“I promise you, I don’t know what you’re implying,” Banner says.
A derisive, knowing smile touches my lips. “Of course not, Dr. Banner,” I manage to say, swallowing my fury. I take a step toward him, steadying my voice. “We should get out of this weather, though. And I am concerned about Dr. Night. We should find him.”
Banner’s nod is firm, resigned to my suggestion until his phone lights with another call. Suspicion hardens his expression as he lifts the phone. Pressure builds behind my ribs, desperation coiling my muscles until the tension snaps, giving over to a kind of bleak resignation.
Against the howling wind and deafening roar of waves, the sound of Laurel’s voice reaches me, just as urgent in my memory as in that pivotal moment:“How far are you willing to go?”
And as I surrender,the relief washing through me is almost weightless. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t allow you to take that call, Dr. Banner.”
Adrenaline fires hot through my viscera as I snatch the phone from his hand and toss it into the Zodiac.
“Dr. Holbrook, what the hell—?” Out of reflex, he grabs my arm.
A viscous jolt of alarm slams through me. And suddenly, I’m no longer standing on a pier. Bright stage lights burn into my flared eyes, tears frozen in horror, refusing to fall.
My heart rate slows right along with time, trapping me in a moment of fear.
In a wide arc, I swing the umbrella down, connecting the steel pommel with the side of Banner’s head.
Broken free of his hold, I yank backward, nearly toppling over. He groans, bringing a hand to his head as he sways, his other bracing against the side of the boat. His phone vibrates from the hull, and he makes a desperate move to retrieve it.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, barely audible. It’s like watching it happen from outside of myself, still trapped in another timeline, caught in a single, static frame—a distant scene playing out in a theater, a girl’s life being stolen, torn away, unable to stop it.
Banner slumps against the gunwale, his groan lost beneath the next furious wave breaking against the pier. He reaches a shaky hand toward his phone?—
And I can’t let him find out about Orion.
Ineedhim.
I slash downward once more. The impact steals the air from my lungs. The steel handle collides with the back of his skull, the blunt force vibrating through my bones. Warmth splatters my face. My fingers slick with blood.
Banner’s body sags against the gunwale of the boat.
My vision flickers. The world narrows to the sound of the raging ocean, the creak of the rope. The dull thud in my temple. My heart rams my rib cage, and I release a sharp wince as the umbrella clatters to the pier.
Adrenaline floods my bloodstream, burning through my arteries. Throat raw, I swallow, leaning down to press my fingers to his limp wrist.
He’s unresponsive.
I exhale a foggy breath in the mist. Trembling, I turn into the sobering gust of wind, feeling the icy spray needle my face. I swipe at my cheek, smearing briny water and blood.
Then I stare down the length of the pier, chest heaving. Waiting to see Darby appear.
“Go,” I urge myself. “Move.” I force my frozen body into motion.
I grab the bloodied umbrella and toss it and the mooring line into the Zodiac. Climbing over the edge, I grab hold of Banner’s arms. Muscles aching with exertion, I grunt and lift. “I’m also sorry for stealing your car the other night,” I mutter as I drag his lifeless weight in with me. “But I didn’t have much of a choice then, either.”
Staring down at his still body, I release a shaky breath. This time, I can’t bring back what I’ve taken.
A pool of dark red swirls along the bottom next to his head, his neck crooked in an unnatural angle.
Before the blood reaches my phone, I kick it aside, then bring my heel down on the screen, crushing the device beneath my boot.
For a breath of a moment, I seal my eyes shut, just long enough to calm the frantic pulse in my ears. Fighting the rock of the vessel, I dig the key from my pocket and shove it into the ignition. A spike of anxiety grips me at the rumble of the engine.
With shaky hands, I circle my fingers around the throttle, slowly guiding the boat away from the pier. Water churns fierce under the hull, the salty spray whipping my hair across my face.
Keeping at a steady speed, I cut across the rocky waves, steering out past the sea stacks. The jagged slate peaks merge with the overcast sky. The hull thumps against each breaker, but I don’t let off the throttle, my gaze aimed ahead.
