Page 20 of Ramshackle
Kellan leans against the door to guard it and keep an ear out for an unwanted visitor. Thankfully, Vera’s room is two rooms down, so as long as we keep our voices down, she won’t hear anything.
I use my gift to unlock the bottom drawer of Dane’s dresser and pull out his laptop, which we’d stored for safekeeping there. I hand it to Dane, and he starts logging in without further direction.
“Alright, Jack. We’re all here. Do you have the coordinates handy?”
“Got ’em,” he replies evenly. The sound in the background has quieted. I can’t say if that means the lead is just passed out, better gagged, or dead, but I don't care. If Jack pulled all the information this man has out of him, then there’s no more use for him. I’ve grown callous in the weeks we’ve been hunting for information. The fewer people who know what we’re up to,the better. So, for once, I’m not opposed to Jackson killing and disposing of them to keep our secret safe.
Dane nods at me when he’s ready on the computer.
“Give us the first one.”
Jackson reads it out twice so we can double-check that it’s correct. He then goes through the other two in the same way.
“They’re all tiny islands in or around Key West,” Dane reports once they’re all in. His head pops up over the screen to look at me. “Did we find her?”
“We won’t know definitively until we get there. There’s always the chance that she’s being kept somewhere else, but the lead Jack’s with was supposedly involved as a scientist on the islands like Gordon. He likely still has open communication with him and should know where he is.” I glance at the phone. “Jack, how long would it take for you to get back here?Withoutrunning yourself ragged? We need you able to fight when you get here, not worn out.”
“Two days,” he answers evenly.
“Then take three. Clean up where you’re at, find somewhere to eat and sleep, and then start heading back. We’ll leave as soon as you’re here, so long as you don’t look dead on your feet.” Next, I turn to Dane. “You know what this means.”
His lips thin, and his expression turns serious. “Vera.”
I nod in agreement. “Vera.”
“What do you want me to do?”
I expect him to fight for her. To tell me that she’s changed or they’ve come to some understanding over the last several weeks. But there’s nothing aside from determination etched on his face. Whatever he’s thinking, I can count on him to do this. We won’t miss this opportunity to find and bring Raegan home.
“We’ll use the locker room. I’ll start putting together what I need tomorrow, and then the day after, you’ll need to get her there. Try and see if you can get any information on Raegan fromher. It can’t hurt at that point. I know she’s hiding things from us. If she can somehow narrow down the islands, that would be the best outcome. If not, we’ll trap her there until we come back with Raegan. Then we’ll figure out what to do from there.”
Dane tilts his head forward in understanding, his expression solemn.
“Need anything from me?” Kellan asks from behind me.
“Keep acting the way you have been and stay a distraction so she doesn’t notice when I’m not around as much.”
“My pleasure.”
I turn to look back at the phone, even though I’m speaking to all of us. “Three days.”
And then we would bring her home.
We’re coming.
Chapter six
Raegan
I’m losing my mind.
I can’t say the exact moment when the shift started to happen, but weeks of physical exhaustion, of working myself to my breaking point each day, followed by Gordon’s voice in my head for hours each night, will apparently wear me down no matter how much I try to fight it.
I feel like I’m still me, albeit a hollow, tired version. But I’ve been catching myself repeating some of Gordon’s words to myself every now and again. Once I realize what I’ve done, I quickly argue it and try to convince myself why it isn’t true. It makes me wonder if there are times I say the words and don’t catch it, just letting them live in my mind and believing them.
And then I wonder if arguing with myself makes me a crazy person.
Ever since the water tank was added to my routine, I’ve tried to counterbalance it every night in bed before I let myself go to sleep.
