by Jamie Begley
The driver drove them in the opposite direction of their bungalow, then went through a forest of imposing palm trees to reach the dock.
As the dock came closer into view, Ginny felt her heart racing at the familiar sight from her childhood. The beauty of the scene of the marina eased some of the tight guilt she had carried within her chest for so long.
Normal-sized boats were docked closer to the island, while the larger yachts were farther out. There were also two mega yachts over eighty meters long. Ginny watched as one person dove off and realized the guests were using the opportunity to go swimming.
As they got out of the Moke, the driver handed Gavin a backpack, explaining it contained lunch, water, and a short-distance radio for him to use when they were ready to return to Sherguevil Island.
Agent Collins remained on the pier as Gavin and she climbed onto the speed boat. The captain started the engine as soon as they sat down on a cream-colored cushioned seat at the rear of the boat. Ginny grabbed Gavin’s arm when the boat sped up and the hull came crashing down over the wave; it was a sensation she remembered.
He moved his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “Okay?” he probed.
“I think someone just walked over my grave,” she told him half-seriously. Her mind puzzled out it must have been the memory of being in a boat with Hammer after she’d been rescued from the plane.
“Don’t ever say that.”
Ginny firmed her trembling lips, nodding at him.
As the boat sped toward Clindale, they closed in on another mega yacht docked farther out from the marina. “Doesn’t it make you want one?” Ginny laughingly yelled out to be heard over the motor.
“No, I’d rather have the other one.”
At first, Ginny didn’t understand what Gavin was pointing at, her attention more focused on the luxurious multi-level one they were passing. Looking toward where Gavin pointed, she saw a single level that was anchored just behind the larger one.
Ginny sat motionless, inwardly registering the boat that had been dredged up from her subconscious. As realization struck, so did the reason why it had been strategically placed behind the multi-level yacht.
Whoever owned that boat was on Sherguevil Island. She had possibly been in the same room with the owner without her knowledge, and whoever it was, they were ready for her to know it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Reaper gripped Ginny’s waist, lifting her off the boat and onto the dilapidated dock. Several boards were either missing or bowing upward, so he prepared himself to catch Ginny if the creaking boards gave way under their feet.
The captain remained on the boat. “I will be returning to Sherguevil. I have other guests waiting for transportation to and from their boats. Radio when you’re ready to be picked up.”
Taking the radio, they watched the driver leave them standing alone on the dock. Reaper was only mildly surprised they had been left alone on island. It wasn’t like he and Ginny could take off swimming for the States; they were stuck there until they radioed for a pick-up.
The decaying condition of the dock had him seriously contemplating whether it had been longer than three years since it had been used.
Looking at the overgrown jungle before them, Reaper cursed that he didn’t have a machete. Glancing at Ginny, he saw the mix of emotions she was battling to suppress, knowing it was exactly the response Allerton would want to see if he had cameras placed around the beach.
Searching the foliage, he saw an indentation with new growth where the plants weren’t as densely packed. “This way. Watch yourself.” Reaper stepped forward, parting the throngs of one leafy plant and holding it back until he saw Ginny clear the area before continuing deeper into the recesses of the jungle. She clutched the back of his shirt as they moved through the tangle of vines and brush.
“Fuck. I could kick my ass for not asking for gloves or a machete.”
“I don’t think you would have gotten a pocket knife from him,” Ginny bantered at his back.
“I don’t think so either,” he agreed. To be honest, his head hadn’t been on straight since breakfast. Allerton made a big production of eating his toast, the fucking perv showed every tooth in his mouth, and Reaper knew exactly what the fucker was imagining. Banishing the sexual degradation that Allerton had tried unsuccessfully to inflict upon him to the back of his mind, Reaper knew Allerton’s day was fucking coming. And when it did, each of those pearly whites would be smashed and shoved down his throat.
Ginny poked her head around his body. “Go more to the left,” she suggested.
Seeing the brush was thinner there, he struck out in that direction, telling her to watch her step on the uneven ground.
Pushing through, he finally managed to drive back one section of vegetation for them to step out and into an immense clearing. They found the island’s village. The small homes were crumpled and destroyed as if crushed by a wrecking ball.
Reaper heard Ginny gasp as she stepped around him to get a better look at the destruction.
“Ginny ….”
“Just give me a minute. I need to catch my breath.” The gamut of emotions crossing her face and heavy breathing wasn’t because she overexerted herself.
“They’re all dead. I should never have left ….” Her face crumpled.
Reaper stepped forward, pulling her to his chest.
“How am I ever going to make this right?”
Lowering his head, he muttered low in his ear, “I know it’s hard, but get a grip on yourself. We both know who is responsible for this shit.”
Ginny shakily lifted her head, pulling away from him to move around the crumpled huts. Following behind her, Gavin looked around realizing he’d mistakenly assumed there hadn’t been many islanders living here. Seeing the sheer number of mangled homes gutted him; he hadn’t seen anything this bad since leaving the service. Reaper didn’t have to imagine how Ginny was feeling. He knew all too well what evil could do.
“All of this just because I wanted to see a stupid boat.” Her voice was so low that it was barely discernable.
Bending down, Reaper picked up a small board. “Ginny, we don’t know what precipitated this destruction. It could be unrelated to anything concerning you.” Squatting down, Reaper used the board to shift through a stack of planks, then dropped it and dusted his hands off, resting on his knees.
Visualizing where the homes were placed and taking into account the distance they’d walked from the beach, he gauged it to be roughly over a half a mile. Reaper couldn’t be certain until he did a computer search of past category-level hurricanes in this area, but with a little work and a hell a lot of luck, they could pinpoint which hurricane could have caused this level of destruction—and when. Allerton plainly stated it was three years ago. If the bastard was lying, it wouldn’t be hard to prove, unless Allerton had no intention of letting them return to the States for fear they’d stir up questions.
Reaper stood looking at Ginny, doubting there would be one. Allerton didn’t leave witnesses. That was why Gavin believed he was so fixated on Ginny.
“Are you ready to go back to Sherguevil, or do you want to go on?”
With a silent answer, Ginny moved to her left, following a smaller trail that wasn’t as overgrown. Reaper noticed Ginny moving faster and faster over the ground as she barreled through the overgrowth. “Slow down.”
She let him catch up with her, her footsteps slowing until she came out into another clearing on a different side of the island. Reaper could see the ocean through the palm trees and through tropical foliage around them, there was rubble scattered around the long rectangular area.
“This used to be where we lived. Over there was the school.” Ginny went to a pile of rotted lumber. She heaved several of the dank, smelly boards away. “There isn’t even a scrap of paper here.”
“Careful. I don’t want you to get bitten by a bug or a snake. Let me.” Reaper started moving more of the boards, finding nothing more than
bugs crawling out of their hiding places.
“Every single thing that belonged to the islanders and the school is gone. Everything. Why?”
“It’s been picked clean.”
Ginny closed her eyes in anguish at his words. Then they flew open. “Gavin …” Ginny looked around, even though she knew they were alone. “What if they aren’t dead?” She grabbed the front of his shirt to bunch it within her fists. “What if he moved them somewhere else and just told me they’re dead? Couldn’t that be a possibility?”
Reaper looked around the area. “It’s a possibility.” It was a possibility. However, though Reaper might have agreed with her out loud, inwardly, the thought was a dismal one. There had been too much care taken to remove every item from this once thriving community.
As they walked alongside the beach, they made their way back to the dock, allowing Reaper time to think. When they returned to the States, he could talk to some of his contacts from the military to see just what the government had on their records. Whatever it was, Reaper didn’t have great faith about it being the truth. More than likely, what had happened to the islanders had been swept under the rug. Recognizing some of Allerton’s guest who were sitting on the patio this morning, he felt that if they weren’t dead, they were either imprisoned in labor camps, or worse, used like him as sex slaves.
He kept the disgusting thought to himself as Ginny took off her shoes as they neared the broken dock and started walking barefoot on the pristine beach. Imitating Ginny, Reaper sat down on the sand to take off his shoes. He broke into a smile when Ginny ran toward the ocean, her feet making footprints in the wet sand, then ran back before the wave could reach her feet. Reaper remembered playing the same game when he was a child living near the ocean.
Twirling around, she gave him a bright smile. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Her smile dimming almost as soon as the words came out. Reaper cursed inwardly at the guilt-ridden expression that transformed her face from joy to sadness.
“Yes.” He had a lump the size of golf ball in his throat. All it took was one of her fucking smiles to pull him out of the nightmares of his past. If he found out that Allerton had kidnapped these islanders from this paradise, he would rip the fucker’s head off with his bare hands. The bastard didn’t have the right to take the light out of her smile.
The level of destruction in the village and the buildings on the outskirts had been too carefully gone through to have been a natural disaster. Whoever had done this had one purpose—to find what Ginny had taken, and they had needed the islanders gone to achieve that goal.
The demolition showed the wanton disregard for human life. If there was a God, at least He may be capable of some mercy for those who had committed this crime. Reaper, on the other hand, had no intention of showing any to whoever orchestrated this annihilation.
Ginny was standing where the tide was coming in, looking down at her toes as the waves came in then ebbed back. Taking a step back Ginny sank down onto the sand to circle her knees with her arms to stare toward Sherguevil Island. His hand unintentionally went to his shirt, over his heart. The primitive emotion that came over him was raw, unadulterated possessiveness.
It was the same feeling he’d had when Shade and Viper had taken the jelly she made. There was no rhyme or reason for the primitive instinct that intensified each day, every fucking time he touched her. He just knew that, when he looked at Ginny, a swell of possessiveness struck him ferociously, demanding him to protect what was his.
Keeping her within his eyesight, Reaper reached to his side to open the backpack and pull out the lunch that had been packed for them. Finding two club sandwiches, chips, and two bottles of sparkling water, he pulled them out and started eating one of the sandwiches as she walked along the beach. Reaper gave her the solitude she needed to adjust to the stark realization of what happened to her childhood home.
“Come eat, Ginny.” Tossing the empty paper wrap back into the backpack, he took out a pack of wipes.
Plopping down beside him, she showed him a pale shell she found. It was the size of a thumbnail. “Isn’t it pretty?” she winsomely. “Do you think Allerton will let me keep it?”
“I don’t see why not. Are you wanting to add it to your bracelet?”
“No.” Ginny placed the shell to the side to take the hand wipe that he was holding out for her. “I don’t want it damaged.”
A ton of bricks raining from the skies couldn’t hit him any harder at the difference between Taylor and Ginny. Taylor would never have given the delicate shell a second glance, much less treat it as if it had the value of a precious diamond. How Ginny had witnessed so much of the world’s ugliness and was able to remain uncontaminated by the events spoke as to a true testament to Ginny’s loving nature.
Taking the bottled water from him, she refused the sandwich. “I’m not hungry. My stomach still hasn’t settled from seeing Ivan Pavlov and Alek Lukin chowing down together.”
Reaper placed the paper-wrapped sandwich down on his lap to unwrap it and remove all the ingredients. Then he held out the thick slice of French bread. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon, so eat. The bread will help settle your stomach.”
Making a face at him, she took the bread, nibbling on it as she stared out at the ocean.
Rolling the inside of the sandwich together, he ate it as he monitored her eating. After taking small nibbles, she took bigger bites, then took the other piece of bread when she finished the first.
“Why didn’t you put the charms I gave you on your bracelet?” Reaper refused to admit the ache in his chest was pain from not seeing the charms swinging on her dangling bracelet.
Ginny finished the bit of food in her mouth before answering, “I gave them to Silas to keep them safe. I didn’t want to chance anything happening to them.”
Her explanation assuaged his unease. “Any other places you want to explore before we go back?” Repacking the backpack with the empty sandwich wraps and empty bottled waters, he zipped it closed.
“Just one.” Ginny reluctantly put her shoes back on, as if she didn’t want to leave the beach. “I’m hoping I can find my favorite spot on the island.”
Reaper followed suit, putting on his shoes before reaching to pull Ginny back to her feet. “Stay close.”
“I will,” she promised.
“Which way?”
“Back the way we took to get to the village.”
It didn’t take her two minutes before she was trying to run ahead of him. Taking her hand, he forced her back to his side. He had a new appreciation of how hard it must have been for her parents and T.A. to keep up with her as a child.
Becoming more familiar with the island, it wasn’t long before they were back at the main village. Going through the middle, Ginny showed him a small trail that was only a foot wide; it led them right into the middle of a steep jungle.
“Are you sure you want to go this way?” Reaper used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe his forehead and face.
“I think so.” Her excitement was bubbling over as they climbed steadily higher, only her memories guiding her way. “Oh yes, it is. We came this way every morning, Trudy used to carry me until I became too heavy. I vaguely remember it; she loved to talk about some of the things we did when Hammer finally let us talk together again. I guess I remember more than I thought.”
By the time he heard the sound of running water, his shirt was clinging to his back.
“You’re going to love this,” she promised, trying to tug out of the grip he had on her hand like a recalcitrant child. “Come on; you can rest when we get there.”
“Why aren’t you sweating? It’s hot as fuck here.”
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t have the right jeans on.” She laughed, tugging on the leg of her thin crop pants. “You should have worn thinner clothing.”
“I’m getting ripped to shreds like it is. How come you’re not?”
“You’re taking the worst of it for me. You want me to go firs
t?”
“No, but it would help if you would slow your roll down.”
“Fine. You don’t have to be so pissy.” She snorted, rolling her eyes at him.
They resumed walking and he continued to clear sections for them to step through. Finally reaching a hidden plateau, Reaper untangled a small grouping of palms, uncovering the amazing beauty of a waterfall. The spectacular height of the narrow waterfall towering above them was another surprise that was hidden from the outside.
Ginny squealed with happiness. “Isn’t it wonderful? Let’s go swimming!” Ginny was already removing her clothes.
Reaper tried to pull her shirt back down, only to find himself grasping for air when she slipped out of his hands like a fucking eel.
“You’re not going swimming naked,” Reaper burst out. He didn’t trust that Allerton wouldn’t send the boat back for them early, and the captain would search for them when they weren’t on the beach.
Ginny tossed him her shirt, showing the white swimsuit underneath.
“You could have suggested that I wear mine.”
“I thought it was obvious we would go swimming somewhere on the island. Quit being a fuddy-duddy and just leave your underwear on. You can let them dry out before putting your clothes back on,” she chirped, toeing out of her shoes.
“Is that what you did when you were a kid?”
“No, we all just swam naked. Most of the children went naked here because of the heat. If we did wear clothes, it was a thin nappy or a pair of shorts.”
“Your parents let you run around the island half-naked?”
“Of course not.” Ginny scrunched her face at him.
“At least that’s one thing I can give your mom credit for,” he murmured just to himself.
“I ran around like the ones my age—naked as a jaybird. My mother tried to keep shorts on me, but I would take them off as soon as she put them on,” she bragged. Then, going to the large pool, Ginny raised her face to catch the spray of falling water.
