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“Go?” Laiken repeats, sounding terrified. “As in, to Slaughter Island?”
He nods. “It’s three days before they’re expecting us. At least then it gives us the element of surprise. It’s our only chance to catch them off guard, and possibly, before they’re ready. Besides, if we wait until their plan, there’s no saying whoever Riley is working with will be there.”
Laiken is shaking her head before he’s even done speaking. “No. I can’t. I can’t go back there. Not after the last time.”
I position myself in front of her, holding her face in my hands and looking into her eyes. I’ve got to calm her down now before it gets out of hand.
“Baby,” I say softly. “I know you’re scared, but you have to know that I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’ve got you. Okay? But we have to end this once and for all.”
She still looks unsure, so I pull her in and kiss her, making sure she knows that she’s always the first thought on my mind.
“You left a piece of you there that night,” I tell her. “It’s time we go get it back.”
Thankfully, she finally nods, and I grab her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. Our marriage may not be perfect. It’s troubled and has dealt with more adversity than most, but it’s ours. I’m sure we’ll argue, and sometimes I’ll want to rip my hair out, but we’re always going to be stronger when we’re together.
Looking over at Cam, with Laiken’s hand tightly in mind, I nod. “Let’s do this.”
HOPEFULLY LUCAS’S DAD WON’Tnotice his boat is gone until after he gets back. Cam sent Lucas a text, letting him know we had something we had to take care of and it was an emergency, but that doesn’t mean his dad won’t call the cops for a stolen boat. What would they even call that? Grand theft vessel?
It doesn’t take long for us to get to Slaughter Island, thanks to the twin motors on this baby. As we get close, we realize there’s another boat here, which means Riley must be nearby. We all glance around, but we don’t see her. And that only leaves one option.
She’s in the house.
Laiken stares at the spot where Monty died, but when I press a kiss to her hair, she snaps out of it.
“Are you okay?” I check.
She looks up at me with fear in her eyes. “I just want this to be over.”
“You and me both, baby. So, let’s go put an end to this.”
We each get off the boat and quietly make our way toward the house. You can hear the sound of someone inside, but it’s hard to make out what they’re doing. As we stand in front of the door, Cam pulls his gun out from his waistband and holds it in his hands.
“On the count of three,” he whispers.
He counts with his fingers, and the moment he hits three, we storm inside. Riley’s eyes widen in a panic when she sees us, finally realizing for a fact that we know it’s her. Cam points the gun directly at her. She rolls her eyes and puts her hands up, looking like she’s been caught.
“You have two seconds to tell me who you’re working with and where they are, or I swear to God, I’ll blow your brains out.”
She smirks, like she knows that’s never going to happen, and she looks behind us just in time for the door to slam shut. Gas quickly fills the room, and Riley throws a mask over her face, but as I try to get away, I realize I can’t.
This shit is quick, taking you down with one breath, and one by one, we each fall to the floor as we pass out, hearing a familiar voice taunting us in the background.
“How fashionably early of you. Welcome to the party.”
Everything feels foggy,like I’m just beneath the surface of the water, struggling to reach the top. My lungs burn with the need for air. I’m right there, hanging in the balance between life and death. It would be so easy to let go. It would be so painless.
But the easy road never has been the route for me.
The first thing I hear is the sound of Hayes struggling. “Get the fuck off her! You’re going to fucking kill her!”
As I jolt awake, my mouth and nose are finally uncovered, and I cough violently as my lungs fill with air. My vision is blurry, and it takes a minute for everything to come into focus, but when it does, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
“There she is,” he singsongs.
My eyes widen as sheer terror fills me from head to toe. I struggle to move. I’m tied to a chair with my hands behind my back, and each leg is tied to the leg of the chair. Turning to my right, I see Hayes is in the same position—looking both relieved that I’m alive and terrified because he knows we’re so fucked.
“No,” I breathe. “Y-you’re…”
