Chapter 670: I Will Help

Mina was glad that Nael reserved a flatbed truck because she was only halfway done with her list and the back was already full. There were two men guarding her things as she shopped, and had it not been for her constantly buying food for them, she was sure they would have been rushing her. She stocked up on soaps, lotions, and sunscreens, but she did not have to get water because Nael told her that the shower within his suite was connected and working. He typically did not fill the water tank, but because she was paying, he decided to have it serviced.

"What if we find you a safe place tomorrow?" Leal asked as he watched Mina clear an entire shelf of feminine hygiene products.

"There are other women on your ship. I can give it to them."

"Kind gestures like that aren't always taken well on the ship."

"I won't be on the ship," Mina quipped, and Leal smirked at her.

"You really think that people aren't going to follow you?" Mina stiffened. She stared at Leal as though he just whispered a curse into her life before rapidly blinking.

"Then how will you guarantee my safety?" She asked in a shaky tone.

"My brother went to make the arrangement for that." Leal lifted her hand and inspected her fingers and wrist. "You'll need something small and without a lot of torque. It may take him a while to find it." Mina withdrew her hand, and Leal continued to follow her around as she picked up random things.

After visiting a few more shops, Mina was finally done with her list, and it was obvious that everyone was exhausted. She treated them to one last meal that was interrupted by Nael, who had his arm draped over a beautiful woman. He passionately kissed her before sending her off, and Mina could not help but to think of every kiss she once shared with President Lee. Nael plopped into the seat next to her, flashing a toothy grin that told her he found what he was looking for. Once again, Mina's mind was drawn to President Lee, who had a smile that made her heart flutter. Nael was a handsome man, but he was rugged, and while his teeth were not brown or even yellow, they were not as white as the man on Mina's mind.

"Shouldn't feed the dogs," Nael griped, and Mina scoffed, removing the plate that the man had pulled in front of him. Leal chuckled at her actions, but Nael looked annoyed.

"Relax bro, it was just a joke." Nael rolled his eyes, and snatched the plate back from Mina, who playfully scrunched her nose at the two men who had spent all day guarding her things. They kept their head down, but she could see a tiny smirk on at least one of their faces.

"Are you finished your highness?" Nael said sarcastically, and Mina nodded, sensing that her joke rubbed him the wrong way. "Good. We'll take your things back to the ship, then go to the range." Mina agreed, and from her pocket, she produced a plastic jar that she slid over to the man.

"Sorry," she whispered, but Nael waved her words away, picking up the container before looking at her with a raised brow.

"I know that I wake you often. I was hoping those would help." Nael stared at the disposable earplugs then looked up at his brother, who rattled a bottle of his own. He had not asked her why she screamed and cried at night because he knew, just like his brother knew; she was being haunted.

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Mina stood in the range, shooting at dark silhouette targets. Her fingers and wrist hurt, but Nael forced her to keep shooting. He told her she was getting better, but he was not even paying attention. He was literally sitting under yet another woman, who lustfully giggled as the man did things to her under her dress. Mina did not have to look to know, she had once been in the same position with President Lee, and she knew the sounds it produced well.

"Can I please leave?" she asked, and Nael waved her away. She stepped out of the room, and Leal followed her.

"Ami, wait. Let me see," he said, grabbing her shoulder to stop her. "If it's sore, I can buy something to wrap it before we set sail." Mina nodded, but the man did not release her wrist. "My brother is difficult to understand, but he isn't trying to embarrass you."

"I know," Mina replied. "I'm just not used to being made a witness to such things."

"I can tell, and so can he, but Ami; that doesn't fit your story." Mina furrowed her brows and Leal chuckled at her. "You aren't anyone's abandoned child. Abandoned girls don't last very long on the streets of Sani; Mills is an exception. Don't even get me started on your accent." To throw the man off, Mina began to speak in the Sani language, but Leal just laughed, and replied to her in the same tongue. "Anyone can learn a language, but don't worry, I won't say anything unless my brother brings it up."

"Why?" Mina asked, scared that Leal may use it to blackmail her.

"Because it has been a long time since I haven't been able to read a person."

Mina chose to ignore the man's words, and he led her to a car which was being driven by one of the men who guarded her purchases. She did not exactly feel comfortable with him, but it was much better than her being driven by someone hostile. For example, there were three men who had come to attack her, but one ran to get help from Leal. While he was spared, Mina still did not trust him, and as punishment for his unprovoked crime, the man was put on deck duty, which almost always came with the threat of heatstroke; and she was sure he hated her.

"Thanks," Mina said, waiving to the man who stopped the car to wait for the ferry.

"Sorry Ami, but Captain Nael said I have to look out for you anytime he isn't around." Mina could not tell if the man was lying, but she did not argue. "Also, thank you for standing up for me at dinner, but you don't have to do things like that."

"I don't like to see people being talked down to," Mina replied absentmindedly, unaware that her words were being taken well.

"People talk down to you all the time," the man said, and Mina shrugged.

"I was mocked most of my life."

"If you don't mind my asking, how'd you get on our boat. You don't really seem like the out for blood type." Mina chuckled, but then images of the people being thrown overboard and the man she stabbed pushed forward in her mind, and tears started to fall from her eyes.

"That painful?" The man questioned, and it was then that Mina noticed he was staring at her.

"What about you?" Mina asked, not expecting the man to be brutally honest. He was on the run for multiple murders and as odd as it was, she sympathized with him. He had tracked down and killed the people who were responsible for the gruesome deaths of his sister's entire family. Her husband was addicted to gambling, and he paid the ultimate price. "You did what you had to do," Mina said. The car fell into silence as Mina stared at the ship, uneager to get on the ferry alone, and the man seemed to sense this. He reminded her that he was to see her across and she found a hint of comfort in his words.

"Hey Ami, I saw that you bought paint," The man said. "I'm good with my hands. I can help if you need any."

"I would like that," Mina said with a smile.

During the ferry ride, Mina explained to the man that she wanted to repaint her room, but after finding out that she was in the captain's quarters, he refused to help. She was okay with that, and when they got to her room, he stayed to guard the door. Mina began to sift through the things she purchased. She had overdone it, but there was no telling how long she would be at sea, and like she told Leal, any extra could be given away.

Unable to relax, Mina opened a can of paint and began to cover one of the walls with it. They were an ugly gray color that she did not want to see anymore. She wanted to feel like she was home, and by that she meant, in the room that President Lee had given her. The blue was not perfect, and it was cheap, but it did the job, and Mina found herself sobbing. She missed the man so much that it hurt, but he had chosen Lisa, and while she wanted to believe it was because he had to, he never bothered to explain it himself.

Done with painting the walls, Mina made her way to the shower room within the suite in dread. It was a shared space with three shower stalls, and while the door locked, she knew she would not be able to. She was unaware, but Nael was watching her the entire time, and in her fear, she resolved to fill her bucket and wash her major areas in the sink the way she had been doing for the last two months.

"Does it need to be cleaned?" Nael asked, and Mina jumped in fright. She shook her head vigorously, but when she tried to walk away, the man grabbed her arm. "Did something happen to you in a restroom?" he questioned.

"No," Mina responded. "I just…" she paused, wondering if she should lie, but it was unlikely that the man would lock her up. If he wanted to get rid of her, he would throw her overboard. "I have trouble locking doors."

"Physically?" the man quizzed in confusion, and despite herself, Mina chuckled.

"I spent a long time locked in a room. When I came out, I wasn't the same." The man made a noise of understanding, and without warning he pushed her into the room and locked the door.

Panic immediately overtook Mina, and she banged on the surface, pounding on it as tears spilled from her eyes. She looked around for a secondary escape, but there was none. However, just before her panic attack threatened to make her faint, She heard the door unlock, and she crashed through it in relief.

"Sh*t," Nael said, taking in her haggard and sweaty appearance. "I thought you were trying to gain pity from me." He pulled her to her feet and sat her on his couch where Mina struggled to catch her breath. "How can you live like this?" Mina was still working to catch her breath, but she answered the man anyway.

"If I don't know the door is locked…" She allowed her sentence to trail off and the man nodded in understanding.

"What would have happened if I left you in there for a longer time?" Nael questioned, and not wanting the man to experiment again, she told the truth. "Ami, I know you don't trust me, but I think I can help."

"You don't trust me either," Mina quipped and Nael wagged his finger at her as if her words were spot on.

"Those things have nothing to do with one another. You are staying in my suite and if you can't lock the door behind you."

"I'll put you in danger," Mina finished for him.

"Smart girl."

"I will work on it," she promised. Nael lifted her chin, which once again brought back memories of President Lee who would have done the same thing.

"And I will help you."