Cargo Ship Encounters Pirates – But What the Ship's Cook Does Next Stuns Them All!

Dahir stood up, stepping around the counter until he was inches from Manny's face. "Cook," Dahir said quietly. "If there is no captain, then I take you. Somebody pays for an old cook. Your company. Your family." He tilted his head slightly. "And if you lie to me, I take you anyway." Manny opened his mouth to reply, but his throat had gone completely dry.

Suddenly, the white emergency telephone mounted on the galley wall began to ring. All four pirates spun around instantly. Bashir raised his hunting knife, holding it tight against his side. "What is that?" Dahir demanded. "That's the galley line," Manny blurted out quickly, keeping his hands open and visible. "My wife calls from home right at noon every day. If I don't answer, she knows something is wrong and calls the main port office immediately."

He looked Dahir dead in the eye. "Let me answer it normally. I'll tell her I'm busy cooking and hang up. If I don't pick up, you'll have half the coast guard looking for this vessel in twenty minutes." Dahir glanced at the clock, glared at Manny, then gestured with his blade. "Answer. Talk normal. One wrong word and you don't finish lunch." Manny lifted the receiver. "Hello, sweetheart," he said softly, forcing his tone to sound relaxed and warm. "I'm right in the middle of preparing lunch."