by S. R. Grey
Early Monday morning my father called. Yes, as expected, he’d found out about what had happened with J.T. O’Brien. It took nearly twenty minutes to calm him down. The only good thing that came out of it was that he reluctantly agreed Adam had saved me from further harm. I guessed it made him feel better about me staying on the island, because he didn’t threaten to come over and drag me back home. Although, I half-expected that to still happen.
On Thursday I drove down to the dock. Dressed in some raggedy jeans and an old flannel shirt that I knew would make me fit right in at Billy’s, I was all set to pay Jimmy another visit. As I made my way to the waiting ferry, I inwardly groaned when I noticed Jennifer Weston was at the helm. I was in no mood to deal with her today.
“Oh yay,” I muttered to myself as I stepped aboard.
Jennifer appeared to be as excited to see me as I was to see her. “If it isn’t Madeleine Fitch.” Sarcasm dripped with every word as she purposely blocked my way. “Must be my lucky day,” she snapped.
Pushing past her, I took a seat. “Back to the mainland so soon?” she continued, starting up the ferry. “Running low on people to press charges against? Or is island life just too boring when your rich boyfriend isn’t around to beat the piss out of someone?”
OK, so it was clear Jennifer had taken issue with the J.T. incident. No surprise there. She obviously still had feelings for him. Ignoring her comments, I rummaged through my bag, searching for the book I’d brought along to pass the time.
Without warning the ferry lurched forward uncharacteristically, and Jennifer shot me a look of satisfaction, surely pleased at startling me. “J.T. was right about you, you know,” she said.
“Oh, this ought to be good,” I muttered, pulling out my book.
Jennifer snickered. “We had a bet on how long it was going to take for you to end up in Ward’s bed.”
I rolled my eyes. What was it with her and J.T.? I hadn’t even slept with Adam…yet. Well, I’d slept with him in the literal sense, but I was sure they meant more. Just the thought of it, when it did happen though, brought a secret smile to my lips.
“That’s what I thought,” Jennifer snarked, misinterpreting my smile. “Looks like I won. I said less than a month.”
“Whatever,” I huffed dismissively.
“It won’t last, you know,” Jennifer continued, undettered.
Oh, it was going to be a long ride to the mainland.
“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Adam.” I should have just ignored her, but I felt compelled to say something.
“Relationship?” she spat. “If it makes you feel better to call it that, then fine.”
I opened my book and began to read in an attempt to end the unpleasant conversation. But Jennifer would not shut up. “Do you want to know what I can’t figure out, Fitch?”
No, not really, I thought, pretending to be deeply engrossed in the book when, really, I’d not read a single word.
“You don’t seem at all like what Ward usually goes for. Odd,” she mused out loud, clearly baiting me as she feigned a lost-in-thought expression.
I put my book down. She sure had my attention now. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, returning her glare.
“Let’s just say, I know plenty more about Adam Ward than you do.”
“Sure you do.” I laughed and taunted, “You’re so well-informed.”
“I know this,” Jennifer hissed. “Ward is a powerful man who prefers beautiful women.” She eyed me up and down, like I didn’t make the cut.
When I rolled my eyes, she continued, “Not to mention” —Jennifer tapped her finger to her chin mockingly, pretending to be in deep thought— “he’s a man with a voracious appetite that I doubt you could keep up with. You seem a little too, I don’t know, bland maybe.” She winked knowingly, and my eyes widened.
How in the hell would Jennifer know something like that, unless… I narrowed my eyes at her, and she said pointedly, “Oh please, Fitch, drop the look of dismay. I never touched your precious Ward. I’m just saying I’ve heard things.”
Heard things? Like what, I wanted to ask? And from whom? Jennifer had certainly not been friends with Chelsea. Did she know Lindsey? No, I doubted it. But I didn’t know who all Adam had been with over the years and whose paths had crossed with Jennifer’s. I didn’t care to dwell on it either. But it just bothered me to no end. Who would have confided in Jennifer?
“I’m not particularly interested in whatever crap you’ve heard,” I said, trying desperately to sound unfazed and uninterested.
“Suit yourself,” she countered. “But did you ever consider you might be being played?”
I bit my lip, turning my head away. “Shut up, Jennifer.”
But apparently she was just warming up. “You’re a novelty to him, Fitch. You’re nothing but a between-inning stretch. What do you think is going to happen?” She snorted unattractively. “Do you dream of the great Adam Ward falling for you? Why would he want you, when he could have anyone he wants? Face the facts, bitch, he’s out of your league.”
As much as I was trying to fight them, tears threatened. Jennifer was awakening all the insecurities I’d ever had. “You don’t know anything about me,” I said quietly, blinking back tears.
“I know you once had a schoolgirl crush on Ward. Just remember, you’re not in high school anymore.”
What? How could Jennifer know that tidbit? Her words left me stunned. The only person who’d ever known about my crush on Adam was Ami. But Jennifer and Ami weren’t friends. Were they? I mean, it seemed unlikely since they’d barely spoken to one another on that first ferry ride over to Fade Island. Of course, Helena now probably suspected I’d always had a crush on Adam. And maybe she’d told Trina? But were Trina and Jennifer friends? What about Helena and Jennifer? I hadn’t gotten the impression they were pals.
But God, how’d Jennifer know about Adam’s supposed sexual prowess? Who else could she have been friends with? Maybe she had been buddies with Chelsea, despite everything? That would explain at least part of how she knew these things. So I asked, “Who told you those things about Adam? The part about his…” I winced. “...voracious appetite? Chelsea?”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. Jennifer cut the engine, leaving us to drift quietly on the water out in the middle of the ocean. She approached, and I hastily stood up.
“Let’s get one thing straight.” Jennifer was in my face. Close. Too close. “That fucking piece of shit slut was no fucking friend of mine. So don’t ever even think it.”
I took a shaky step backwards, the sound of the waves sloshing against the sides of the ferry seemingly amplified in the silence. “OK,” I responded meekly.
Jennifer cocked her head to the side, as if examining me. “What are you doing here, Fitch?” I shuddered, and before I could answer, she added, “You’re not poking around in things that don’t concern you, are you?”
I shook my head emphatically. “No, I’m not.”
“Are you sure? ’Cause if you are…” She trailed off.
“I’m not,” I insisted.
Jennifer suddenly backed off, laughing smugly. “Wouldn’t it be poetic if you found out you were sleeping with the enemy, so to speak, in this little scenario?”
“Adam didn’t do anything to Chelsea,” I stated with conviction.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Jennifer’s eyes were black and unblinking, her voice cold. Even colder when she added, “Personally, I hope he fucking offed the bitch.”
This was getting to be too much. Something bad was going to happen if I didn’t snap her out of this tirade. “Um, I need to get to the mainland, Jennifer,” I squeaked out in a meager attempt to diffuse her fury.
She snickered. “Of course you do. What do you think I’m going to do? Throw you overboard?” Her eyes flashed to the water as if she were considering it.
But to my relief, she returned to the pilot’s house and set the ferry back into moti
on. I sat back down, trembling. Maybe I should tell Adam about this incident.
The rest of the way to Cove Beach, I thought about ways I could broach the subject without having to divulge the more sordid things Jennifer had said about him—that he was playing me, that he was the enemy. Jesus. By the time we reached the dock, though, I decided it’d be best to keep quiet. I’d already sent J.T. to rehab; and I didn’t want Adam to retaliate against Jennifer, too, and make things somehow go from bad to worse.
With all that had transpired on the ferry replaying in my head, I got my car out of the garage and drove to Billy’s. Except this time, as I traveled along the two-lane state route, I kept getting the distinct impression that I was being tailed. I checked my rearview mirror. There were a few cars behind me, but when I slowed, they passed without incident. Hitting the gas I concluded I was just feeling extra paranoid due to Jennifer’s behavior on the ferry. Still, when I reached Billy’s, I parked the car directly in front of the door and practically ran into the establishment.
Jimmy was standing on a step stool behind the bar, stringing up Halloween lights. Rock music played in the background, and his head bobbed up and down with the beat as he secured the string of lights.
When Jimmy flipped a switch on the cord, a wash of orange and purple bathed the bar area. “Looks good,” I said, startling him.
“Hey.” Jimmy jumped down from his perch and folded up the step stool. “Didn’t see ya there.” He picked up an almost-spent cigarette in the ashtray behind the bar, took a drag, and stubbed it out. “What can I getcha?”
Before I could answer, movement from the back room caught my eye. Damn, I wasn’t the only customer today at Billy’s. This would make it harder to get information out of Jimmy, especially since his eyes kept darting to the back room.
“Um, a beer would be fine,” I said, and Jimmy’s attention returned to me.
As Jimmy made his way down to the cooler to retrieve my drink, I craned my neck to catch sight of the other customer. And then I wished I hadn’t.
There was no other way to describe the guy in the back as anything other than a bad-looking dude. He was huge, bigger than Nate even, maybe about the same size as Max. He had on jeans and a navy muscle shirt that showed off his bulging arms. Tattoos ran up and down his arms, but he was too far away for me to make out what they were.
I watched as he ran his hand over his closely shorn, white-blond hair and took a swig from a mug of beer. He picked up a pool cue—I guessed he was playing alone as there were balls all over the table. Suddenly he pointed the cue stick at me. “Bang,” he mouthed.
I quickly averted my eyes, ignoring him. Crap! Had he known I’d been watching him the whole time?
Jimmy returned and placed the bottle on the bar. He’d left the cap on, so I twisted it off with a huff. But he didn’t even seem to notice. It seemed my bartender-pal was distracted, as he kept glancing over at Mr. Cue Stick in the back room.
I cleared my throat. “Did I catch you at a bad time?” I asked, curious as to what was going on here.
“Nah.” Jimmy shot another furtive look to the back and then lowered his voice. “Hey, listen. I haven’t found that picture yet. And I figure that’s why you’re here. But today’s probably not a good day for you to be here—”
Before Jimmy finished, a rude voice interrupted, “Who’s the fresh meat?”
It was the guy from the back. He slammed his empty mug down on the bar, and though I kept my eyes on the bar, I felt his bore into me.
I heard Jimmy say, “Let her alone, man. She’s not lookin’ for what ’ya think she is.”
What the hell was Jimmy referring to? Drugs? No doubt.
The man laughed. “Hell, Jimmy, everyone can use a little pick-me-up from time to time.” He paused, and I reluctantly glanced over. He tapped his nose. “Isn’t that right, sweet thing?” He cocked his head to one side, examining me like a specimen. “Or maybe you’re just looking for a little tweak?”
His eyes were so dark, almost black. I couldn’t hold his stare, so I dropped my gaze. The tattoos on his right arm—screaming skulls with dark snakes writhing out of their eyes—seemed to be looking right at me. If the artwork hadn’t been so disturbing, I would have thought it beautiful in its intricacy. But as it was, I shuddered. There was something very wrong with this guy. I sensed he was still staring, so I glanced up. A shiver ran down my spine as those black eyes met mine.
I looked away, and he laughed. “I got all kinds of goodies to loosen up a tight little piece like you. You let me know if you change your pretty little mind.”
Still keeping my eyes averted, I found myself nodding out of sheer terror. The man laughed louder. “Don’t worry about the price either. I got all kinds of payment options for customers who look as good as you do.” I cringed at the thought, and he added, “Aw, don’t look so scared. You come spend a few minutes with me in the back, and I’ll get you so high you’ll think you’re in heaven.”
More like hell, I thought.
“Zeb,” Jimmy interjected, though his rattled voice betrayed his fear. “Leave her alone.”
I looked up to see Zeb turning to Jimmy, fury emanated from him. “You don’t tell me what to do, you got that, man?” Jimmy nodded meekly as he refilled Zeb’s mug, his hand trembling. “You just worry about getting me what you owe me, or we’re gonna have some real problems on our hands.”
Thankfully Zeb was more focused on Jimmy now. He stared intently at him as Jimmy slid Zeb’s now-full mug toward him. As Zeb picked up his beer, his eyes never left Jimmy. Not even as he headed back to the back room. Finally he looked away.
A few minutes later, when Zeb disappeared into the men’s room, Jimmy leaned toward me and whispered, “Listen, Maddy. You better get outta here.”
I had every intention of hitting the road before Zeb had another chance to harass me, but first I wanted to take care of something. It was clear Zeb was a dealer, and Jimmy owed him money. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the kid. He probably needed as much help as J.T. A part of me wanted to talk to him about getting his life together, but I knew Zeb would be back soon. Right now, the only thing I could offer was some help to get him out of financial trouble with the scary dealer.
I stood up, readying to go. “How much do you owe him?” I asked Jimmy in a hushed voice.
He cast his eyes down. “Five hundred, but he’d leave me alone if I could get him sumthin’.”
I didn’t have five hundred dollars on me, but I pulled out the extra money I had brought. Sliding two one-hundred dollar bills across the bar, I said, “Here, take it. But God, Jimmy, try not to buy from him again.”
“Hey, I’m not some charity case, ’ya know,” Jimmy protested.
“Then think of it as an advance,” I offered. “For the picture.”
He hesitated but ultimately snatched the money up. He sounded deflated when he said, “I’ll get ’ya whatcha need, I promise.”
“Can I ask you one thing before I leave?”
Jimmy nodded, and I whispered, “Was that Zeb-guy Chelsea’s dealer?”
He looked like he wasn’t going to answer, but then he glanced at the money in his hand. “Yeah,” Jimmy said quietly. “Anyone here who needs sumthin’ they go to Zeb. Always have, probably always will.”
Considering Chelsea’s drug habits, I wondered if she’d ever taken Zeb up on any of his special “payment options.” I was going to ask, but Jimmy glanced uneasily to the back. “You better go.”
So I nodded and rushed out of Billy’s. When I slipped back into my car and adjusted the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of a man ducking behind one of the warehouses. Unfortunately he was too quick for me to get a clear view. But there was no more doubt in my mind that I was being tailed. But who would be following me? And why? I debated whether I should get out and confront the person. But then I thought of Zeb. I took action, all right—I got the hell out of there.
Even though I thought of a bunch of good retorts to throw back at Jenn
ifer the Bitch on my drive to Cove Beach, I was, nevertheless, relieved to see that Brody, not his sister, would be taking me back to the island.
Once back on Fade Island, I hopped into the Lexus and drove back to the cottage. Pulling into the driveway, my eyes were drawn to a small square of paper taped to the front door. Fluttering in the breeze as I approached, I could see it was a handwritten note of some sort. I peeled it loose. It was a simple message from Adam; he wanted me to stop by his place as soon as I had a chance.
Curious as to what was up, but wanting to freshen up after my time at Billy’s, I took a quick shower. Then I changed into a nicer pair of jeans; a long-sleeved, mocha-colored tee; and a pair of ballet flats. After brushing out my hair, I left for Adam’s house.
Trina was back in Boston, so I knew we’d have the place to ourselves. Something I was definitely looking forward to. I knocked on the front door and waited.
When Adam opened the door, my breath caught in my throat. Wow. He looked exceptionally hot, even though his expression betrayed a brooding kind of anger. Still I lowered my eyes to the ground and began a slow, appreciative ascent up his physique— starting at the expensive-looking black shoes he wore, up to the alluring way his dark gray slacks fit him in ways most men wished for, and to the black button-down shirt he was wearing, top buttons undone. Finally my eyes came to rest on his face.
It was the first time I’d seen Adam with a shadow of stubble, which was definitely working for him. I met his eyes, and they flickered in annoyance. Something was definitely not right, because this look was far different from his usual expression of amusement when he’d catch me blatantly ogling his magnificence.
“Maddy, are you going to just stand there, or are you coming in?” Adam snapped, impatience coloring his every word.
Huffing, I brushed past him into the foyer. “Geez, somebody sure is cranky,” I muttered under my breath.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “We need to discuss something.” He turned and began walking down the hallway. “Follow me,” he said. “We can talk in my study.”