Incompetent divers.
His words rang in her ears and she felt her cheeks burn with shame. “I’m so sorry,” she said again.
Then she saw Rachel watching them. Lucy caught her eye and Rachel smiled at her, a closed mouth smirk.
At that moment in time, Lucy would quite happily have thrown herself overboard if she thought she wouldn’t just humiliate herself further.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, but he had lost the playful friendliness that had always been so apparent about him and she knew he was looking at her differently. It was so stupid. If only she hadn’t over-reacted.
Chapter Four
As soon as they docked, guilt pressed heavily on Rudy’s shoulders. He shouldn’t have spoken to Lucy like that. He meant what he had said; it was his fault the accident had happened. After all, he was the one effectively exploiting the reef he professed to care about so much in order to make a living. He made his living through diving and taking divers out onto the reef, but if they didn’t come, the reef wouldn’t suffer the damage caused by the boats and the tourists.
He reacted so badly because he was nothing but a hypocrite and he knew it. He shouldn’t have taken out his own self-doubt on Lucy.
But why did it have to be that girl who managed to kill a whole branch of coral? Of all the people he took out diving, it had to be the one who had caught his attention.
Someone touched him lightly on the arm, dragging him from his thoughts. He turned to see Rachel standing behind him.
“Everything alright?” she asked. “You seem kind of down.”
He gave a slight shake of his head, trying to clear himself of his doldrums, and then gave Rachel a smile. “I’m fine, just pondering life.”
She grinned back. “That sounds ominous.”
“You know me; always trying to figure things out.”
“You think too much,” she said, winking at him.
Rachel always seemed the chilled out, fun-loving Aussie. Rudy wished he could be like her. Yet despite how he appeared to others on the outside, he worried about things too much. The things he wanted never came easily. At thirty-four years old, despite his achievements, he was living the life of a much younger man, and not in a good way. He had always thought by the time he hit his thirties, he would be married, possibly even with children by now. But deciding to come to this island and leave his more ‘conventional’ life behind meant he had cut himself off.
The women who came to the island only ever wanted to have some fun. They were all young and either traveling or on holiday, and the last thing they wanted was a relationship.
The one time he thought he had met someone different, he nearly lost everything he’d worked for. Rudy didn’t intend on putting himself through that again.
For Lucy, the trip back to the resort was the longest drive she had ever been on. When they finally got back, Lucy washed her gear with the rest of them, packed it into the store room, and then went straight up to her room. She was hiding away from everyone—well Rudy and Rachel at least. It was so stupid, hiding in her room because she broke a damn piece of coral.
She threw herself down on her bed and flung an arm over her eyes.
Why did she always end up feeling like this, like she wanted to hide away from the world?
No matter how far away she ran, she couldn’t run away from herself.
She had to wonder why she was letting this guy get to her so much. It wasn’t just that when he focused on her with those amazing, deep brown eyes she felt like they were the only two people in the world, or that ever since she met him all she could think about was what his skin would taste like under her lips.
She still technically had a boyfriend at home—she still had a life at home. He was just some handsome dive instructor who had probably never even lived in the real world or done a day’s proper work in his life. Why the hell did she care what he thought?
Lucy took the little spark of indignant anger inside of her and fanned it. What right did he have to make her feel badly about an accident? She was the paying guest here; he should be doing everything he could to make her feel welcome, not make a fuss about a piece of god-damned rock.
It was a live creature, a voice rang out in her head. Coral isn’t a rock; it’s a group of little animals.
But Lucy ignored the voice and focused on her own self-righteousness instead.
She wasn’t going to let some dive instructor make her hide in her room when she had paid all this money for her holiday.
Still fired up, she showered and dressed, choosing a strapless sundress and a pair of jeweled sandals. The outfit was far dressier than she normally wore, but she didn’t care. It was about time she had some fun. She was sick of always being so serious. She wanted to be more like girls like Rachel who did what they wanted, when they wanted and didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought of them.
Even so, the memory of what had happened made her cringe and she forced herself to think of something else.
She went down to the bar, except this time she didn’t take her book with her. It was just after lunch and though she hadn’t eaten, she ordered a beer and sat herself on one of the stools beside the bar.
The beer arrived and she took a long swig, the bubbles making her eyes water. Self-consciously, she tugged at her top, making sure she was as covered as she could be in the unusually flimsy dress. She looked up to see if anyone had noticed and saw Stacy and Leanne sitting at a table with two men. One of them was Paulie, the overweight guy she had sat next to on the truck, and she recognized the other one from the dive, but she didn’t know his name.
Stacy saw her and waved. Lucy raised a hand in response and Stacy beckoned her over. Lucy shook her head and tried to sign that she was fine at the bar, but Stacy wasn’t having any of it, and by now the others had noticed and encouraged her over as well. She felt rude not to go.
“Hi,” Stacy said as she approached their table, “you look nice.”
Lucy tugged at her dress. “Oh, thanks. I thought I would make an effort for once.”
“So it’s not for any particular man?” Leanne teased her.
“Err, no. I don’t think me and that particular man are on speaking terms right now. And anyway,” she added quickly, “he was only doing his job.”
“It was only a piece of coral, right?” said the man whose name she didn’t know. “It’ll grow back.”
Lucy forced a smile, but her cheeks flushed red. She couldn’t believe everyone seemed to know about the accident.
“Do you want another one of those?” Leanne asked, motioning to her almost empty bottle. “I’m getting another round in.”
“No, I’m fine, I’ll get it.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, already getting up from the table. “We’re off to a party later if you want to come. Everyone on the island will be there—it’s a half-moon party.”
Lucy frowned to show she didn’t recognize the name.
“Like a full-moon party on Koh Pha Nang, only the moon is only half-full.”
“Oh, right.”
It sounded like an excuse for a party to her, but who was she to argue?
One drink turned into several and Lucy finally felt herself relax. She wished Rudy would turn up so he would see her with friends, laughing and having a good time. She didn’t want him to think he had affected her, yet he lingered in the back of her mind. She watched out for him, distracted, the whole afternoon.
As the afternoon turned to evening, she found herself joking and laughing with the rest of them. When the younger guy, Nick, asked her what she did back in London, she told him she had just graduated and hadn’t decided what she was going to do yet. The simple lie made her feel like someone else. That, combined with the dress and the alcohol, gave her a confidence she didn’t normally possess. She talked too loudly and even flirted with the men, and when the time came to leave for the party she jumped up with the rest of them.
The ‘taxi’ was another open-backed SUV
and they all piled in the back. At first they headed the same way back to the port, but then they took a turn off and headed deeper into the bush, into the center of the island. The road was little more than a dirt track and the deeper into the island they went, the narrower the road became. They passed local’s homes; small wooden huts with chickens scratching around outside and even the odd cow tied up—a far cry from the relative luxury of the resort. Children playing outside looked up as the vehicle passed and waved wildly, running after the vehicle with shouts of ‘hello!’
The last of the light disappeared from the sky.
On the back of the taxi, Paulie crushed his empty beer can and threw it out into the thick foliage. Lucy couldn’t believe what she had just seen.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she protested.
“What?” Paulie looked at her as though she was the one who had blatantly littered this beautiful island. “I don’t care. All I care about is what is in the ocean!”
She stared at him. “What a stupid comment. Are you completely uneducated or are you just thick?”
Paulie’s mouth fell open, amazed that someone dared to speak to him that way.
“Don’t you realize the majority of pollution in the ocean originates from land? Whether it’s run-off from over use of fertilizers, or just idiots like you littering!”
“What do you think you are?” he said. “Some sort of fucking marine biologist or something?”
“Now that you mention it, I do have a degree in biology.”
He turned from her, his eyebrows raised, nudging Nick who sat next to him, trying to drag him in on the argument.
“What’s got in her knickers?” Paulie said. Nick gave Lucy an apologetic smile and ignored Paulie.
But Lucy wasn’t going to ignore him; she was furious.
“Nothing has got in my damned knickers!” she said. “It’s not my fault I am sat with a freaking barbarian.” She shook with anger, every muscle in her body tensed. The beers she had drunk earlier had gone to her head and she was probably reacting way out of line, but she couldn’t stop herself.
She shook her head and stared down at the floor, fuming. What was wrong with the men around here? Maybe she wouldn’t have reacted so badly if Rudy hadn’t upset her earlier, but she didn’t think she was out of order for telling Paulie off for littering. She couldn’t believe no one else had stuck up for her.
She glanced at Stacy and Leanne for support, but they were deep in conversation and laughing with each other. They hadn’t even noticed the argument. Lucy would get no help there.
Paulie turned his back on her as best as he could in the confines of the SUV and leaned down to pick up another beer. He flicked open the tab with a hiss. He took a long gulp, draining most of the can, and let out a long belch.
Lucy cringed in disgust and edged further away from him.
Moments later, the sound of the base came thumping through the trees. They pulled up to a clearing. The music was loud, loud enough that they had to shout to be heard. Lucy started to wish she hadn’t come. The beer made her groggy now and the argument with Paulie had ruined her mood.
UV flags hung around the proximity, making the clearing appear like a nineties rave. People filled the center, all dancing and laughing and drinking. A make-shift bar, made out of wood and covered in bamboo, stood at the far side of the clearing.
She saw Rudy straight away, standing at the bar, talking to Rachel. He leaned against the bar, holding a bottle of beer. They weren’t alone. A shorter man with blond hair and another girl stood with them. They were all talking and laughing, as though they knew they were the best looking people in the place and had the confidence to match.
Lucy glanced away from the group, her heart immediately beating too fast.
But Stacy and the others all headed straight for the bar and, with a heavy heart, she followed, trying to be inconspicuous and hide behind the others. As they all lined up at the bar, she wasn’t left with much cover and she stood feeling awkward and self-conscious.
Rudy looked up and saw her.
His eyes did a double take down her body, checking out her dress, and then he looked up at her again. He stared at her with a surprise that was not unpleasant, but seemed slightly confused, as if he didn’t quite recognize her. With the extra confidence the alcohol gave her, she sucked in her stomach and pushed out the small amount of chest she had.
He smiled at her, but she didn’t return the smile. Instead she flicked her hair back and looked tentatively for the bartender. A slight frown marked his forehead as he turned back to his conversation.
Lucy stayed with her group and even bought everyone a round of drinks to try to make up for the argument. She tried to laugh with the others, but she felt fake and constantly had one eye on Rudy and his little group. He wore a plain white t-shirt, which only served to highlight his great tan. The close fit of the material meant she could see the muscles of his back moving beneath, flexing every time he lifted his drink.
She tried to be discreet, hoping no one noticed how distracted she was. Then she glanced across at Rudy only to find him staring right at her.
Their eyes locked and quickly she looked away. But the damage had already been done; he had seen her watching him.
Her cheeks burned and she stared furiously at the ground.
She dared to look up again, only to see him saying something to Rachel. His hand lightly touched the base of her spine as he spoke into her ear. Then, to Lucy’s surprise, he turned away from Rachel and started to make his way over.
She tried to act as if she hadn’t seen him coming, pretending to be interested in something Nick was saying, but her heart thumped and she was aware of his position with every step he took.
Then he stood in front of her; all tanned arms and dark eyes.
“Hi,” he said, having to shout over the music. “I wanted to apologize for today. I over reacted and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
His brown eyes seemed genuinely sorry and he reached out and touched her arm. The simple touch made her catch her breath. She wanted to throw herself at him, but he intimidated her.
She could feel Rachel’s eyes burning through her, conscious of Rudy’s hand on her arm. However nice he acted, he shouldn’t be making his girlfriend jealous like this.
Maybe that was all he was doing? she wondered.
Lucy had seen them fighting on the beach. Of course, she had no proof the fight was about her, but it looked as if they had a fiery relationship. Maybe she’d just gotten caught up in a game; his way of keeping his gorgeous girlfriend on her toes.
She stepped away, breaking the contact.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice hard. “Let’s just forget it ever happened.”
He reached out to her again. “Are you sure? Because it doesn’t feel like it’s fine. It feels like you’re still angry at me.”
Suddenly, a hard ball clogged her throat and her eyes burned with hot tears. The tears were caused by a combination of his kindness and the alcohol, and she didn’t want him to see.
“I’m fine,” she repeated, and she turned away from him, her head bent to the ground so he couldn’t see her face. She just wanted to get out of there, so she turned and walked away.
Blindly, she pushed through the crowd, ignoring the shouts of protest as she pushed a person out of the way and trod on someone else’s foot.
She headed to where they had been dropped off, planning to get in the nearest taxi and get the hell away from this place.
“Lucy! Wait!” he called after her, breaking into a run. His hand caught her arm, pulling her back around to him. “Hey? Where are you going? What was that all about?”
She was ashamed to find more tears had filled her eyes and, angrily, she blinked them away.
“I told you to forget it,” she said. “Not everything is about you. Surely you’re not so vain as to think that?”
“Then tell me what it is.”
She stared at him
, his face blurred through her tears. “Why? Why do you care?”
He shrugged. “I just don’t like to see someone unhappy when we’re in paradise.”
“What is your paradise,” she said, “maybe isn’t mine.”
And with that she turned and walked away from him, and this time he didn’t try to stop her.
Chapter Five
With a groan, Lucy rolled over in bed and prised her eyelids open. She hadn’t thought to close the shutters before she fell into bed, so the harsh sunlight glared through the window, piercing her dehydrated brain. Desperately, she floundered around the side of her bed, finding her water and draining the bottle, despite it being warm.
She groaned again and fell back onto the mattress, her arm across her eyes, blocking out the light. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a bad hangover—probably not since her years as a student—and she now remembered all the reasons she didn’t drink excessively.
What had happened last night? She could remember going to the party, but then after that...
Lucy groaned again, remembering.
She should never have come here. What the hell had she been thinking? Did she think she could escape all her problems by running away to a fantasy island?
A gentle knock on her door made her sit up.
Who the hell is that?
She jumped up (the movement making her head swim and her stomach turn) and gave herself a quick glance in the mirror. She rubbed at the black marks last night’s mascara had left under her eyes and tried to smooth down her hair. The knock came again.
“One minute!” she shouted, pulling on a clean t-shirt and a pair of shorts. The alcohol coming out of her pores was probably enough to knock someone out, but she couldn’t leave whoever it was waiting while she showered and brushed her teeth.
Lucy crossed the room and swung open the door to reveal an empty doorway.
Escape Page 4