Page 34 of The Heartbreak Hotel

She supposed she’d find out; she was going to be stuck here all night.

Chapter Ten

Riley

Riley’s hair whipped back across her face as she soared over the waves on a jet ski. She bobbed with the movement, spray spitting up and coating her clothes, but she could barely feel it. Her focus flicked between the dark clouds crackling in the sky above, and the place where the path to the ruins should be.

What was Ella thinking?

Riley couldn’t believe she’d visit the ruins so late, especially at high tide. Especially when the weather was turning.

Actually, she could believe it. It was exactly the kind of stupid idea that had Ella written all over it.

Anger brewed in her belly. It was like the woman had a death wish. If Duarte hadn’t spotted her on his way back from a supply drop, she’d have been stuck out there all night.

What if something has already happened? A chill spread down her spine, and she made the engine go faster, gaining height over the choppy waves. If their last conversation turned out to be the way they left things, Riley would never forgive herself.

Because Ella was right. Riley was a coward.

But we’re focusing on Ella’s stupidity here, not mine.

If she thought about confronting Ella about her feelings or admitting that, yes, she was attracted to her, she might just throw up.

Riley had cut off any matters of the heart years ago. Why was the fiery redhead interested in her? It didn’t matter, anyway. She didn’t want to be a holiday throwaway. She couldn’t be. That wasn’t the way she operated.

So why was she racing across the sea like a madwoman, trying to rescue her?

I should book another session with Marco Marcos.

The hillside came into view as a flash of lightning crossed the sky. Shit. She needed to be quick. She pulled the jet ski around the land, her eyes combing the path leading up to the ruins.

“Ella!” she called, losing her voice to the wind. Ugh. She’d have to get closer.

She drove the jet ski onto the grass, slipping and sliding and tumbling off onto the ground. She dragged it further inland and, after making sure it was secure, started jogging up the path to the ruins. She called her name again, her chest already heaving from the exertion and adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Her hair whipped around her face like a hurricane, and a clap of thunder rolled through the sky. If she didn’t find Ella soon, they were going to get caught in a storm. The last place they wanted to be was on the water.

She pushed herself, feet slapping the ground underneath and carrying her closer to the ruins. The stone structure poked out above, guiding her. When she crested the top, moving aside the overgrown branches arching over the path, a purple fork cracked across the sky.

“Ella!” she shouted, her voice hoarse and breathy from the journey up. She ducked her head into the crumbled structure but came up short.

If she wasn’t here, what was she going to do?

Dread smothered her stomach again, and she called louder, the wind thrashing in her ears. A small raindrop landed on her nose, and she lifted her head up just as the downpour began. The water quickly soaked through her T-shirt and shorts, but she continued shouting.

“Riley?”

The voice was so soft, Riley thought it was a figment of her own imagination at first. But then she turned, and Ella stood under a fallen doorway, soaked to the bone in her yellow summer dress.

“Are you alright?” Riley closed the distance between them, relief coating her, followed by trepidation.

“What are you doing here?” Ella asked.

“More like what are you doin’ here, Ella?” She waved her arms. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

The softness in Ella’s voice vanished in an instant, replaced with a fiery rage. “Actually, Riley, I was trying to give myself to this stupid course, and it’s just trying to kill me!”

Unbelievable. “You can’t keep blaming the course for this. You should know you’re not supposed to come here at this time. Did you even read the booklets we gave you?”