Present day – Thursday, 20th October

But perhaps it's not too late. Perhaps he's also been washed up on the shore, perhaps she can find him. She must find him; she's his only hope. She forces herself to sit up and then stand, her muscles screaming in protest, her hands, feet and face numb, and her whole body trembling from the cold. She staggers for a few steps up the beach, away from relentless pull of the waves as they crash against her legs and knock her over, sucking her towards the sea. The tide must be turning, she realises in a panic as she pushes herself upright again, gritting her teeth in determination.

Once clear of the surf, she turns and looks up and down the beach. She can't see anything. It's almost pitch black and the rain is falling in sheets. She blinks rapidly to clear her vision and raises a shaking hand to shield her eyes from the rain, desperately scanning the area along the surf for any sign of Harry. With every flash of lightning, she can make out the rocks at either end of the beach, sticking out into the ocean, and she can hear the waves pummelling into them. It's rather like being in a nightclub with those flashing black lights that illuminate everything for a few seconds at a time. Only the pulses of light here are less frequent and there is no sign of life, just the desolate landscape of an isolated beach in a storm.

Yesterday morning – Wednesday, 19th October

It's wonderful to come out on deck and smell the fresh air though she has to blink rapidly and scrunch her eyes up to shield them from the light after being kept so long in the dark. As the man leading her forwards roughly pulls her to an abrupt halt, her eyes have adjusted somewhat and she can see that they've docked somewhere remote. There's just a fisherman's hut next to the narrow, wooden jetty, and being lead along it towards her and Adam, who is standing beside her, his hands bound behind his back, is Harry.

"I've kept my end of the bargain," he says, his voice carrying clearly over to them. "Let them go."

"I don't think so," the dark haired man standing in front of Harry answers with a laugh. "Why would I let them go when I can keep all three of you for insurance until it's over?" He laughs again and tells his men, "Put him inside with the others."

At that moment, however, several things happen at once. Three Land Rovers appear out of nowhere and Ruth sees Zaf lean out of the passenger window of the first car and begin shooting. Harry takes a dive into the man on his right, sending him careering off balance into the sea, Adam pitches his weight against the man holding Ruth by the arms and yells for her to run. She attempts to do just that, but loses her footing and falls onto the deck. Next thing she knows, she's being yanked to her feet and hoisted onto someone's shoulders before she's carried down below again, desperately kicking to break free. But even before she's locked back into the cabin, she can feel the yacht begin to move again, speeding away from her rescuers.

"You're going to pay for that, you little bitch," the man who throws her unceremoniously onto the floor growls near her ear before he turns and leaves, locking the door behind him.

She lies there, cowering in the corner in fear. They haven't brought Adam back, and even though part of her hopes this means that he's escaped and is safe with Zaf and the others, another part of her desperately wishes him back to comfort her. It's so much more terrifying on her own. She can well imagine the fate that awaits her at the hands of these madmen. Rape certainly, torture possibly, and if she's lucky, a quick death by gunshot. If she's not, they might dump her overboard to drown. She shivers at the thought and almost jumps when the door opens again.

She scrambles to her feet, pressing herself against the wall of the cabin furthest from the door. The man who brought her in earlier laughs at her fear and says, "Not yet, sweetheart. The boss still has things for me to do. I've brought you a friend." Then he turns and pulls Harry into the room, shoving him hard towards her and laughing as he stumbles a little. "I'll be back later," he says and pauses for a moment as he pulls the door to, grinning wickedly and adding, "And you can watch, mate." Then chuckling to himself, he closes and locks the door.

She feels tears spring to her eyes and a small sob escapes her lips as she crouches down against the cabin wall. She's never been so scared in her life before. When she feels movement close to her, she looks up in alarm only to find Harry gazing at her in concern, his eyes gentle and kind as he murmurs her name. "Harry," she breathes in relief and gives him an almost smile, the best she can manage right now. He moves next to her and sits down with his back against the wall and she instinctively turns towards him, pressing her face into his shoulder as she fights to hold in the tears that threaten to escape.

"Shhhhh..." he murmurs softly and she's sure she feels his lips press gently against her hair. "I won't let them hurt you, Ruth. I promise. We'll find a way to get out of this mess."

She nods, drawing courage from his words and solid presence. "Adam?" she asks as she lifts her head to look at him.

"I don't know," he shakes his head. "He fell overboard and his hands were tied, but they got us out of there pretty quick, so I hope Zaf had a chance to get to him in time."

She nods and they're quiet for a few moments before she asks, "What are we going to do, Harry?"