“Detectives?” Jamie repeats darkly, stepping forward. “No, those are the guys from earlier—my father’s associates. Those are the assholes who tried to kill me!”
I turn to Jamie, my eyes wide. I look back at the men, seeing they are waiting to meet us next to the water.
My heart deflates as my earlier hope turns to fear.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
—JAMIE
They must have been watchingmy boat. I don’t know if that was at my father’s directive or their own vendetta. It’s sickening that I don’t know if my own father wants me dead. Either way, I do know that these men are here for me. And considering they were posing as detectives in public, they’re not worried about being low-key.
“I’ll go talk to them,” I say, starting forward.
“Hold on, tough guy,” Shawn says, putting her hand on my chest. “We don’t know what they want.”
“Huddle up,” Tech says, turning his back to the dock. We circle around him. “Shawn…” He hands her the journal. “I need you to keep this safe. Let’s try to save whatever evidence we can. It’s entirely possible, and probably likely, these guys are going to rob us. They’ll want to know what we found.”
Shawn puts the journal into her snack backpack, adjusting the weight of her bag on her shoulders.
“What about my brother?” Noa asks. “Why have they been looking for Ellis?”
Tech shakes his head. “I don’t know yet,” he replies. “But let’s not antagonize them. We want to get out of here with as little trouble as possible.”
“And what if they’re here to kill Jamie?” Shawn asks, and then winces an apology at me.
“She has a point,” I say to Tech, anxiety tightening in my gut. “We could go back to your cousin’s house and have her call the cops.”
“I would never put her in that kind of danger,” he replies instantly. “And we can’t just call the cops. Not only did you steal your boat, the cops we call might be working for the Mancini family.”
We all pause, trying to think of a way out.
“Let’s focus,” Tech says after a moment, shaking his head. “We can talk our way out of this. Now, what are we doing on this island?”
“Joyride,” I say. “I’m pissed at my dad, so I stole my boat and took off with my friends…” I roll out my hand to let them know the basic direction I’m going with our excuse.
“Good enough,” Tech says to all of us. “Just play along—whatever we have to do to get out of here. Nothing is worth our lives, got it?”
“Got it,” we all repeat.
I step out to the front and lead the way toward the dock. As they see us approach, the taller man knocks his elbow into the other one. Both turn to face us.
“I’m starting to think you guys are obsessed with me,” I tell them, trying to sound obnoxious. Like someone they don’t need to worry about. “It’s honestly getting weird,” I add, stepping onto the dock. “Should I tell my dad about this?”
The short guy laughs. “Yeah, I’m sure your dad will give a shit. He clearly hates you, kid. Now, why don’t you tell us what you’re doing here.”
“Like you said,” I tell them. “My dad hates me. Might as well steal my boat back and go for a ride. I’m sure you can understand.”
“Nice try,” the short one says. “We know you’re here about the hotel.”
“What hotel are you—” I start to say when Noa suddenly appears next to me.
“What does any of this have to do with my brother?” she demands, angry and off script. “You said you were detectives. You were looking for Ellis. Why?”
The taller guy smiles at her. “Help us find him and we’ll let you know.”
Noa takes a step toward them, and I grab her quickly around the waist to pull her back. Her temper has certainly compromised our situation, and behind me, Shawn and Tech move closer.
The tall guy comes over to grip Noa’s chin, as if he’s about to scold her, and I quickly push him hard in the chest. In a flash, he grabs my arm to spin me around, holding it painfully behind my back. I cry out, but then try to keep my composure as I’m facing my friends.
