“The girls told me that he likes to have women callers from time to time. Desi was one of them,” I whispered.

  Erik’s jaw tensed. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

  “He wanted to take me fishing while you and Dorian went to get supplies,” I said, biting my lip to stop it from quivering. “Fern, the woman with the tattoos, convinced him to let me help her.”

  “I have to get you out of here,” Erik said.

  “What about the other women?” I asked. “Or even the men. Anthony didn’t seem to be very happy.” I gasped and reached over, touching Erik’s forearm. “The girls said Clay told them Desi drowned.”

  Erik exhaled, but his body didn’t relax. “We know that isn’t true. I suspect Anthony knows it’s not true as well.”

  “From the way it sounds, Clay also spends time with Arden and Naia,” I said.

  “I assume it’s against their will?” Erik asked.

  “Seems to be the case, but none of them can do anything about it. They’re all too afraid of him,” I said, swallowing down the sour taste at the back of my throat.

  Erik scratched his beard. “All the more reason to get out of here.”

  “We could go,” I said. “We don’t need supplies. I’m sure we can find something when we get back on the mainland.”

  “And if we don’t?” Erik asked.

  “We’ve got some left the way it is,” I said. “We’ll be okay for a while.”

  Erik blinked twice. “You’re not ready to take on Elijah. And he could be there waiting for us when we pull into the first dock we see.”

  It was quiet for a long time. I’d considered our option to leave several times, but would quickly talk myself out of it. We just weren’t ready. There were only three of us, and Elijah had a big group to back him.

  “You’re probably right,” Erik said.

  “Right about what?” I asked, raising a brow.

  “Leaving.” Erik propped himself up slightly on his elbow. “We can’t get stuck here in this cult. I’m sure there is somewhere we can hideout for a bit while we come up with a plan.”

  I sighed, feeling a bit of relief. Clay made me nervous. Everyone else put up with him, but I didn’t want to. It didn’t seem as though he was any better than Elijah.

  “So, we’re leaving?” Dorian asked.

  Erik held my gaze as his lip curled at one end. “Hell, yeah.”

  “Thank God,” Dorian said.

  “First thing in the morning, we go to the boat,” Erik said. “Pack anything you can, and then we’re out of here.”

  After a long stretch of silence, I frowned.

  “What is it?” Erik asked. Apparently, he’d still been watching me.

  “I wish I could help the others,” I muttered.

  “I know, but we can’t. We can’t take the risk,” Erik said.

  I chewed my lip. “It doesn’t feel like a big risk when we outnumber him.”

  “Mel,” Erik said, his voice like cotton candy. “We can’t. I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger like that.”

  “I’m putting myself in danger to get Sam and probably bigger danger at that,” I said.

  “If I could stop you, I would,” Erik said. “But I know how important Sam is to you. We don’t know these people.”

  I huffed. “That doesn’t mean they don’t need our help.”

  “We don’t even know if they want help. They might prefer staying here because they have what they need,” Erik said.

  “Yeah, I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just that no one seemed happy.”

  “No one is happy right now,” Erik said, reaching over to touch my cheek. “Everyone is just surviving the best they know how.”

  I groaned. “Okay, fine. Maybe Sam will want to take a detour on her way to get Dott, and we can go back and help.”

  “Does that sound like something Sam would want to do?” Erik asked, squinting at me.

  “No,” I said, smiling.

  “Let’s just hope they’ll figure it out on their own,” Erik said. “There were a few guys there that I think were already getting fed up with Clay.”

  Erik pulled his hand back and rested his head on his pillow. I sighed and closed my eyes.

  Morning came fast. Erik hadn’t bothered to wake me for my shift.

  I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Dorian was gone, and the clanking from downstairs let me know he was in the kitchen.

  Erik leaned back in the chair with his heels up on the windowsill. “Bright sun. Not too hot out there.”

  “Good morning to you too,” I grumbled. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “Didn’t need to,” Erik said. “Sun only just hit the horizon a few minutes ago. We’re almost ready to go.”

  “I can’t believe I slept,” I said, looking at the pillow in disbelief.

  Erik stood. “You didn’t sleep very good. Lots of moaning and tossing and turning too.”

  “That sounds more like me,” I said. “But usually, it wakes me up.”

  “Guess you like lying next to me,” Erik said, grinning.

  My mouth was dry, and I swallowed hard. “I guess so.”

  Erik froze for a second. After an awkward moment, he moved again.

  “I like sleeping next to you too,” Erik said, forcing a laugh. He quickly looked away. “Let’s go. Dorian’s waiting.”

  If only I didn’t have to be so completely awkward around Erik. Or around anyone, for that matter. It was too bad there was no pill that could cure my awkwardness.

  If things were different, Erik was probably the kind of guy I should be interested in. I, however, drew in the crazies, not the normal guys.

  I repelled them.

  We walked downstairs, where Dorian had our things on the table. He was pacing nervously in the kitchen, looking into the cabinets again before silently closing them.

  “About time,” Dorian said, pointing to his watch-less wrist.

  “I didn’t want to wake her,” Erik said.

  “You had no trouble waking me,” Dorian said.

  Erik sighed. “I needed your help to get ready. Anyway, here we are. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Good bye, house,” Dorian whispered.

  “You didn’t even like it,” I said with a smile.

  “I liked it enough,” Dorian said.

  Erik took out his gun, checked it over, and tucked it back into his waistband. He curled his finger toward us as he grabbed a bag off the table.

  “Okay,” Erik said, peeling back the curtains. His eyes moving over the backyard. “Walk fast but act normal just in case he sees us out the window.”

  “Think you can manage acting normal?” I asked, bumping my elbow into Dorian.

  He smirked as he cocked his head. “Can you?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Oh, ouch.”

  “Let’s move,” Erik said.

  I followed him out of the house. Erik and Dorian carried our things. I listened to our surroundings and did my best not to look at Clay’s house.

  We quickly climbed into the boat as Erik untied it. I hugged myself as I looked at the fire we’d lit for Sam and June still burning.

  Erik jumped in and started the motor. It rumbled to a start, gently vibrating the boat. Erik sat down, and before we left the dock, it sputtered to a stop.

  “That’s weird,” Erik said as he got back up. He was about to try again when he froze.

  I followed his gaze to the shore. Clay was standing in the sand, staring at us.

  11

  Erik ignored him and tried again, but the motor didn’t do anything.

  “Shit,” Erik muttered. “Must be out of gas.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Dorian asked without moving the fake smile from his face.

  “I wish I were,” Erik said, clenching his fists. “Dammit.”

  Clay waved his hand over his head. “Morning, folks! Are you going somewhere?”

  “What do we do?” Dorian asked.

  “We get out of the boat,” Erik said, pasting on a smile as he helped me out of the boat.

  The wooden boards of the dock seemed to creak louder than usual. Clay strolled over, meeting us at the end of the dock.

  He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Were you guys leaving?”

  “Oh, no,” Erik said, chuckling.

  “Then what were you doing?” Clay asked, looking at our bags.

  Erik noticed him looking. He jerked his thumb toward the backpacks.

  “It’s such a nice day. We were just going to have breakfast on the bay,” Erik said. The lie had come easily, and it sounded believable. “I’d invite you to join us, but it seems something is wrong with my boat.”

  “Bummer,” Clay frowned. “I don’t know anything about boats, or I’d offer to help.”

  “I thought everyone around here knew all about boats,” Dorian said.

  Clay’s expression hardened. “Guess not.”

  “At least I’m not the only one,” Dorian quickly added.

  “Anyway,” Clay said, clearing his throat. “I was just heading over to wake you guys up. I know you wanted to restock your supplies.”

  “Appreciate that,” Erik said.

  Clay’s brow wrinkled. “Looks like you still have quite a bit on hand, though.”

  “It’s mostly clothing and snacks,” I said.

  “You need clothing to have breakfast on the boat?” Clay asked with a wink.

  My palms started to sweat. Lying didn’t come as easily to me as it did to Erik.

  “It was already in the bags,” Erik said. “From when we left the mainland.”

  “Ah, I see,” Clay said. “Well, I’ve got some time. I’ll accompany you to where we keep all the supplies in town.”

  “I should go help Fern,” I said.

  Clay cocked his head. “Didn’t you want to eat something first?”

  “I wasn’t really all that hungry,” I said.

  “You really should eat before you wither away to nothing. We have plenty of food and we have big plans to grow more,” Clay said.

  I forced a smile that tickled the inside of my cheeks. “Thanks. I’ll just eat a big lunch. I’ll see you guys later.”

  “Bye,” Dorian said.

  I ignored my rumbling stomach as I walked through the sand. It was painful to leave Erik and Dorian, but at the same time, relief washed over me. The further away I was from Clay, the better I felt. Erik and Dorian could take care of themselves, but I knew I couldn’t.

  I hugged myself as I walked to where I was supposed to meet Fern, even though I was sure I was quite early. Maybe I could figure out how we could get gas and leave Washington Island behind.

  The sound of the water was calming as it rushed over the rocks and sand. I sat down on a log, my teeth chattering not just from the cold but from the eerie feeling that surrounded me.

  It felt like hours had passed before I heard their soft voices. Fern and Naia each carried a large basket filled will laundry.

  “It’s towel day,” Fern called out.

  “You’d think this place is a resort for some people,” Naia muttered as she offered me a friendly smile.

  Fern set down the basket and kicked off her shoes. “You’re here early.”

  “Clay gathered us together early. I slipped away as quickly as possible,” I said, taking off my shoes and rolling up my jeans.

  “He took your guys into town?” Fern asked.

  I nodded.

  “Wow, he doesn’t give just anyone that kind of attention. You better be careful, girl,” Naia said.

  “Yeah, I think we need to leave,” I said, observing Fern as she pulled out an empty basket from beneath the other. She took two towels and the box of powdered soap.

  Fern chuckled as she twisted and squeezed the fabric. “Oh, that’s not going to happen. You accept Clay’s hospitality, now it’s like the Hotel California.”

  “We have a boat,” I said.

  “Bet ya five bucks it’s out of gas,” Fern said, squinting as she looked up at me.

  “Know where we can get some?” I asked.

  Fern pressed her lips together. “Maybe. If you take me with you.”

  “And me too,” Naia said.

  “It’s not a very big boat,” I said, glancing around. “Where are all the other boats? There were quite a few people here.”

  “All the locals left with their boats, and those of us that fled here, lost our boats in a storm or some other random fiasco created by Clay,” Fern said.

  Naia’s head bobbed. “It’s crazy your boat is still here.”

  “Here, but out of gas,” I said, puffing out my lip. “So, where can I get some gas?”

  “I’m not giving up the info that easily,” Fern said, throwing a wrung-out towel at me. Droplets of water sprinkled me from head to toe. “I’ll need your word you won’t leave without me.”

  “It’ll never work,” Naia said, shaking her head. “No one leaves.”

  I frowned. “What is the purpose of all this? What does Clay want?”

  “Control,” Fern said.

  “Power,” Naia added.

  “But it has to be something more, right?” I asked. “And all these people staying… why?”

  Fern shrugged. “It’s easier than being out there, I presume.”

  “As long as you stay off Clay’s radar,” Naia said.

  “Well, I’m going to assume we’re already on Clay’s radar, so we need to get out of here before it’s too late,” I said, dropping the wet towel into the empty basket. “He was awfully suspicious when he saw us on the boat this morning.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Naia said, laughing. “Your boat will be gone by tomorrow.”

  I bit my cheek. “That can’t happen. I have a friend back on the mainland. I need to get to her.”

  “Then I guess you better figure out a way to get that gas as soon as possible, huh?” Fern said, tapping her finger to her chin. “If only you knew someone that could help.”

  “I don’t think Erik would have a problem with either of you joining us,” I said.

  “What about Arden?” Naia asked, her eyes fixed on Fern. “We can’t leave her here to fend for herself.”

  I shrugged. “I’d imagine it would be okay. How will we pull it off? If Clay sees us all togeth—”

  “If Clay catches me stealing gas, we won’t be pulling anything off,” Fern said. She quickly held up her finger. “Don’t worry. I won’t get caught.”

  “Clay knows everything,” Naia said.

  “Just like he knew we were going to attempt to leave this morning,” I said. “I don’t think he bought for a second that we were going to have an early breakfast in the boat when we had all our bags packed.”

  Naia frowned as she stared into my eyes. “Are you worried about them?”

  “Yeah, a little. Erik can take care of himself,” I said, quickly pushing away the small smile that had crept onto my face.

  “No one has gone up against Clay and won yet,” Fern said.

  Naia clicked her tongue. “You have it bad for him, girl.”

  “I don’t have anything for anyone,” I said.

  “I saw that smile,” Naia said. “That wasn’t just any smile.”

  “The only thing I have time to worry about is getting to my friend before my crazy ex kills her,” I said, the words pouring out. Anything to change the subject.

  Naia winked. “Whatever you say. But if someone tells you there isn’t time for love when the world is crashing down around us, they’re wrong. It just means they haven’t found a way to find it. That doesn’t have to be you.”

  “She’s just saying that because Naia has a massive thing for one of the guys here,” Fern said.

  Naia’s tan cheeks reddened. “I am not saying it for that reason. I’m saying it because it’s true.”

  “If you have a thing for someone why do you want to leave without him?” I asked.

  Naia scowled. “I do not have a thing for anyone. All I want is to live. Fern doesn’t like when the guys smile at me and not her.”

  “Oh, right. Like I’d want any of these guys smiling at me,” Fern muttered.

  “Okay, let’s talk about something else,” I said. “Erik is just a friend, but hey, I’m all for people finding love. We all have to get through this somehow, right? And what is better than someone you can love and trust? Someone that has your back.”

  Naia and Fern exchanged a look.

  “Seriously.” I rolled my eyes. “Can we please talk about something else?”

  “What should we talk about if not guys? Do you prefer something more depressing? Maybe how we’ll run out of food eventually and have nothing but fish.” Fern’s brow furrowed.

  Naia sighed. “Clay has big plans for a garden.”

  “That won’t happen in winter,” I mumbled as I stood and looked out over the waves. I sucked in a gasp that pulled their eyes to me.

  “What’s going on?” Fern asked.

  “Are you all right?” Naia questioned.

  My head shook and then bobbed as my eyes fixed on the boat speeding toward us. “Someone’s coming.”

  12

  Fern looked inland. “Shit.”

  “Clay will hear the boat. He always hears the boat,” Naia said, grimacing.

  “So, what does that mean?” I asked.

  “One of us needs to go find him. Otherwise, he’ll see it as deceit.” Naia waved her hands. “Or something.”

  Fern tossed the laundry she was working on into the basket and stood next to me. “You go.”

  “Me?” I asked.

  “No, of course not,” Fern said. “Naia.”

  “Ugh, no,” Naia groaned. “Please, don’t make me.”

  Fern sighed heavily. “Fine, then no one will go. We’ll just face Clay’s wrath together. I need to stay here to tell them to turn around before it’s too late. If I go get Clay, will you be able to do that?”

  “Fine,” Naia said, getting to her feet.

  She stomped off through the sand without another word. Her wild-swinging arms showed just how angry she was. I wasn’t sure if she was mad at Fern or just mad at the situation.

  The odds were good that it was both.

 

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