Illusion

by J. S. Cooper

  “I need to know that you trust me first.” He spoke lightly, but his stare was intense.

  “I trust you,” I whispered back, lying, and then yawned.

  “You’re tired. You should sleep. We’ll talk again in the morning.”

  “I’m okay.” I shook my head. “Tell me.”

  “Your safety is my concern, Bianca. I want the truth as much as you do.”

  My body stilled at his words. What did he know about the truth? What truth was he talking about? The truth of why we were on the island, or the truth of my mother’s death? I knew all my thoughts were rambling together incoherently and that I had no real reason to believe he knew anything about my mother. I closed my eyes for a second and tried to calm down. I didn’t want to say anything that would arouse any suspicion in him, if he was here for nefarious reasons. I had to remember that I was the only one who knew what my father suspected. Not even David knew the full truth. I had to be very careful with what I said.

  “I want us both to remain safe,” I said as I opened my eyes and sat up. I attempted to brush my hair back as I looked at him,

  “So you’re very rich, aren’t you?”

  “I have money, yes.” He nodded, his eyes watching me like a hawk. “Why?”

  “Just curious. I’m trying to figure out if you were kidnapped because of me or because they wanted you for another reason.”

  “That would be helpful to know. At first, before I saw you and you reminded me of who you were, I assumed it was because I had money.”

  “Yeah, it would make more sense for you to be kidnapped for money. I just don’t know why the same kidnapper would take both of us. I don’t have any money.”

  “Unless it’s some sort of Kidnappers-R-Us sort of scenario. We’ll kidnap whoever you like, for a fee,” he said jokingly, and then gave me a wry smile. “Sorry, that wasn’t funny, was it.”

  “Not really.” I gave him a short smile and then spoke again. “How important is your money to you?”

  “Not as important as the truth.”

  “What about life?”

  “Do I think money is more important than life? Is that what you’re asking me?” He cocked his head and surveyed my face.

  “Yes. What would you give up for money?”

  “I wouldn’t give up my chance at true happiness.” His tone was tight. “I wouldn’t give up my life.”

  “Would you give up love?”

  “Would I give up love for money?” His face distorted. “What sort of questions are these?”

  “I was just curious.” I shrugged. “I was just wondering how important money is to someone who’s rich.”

  “I see. Isn’t money important to everyone? To me, it’s not more important than life. And I don’t know about love. Is it more important than love? I don’t think so. But then, what is the cost of love?” His tone changed. “How much is a broken heart worth?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged.

  “Is it worth a life?”

  “I don’t think—”

  “How far would you go for revenge? Do you think we should be responsible for the sins of our fathers?” His voice held a hint of anger.

  “I do.” I nodded, my voice earnest. “At this point in my life, I do.”

  “I agree. Though, I don’t know that it’s really a black-and-white matter, is it?”

  “I don’t know.” I swallowed hard as I realized that Jakob’s eyes had glazed over. Suddenly the night air felt very cool against my skin.

  “But I’m getting too serious, aren’t I.” He gave me a short smile. “I should let you sleep.”

  “It’s fine. I’m just confused. You were going to tell me something and then you just changed the subject. Why did you ask me if I trusted you?”

  “I think you’re holding something back, and I’m confused myself. I don’t understand why someone was following you. I don’t understand why a man came up to me and questioned me after I sat at a table with you for a few seconds, and I don’t understand why we’re both here. I was asking you if you trusted me because I think that’s going to be the only way we figure this out.”

  “I don’t know what to think.” I replied honestly. His words made sense logically. And maybe it would be helpful in other ways for me to tell him what was going on. I just didn’t know what to do. How could I tell him that I suspected my mother had been murdered by my father’s former business partner? How could I tell him that a billion-dollar business was possibly mine? How could I tell him that my ex-boyfriend was the son of the man I thought had murdered my mother? How could I tell him that I’d been investigating one of the top corporations in the world for fraud and murder? How could I tell him, when nobody else knew? I thought about the patents and incorporation papers I’d put in Rosie’s bag the night I’d been kidnapped. I knew that whoever was after me wanted those papers. They wanted to know what information I had. I’d made a mistake telling David that my father had worked for Bradley Corporation. I’d wanted more access into the company. I’d wanted a meeting with his brother, the elusive CEO, Mattias Bradley. All I’d gotten in return was a series of warnings to stay away. I’d been lucky and surprised when David had called me and told me Mattias’s plan. I’d gone along with it because I had no choice. I had to trust in David. However, I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected Jakob.

  “I just think that it’ll be better if we try to talk things out,” he said, and I stared at him trying to figure out who this man was and what role he played in everything. “But let’s leave it for the morning. We can talk more then. Let’s try to get some sleep.”

  “It’s hard to sleep here,” I said, trying to talk my way out of my discomfort and confusion. “I thought New York was humid, but this air is so thick.”

  “Yes, it is.” He nodded his agreement and sat back down next to me. “Tell me, Bianca. Do you think you could kill someone if you had to?”

  “What?” I swallowed as my body froze. “What do you mean?”

  He stared at me for a few seconds with hard, glittering eyes, and then he laughed.

  “Nothing. I’m being too solemn.” He shook his head. “Let’s get some sleep.”

  I lay back down on the sand and closed my eyes. Even though my body was exhausted, my brain refused to let me sleep. Every hair on my body was on high alert as I lay there waiting to see what would happen. My skin tingled from awareness as I felt Jakob staring at me. I wanted to roll over or run away and hide.

  I wasn’t sure what had happened to the easy camaraderie of the day, but as I lay there waiting for daylight, I knew that I was more confused than ever. My gut told me to trust him. My body told me to touch him. However, my brain told me to be wary. Some of his comments had seemed a bit off, and I wasn’t sure if my instinct to trust in him was influenced by my attraction to him.

  I shivered as I thought about his last comment. Do you think you could kill someone if you had to? What sort of question was that? Was it a warning? I wished I had asked him “Could you?” I’d wanted to but was scared of his answer. His face had looked so serious, so different from earlier. I pictured his face as it had been when we’d swum in the ocean earlier and how careful he’d been with me as he’d cut the rope from my wrists. His blue eyes had shown concern for me. His lips had been pleasant. His arms had been strong and muscular, and his chest was perfect. An absolutely perfect specimen.

  I flushed as I realized that my thoughts were starting to go down a different road again. I was sexually attracted to him in a way that I couldn’t control, and it scared me. I didn’t want my attraction to him to make me let my guard down. I’d already done that a little bit. I knew my mask was slipping, and I was letting him in, little by little. I had to remember to focus on why I was here. I needed to find out the truth about my mother’s death. It suddenly struck me that if it wasn’t a coincidence that he was here then he might know more information. Maybe he knew more than he was letting on. Maybe if I divulged some information, he’d trust me a bit mor
e as well. I didn’t know if he knew anything, but it was worth a shot. Unless, of course, he was here for another reason altogether.

  My breathing stopped for a second as I realized that the truth might be staring me in the face. What if I wasn’t going to get off the island? What if Jakob had no plans of helping me figure out the truth? What if Jakob was here to kill me?

  The sun beating down on my face woke me up, and I jumped to my feet feeling anxious and disoriented. I looked around the beach, but Jakob was nowhere to be seen. I went to the ocean to wash my face and wet my hair. My stomach grumbled as I splashed the cool water on my skin, and my throat felt parched. If I didn’t get food and water soon, I would be close to collapsing. The hot sun had already begun to sap my energy, and black and white spots danced before my eyes. I knew I was close to fainting, and I was scared. When David had warned me that I was going to be disappearing for a while, I hadn’t imagined it was going be like this. Being kidnapped and taken to a deserted island wasn’t how I’d expected everything to go down.

  I walked out of the ocean and back to the beach, slowing, not wanting to expend too much energy. I stood upright for five minutes, drying in the sun before pulling my top back on. Staring at my pants, I knew that, even in my modest state, I wasn’t going to put them back on. My top fell just below my waist, and I ignored the slight self-conscious feeling of walking around in my panties. The new day had brought with it renewed and even more complex feelings of fear, confusion, and self-awareness.

  I stared at Jakob’s large white shirt and had an idea. I quickly pulled off my top and put his shirt on, laying my top on the sand to sit on top of it. His shirt was so large that it covered my ass and made me feel more comfortable walking around. I sat there for a few moments trying to decide what to do. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go look for Jakob or if I should go look for food. I knew better than to drink the salt water, but my thirst was absolutely killing me.

  “It suits you,” Jakob’s voice called out from behind me, and I felt my body relaxing. He was still alive, then.

  “Hey, I hope you don’t mind.” I jumped up and smiled weakly as he walked toward me. He looked even more magnificent in the light of a new day.

  “What’s mine is yours.” He shrugged. “It’s just the two of us.”

  “Thank you.” It was then that I noticed the bananas in his hand. “You found food?”

  “I saw some banana trees in the jungle.” He nodded over to the trees. “I figured you might be hungry.”

  “I am.” I nodded. “Thank you,” I said again, as he handed me a bunch of bananas.

  “I couldn’t find any more green coconuts on the ground.” He frowned. “Or any natural water sources.”

  “Oh.” I peeled a banana and ate it eagerly.

  “So we have nothing to drink.” He ran his hands over the top of his shimmering unruly dark hair and frowned.

  “What are we going to do?” I knew that at this point it was going to be better for us to work together. I was just going to have to watch his every move.

  “We’ll have to go look for natural water or hope it rains.”

  “Rains?” I frowned. “What are we going to do? Stick our tongues out?”

  “Something like that.” He grinned. “The rainwater here will be safe to drink. It’ll be pure. We should find something to act as a container.”

  “Um, don’t you think that’s a waste of time?” I looked up at the clear sky. “I don’t think it’s about to rain anytime soon.”

  “The weather can change in an instant, Bianca. Weather is like people. Things change when you least expect it.”

  “So you’re saying that appearances can be deceiving?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at me, and his expression changed. “All that glitters is not gold.”

  I looked away then and concentrated on eating my banana. I gobbled it down greedily, eager to have some food in my stomach. I quickly peeled a second banana and starting eating it just as voraciously.

  “Don’t eat a third one.” Jakob grabbed the rest of the bananas from my hand. “You’ve had enough for sustenance. If you have any more, you’ll become thirstier.”

  “I’m still hungry.” I stared at the bananas in his hand.

  “No more. Not now.” He shook his head, and I wondered if I had enough energy to push him down and grab the bananas back from him. “Don’t even think about it.” His eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward me. “I’d have you pinned to the ground in five seconds flat, and I wouldn’t care if I winded you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I took a step back from him, my face flushing at the thought of him holding me down.

  “I’m very strong, Bianca.” His lips curled up as he leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “And I wouldn’t be averse to getting you underneath me.”

  “Well, I’d be very averse to that.”

  “Are you ready to go looking for water?”

  He took a step back, and I noticed that his hands were clenched into fists. That wasn’t a good sign. His body language had me off-kilter. I couldn’t figure him out at all. Was he friend or foe?

  “Shh.” He turned around, his eyes wide and his nostrils flaring. His hands reached out to me, and his fingers gripped my shoulders. “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” I whispered, and tried to listen carefully. All I could hear was the sound of the waves in the ocean and a few distant birds. Jakob’s body was tense as he stood next to me, and he closed his eyes.

  “There’s someone else here.” His eyes opened again, and I could see anger and an emotion close to fear in his irises.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s someone else on the island with us.” He let go of my shoulders and looked around hurriedly. “There shouldn’t be anyone else here.” He shook his head as he paced up and down.

  “Are you sure?” I walked over to him, my heart beating fast. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “I’m sure.” He nodded. “Close your eyes and listen carefully.”

  I closed my eyes and listened. At first, all I could hear was the sound of my own heart beating rapidly. Then I could hear Jakob breathing next to me. Then I smelled him. Masculine, virile, sweaty. I ignored the smell and tried to focus. It was then that I heard the sound of an insect I’d never heard before. It sounded like a very low buzzing. I tried to concentrate harder. I could hear the birds whistling and chirping. Wait. I froze. The birds were chirping, but someone else was whistling. That wasn’t a bird. My eyes flew open and darted to Jakob’s.

  He was staring directly at me, his nose a mere couple of inches from mine. “We’re not alone.”

  I swallowed hard then. My fingers reached for him of their own volition and I held on to his arms. He moved in closer to me, took me into his arms, and rubbed my back. His chest was warm and comforting. All of a sudden, he didn’t seem like the enemy. I’d seen the look in his eyes. He’d been as taken aback as I had. There was someone else on the island with us. And neither of us knew who—or why.

  “What are you doing?” I reached for his arm as he pulled away from me.

  “We need to go see who’s here with us.”

  “Shouldn’t we hide and wait to see who comes to us?”

  “Cowards wait to defend. The brave know the fight is won on the offensive.”

  “Huh?” I stared at him blankly. “Were you in the military?”

  “No.” he shook his head. “Have you heard of The Art of War?”

  I shook my head. “No, what’s that?”

  “It’s a book. It was written by Sun Tzu. He was a military general and a Chinese philosopher. A great philosopher. Sun Tzu said, ‘If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.’ ”

  “We don’t know if the person is our enemy.”

  “We don’t know that they aren’t.”

  “What shall we do?”

  “Come.” He grabbed
my hand and then stopped me still. “You have to trust me, Bianca. We’re going to have to pretend that we know each other, do you hear me? We can’t let anyone know that we are strangers as well. That will make us weak and easier to take down.”

  “But we don’t know each other.” My eyes widened at the urgency in his voice. “I don’t know you,” I whispered.

  “We cannot show any division.” His fingers squeezed me tighter. “It will be easier to take down two enemies than two friends.”

  “Sun Tzu again?”

  “No, that’s just me.” He grinned weakly, and I watched his face transform as his eyes lit up for a brief second. He looked like a completely different man when he wasn’t all intense.

  “I see.”

  “And my answer is yes, by the way,” he whispered as he let go of me.

  “Your answer to what?”

  “Your unspoken question last night.” He stretched and stood tall, his shoulders back and strong. “I could kill someone if I had to.” He looked at me, his eyes dark again. “There are many things I could do if my life and the truth depended on it. I need you to promise me one thing, Bianca.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We need to talk later. You need to tell me everything that you know about why we’re here.” He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “It might be the only chance we have at survival.”

  And then he walked away toward the jungle.

  I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to follow him. Part of me wondered if I was following him to my death. How did I really know that there was someone else in the jungle? All I’d heard were a few whistles. Maybe it was a bird after all. Maybe it was a parrot? Parrots were supposed to be able to mimic human sounds. I stood there frozen, not sure what to do. However, time doesn’t always wait for us to make a decision. My decision was made for me when I saw Jakob freeze. I looked at his hands and watched as they tightened into fists. I took a couple of steps back in fear. This was it, then. We were about to find out who was on the island with us.

  “Hello,” another male voice called out smoothly. “Lost as well?”