The Missing

by Kiersten Modglin

  I didn’t work much outside of the house anymore, aside from the occasional trip to play out a con. I spent my days making our home beautiful, reading the books I loved, lounging by the pool, and working out. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a purpose, but that Barrett had become my purpose. For so long, I’d wanted to be with him, and now that I had him, I was determined to make it work.

  As the years had passed, though, his work had become more and more demanding, and I’d become less and less of a priority. In Oklahoma, he’d be just as busy, but he’d have no friends to spend hours at a bar with, no true office to stay hours late at. Perhaps in Oklahoma, cramped in a hotel room or small apartment, he’d begin to remember again just how much he enjoyed being with me.

  “Hey, we don’t have to make a decision tonight. I told Leo that you needed time to get unpacked and settled in. I just have to let him know something by the end of next week.”

  “When would we leave?”

  “It would be in the fall,” he said. “After we get back from our trip. I’ve already told them that’s nonnegotiable. They begin training the new team the month after next, and we’d fly out pretty soon after.”

  I sucked in a breath, trying to decide if I was truly considering going, or if I felt like I had no choice. “Okay, well, I’ll think about it and let you know where I stand in a few days. I’m still feeling a bit jet-lagged.” On cue, I released a yawn.

  He squeezed the ball of my foot gently, pressing his thumb into it with a smile. “Take your time, beautiful. And, hey, it’s not all bad. I forgot to tell you that I called Dan on the way to the office, and he said they’d move some things around so we can all go. So, Oklahoma or not, we’re almost ready for the trip.”

  My eyes lit up, and I adjusted myself so I was sitting straighter. “Seriously?” I squealed.

  “Yep. He started a text chain, and they’re saying we can go either next week or the week after. What do you think? I told them it would have to be soon, before we’d need to leave for Oklahoma.” He added quickly, “If we do, I mean.”

  I ignored the blatant assumption because I was entirely too happy to allow any negativity into my headspace. “Next week!” I announced, launching forward so that water splashed everywhere, though neither of us cared because we were too busy laughing and kissing. Too busy in love. “Next week. Can we go next week?”

  “I think we can. I have a few things to do at work, so I’ll have to work virtually, but if you’re okay with that, I’ll tell everyone to get the flights booked.”

  I pressed my lips to his, breathing in his scent. The truth was, of course, I didn’t want him to work. I wanted him to enjoy his time with me. To relax. To live in the moment. But that wasn’t my husband. Work would always be his mistress and, as long as he didn’t have another mistress, I’d learned to be okay with it.

  As okay with it as I could be.

  “Book ’em, baby. Let’s go.” His eyes darkened with unexpected desire, and he kissed me harder, his arms snaking around me as my heart thundered in my chest. It was as if I could already feel the sun on my skin.

  Three days later, after the flights had been scheduled and the plans had been confirmed, I was repacking our suitcases, working through loads of laundry and the dry cleaning I’d picked up that morning.

  When I stuck my hand down inside of the front of Barrett’s bag, my fingers connected with something unfamiliar. What is this?

  I could’ve sworn I’d unpacked his bag completely the last time we returned from a trip. I latched onto the thin, folded paper and pulled it from his bag, my stomach tightening with worry.

  As I unfolded it, a strange sense of foreboding came over me. On one side, there was a hand drawn heart.

  On the other, a single sentence:

  I can kill your wife for you.

  Chapter Six

  PRESENT DAY

  THE ISLAND

  By the time the sun had set that first night, we were all varying degrees of exhausted, dehydrated, and terrified. For a while, I think we all believed the boat might turn around, or that they’d come back with a new boat and had simply forgotten to mention that they were leaving and would return, but as the sky lit up with pinks and oranges of the setting sun, finally dimming to a pale gray dusk, there was no longer any denying what had happened.

  We’d been left.

  Abandoned.

  And we had no idea why.

  We’d tried using our phones over and over, but quickly gave in to the fact that none of us had any service, and, at someone’s advisement—I couldn’t even remember who at that point, it was all such a blur—we had agreed to keep our phones off, to conserve their batteries on the off chance we found an area with service.

  That was about all we’d agreed upon.

  Having no one to turn our anger toward, we first turned on each other, scattering to different points of the stretch of sand to vent our frustrations. Noah, the cocky, almost-lifeguard man I’d spoken to on the boat for some time, had spent quite a bit of time in the water, until the current became so strong he couldn’t swim it. The other man, the blond one who’d urinated on the trees upon our arrival was called James, and he hadn’t spoken much to any of us. He just drifted back toward the edge of the trees to be alone. I’d seen him gathering sticks at one point, though I wasn’t sure if he was planning to build shelter, a fire, or beat us with them.

  Ava was the young woman who’d nearly passed out, overcome by sudden dizziness upon our arrival, and Harry was the thin man with glasses who’d stayed close to me when I was trying to keep her conscious. But now that she was awake and calm, even they’d spread out, each of us keeping our distance from the others.

  I think, even then, even in the early days when we had no idea what was going on, all of us sensed that we may not be able to trust each other like we wanted to. Because, with no one else there to doubt, we were left with no choice but to doubt each other.

  As the gray sky turned to almost total darkness, the only light coming from the reflection of the moon on the stormy sea, we found our way back to each other, almost all at once.

  “What are we supposed to do?” The question came from Noah, the not-really lifeguard, and he made no effort to hide the fear and uncertainty in his tone.

  “We need to find shelter for the night,” Harry—glasses—said, taking the lead of the group. “At least at the edge of the forest, so we’re somewhat hidden from the elements. Tomorrow, we’ll have to look for supplies to construct a fire and figure out a way to desalinate some water or find a stream of some sort. We’ll need a real shelter, too.”

  The rest of the group must’ve been staring at him in the strange way that I was, because his gaze danced between each of us and, ultimately, landed on me. “Don’t stare at me like I have three heads. It’s basic stuff. I read a lot of survival books.”

  I didn’t nod, but he didn’t wait for me to. It all felt strange. Thinking about tomorrow and any sort of future on the island was…impossible. We had to wake up from this nightmare. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be long term.

  He glanced up at the sky. “We’re lucky it’s a clear night, so we have some moonlight to work under. If we can find a space between some trees where we can all sort of huddle together, take shifts where some of us stay awake, that’s our safest option right now.”

  “But why are we here?” Ava demanded, voicing each of our biggest concerns. “Why did they leave us? We can’t just move on without answers. When will they come back for us?”

  I was glad she’d not asked will they, but when will they.

  None of us could stomach the thought of an if.

  “I don’t have an answer to that,” Harry said matter-of-factly. “But what I can say is that the tide will end up pretty high up on the shore tonight. We need to move farther up the beach, and we need to do that now.”

  Almost on cue, the ocean roared and the wind picked up, whipping our hair wildly.

  “I found a space,” James spoke up, s
urprising us all. “There’s a big rock with a sort of ledge thing over near the edge of the trees. It’s not very big, but the five of us could huddle underneath it for the night. I’ve been moving sticks and limbs there for a while, so they’ll be dried out if we need them for firewood.” His chest puffed slightly with pride, but enough that I noticed.

  “It’s not where you peed, is it?” Ava asked, her upper lip curled in disgust.

  “No.” He scowled.

  “Fine, great. Let’s go,” Noah said, turning to face the woods and allowing James to lead us. It was about a twenty-minute walk from where we were, the journey made entirely in silence, and Ava had lingered back, purposefully walking next to me. I felt her eyes trailing to me every few minutes, as if seeking comfort, but I had none to give her.

  I was an empty shell of anger and fear, still processing all that had happened.

  When we arrived at the place James had mentioned, I saw a large moss-covered boulder that was elongated on one end, making for about three feet of covered space where we could sit in the shadows, or stay dry from the rain should any come our way.

  “Okay, great, so…” Harry walked under the rock, appraising the cramped space. “One of us should stay awake at all times, and we can split up into shifts so everyone gets to sleep. Any volunteers for the first shift?”

  My hand shot up. I’d always struggled with insomnia, but even as exhausted as I was, I had zero desire to let my guard down and fall asleep among these strangers.

  “We should have two people, at least. To make sure we can trust everyone,” Noah said, eyeing me. Despite his distrust, he wasn’t volunteering to be the second person staying awake.

  Harry stared at him, conceding with a nod. “Fair enough. Any thoughts on who the second person should be?”

  “Well it can’t be me,” James grumbled. “I’ve spent the day lugging wood while you all collected puka shells and painted each other's nails.”

  I rolled my eyes, already irritated by James entirely. However long we were going to be here, I was sure it would seem like much longer if he didn’t cool it.

  “I’ll do it,” Ava said, her voice feeble, her hand in the air.

  “It can’t be the two girls,” James argued quickly, as if he were a young boy suggesting we had cooties.

  “Why the hell not?” I demanded, squaring my shoulders to his. I’d had about enough of him.

  Noah put a hand between us, easing the tension. “Unless you’re volunteering, James, it’ll be the women who stay up for the first shift.”

  James grumbled but said no more, so Noah nodded toward us. “Okay, ladies. If you hear anything, you wake us up. If you see any lights in the distance, hear any animals… Anything. Otherwise, give it until you feel like it’s been a few hours and then wake Harry and me up. We’ll take the next shift… Since James needs his beauty rest.” He grinned at me playfully, then turned around and dropped to his bottom underneath the rock.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Harry asked, not truly directed at either of us. When we nodded, he joined the men under the rock, each of their bodies separated by a few inches of space.

  “Should we separate and sit on opposite sides?” Ava asked, almost hesitantly.

  I wrapped an arm around her, shaking my head. “No, we’ll be fine here. Together. The wind’s getting chilly anyway.”

  We sank down on the ground just in front of the rock, watching the leaves rustle in the wind.

  “Someone will come back for us,” she said softly, and I realized I didn’t know how much time had passed with us sitting in utter silence. “Right?”

  I looked at her, her eyes doe-like and innocent. I reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Of course, they will.”

  The moonlight glimmered off the tears in her eyes, but I pretended not to notice. “How old are you, Ava?” I asked after a moment.

  “Eighteen,” she told me softly, her voice quivering.

  “Eighteen…” I expelled a breath. Less than half my age. I guessed the others on the trip were closer to my age than hers, except Harry, who may also be in his mid-to-late thirties. It made me feel like I needed to be the parent, to keep them all protected, but I had no experience to teach me how to parent. This was all new to me, and I had no desire to lead the group. How on earth had she even ended up on the trip? “You’re just a baby. What were you even doing on that boat?”

  She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. “I’m supposed to be on vacation with my parents and their friends. I was mad at my mom because she’s being totally unreasonable about college. I wanted to change schools from my first choice because my boyfriend’s going to one at home. She wants me to get out and see the world, and I just don’t want to leave him…” She whimpered, swiping a tear from her cheek. “Anyway, I was mad, so I’d gone down to the beach alone, and this man approached me. He asked if I wanted to go for a ride on the boat; said they had an extra seat and it was free.” She twisted one of her kinky curls around her finger. “I know it was stupid, but he thought I was twenty-one, and I just played along. I didn’t think there would be any harm done. My parents are going to kill me…”

  I reached out again, gripping her hand. “I’m sure they’re just worried sick about you, sweetheart.”

  She bit her lip, looking unconvinced. “I just want to go home.” With that, she leaned her head on her knees and began sobbing quietly, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I mindlessly rubbed her back.

  According to Ava, the same thing that had happened to me, had also happened to her. Someone had offered her a ride on the boat for free, claiming they had just one extra seat…

  I’d begun to suspect this when we were all introducing ourselves earlier and I realized no one that had been on the boat knew each other, but I didn’t want to believe it. Because if they’d invited each of us on the boat, it would mean their actions were at least somewhat calculated. I wouldn’t tell Ava my biggest fear, which was that we were being trafficked somehow, that we were having to wait for the person or people who had bought us to arrive.

  Of course, my mind had always wandered to the darkest crevices of possibility. While most people try to see the positive, without my conscious effort—when faced with a situation—my mind has always gone down the rabbit hole of deception and despair.

  So, I sat with my thoughts, wondering how we were going to get ourselves out of the mess we were currently in. Wondering how much time we had.

  The rule of threes I knew: we could survive three minutes without oxygen, three hours without shelter from harsh weather, three days without water, three weeks without food. Which meant water and somewhere to hide would need to be our top priorities. Maybe after weapons. Could we somehow fashion the sticks James had collected into spears? I doubted it. We might be able to find sharp rocks or shells, but our time and resources were limited, which I assumed they knew, as they’d dropped us off without anything.

  Which made me think they had to be coming for us soon.

  If we’d been trafficked or kidnapped for ransom, they’d want us alive, wouldn’t they? Would they ask my husband to give some sort of ransom money? Had we all come from wealthy families who could do the same?

  “What about you?” I heard Ava ask, though I was so deep in thought it took me a moment to realize she was talking to me.

  “Hm?” I looked over at her, the moonlight reflecting on her still-damp cheeks.

  “Who’s out there looking for you?”

  I thought about my husband. By then, he had to have realized I was missing. Even if he’d never come looking for me, when I hadn’t returned that night, he’d have begun to worry. Right? I had to believe he had. I knew how easy it was for him to get lost in his work, distracted, almost buried by it, but surely… Yes, I forced the nagging worry from my mind. He wouldn’t leave me stranded. He would notice my absence. He wasn’t heartless, even if he was busy. If his wife didn’t come home, he would notice.

  I made myself believe it with increas
ing ferocity. He’d probably called my cell a few dozen times by then. Had he called the police? Sent out a search party? Was my face plastered across news channels? I knew it was likely that they’d made him wait a few hours, maybe even a few days before they considered me officially missing, before they’d take any action…

  Would that be too late? Would we be long gone? Swept away to some far corner of the world?

  Surely someone had to have seen the boat I left on. I’d told the waiter where I was going. If anyone asked him, he would’ve told them. Then they’d send out search crews looking for the ship. We couldn’t be too far offshore, after all. It’d been less than half a day’s journey from the time we left to the time we arrived here. If the Coast Guard—or whoever did the searching—took the time, they’d find us. As long as they acted quickly.

  “Sorry,” I answered her finally, noticing her worried stare. “My husband. My husband’s looking for me.”

  She nodded slowly. “Was he vacationing with you? Why didn’t he come on the boat?”

  “Because they told me there was only one seat. Same as they told you.” I left out the part about him being too busy to even come out of our suite. It didn’t matter anymore. I loved my husband, I missed him, and I needed him to find me.

  Her eyes widened at the realization that we’d been told the same thing about a single remaining seat. “Really?”

  “Mhm.”

  “But what does that mean? Why would they have told us both the same thing?”

  “I don’t know, Ava. I really don’t know about any of it…”

  “If they wanted to hurt us, why would they have left us?”

  I didn’t answer; just shook my head and drew in my lips. I wanted to comfort her, but I had no answers that would’ve made her feel any better. Nothing about what had happened made sense.

  “When we change shifts, we need to ask the others if they were invited onto the boat, too. I can’t remember exactly, but I’m positive when the man invited me, he said that others had chartered the boat and they just had a free spot available. If that’s not the case, if the five of us were each invited, it means they wanted us specifically. If that’s the case, we need to find out what we have in common.”