by Tia Wylder
“Adele?”
I glanced up. “Yeah?”
Jack put his hand in mine and squeezed. “We’ll be okay,” he said. “I know we will. You just have to trust me, okay?”
I laughed. In the deserted hotel, it was an empty sound.
“Yeah,” I said. “Trust that we’re not going to be washed out to sea, or die of starvation.”
Jack smirked. It was the first time I’d seen a trace of his old confidence come back since the storm had started. “No,” he said. “Although I might die if I have to go a week without a shower.”
I laughed.
“And you’ll probably die, too,” Jack continued. He shook his head and snorted. “I mean, have you ever been around a man who hasn’t showered for a week?”
I laughed even harder. “When I was still in undergrad, one of my lab mates never showered.” I wrinkled my nose at the memory. “Lisa and I used to dab peppermint oil under our noses because it covered the smell, but that only worked for like, an hour. I think he thought we were cokeheads or something because of how often we kept rushing to the bathroom to put more on.”
By now, Jack was laughing too. He threw his head back, and the sound filled the room. I felt warmer just hearing it.
That night, we “feasted” on scavenged food from the pantries – cheese and tinned fruit. Jack ate half a jar of capers before making a face and throwing the half-empty jar outside into the wild storm.
“I’d rather starve,” Jack declared.
I rolled my eyes. “You might just get your wish,” I said, shaking my head.
Jack smiled ruefully. “No,” he said. “No, somehow, I don’t think I will.”
We lapsed into silence again, and I closed eyes and sighed. It was dark outside, and the rain was lashing against the windows, but I didn’t feel tired. If anything, I felt more awake than I had since leaving Boston.
Eventually, Jack and I curled up on the massive, California king-sized bed. It was so big that it felt like there was an ocean of space between us. Jack didn’t even try to touch me. He pulled a duvet over my legs and tucked me in, which I found oddly endearing. He closed his eyes and flopped on his side, snuggling up with three of the giant hotel pillows. To my surprise, I heard his snoring within minutes.
Well, it can’t be the worst idea in the world to catch a little bit of sleep, I thought as I watched Jack’s face twitching in his sleep. I mean, I do need to keep my strength up.
Before I knew it, I found myself drifting off into an oblivious world of black.
CRASH!
I bolted upright in bed and gasped. The room was pitch black, and my heart was thudding like a jackhammer. Beside me, Jack was sitting and groggily rubbing his eyes with both fists.
“What the fuck was that,” I asked in a quiet voice.
“I don’t know,” Jack answered. He got to his feet and wrapped his arms around his muscular chest as he walked to the window and glanced outside. “Maybe a tree or something?”
CRASH!
I jumped and yelped as the same sound reverberated through the hotel.
“That wasn’t a tree,” I said nervously. Climbing out of bed, I wrapped myself in one of the hotel’s plush, terry-cloth robes and joined Jack at the window. To my surprise, the storm looked like it was starting to dissipate. The waves were still crashing, but they were much lower, and the sky was grey and cloudy, but it wasn’t raining anymore.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jack said. He grabbed his pants from the floor and pulled them on over his muscular legs.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Stay here,” Jack said firmly. “I don’t know what’s out there, and I don’t want to put you in even more danger.”
His words were both intriguing and chilling. A shiver crawled down my spine as I watched Jack reach into his pocket and pull out a small handgun.
“You have a gun!” My voice was practically a shriek. “What the hell, Jack?”
“I think it might be necessary,” Jack said darkly. He checked to make sure it was loaded, then slipped it in the back of his waistband.
“Wait,” I said. “Are you talking about Franchot? Do you think he’s…do you think he’s here?”
“Not in the hotel,” Jack said ominously. “But I need to go look.”
“Wait,” I said. I yanked my jeans over my legs and took my sweater from the back of a chair where it had been drying.
“You’re not coming,” Jack said harshly. “Adele, there’s no way.”
I stood up straight and tall and crossed my arms over my chest. “Jack, listen to me. You and I are in this together. And if I don’t go with you, something bad could happen to you. Hell, something bad could happen to me! Don’t you ever watch horror movies? The first rule is that you’re never supposed to split up!”
Jack gave me a long, hard stare. He chewed on his lip and exhaled loudly. “Fine,” he said. “But stay close to me, and don’t let me out of your sight.”
I laughed dryly. “Like I could do that,” I said. “We’re the only two people on Nassau.”
Jack raised an eyebrow and shook his head, but there was no laughter in his eyes. “We’ll see about that,” he said darkly. “We’ll see about that.”
Before we left the room, I grabbed my cell phone. I didn’t even know if it was still working – it had been submerged along with me when I’d fallen from the boat – but I figured that any chance was better than nothing. Jack handed me a Hotel St. Charles-branded poncho, and we left the room, running down the stairs together in silence.
Outside, the weather felt strange. The air was heavy and humid and charged somehow – breathing felt like trying to breathe underwater. I followed Jack into the woods, keeping close behind him just like I’d promised. As we moved, the noises grew louder and louder. I knew then that Jack had been right – there was no way this was a result of the hurricane.
“Be quiet,” Jack hissed, turning to face me just after my foot had stepped on a twig.
I nodded. “Sorry,” I whispered.
Jack nodded. His face was tense, and his jaw was locked. He stared intensely into my eyes. “We’ll be okay,” he mouthed. “Just trust me.”
I nodded again. My heart was in my throat, but what could I do? It wasn’t like I could run away.
Jack turned back to the woods, and we resumed our slow, steady pace. The trees began to thin, and I saw a large clearing ahead.
That was when I saw the yellow bulldozer, pushing down a wide wooden structure. My stomach twisted and churned with anxiety but I took a deep breath and shoved my fear to the side. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled my phone free and held my fingers over the speaker as I tried to turn it on.
Come on, come on, I thought desperately as I pressed the home button over and over again. The screen stayed black, and just when I was about to give up hope and throw it into the trees, I saw the telltale white loading screen. Gasping with relief, I gripped the phone tightly with shaking fingers and opened the camera.
I stepped up to Jack and held the camera out, filming the clearing. As the bulldozer moved past again and again, I bit my lip.
“Look,” I whispered to Jack. “We’ll have something!”
Jack nodded. He glanced down and then back to the site. “That bastard,” he whispered, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. “I can’t fucking believe it!”
“I can,” I whispered. “But don’t worry. We’ve won.”
Jack didn’t reply. He looked over my shoulder as I kept filming. When a large, balding man in a suit and a raincoat stepped into my frame of vision, I froze in place.
“Keep going!” The man called loudly in a French accent. “Everything must be destroyed!”
We’ve got him, I thought as I took a deep breath. It’s finally over.
Chapter Sixteen
Jack
I couldn’t believe it. Adele, the genius girl beside me, had finally done it. She’d gotten exactly the kind of evidence we needed. Franchot and
his thugs had destroyed my construction site…but now that we had proof, we were going to destroy him.
I tugged Adele’s elbow. “Come on,” I said. “We need to get back.”
Adele looked up at me. She nodded and slowly lowered her phone. She’d taped about ten minutes of coverage, and she hit stop before sliding the phone into her pocket.
“And keep that on,” I warned. “We need to make sure the video saved.”
Adele and I practically ran back to the hotel. The storm was clearing – I could even see a hint of the sun trying to peek out from the heavy layer of clouds. I grabbed Adele’s hand and pulled her close once we were a safe distance from the construction site.
“I can’t believe it,” I said, leaning down and kissing her. “You’re incredible!”
“I’m just glad it worked,” Adele said. She sighed. “When can we get out of here?”
I glanced up at the sky. “Judging by the way everything looks, I’d say pretty soon. Maybe even tomorrow,” I said. “If we can get cell service, we can arrange for a boat from Miami.”
Adele nodded. She pursed her lips. Just as she was about to speak, I heard my name being yelled from the direction of the hotel.
Shit, I thought. Franchot must’ve sent some of his thugs to the hotel! But how did he see us?!
When I looked at Adele, there was obvious fear in her eyes.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, reaching for her hand and squeezing. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
Adele didn’t look convinced, but she followed behind as I began to run towards the hotel. When we reached the front of the building, my jaw dropped.
Rico was standing there, looking more dead than alive. His skin was sunburned bright red, and his clothes were in tatters. But when he saw me, a huge smile broke out across his face.
“Oh my god,” I said as I broke into a run. “Rico!”
Rico nodded. “Yes,” he said. He shuddered. “After the plane went down, I found refuge on part of the beach, in a cove, until the waves started getting too bad.”
“I can’t believe you’re alive!” I said, wrapping my arm around him and pulling him into a close hug. “I can’t fucking believe it!”
Rico pulled away and laughed. “Yes,” he said. “Neither can I, Mr. Nathan.”
“Jack, please,” I said. “I almost killed you – I think you should at least be able to call me by my first name now.”
Adele joined me. When she saw Rico, she gasped.
“Holy shit,” Adele said. She covered her mouth with both hands. “Rico, have you seen anyone else? Or a boat?”
Rico shook his head. “No,” he said. “I am sorry, but I have not.” He sighed. “I’ve been on the other side of the island, hiding from the storm. But when the sun came out today, I thought I might find Mr. Nathan.”
“My god,” Adele said. “I’m just so glad you’re alive!” She began gnawing at her lip, and I reached out to touch her shoulder, knowing that she was thinking of the charter boat captain.
“It’ll be okay,” I said quietly. “If Rico was okay, he probably will be, too.”
Adele nodded, but she looked anxious. “I hope so,” she said. “I really do.”
The rest of the day was a blur. We took Rico into the kitchens where Adele made the finest spread the hotel pantry had to offer – stale bread, canned baked beans, and fruit salad from a tin. We talked as we ate, but my mind kept drifting. I couldn’t stop thinking about Franchot – now that we finally had evidence against him that was good enough to take him down, what would happen?
I knew that I needed to speak with my lawyers immediately.
Adele, Rico, and I all slept in the same room that night. I felt crazy, but I didn’t want to let either of them out of my sight. Now that we’d all come so close to nearly dying, it felt insane to think about being alone. I had a feeling that I wouldn’t get over my experience for a long, long time.
The next day, the power was still out, but Adele managed to find cell service with her phone. She called the emergency authorities in Miami, and they promised to send a private plane to Nassau once they learned who I was. I was grateful to be leaving and itching to take the next steps, but something about leaving the Hotel St. Charles gave me pause. After spending days here in a crisis – more than once! – it almost felt like home.
“Come on,” Adele said. She tugged my sleeve and guided me to the private plane. “We’re waiting for you.”
I took one last look at the Hotel St. Charles.
“Yeah,” I said. “I know. I’m coming.”
--
After we landed in Boston, I had Nick take Rico and Adele to their respective homes. Adele had charged her phone on the plane and sent me the recording. It wasn’t perfect – it was a little blurry, and her hand hadn’t exactly been steady – but it was just good enough.
“This can work, man,” Barnes said. We were sitting in my office, watching the video enlarged on my computer screen. When I saw Franchot’s fat frame make an appearance on screen, I narrowed my eyes.
“That fucker,” I said. “I can’t believe he’d do something so low.” I shook my head. “And to risk his goddamned life, just to ruin me!”
Barnes cocked his head to the side and gave me a strange look. “With all due respect, man, that’s a pretty fucking weird thing to say,” he said. “You did the same thing.”
“Not to ruin him!”
Barnes raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?” He snorted. “I remember it differently.”
“He was trying to ruin me first,” I said pedantically, well aware that I was sounding like a child. “And I had to take him down.”
Barnes chuckled. “Well, everything worked out.”
I nodded. “And thank god for that,” I said. I sighed. I’d told Barnes about the whole sordid adventure – leaving out the parts about falling in love with Adele – and he’d hung on my every word like I was some famed warrior coming back from the Crusades.
“You should write a book,” Barnes said, raising an eyebrow. “You’d make a killing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not as much money as I will once the Nassau property is done.”
“You’re still going through with it?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “After all that? How could I not?”
Barnes was silent for a long moment. “I feel like an asshole,” he said. “I never should’ve told that girl to join you. I thought I was doing what was right. I don’t know, I guess I thought that when she got down there, you two could leave together.”
I laughed dryly. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “You’ve clearly never seen Nassau in the throes of a hurricane.”
“And hopefully I never will,” Barnes replied. “So, is she happy? She got her prize pig, just like you.”
“I think she will be,” I said slowly. “I don’t know.”
The truth was, I hadn’t talked to Adele in days. I’d called and texted, but she hadn’t replied. I figured that she was busy getting back on her feet and recovering from our ordeal. When we’d first landed in Boston, I’d wanted her to go to the hospital, but she’d refused.
“I’m fine,” she’d told me. “You were right, after all.”
She’d gotten in the back of my car before I’d had the chance to ask her exactly what she’d meant by that remark.
“Well, you still into her?” Barnes smirked. “Or did the whole hurricane thing ruin it for you?”
“I’m in love with her,” I said without even thinking about it. I leaned back in my chair and yawned. “Hey, you mind giving me some time? I need to check up on what I missed when I left.”
Barnes got to his feet and clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Sure, man,” he said. “Not a problem. You doing okay?”
I nodded. I knew that was the closest Barnes would come to admitting that he cared about me. But that was good enough for me. I’d never been great at telling people how I truly felt…but something inside my heart told me that was about to start changing.
&
nbsp; When Barnes left, I sighed. I’d intended to sit at my desk and comb through emails. I also needed to call my development team and let them know exactly what had happened. The police were treating my site in Nassau like a crime scene, and I was under strict orders not to disturb a single twig. Plus, I knew I’d have to contact my insurance company and tell them everything.
But I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t summon the willpower. For the first time since getting back to Boston, the exhaustion was hitting me like a ton of bricks. I switched off my computer, then walked over to my couch and crashed down. I was only lying there for a few seconds before I fell into a restless, deep sleep.
