揑t was ruled an accident. Whenever anybody doubted it, I had the suicide theory to fall back on. For ten goddamn years, it worked梪ntil you popped up. You made Destiny go pawing through her mom抯 things棓
揥hat? Troy, no. I didn抰 tell her to look for anything棓
揘o? She didn抰 bother until you showed up.?
I inhale sharply. 揝he hadn抰 been back to Hawaii before then, remember? That was all her, trying to make peace with what happened...?
I抦 not sure why I抦 still reasoning with a rabid dog.
He balls his fists up and swings them back and forth at his sides before pounding on the ship抯 cabin several times. The noise reverberates through the night.
I wince.
揂re you that stupid, witch? Just you being there made her more curious about the mother she抎 lost. I kept everything under wraps for years, and now it抯 spilling everywhere.?He folds his arms over his chest. 揃ut it won抰. It can抰. Just as soon as I get rid of you and your mouth, I抦 back to square one. Just another well-paid nobody who doesn抰 matter. If Cole forgets I exist in his grief, all the better.?
I stare right through him.
揝till a goddamned shame about the girl. I never meant for those guys to hurt her...?He makes a frustrated sound, shaking his head.
My stomach lurches.
After listening to this maniac抯 sick excuses, I knew it.
But hearing him confirm it cuts me open.
揥as Aster wearing that necklace the night she棓 I can抰 make myself say died. Somehow, admitting she died梐dmitting he murdered her梖eels like I抦 accepting the same fate. 摋the night they found her??
揥ouldn抰 you like to know??He raises his fist over his head.
I flinch.
But he pulls back at the last second and the cabin echoes with his rough sigh.
揑f you weren抰 there, they would抳e moped their way through the whole trope. Dess wouldn抰 have set one foot on the beach, much less gone pilfering through that dejected house. All of this could抳e been avoided. You抮e the reason he hired an investigator. You and the goddamned feelings you stirred up. You made them think too much. Now you want to go reminding Destiny of Aster nonstop with that ugly fucking knockoff??
揥ell...?
He lunges, stopping just short of hitting me again. 揑 worked so hard! So fucking hard to save her the pain梑oth of them梐nd you just waltz in like a wrecking ball whore.?He glares at me, his eyes mean slits. 揧ou may be good enough to be Cole抯 fucktoy, but you抮e not fit to hold Aster抯 tea棓
揥ait.?I grit my teeth. 揌old on. You抮e getting this out. That抯 good. It must抳e been hell bottling it up for years.?I grimace, hating that I抦 pretending to have sympathy for this hideous man. 揝o, are you really upset because you think someone might find out what you did or because Destiny wears her jewelry??
揃oth!?he bellows, throwing his head back.
揝o that抯 it. You抮e going to kill me, aren抰 you??I ask flatly.
揥hat the hell else can I do? You go, you抣l run to the police or that big, sappy idiot the first chance you get.?He stares, waiting for an argument or at least a lie. 揇on抰 worry, though. Cole won抰 get his happily ever after. It抯 his fault she抯 dead. He drove her away, and he already did the same with you in record time.?
My heart twists.
Everything that drove us apart seems so petty now, so pathetic in the grand scheme.
And now I抣l never get the chance for either of us to set things right.
揑f you kill me, it抯 not going down like you think,?I warn, summoning my fiercest glare. 揧ou won抰 get away with this like you did with Aster. You抣l go away for life. There抯 no chance my parents ever let it go. And neither will Cole梟ot without hunting you to whatever island cave you crawl back to.?
His eyes flash with cruel amusement. 揑 might care if I thought there was a chance he had a clue. He doesn抰.?
揑 texted him,?I say, knowing it抯 a huge risk. 揥hen he finds out I抦 dead and who I was with, guess what he抣l do??
His eyes beam pure murder at me. 揟hen I抣l just kill him, too.?
揙-kay. Good luck, I guess. So you抳e got me, Cole梠h, and Dakota Burns. I sent her another message. And if you kill Dakota, you抣l definitely have to kill Lincoln, or he抣l kill you. You might have a one percent chance of getting through one hardass billionaire抯 security, but two? I抦 not liking your odds, dude.?
揌ow many people did you text??he flares, his fists trembling at his sides.
揂s many as I could??I smile.
揥hat the fuck is wrong with you??
One day, I hope I抣l laugh at the irony of his question.
揂t first, I thought we were going to have a wreck. I had no idea you were a full-blown psycho killer, but hey, it抯 almost like insurance. If you kill me, you抳e got a whole laundry list to deal with. Or you can just let me go and hightail it out of the country while you still can,?I say hopefully.
揋oddamn,?he mutters. 揇o you need a reminder your life is hanging by a thread??
揑s it??I spit at him.
揂nd Cole had the nuts to call Aster stubborn! You抮e one dumb uppity cunt,?he snaps.
I shrug. 揌ey, if I抦 dumb and alive... Whatever, though. If I抦 going to die anyway, I might as well get my zingers in while I can, right??
He cocks his head like he抯 considering it.
Christ on a cracker.
He抯 so deranged we抮e actually having a mundane conversation between his casual comments about slaughtering me.
I抳e got to keep him talking, though. If his mouth is running, he can抰 just shoot me.
揇o you have chocolate, Troy??I ask.
揅hocolate??
I offer a wry smile. 揧ou know, something sweet, a last meal sort of thing.?
He pauses, considering it before shaking his head. 揥hatever you ate for lunch will have to do. This isn抰 prison, lady. What the hell do I look like??
I laugh loudly.
揥hat抯 so funny??
揑抦 just lovin?the irony here. You抮e a funny, funny guy, Mr. Clement. Criminals get last meals, but I don抰. And besides accidentally meeting Cole and Destiny, I抳e done nothing wrong.?
He turns away and stomps out the door. I watch his silhouette through the rain. It looks like he抯 pulling up the anchor.
When he comes back inside, he抯 reaching into the waistband of his pants.
Ugh. Do I even want to know? 揥hat are you doing??
He turns back to face me, but before he抯 even spun around, I can tell from his shadow there抯 something in his hands.
I gasp, forgetting how to breathe.
Looks like I won抰 be talking my way out of this.
I抦 on a boat, heading out to sea, with no one around for miles.
Cole, I抦 so flipping sorry, I think miserably. I wish I could抳e been the one to love you like Aster never did.
Whatever dumb things you said aside, I wish you抎 let me be yours.
24
Broken Cup (Cole)
Turns out, a business-class Lincoln is not a good rescue car.
It抯 a clunky, meandering heap of metal and leather, hardly suited for hard slumming through this damn endless rain.
揇ad, what are you doing??Destiny cries, her voice high-pitched.
揘othing you need to worry about. Stay buckled, baby girl.?
She gives me a stricken look.
It抯 been the same ever since Eliza called.
For a few seconds, I listened in frigid silence while she asked Troy what they were doing at a marina. Then the call cut out.
There抯 only one marina out that way I know of.
With traffic grinding to a crawl with what looks like two nasty accidents ahead, it would almost be faster on foot. If only I had a ship big enough to handle the mess, I could?Wait. Hold the fuck up.
揙n second thought, reach up here and find my phone,?I tell her.
揥hy??
揕et抯 play a game.?
揂 game? Are you serious??Her eyes are huge marbles, swirling with worry.
揧ep. I抦 the captain and you抮e a seaman. You follow orders, but you don抰 ask questions,?I say tightly.
揟his game sucks already.?
揇estiny, get my phone.?
With her nose wrinkling in protest, she reaches into the front seat and gropes around until she has my phone in hand.
揘ow find Brock Winthrope in my contacts, call him, and put it on speaker,?I say.
It only rings twice before I hear, 揥inthrope.?
揃rock, it抯 Cole Lancaster梐ny chance you抮e still in town??
揑 am,?he says cautiously.