In my hand, the radio crackled back to life, and the weatherman's calm voice cut through the silence, saying something about record rainfall and wind damage at a school. Ryder reached for the radio and switched it off without looking away.
In a raw voice, he said, "I thought he took you."
He. Evan Carver.I didn't say his name, but it was a timely reminder of why both of us were standinghere– and not in Ryder's hotel suite.
At the anguish in his voice, part of me felt almost guilty. With an effort, I shook it off.This wasn't my fault.I'd left the suite for a perfectly good reason.
If it weren't for the storm, I might've left the island entirely. Heck, I'd even tried to – bolting for the ferry dock, only to find that the ferries were no longer running – not this late and certainly not after the storm.
So I'd returned here.But to do what?
Hide?
Wait?
Plan my next move?
I had no idea, but door-busting hadn't been part of the plan.
Enough was enough.I told Ryder, "I know why you're here."
His tone grew sarcastic. "Right. Jealousy."
"I don't mean tonight," I clarified. "Imeanhere on the island – not today, but when you first showed up."
Confusion flickered across his face. "You mean…because of the bet?"
It was my turn to be confused.The bet?I had no idea what he meant, but I wasn't about to be sidetracked. "I mean, I know who sent you."
"Sent me where?"
"Here. To Mackinac Island."
"Yeah. Me, too." With the radio still in his hand, he spread his arms wide. "I sent myself. There. You happy?"
"Not hardly," I said, tired of the games. "I found the card."
"What card?"
Oh, please. Was he seriously going to play dumb?My mouth tightened. "The business card."
To his credit, he made a pretty good show of looking confused. "Whose business card?" But then, his expression cleared, and he froze for a long, awful moment before murmuring under his breath, "Oh, shit."
66
Apparently, We're Both Crazy
Tessa
I summoned up a smirk. "So you admit it?"
Ryder frowned. "Admit what? That I had his card?"
"Oh, come on!" Annoyed, I turned and set the candle on a nearby shelf before turning back to add, "It's pretty obvious you know what I mean, so why don't you spill it?"
"Because it's not what you think."
"Oh, yeah? What do I think?"
