Torie shook her head. “The island doesn’t sleep,” she whispered. “Neither do I.”
Fear curled through Janet’s chest. Was Torie finally seeing the truth? Or was the island taking her apart inch by inch?
Chapter Thirteen
Bright Bait
The sea always looked innocent from the shore. Out here, it showed its teeth.
The boat rocked as it cut across the channel, the engine’s low growl blending with the slap of waves against the hull. Avalon shrank behind them—postcard-perfect, sunlit, deceptive—until it was just a smudge of color pressed against jagged green cliffs.
Joe steered from the helm with casual confidence, sunglasses hiding eyes that always looked for trouble, wearing a grin that had never learned its limits. He’d insisted they all neededa reset day, a few hours on the water with lines in the ocean and beer in the cooler.
“Best therapy on the island,” he’d said. “The ocean doesn’t give a damn about drama.”
Harmony wasn’t convinced about the drama part. The ocean recorded everything—just in ripples and undertow instead of ink.
She sat on the bench along the side, notebook in her lap, sunglasses covering her eyes, trying to focus on nothing more than the fresh air. Cass perched beside her, hair braided to keep it from whipping in her face, bare feet braced against the deck.
“Okay,” Cass said, leaning closer so she could be heard over the engine. “She’s cute . . . but a little too polished.”
Harmony followed her gaze.
Heidi stood near the stern, one hand gripping the rail, the other shading her eyes. The wind tugged elegantly at her ponytail, sending strands of dark-gold escaping in soft arcs. Her skin was sun-kissed, her smile bright and unguarded. She wore cutoffs, a white tank tied in a knot at her waist, and had the kind of energy that pulled conversation toward her without trying.
She turned as Joe called something out to her, making her laugh . . . and three heads turned at once.
Zach.
Tosh.
Joe.
“Understatement,” Harmony said, flipping to a blank page.
“She’s almost too bright,” Cass murmured. “You know how this island treats bright things.”
Harmony did know. And she didn’t say it.
Heidi had arrived on the island a week ago with friends, staying at the Glenmore—at least that was her story. The others had gone back to the mainland. Heidi had stayed. “Just one more week,” she’d said at the Marlin. “I’m not finished with this place yet.”
“Remind me how you know her again?” Harmony asked.
“Friend of a friend,” Cass said. “We met at Descanso. I told her Joe had a boat and you were doing research on all of us, and she didn’t run, so I figured she was brave enough to tag along.”
“Brave,” Harmony said, unreadable.
“Or deeply foolish,” Cass countered with a smirk.
“One or the other. I guess we’ll find out,” Harmony said.
Cass nudged her with her shoulder. “She works in the ICU back on the mainland. Nurses have seen way worse than us.”
Harmony wondered what it took for someone used to blood on their hands to still smile like that.
Heidi moved toward the cooler, balancing with easy grace as the boat rolled. Tosh appeared at her side like he’d been summoned by an invisible alarm. He popped open a bottle of water and handed it to her before she could bend.
“Hydrate before Joe starts corrupting you,” he told her, smile lazy and practiced.
