Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
A lone tear slips down my cheek.
“Them,” I whisper. “I choose them.”
He holds my gaze for one more second, like he’s memorising something.
Then he kisses me, long, hard and deep, then disappears into the black, making for the tree line and whatever hell lay beyond. I stare after him for a second, every nerve in my body screaming run, but I don’t. I wait, and after a minute, he lets out a low whistle. That is my signal to move forward with the plan. I push off and sprint for Zeke. He is asleep, or passed out. I can’t tell. I take his shoulders, shaking.
He jerks, his head snapping up. Relief flickers when he realises it’s me.
“Hey there,” I smile, even though it wobbles.
I pull out my knife and start cutting the rope while he takes a minute to become fully with it.
“Somethin’ has happened,” he murmurs, his voice raspy and dry.
“I know,” I say. “I know, which is why I’m here and Ace isn’t.”
“Grace,” he rasps, stumbling to his feet as soon as the ropes are gone. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know, but Kellen hasn’t come back. Ace is going after him. I’m getting you to the ship.”
“I’m helping.”
He takes a step away from me and I take his arm, stopping him. “Zeke, no.”
Turning, he glances down at me. “I’m going, Grace. You know I won’t leave them alone. Go back to the ship, make sure everyone is safe.”
For some reason, this makes me want to cry. Maybe it’s because I know better than to argue, or maybe it’s because if anyone can help, it’s Zeke. So I nod, even though my eyes burn. Zeke disappears as if he was never here. I stand alone in the darkness for a few minutes, and then I turn and run as fast as I can in the dark.
Aggie is standing on deck when I arrive, gun ready.
“Aggie,” I call out, because I know she can’t see me, but I can see her. “It’s me. Grace. I’m coming in.”
“Grace? You’re alone.”
I rush forward and get onto the ship as fast as my legs will allow. Aggie is standing under a dull orange light, and she spins on me the second I approach. Her eyes are wide, full of fear and uncertainty. “What happened?”
“Kellen wasn’t there,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “We got Zeke, but he went with Ace to find Kellen.”
My voice cracks, and Aggie takes my shoulder, squeezing. “These guys are made for this, honey. They’ll be back.”
I nod, sliding down on an old barrel. The deck is empty, the world is silent, and I have never wanted anything more than for Ace to walk out of that jungle, battered and grinning and alive. I don’t pray, because I don’t think anyone is listening. But I make a wish, and hope that’s enough.
Time passes. A lot of it.
They don’t come back.
“Something is wrong,” Aggie whispers, standing beside me, the gun in her hands.
“I know,” I say, heart pounding against my ribcage.
Turning towards me, her eyes lock onto mine. “We need to do something.”
“I know,” I repeat.
She’s right.
We can’t risk leaving this much longer, but at the same time, what if it’s a set-up? What if they know we’re here and are trying to get us away from the ship so they can kill us and leave.
God, what if they have already....
No.
I can’t think like that.
Dammit.
We need a plan.
Fast.
9
“WHAT IF IT’S A SET-up?” Tati murmurs, knees to her chest as we sit in the kitchen area while Adrian keeps watch on deck. “We could be walking to our death.”
She’s not wrong.
Ace made me promise to get them out alive if he didn’t come back, and I don’t want anything to happen to these girls, or Adrian, but at the same time, leaving them without even trying feels like the coward’s way out. We have come this far together; I can’t stop now.
“Ace told me that if they don’t come back, we should leave without them,” I say.
They have a right to know that, at the very least.
Aggie frowns and Rachel’s brows go up.
“Yes,” Rachel nods. “But how long are we supposed to wait before assuming they’re not coming back? What if we’re wrong?”
“Then we could come back and get them,” Tati points out, her eyes wide and hopeful.
“No,” Aggie shakes her head. “No, we go after them. Everything we have done on this island, we have done together. Even through it all. We can’t leave them alone. They wouldn’t leave us. However, we’re not going to make anyone do anything they don’t want, so if anyone wants to stay, and leave if we don’t return, you can do so and I promise, you will not be judged.”
The room falls silent.
“I’m coming,” Rachel says.
I’m surprised, if I’m being honest. I thought if anyone opted to stay, it would be Rachel.