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"What did you do to the bodyguard so that he wouldn't show up on the boat?" Drew asked, returning to the events that occurred on the island.
"Megan put sleeping pills in his coffee."
"You should have killed him. You would have saved Valdez the trouble."
Her eyes widened. "Wait. What do you mean I would have saved Valdez the trouble?"
"The bodyguard was stabbed to death two weeks after you left the island."
"Juan told you that? You didn’t mention it before," she said, suddenly suspicious about his new information.
"It wasn't Juan; it was Tim. I just got off the phone with him."
Anxiety shot through her as she stood up. "Your friend? You told Tim about Megan and me? You said you didn't."
"It was last week before you and I reconnected. I mentioned to Tim that you were haunting my dreams. It wasn't a surprise to him, because I was distracted on the job. He said he had some friends on the island, and he could ask them if any new information had come to light in the last few years. I forgot all about our conversation until he called this morning."
"So Tim called his friends on the island and asked about me?" Her stomach turned over. "I have to go. I have to pack. As soon as Megan comes home, we'll get out of here. She won't want to go, but she'll have to. The prom is over. The fairytale of normality is done. The clock struck midnight."
He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little shake to stop her ramble. "Ria, don't panic. Tim doesn’t know you're alive. And I told him to drop it. Nothing has changed."
His words took a little of the edge off, but she still hated the idea that someone else had called people on the island to ask about her. If anyone started hearing rumors that a woman who looked just like her had been spotted in San Francisco, it could get back to Valdez. "What exactly did he tell you when he called just now?" she asked.
"He said Valdez's niece was on the boat. I knew there was supposedly another passenger, but I never really asked who that was, or if I did, it didn't matter to me. I was only focused on you." Drew paused. "He also told me about the bodyguard. But he reconfirmed that everyone thinks that both of you are dead."
She walked over to the window and glanced outside. Everything looked normal on the street below. So why did she feel like her entire world had just been spun on its axis?
"It's going to be all right, Ria."
She turned back to face him. "I'd like to believe that's true, but I can't afford to be wrong." She swallowed hard. "What are you going to do now, Drew, now that you know the whole story? Are you going to turn us in?"
"Of course not."
A wave of relief followed his words. "Now that you know, you're an accessory to my crime."
"I'm not worried about that. I'm more worried about the long-term plan. You're playing defense, Ria, and you can't do that forever. You need to find a way to attack Valdez, to beat him. Hiding out forever isn't a reasonable solution."
"And attacking and beating a crime lord doesn't seem too reasonable either," she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
"We need to think."
"No. We don't need to do anything," she said pointedly. "I told you my story, but I'm not asking you for help. I'm handling this."
"You're in over your head."
"I'm a strong swimmer."
"So am I. And there's no way in hell I'm walking away from you or Megan. If you pack up and disappear, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth. And I will find you."
She wanted to ask him why he would go to that much trouble, but she couldn't get the words out. Fortunately, their conversation was over for the minute. She could hear Megan's voice in the hall.
"They're back," she said. "Let's not talk about any of this in front of Megan, all right?"
He nodded.
She checked the peephole by habit, then opened the door. Megan and Eric walked into the apartment. Megan had exchanged her prom dress for leggings and a tank top, and Eric now wore jeans and a t-shirt. They looked happy and tired.
"Sorry, we're late," Megan said. "It took forever for the tow truck to come."
"Yeah, my dad said to apologize," Eric said.
