Good.
Chancing that no one else is coming after him, I use the stern line to tie him up, ankles and wrists together. I’m not fucking around. Shifting the boat into gear, I get far enough away from the island so that no one will hear him yell.
After I put the engine in neutral, I flip on the flashlight. He’s out cold, but not for long. I didn’t even hit him that hard. Glass-jawed, wannabe drug-runner-package-recovery expert.
I retrieve the gun, a shitty 9mm pistol that’s only a step above not having one at all, and tuck it into the back of my shorts before reaching over the side to scoop up some saltwater and splash it on his face.
He sputters back to consciousness. “What the fuck, man!”
I shine the flashlight beam at my own face for a beat and then back at his. “I’m not fucking Ricardo. Right now, I’m your best friend if you help me, or your worst fucking nightmare if you don’t.”
“What—”
“Don’t ask another motherfucking question if you want to live. Get me?”
His mouth slams shut so fast, his teeth clack together.
“Good. Now you’re going to help me find an island, and if you don’t fuck me over, you get to live.”
He squints into the bright beam of the flashlight. “Okay. Okay. Jesus. Just don’t fucking kill me. I didn’t do anything.”
“Genie-in-a-bottle island. Where is it?”
“Genie-in-a-bottle island? There isn’t one.”
I haul him up by the collar again. “Are you fucking sure?”
“Been fishing these waters my whole life. Know them all. Genie in a bottle . . . wait, Genie Caye? The research island?”
Thank fucking Christ. I might finally get a break.
“Where is it? Close?”
He nods. “Yeah. I can get you there, man. I can. No problem. Don’t have to kill me. We’ll be all good.”
I stare into his eyes, hoping he understands exactly how serious I am. “I have general directions to get to it. You point me in the wrong direction, and you’ll be dead before you hit the water. You do me right, and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of and you’ll never hear from me again.”
He nods violently. “I get you. Not gonna fuck you over. I know the caretaker over there, and he’s a dick. Tried to rape my cousin. I sure as fuck don’t owe him anything.”
Well, that’s one point in his favor.
I grab him by the shoulders and haul him up to sit in front of the center console where the steering wheel is mounted, and turn off the flashlight.
“Which way? There any lights to use to guide me?”
The man looks out into the distance, waiting a few moments, presumably to let his eyes adjust, and then points in the direction I would assume Sweet Water is located.
“See right there? That cluster of lights and then the gap and then the next cluster? Green light further out?”
“Yeah, I see it.”
“That’s Sweet Water Caye. Fancy resort. We need to head that way.”
The directions jibe with what Anya said.
“And after that?”
“Then we’re gonna go a little right. Head toward the cell tower in Dangriga. We should be able to see by then, if the clouds ain’t too bad. About ten minutes after that, you’ll see the lights of Genie Caye. They got a little research station set up off the beach of the island, so the lights are separate. You can tell them in the dark.”
My gut says he’s telling the truth, so I go with it. “Okay. Hold on.”
I slam the throttle down and we rocket out of the choppy water in the direction of Sweet Water’s lights. More than anything, I want to go back to the island and drag Anya along by the hair to make a trade, but if Vander is the kind of man I think he is, the cost of human life means nothing to him. He’d just as soon shoot her himself. Piece-of-shit bastard.
The thought of what he could be doing to Kat has me drawing on every bit of horsepower this engine has.
I’m coming for you, baby.
Chapter 31
Kat
The room is empty. And by empty, I mean empty.
There’s a bed with sheets that appear relatively clean, but nothing else. No bamboo stool to use as a weapon, even if my hands weren’t bound.
Nothing.
I curl up on the bed that’s tucked into the corner of the room, my head still aching from however they knocked me out.
Where did they take Dane? What are they doing to him?
I squeeze my knees tighter, curling into a smaller ball as I try to hold it together.
Vander’s words keep haunting me. There are plenty of men who will pay more for the privilege of breaking a headstrong woman.
Is this really my future? It can’t be possible.
The door creaks open and the man from before, the one who was petting my hair, slides inside and shuts and locks it behind him.
His expression unleashes a sluice of ice water through me. Untangling my bound arms from where they’re wrapped around my knees, I scramble off the bed, ready to use both hands to club him across the face if I have to.
“Get out. He told you to stay out.”
“He ain’t the boss of me. This is my island.”
“He’ll kill you if you touch me.” Given the fact that Vander doesn’t have any problem with kidnapping, I’m going to bet he wouldn’t shy away from murder.
“Might be worth it.”
I open my mouth and scream, but at the piercing sound he strides toward me, his hands out. I spin out of his reach, run for the door, and fumble with the lock. The weight of him crashes into me from behind, slamming my face against the wooden panel. His hand comes around my head and covers my mouth, cutting off my ability to breathe and scream. I struggle against his hold, my lungs burning for air.