Charlie considered this before replying. Jack had proven he wasn’t one of the assholes on this island, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was a good guy. However, he could have turned on her at any point, and he hadn’t.
“I do,” she said. “We’ll have to keep an eye on him”—they watched all the new arrivals until they were certain they could be completely trusted—“but I think he’s okay.”
“Thanks,” he muttered, and she smiled at him.
“If the hunt has started, we need more patrols in the tunnels,” Mal said. “I’ll take the ocean-view tunnel. Miguel take the root cellar, and Darlene take the pit. If anyone wants to go with them, feel free.”
Chase strolled over to go with Darlene while Valerie and Lucia went with Miguel.
“Charlie, keep an eye on him,” Mal instructed. “He can stay, but make sure he doesn’t try anything and doesn’t get into any trouble until I can talk with him more.”
“I will,” Charlie said and watched as Mal retreated into the ocean-view tunnel. Each of the three main shafts were named, but the ten side tunnels had no name.
“You really escaped?” Dylan asked Jack.
Jack smiled at Dylan. “Yes.”
Dylan’s shoulders relaxed as some of his distrust of Jack eased. “If you got out of the cages, do you think you can get off the island?”
“That’s my plan.”
“Will you take us with you?”
The hope in the child’s voice and eyes tugged at his heart. He’d promise Dylan the moon if he asked for it while looking at him like that. “I won’t leave without you.”
“That’s enough, Dylan,” Charlie murmured. “Go see if you can find an extra blanket and a new shirt for Jack.
“But—”
“Go.”
Dylan frowned at her; she was never brisk with him, but she wanted him away from Jack. Turning on his heel, Dylan stalked toward the ocean tunnel. They kept their extra supplies in the first dead end side tunnel.
Charlie waited until Dylan was out of earshot before turning to Jack. “Come with me,” she said crisply.
Chapter Ten
Jack followedher into a tunnel while those still in the cavern returned to what they were doing. From what he could see, three tunnels branched off from this main one. “Do these all lead out?” he asked.
“No,” Charlie replied.
He frowned at her icy tone and realized her shoulders were set like a soldier marching off to war. Apparently, he’d done something to become the enemy, but he couldn’t possibly think of what.
“They’re all dead ends?” he asked.
“Some of the side tunnels lead out; more of them just dead end. Mal used it as another way to confuse, trap, or lose any enemy who accidentally found their way in.”
They were a hundred feet into the tunnel when she rounded on Jack. Startled, by her abrupt movement, he nearly collided with her before taking a step back. He blinked when Charlie shoved her finger into his chest.
“Don’t youdaremake promises to my son you won’t keep!” she hissed.
Jack winced when she jabbed him hard enough to bruise the bone. He seized her finger, but she yanked it away, and her eyes flashed red. She glowered at him like he was a spider she was going to stomp before dropkicking him into the fires of Hell.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
She pushed her finger into his chest again. “You told him you wouldn’t leave here without him. Howdareyou tell him that!”
“Why wouldn’t I tell him that?” Jack asked in confusion.
