"I expect everyone there within the next ten hours. And if they're not, they're fucking done."
I could get there immediately, but what Ican'tdo is stop all three of them from pursuing this while also making the necessary arrangements to get Isla the fuck away from the people willing to put her in this predicamentagain.
Foregoing sleep, Ispendthe entire night creating and submitting her fake documents for her very large move, followed by bookingalast minuteflight with two seats right next to each other,and a boat to take us all the way out here. Ihirea moving company to arrive in the afternoon, shipping her things to a warehouse in St. Paul.
By the time I meet my team to fix the fuck-show she's a part of, everything is already in place for her long-term vacation in the middle of the Atlantic.
The only thing I have left to do is get her there in one piece.
Fuck.
Which Brings Us To Now
Isla
It's so goddamn cold here.
Even through the walls, the cold seeps in like a bad omen.
The journey was worse. Even wrapped in the stupid fur coat Eamon forced me to wear, I was freezing the whole way.
Well, maybe if you wore actual clothes, you wouldn't be so cold.
Asshole. Just because he doesn't feel anything doesn't mean the rest of us can be so resistant to extreme temperatures like this.
The first thing he did was take my phone and give me the coat—right out of the depths of my closet like he knew exactly where I had stashed it. While it was back there partially because I knew I wouldn't need it, the truth is I couldn't stand looking at it. Every time I did, I saw the mischievous way he looked at me when he gave it to me like there was a joke I wasn't in on.
Now I get the punchline. Avisit.Eamon knew damn well that he was going to kidnap me, playing fucking games with me long before he put his plan into action.
As soon as we docked on the island, he returned my phone, along with my wallet with my newAlaskaID, andall my cards emptied. When I asked him about the cash left in there, he smirked at me, raised his arms to show the emptiness all around us, and laughed, "Feel free to try and bribe your way back."
Trudging through the snow in the ridiculous boots he shoved onto my feet back in St. Paul, the wind had whipped around us, the cold humidity slapping me in the face and making my teeth chatter. Aside from the roaring wind, there was no sound at all and nothing to see either. The white of snow, then the gray of the sky and ocean, were the only sights around us as far as the eye could see. Like the entire world had been leeched of its color. Even our coats and boots blended into the drab scenery around us.
The only color left in the world was the soft green of Eamon's eyes as he taunted me, not bothering to drag me through the snow, knowing full well I would go with him no matter what now.
Every step closer to our mystery destination brought me nearer to madness, fear and fury waging war in my head. I couldn't even bring myself to be embarrassed that I puked all over us both. Blame it on the alcohol or the anxiety, I don't fucking care. The flight attendants all assured me that they'd seen worse.We get lots of nervous flyers, they told me, letting me use the bathroom to clean up the best I could before we landed.
Even when we finally reached the entrance of Eamon's bunker, I couldn't find it in myself to be amazed by the feat. The entrance was nothing more than a tiny steel door painted white to blend into the surroundings.
Looking down into the opening made me sick with fear. The old ladder disappeared into nothing but blackness below, like a yawning monster waiting to swallow me up.
"If you're going to puke again, please do it before we go inside," Eamon had said, and my anger blocked out any other emotion I might be feeling. With another sneer I couldn't help but throw his way, I climbed into the darkness, closing my eyes against it so I could pretend it wasn't so suffocating.
As I descend, the ladder shakes from the weight of Eamon starting the climb, followed shortly by the final clang of the door shutting me in and keeping me prisoner in this frigid hell.
Somehow, it felt even colder inside than it was outside. When my foot finally hit solid ground, I stepped back, away from the ladder, still not daring to open my eyes.
The floor near me shakes with the force of Eamon jumping, landing next to me with more force than necessary. His steps immediately resume, and I frantically reach for him in the dark before he laughs. "Just use your fucking flashlight."
Every thought in my head revolves around strangling him. And I might if I thought it would get me anywhere, but it won't. So, instead, I grab my phone and use the little light to shine on the world around me. Even here, it's nothing but gray. Concrete and brick, no lights at all.Does he just live like this? Constantly in the dark? Am I going to be stuck living like a mole person for the rest of my life?
"For fuck's sake, Isla, calm down. We're almost there."
Fuck you, asshole.
A snicker escapes him as if he could actually hear my thoughts, and if I had anything to throw at him besides my only light source, I absolutely 100% would.
As we walk, even our steps have no echo in this silence. The cold around us eats every bit of excess noise in a way that makes pressure on my chest grow, the walls around us stifling me already. And we're not even all the way inside yet.
