Page 35 of Ramshackle
Gordon smiles. “So no, my pet. You never had any friends. No one cares about you. No one but me. That girl could care less what you do so long as you stay far away from her. You probably should have let her die back then, but I can’t very well blame you when she did such a good job with her sweet and innocent act.”
The last strike of the whip flares with pain like the others, but I don’t scream. I don’t feel it. I feelnothing. And just like nothing and a nobody, I close my eyes and find that place in my head where I can float and feel nothing at all.
Chapter eleven
Aiden
“We’re not going homeuntil she’s with us,” Dane declares to the rest of the boat. “I don’t care if she’s not on this last island. There are more islands around we can check.”
It’s a sentiment we all agree on, but once again, someone here has to keep reality in check and manage the risks. The midnight sky is already lighter than it was before. It’s dark and starless, but the hint of blue tells me our time is running out.
“We have less than two hours before sunrise. If any staff get up before then, that further limits our window,” I remind him.
Dane slams his laptop shut and jumps to his feet. He was able to download plenty of files from the server we’d hacked, but none of them made any mention of Raegan. We’ll look through the information once we’re back at the bunker, but all that matters right now is her.
“Who cares? We’re already here! What if she’s just another island away? What if she’s being—” he cuts off when my eyes snap to his. He starts again, slower and more controlled. “It’sbeen too long. He’s had her for two months. What if she’s…” His Adam’s apple juts out sharply. “What if she’s like Vera?”
I scan the rest of the boat for reactions first. We haven’t told the others what we found out from Vera about Raegan and Gordon yet, and now is still not the time for that truth to be revealed. Kellan’s not paying us any attention as he stares out past the bow of the boat, his concentration fixated on the ocean beyond us where the next island will soon be visible.
Reid is at the wheel. He’s focused on the direction of the boat, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s listening in. He has been quiet since we left the first island and the prisoners there behind. I understand why he’s upset, but he knew why we were coming here. We can’t just teleport them to Florida and leave them there, and he can’t make that many long trips with so many people to the bunker before he runs out of energy.
We’ll have to return for them later.
I doubt these islands will have anyone or anything left on them by tomorrow once the staff wakes up and finds the dead guards.
It’s the situation we’re stuck with, and I’ll give him time to come to terms with it. As long as he doesn’t go rogue and leave us behind with a hero complex. Based on what I’ve seen from him so far, he doesn’t seem like the type. Unless Tinsley is involved, he hasn’t cared about anything other than helping us find Raegan. His sudden concern for the other prisoners is unexpected and something I’ll have to investigate more after this is done.
As for Jackson…
According to Reid, he’d lost it on the last island and killed everyone. Thankfully, there were no prisoners. I have no idea if he would have harmed them had they been on the island, so I’m grateful I didn’t have to find out.
He shut off his comms and left Reid behind. I can only assume he went to the last island himself, so I called Reid back to the boat so we could meet him there together.
Plus, I can’t guarantee that Reid wouldn’t be in danger with Jackson in his current state if he got in his way.
“We’ll get her back. Just as strong and rebellious as always,” I reassure him, even if the same worry plagues my thoughts. She lasted a year with Gordon on the island and came back a fighter. I can’t let myself imagine that it would be any different after two more months.
But she didn’t escape him unscathed the first time, did she?
I’d seen evidence of it when I knocked her out on the island, but I’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of betrayal and my own pain that I didn’t understand what I’d seen. I never considered the blood on her legs as anything more than an injury from the collapsing building. The fear on her face wasn’t because she’d seen me as an enemy who caught her while she was vulnerable. It was because ofhim.
And I let her fall right back into his grasp.
Let her be okay. I won’t mess it up this time.
Dane drops into his seat, leaning on his knees and scraping his fingers through his hair.
“I see it!” Kellan yells at the front.
Finally.
There’s a beep in my ear telling me that someone joined or left the comms channel.
Jack’s voice is cold and dark. “She’s here.”
Dane’s head pops up with a sharp intake of air. “You have her?”
A man screams in our ears. There’s a thud, and then Jackson murmurs threateningly, “Where else would she be since her room’s empty?”
