Hustle

by Claire Chilton

  He stubbornly refused to go after her, bobbing in the water and determined not to move until Bill showed up. He pulled on the lifejacket and folded his arms. I’m not going to rescue her again. So what if Meyer’s probably on the island right now.…

  He scanned the shoreline for other boats, then turned away from it. Nope. She made her choice.

  What if she gets killed? He gritted his teeth. It’ll be her own stupid fault.

  It took him about thirty seconds before he sighed and turned in the water, swimming after the boat. I’m not going to save her. I’m going to find her and then toss her into a swamp!

  Sure you will, a voice in his head goaded him.

  He growled and kicked through the water as fast as he could, using his anger to drive him through the waves towards the shore.

  His arms ached by the time he eventually reached the boat. It had taken a long time to get to it. He ducked low in the water as he slipped down the port side of it. It was still and anchored not far from the shore. Too close to the shore, he was surprised she hadn’t grounded it. He shook his head, biting back the urge to make her aware of his presence. If she was still on the boat, she might have found the gun that was in the wheelhouse. The last thing he wanted was her shooting at him.

  Why was there a gun on the boat anyway? Why were there men’s clothes on the boat? He’d never really stopped to question whose boat it was, but he frowned as he thought about it. Whose boat did I fucking steal? Great, now I’m a pirate. I steal boats!

  He shook his head. It didn’t matter anymore. He needed to get on board and find Ellie.

  He circled the boat, sliding silently through the water. She wasn’t on the deck. He stopped at the stern and peered over the edge. Once he was certain she wasn’t in view, he boosted himself up onto the deck. His arm muscles strained as he pulled himself out of the water while gripping onto the railing. Making as little noise as possible, he climbed over the rail and dropped onto the deck.

  He stood still for a moment, listening to the sound of his soggy clothes dripping water onto the floor. When he was certain he hadn’t been detected, he hurried to the wheelhouse, quickly checking the cabinet on the wall behind him for the gun. It was still there. He checked that it was loaded and the safety was on before slipping it into his belt. Well, at least she isn’t armed. Thank God for small mercies.

  He glanced around the wheelhouse. Most of the cabinets were open with items lying on the floor as if they’d hurriedly been ransacked. She’d obviously cleaned out the boat for supplies. He picked up the remains of the first aid kit. Half of the items were missing. She’d literally split the cache, leaving him half of the first aid kit.

  He sighed and grabbed a holdall off the top shelf. He shook his head and began filling the bag, throwing in the gun, first aid supplies, tools and anything that would be useful to him on the island. He didn’t do it quietly, feeling certain that she was no longer aboard the boat.

  He glanced on the dashboard, looking for his mobile phone. It wasn’t there. Great, I get the gun, and she gets the phone. Shit!

  He pocketed the keys to the boat after clearing the room of useful contents, then headed below decks to try to find some more clothes and a clue to where she’d gone to on the island.

  Jumping down the hatch, he hurried into the small cabin. He felt a moment of sorrow upon seeing the empty bed. Much as he hated to admit it, he’d liked seeing her when she first woke up. Her eyes glowed green when she first opened them. It was the strangest thing. Most of the time, her eyes were dull green with golden flecks in them. But when she first woke up, they shone like emeralds.

  He narrowed his eyes. Great, write her a fucking poem about it, why don’t you?

  He banned all romantic thoughts from his mind as he hurried into the cabin. He threw the holdall onto the bed before walking into the small bathroom. He pulled off his wet clothes, leaving them on the bathroom floor and stepped into the shower.

  His muscles were sore from swimming, and his skin was icy to touch. He turned on the hot water and relaxed under the steamy spray while he warmed up. He quickly rinsed off the saltwater, thankful to be warm again.

  Jacob didn’t plan to stay in the shower for long, but his body needed a minute to heat up, so he threw some shower gel into the palm of his hand and began soaping his chest. Just a couple of minutes in here, and I’ll be ready to go and get her.

  * * *

  Ellie widened her eyes as she watched Jacob strip out of his clothes. She had meant to leave, but found herself frozen to the spot as she watched his tanned body step into the shower. Her eyes followed the line of his hard thigh muscles up to the curve of his perfect ass. Drool more, why don’t you?

  Okay, enough staring, time to get out of here, she told her feet, but they didn’t move. He was sleek and powerful. Just watching him made her skin heat up.

  She’d meant to be long gone before he got to the boat, but he’d swum a lot faster than she had thought possible. When she’d seen him sneak aboard, she’d stuffed her bag under the bed, and rolled under there after it.

  Come on! Get out of here. She suspected there was something wrong with her brain because rather than hurrying off the boat, she tilted her head sideways, her eyes locked on Jacob’s alluring form.

  Her heart pounded in her chest. She’d seen naked guys before, sure, but none of them had ever made her pulse race like he did. It was crazy. Just looking at him made her want to strip off her clothes and get into the shower with him.

  Jesus, woman! Get your shit together, will you?

  Fighting the primal needs of her body, she stepped back, away from the tantalising view. She shook her head, snatching her bag off the bed.

  She hurried onto the deck, ignoring the small lifeboat that was tied to the starboard side of the craft and running towards the bow. She pulled off her boots and dropped them into her bag before climbing over the railing and jumping overboard. As she landed in the surf, cold azure water splashed around her bare knees. She hurried towards the shore, holding her bag over her head.

  Sharp shells dug into her bare feet, but she ignored them, rushing to get as far away from Jacob as she could. The cold water splashing her thighs should have been the perfect cure for any thoughts of his hot naked body, but unfortunately his tawny skin was all she could think of, and her own skin remained in heated state.

  Remind me to get laid more often when this nightmare is over—or, you know, at least once.

  She hurried across the white sand beach into the jungle. The island was shadowed by craggy rocks and mountains with thick trees filling the centre. Uninhabited and home to a dormant volcano, it was awash to overgrown flora and a maze of caverns and jagged cliffs. She gripped her bag. It’ll be okay. This time I’m prepared for anything.

  * * *

  Jacob frowned when he heard a loud splash outside the boat. He quickly rinsed off the soap and dashed out of the cubicle, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist as he hurried topside.

  He ran to the bow and stared around. There was no one there. A flash of movement to his left caught his eye.

  The sunlight glinted off her chestnut locks as she hurried into the jungle. Jacob tightened his hands on the towel he held around himself. She was here while I was in the shower. I can’t believe I missed her again!

  He clenched his jaw and turned on his heel, racing for the cabin. She wouldn’t get far before he caught up to her.

  Gripping the doorframe for balance as he slid on the wet floorboards, he dashed into the cabin. He ripped open the wardrobe, grabbing some clothes out of it. He stuffed the clothes into the holdall, finally letting go of the towel and allowing it fall to the floor around his ankles.

  He froze when the bag started ringing. What the hell?

  He pulled out the clothes and peered into the bag. It wasn’t his. There was no gun in it, but there was his mobile phone. She took the gun! He snatched the phone out of the bag and stared at the screen. A photo of Bill smiled at him as it rang.<
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  He answered the phone, holding his breath.

  ‘Hey, just a head’s up. If you’re near the island, back up. Meyer’s boat just passed me. He’s close.’

  ‘I’ll call you back!’ Jacob said before hanging up. Shit! He threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt before stuffing his boots and the clothes back into the holdall. Dropping the mobile phone into his pocket, he ran out of the cabin and onto the deck before jumping into the surf to follow Ellie. The last thing he wanted was to be around when Meyer showed up.

  He glanced at the holdall as he raced through the waves towards the shore. I hope she doesn’t pack like a girl.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jacob knelt behind a large boulder on the outskirts of the jungle, hidden from the beach by ferns and craggy rocks. He stared down in disbelief at the contents of the bag that he’d tipped out onto the forest floor. Along with the phone and clothing he’d thrown into the bag, he inspected Ellie’s version of survival supplies; a lighter with no gas in it, half a first aid kit, sun tan lotion, bug spray, a hair brush, a notebook and pen, and a fucking romance novel! Okay, there were a few more things, but why didn’t she pack a rope or a knife? This is a beach bag, not a survival kit!

  He rubbed his brow and closed his eyes, shaking his head. How is she still alive with this kind of planning? He plucked a lacy bra between his thumb and forefinger, studying it. As it unfurled, a small case fell out of it. He dropped the bra back into the bag and picked up the case, expecting to find a manicure set.

  He widened his eyes when he peered at the tools inside. It was a lock pick kit, containing pliers, pins and a variety of oddly shaped instruments. Well, at least it’s not another romance novel, but what lock is she expecting to pick on an uninhabited island?

  A loud shout on the shore caused him to jump and drop the case on the jungle floor. He peered out through the ferns to see people sailing towards the beach on a small boat. He quickly stuffed all of the items back into the bag and zipped it up before taking a second look at the shore.

  Coming from a large yacht that was anchored close the island, a smaller boat full of mercenaries arrived on the shore. There were seven of them, each one bulky with muscle and heavily armed with guns and knives. He recognised Meyer, too. The mob boss pulled on a camouflage bush hat before he turned and signalled to his yacht.

  Jacob widened his eyes as a man carrying a rocket launcher appeared on the deck of the larger craft. His jaw dropped open as the man on the yacht turned to face the Celeste, aiming the large weapon at it. Oh, no.

  There was a loud crack in the air as the rocket was launched. It shot across the water and smashed into the side of the smaller craft. Jacob jumped when the ground shook beneath him when the Celeste exploded. Flaming debris fell into the water, chunks of the hull and the cabin sizzling in the water of the Celeste floated on the water like charred skeletal remains.

  Jacob gulped. He’d expected this to be hard going, but it looked as if Meyer wanted a war. He’s making sure we can’t get off this island. He just blew up our only escape route.

  Jacob silently moved back while rising to his feet and gripping his bag. I need to find Ellie before Meyer does, and then we need to find a place to hide.

  * * *

  Ellie wiped her brow. She’d been trekking through the humid jungle for a while now, trying to cover her tracks as she went.

  She jumped when there was loud booming sound behind her. She peered back, trying to see what had caused the noise, but could only see dense trees and bushes. What the hell was that?

  For a moment, she worried it was the volcano. But it’s supposed to be dormant. Did it suddenly come back to life?

  Shaking her head, she tried not to think about it. This venture was becoming too dangerous as it was—dangerous for her and anyone who knew her.

  Her first plan had been to find Jimmy. But with no idea where to begin, she’d decided to follow the map. It was all she had to go on.

  With the compass open, she looked at the battered leather. Each lens revealed a distinct set of markings. It had taken her a while to work it out, but there were three different locations to visit, each one on a different part of the island. They ran consecutively north to south. So the first location was a cave, which according to the directions, should be just ahead of her.

  She closed the compass by using the small lever on it before dropping it into the left pocket of her combat shorts. Then she folded up the map and dropped it into her other pocket.

  The sun burned down through the trees onto her bare skin. She plucked her damp vest away from her stomach and fanned it to try to create a breeze. Her throat was sore, and her lips were dry.

  She dropped the holdall onto the forest floor and crouched beside it. She unzipped the side pocket and reached for her water bottle, frowning when she discovered that the pocket was empty. Did I drop it?

  She unzipped the main compartment and stared inside the bag, her eyes widening. What the hell is this shit? There were knives, ropes and a mess of random items. She plucked the gun between her thumb and forefinger, pulling it out of the bag and staring at it. What the fuck is this doing in my bag?

  Wait. This isn’t my bag. I must have grabbed Jacob’s by mistake. She rifled through it looking for water, scowling when she pulled out a box of water purification tablets instead. Oh, you’ve gotta be shitting me. Now, I need to find a lake!

  She pulled out a weird plastic key. It had a metal thing that looked like a bottle opener hanging off the ring beside it. She stared at the alien object. What’s that for? The key had no end, just a small pole. It certainly wouldn’t lock anything. She shook her head and threw it back in the bag. Boy toys! God, does he have a set of Tonka trucks in here, too?

  There weren’t even any clean clothes in the bag. No brush for her hair, no bug spray…She widened her eyes. There isn’t even any toilet roll in here—fuck!

  She sighed and shook her head. That boy needs to learn what the essentials are. How can you go camping without a lighter, without water, without clothes? Idiot!

  She zipped up the bag and stood up before hauling it onto her back. Of all the dumbass things to pack, a knife and some rope. What is he, Tarzan? She stormed through the thick jungle, brushing aside giant green fronds and heading in the direction of the cave.

  As she hurried to her location, she kept an eye out for any signs of water. The jungle was dense and thick, so seeing anything a few feet ahead of her was impossible.

  She sighed as she pushed her way past a bushy tree fern. Her foot caught in the vines of a shrub that curled around her ankles, nearly tripping her. She struggled for a moment, breaking through the thick greenery.

  She stumbled as her foot became caught in a second web of vines and fell forward onto the forest floor.

  She groaned and rolled over onto her back, staring up at the tall trees and blue sky peeking through them. After a moment of checking she hadn’t damaged herself in the fall, she sat up and pulled the mess of shrubbery off her feet and ankles.

  Once free, she stood up and turned around. She was standing in a wide clearing. There was a path leading off to her left and back into the untamed jungle. Directly ahead of her was the wide entrance to a cave. Above the opening, a huge mountain, which appeared to be made of volcanic granite and jagged rocks, towered over her. Small clusters of grass and flora decorated the ledges of the dormant volcano. She stared up at it, feeling very small beside its towering bulk. Well, at least it isn’t shooting fire at me.

  As she was about to enter the cave, she paused and frowned. She scanned the curve of the rock and the jagged stone. She’d seen this cave before. But that’s impossible.

  She searched her memory. It took a while for her to remember where she’d seen it before. Then it came back to her. In her father’s journal, there had been a photograph of him, a picture of him standing in front of this cave.

  But that’s impossible! Dad never went to Costa Rica. How could he have been here?

  She t
ried to recall if he’d ever mentioned coming here, but he never had. She chewed her bottom lip, staring at the scene before her. It was the same cave. She was certain of it. In the photograph, he had been younger, around thirty if she had to guess.

  That means he was here before I was born, or around the time I was born.

  She knew a little bit about his life before her birth, and he sure as hell never mentioned coming here.

  There had been a second man in the photograph, a tall, dark-haired man, who had been smiling. She remembered that her father had had his arm around the man’s shoulder. The second man seemed familiar to her now, but she was certain she’d never seen him before or after she’d seen that image. There was nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was missing an important piece of the puzzle—that she knew more than she remembered, but she couldn’t grasp what it was.

  She shook her head. None of this mattered right now. I need to know what’s in that cave. She dropped the holdall and unzipped it, pulling a torch out of it. Jacob wasn’t completely useless at packing it seemed. She widened her eyes and dropped the torch at the same time. Jacob! That’s who looks like the man in the photograph!

  She crouched, snatching the torch up off the ground. After zipping up the bag and throwing it over her shoulder, she stood up and strode towards the cave entrance, gritting her teeth. She flipped the switch on the Maglite and peered into the dark cavern.

  Dad must have been here looking for the Heart. How did he know Jacob’s father? Is that why Jacob shot me? Did dad rip him off? The answers had to be in here. She stepped into the cave. Why didn’t dad tell me about this?