But I start to revise that position as we get closer to the beach. The trees are fairly thick down closer to the water before the sand starts. There’s a natural barrier between anyone watching up at the fortress and anyone walking down below. Lucy and the guards take us along a narrow pathway, perfectly sculpted and manicured, and out onto the dunes. Wind moves through my hair and clothes, and Rosie laughs as she squirms in my arms and struggles to look around.
The group marches grimly on. I pause to take off my shoes, which earns a hard look from Lucy. Mass doesn’t seem to care. He’s staring around him with a deep frown, like he’s trying to understand how something like this could have happened.
There’s another knot of guards about a half mile down the sand. They’re standing in a loose ring around a dark splotchlying directly between the dunes and the water. The splotch isn’t moving, and it takes a moment before I realize it’s a body.
Lucy and the soldiers continue forward while Mass pauses at my side.
“You should stay over here,” he says, not looking down at me. “I’m told the body is in bad shape.”
“Someone was murdered in my home,” I say softly. I don’t have to try very hard to sound scared. “I need to see it.”
He glances down at me with a curious tilt to his head. “You’re calling it your home now?”
“Better than calling it my prison.”
“Both are accurate for now.” He strides off without another comment. I linger behind, struggling with myself.
I have to see the body. Not because of what I said to Mass. He clearly saw through that bullshit, but I don’t think he knows the real reason.
I have to know if it’s Ryan.
Fear rifles through me. I don’t want to go over there. There’s blood in the sand, dark and splotchy. I don’t want my daughter anywhere near it.
But she’s too busy watching the water.
And I need to find out.
I get closer. My heart’s racing in my chest. Mass is striding around the corpse, looking at every detail like a detective on TV. He’s talking quietly to Lucy while she types on her phone.
The guards don’t stop me. I really wish they would.
I walk to my left and I already know. I haven’t seen the face yet, but that’ll only confirm it.
He’s young. He’s got blood-splattered hair. He’s wearing the same outfit that he wore in the solarium.
I stare into Ryan’s cold, unseeing eyes.
It’s definitely him. All hope dies in me, and a cold terror fills my chest instead.
He tried to help me.
And now he’s dead.
I look up in a panic. I have to struggle hard to keep myself from screaming. Some of the guards are watching me, and I have to hope they just think I’m a normal girl seeing a dead body for the first time.
Which is also very true.
But mostly I’m on the verge of running straight into the water.
Who did this? Who killed my only link to the outside?
A shadow appears at my elbow. “Are you okay?”
Mass’s voice is low and menacing.
He touches my elbow. I go very stiff and bite my lower lip. Rosie starts to fuss. She probably senses my discomfort. Or maybe I’m gripping her too hard.
“I’m fine. It’s just hard to look at.”
