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CHAPTER FOUR
WE’VE ESTABLISHED SOMEWHATof a routine over the last handful of days, Niko and me. Every evening after dinner he accompanies me on a walk of the grounds. He doesn’t talk much and most days I’m happy to let him be silent. Others, I pry for information but rarely get what I’m looking for. I’ve quickly learned he’s a man of few words, preferring to answer in one-word sentences rather than carrying on a conversation with me.
It’s warm this evening, the setting sun offering very little in the way of relief from the blazing temperatures. When we reach the front steps of the compound, disappointment settles in my chest, the way it always does when I know that our walk is over and I’ll be forced back inside what feels like a glorified prison cell.
Niko pauses on the second step when his cell phone rings. Fishing the device out of his pocket, he looks at the number then glances back at me.
“It’s fine if you need to take it,” I tell him.
“I’ll just be a minute.” He flips the old-style phone open and presses it to his ear, muttering a gruff greeting to whoever is on the other line.
“I’m going to go put my feet in the water,” I tell him, gesturing behind me.
He gives me a stiff nod, intently listening to the person on the phone.
One good thing about being on my best behavior is that Niko no longer walks with his holster open and his gun ready to be drawn. His guard has slowly come down over the last few days and that’s exactly what I was trying to accomplish.
Turning, I drop my sandals on the bottom step and head down the sandy beach. It’s darker now, the sun having dipped under the horizon, casting a dull orange glow over the water.
I venture out a couple of steps into the crashing waves, breathing in the scent of the ocean air. When I turn back toward Niko, he has his back to me, the phone still pressed to his ear in what appears to be a pretty intense conversation, though he’s too far away for me to hear what he’s saying.
I look down the beach, toward where I know the boat dock is located. My plan was to sneak out at night, but since they lock me inside my room, I don’t see how I could make that work. Which is why when I see an opening, my first instinct is to take it.
I only have a split second to make the decision and once I do, I take off, sprinting through the wet sand like someone has set the earth beneath my feet on fire.
Adrenaline pumps through me so violently my hands shake and my heart feels like it’s beating a million miles a minute.
I know this is my one and likely only chance. If I fail, I’ll probably never come out of my room again. Or worse...
The thought has my legs pumping harder.
It doesn’t take me long to reach the bend in the land where it circles around, cutting me off from Niko’s view. I have no idea if he realizes I’m gone yet. For all I know he could be fast on my heels at this very moment.
So I run harder.
I push my body to its absolute limit.
When I see the dock come into view, my resolve strengthens.
I will do everything I can to get off this island, even if it kills me. At least then I’ll have died fighting rather than being used as a chess piece in a game I never signed up to be a part of.
I round the small outer building, my pulse surging when my feet hit the dock, the wood shifting and creaking under my weight.
I know that I have only seconds before the guards inside notice me. It’s dark enough that if I move quickly, I might be able to make it to one of the boats before they spot me.
I didn’t account for the motion sensor light that kicks on, sending my heart plummeting straight into my stomach.
Realizing I’ve already passed the point of no return, I push forward, running to the far end of the dock where a small white speed boat sits. The sound of my heavy pulse in my ears is the only thing I can hear.
I don’t ease myself down. I jump, landing inside the boat on a loud thud, clocking my elbow on the side in the process. I hiss around the pain but don’t let it deter me.
Reaching up, I’m about to unlatch the rope harnessing the boat to the dock when I hear the unmistakable cock of a gun and feel the cool metal at the side of my head.
My entire body seizes in terror.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” a rough voice fills my ears but I’m too scared to look at him right away.
When I do, my fear intensifies tenfold.
