by Tia Wylder
“I think so,” I said. “Although to be honest, I’m not really paying attention.” I bit my lip. “This is all really scary.” I swallowed hard. It felt strange to be confiding in Barnes – a man I’d only met once before. Before, I’d thought he was just as much of a jerk as Jack Nathan…but I saw very clearly that he had a heart after all, and that he was deeply worried about his friend.
“Good.” Barnes nodded once, a solemn gesture. “Are you ready to go?”
I nodded.
“I’ll call my driver and have him pick you up from here,” Barnes said. He reached down and grabbed his briefcase. “And please, stay in touch with me whenever you can.”
“Why can’t you come?” The prospect of going alone was growing more frightening by the minute.
Barnes gave me a wry, odd smile. “Someone has to stay home and take care of things here,” he said. “Besides, if I know anything about that bastard Franchot, he’s there too.”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”
“Franchot is probably going to try to use this very storm to take out Jack’s property, and ruin him for good,” Barnes said. “That’s why Jack flew down – I wanted him to make sure that his development would be safe.”
I blinked, feeling stupid.
“Franchot is evil,” Barnes continued. “And he’s not above doing things like this. I know it sounds ludicrous, but you have to believe me. And if you want to take him down and save Jack, this is your chance. Because if you don’t, you’ll never get another chance again.”
I knew he was right, but the knowledge didn’t exactly fill me with much comfort.
“Right,” I said. “I’m ready.”
Barnes nodded. “My driver will be here soon. I’m going to go.”
I stared as he walked out of my bedroom and down the hall. Part of me felt that I had to pull him back, to ask him why I was the one charged with this madness? Why not the Coast Guard?
I knew there had to be a reason. But I also knew that Barnes wouldn’t tell me, even if I asked.
Lisa was in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a worried look on her face. When she saw my stuffed suitcase, her jaw dropped.
“Adele, you can’t possibly be serious right now,” Lisa said. “You’re not going – it’s not going to happen. It’s a stupid fucking idea, and you’ll probably die!”
Tears came to my eyes, and I tried to blink them away before Lisa could see, but the effort was useless. When she saw my expression, she leaped from her chair and put her arms around me.
“Adele, please,” Lisa whispered in my ear. “Please, don’t do this. It’s suicidal, and you know it.” She pulled back and put her hands on my shoulders, looking deeply into my eyes.
“That’s what you said last time,” I joked.
“And last time, you nearly died,” Lisa replied tartly. “It was lucky that you survived.”
I sighed. “Lisa, I have to go. Jack is in danger.”
“So?” Lisa narrowed her eyebrows and looked angry. “Just because that jerk was stupid enough to get himself in trouble doesn’t mean you have to go running to his rescue! If he’s going to be dumb enough to let himself get killed doesn’t mean he has to drag you down with him!”
“Lisa, it’s not—“
“Adele, you’re not being rational,” Lisa said in a firm voice. “Look at yourself, rushing off into mortal danger over a guy!”
“But I’m the only one who—“
“Just shut up, for one second, and listen to me,” Lisa said sharply. “Adele, you’re making a huge mistake.” She swallowed and closed her eyes, taking a deep sigh. “And I feel like I don’t even know you anymore! When we first met, the Adele I knew never would have done something like this, running off after some man and putting herself at risk.”
“Well, I’ve changed,” I said slowly. Lisa’s words hurt because I knew they were true. I knew that years ago, or even six months ago, I never would have agreed to do something so stupid. I’d always been so cautious, so careful.
“Obviously,” Lisa said in a tart voice. “I barely even recognize you!”
“Lisa, Franchot is down in Nassau, too,” I said. “And that’s why I’m going. It’s not for Jack – it’s because I want to catch this bastard in the act, and finally, have reason to put him behind bars forever.”
Lisa narrowed her eyes. “That’s not the only reason you’re going,” she said. “And I’m sorry, Adele, but you can’t convince me otherwise.”
“You’re right,” I shot back. “It’s not the only reason. But it’s the main reason. Barnes said if I don’t take this chance to try to get footage of Franchot destroying something and blaming it on the storm, I never will.”
Lisa crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t even think it’s the main reason,” she said softly.
“That stung,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. “And I have to go. Barnes is giving me his driver.”
“You won’t get a flight out of the city,” Lisa said. “And I bet you won’t get one in New York, either.”
“We’re driving to Miami,” I said softly, trying to keep my voice neutral.
Lisa stepped forward and put her hand on my arm. “Jesus, you’re really serious, aren’t you?”
I nodded. As I looked into Lisa’s eyes, I felt the last of my newfound-bravery drain. All I wanted to do was go back to bed and hide under the covers forever.
But Jack was in danger. And I had to save him – I couldn’t abandon him and wait to hear of his death. And I had to destroy Franchot.
And if this was my only change – dying in a Nassau tropical storm – then I’d do it.
“Just think,” I said, trying to sound braver than I really felt. “If I die, you’ll be like, totally famous as the roommate of the idiot who died trying to catch Franchot.”
Lisa bit her lip. “I know I can’t stop you,” she said softly.
“Nope.” I tried to smile, but it was impossible.
“So, please, Adele, just be careful,” Lisa said. She sighed. “Promise me.”
“I will,” I said. “I promise.”
We stood there for a moment, looking awkwardly at each other before I grabbed my parka and snow boots. Lisa watched me getting ready without speaking. It was one of the tensest times we’d ever shared.
When I was finally ready to leave, I made my way downstairs. There was a long black car idling in front of the building. As I approached, a uniformed chauffeur leaped out of the driver’s seat and took my bags.
“Miss Adele?”
I nodded.
“Please, come with me.”
The driver opened the backseat and helped me inside before stowing my bags in the trunk. Just as Barnes had promised, there were bags in the back, loaded with water and food and emergency supplies. I bit my lip as the chauffeur climbed back into the front seat and pulled away from my building. It occurred that I could still back out, but as the words formed in my mouth, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to say them.
I was going to Nassau to save Jack, no matter what.
Barnes’s chauffeur drove through the night and the next day. We stopped periodically for silent, tense meals in fast-food restaurants. He was always perfectly polite, but I never felt comfortable at the sight of his brass-buttoned uniform.
As we made our way further south, the air began to change. The chill lifted and I could see the first signs of the approaching storm. By the time we made it to Florida, almost twenty-one hours later, I was terrified. The skies were grey and cloudy and filled with angry clouds.
“Where to, miss?”
I swallowed nervously. “Find a charter boat company,” I said. “And then I’m going to Nassau.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jack
The first night, I broke into a hotel room and spent the night shivering in bed. The windows, miraculously, didn’t break in the rage of the storm, but the power was gone, and I knew that it likely wouldn’t be restored for days. I for
aged for food as best I could in the kitchens and wound up opening an industrial-sized tub of peanut butter and eating it with my fingers.
I felt pathetic. I’d come here on a false whim, and now I was likely going to die because I’d been an idiot.
By the third day, the storm was getting worse. I watched as five-foot waves gradually turned into ten-foot and even fifteen-foot waves. Just looking out the window made me shiver. And I was terrified of leaving the Hotel St. Charles. I’d gotten lost in the Nassau wilderness once before, and I was determined not to let it happen again. Not when I still had my own skin to save.
I was foraging for more food in the kitchens and trying to decide whether or not I should break into the freezer when I heard the sound of footsteps. My heart leaped into my throat, and I whirled around.
“Rico!” I yelled. “Is that you?”
There was no reply, but the footsteps grew louder. I started to panic – what the hell would I do if it was Rico, and he was grievously injured?
“Rico,” I called again. “It’s me, Jack! I’m in here!”
I dropped the giant tub of mayonnaise that I was holding and darted out of the kitchens, into the main restaurant. But it wasn’t Rico I saw standing there.
It was Adele.
She was soaked to the bone and shivering. Her dark brown hair was plastered wetly to the side of her face and her skin was deathly white. For a moment, I wondered whether I was going crazy. Was Adele really here, standing in front of me, or was I losing my mind?
“Adele?”
Adele staggered forward. Her eyes looked haunted and glazed over, and she was shaking in her soaked shoes. Before I could step any closer, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she crumpled to the floor.
“Adele!”
Jumping forward, I caught her in my arms just before her head made contact with the soaked carpet. Adele was shivering uncontrollably, and her lips were blue. I carried her out of the restaurant as fast as I could, running up the stairs to my hotel room. Without looking at her body, I stripped her clothes away and wrapped her tightly in the sheets of my bed, pulling the duvet over her head and snuggling her into the mattress. Adele was still shivering, but after a few minutes, the worst of the tremors subsided. I didn’t take my eyes away from her as I held her firmly in bed, rubbing her arms and legs under the sheet in a desperate attempt to help her circulation.
After what felt like hours, Adele slowly opened her eyes. I handed her a glass of water and held her head up as she drank greedily, water dribbling down her chin. When she saw me, she closed her eyes again and took a deep breath.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I have no idea how you got here, but you’re safe.”
Adele’s eyelids fluttered open. I could tell she was struggling to focus on me.
“I…”
“Don’t talk,” I said. “Save your strength – god knows we’re both going to need it.”
Adele nodded. She rested her head against my arm, and I felt a powerful surge of affection for her. It was crazy – here we were, trapped in Nassau, and all I could do was think about how lucky I was that Adele was still alive.
Adele dozed off in my arms. After I made sure that her breathing was regular and normal, I stripped off my pants and shirt and climbed into bed. There was an extra duvet I’d taken from the next room, and I draped it over the two of us, snuggling close to Adele through the layers of blankets. I hadn’t realized it, but I was exhausted. As Adele began to snore softly, I found myself drifting off to sleep.
When I woke up, Adele was gone. I jumped up and gazed around wildly before spotting her. She was standing next to the window. Darkness was falling, and the hotel room was dim and poorly lit. Adele was standing with the duvet wrapped around her petite frame, shivering as she stared out at the storm.
“What is it?”
At the sound of my voice, Adele turned around. Her green eyes were solemn and scared.
“It’s really happening,” she said hoarsely.
I got to my feet and handed her the cup of water. “Drink,” I said.
Adele looked down at the cup in her hands. “Is it safe?”
“Yeah. I broke into the pantry – it’s from a bottle.”
Adele nodded. She licked her dry lips and took a long swig of water, drinking until the glass was nearly empty. Then she walked over to the bed and sat down, evidently too exhausted to speak.
“How did you get here?”
Adele sighed. “Barnes’s chauffeur drove me from Boston to Miami,” she said in a soft voice.
I sat down next to her and put my hand on her shoulder. I wasn’t sure whether or not to pull her close, but then Adele leaned into my body and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Wow,” I said.
“Yeah,” Adele said. She bit her lip. “Barnes came to me and told me you were in trouble.” She swallowed. “And he told me that Franchot was here, too, and that if I didn’t come and save you, it would be missing my last chance to take him out.”
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
“Yeah,” Adele repeated. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her arm. “And I got a charter boat out of Miami, but we almost sank. Jack, it was so awful.” Now there was fear – real fear – creeping into her feeble voice and I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.
“What happened to the boat?”
Adele shook her head. Her hair was dry and frizzy, and she reached up and twisted it into a knot with one hand before sighing.
“I don’t know. The waves were so awful, I slipped and fell when the boat jerked to the side. I must’ve hit my head.” Adele winced and reached up to her forehead. I noticed for the first time that there was a large goose-egg at her temple.
“Oh my god,” I said.
“Yeah,” Adele said softly. She laughed bitterly. “Barnes sent me down here with everything. Bags and suitcases and rations and medical supplies. And it all got lost. I woke up on the beach, and realized I’d made it to the hotel.” She shivered and pulled the duvet tighter around her small frame.
“Barnes…” I trailed off. “And did he come?”
Adele shook her head. “No. But he was very afraid for you,” she said quietly. “I know he was concerned. I just hope his chauffeur is okay – he stayed in Miami.”
“We have to get out of here,” I said. I walked over to the bureau where I’d stashed a few Hotel St. Charles polo shirts and shorts that I’d stolen from the gift shop. I handed a shirt and a pair of golf shorts to Adele.
To my surprise, Adele snickered. “If anyone sees us, this is going to be some bad publicity for the hotel,” she said. She pulled the duvet off and pulled the polo shirt over her head quickly before I could catch a glimpse of her breasts. The shirt was too big for her, but she knotted it at the waist and buttoned the golf shorts over her flat, taut belly.
“Thanks,” Adele said. I couldn’t be sure in the dim light of the room, but it almost looked like she was blushing. I handed her a pair of Hotel St. Charles flip-flops – the only shoes I’d found when I’d ransacked the gift shop for food – and she slipped them onto her feet, glancing down at her bare toes.
“You must be hungry,” I said.
Adele nodded. The features of her face were fine and pointed, and I realized that she’d likely lost a tremendous amount of water weight in her ordeal.
“I broke into the kitchens yesterday, but I’m going to need help,” I said.
Adele got to her feet and wiped her hands on her thighs. I could tell she was exhausted, but before we slept again, I wanted to make sure that we’d both had something to eat. I led her out of my room without even bothering to shut the door. We made our way down the back stairs and into the restaurant. The hotel was almost completely dark now, and I gripped the flashlight I’d found behind the concierge desk tightly in one hand.
When I felt Adele’s fingers slipping against mine, I barely thought of it. Then I squeezed her hand.
“It’s not much longer,” I said. “Just a
few more steps.”
The wind outside was whipping and howling so loudly that I could hardly hear myself think as I led Adele into the kitchens. The two pantries were at the back of the large set of rooms, and I led Adele towards the locked doors.
“There’s meat and everything in there, I bet,” I said. The thought of a cheeseburger was enough to bring me to my knees.
“How long has the power been out?” Adele blinked. “We don’t want to get sick.”
“It’s all frozen.”