“Perhaps another time, then,” Manu said.
“Manu,” Natasha said, her hands clasped together in front of her. She smiled, but there was something devious in her eyes. I wondered if he noticed. “When we talked this morning, you said you wanted to show me something. I apologize for running off, but I wondered if you could show us now.”
Manu’s warm expression filled with confusion, his brows drawn down, the crinkles around his eyes deepened. “I am sorry, Natasha. What do you mean?”
Natasha hesitated. Her jaw dropped, but she quickly recovered. “This morning. In your office. You said you wanted to show me something and I, er, left before you could. I was just thinking you could show me, us, now. Together.”
“Forgive me,” Manu said, his expression steady. “I must be confused, but I do not recall what you mean. We spoke this morning in my office, yes, but I did not need to show you anything. Perhaps you misheard me?”
I stared at Natasha, who was doing her best to rein in either fear or anger—maybe both. “Oh. Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
He smiled and patted the table. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know that we were able to get the boat here on the island running, so we have sent for the local police. Two of our staffers headed out early this afternoon. I expect they will return tomorrow, and they should be able to bring the police and someone to repair the phone lines as well.”
Relief fell through me—I mean that literally. Real and effable, I felt the cool, slick relief spread from my head, to my chest, sinking into my stomach, intestines, and toes. This could all be over. The police would be here soon. We’d be going home. It couldn’t come soon enough.
“Well, I shall leave you to your dinner. I just wanted to check and make sure you had all returned safely,” he said finally. “Have a nice evening.”
With that, he offered a hand in the air as a salute and turned away from us. It was only when he made it back to the door and inside that I realized he hadn’t asked if we’d found Laura, and he hadn’t mentioned Megan’s absence.
Was it because he hadn’t noticed, or because he already knew what happened to them?
Chapter Thirty-One
Andy
The police were coming.
I’d have to tell them the truth.
About everything.
How could I? How could I make them understand?
They’d hate me. Brad would hate me. Nick would hate me. And even if they didn’t hate me, they’d never understand. They wouldn’t understand how I could betray my friends, hurt my friends…but I’d been hurt, too.
Still, we swore to stick together. No matter what.
We should’ve defined what.
Did what include murder? Did it include lies? Did it include secrets that hurt the ones we loved most?
Would they stand by me no matter what, like they’d promised? Or would this be the end for us?
I shook the thought from my mind, rolling over in the bed. The others had decided to stay in the same hut together for the night. They’d be safe together—in numbers. But I couldn’t do it. They didn’t want us to split up, but I had to. I couldn’t breathe for all the lies I was holding in.
I’d never been one to keep secrets well, especially not ones like this. Secrets of such magnitude.
I needed to be alone, to come to peace with my decisions. To figure out what had brought us to this point. How it had all gone so wrong.
I thought of Emily, of the smile I’d grown to love. The laugh I’d never hear again. The only thing keeping me from experiencing the all-out grief I’d managed to bury, was the anger that burned so hot it stung. The anger over what had been done and how all of our lives would change because of it. I wasn’t sure who to be the most angry with, and so the anger settled on myself. For being stupid. For believing that people were good and honest and loyal. Emily had lied to me. She’d broken my trust. Used me. Did that make it so she deserved what she got? Of course not. I’m no monster. But I was the one still suffering. The one weighed down with secrets, lies, and truths that burned. When the police came, I’d tell them everything.
And then, my world as I knew it would come crashing to a halt.
I’m sorry… I didn’t want this.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Nick
Where are you, Laura?
Where are you, Megan?
The questions swam through my mind, driving me mad with worry. We’d chosen to hole up together in Jaren and Natasha’s hut. No one said it, but I think it was because it was the only place without bad memories thus far. I couldn’t step foot in our hut without seeing Megan’s things and becoming overwhelmed with worry and regret. I didn’t even want to think about seeing Laura’s things…
It was enough to destroy me, and I was sure Brad and Natasha felt the same. Only Andy had chosen to separate from the group. We’d offered to go to his hut, but he said he needed space.
Giving him that, I felt, was the least we could do.
He was suffering the most…a definite loss, while the rest of us still clung to our shreds of hope. If the police were coming, they’d be bringing cadaver dogs. There was so much land to cover, but I had to hope that would mean we would get our answers soon. They’d either find them alive, or…
What would happen if their search turned up nothing? What would that mean?
My chest constricted as I considered the possibility that maybe they weren’t on the island at all anymore. Perhaps someone had taken
