Dark Vengeance

by Kristi Belcamino

  Or die? I had no idea Ryder was such a romantic. Or drama queen.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I mumbled. French guys just fucking laid it on the line, didn’t they? What about machismo? Or playing hard to get? Or even subtly?

  Nope. None of that for Ryder. He wore his emotions openly. I hated it. I loved it.

  I felt tears prick at my eyes. Fuck. Motherfuck.

  Yep. Reading that text was as bad as I’d suspected it would be.

  Dirty fucking pool, Ryder. We lived too far apart for texts like that.

  We lived lives that were too different for him to talk to me that way.

  Didn’t he know we didn’t stand a chance?

  What game was he playing?

  I knew it was stupid to be angry, but I was.

  Punching the letters, I typed “Fuck you!” and then immediately deleted them.

  No. I would not answer. At least I wouldn’t answer now. I’d done enough drunk texting in my life. My quota was up. I didn’t need to have any more regrets. I’d ignore him and look at it again in the morning.

  I slammed my phone down onto the table and ordered a third drink.

  Fuck it. I could wheel my bike back to the hotel so I didn’t kill myself—or worse—someone else by drunken driving. Because I was going to get drunk.

  Then in the morning, I’d get up early, probably with a hangover, and head back to the islands to find Rose.

  If I found X first, I’d just kill him. No questions asked.

  Yeah. That was my plan, I thought smiling to myself. Yes. That would work out just fine. A salty sweet breeze brushed across my bare arms and lifted the hair off the back of my neck. I shivered and pulled my leather jacket on, tugging the collar up.

  A couple at a nearby table shot me concerned looks. I realized I’d been mumbling to myself, as well.

  I lifted my glass to them.

  The next time the waiter came over I told him I was buying their dinner.

  I don’t really remember getting back to the hotel. I just recall standing there shoving money at the doorman who threatened to call the “authorities” whatever the fuck that meant.

  When I realized he wasn’t budging, I crossed the street and paid for a room at a dumpier hotel or motel or whatever fucking type of paid flop house they wanted to call it.

  They gave me a first-floor room and let me put my bike in the room with me. I was too afraid to actually lie down on the sheets in my T-shirt and underwear, so I slept fully clothed, hoping crabs or whatever might be on the bed wouldn’t penetrate my jeans and leather jacket. I woke dry mouthed, sweating, and disoriented before dawn.

  I sat up gingerly in bed and was relieved I didn’t have a headache. I just needed a drink of water before I fell down dead. I cupped my palms and gulped water from the bathroom sink since there were no glasses to be found.

  Then after splashing water on my face and swishing my mouth with some dried-up toothpaste I had in my backpack, I snuck out into the dark morning and headed for the marina.

  I fell asleep on the ferry. The operator nudged my shoulder with a broom to wake me. I probably seemed homeless. There was a big drop of wet on the leg of my jeans so I figured I was most likely snoring and drooling. Super cute.

  Come to think of it, I was homeless. A nomad. And it suited me. At least for now.

  15

  Back at the surf camp, nobody was surfing. Instead, they were all gathered around the bonfire. As I approached, I could see the mood was solemn. Makeda had a concerned look on her face when she turned to see me. My heart jumped into my throat. Rose.

  “What’s going on?” I said, hating the frantic tone of my voice.

  “Keiki disappeared again. But this time she went to X’s house.”

  Matteo spit into the fire.

  “I’m done talking. I’m going to go get her.”

  “Let her live her own life.” The voice came from outside the circle. We all turned. It was Dre, the blonde.

  “Fuck you,” Matteo said. “You are the one who got her into this mess. You were the one who got her hooked.”

  The blonde stepped forward and with his face only inches away from the other guy’s face, said in a low, dangerous voice. “I didn’t do anything except let her do what she wants. She’s not a fucking child. She is capable of making her own choices.”

  Before anyone could react, Matteo had Dre in a headlock and then they were both rolling in the sand, fighting.

  After a few minutes, some other guys broke them apart.

  Dre stood there in the sand, legs wide, chest heaving. “You’ll pay for that,” he said.

  That’s when several of the other guys stood in a line before him.

  “You’re done, buddy,” one of the Australian’s said. “Go find another camp to bunk with. We don’t want you here anymore.”

  “I’ll make all of you pay.”

  He turned and stomped off toward the road, swearing under his breath.

  Matteo exhaled loudly. “I need to go get her—before it’s too late.”

  “I told you we’ll come up with a plan,” Makeda said. “Otherwise, you’re going to end up dead. We’re just waiting for Cam to come back with information on whether Keiki is at his house.”

  “Fuck that,” he said. “By the time you come up with a plan, she’ll have overdosed or been taken to Padang.”

  “Let me go,” I said in a firm voice.

  Heads swiveled to face me.

  “I know how to get in. I’ve been there.”

  Matteo frowned. “You were there?”

  Then he kicked the sand. “You killed his man? It was you?” He had an astonished look on his face. I didn’t blame him. I didn’t really look like a killer. I looked like an addict right then with my unwashed body and tangled hair.

  “Listen. I can—” I started to say, but I was interrupted.

  “Do you even know what kind of shitshow you started?” he yelled.

  Makeda turned to me and said in a low voice, “X came back from Sumatra last night. When he found his man dead, he took it out on some of the villagers.”

  I closed my eyes for a second. Exactly what I had been afraid of. My fault. All my fault. “Oh, my God. What happened?”

  I felt sick as Makeda filled me in. I’d thought I’d be back in time to stop him, but I was too late.

  She told me the damage: The garage where I bought my bike was set on fire. Luckily the owner was around and put it out before it did too much damage. A clerk at the market was beaten and left on the side of the road with a broken leg. And something had gone down at the vet’s house, but they weren’t sure what it was.

  As soon as I heard that, I took off running for the road and my bike.

  While I ran, I dialed the vet on my cell. No answer. Straight to voicemail.

  Motherfuck.

  16

  My bike kicked up dust as I shimmied sideways down the gravel driveway to the vet’s house, trying to keep my balance navigating the curves and then skidding to a halt in front of the house. From the front, everything looked fine. But then I rounded the corner to go to the office entrance and saw the door was hanging by one hinge. Medical instruments, shards of glass, shredded paper, dog treats, and other unidentifiable debris littered the ground outside.

  Inside, the exam table was upended and there was more broken glass.

  And blood.

  Asahi was bent over holding a small dustpan and broom. I could only see him from behind, but I could see that one of his hands was bandaged.

  “Doctor?”

  He jerked back, and I felt awful. My throat felt clogged.

  Then I got a good look at his face and felt even worse. He had a swollen and black eye and a scrape along his jaw.

  I rushed over to him. “Are you okay?”

  He met my eyes and solemnly nodded.

  “This isn’t the first time X has tried to bully me.”

  “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

  He shook his head
. “No,” he said and pressed his lips firmly together.

  I waited.

  “He has gone too far this time,” Asahi said. “He has been unchecked for too long. Everyone on this island lives in fear of his wrath. No more. I will not live in fear anymore.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m going to stop him,” I said, but then felt idiotic. I’d been saying that for days and hadn’t done jack shit.

  I glanced around. While I was concerned about the doctor and his injuries and the destruction of his office, I couldn’t help but look for Dylan.

  Asahi saw my glance. “I’m so sorry. Dylan is gone.”

  “X took him?”

  He scrunched his forehead. “No, someone took him earlier. We came home from my mother-in-law’s house, and I went to check on him but he was gone. The door wasn’t forced or anything. In fact, it was still locked.”

  He scratched his head.

  “Rose,” I said.

  “I think so,” he said. “Some bandages and antibiotic cream were missing. If they wanted him dead, they wouldn’t have taken medical supplies.”

  “Thank God for that.”

  “I think X heard she was back and knew she would come for the dog,” he said. “I think when he showed up too late, he destroyed everything in a fit of anger. And probably to try to teach me a lesson.”

  I looked at his face. “Is that what happened? You tried to stop him?”

  “Them. It was dark, but there was more than one. The others ran when I walked in, but I cornered one guy and he had a knife or something that cut my hand. I had knocked it away, but when I did he managed to land a punch on my face,” he said wryly.

  “You’re pretty brave.”

  “I’m done cowering in fear. Next time I will have a gun.”

  I shook my head. It was total bullshit that a vet, someone who cared for and loved animals, would have to live in fear because he does something good.

  “I’m so, so sorry,” I said. “I will pay for all of this.”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Yes, I insist.”

  He didn’t argue again, and I was relieved.

  There was the sound of a truck behind us. We both turned.

  “They’re here to fix my door,” Asahi said.

  “I’ll be in touch,” I said.

  Before I got on my bike, I spoke to the contractor who had arrived and arranged to pay for the door but also for him to put a state-of-the-art alarm system on the entire house.

  17

  I didn’t realize until I pulled up at the surf camp that I’d been gripping the bike’s handles so hard my fingers ached.

  I was furious. But part of me was hopeful.

  Maybe Rose had grabbed Dylan and gone back to her hut.

  A quick glance inside revealed that nobody had been there since I left it.

  I headed down the beach toward the bonfire area.

  There were a few people gathered around it.

  When I got closer, Makeda stood.

  A quick scan of the heads told me Rose wasn’t there.

  “I thought she might be here,” I said. “She came back to get her dog.”

  “We haven’t seen her,” she said. “We’ve got other problems now.”

  I lifted an eyebrow and waited. “Matteo went after Keiki. He’s gone to X’s house. It’s bad.”

  “Damn fool,” someone else said and spit on the ground.

  “I’ll go get him,” I said. “I’m heading there anyway.”

  Makeda focused her green eyes on me and nodded. She wouldn’t try to stop me.

  Back at the hut, I looked around for anything I could use as a weapon. There was nothing. I hopped on my bike and headed toward town. No gun. No knife. Not even a stick I could use as a weapon, just my bare hands and rusty martial arts skills.

  Drinking all day, every day, in Cannes recently had not helped my physical prowess. Thinking of Cannes makes me think of the young people I met there. Young lives taken too soon.

  I’d tried to help, but by the time I’d left the South of France, three of them were dead by murder-suicide and three others grieving. It seemed somehow unfinished even though there wasn’t a killer on the loose.

  I also thought of Ryder and the brief time we spent in his Cannes apartment. His text last night had thrown me.

  The anger I’d felt was gone. Instead, I felt nostalgic. I missed him. Even though I’d only known him a few days, we’d connected on a deeper level.

  He was a man I could’ve loved under different circumstances. In another lifetime.

  But I didn’t have a home anymore, and he was solidly grounded in his life in Cannes. We didn’t stand a chance.

  As I thought this, I reached the small town. Even though it was nearly noon, the shops were buttoned up tight. I wondered if it was because of the recent violence. People were afraid. And it was partly my fault. I poked the sleeping bear.

  I slowed near the mechanic’s shop, but the heavy garage door was closed and secured with a heavy chain and lock. The normal door was closed. I knew if I tried to open it, I’d be stopped by the two deadbolts.

  Part of me had hoped I could stop by and apologize for any trouble I’d caused. And pay for any damage, of course. But that would have to be done at another time.

  I drove through town until I found the turnoff to X’s house. This was the first time I’d come in from the main road. I looked around for hidden surveillance cameras, but didn’t see any. I think X was too sure of himself. He intimidated through fear. His security didn’t need to be that high-tech.

  I started up his long driveway. Knowing I’d lost the element of surprise with the noise of the bike, I gunned the engine and put my head down low near the handlebars to increase the aerodynamics. That’s why I almost ran over a body in the road before me.

  At the last second, I swerved and the bike skittered across the gravel sideways and then laid down partly on my leg before I was thrown into the bushes, bouncing through the brush until I came to rest at the foot of a large tree. My head was spinning, and I lay there for a few seconds doing an inventory.

  I was rattled, but didn’t seem to have a concussion. My head didn’t hurt. Thank God for my helmet. But my leg did. Gingerly, I stretched out my foot and flexed and pointed my boot to see how that felt. It worked. Looks like the pain was localized on my upper thigh. Luckily that was the most padded part of my body. Still lying down, I reached my hand for the area to see if it would come back sticky with blood. My palm was dry. I probably would just have a serious bruise. I had been damn lucky.

  I sat up, leaning my back against the tree trunk. I’d carved out a pretty good path through the brush. I pulled myself to a stand. Not dizzy. So far, so good. I made my way back to the driveway. Along the way, I passed a huge rock. I must have missed that in my tumbling. Thank God. Even with a helmet on, if I’d have hit that there would’ve been some serious damage. I stood at the entrance to the driveway. My bike was in the bushes on the other side of the road. I had no idea if it still would run. Finally, reluctantly, I let my eyes find the body in the middle of the driveway about ten yards away.

  I swallowed. It was Matteo. I’d known that before I saw his spiky hair and combat boots. His face was hamburger. I swallowed again. I didn’t think anyone could still be alive with a face that looked like that, but I had to check. I walked over and kneeled down beside him, reaching for his neck to feel a pulse and trying not to gag. No pulse. But I waited, staring at this chest now to see if there was any sign of movement there. Just in case, I reached for his wrist and held it, waiting. Nothing.

  I shook my head and stood.

  Ruthless and vicious. X was heartless and impulsive.

  Matteo could not have been here very long. He’d been killed instantly. And gauging by the lack of blood around his body, he’d been killed somewhere else and his body dumped here. For me to find? Maybe.

  Reaching for my cell phone, I dialed Asahi. I didn’t know who else to call.

  “Hey,
I know I’ve already asked too much from you and you’ve paid too much for your help, but I’m in X’s driveway and Matteo’s body is here. They killed him. I want to go up to the house, but don’t want to leave him here alone. I know it’s dangerous to even ask—”

  “I’ll handle it,” Asahi said, cutting me off. “Wait for me and we can go together.”

  I hung up without answering.

  I already felt like a big enough douche bag for calling him for help, I wasn’t going to hold his hand and lead him into the fire. I was going to the house by myself.

  I dragged my bike out of the bushes. It didn’t look as bad as I thought. A few big scratches. I hauled it upright and straddled it, closed my eyes and said a silent prayer as I tried to start it.

  It purred to life.

  I took off up the driveway, making a wide berth around the body.

  Motherfuck.

  That kid was just trying to save the idiotic girl and now he’s dead.

  It was total bullshit.

  The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

  The wind was blowing my hair back and I leaned down over the bike’s handles, taking the gentle curves as I approached the house. When I grew closer, I slowed down. At the last second, I saw the trip wire across the driveway and skidded to a halt less than a foot away from it. I looked to both sides and saw the red lights in the trees. Not only was there a trip wire, which probably would have taken my head off at the right speed, but there were also laser beams cutting across the driveway.

  So, he did have a security system. It made me wonder if the bodyguard I killed had fallen down on the job and forgot to set it the night I showed up.

  Just as I thought this, there was a flash of black and brown and then snarling barking.

  Four German shepherds raced over to me and stopped just on the other edge of the trip wire and laser beams. An invisible electric fence.

  Keeping my eyes on the dogs, I reached off to the side and plucked a leafy twig off a low-hanging branch. I flung it off to the side of the dogs. As it hit the invisible fence, the twig crackled.