Page 104

This seems to appease her, and she relaxes, interlacing her fingers with mine and letting me lead her away. I wish I was taking her somewhere better, somewhere less insidious.

I wish I was taking her home.

It takes the better part of the day to get to the airplane, which should have only taken us an hour. London is slowing us down; her body is breaking down, possibly worse than her mind.

There is nothing I can say to her, so I choose to stay silent because what choice do I have? I scoop her in my arms and carry her most of the way. If I had left her again, I would have lost her. Nigel would have taken her from me. He would have found a way.

The three of us keep our eyes wide as we walk through the hazy forest toward the airplane. London, I think, is asleep in my arms.

Ezra hangs back with me as James storms at the front. Ezra’s demeanor has changed with me since Ollie’s death. It’s a glimpse of what it used to be like between us when I actually gave a shit about the guy—before he got jealous of me and challenged me every chance he got.

“I don’t want to state the obvious, man, but the longer we take, the higher chance that Jade might be dead,” he says.

London shifts in my arms. “I know,” I mutter. “I don’t know what else to do. Just keep your eyes open.” Helpless—I’m fucking helpless, as per usual. And finding Jade in this mist is worse than finding a needle in a haystack.

It’s clear this fucker carefully orchestrated this. Nigel always worked best in the shadows, trying to slay me from afar because if I were to ever catch him face to face, it would end there. I need to figure out a way to outsmart him and do it without putting the girl I love in danger.

We reach the airplane, and we all cover our mouths at the stench of what’s nearby. We don’t stop at the plane; we keep moving past the pile of bones.

London stirs, and I press my hands over her mouth and eyes, trying to shield her from it. “Keep your eyes closed,” I whisper. “You don’t need to see this.” I turn to Ezra. “How much farther?”

“Another twenty minutes,” he says.

We walk in silence the rest of the way before Ezra pauses in front of a dark hole in the ground.

“You fucking lived here, man?” I ask him, inspecting the evidence of his home—animal bones in a corner he was using for God knows what, a few shredded ashen blankets, and empty cans of food.

He grimaces and shakes his head. “Fuck you, bro. I’m alive, aren’t I?”

London gives me a warning squeeze, so I leave it alone. I’m sick of fighting with him, honestly. He hardly seems worth it anymore. I don’t want to admit how good of an idea it was for him to move and take proper shelter here. The cave provides good insulation, and a greenhouse effect would have kept him warm enough. And there’s dry kindling everywhere since this area of the island is a fucking wasteland.

The dry, cracked earth is almost like a desert, but it might have saved his life.

“Do you know where Nigel’s cave is from here?” James asks. “You must know something. Come on, man, think…”

Ezra shakes his head. “I can show you where our meet-up spot is. From there, I have no fucking clue.”

Even though I can’t see the sun, I can tell the sky is darkening. London looks like the walking dead, and we aren’t going to get anywhere hopping over the deep holes in the ground.

“I’m calling it,” I announce. “We’re going back to the plane. We can regroup in the morning.”

Or I can come back alone and finish this.

No one argues. It’s been a long day, and it looks like we get to spend the night in the airplane after all.

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

I kiss the top of her brow, gently removing her head from my lap. She grimaces but doesn’t wake up, and I slip from beneath her, draping the blanket over her to replace my warmth. The sun hasn’t crested yet and stars fill the sky, but the faint glow of morning has begun. I stared at her all night, cradling her in my arms while she slept, wishing I would change my mind about the decision I’d already made. I couldn’t take my eyes off her while she whimpered and laid her hand on my chest, and any time I’d move, she’d curl her fingers as if she knew exactly what I planned to do.

Because I’m about to fucking leave her again.

I take one last drawn-out look at her, then at James and Ezra, who are both sleeping nearby. James stayed awake most of the night with me—I could tell by the way his body shifted in his seat—though we didn’t speak. Ezra was sawing logs within ten minutes, sleeping like a baby. London tried to stay awake, but my hands caressed her hairline and her eyelids grew heavy—she was out within five minutes.

Before I change my mind, I slip out of the airplane, making as little noise as possible, my bone weapon in my hand.

I’ll be back for you, sweetheart.

I need to end this, and I can only do this alone. Nigel needs his reckoning, and I’m about to serve it to him on a platter.