Fourth a Lie (Goddess Isles, #4)

by Winters, Pepper

  Tonight, I’d become a shark.

  The monster I’d swam with so many times before.

  A crack of bullets returned fire on Drake, shooting out to sea. I kicked off my shoes and buried my feet into wet sand. I ripped off my trousers and trembled with the primordial urge to shed off my human skin and hunt.

  To dive into the ocean.

  To swim to him.

  To drag him into the deep.

  My gun fell, splashing into the salt, useless for where I was going. The sea lapped around my calves, welcoming me back into my domain.

  My hand curled around the radio, still tight in my grip. I went to throw it away...but...

  I pressed the call button, wading deeper into warm water dressed in just black boxer-briefs. Once I dived into the sea, any remaining humanity inside me would vanish. I wanted it. I hungered for the freedom of no longer obeying rules and civility.

  But I honestly didn’t know if I’d find myself on the other side.

  I might cross an irrevocable line I could never return from.

  I’d said goodbye to Eleanor.

  I’d given her no way to find me again and no promises to go after her.

  After tonight, there would be nothing left of the Sully she knew.

  Bringing the radio to my mouth, I murmured, “Jinx...”

  If Eleanor wore the headset in the cabin, she’d hear me. She’d know, even with her above me and out of reach, I was still hers, for the next few heartbeats at least. “Eleanor...I’m sorry.”

  Sorry for betraying you.

  Sorry for loving you.

  Sorry for saying goodbye.

  My thumb stayed on the call button, not wanting to hear a reply. I braced to dive into the ocean, only for a spray of hot fire to ricochet over the horizon, thudding into my men, wounding more, knocking them to the sand.

  “Shit!” I turned, violence crashing through me.

  I stormed forward, inhaling a final breath to vanish into the brine, but a creature rose from the ocean before me.

  No, not a creature...a man in full scuba gear with a harpoon aimed at my chest.

  I saw red. I threw the radio at his masked face.

  Calm water around me danced with a volley of bullets as Drake shot toward his own men, seeking me. “Fuck!” Ducking to the side, I dove into the wet darkness, only for a harpoon to hiss with release.

  A spear sliced into my thigh.

  A rope jerked me back.

  And a foot planted squarely on my back, shoving me underwater.

  Chapter Twelve

  “HERE.”

  I looked up, my eyes unable to focus on what the pilot held.

  “Jinx...”

  “Eleanor...I’m sorry.”

  For the past sixty minutes, Sully’s voice echoed like a terrible melody in my head.

  His apology set fire to all my fears that he’d agreed to a temporary separation, but really...it’d been a terrible lie.

  He’d sent me away knowing he’d never see me again.

  His voice gave the truth.

  His violent curse following his despair hinted that the gunfire that’d been aimed at me had been aimed at him instead.

  Dammit, Sully!

  While I’d been flown against my will, he’d been shot at, attacked, and possibly died on the very beach where I’d been delivered to him.

  Oh, God.

  I curled up, hugging my hollow stomach, my heart long ago reduced to ash.

  “Take it.” The captain who’d ripped me from war and left Sully to battle alone entered the cabin and grabbed my lifeless hand. “You’ll need this. Read it carefully. Obey completely. And your life will continue without further harassment from Mr. Sinclair.”

  I blinked, forcing numb fingers around the envelope. “What...what do you mean?”

  “I mean your time as his goddess has ended. You’re free.”

  “I don’t want to be free. I need to go back. He’s in trouble—”

  “Stop.” He rolled his eyes as if he’d heard it all before. “He is not in trouble. And regardless of what you want, it doesn’t matter. Come on.” Leaping from the cabin, he brushed down his pilot’s uniform and held out his hand. “I’ll pass you over to the ground staff.”

  I sat straighter, refusing to move. “Take me back to Sully.”

  His body stiffened, illuminated by the lights from the private hangar outside. “I only take orders from Mr. Sinclair.”

  We’d landed on the outskirts of a busy airport. Jets and commercial planes all went about their business in the distance, unaware that the man I’d fallen for might not breathe air anymore.

  “He might be hurt.”

  “He has guards. They’ll defend—”

  “The last radio call...it sounded as if he’d been ambushed.”

  “The sooner you remove yourself from my aircraft, the sooner I can return and offer assistance.”

  “Take me with you.”

  He crossed his arms, his nostrils flaring. “You will not be returning to Mr. Sinclair by my services, Miss.”

  I flinched, lost and alone, doing my best to figure out how to stop this runaway train separating me from Sully. “I’ll pay.”

  “You have been evicted. You can bribe me all you want, but you will not find Goddess Isles again. By me or other means of transportation.”

  A flush of panic tried to resurrect my heart. “Just because you won’t take me doesn’t mean I won’t—”

  “You can’t find his islands, ma’am.” He clenched his jaw and launched into the cabin again. His fingers unlocked my harness; his hand wrapped around my arm and jerked me unceremoniously from the helicopter. “No one can find Mr. Sinclair if they don’t have an invitation. And you, Miss, no longer have an invitation.”

  I fought him. “His brother found him. I doubt he was given an invitation.”

  The pilot sniffed. “Forget about Mr. Sinclair. Don’t waste your time trying to find him. No one will help you. No one will take you.”

  “Stop it!” I struggled against his strength as he dragged me closer to the hanger. My bare feet grazed on the tarmac, flaring with pain. My simple dress fluttered with the night breeze. I’d been sold to Sully without a single personal belonging. I’d been removed from Sully in the exact same condition.

  I hadn’t even taken the diamond he’d given me.

  I had nothing of his.

  No photo to prove it was real. No promise that he’d come after me.

  Just a false admittance that I could return.

  And a pilot who told me that was impossible.

  Panic added new power to my body and I fought harder. “I’ll find a way. I won’t let him do this.”

  “It’s already done.” The blast of air-conditioning as he jerked me into the large hangar was a slap of reality after living on a tropical island. An island that might be under a siege with no one alive to protect it. An island that’d become unreachable.

  A small waiting area welcomed, complete with travertine floors and flocked seating.

  A young man in a black uniform with SSG on his lapel came forward. He bowed at the pilot, uncaring that he held me while I struggled. “I will ensure she is properly taken care of.”

  His words could mean kill me or help me.

  “Take me back to Sully. He’s in trouble. Stop wasting time and—”

  “Hold her while we take off. Remind her that Goddess Isles is no longer available to her and destroy the letter once she’s memorised it.” The captain shoved my arm at the new man.

  “Wait, don’t—” I tried to backpedal, only for the slim Indonesian man to wrap his bony, strong fingers around my wrist.

  “I’ll hold.” He nodded curtly, digging his fingernails into my skin as the captain gave me one last look, then stormed from the luxury office in the hangar and strode swiftly back to his helicopter.

  I tried to run.

  I did my best to pry my new jailer’s claws off me, but I was too late.

  Rotor blades swirled
faster and faster, engines screamed, and my only method of returning to Sully shot into the sky.

  The second the helicopter no longer touched earth, the man let me go, shaking out his hand as if touching me had been an affront to his job description.

  “Do you have a preference in airlines, ma’am?” he asked politely, moving toward his desk where a computer waited. “If you advise your hometown, I can book you on the next available flight.”

  “Flight?”

  He nodded. “We might have to transfer you through the Philippines or Hong Kong. A lot of the main routes fly from there, but that won’t be a problem.” Pointing at the envelope in my hand, he added, “Inside, you’ll find a new passport, cash, and any other identification you might need according to your place of birth.”

  Ripping open the paper, I peered inside.

  Sure enough, a freshly minted American passport rested inside.

  Forged or real?

  “Huh, that’s strange.” The man clipped toward me again, his shoes echoing on the tile. His eyebrows rose as he peered into the envelope, perplexed that the passport seemed to be the only thing given. “Normally, there is a letter from Mr. Sinclair. I ensure you’ve read it carefully, before destroying it and confirming that you understand that the four hundred thousand dollars is yours to use as you wish...as long as you keep your employment secret.”

  I choked. “Four hundred thousand?”

  “Yes.” He nodded with self-importance. “All goddesses upon their release earn a salary for their service.”

  “I’m not just a goddess. I’m his...partner. His friend. I need to go back...before it’s too late.”

  “Not possible.” He crossed his arms. “No one goes back.”

  My fingers dipped into the envelope, pulling the passport free with shaky fingers.

  “Mr. Sinclair is very grateful for your time in his employ, but you are no longer needed.”

  I am needed. More than ever.

  He was shot at.

  I know he was.

  He might be bleeding and wounded and—

  Don’t break down.

  Nothing good comes from breaking.

  The best thing I could do—the only thing I could do—was keep my fear in check and focus on arranging swift travel back to Sully.

  Regardless of what these men said, I would find Sully’s islands again.

  I have to.

  It was unthinkable to accept that Sully had sent me away with a bald-faced lie about me returning, knowing full well I could never attempt such a thing.

  He sent you away for your safety...

  If he’s dead, then—

  Stop it!

  Sniffing back terror, I flipped to the photograph page. I flinched as my image gleamed back. Somehow, I’d been captured simple and travel approved—sitting primly with my hair loose and sun dusting my features, the image must’ve been photo-shopped onto a white background.

  It looked legit with the requisite glowing seals and hard-to-replicate watermarks.

  I flipped to another page.

  Something slipped free, slapping against the floor.

  The man ducked to pick it up, standing slowly and passing it almost reluctantly to me. “It seems you do not get cash, ma’am.”

  I took it from him, my mind whirling with fear over Sully’s safety and the roadblocks that’d been so smoothly slammed in my way.

  A credit card.

  A black Amex with no spending limit in the name of Sullivan Sinclair. “But this isn’t mine. It’s a mistake.” I flipped it upside down, my stomach clenching at the sexy scrawl of Sully’s signature. Elegant swooping Ss and aggressive slashes for the V.

  The man touched my wrist, making me flip the card back to the front. He frowned. “No mistake. See? Your name is authorised beneath Mr. Sinclair’s.” He looked me up and down, as if judging what I’d done to deserve such a gift.

  I didn’t want a damn credit card.

  I wanted a ride home.

  A way to return to Sully’s side, despite the danger.

  My trembles increased as I looked closer. Goosebumps sprang over me as, sure enough, my name was scribed beneath Sully’s.

  What the hell does this mean?

  That he’d given me the power to clean out his bank accounts? His version of showing me his trust? His way of tracking me with every swipe of his card?

  He doesn’t want me to find him, but he wants to be able to find me?

  The man strode away in his dress shoes, returning to his desk. Swiping the screen to activate his computer, he asked again, “So...which airline would you like to fly home on? I can book first class anywhere you need.”

  I shivered, unable to fight the chill from the air-conditioning snowing over my shoulders and the fear of what happened to Sully.

  He’d premeditated this.

  He’d had time to request a card be issued with my name on it.

  Why?

  Had he known Drake would attack or had he planned on getting rid of me all along? And if he did want to get rid of me—if he wanted us over—then why give me access to his damn bank accounts?

  “Ma’am? Your flight. Most large airlines leave around dawn, so it’s advisable to book—”

  “Send me back to his Goddess Isles.”

  He blanched, genuinely afraid for my mental capacity. “You cannot return, ma’am.”

  “Why not?”

  “I told you. Because you are not welcome. No one is permitted to return.”

  “And like I told you, all I want is a private charter back to Mr. Sinclair.” I strode toward him, clutching Sully’s credit card. “That’s the only destination I need.”

  “Not possible.”

  “Make it possible.” My anger appeared. “I don’t care who you are or what your guidelines require. Mr. Sinclair is in danger. He only sent me away because he believed it would keep me safe, but I need to go back. I need to make sure he’s—”

  “Mr. Sinclair does not permit anyone to know his location. Only those who have been carefully screened and approved—”

  “I’m not a guest seeking to indulge. I was a goddess who lived there. We’re going around in circles.”

  “What country are you from? I’ll book that—”

  “You’re not listening to me!”

  The man glowered. “And you are not listening to me. Your return is not possible.” He hovered his fingers over his keyboard, his teeth clenched as he snipped, “Preferred airline?”

  “I’m not leaving until I get a lift back to Sully Sinclair.”

  “No one will take you, ma’am.” His black eyes narrowed as his patience reached its limit. “Please advise me the airline you’d—”

  “No flight!”

  He sounded like a damn robot with pre-approved sentences.

  He was the gatekeeper.

  And Sully...God, Sully.

  Please be okay.

  I crossed my arms, Sully’s credit card dug into one hand and my fake/real passport dug into the other. “If you won’t help me, I’ll find someone who will.”

  “No one will help you, ma’am.”

  “Sully is well-known. Someone will spill.”

  He bared his teeth. “You are not permitted to stay in Indonesia. What airline—”

  Swooping toward him, I let go of my temper. I shouted like I should’ve shouted at Sully. “I am staying in this damn country because I deserve answers. I deserve to know what the hell he meant sending me away with no way of going back to him. I deserve to look him in the eyes and see which was the lie...loving me or getting rid of me. You and his pilots and all the guards in the world cannot stop me. Put me on a plane, and I’ll fly back. Ship me off to somewhere, and I’ll swim back. I will leave when I’m good and ready. And I will find a way back to him with or without your help.”

  His eyebrows soared into his black hairline, his own temper fading under mine. “But...it’s just not done.”

  “I don’t care. I’m not just any goddess.” Poi
nting a finger in his face, I snapped, “So, what’s it going to be? Will you help me, or do I have to find someone else?”

  He licked his lips. “I will not help you, ma’am.”

  “Fine.” My heart fell.

  More delays.

  More worry.

  More time when Sully could die before I ever found my way back.

  Bracing my shoulders, I commanded, “Take me to the closest hotel then. I’ll find my own way from there.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  THE SEA DIDN’T HAVE favourites.

  The predators she kept safe one day could become chum for a bigger beast the next. I’d spent long enough in the salty embrace to know how traitorous the depths could be. But I couldn’t hate the ocean for choosing me as its next casualty.

  I couldn’t be pissed that my blood now blended with brine, ringing the dinner bell for sharp-toothed creatures to swim swift and hungry.

  But I could be worse than any of them combined.

  Ignoring the harpoon stabbed clean through my thigh, I pushed off against the sand beneath me. My lungs burned from lack of air while the surface above me taunted. So close yet so unreachable unless I could get the bastard’s foot off my spine.

  A slither of oily black appeared in the darkness.

  A quicksilver whip of a fin.

  The reef sharks were always present here. Most no bigger than a small dog. Most passive and content to swim side by side without challenging for dominion.

  But their teeth were sharp and their nose for blood incomparable.

  And I was wounded in their waters.

  One brushed past my leg where the harpoon delivered blazing pain.

  A scream sounded above the surface, warbled and followed by splashing of another diver as someone got bitten.

  Digging my hands deeper into the sand, I searched for a weapon. Any weapon. Oxygen was needed. Breath was paramount.

  Finding a piece of dead coral, I fisted it and struck with every last bit of power I had. I reached behind me, striking at the leg of the bastard drowning me.

  I connected.

  His foot vanished.

  I shoved to the surface and stood with a huge gust of fury and air.

  A shark oozed between my legs. The sharp nip of teeth against my already shredded flesh shot me from the sea and toward the beach.