."

"Did Ryan deducted it from your salary?"

"No, I even complained, but he said he is increasing my salary."

Ajie and Allie laughed as they thought about Ryan's drama all this time.

"What's your first job with him?" Ajie asked, wanting to know if Ryan engaged himself in drug trafficking.

"To look for a pregnant woman. Who would have thought that my first assignment was to look for my daughter?" Joey chuckled, fascinated by the thought of his role back then.

"And who send you here now?"

"It was Ryan, but I haven't got orders yet other than waiting for his call at the hotel."

"He keeps you here to save Shiela if the need arises," Allie commented.

Joey stared at Allie, then silently nodded. He got lost in his thoughts until he heard the sound of a boat coming towards them. He jolted from his mat and jumped into the water.

"Ajie, Allie, dip in, fast! It could be the boss's men patrolling in the water."

"Are we caught?" Allie whispered, her sprinting heartbeats choked her airways in a blink of an eye.

"Perhaps," Ajie seconded as his eyes grew wide the moment he realized that someone from the boat aimed a headlight at them.

Before they knew it, someone from the boat shouted at Joey. "Joey, how much are these people paying you that you sell your loyalty to them?"

The three looked at their captors together. There were three of them inside the boat, clad in black coverall suits. Then, through the silence of the night, they heard their simultaneous movements as they pulled the triggers of their guns and aimed it at them. As one of the men raised his gun higher, a voice interrupted. "Wait, let's inform the boss first."

Allie's breaths were already in her throat. The exhaustion in swimming and her intensified fear weakened her knees that she felt like fainting already. If it were not for the buoyancy that Chara channels naturally provide, she would have drowned. Ajie reached out to her and pushed her behind him, shielding her from the men though he knew it could only do little to protect her. His gaze was sharp and alert, and his mind did a quick drill on how to make a lightning-fast escape.

"What? Joey betrayed us? Throw him together with those other two to the vortex! Let them all join in their fathomless grave," Mr. Te's voice echoed through the serene surroundings.

With guns aimed at them, they climbed into the boat. Allie was already sobbing. She knew very well that begging wouldn't change their abductor's mind.

"Kill me on behalf of these two. I don't believe they are worthy of the boss's cruelty," Joey demanded as he gazed into one of the men.

"We are only following orders. Who are you to demand?" yelled the man, his eyes throwing daggers at Joey. They had been disturbed from their sleep when they got the notice that these three had escaped.

Their arguments heightened as Joey pleaded on behalf of Ajie and Allie, even suggesting to leave them in the water. Anyway, their exhaustion, hunger, and hypothermia would eventually lead them to their death.

Before anyone of them gave way, the boat stopped, and everyone lay their gazes on the angry whirling of the waters.  The three men jumped and left Ajie, Allie, and Joey on the boat, pushing them afterward into the circling current of the water. The waves of the men's laughter echoed into the lonely night as the three swirled around until the center of the vortex sucked them down towards their freedom!