“It will all become clear soon. You can let go of all concern.” His tone was different from when she met him in the cave. He was… prophetic? He rubbed her shoulders softly, and then she felt a sharp pricking sensation. Skye winced in pain, but his calm, peaceful eyes never wavered, his smile level. “You’ve never trusted before, but you can trust me.”
Her whole world was suddenly collapsing like an old burning building. Blackness filled the edges. Her body was denser. Unable to hold herself up, her bones feeling like they were melting, he held her against his chest. He spoke, but she didn’t feel the soothing vibrations she had felt the first time. “Your mother is gone. You can accept it now. She’s gone.”
You’re a liar! Hate emerged, but the darkness swept her away.
Chapter Fourteen - Stefan
He was trapped. Back pressed against the cold damp wall of the hot spring cave, he debated jumping into the water and holding himself under to hide.
Before he could take action, a man entered. He sprinted to the other opening but was quickly closed off by another dark shadow that was yielding a familiar blade. He should have attacked the other man who was a behemoth, but Stefan was unarmed, and certain he wouldn’t fare well. The decision was moot anyway. He couldn’t move. He was paralyzed with inaction, and his head was feverish.
The silhouettes of men had become visible, though he could still not make out their faces. They closed in on him. The large man punched him squarely and the back of the cave cracked the back of his skull. The man stopped and stared at him, but there were no eyes visible. He was living in an abstract it seemed. Then, hot steel burned his stomach. Stefan stared down to find an old knife with some kind of engraving on the smooth wooden handle fully immersed into his stomach, blood dripping down onto the ground. He could see no face, only understand the satisfied hate from the intruder as he watched the blood run into the blue hot spring, clouding it murky red and green.
Stefan woke in a pool of sweat, his skin on fire. He tried to lift himself off the bed but he was too weak. He rolled over and grabbed a glass of water next to his bed and drank it quickly. He pulled himself under the sheets again, shivering and sweating in misery, thankful to be alive, but praying for his horrible fever to break. He wanted to think about his guests, the island, the game, the glory, but all he could do was let his eyes close, even though he feared the nightmare would continue or, worse yet, start again from scratch.
He woke again in a couple hours with enough energy to rise. The fever was still raging on, but it was not quite as intense as before. The cold surges had lessened and become more of a sweaty chill.
He willed himself out of bed and moved down the long hallway that toyed with his frightened mind. Too many rooms, too many doors, not enough light, he thought. He labored up the stairs, each step creaking as if they’d been installed sixty years ago. He made it to the kitchen and slid the dimmer switch up all the way, squinting from the sheerness of the light. There was a leftover bowl of soup in the fridge that would hopefully hit the spot just right with some soda crackers.
It settled okay in his stomach and spurred on his hunger, so he ate some more crackers with cheddar cheese. Another hour of rest and he could go check on everyone. He put some Tylenol and ibuprofen into his system and went back to the stairs, but stopped by the window. The power cut and he was left in the dark. He spilled some hot soup on his arm and cursed as he set it down on the kitchen table. Stefan hadn’t programmed the lights to cut at this time. It was all wrong.
Leaving his soup to cool off, he was on his way to check his surveillance and power circuit room when he stopped in his tracks. Looking through his window, he saw some of his staff members standing outside in front of his place; Sebastian, Cassidy, and Jhett. What are they doing? Why are they here still? Their shift ended an hour ago and the sun was gone. Stefan gave them a tired wave, but they seemed distracted by something outside. What are they looking at?
Beyond the distracted workers, Stefan could see the ocean water moving in, the light post on the dock providing just enough visibility. The staff’s focus was still on something east of his bunker, into the trees that thickened with distance traveled.
Chapter Fifteen - Trevor
Trevor had reached a breaking point. Words better suited for his father’s mouth were about ready to spew out. Enough is enough. The thought of Stefan hiding up in his ivory tower infuriated him. Trevor could picture him clear as day; planning, scheming, twiddling fingers together, and sipping red wine as he waited for his so-called master plan to unfold. He was no genius, merely a child holding a magnifying glass atop ants that he hoped to either impress or burn.
Trevor couldn’t remove the image of that person digging. What were they digging for and how could they have planned to have me wander out at that exact time? If it wasn’t Bruce, who was it? Stefan? The staff?
Walking through the trees, his scrambled thoughts were mixed with the surroundings, blending together. He was in a mental haze, not thinking of direction, only walking. Time was elusive, feeling both stagnant and rapid, like he had smoked half a joint and ate the rest. In what seemed like a large period of time, Trevor finally realized that Erin was still walking with him, behind him through the trees. He stopped. “We need to go home.”
“I agree.”
He got his bearings straight and they moved toward the west beach, reaching a familiar arrangement of crowded palm trees. This was where the man had been digging.
Trevor stopped again.
“What’s wrong?” asked Erin.
“Nothing.”
“What the hell is going on, Trevor?”
And then it came. Was it a feeling? He had to move again. It was impulsive, or intuitive? He knew he couldn’t let her in on where he was going. He didn’t even know himself. His pulse slowed. His whole body stilled, like the effects of ecstasy taking over, making him feel fluid.
“I’m gonna keep going this way. You look around here for a bit and head back. Meet at Stefan’s in like an hour max?”
He still hadn’t turned to face her.
“Why do you think Skye didn’t meet us back at our place? She said she would if she couldn’t find Ashton. We gave her two hours.”
“It’s possible she found him. But we need to keep looking.” His reply was robotic. “She’s fine. And it’s possible they took her as part of this whole thing.”
“And who exactly took her?”
“Stefan.”
“Right.”
He turned to console her, fighting off his urge to walk away. “We’ll be on a boat back into Belize in no time. I promise.” Her face was both scared and hardened at the same time. Her eyes glistened.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?” she asked.
Which direction is she going with this? It was irrelevant. He had to move. “Nothing… I don’t trust Stefan and neither should you. That’s all I know. That and we need to leave this place.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He left her looking broken and beaten down and yet guilt did not rear its head; in fact, all emotions were absent.
Trevor trudged through the trees along the south bend. He had reached a thicker portion of the forested area, where various types of shrubbery intertwined, and the hypnotic view of palm trees partnered with the sounds of the night; it all engulfed him, pushing him deeper into a state of hypnosis.