"Lagoon 1, leaving the harbour now.Parasite on board.Be there soon.Over."
Cici stepped aside, letting Shelley onto the boat.As she untied the ropes, she kept one eye on her unwelcome passenger."We're going, and you will not speak.Sit down and hold on.I don't want to hear a word out of you."With that, Cici started the boat and headed to the Lagoon.
Shelley looked out at the canal as they made their way to open water.She'd had high hopes for today, but it seemed like everyone was conspiring against her.Where had Gray gone last night?Maybe the team was plotting against her now.She needed time to think.At the very least, Cici's silence allowed her the space to figure out her next move.
Chapter 86
Snapped
"Well,thisisgoodfortune for us," Cam said, looking around the lab at his team.They were his found family, and that included Gray.When Gray, Riley, Marta, and Daniel had arrived that morning, Cam knew something had happened.Riley's puffy eyes were all he needed to see to know he had to protect them all.Now, Shelley was on her way here.How could they get her to reveal the location of the tapes without scaring her off?If she even had them?
"Any ideas?"Cam asked.
"Honestly, Cam, how about I meet her at the dock and try to talk to her?"Gray suggested."Maybe if it's just me, she'll open up.I can give her a few false compliments.I'll have to put on my best act because I really want to yell at her and demand answers.But I need those tapes, so I'll do my best to placate her."He squeezed Riley's hand, giving her a faint smile.He knew they needed to mend things after this.Even though Riley knew he had done nothing, Shelley's stunt had shaken her, and he never wanted her to doubt his feelings for her.
"I agree," Cam said, nodding at the rest of the team."We'll stay here, out of sight.Gray, you meet them at the dock.Tell Cici you'll handle the supplies.Declan, go down there when they arrive and wave to Cici and make sure she knows she's needed over at the far floating pens.Gray, you take Shiloh's cooler down, hand it to Cici, and say Declan needs her help.Once she's gone, try to get Shelley talking.When you get some information, give us a signal, and I'll come down.We'll go from there."They all nodded, hopeful that the plan would work.
As the minutes ticked by, Gray grabbed Shiloh's cooler, preparing to head down to the dock.Declan slipped out the side door and made his way around the building.Riley stood at the window, watching.She needed to see whether the plan worked.If Shelley didn't reveal where the tapes were or if she even had them, they would have to make a plan.Maybe they'd just need to do the entire project over again?
Shelley hadn't realized the boat ride would be so long, but she was glad for the extra time.Though Cici clearly wasn't her fan, if she added up the people she'd met, she hadn't made a good impression on anyone.Well, maybe except for Bruce, but he didn't actually know who she was.
As the boat rounded the corner of the canal and into the lagoon area, Shelley spotted Gray coming out of the fish house with a cooler, and her heart leapt.He seemed relaxed, and he was heading down to meet the boat.Maybe he was finally ready to let her help with a research session with the dolphins.Then her eyes caught movement as Declan emerged from the lab.She felt a pang of worry but relaxed when he smiled, waved, and pointed toward the far side of the lagoon where the dolphins' back pens were, before heading that way.Okay, this looked promising.
Cici expertly docked the boat, and Gray was now down on the platform, tying the bowline and smiling, though, she noted, not at her.Still, he was smiling.
"Hey, Cici.Good morning.Shelley."He still seemed relaxed, but Shelley didn't want to push her luck.
"Morning, Gray!Why do you have Shiloh's cooler?"Cici tapped on the cooler, looking at him.
"Declan needs your help with Shiloh.He said her gate was stuck, and he wants you to keep her occupied while he fixes it."He handed Cici the cooler, but she hesitated for a moment."Oh, and I'm on supply duty today, so no more hauling for you."With that, he nudged her onto the dock toward Shiloh and the waiting Declan.
"Well, that sounds good to me!I hate hauling those tanks!"she called back, heading off without a second glance at Shelley.
Gray turned to Shelley, who was still sitting on the boat, waiting for an invitation to step onto the dock.Instead, he stood there, eyeing her with an uncertain expression.
"I wanted to apologize for not coming home last night.It was rude of me.I was so upset about the tapes, and I know it had nothing to do with you.It was a shock, and I needed some time.Did you make out okay?"His sincerity buoyed her spirits.
"Oh, don't you worry, Gray!I was just fine.And yes, what a shock!"She wanted to say more but needed to bide her time.If she could get into the lab and be alone long enough to switch the tapes, she could still salvage this.She just needed patience.
"I'm glad you were fine.Maybe we could do something nice tonight.I was thinking, since I need to start over, maybe you could help?"As he said this, Shelley saw his eyes dart up to the lab.When his gaze returned to her, she knew something wasn't quite right.Gray Whittal would never ask her for help.He'd always pushed her away.It couldn't be this easy.She watched him, remaining silent, and then she saw it—a bead of sweat trickling down his face.
"Hmmmm, let me get this straight.You ditched me last night because you're upset, but you know I couldn't possibly have anything to do with your research being gone.And now today, you're happy, even asking me to stay and help you?No 'sorry for yelling at you, Shelley'?No, 'you came all this way to help, I'm so grateful, Shelley'?I mean, either of those would work in this situation, don't you agree?"If there was one thing Shelley was good at, it was pushing Gray's buttons, and there were so many to push.The way he glanced up, the sweat dripping despite the cool day, the shifting from foot to foot; he wasn't fooling her at all.
And then he snapped.
"I ditched you because you moved into my place uninvited.And no, I'm not sorry for yelling.And no, you didn't come all this way to help; you came to sabotage me, and I can't figure out how.How did you do it?"Gray noticed the dry bag in the boat, and he was yelling now.Shelley knew her glorious plan to be the saviour and return the tapes was over.There was no way to make this right and make him want her to stay.She heard a door slam and looked up.Of course, Riley was there, glaring down at her.This wouldn't do.
Without hesitation, Shelley moved faster than anyone expected.She jumped up from her seat on the boat and ran at Gray.He stumbled back, lost his footing, and fell into Abaco and Anejo's pen, dropping the bowline of the boat.Shelley leaped to the console and started the boat, the engine roaring to life.She heard the shouting and looked up to see the rest of the staff pouring out of the lab,like ants, she thought.They wouldn't catch her.She swung the boat around and sped off toward the ocean.With the tapes beside her, Gray would never get them.She was done with him and this place.She didn't know how she'd get off the island, but she'd come up with a plan.It couldn't be worse than everything else that had failed so far.
Riley raced down the dock, grabbing Gray and helping him out of the water as Abaco and Anejo raced around, scared by the human that had dropped into their pen.Cam was already on the radio to the Coast Guard.As Gray and Riley sprinted down the dock, Gray jumped into the other skiff that was tied up.Riley quickly untied the ropes, and they took off after Shelley.Marta rushed down behind them and dropped the gate for Abaco and Anejo.They wouldn't be able to keep pace with the racing boats, but they'd still follow.Daniel was on the radio to the Thatchers, requesting another boat.Who knew where Shelley was going, but the Coast Guard was at least twenty minutes away.Someone needed to go after Gray, Riley, and Shelley.Everyone was running, and everyone felt a sense of foreboding.How had it all gone wrong so quickly?
Chapter 87
The chase
Gray'sheartslammedagainsthis chest as the boat sliced through the water, the roar of the engine vibrating through his hands.He gripped the wheel tightly, trying to steady his mind, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins made it impossible.
Beside him, Riley stood rigid, her jaw locked, eyes focused ahead on the boat in the distance.Shelley.Where the hell is she going?There's nothing out here but open ocean.Did she really think we'd just let her get away after everything?
