The second they stepped from the woods, Mike almost snatched Mollie back against his chest and retreated into the woods with her.Just keep walking.This is the only way.
Mollie didn’t breathe as they crossed toward the edge of the cliffs. With every step she took, she waited for something to rush out of the woods at them or to fire a shot. Her anxiety didn’t lessen the closer they got to the cliffs either; instead, it increased. They couldn’t make it to the pathway this easily.
Yet, somehow, they did.
Mollie stopped at the edge of the cliffs when the twisting pathway carved into the rocks came into view. It was more of a death trap than any real path as it was only two feet wide, lacked a handrail, and looked like an ant’s weight could crumple it, but it was the only way down to the three boats bobbing on the waves below.
And those boats! They were some of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen as they were their chance at freedom. Two speedboats were tied to the metal dock jutting a hundred feet into the water. The third boat, a yacht, was bigger than her house and moored about two hundred feet away from the sandy shoreline.
A boathouse, about the size of her house, was tucked against the cliffs and away from the shoreline. The sun glinting off the windows made it impossible to see if anyone was inside the building, but it looked empty, and she saw no one on the beach.
Gathering her courage, Mollie stepped onto the trail behind Aida as Doug led the way. Usually, heights didn’t bother her, but she was not a fan of possibly unstable paths that could give way at any second.
She focused on Aida’s back while she counted each of their steps in the hopes of keeping herself distracted from the imminent death facing them if the path gave out, or if they made one wrong step. Mike’s tension vibrated against her skin, but she didn’t dare turn to look at him.
So fixed on Aida, Mollie didn’t realize they’d come to the end of the path until her next step was onto the sand. Her head lifted, a smile curved her mouth, and she beamed at Mike. Her smile slid away when she saw the lethal look on his face.
When she reached for his hand, he shook his head, and Mollie pulled the rifle from her back. She’d attempted to wipe the gun clean with the bottom of her shirt, but in the daylight, she saw some of Raul’s blood still staining the barrel.
She tried not to recall what happened last night—the viciousness of Raul’s attack, and the brutality Mike unleashed on him afterward—but the blood brought it all back. The pain of Raul’s bite was something she would never forget, nor would she forget how out of control Mike had been. He’d warned her what he could become if she were in danger, but she still hadn’t expected it.
Now she sensed that same potential for violence simmering beneath his surface.
“I won’t hurt you,”he’dsaid. “But I can become a threat to others.”
And right now, he looked as if he’d kill anyone who came near them. Mollie glanced anxiously at her sister, but Mike had to know if he did anything to Aida, she wouldneverforgive him, and there would never be any future between them.
“What if the boats don’t have keys in them?” Aida asked, drawing Mollie’s attention back to her.
“What?” she asked.
“The keys, what if they’re not in the boats?”
“Then we’ll look in the boathouse,” Doug said.
But Mollie’s heart had already sunk. Of course, they wouldn’t leave the keys in the boats, and of course, the damn things requiredkeysto run! Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? Probably because her knowledge of boats didn’t go beyond the fact they floated, but still, she should have known they would require keys.
What would they do if there were no keys for them? She could pick a lock, but hotwiring a boat went far beyond her area of expertise. Her gaze traveled to the yacht. Maybe the Savages wouldn’t expect anyone to swim out there and would have left the keys in it. They could swim out there; they would be more exposed, but they could make it.
You’re getting ahead of yourself. The keys are most likely in the boathouse.Yes, that was what made the most sense, but this had been too easy so far, and she didn’t dare let herself hope it could continue.
Shells and seaweed crunched beneath her feet as she followed Doug and Aida toward the dock. The tide had rolled out, and the briny scent of the ocean was stronger as small waves lapped against the shore. The sun glinted off the water as seagulls circled and cawed overhead. After the screams, howls, and carnage of last night, the serene scene was almost surreal.
Doug was the first to step onto the metal dock.
“Stay here,” Mike said to her and glanced at the cliffs before following Doug onto the dock. He saw no one above, but if anyone happened by, they’d be less likely to see Mollie and Aida than him and Doug.
Mollie held her breath while the dock jingled and clanked as it bounced beneath their weight. Mike and Doug seemed not to notice as they strode forward like they were enjoying a day at the beach instead of trying to flee the Island of Death.
Doug climbed into the red speedboat on the right side of the dock while Mike stepped into the yellow one on the left. Mollie held Aida’s shoulders as her eyes darted over the shore and cliffs. She didn’t see anyone out there, but she couldn’t shake the sensation of eyes burning into her back.
“No keys,” Doug said.
“Same here,” Mike replied.
They climbed out of the boats and strode back to the shoreline together. Mike still didn’t see anyone on the beach or cliffs, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched by more than just Aida and Mollie.
“Mike,” Mollie whispered when he stepped off the dock. “I don’t like this.”
