Some Kind of Wonderful- Part Five by: Enemyoffun Charlie Sandsmark and his mother, Helena, travel around the world from one archaeological dig to another, looking for evidence of the ancient Amazonian culture. So far they have found nothing, until Charlie discovers something wonderful about himself on a small island in the Aegean Sea.

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Author's Note: Already to Chapter Five, it seems like I only started this thing. After last chapter this one is a little slower and more subdued. I kinda see this is the ending of what I've been calling The Island part in my notes, so from this chapter on things are going to be different. I'd like to thank DC Comics for their wonderful characters and djkauf for the fantastic editing.

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Chapter Five:

“Charlie? You’re Charlie?”

I nodded. I couldn’t say anymore for fear of bursting into tears. The two of us were away from the goons now, standing at the other end of the beach. I wasn’t afraid they’d run away because frankly they had nowhere to go. So after initially finding me standing over them, Donna immediately launched into twenty questions. By the way, I was dressed and the way I was standing, I think she thought I was an Amazon come to life. You have to laugh because she was half-right. So after fielding some stupid questions, I told her who I was. I think she was in shock first, wouldn’t you be? But after the third or fourth time explaining, I think she finally got it.

“I don’t know what happened!”

Finally, it happened. I’d been trying to avoid it for the last ten minutes or so but finally the dam broke. Tears started streaming down my cheeks. My body felt numb as I fell against a nearby tree and slid down the trunk. Donna was there in a heartbeat, putting her arm around me. She let me rest my head on her shoulder as I cried. It was too much to deal with all at once. Earlier adrenaline was fueling me, helping me avoid what had happened. Now that things were at a standstill there was no way to avoid the truth. I was a girl now. I’m not sure how it happened or why but I was a girl and there was no way to go back. I tried too. The whole time I was talking to Donna, I fidgeted with the gold bracelets---wrist cuffs. ---trying to get them off. I mean it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened to the gold belt. But no matter how much I tugged on them, they wouldn’t budge.

“We’ll figure this out,” said Donna, moving some hair from my face. “It’s not the end of the world, kiddo, just a little bump.”

That riled me and not in a good way. My anger flared, I couldn’t help it. “A little bump!”

I snapped up to my feet, causing her to stumble a bit. I turned around and punched the tree with all my might. There was a loud snap, the trunk gave way under my blow and the tree came crashing down. It fell into the other trees around it---causing a domino effect---taking five or six trees down around it before stopping. Me, my hand throbbed a bit but other than that, I was all right. Donna sat there with her mouth wide open, unsure of what to say. I was unsure too. It’s not every day that a guy turns into a girl and can level half a forest with a single punch. There was something wrong with me, something inhuman.

“How is that a little bump?”

Donna got to her feet, staring at the wake of destruction one punch left. She looked a little nervous. Then she took a breath. “Ok, so it’s a big bump but it’s not the end of the world.”

I scoffed. “You just said that.”

She smiled. “Well, it’s the truth. You and I can figure this out, ok.”

“What about Mom?”

Neither one of us said anything because neither one of us had an answer. It was easy telling Donna about all of this because I trusted her. Like I said before, I didn’t have a lot of friends except Connor, so besides Connor, Donna was my only other confidant. My grandfather used to listen to my problems too but with him gone, I didn’t really have a lot of people to talk too. There was Grandma but she always only told me “everything works out.” It’s sound advice but it’s all she ever says. My grandfather always used to have a crazy anecdote or some story to help me out. He used to share some stories about my mother as examples. Donna was similar in that she tried to put herself in my shoes and tell me how she’d handle a situation. But the real question was; did I trust my mother not to freak out?

“Your mom will understand.”

I scoffed again. “This is my mother we’re talking about.”

“You don’t give her enough credit.”

“And you idol worship her too much.”

I hated myself after saying that. It was mean and cold hearted but it was the truth. As much as I loved Donna---and I did---, she put too much stock in my mother. She followed her around like a groupie, fetching her coffee, carrying her bag, snapping to attention whenever my mother asked. I know it was her job to be my mother’s assistant but Donna took it one step too far. When we were out in the field, she even cooked all the meals for us. Why, because my mother was too busy working to do it herself. According to Donna, my mother was always too busy working. A week before we left for Greece, there was a big award ceremony for the end of the semester. I mentioned before that I was a B student, except in history. At history, I excelled. At the end of the semester, our school gives out awards to all the students who are at the top of their class. It’s not really a big deal---it’s just a slip of paper and fifty dollar gift certificate to the mall---but it’s a ceremony that parents and family are supposed to attend. My grandmother was there of course but was my mother? Nope, she sent Donna. Not that I wasn’t happy to have Donna there but it wasn’t the first time my Mom did this. A month before that, she actually sent Donna to her own birthday party to get her presents for her. I mean who does that.

Donna looked like I slapped her in the face. It was a low blow. I bit my lip. “Shit” I said, I rarely ever swear aloud. “I’m sorry, Donna. I’m a little off kilter at the moment. I didn’t mean it.”

She nodded then smiled weakly. “Its ok, kiddo.”

But it wasn’t ok, not in the least. I walked over and gave her a hug. It was kinda strange hugging her now. For one thing, Donna used to be a couple of inches taller than me. Being a guy and only being five six was always a problem for me. You can imagine I was the butt of a lot of short jokes. Donna was about five eight and often wore heels---well not in the field of course. Now as I hugged her, the difference in our size was very apparent. I towered over her. I had to be at least six three now, which was insane. I knew I was taller before but now hugging her put things in real perspective. Whatever the hell happened to me changed me into a completely different person.

After our hug, the two of us tried to figure out the best way to tell Mom. But no matter how much we strategized, we came up with the same theory: just be as blunt as possible. Like ripping a band-aid off. So we both took a deep breath and left our little corner of the beach. Donna walked next to me at first but quickly fell behind. Not only was I taller but apparently my long legs made my strides really hard to match. I tried to slow down for her but it was no use. Even walking slow, I out walked her. I think I might have mentioned being a little out of shape before but now it was crazy how fit I was. I had yet to look at anything but my arms and legs but I was certain the rest of my body looked as lean. I mentioned I had a runner’s physique before but I could easily pass for a WNBA player---except with supermodel good looks.

We got back to the spot where I had left the goons. In our absence, per my orders--- they were too afraid not to follow them---Costas and his friend had tied up the others. The three unconscious jackasses were still very much out cold. They were now all on their stomachs, their hands tied behind their backs. Not too far away from the pile of assorted weapons, they’d brought with them. None of them were very effective anymore, except maybe the knife.

I looked at Costas, trying my best to be as stern as I could. “You two stay right there and no funny business.”

Costas nodded numbly, making sure not to look me directly in the eye. I wasn’t sure what to do with the goons actually. There was a sat phone on the boat---Costas’ I think---but I wasn’t ready to call the authorities just yet. To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure how to explain to them what I did to those bastards. I still didn’t have a straight answer on this whole Meta thing–whatever that was. I forgot to ask Donna about it too. She was a lot more news savvy than either me or Mom. But given the circumstances, I suppose the Meta thing could wait for now. I cast a nasty glance at Costas’ friend for good measure then Donna and I walked into the jungle.

Mom was in the temple.

Donna went in first, walking slowly so as not to draw attention. Me, I kinda lingered back. I couldn’t help but take a look around though. When Donna came this morning---wow, was it only this morning---she brought a lot of stuff from the local university with her. Most of it was tools but now there was a little card table set up in one corner, several artifact bins next to that and lights, lots of lights. They were the kind that you see used on movie sets, set up on tri-pods with really bright burning bulbs. Last year I actually touched one by mistake, burned the hell out of my hand. I ended up having to go to the emergency room and everything. The only thing Mom was upset about was losing a day’s work. We were in Calcutta then, trying to see if some ruin there led us to here.

With the lights---situated throughout the temple---everything looked so much different. For the first time I was able to really get a good look at the frieze at the top of the temple. It was an intricately carved scene, wrapping around the whole of ceiling. It told the story of the Amazons as far as I could tell. It looked like a true account too, not some watered down version they might tell in a high school mythology class---not that I took one of those. A lot of the vegetation that had grown into the temple was now removed too; I think Donna did it with the machete at some point. I saw the knife in question resting against one of the pillars, its blade tinged green with all the cutting.

I looked from the frieze to the focal point of the room. The giant statue of Hera was overbearing. It looked down at you just like a Goddess should. Yesterday when I looked up at it, I was kinda freaked out but today I felt solace looking at her. I know it sounds strange, seeing as she was responsible for my newest predicament about a part of me wanted to bow down on a knee and praise her. I wonder if that had anything to do with the fact that I was now her Champion. It was very possible that she somehow hardwired my brain into being loyal to her. I tried not to think about it because it made me angry and this was the last place I needed to lose my temper in.

I finally looked over in Mom’s direction. She was at the same wall, still scribbling away. There weren’t a lot of walls in here actually; most of these temples didn’t really have them. But this one particular corner had two walls; I think it was where they wrote down their history. I’d seen something like this before, don’t ask me where though. Mom was using her penlight again, Donna was clearly talking to her but I’m not sure if she was paying attention or not. I felt bad about Donna telling my Mom what was what but I knew there would be no way that she’d believe I was her son. So I lingered back, leaning against a column as they talked. It didn’t take all that long but for some reason Mom looked disinterested. Donna talked---I could hear her---but Mom continued to work. Of course she worked, that’s all she did was work. After about ten minutes, I got fed up. I should have done this myself anyway. My anger sparked, I stepped away from the column and stormed across the temple, I actually made a sound as I walked.

“Mom” I said, stomping over.

“Not now Charlie, I’m busy.”

That pissed me off even more. The bitch---I know that was harsh but her attitude was pissing me off. She didn’t even look away from the wall when I called to her. She didn’t even notice I had a different voice.

“Mom” I said again a little more forcefully. “Turn around and look at me.”

I’m not sure if it was my tone or the fact that I was telling her to do something. But my mother turned around, ready to yell. But as soon as she did, the color drained from her face. I put my hands on my hips, smirking. She didn’t say anything for the longest time. She continued to stare. I’m not sure if was in shock or awe or even. Finally, she set down her penlight, got up from the ground and walked slowly over. She circled around me a few times, eying me up and down. Then she spoke and when she did, it shocked me:
“That’s interesting.”

My anger boiled over. “That’s it!”

I expected her to be cold; she wouldn’t be Mom if she were anything different. But I didn’t expect her to not care. Well, that’s not true. That’s the first time she ever said I was interesting. It’s not what I wanted to hear but it was the best compliment she’d ever given me. To tell you the truth I thought she might be a little ecstatic. It’s no secret that my mother was the biggest feminist I knew---hell I’ve made mention of it once or twice. So I kinda always thought she was so nasty to me because I was born male. I’m not saying I want to be a girl---far from it---but I always thought that if my mother had had a daughter she would have been much happier. The first thing I thought when I looked in Hera’s mirror–after the shock of course---was maybe Fate has finally gotten it right. Now maybe my mother and I can have a real relationship.

But apparently, I was wrong. My mother didn’t even seem to notice my anger. Instead, she continued to walk around me. At one point, she actually reached over and grabbed a bit of my dress, running the fabric between her thumb and index finger. But she didn’t say anymore. I was too furious to say anything myself so Donna became the explainer. She told my mother everything I told her. I’m not sure if my Mom believed her or not. Instead, she just nodded her head a lot. When Donna was finished, my mother seemed to have a twinkle in her eye. But it disappeared appeared quickly.

“The Girdle” she asked her voice soft and barely audible. “Can I see it?”

I sighed. “I don’t know what happened to it. I put it on and it disappeared.”

I couldn’t tell her what I thought. In truth, I was pretty certain it had somehow transformed into the bracelets on my wrists. But I didn’t tell her that. I wasn’t ready to share that much with her. But that didn’t stop her from asking about it anyway. She had a lot of questions and I did my best to answer them. In fact, I did better than that. I led her over to the statue that I originally saw the belt on. I think it was the first time she’d seen it because her face lit up. She ran back over to the wall, grabbed her stuff and went over to the statue.

“You saw this before” she asked, flustered. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“You wouldn’t have listened.”

She ignored me. Instead, she went over to the statue and touched its waist. I flinched. She was after all touching the bronzed body of my Queen. Yeah, my brain isn’t hardwired at all. I inwardly groaned, not sure, how I was going to handle all this devotion stuff. First to Hera and now to Hippolyta too. Suddenly I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and turned to see Donna standing there. She was holding my mother’s sat phone. I smiled at her then looked back over to Mom. We told her about the tomb raiders, how Costas betrayed us but she didn’t seem too fazed by it. Instead, she told Donna to contact the authorities.

“Did you call?” I asked; Donna nodded.

“C’mon, let’s get you out of that dress” She shuddered. “You’ve gotta be a little drafty in that thing. I might have some stuff that’ll fit.”

I nodded, blushing a bit. I tugged on the end of the flimsy thing---it barely covered my bare butt. I let Donna lead me out of the temple. I stopped at the entrance, turning to look back at my mother and sighed. For a moment there, I thought the two of us were going to share something. But just like typical mom, she completely ignored me for her work.

I shook my head and walked out of the temple.

“I’m so jealous right about now.”

We were in her tent, Donna was trying not to look but it was kind of hard not to. After leaving the temple, she told me how long it would take the authorities to get here and said we had some time to make me look halfway decent. What did that mean exactly? She practically dragged me to her tent---which was actually a lot bigger and roomier than the one person ones that Mom and I used. There was so much room in fact that I could almost stand up which was amazing. I once complained to my mother about Donna’s tent being so much bigger than mine and Donna fired back that she was a girl and needed more room for her things. Back then I had no idea what she was talking about but now as I looked around I could see why the space was so important to her.

It was amazing how much crap she had. Instead of a sleeping bag she had an air mattress, instead of the little battery powered fans mom and I had, she had a portable air conditioner. Her tent had two rooms, one of which had a little table where her laptop was set up. Somehow, she got internet service out here as well as cell service. I’m not sure how she managed; maybe it was because her father was loaded. I think I might have neglected to mention that before. Donna’s father---Edward Troy---was a huge Art Financier from New York. He treated his daughter like a princess, anything she wanted he got for her. But Donna was far from spoiled. Though she may have been a Daddy’s Girl, she got everything else by working for it. Like the TA position with my mother and a spot on this trip. Originally, it was going to be a couple of Grad students but Donna fought to get it. My mother rewarded her for her tenacity. The Grad students got left back at home, kinda bummed that their Greek vacation got cancelled.

What does any of this have to do with her being jealous of me? Absolutely nothing. The reason for her jealousy had everything to do with the two huge fleshy globes hanging off my chest. Ok, not really that huge but bigger than hers apparently. As soon as we got to the tent, the first thing she made me do was drop the dress, which I can tell you was extremely embarrassing. Donna looked a little longer than I would have liked; then after snapping out of the trance, she went rummaging through her duffel looking for something for me to put on.

I was modestly trying to cover both my chest and my nether regions at the same time. There was no way I was ever going to get used to this girl thing.

“I’m sorry that I don’t have any bras that’ll fit,” she said, pulling out some clothes. “But yours are bigger than mine.”

I blushed. “Just as long as they’re covered.”

She passed a black tank top and a pair of jean cutoffs into my hands. The underwear I was wearing belonged to me. Thankfully, I only wore boxers to bed, the rest of the time it was briefs. I stopped by my tent for a split second before she completely dragged me here. Apparently, girls don’t wear each other’s underwear. Don’t ask me why. I quickly pulled the tank top over my head, getting it all tangled with my hair and having a hell of a time getting it over my boobs. When it was finally on, I realized how tight it was. The shorts were tight too. I could barely zip them shut but I managed.

“I’m sorry about the fit,” said Donna as she came behind me, taking my hair into her hands. “We’ll go shopping as soon as we get back to the mainland.”

I groaned. “I can hardly wait.”

She didn’t respond. Instead she took my long hair---it went almost to my butt---and pulled it into a ponytail. She used a couple of rubber bands to tie it in place. I didn’t care what she used as long as it was off my back and neck. Long hair was a pain in the ass, especially in all this heat. I wonder if I could get it all chopped off. I think I could work that look---maybe shave it to my scalp like Demi Moore in that Navy Seal movie. But I knew what I looked like now and there was no way I could pull off the butch look. I had to face facts, I was a knock out and the hair unfortunately matched the way I looked.

“I think our feet are the same size though” she said as she finished with my hair and went over to her duffel again, taking out a pair of sandals. “Thank God for that.”

She handed me the shoes and I slipped them on my feet. Even my feet felt and looked bigger. I was small everything as a guy and now I was oversized. Ok, that was pushing it a bit but I was definitely bigger than before. It felt strange being this tall too; everything was out of proportion for me now. Crawling into my tent for instance was definitely a new experience. Before the one person tent was just right for my size, now I hardly fit in there. I’m not sure what I was going to have to do if I had to sleep in there one more night.

After getting dressed, Donna and I left the tent. According to her calculations, the authorities should be here anytime. So the two of us walked back toward the beach. This time I managed to walk a little slower so she could keep up with me but it was pretty hard. It was definitely going to be hard to get used to all these changes. I wasn’t a fan of change. When I graduated from fifth grade and moved up from elementary school to middle school, it took me a while to adjust. Thankfully, my grandfather was there to tell me that things were going to be different, better in fact. He told me that now that I was in a higher school, I was older and was expected to take on more responsibilities. Which didn’t sound very good to an eleven year old until he explained that people would start treating me better, too.

He probably would have said the same thing to me when I went from middle school to high school, if he’d been around that is. I wonder what he’d say to me now. What could someone say that wouldn’t freak me out?

We got back to beach to see Costas and his friend smoking a pair of cigarettes. The two of them looked nothing like two bastards who had tried to kill us only an hour or so ago. When they saw us approach, the color drained from their faces. I’m not sure if they were really afraid of Donna but the sight of me I think reminded them of their wet crotches. As soon as I got within five feet or so, they snubbed out their cigarettes. I had to smile at that. I didn’t mind smoking but it was rude for them to defile my beach like that. I groaned, there I go again. If I ever talked to Hera again, she and I were going to have words about this whole Amazon mentality; it was driving me insane.

We stood around and waited. It didn’t take long. I’m not really up to date on authority structure in this part of the world; you need my mother to know all that. All I know is that several boats arrived, each filled with men in black jump suits. I think they might have been the Greek Navy but as far as I could tell, they could have been the police too. They stormed the beach though, wielding machine guns. They moved like a uniformed military group. They secured the beach first, circled the destroyed boat then moved onto to us. I think there was a bit of confusion on their part because guns were pointing everywhere, including at us.

Costas and his friend threw their hands up in the air; Donna did too. I crossed my arms, standing my ground. I wasn’t going to let these jackasses intimidate me. One of them---with a thin mustache and black beret---came forward; he was clearly in charge.

“Cooperate, Miss, and this will go a lot smoother,” he said in accented English.

I fired back in Greek. “Those are the guys you want. I should know; I mopped the floor with them.”

The men around me chuckled. The leader raised one of his eyebrows. He looked at the three unconscious men tied up on the ground and then at me. He chuckled a bit too. The laughing pissed me off. I’m not sure but I think this Amazon wiring made me quick to anger. One minute I was standing there and the next I moved. It was faster than the closer guy could react. I grabbed the end of his gun, bent the barrel upwards and tore it from his grasp. I held the useless weapon in one hand as I grabbed the front of his uniform, lifting him off the ground. His comrades reacted instantly, snapping their weapons around to face me. I could see the look of fear in their eyes, their hands trembling. Their boss even looked scared, even more so when he saw the gold bracelets on my wrists.
His eyes widened a bit. Was that recognition maybe?

“Lower your weapons,” he snapped.

“Charlie” I heard Donna’s voice.

I turned my head to her and saw the fear written all over her face. Like I said before, I reacted before I thought. It had to be some new conditioning. Apparently the new me didn’t like it when people pointed guns at me. Maybe it’s some kind of defense mechanism. I groaned, lowering the soldier to the ground. I let go of his uniform, then smiled sheepishly as I straightened out the ruffles for him. His face was pale but he nodded slightly. Then I handed back his gun, trying to look as guilty as possible. He nodded as he took it with shaking hands.

“We apologize for the misunderstand, miss” said their boss, his voice had a shaking fear to it. “We have a procedure to follow.”

I nodded. “Just as long as there’s no more guns pointed in my face I think we’ll be ok.”

He nodded vigorously. I felt a hand slip into mine, wrapping tight around my fingers. I didn’t have to look to know it was Donna. She gave it a reassuring squeeze. I think she figured out that my reaction earlier was something I didn’t consciously do. She wiped my cheek, getting the tear that I didn’t even know was there. I wanted to cry some more but that wouldn’t have solved anything. Instead, I explained things to the Boss soldier. His name turned out to be Captain Andreas, which strangely enough actually means “manly.” I had to smile at that. Captain Manly---snicker---listened as I told him about the tomb raiders and how I apprehended them.

He seemed particularly interested in my superhuman feats. Like before, his eyes wandered to my wrists. I looked too, knowing this time that he recognized them. He caught me looking and quickly pretended he was looking elsewhere. But there was no doubt about it, he knew about my bracelets.

I didn’t get a chance to ask him though. After questioning me some, he assisted his men with the goons. He oversaw as they lifted the unconscious ones off the ground and carried them to the boats. Medics checked out all three, one of them--- the guy who I threw over my shoulder--- had to be carried off on a stretcher. I should have felt bad for that but I didn’t. After handcuffing Costas and his friend, I watched, as they were loaded onto a boat too. Costas looked directly at me, his eyes trying to seek forgiveness. I turned my head away; there would be none of that from me.

Andreas came back over at that. “The two of you will need to accompany us back to the main land; we need to get your statements.”

Donna snapped into scholar mode. “We can’t leave here, there’s precious work to be done. Now more than ever.”

Andreas took on a serious tone. “This island and all its contents are property of the Grecian government. Your being here is in violation of Greek law, this is a protected wildlife habitat.”

“Wildlife?” Donna scoffed “there’s only bugs on here.”

I scoffed. And a really nasty peacock. Who I haven’t seen nor heard from in a while. I wonder if the bastard drowned. Hey, a guy---err---girl can dream, right?

“I’m sorry Miss Troy but we have protocol to follow.”

Donna sighed. “I understand. But what about the professor, she’s not going to be too happy.”

“Professor?” asked Andreas, surprise in his voice. “There’s another person here?”

I nodded. “My mother, Dr. Helena Sandsmark, she’s in the jungle at the ruins.”

“Ruins? What ruins?”

Before I could say anything further, Andreas made a motion toward the jungle. Three of his men ran off before I could react. I suppose I could have run off after them and intercepted them, but I’d already caused enough trouble. Besides, I wasn’t really in the mood to create an international incident. So I let the men go. But if they so much as hurt a hair on my mother’s head there was going to be hell to pay. I don’t like my mother all that much but I’ll be damned if I was going to let some Greek ass manhandle her. I proved my point by crossing my arms and glaring at Andreas some. He paled again, looking like he wanted to run back to the boats and scream for his Mommy. I wanted him to be scared. I’d decided that I wasn’t going to like him ever since his men pointed guns at the two of us, too. But I didn’t want to alienate him too much because I needed to know what he knew. It was too much of a coincidence for him to show up here and know something about the metal ware I was currently in possession of.

“Get your hands off of me,” shouted a familiar voice from behind us.

I turned around and saw two of Andreas' men carrying Mom out of the jungle; the third was carrying her bag and some of her research. Mom was struggling and kicking. Me, my anger flared. I moved fast, too fast for any of them to see coming. I barreled at the man carrying the stuff first, catching him by surprise. I disarmed him and threw him to the ground. Then I snapped around, grabbing one of the guys holding my mother while kicking the other. Both of them let go of her pretty quick. The one I kicked went flying about ten feet into the air before landing several feet away in the sand, dazed but unharmed. The one I grabbed I was currently holding off the ground by his throat.

My mother looked at me and I think for the first time she smiled. It didn’t last very long.

Then she spoke, with her usual tone. “Put him down, Charlie.”

I reluctantly did so. Captain Andreas walked over quickly, looking grim and scared. He looked at the man I just dropped then at me and finally at my mother.

Recognition flashed between the two of them.

Andreas spoke first: “Dr. Sandsmark, I see you’re causing trouble again.”

“Captain Andreas, I see you’re still an ass as usual.”

The Captain smirked. “What did I tell you about poking around in places you don’t belong? Last time I gave you a warning, this time I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you into custody.”

My mother scoffed, holding out her arms, wrists facing up. Me, I pushed her arms down and stepped in between the two of them. I didn’t care what the history here was; there was no way he was laying a finger on her. “If you go anywhere near her, I’ll make you eat those damn cuffs.”

“Miss Sandsmark, you may be strong and fast but my men will fire if they have to.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

He smiled a bit but there was something else there too, pride maybe?

“That may be the case but do you really want your mother and friend to be hurt in the crossfire?”

He had a point. I looked over at Donna; one of Andreas’ men had her arms pulled behind her back, the cuffs already on them. I growled at that but Andreas had me beat. Even if I managed to take out most of his men, it would have been very easy for him to do something bad to either Mom or Donna. As strong as I appeared to be now there was no way I could handle all this, not alone anyway. I sighed in defeat and nodded my head. I stepped aside and Andreas cuffed my mother. She looked at me and I think for the first time she might have been a little proud. I smiled at her but her proud expression quickly disappeared like her smile earlier.

I wasn’t finished though. Not by a long shot. I glared at Andreas, now I definitely didn’t like this man. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

“You have my word that she will be treated with the respect someone of her caliber deserves.”

I nodded. “I’m watching you.”

His mouth twitched in fear. I smirked then Andreas led my mother off toward the boats. I followed close behind. Before getting on the boat, I turned back and looked at the island with longing. I hated to leave it because I was certain there were other things here that I needed to know, important things. I sighed. But given the choice between it and my mother, I chose her.