"It's still horrifying." Mattie's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I should feel terrible about it. A man is dead because of me."
"A rapist is dead because he made himself a threat. Don't feel guilty for something that wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything to invite Tarik's abhorrent behavior, and you didn't ask Dave to kill him either."
"I told Dave about him. I described him. I gave Dave everything he needed to find him."
It was so frustrating to see Mattie struggle with guilt over something she shouldn't feel guilty about.
"Dave compelled you to tell him. You didn't have a choice."
Mattie was quiet for a long moment, her gaze distant. Then she took a shaky breath.
"Part of me is glad," she admitted. "Is that wrong? Part of me is so relieved that I can't even feel bad about it. He can't hurt me anymore. He can't hurt anyone anymore."
"That's not wrong." Dimitri pulled her closer. "That's human. That's survival."
"And maybe..." She hesitated. "Maybe it will deter others. Other immortals who feel entitled to do whatever they want to defenseless women. The question is whether they will make the connection. They might assume that Tarik had enemies who wanted him dead for other reasons."
Dimitri nodded. "I'm not sure anyone knows what Tarik did to you either."
"Tarik's friends will know," Mattie said. "The ones who were there that night, who pulled Tarik off you. And they might have also gossiped. Word spreads quickly in a place like this."
"That's true. The island is large, but the community isn't, and news travels fast."
She looked up at him, her expression a complicated mix of guilt and relief. "I just need to believe that something good can come out of this."
He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I already believe it. I know that Dave made all the calculations and arrived at the conclusion that Tarik needed killing."
They sat in silence for a while, leaning against each other. The hallway was quiet around them, the dresser standing patiently against the wall, waiting for attention that would have to take a little longer.
"It's a nice day outside," Dimitri said quietly. "It's not oppressively hot. And now that Tarik is gone, and you have Dave's phone, you don't have to be afraid to leave the lab anymore. We can go looking for the tools and materials you need together. We can make a day out of it."
She shook her head. "I don't know if I'm ready for that."
"We can go to the harbor." He shifted so he could look at her. "We can pretend to be taking a stroll while we look at the ships. I want to see how they operate, how they're guarded, and what the security is like. Maybe we can find a way to sneak aboard."
Mattie's eyes widened. "Today?"
He chuckled. "No, not today. Today, we only take notes. The ships come and go. They bring supplies, they take away exports, they connect this island to the rest of the world. We need to figure out the schedules, routines, and whatever else we can learn. Information is power."
23
MATTIE
The harbor stretched for hundreds of meters, perhaps even miles, a crescent of blue water dotted with vessels of various sizes and purposes.
Mattie was surprised by the absence of yachts and fishing boats. Most of the vessels were supply ships, some were big, most were mid-sized and small, all rocking gently at anchor, connected to the docks by gangplanks and mooring lines.
"Is there another harbor for yachts?" she asked Dimitri.
"I don't think so." He kept scanning the harbor operations. "At first I thought there weren't any because the rich men who are usually invited to enjoy the resort are absent, but now I think that they are not allowed here. The harbor has no facilities for luxury ships. This is strictly a supply depot."
"It makes sense." Mattie reached for Dimitri's hand but then remembered that they shouldn't display physical affection in public. Tarik might be gone, but he wasn't the only immortal with bad vibes she'd encountered. This whole place was crawling with them. "The island is supposed to be a secret. They areplaying this game better than that guy who got famous, or rather infamous for a similar operation. I forgot his name." She turned to look at him. "Do you know who I'm talking about?"
Dimitri grimaced. "Yeah. The purpose of both was probably the same, only Navuh figured it out long before that other guy, and he did it on an industrial scale. Come to think of it, there is nothing new about this method of extortion. Men are weak when it comes to their base urges, and they are easy to manipulate."
"Not you." She leaned against him, stealing a moment of closeness before leaning away. "You don't compromise on your values."
"Thank you." He smiled. "But don't mistake me for a saint. I choose what I'm willing to compromise on and what not. Some of the things I have done and am still doing are questionable."
