The Perfect Getaway, page 15
As I said the words, Megan began to cry. Her blue eyes blurred with glistening tears, and as much as I wanted to comfort her, I couldn’t. Because none of it mattered. We were trapped. Probably going to die. And there was nothing any of us could do.
Natasha rested her face in her hands, sinking all the way down until she was sitting on the sand. “Laura didn’t even want to come. We convinced her. If I had just stuck to the no I said originally, she wouldn’t have been here. She only agreed because we all did. If I’d just said no, she wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be here.”
Throughout the group, I could see a new level of panic setting in. All around me, glassy eyes were filled with tears and hopelessness. “Okay, we can’t just sit here. We have to do something,” Brad said. “We aren’t just giving up.”
“What can we do?” Jaren demanded. “What is there to do? Nick’s right. We have nowhere to go.”
Natasha let out another sob, her arms wrapped around her knees, head tucked between them.
“Okay, why don’t I take Natasha back to the hut?” Andy offered. “You guys can keep looking for Laura, and once she’s calmed down, we’ll join you.”
“No,” Natasha said adamantly. “No. I want to help look for her.”
“I know, but you’re soaking wet,” he said, pointing to where the tide had begun hitting her jeans. “And you’re upset. You should calm down, and if anyone can relate to what you’re feeling…it’s me.”
Natasha ran a hand over her legs, feeling the damp denim. “Yeah, okay. But we can’t give up on her. And we should stick together. I don’t think it’s safe for anyone to be alone right now.”
“Okay, so where should we go?” Andy asked. “We can meet them after you change, and we’ll all search together.”
“Maybe we should try the forest next?” Megan asked. “It’s the one place we haven’t gone, and I agree, we shouldn’t be alone. Groups of twos at a minimum, but I’d feel safer if we stick together as a full group as much as we can.”
Realizing her hand was still in mine, I stroked her skin with my thumb. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her—not if it took my life to do it. If something had happened to Laura, I wasn’t sure I’d survive it, but the idea of losing Megan, too, was enough to bring me to my knees then and there. I had to hold it together for her. It was my fault she was in this mess.
“Okay, let’s go,” Andy said, holding out a hand for Natasha to take. “You guys go ahead to the edge of the forest. Natasha and I will meet you there.”
“Hold up,” Jaren said, wagging a finger in the air. “I need to change shoes anyway.” He gestured toward his sandals. “I’ll just go with Natasha, and we can meet you there.”
Andy paused, his face stoic. “Oh…well, okay.”
“Thanks, Andy,” Natasha said, slipping her hand in Jaren’s. “We’ll meet y’all in just a minute, okay?”
We nodded in unison, and I looked at Brad. “I think I’m going to change shoes and put on some sunscreen, too. You and Andy want to meet us up there or come with us?”
Brad looked down at his own shoes, though I could tell his mind was entirely elsewhere. “I’ll be okay. I just want to get going.” He nodded toward Andy. “You ready?”
Andy’s jaw locked as he nodded, not saying a word, and the two walked up the sandy hill. Tugging at Megan’s hand, I led her back to our hut.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said, releasing my hand to rub hers over my back. “We’ll find her.”
“Do you really think so?” Do you really want us to? If she knew the truth about what Laura and I had done, I was sure she’d feel differently. Unable to meet her eyes, I locked my gaze straight ahead. Our destination. If I looked at her, I was sure I’d break, and I couldn’t afford to do that. We had a mission. Shoes. Sunscreen. Search. Laura’s life may depend on it. The thought of her somewhere in the forest was devastating. The thought of her dead was unfathomable. I just had to keep moving. Until we found a body, there was still hope.
“I know so,” she said. “I understand your panic, but until we find Laura, I think it’s premature.” I couldn’t tell if she was just trying to put on a brave face, as tears continued to fall. “We’ll find her,” she repeated.
“I can’t—” We reached our hut, and I climbed the stairs, interrupting my sentence as I tried to compose myself. When Megan passed through the door, I followed her and shut it behind us. As I turned around, she was staring at me, her eyes as inquisitive as ever.
“You can’t lose her,” she finished for me.
I nodded, no sense in arguing or trying to lie. She’d see right through it. “She’s my best friend. My business partner. She’s been there my whole life…”
Megan was solemn as she reached for the sunscreen. “Do you love her, Nicky?”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
“I know you’ve said that you don’t, not like you love me, but I don’t think that’s true. I see the fear in your eyes right now, and I think it goes deeper than friendship. You look like Brad. Like Andy. I’ve told you I will love you through anything, as long as you don’t lie to me, but I need to know the truth now.” Tube in hand, she squeezed a glob of white into her palm and soaked her shoulder in it, rubbing circles before switching sides. “What am I dealing with here? Am I going to lose you?”
I shook my head. “You’re not going to lose me. Of course not.” My mind went back to the night on the beach—to the flash of white in the window. So much had happened since the night Laura kissed me. It felt like ages ago, so how had it only been days? “I loved Laura for a very long time, it’s true. But she chose Brad. She chose him years ago, and I respect her decision. I’ve moved on, too. I love you. I’m in love with you.” I stepped forward, taking the sunscreen from her.
“Did she love you back?” she asked. It was the one question no one had ever asked. I’d never spoken the truth aloud. Not to my parents, not to my brothers, and certainly not to my friends.
“I don’t know…” I said finally, applying sunscreen to my forearms to stay busy.
“You’d know,” she pressed, putting a hand on my arm to stop me. “If she loved you back, you’d know.”
I looked up at her, our eyes locked. A moment in time, a moment of truth. “Yes,” I choked out, the word almost silent on my breath. “At one time, she did. It was brief. Fleeting. Before they were married. Brad had gone to Haiti for two years with his company. They were building a well, or a water treatment site, something… It never should’ve happened. Laura and I were still in school, and she was lonely. It was a mistake.” I swallowed. It felt so good to finally speak about the secret I’d kept to myself for so long. “When he came home, we broke it off. We haven’t spoken about it since. It doesn’t matter anymore. It was a lifetime ago.”
She watched me, her eyes darting between mine as I spoke, soaking up every word I said. When she didn’t react right away, I added. “You can never tell anyone. Please. Laura would never forgive me if she knew I’d told you. If it got back to Brad, it would destroy her.”
Megan nodded seriously, taking the vow. “I’d never tell a soul, Nicky. You know you can trust me.” She leaned forward, pressing her lips to my cheek. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”
“Are you mad?” My throat was incredibly dry as I waited for the answer.
“Of course not. I wish you’d told me, of course, but it was before our time. I don’t have any right to be mad. I just want to know everything about you. And Laura is part of your story. I know that, and I appreciate it. I appreciate her not choosing you, so I could have a shot.” When she smiled, I saw the hint of sadness, and I felt my chest tighten. I hated this. “I love you with every part of my being, and I know you love me back. I will always be here for you, unless you ask me not to be or give me a reason not to be.” She squeezed my hand, then moved to rub my sunscreen in, putting it on my shoulders and the back of my neck. “As long as you are honest and you still want to be with me, I’m here.”
I swallowed, closing my eyes. What did I want anymore? Truth was, I had no idea.
Laura.
I wanted Laura found. I wanted Laura safe.
Anything other than that could wait.
The rubbing stopped, and my eyes shot open. “You do still want me here, don’t you?” She leaned around to look at me.
I took her hand in mine, kissing her fingertips, the taste of the sunscreen on my lips. “You’re the best thing in my life.” It wasn’t an answer, but I didn’t think she wanted to hear the one I would’ve given her if pressed. In that moment, with Laura missing and the truth of what had happened between us all those years ago hanging in the air, all I wanted was the one woman I could never have.
I wanted to tell her the truth—that I’d never stopped loving her, never stopped wanting her. I wanted to scoop her in my arms and never let her go. I wanted to burn our lives to the ground, who cared about the casualties, and start fresh. I wanted to love her the way I always had without having to hide it anymore.
“It’s okay,” she said, a new tear in her once-dry eye as she twisted her mouth to avoid crying. “Laura was your best friend. I know how scared you must be and how confusing it must be for you.”
I froze, my body stiff with fear as I dropped her hand. “Was?”
“Huh?”
“You said was. Past tense.” The blood in my veins was suddenly icy. “Megan, do you know something about Laura?”
A smile played on the edge of her lips. “What are you talking about, crazy? Of course I don’t.”
“Why would you say it like that?” I took a step backward, toward the door, and she followed.
“Like what?”
“Was? You said she was my best friend. Not is.”
“Nicky, you’re acting crazy,” she said, a dry laugh in her words. “Laura is your best friend, of course. I just misspoke. Wasn’t it you that said earlier how I’m your best friend now? I didn’t mean anything by it.” There was a pregnant pause while she waited for me to respond, but I couldn’t. My body seized with panic as my hand made contact with the door behind me. In one quick motion, I spun around, pulled it open, and darted out.
I knew what I saw in her eyes. What I’d heard in her voice. I knew she’d had something to do with it. I knew she knew what happened to Laura.
Who had I brought into my life? Into Laura’s life?
What had I done?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Natasha
Nick rushed into the hut without knocking. When I turned around, thankful I’d just pulled the jeans up over my hips, I was prepared to chastise him, but judging by the look on his face, now wasn’t the time.
“What’s wrong?” Laura. They found Laura.
“I think Megan knows what happened to Laura,” he said, breathing heavily, a hand flat on his stomach just below his ribs.
“What do you mean?” Jaren asked, stepping forward, his expression serious.
“I have to tell you something,” Nick said, his eyes deadlocked with mine. His words sent chills across my arms. “You’re not going to like it, but I have to tell you.” He crossed the room and pulled the windows closed. “You should sit.”
I crossed my arms. “I think I’ll stand.”
Jaren didn’t move either. “Tell us, Nick. What’s going on?”
“I don’t have time to lessen the blow.” His lips formed an ‘O,’ and he blew out a breath. “So, here goes. Laura and I used to be…involved.”
The words ran over me, filling me with dread. Not because it was a shock, but because I needed to decide how to react. Jaren had no idea I knew. Nick had no idea I knew. Should I pretend I didn’t?
“Involved how? You were having an affair?” Jaren asked, freeing me up to continue deciding how to proceed.
“No, not an affair,” Nick said. “Well, it was an affair, sort of. Maybe. I don’t know. It was years ago. Before we graduated. Before they were married. Nothing has happened in years…until the night before last.”
“The night before last?” I perked up. Now this was new news.
“Laura…” He hesitated, a grimace on his lips as he prepared himself. “She kissed me.”
“What?” I demanded. My heart thundered in my chest. Why hadn’t she told me?
“I don’t know why. It was the night Emily died. She came by my hut, and she was talking about Emily…something about what happened at the spa. She said she didn’t trust her…and then she just, she…” He shrugged. “She just kissed me.”
“And then what happened?” I asked.
He hesitated. “The sort of thing that usually follows kissing.” His face was beet red as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. They’d had sex? He couldn’t mean that, could he? Was he really admitting it to me? In front of Jaren. I’d have to make sure Jaren kept her secret, like I’d sworn to do all those years ago. “And then, it was over,” Nick went on when no one responded. “I don’t know what happened. It was a moment of weakness. She called it a mistake.”
“Was it?” I asked.
“I don’t—I-I don’t know. She ran off before we could talk about anything, and I went back home. I’m telling you this because on the night that it happened, I could’ve sworn I saw Megan watching us from the hut.”
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” The cold chills were back, and I was staring out the window, searching for Megan then.
“Because I thought I was wrong. When I got inside, Megan was asleep. I convinced myself I was seeing things, and then we found out Emily had died. I practically forgot what happened, and I didn’t think about it again until Laura went missing.”
“So you think Megan did something to her?” Jaren asked.
“I don’t know what to think. She was talking about Laura just now, and she said something in past tense… Isn’t that how cops always know someone’s guilty on those cop shows?”
I raised a brow. “I don’t know. That’s a stretch. I mean, did you ask her? Couldn’t it have just been a slip-up? You came running over here like you’d found her with a bloody knife.” Was that all he was talking about? For all we knew, he was jumping to conclusions.
“I asked her why she said it like she did—why she said it in past tense—and she gave me an answer, but it was something in her eyes, Natasha.” He was pleading with me again.
“I don’t know, Nick. I can’t really see Megan hurting anyone…” I wanted to believe him because I wanted answers, but they also needed to make sense. Why would Megan have done anything to hurt Laura? Even if she caught them together, why not confront Nick? Why not tell Brad? It didn’t make any sense. Besides, I couldn’t believe Megan the vegan-vegetarian-whatever she was would hurt a fly, let alone a living, breathing human.
I could see it in his eyes. Disappointment. He’d trusted me to believe him, but I wasn’t sure I did. “I know you want to find her. To find answers for her and Emily, but we can’t jump to conclusions. We can’t turn on each other right now. We need to stick together.” Jaren looked at me, and I could see he agreed.
“So, what are you suggesting? Laura’s gone. We all just pretend like she’s fine, like everything’s fine until we know for sure something horrible has happened?” Nick demanded, running a hand through his hair.
I could see the fear in his eyes, feel it in the room. He’d likely never felt such panic—he didn’t have kids. Wasn’t all that close to his family. Laura was the most important person in the world to him, and she was missing.
I stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. “Nick, look at me.” I couldn’t let him see the panic I felt. It would only make his more real. Strangely, seeing him freak out only calmed me. I needed to find my best friend, but right now, Nick needed me more. Wherever Laura was, I would do this for her. I would be there for him like she would’ve been. “Look at me,” I said again, watching as his cognac brown eyes flicked up to meet mine. “We’re going to find her, okay? I don’t know what Megan saw or didn’t see, did or didn’t do, but I know Laura. I know you. I know us.” The smile on my lips was small, and I hoped he believed it. I needed him to believe it as much as I needed to believe what I was saying myself. “We won’t give up until we find her. She isn’t Emily. This isn’t the end of her story.”
He swallowed, and I watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. His nod was slight, barely noticeable, but it was there. “We need to find Brad and Andy. We have to get back to looking.”
“There we go.” I patted his shoulder before bending down near the edge of the bed to pull my shoes back on. Jaren was strangely quiet behind me, but I paid no attention. Instead, once my shoes were on, I put an arm around Nick, casting a quick glance behind me to make sure Jaren was following, and led them both out the door. “Now, we need to get Megan first. Like Andy said, none of us should be left alone right now. We’re going to keep an eye on her, but we have to play it smart, right?”
He nodded grimly. “She knows how upset I am. I shouldn’t have overreacted.”
“Right,” I said. “Come on, I’ll help you explain.” We jogged up the stairs to Nick and Megan’s hut as I played out the explanations in my head. What was I going to say? How would I make it make sense? And then, a much worse line of questioning… What if Nick was right? What if Megan had done something to Laura?
I swallowed back bile as it rose in my throat, forcing the question down with it. It wasn’t possible. Laura was fine. She was safe. She had to be.
We walked into the hut, looking around.
No Megan.
“Megan?” Nick called, then looked at me. “Maybe she’s in the bathroom.”
