“He did,” I said, gesturing back to Kyle. “But I thought…”
She nodded and looked over to him. “Oh, there you are.” She flashed him a smile, but it looked a little … pained? “And how are you doing, young man?”
He blinked at her, then looked to me for answers. I shrugged. It wasn’t so much what Rhonda was saying. It was how she was saying it. Like she was talking to someone who had just woken up from surgery and needed Jell-O.
“How are you feeling?” she went on. “You feeling okay?”
I squinted at her. Maybe teenagers made Rhonda awkward too?
“You feeling good?”
“I’m fine,” Kyle said. “You know, given everything.”
“Good. Good,” she said, nodding, but not taking her eyes from him. “That’s good.”
Rhonda suddenly grabbed my arm and put up a hang on just one minute finger to Kyle. She then yanked me back toward the door … because, you know, there was so much more privacy two feet away. She gave Kyle one last smile then muttered close to my ear, “Has he been okay?”
“Um, what do you mean by okay? His father’s dead. He just found out he’s crazy rich, and someone might be trying to k—”
“No,” she said with a quick shake of her head. “I mean, physically okay.”
My eyes jumped around her face. “Well, I did think he might be coming down with something earlier. He was pretty pale. Why?”
Rhonda bit her lip. “I made some calls earlier because I saw a weird report when I looked up Rayner Boatright in the system, and, uh, just before I left, a detective in Miami called me back.”
Kyle took a step toward us, but I shot a Stay! finger over at him.
“What kind of report?” I mumbled.
Rhonda grimaced. “A toxicology report.”
I waited, not liking where this was headed.
“Well, you know how Rayner thought someone was trying to kill him?”
I nodded.
“Well, he wasn’t just worried about himself.”
“You don’t mean—” I jerked my eyes in Kyle’s direction.
Rhonda nodded.
“Well, what did it say?”
“The detectives there thought Rayner was paranoid, but they took some blood to have it analyzed, and…”
“And what?”
Rhonda pinched her lips together and shook her head. “Someone’s been poisoning that kid.”
Chapter Thirty-four
“Arsenic.”
“Arsenic?” I whispered, feeling the blood drain from my face. “Come on. You can’t be serious?” First cyanide and then arsenic? Talk about weird choices for a modern-day killer. “How bad?”
“They’re surprised he’s still standing. He needs to see a doctor.” She jerked her thumb toward the door. “Like now. Or at least the minute the lake is passable.”
I felt Kyle take another step toward us. “What are you guys talking ab—”
“Shush,” I said whipping another finger around at him. “Adults talking.”
“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Rhonda said, grabbing my shoulders and looking into my face. “You need to get Kyle to the boat.”
“Wait … what?” I asked. “What do you mean you? What about we?”
Rhonda set her jaw.
“You’re coming with us, right?”
“I took the police boat with the cabin. It will give you some shelter.”
I cocked my head at her. “What exactly are you planning to do?”
Her eyes darted to the side as she went on. “You’re going to need to hurry. I saw another light. There’s a good chance someone knows we’re in here.”
“Well, you’ve got a gun,” I said, pointing to her hip. “And an ax. Let’s all stay here. Together.”
“I’ll get you guys to the top of the stairs and—”
“Rhonda! No! Do not finish that sentence. Let’s just stay here, and you shoot anyone who comes to the door.”
“Erica,” she said shaking her head, “You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I yelled, voice cracking.
“There are innocent people back inside, right?”
“Oh my God! No!” I yelled, bringing a hand to my head. “I mean, yes, maybe, but … Rhonda! You can’t. They might already be dead. And … this killer … you don’t get paid enough. I’m not going to let you do this.”
“Has anyone else been hurt?”
My hand dropped to the side of my face. “I don’t know. People keep disappearing, and then Brody came crashing through the window, and—”
“Okay. Okay. I need to get over there,” she said, still looking at me with that serious expression I was not used to seeing on her face.
“I’ll go,” I blurted out, surprising myself. “You take Kyle.”
“No. No way,” Kyle said.
“Erica,” Rhonda said, face dropping. “Come on.”
“Let me do it. I can—”
“No. This is my job.”
“You’ve done enough tonight. You’re a hero for making it across that lake,” I said with a defeated wave of my hand. “I can’t let you—”
“Okay, Ms. Untrained Civilian,” Rhonda said with a goofy smile. “Take this.” She pulled something out of her pocket and pressed it into my palm. It was a set of keys. “There’s a shotgun in the locker under the rear seats in the cabin. As I said, I’ll get you to the steps at the top of the hill, then you guys head for the boat.”
“Rhonda…”
“Can you make it to the boat?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she said, straightening her jacket.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll handcuff everybody, get them secure, and then wait for back-up. I’ll come get you when I can.”
My eyes dropped to her belt. “I see only one set of cuffs on your hip.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
I looked up to the rattling ceiling, shaking my head. “I don’t like this plan at all.”
“You and me both, right?” she replied. “But it’s my duty. Now, I almost didn’t make it across the lake, but if someone comes after you, well, you make the call.”
“Rhonda we’re not leaving you on the island.”
“You gotta protect the kid,” she said. “Now no more talking. We’re wasting time. I’ll give you my flashlight. It’s better. We all go together to the top of the stairs. Understand?”
“Come on. Please. Let’s talk about—”
She cut me off with a look, then said slowly and carefully, “Do you understand?”
I sighed. “I understand.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-five
The three of us pushed our way back into the horror of the storm, the sleet nearly pelting us to the ground.
“Come on!” Rhonda shouted.
I covered my forehead again with my arm, hand gripping the flashlight. I grabbed Kyle’s jacket with my other hand.
The one thing working in our favor was that we could still see the dim light coming from the lodge. It was a blur though. If this storm got any worse … I didn’t want to think that all the way through. I had never experienced weather like this before. It had me believing in things like angry gods … with ice hammers. Why were so many things trying to kill us?
We kept moving forward, this time trying to resist the thrust of the wind at our backs. A lifetime later, we made it to the top of the stairs. Rhonda turned, bracing against the gale.
“First thing, you get the shotgun,” she yelled. “You understand me?”
“Rhonda—”
“None of that. Good luck, Doom!”
“Good luck—”
But she had already turned toward the lodge. She never heard me.
“Come on,” I shouted, yanking at Kyle. “Watch the steps.”
Saying watch the steps was one thing. Trying to actually do it was another. The sleet was creating a layer of ice over the snow. Kyle lost his footin
g a couple of times.
Get to the boat. Get the gun. Wait for Rhonda.
I could do this.
When we got to the bottom of the steps, we had to slow almost to a stop. The dirt path leading to the dock was now an icy mudslide. Water rushed by my boots, and I felt the first little trickle of frigid water find its way through the seams. If the temperature dropped any more, I’d probably lose a couple of toes … but, you know, better that than a head. Funny how when you are stuck on an island in a storm with a paid assassin, everything becomes relative.
A few seconds later, we figured out how to slide-walk our way forward. “We’re almost there!”
The dock posed a whole new level of difficulty. It was swaying and rocking in the water in a way that just shouldn’t have been possible. Some sort of support must have gone. I could see the police boat bobbing up and down just beyond. I had never seen the water like this before. Maybe on the bigger lakes, but not here.
At least it wasn’t far.
“I have to let go of you!” I shouted at Kyle. “Stay low. The water’s not deep, but it’s rocky here.”
He nodded.
I took one step onto the planks of the dock. Holy crap, the whole thing felt like it was going to give any second. I inched forward slowly, the beam of the flashlight dancing wildly as I tried to keep my grip on it while shuffling forward.
“I’ve changed my mind,” I shouted back into the wind. “You should go first.”
Kyle’s eyes went wide. “Why?”
“So I can see you! I’ll steady you if you start to slip.”
“That boat looks like it’s going to sink. Let’s just hide in some trees or go back to the shed!”
“It’s dry in there,” I shouted back. “And there’s probably blankets. Maybe even spare clothes. We need to get warm.”
He stared at me, uncertainty all over his face.
“Just go slow.”
We traded positions, and Kyle took a hesitant step forward onto the wood planks of the dock.
“That’s it. Keep going,” I shouted, following his steps.
“I don’t like this!”
“It’s not far,” I yelled, feeling around with my boot for a spot that felt more like crunchy snow and less like wet glass. “You’re doing great.”
“It’s too slippery!”
“I know. Just—”
“Erica!” Suddenly Kyle’s arms flew into the air as his feet slipped out from underneath him. I shot out my hands to push him back away from the edge, giving him just enough resistance to drop safely onto the dock …
Too bad doing that also sent me spinning for the water.
Chapter Thirty-six
Cold. Cold. COLD!
My feet were in the water. All the way in the water. And here I thought I couldn’t feel anything with my mother’s boots being so tight.
“Erica!”
I couldn’t scream back. The cold of the lake had paralyzed my lungs.
“Erica!” Kyle screamed again, grabbing at my shoulder. “Come on!”
Thankfully we hadn’t gotten very far, so the water was shallow, but the rocks were slippery. I tried to haul myself up too quickly and smashed my chest right up against the dock.
Kyle reached for me. “Grab my arm!”
My limbs felt heavy and stiff, but I lurched forward again, slapping my hand down on Kyle’s arm. It was just enough leverage that I could pull my chest up onto the heaving planks of the dock. I pulled my knee up after, and before I could stop it, the motion pushed my phone up out of my pocket, sending it tumbling into the water.
“No!”
“What?” Kyle shouted.
“My phone!”
He grabbed my leg, pulling it all the way onto the dock. “Forget it!”
I collapsed completely onto the swaying boards. I tried to pull my knees up underneath me, but I just couldn’t seem to make anything work.
“We have to get to the boat!” Kyle screamed, staying on his hands and knees. “Get up!”
Right. Get up.
Now how did I make all of my body parts work again?
Suddenly I felt a hard slap on my butt.
“Get up!”
I clenched my teeth together and hauled myself up to a four-legged position. “Okay, let’s go.” Thankfully I still had the flashlight. I think my hand had frozen into a clawlike grip around the handle.
Just get to the boat. Just get to the boat. The words kept rolling around in a loop in my mind. We just needed to make it to the boat. The boat would have blankets … and a change of clothes … maybe a bottle of seized alcohol that I could pour over my socks … and then light with a match. Actually that last bit didn’t sound so nice. Just get to the boat.
When I got to the end of the dock, I pushed myself up with my stiff muscles, looked around, and groaned.
We’d have to jump to get onto the heaving vessel. It was too high. There was a metal railing that ran all the way along its edges, which wouldn’t have been a problem if the lake was still—and I had any blood flow left in my limbs—but, as it stood, this, this might be the thing that killed me.
I passed the flashlight to Kyle.
He nodded, holding the beam on me.
I gripped the metal rod of the uppermost railing with both hands and lifted one foot on the edge of the boat. Now, if I timed it just right with the rocking of the waves, the force should lift me up and over.
Almost. Almost …
Now!
I hauled myself up and—
“Freaking! Stupid! Nutballs!” My foot had slipped, slamming my shin on the hard fiberglass edge of the boat. How was it even possible that I could still feel that?
Oh, that was it!
That was so it!
Something hot ran through me, filling up my muscles with energy—enough energy to launch me up and over. I whipped around, hand gripping the metal railing.
“I’ve had it!” I yelled into the wind. Sleet battered my face. “You want to go?” I threw my free hand up into the air. “Let’s go! Let’s do this thing!”
The storm raged back at me, but that just made me even angrier.
I was so pissed. Beyond pissed. In fact, I was pretty sure, somewhere in a distant corner of the universe my rage had given birth to a brand-new solar system.
I let out another scream, barely resisting the urge to beat my chest.
“Um, Erica?” Kyle called up to me.
My eyes flashed down to him. I had barely heard his voice over the wind … and the hot, angry blood rushing through my ears.
“Who are you yelling at?”
“I don’t know!” I roared. “The storm? The killer? The Gods!”
He nodded. “Can we at least, you know, get the gun, before you call anyone else out?”
I stared at him hard a moment.
He cocked his head and yelled, “Is that a yes?”
My shoulders slumped, then I nodded.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I muttered, leaning down to take his hand.
He reached up for me. “And I already know all the swear words, okay? You don’t have to do that thing with the nutballs.”
“Whatever.”
Being a guardian sucked.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Once I got Kyle into the cabin, I pushed the door shut behind us, and slid to the floor, curling into a tight ball.
Thankfully there was a heavy police slicker hanging on a hook above me. I yanked it down and wrapped it around my shoulders. My fingers ached with the cold, but I had just enough rage-y adrenaline left to get my mom’s boots off—a doubly impressive feat, given that the boat was tossing us around like clothes in a dryer.
Man, how had Rhonda made it across the lake? This was insane. I could only pray that her luck stayed with her up at the retreat. I shook my head. I couldn’t think about that. I just couldn’t.
Kyle collapsed onto a bench. “I can’t believe we made it.”
“I know,” I s
aid trying to squeeze some warmth back into my feet.
“I also can’t believe you lost it like that,” he said with a pained laugh. “You wanna go?” He shook his fist weakly in the air. “Let’s go!”
“Yeah, thanks. I was there.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“I don’t like being scared,” I said, finding a black knit hat in the pocket of the jacket. I whipped my wet one off and yanked it over my head. “I don’t like smashing my shin either. And now I need a new phone.”
“You can use mine,” Kyle said pulling it out of his pocket. He poked at it a few times, then said, “Or not. It’s dead.”
“Figures.”
He smiled again. “You were so mad. You probably could have taken Brody, the bodyguard, whoever.”
I blew some air out of my lips as the faces of Julie, Kenny, Ronnie, Ashley, Rhonda … my mother … flashed through my mind. “I’d like to try.” I wiped the last bit of wetness away from my face and looked around the cabin. “But you’re right. It would have been better if I had the gun first.”
Suddenly a horrible thought occurred to me. I mumbled please, please, please, as I slid my fingers into my jeans pocket for the keys Rhonda had given me. They hooked around the metal ring, and I yanked them out, waves of relief rolling over me.
Unfortunately, it was a short-lived sensation.
“Erica,” Kyle said, and there was just something in his voice. I turned my flashlight to look where he was pointing.
The bench had a locker underneath the seat. An empty locker. Pried open with a crowbar, by the looks of it.
“Oh, come on!” I shouted. I flashed my beam over to the boat’s dashboard. Smashed. Along with the police radio.
“Who would have had time to do that?” Kyle asked, his face dropping.
I shook my head. I already knew. Assassins were efficient like that.
A moment or two of silence passed before Kyle said, “I don’t think I can stay here.”
“I know the rocking is bad, but Rhonda said—”
Just then he let out a horrible, gulping cough … and retched all over the floor of the boat.
Swear to God, I would die to protect this kid … but … just kill me now.
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