Until the Day I Die(88)

I zip up a series of dirt roads, past houses and fields and tiny little roadside shacks, following the little red dot on my phone. I’d feel like a badass female action hero except my body is shaking—literally shivering like it’s the dead of winter. Maybe that’s shock from all the horrible information I’ve uncovered in the past twelve hours, I don’t know. But I bet Wonder Woman never peed her pants with fear.

Eventually I turn up a hill so steep I have to lean forward to keep from flipping ass over end. The dot is moving slowly, which makes me think Mom’s on foot. That’s okay, though. At least she’s still moving.

When the forest opens up, I find myself on a large grassy field dotted with yellow wildflowers. To my left, crowning a high knoll, is a massive old white stone house. I shade my eyes. A shit ton of staircases zigzag up the leafy slope to the stone foundation of the house, then up to the wide front porch. Windows shaded with red canvas awnings stare blankly into the hot afternoon sky. It’s been a while since I checked the GPS, so I stop.

But the red dot’s gone.

I refresh the map, but there’s nothing. Like Mom’s disappeared. I spin around in a circle, shaking the phone, like that’s going to help. I mean, how could she have vanished, just like that? There’s no way she left the island. It must be an issue with the signal. I check the phone a second time and yelp. There’s another message from Lachlan Erdman. From Mom. She wants me to find a computer and transfer money into this guy’s account.

I chew on my fingernail. One hundred grand is a lot of money. And probably just the first installment. She has to be in danger. And where the hell am I supposed to find a computer out here in the jungle?

What am I going to do?

What can I do . . .

And then, it hits me, what to do. I place a call and wait. It takes forever to connect, but at last somebody picks up, and I practically scream into the phone.

“Rhys!”

“Shorie, is that you?” It’s Lowell.

“Lowell? What are you doing on Rhys’s phone?”

“He went out. Left his phone at the house. Oh man, he’s gonna be pissed that he missed you. What’s wrong? I can barely hear you. Where are you?”

“Ile Saint Sigo,” I finally manage to choke out. “I’m looking for my mother. She messaged me to transfer money to this guy’s Jax account, but I don’t have my computer.”

“Shorie,” Lowell says. “Slow down. And you’ve got to speak up. What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to get to your computer and transfer one hundred thousand—”

And then the line goes dead.

“Lowell!” I scream, but there’s no answer. I wave the phone over my head. “Lowell!” The signal’s dropped. Tears of frustration spring to my eyes. I want to scream, to bash my phone against a tree until it’s powder.

Now what?

I still myself, close my eyes. Breathe in, breathe out, and try to collect my thoughts. I can do this. I have to. My mother’s depending on me.

Stop being a baby. Stop throwing a fit. Expecting somebody to ride to your rescue. You’re wasting time. You have to do something. Now.

You’re the only one who can save her.

I open my eyes. Turn to stare at the big house in the distance. Still myself and listen. Strains of trippy music and the occasional feminine “Woo-hoo!” drift from it across the fields. I don’t know who lives there, but whoever it is seems like they’re having a damn good time.

I hope they have a computer.



I ease open the heavy front door and slip into a wide hallway. It runs the entire length of the house, and at its far end, a massive staircase rises to an expansive landing where two young women are draped over an old-fashioned couch. They’re giggling hysterically, but neither even glances my way.

I don’t know whose house this is, or if they’re connected to Hidden Sands, but just in case, I’ve got my story ready. I puff out a couple of nervous breaths, then edge my way down the hall, peeking into each room. They’re all empty. I’m pushing open the last door on the right when it swings open, and a woman, not that much older than me, strides out. She is blonde and pretty and looks frazzled.

I smile brightly, and she stops.

“Can I help you?”

I keep my voice low. “Um, hi, yeah. I was wondering, would you mind if I hopped on your computer real quick? I just realized I forgot to send my housekeeper the new code to my lockbox, and my poor dog is trapped inside.”

The woman studies me. “What was your name again?”

“Adelia Kent.”

“Oh! Like on The Lighthouse!”

I blink. Whoops. I’d meant to say Foster, Dele’s real last name. “Ha. Right. Um, look, I know we’re not supposed to be on any devices, but, oh my God, my poor little puppers. He’s trapped.” My smile is starting to feel so fake that it’s painful.

“Zara!” someone shrieks from somewhere above us, “I’m waiting!”

The woman lets out an impatient huff, but she points to the open door. “Computer’s on the back desk. Make it quick. I’ll be right back.” She grins at me. “And don’t tell. They’ll kill me!”





52

ERIN

“Show me.”