I could choose to live. Or I could choose to die.

  My body was icy. Frozen. Somehow, I managed to take a step.

  28

  I turned toward the next cabin and walked casually.

  Two people had talked to me, and neither of them had suspected a thing. Of course, I seemed suspicious wandering about looking into the cabins. It was clear from my two encounters that it wasn’t something that was done.

  I circled the area, looking into each cabin. Some had the curtains closed. Others were empty. In a few, I could see the person inside.

  It wasn’t ever Sam looking back out at me. They all had the same terrified look in their eyes, worried I was going to do something they wouldn’t like.

  There was one cabin left. The one closest to the resort.

  Of course, Sam and June could have been locked inside one of the ones with the curtains closed, but the shiver stabbing down my spine was a sign. I could feel her.

  But I could feel him too. I didn’t dare look at the resort. If he saw my eyes, he’d know.

  I drew in a shaky breath and walked toward the resort. It wasn’t until I was close to the cabin that I stepped to the side. My eyes zipped around to make sure I hadn’t been seen.

  No one was around, except for the chirping birds swooshing from tree to tree. The window was a little higher than the others. I grabbed the ledge with my fingertips and stood on my tiptoes.

  I almost started to cry when I saw her curled up on the bed. Sam’s back was to me, but there was no doubt in my mind.

  I lightly tapped on the window. She didn’t move.

  My teeth pressed together. I glanced over my shoulder and tapped again, carefully. There would be a guard on the other side, just like there had been at almost every cabin. The only ones that hadn’t been guarded were the empty ones.

  Sam shifted, and I tapped again, each time a bit harder. More urgently.

  “Come on, Sam,” I whispered, lighter than air.

  I tapped again, and she shifted on the bed. She’d been sleeping.

  Sam turned, rubbing her eyes and squinting at the window. She looked confused as her eyes locked on mine.

  It took her a few seconds, but she raced to the window and pressed her hand to the glass. There were cuts on her face and hands, all in various stages of healing.

  “Where’s June?” I mouthed.

  She shook her head and looked down, but not before I caught the sadness that had filled them. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know what had happened to June. Elijah was behind it, and that was all that I needed to know.

  “I’ll get you out,” I mouthed.

  Sam started to shake her head. She didn’t want me to leave.

  “It’ll be okay,” I whispered, offering her a comforting smile. “I’ll help you.”

  Her expression didn’t change. Sam’s head frantically moved from side to side as she clawed at the window.

  I wasn’t sure how, but I was going to get her out. I believed that with every ounce of my being, that was, until I turned around.

  Elijah’s smile slowly spread across his face, growing bigger and bigger. “Hello, my love.”

  29

  I tried to run, but he grabbed my wrist and jerked me back, throwing me against the side of the cabin. Sam’s howl was muffled by the thin walls encasing her.

  “When did you get so brave?” Elijah asked. “The girl I remember needed me to take care of her. She couldn’t do a damn thing for herself without her medication.”

  My mouth was dry. Even if I could’ve said something, I wouldn’t have known what to say.

  “I’m just so happy to see you,” Elijah said, pressing his palms together as he quickly looked over his shoulder. The young woman with bouncy red hair was standing behind a tree, peeking out at us. “You did good, Roni. Really good.”

  “Thanks,” she said, taking a step out. Roni pushed her shoulders back slightly. “I knew she was up to no good.”

  “You were right,” Elijah said.

  Sam pounded on the window. Her curses were unmistakable.

  “Are you here alone?” Elijah asked.

  “Yes,” I said sharply. If a single word could cut, it would have sliced right across his throat. Unfortunately, there weren’t any words that would save me.

  Elijah grinned. “I knew you’d come.”

  “Where’s June?” I asked.

  “I don’t know anyone by that name.”

  “You killed her,” I said between my teeth.

  Elijah rolled his eyes. “She killed herself.”

  “She wouldn’t have done that,” I said. I hadn’t known June that well, but she was strong. Brave.

  “Well, she did. She came at me the first night we came back.” Elijah’s eyes were wide as he held out his palms to the sky. “I had to defend myself.”

  “Let her out of there,” I demanded.

  Elijah sighed. “You know I can’t do that. Aren’t you even a little impressed by what I’ve created here? No one even knew me and now they count on me to keep them safe.”

  “Not even a little,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “It’s disgusting.”

  “You won’t be saying that when we’re the ones left standing as everything else falls apart. I’m providing shelter, food, and water to everyone here,” Elijah said, looking down at me as if he were about to start levitating. “The people here are thankful. I’m taking care of them.”

  I snorted. “Like you give two shits about any of them.”

  Elijah sneered.

  “Why are you doing this when all you care about is yourself?” I asked.

  Elijah turned to Roni. “Go get Pete and Steven. Tell them it’s urgent.”

  “Yes, sir,” Roni said.

  It was just Elijah and me standing there. Even though she was a terrible person, I almost turned and begged Roni to stay, but she was already out of earshot.

  “She’s gone. Now you can tell me why you’re really doing all this,” I said, a breath filled my chest.

  “Seriously,” Elijah said, looking around before he leaned forward. “It’s all for you.”

  I groaned. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this.”

  “Okay, maybe part of it is because I was bored.” Elijah took my hand in his. I tried to pull it away, but he tightened his grip. “I’d do anything to win you back, and part of doing that will require the ability to keep you safe.”

  “You will never win me back.” I laughed. “You never had me, Elijah. You only had me fooled into thinking you were a normal person.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know how you can’t see we’re perfect together.”

  “You’re delusional.”

  “Why can’t you just let me and Sam leave here. You have all this. You have all these people to take care of. And where is Gina? Aren’t you hooking up with her now?” I asked.

  Elijah shrugged. “She’s around. Unless, of course, she’s overdosed somewhere.”

  Something small darted from behind a tree and into the bush. My eyes shifted for only a second, but it was enough time for Elijah to pull me into his arms.

  He wanted it to feel like a hug, but it was stiff and uncomfortable. It felt as though a giant snake was coiled around me.

  “Just accept my love again,” Elijah said. “Look at all I have, and I’m willing to share it with you. You don’t have to do anything but sit in the suite. You can eat all you want, drink all you want, and relax until this all becomes a distant memory.”

  “You won’t ever be a memory. You’ll always be a nightmare,” I said, pushing at his arms.

  I wasn’t sure what happened, but Elijah and I were both suddenly knocked to the ground. My arms were free, but I was a bit disoriented.

  I rolled away from Elijah and held my hands up defensively. Erik was standing there, reaching out his hand to me.

  “Take it,” he said.

  I looked over at Elijah lying on the ground. He groaned as his hands pressed against his head.

  Erik turned and kicked him in the stomach. “Hurry!”

  “Sam’s inside,” I said, taking his hand.

  Erik gestured for Sam to move back with his gun in hand. He cracked it against the glass and cleaned out the remaining shards with the barrel of the gun.

  Sam winced as she pulled herself out of the window. Blood dripped down her hand, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. She fell to the ground and whimpered as she desperately tried to get to her feet.

  Erik let go of me to help her up. My wrist was grabbed and twisted behind my back. It was centimeters away from snapping.

  “Erik,” I squeaked.

  Erik and Sam both turned slowly, as if they already knew what was happening. I couldn’t see Elijah, but I knew he was smiling at them.

  “Put your gun down,” Elijah said.

  Erik shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

  Elijah twisted my wrist harder, and I cried out. Something deep inside pulled in a way it shouldn’t have.

  “Okay, okay,” Erik said, holding up his hands. “Just don’t hurt her.”

  “I don’t want to hurt her,” Elijah said.

  “You are hurting me,” I said between my teeth.

  Elijah eased slightly. “If everyone does what I say, you won’t get hurt.” He clicked his tongue. “It’s really a shame we couldn’t have all just gotten along.”

  “No one wants to be your friend,” Sam said, her lip quivering.

  “Have you looked around?” Elijah asked. “I have a lot of friends.”

  “These people aren’t your friends. They’re all scared of you.” Sam scoffed.

  Two men came running toward us. Roni was huffing and puffing as she lagged behind them.

  “I’m done playing around,” Elijah whispered into my ear.

  “Whatcha need, Eli?” one of the men asked.

  “Apprehend them.” Elijah jerked his chin toward Erik and Sam.

  Erik raised his gun, and Elijah twisted harder. I bit my lip, but I’d only been able to hold back my cry for a few seconds.

  “Don’t do it, Erik!” I shouted.

  Erik didn’t look at me as he turned the gun around and slowly lowered it to the ground. Elijah laughed.

  “That dude is a fool,” he said. “Please, don’t tell me you have a thing for that moron.”

  “Let them go,” I said between my teeth.

  One guy grabbed Sam, and the other aimed his gun at Erik. A searing hot tear trickled down my cheek.

  “So, so weak. You need me,” Elijah said, wiping away the tear. “You see that now, right?”

  “I don’t need you or anyone else,” I said.

  “But you do. You came here all alone, and look what happened.” Elijah forced a frown that boiled my blood.

  I swallowed back the sour taste at the back of my throat. “Just let us go. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to join your cause. And I definitely don’t want to be with you.”

  Elijah just smiled. It was like he didn’t speak the same language as I did. He didn’t care. For whatever reason, I was his endgame.

  But I’d be damned if he’d be mine.

  “Where should we take them, Eli?” one of the men asked.

  “This cabin will do no good. That asshole broke the window,” Elijah said. “Put them in an empty cabin. Definitely do not put them together.”

  “You got it,” the other man said.

  My stomach twisted. I couldn’t let them take either Erik or Sam away from me.

  “Please, Elijah,” I begged. “Just let them go. They’ll leave. They won’t be a threat.”

  “Hmm,” Elijah said, cocking his head. “You’re right. They are a threat. It would be dangerous to keep them here… alive.”

  The men holding Elijah and Sam exchanged a look. Elijah tapped his finger to his chin.

  “They don’t want to stick around. Just let them leave,” I said, my eyes burning with rage.

  “You know I’ll never do that,” Elijah said, dragging a finger across his neck. “It’s going to have to be off with their heads.”

  My head moved rapidly from side to side. “No, Elijah.”

  “Unless…,” he trailed off.

  “Unless what?” I asked.

  A cruel smile curled the ends of his lips. “Unless you agree to stay with me.”

  30

  “What? No,” I said.

  “They live if you stay, but if you don’t, they’ll die,” Elijah said, shrugging casually. “It’s totally up to you.”

  “Don’t do it!” Erik growled.

  “You know he’ll just kill us anyway,” Sam shouted.

  I looked down as my shoulders dropped. “You promise you’ll let them go?”

  Elijah drew a cross over his heart. “You can watch them walk away.”

  “How do I know you won’t have your men chase after them?” I asked.

  “I’ll even let that guy take his gun with him,” Elijah said. “If my men chase after him, he’ll be able to shoot them. Does that seem fair?”

  I held up my palm. “Give me a second.”

  I tried to think of every possible way out of the situation. Erik could pick up his gun and shoot them one by one. Only the two men and the guard around the corner were armed. Or maybe I could turn and somehow attack Elijah so that Sam and Erik could escape.

  With each scenario I considered, I pictured at least one of us ending up dead. There was only one thing I could do to ensure that neither Erik nor Sam would end up dead.

  “Fine,” I mumbled.

  “Mel, no!” Sam bellowed.

  “But only on the condition I get to watch them safely walk away,” I said.

  Elijah nodded. “Fine with me.”

  “And you give Sam a gun,” I said.

  “Um, no,” Elijah said.

  “She should get to defend herself, too,” I said.

  Elijah smirked. “Your guy friend there can’t handle that?”

  “Mel, don’t do this,” Erik said, looking into my eyes from what felt like too far away. “Let him lock us up.”

  I couldn’t. Dorian was out there, waiting. And Sam needed to make her way to her daughter.

  “Sam needs to go,” I said. “She can’t stay here.”

  “Mel, I’m not going to leave you here,” Sam said.

  “You have to,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s time to get to her.”

  Sam lowered her head. She didn’t argue.

  “We’ll come back for you. Dot and I, we’ll come back,” Sam said.

  Elijah laughed so hard he placed his hand on his stomach. “Don’t put your daughter in that situation.”

  Erik glanced down at his gun on the ground. It was only a few inches from him, but if he even tried for his gun, Elijah would order the men to shoot.

  I gently shook my head. Erik’s jaw tightened as he fixed his steely eyes on Elijah.

  I didn’t want to, nor did I know how to say good bye, but it was the only thing I could do to keep Erik and Sam safe.

  “I’ll be okay,” I said.

  “That’s right. You don’t need to worry about her anymore. I’ll take good care of her,” Elijah said, sliding his thumb under my jaw.

  I could feel the anger radiating from Erik. It seemed as though Elijah could too, but he was enjoying it.

  “Let’s go watch them leave then,” Elijah said, letting go of me. He didn’t need to hold and torture me… because he’d won. They were leaving, and I was staying.

  The men started leading Erik and Sam away from the cabin. I took several steps backward and bent down to pick up the gun they’d forgotten—purposefully or not—to give Erik.

  I tucked it into the back of my waistband and dropped my hands to my side just as Elijah turned. His brow raised. “Coming?”

  “Yes,” I said flatly.

  I had the gun, but what was I going to do with it? And when? Could I get it to Erik? No, he was at least ten steps ahead of me.

  My body trembled as we walked toward the bay. Roni followed Elijah with her hands behind her back and her head high. She was his good little soldier.

  Elijah hesitated, waiting for me to catch up. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it so hard I thought my bones would snap.

  “You were so insistent upon them leaving, and now you're lagging behind,” Elijah said as something bolted past us into another bush. “As always, I’m giving you what you want, but you don’t appreciate it.”

  “This isn’t what I want,” I muttered.

  If Elijah had heard me, he ignored me. That was, of course, a good thing because if he slapped me, I wasn’t entirely sure how Erik would react.

  My palm was sweaty. If I grabbed the gun from my waistband, it would slip right out of my slick hand and onto the ground, but I was running out of time.

  I had to do something before I was stuck with Elijah for the rest of my likely short life. At least Sam and Erik would be safe. That part of the equation was comforting. The rest was terrifying.

  I stopped walking, and Elijah stopped. “What are you doing? Stop trying to delay the inevitable.”

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me along. His fingertips dug into my skin. There would definitely be purple prints that would be sore to the touch for several days.

  “Walk,” Elijah ordered.

  “How far are we going?” I asked.

  “Far enough that others won’t see me letting them go,” Elijah hissed. “I don’t want word spreading around.”

  I laughed. “Sounds like your friends aren’t as happy with you as you think.”

  “They’re fine. I think some are scared,” Elijah said with a half-shrug. “But in times like these, we can’t be scared little lambs, can we?”

  “We definitely can’t,” I said.

  Elijah was right, though. The further away from his army we got, the better chance we’d have.

  Two of them were armed, but they didn’t know I was. Three verses three, and maybe we had the upper hand. Then again, I didn’t know what I was doing, and Elijah had trained his army to do whatever he ordered.

  “Can you let go?” I asked, glancing down at his hand.

  “No,” Elijah said.

  “Okay, but can you maybe loosen your grip just a bit? You’re hurting me.”

 

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