They start bagging the bodies for transport.
Lachlan is still holding Roman.
When Danya returns, he has blood up both arms, all over his tactical gear.
Savannah’s blood.
‘We need to move now.’He looks at Jules, manages a shadow of a smile.‘Hello, Charlie Foxtrot.’
‘Hi, Danny,’ Jules says, voice shaky.‘Thank you for coming.’
‘You need to guard your charge,’ Danya says seriously when he looks back at Lachlan.‘You cannot do that if you are doing this, OK?’
He’s smart to use Jules, and Lachlan knows it.He’d do the same to get someone to release a body.Pragmatic necessity waits for no man.
Part of him wants to argue, to justify holding this nineteen-year-old who shouldn’t be dead, but if he starts, he won’t be able to stop, so he grits his teeth, blinks back tears and very carefully hands Roman over to Danya.
It’s the last time he’ll ever see him.
He should say something.
Should maybe saygoodbye,orsorry.
No words come out.
His arms are light again.
Danya carries Roman away towards the zodiacs.
Lachlan blinks unevenly, can’t think straight.
‘You OK?’he asks Jules, which is stupid.
What a thing to ask.
‘Not hurt,’ Jules says, wrapping an arm around Lachlan.‘I’m so sorry.’
Lachlan shakes his head.‘My fault.’
Alistair is standing alone nearby on the beach, staring at the fire.
A weird part of Lachlan wants to go there, is morbidly curious about whether the old man is experiencing grief or not, but Danya is right.
Jules is his charge.
They need to get off this fucking island.
Jules won’t let go of Lachlan even while the medics check him over.It’s efficient and thorough.He’s not hurt, although he inhaled a little smoke after the fires infiltrated the ventilation of the safe room.Jules stays with Lachlan while they sit together in the zodiac.Then on the OPV to the staging island.Then on the jet.He stays with him the whole time, refusing to budge.Even when he needs to pee on the private jet, he pulls Lachlan with him into the tiny, cramped space while he relieves himself.
‘What was it like?’Lachlan hears himself ask.‘In the safe room?’
‘It was fine,’ Jules says, washing his hands.‘Promise.’
‘I bet it wasn’t fine.It’s OK, I want to know.’
Jules shakes his head, starts to cry again.‘I knew they were hurting you.’
Lachlan pulls him into his arms.
