Through a stinging, painful fog Tom hears them jabbering in Italian.
His eyes are burning from the OC – Oleorisin capsicum. Now he feels a different kind of spray in his face. Lagoon water. He's on a boat, moving somewhere.
'Attenzione!' someone shouts.
He's awake – and they're aware he's awake. Before Tom can shut his eyes and feign unconsciousness, someone covers him again in pepper spray. The burn barely has time to hit home before another needle finds a river of blood in his neck. His limbs turn to jelly and he floats off again on a queasy sea of blackness.
He doesn't stir until they lift him from the boat.
The first thing he notices is that the air has changed. It's less fresh. Much cooler. Almost damp.
He thinks he's inside.
Clear male voices talk around him in hushed tones. Tom can feel the heat and closeness of their bodies. He can't see them, but he imagines them peering down and talking about him.
Sensation is slowly returning to his limbs. Pain prickles his eyes again. He knows how much trouble he is in.
Both his arms and legs are tied. Tied tight. Whoever has abducted him has gone to great trouble to make sure he doesn't get away.