own. At least I wasn’t a drug dependent sex slave in a Mexican brothel … yet.
Eventually, we came across the place where I remembered hiding the branch I
had used as a makeshift bo the day I accidentally hit Holly in the face so many
weeks ago. It was still right where I left it. As Holly and I walked, I nonchalantly
picked it up and started twirling it in my hands. Holly regarded me curiously as she
watched me play.
“Where did you learn to do that?” she asked me.
“Bōjutsu training,” I replied. “The only weapon I ever mastered.”
“That’s awesome. Show me!” Holly beamed, her eyes twinkling with
excitement.
I looked back at my guards who were about fifty feet behind us, wondering if
they would object. After a few seconds, I finally decided fuck it.
“Step back then,” I said, and Holly immediately obliged, giddy like a five-year-
old.
Taking my time, I warmed up with some figure eights, twirling the bo over my
arms and across my body. The motion felt good, almost as if I were stretching
muscles I had forgotten about. Once I’d warmed up, I practiced a few tricks,
spinning the bo above my head over my open palm before twirling it behind my
back, over my leg, and around my neck and torso. Every move was flawless,
calculated, and precise. I hadn’t lost my touch after all.
When I was comfortable and had a good grounding, I performed an old form I
used to compete with, winning me several first places. My movements were still
just as sharp and strong, though I lacked my usual speed from lack of training. All
my kicks and jumps and punches came out well enough to obviously impress the
shit out of Holly. When I was done and out of breath, Holly jumped up and down
like a little kid, which in turn, made me smile. It was nice to see someone happy
with me for my talents.
“Oh, my God, that was so freaking cool! You’re amazing, Jaden! Darren has no
idea how lucky he is to have you.”
“Thanks,” I said, trying to hide my smile.
“Miss Jaden,” Hank called. Holly and I both looked over at him. “Put the stick
down, please.”
I sighed in defeat. And there it was—my reminder.
“What do you mean, ‘put it down’?” Holly said, suddenly angry. “Didn’t you see
what she just did? She’s incredible!”
“That is beside the point. Mr. Davis does not want her to get hurt.”
Holly furrowed her brows in disbelief.
“Holly, it’s okay. Don’t worry about—” I tried, but she continued on, actually
cutting me off.
“Get hurt? She’s obviously very capable of handling herself.”
“We have our orders. Mind your own,” Hank said sternly. “Miss Jaden, please.”
He nodded.
Without further argument, I dropped my makeshift bo to the ground and pulled
Holly away to continue our walk. She folded her arms, a frown line immediately
forming on her forehead as she walked with me, clearly upset by our little
exchange.
After a while, Holly and I took a break and sat down, leaning our backs against
the palm trees. At least, it was a beautiful day. The sun was out in full force while an
easy breeze blew through my hair from the ocean. At moments like this, I found
myself actually able to relax and find a small moment of peace.
Hank and Blondie stood by about a hundred feet away, actually giving Holly and
me some privacy for once. Weird. Holly eyed them carefully, and I could see the
wheels turning in her head. She had been on the island just a few weeks, but she
was already starting to pick up on the strange ways of my life and this island.
“They follow you everywhere,” she said quietly as she stared at them. “Why?”
“They’re supposed to watch over me,” I replied.
“Why do you need to be watched, Jaden?”
And here comes the digging. Fuck.
“Because I’m in recovery, and Darren wants to make sure I’m always cared for.”
“Jaden, you’ve recovered. Fully.”
I shrugged, trying to blow off her concern, but my heart was beginning to pound
with unease. If Darren thought for even a second that Holly was on to him, she
wouldn’t make it off this island alive, and I would not see her end up like the
gardener.
“I know, but Darren can be overly cautious sometimes,” I said casually with a
shrug. I didn’t want to give her the idea that I was anything but unsurprised by
Darren’s behavior.
Holly folded her
