Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I take a deep breath and let it out. “What are you going to do with me then?”
“I don’t know,” he admits but I can see it in his eyes. He’s afraid of the answer but he knows there’s only one solution.
I have to disappear like my sister did.
The truth is dangerous, and the more people that know it, the bigger that dangers gets.
It strikes me all at once. This is why Emilio wouldn’t tell me what happened. If I knew the truth about Dean Wotherspoon then I might become a target, and Emilio knows how dangerous this man really is. Beneath all that simpering, whining weakness, there’s a scared little child that isn’t afraid to kill to save himself.
Can I really give Emilio that much credit?
“You can’t keep me here forever. Emilio’s going to start wondering, and then what? If you hurt me, he’ll hurt you.”
“I don’t doubt that.” He sighs and shakes his head then pulls at his hair. “This is such a damn mess. How can I trust you running around, knowing what you know? But I can’t hurt you either, because then Emilio will release everything about me. There’s really only one solution, and it’s the solution I’ve been trying to avoid.”
“How are you talking like this? You’re the dean of this college. Are you seriously talking about hurting your own students?”
“It’s about so much more than you and Emilio.” He stares at me with wild panic in his eyes like a horse ready to bolt. “It’s about my life. About the lives of the alumni and everyone else that will come to this island. Saint Parras was entrusted to me by some very powerful, very vindictive people, and if I fail, they’ll hurt me in ways you can’t even imagine.” He groans as he leans up against the wall beside the doorway. “God, all this because of some stupid girl.”
“That girl was my sister.”
He grunts in acknowledgment and pushes himself away from the doorframe. He looks back with sorrow in his eyes. “And I am sorry she’s gone. Believe me, I didn’t want this.”
“Let me go then. You don’t have to make the same mistakes and dig yourself deeper in this hole. Embrace the truth, go public with it, and beg forgiveness. If you hurt me and try to cover this up even deeper, you’ll only hurt yourself even more.”
“It must be nice living in a world where things make sense.” He shakes his head like I’m an idiot child. “Stay in here while I think about what to do with you. I’ll tell Malcolm to treat you well at least.”
“Dean Wotherspoon—”
“I’m sorry, Kaye. I really am. I’ll make it quick, I promise.” He pushes open the door and closes it behind him. The lock clunks shut and I’m alone.
I’ll make it quick.
What does he mean by that? He’ll make his decision quick?
Or he’ll make sure that when he kills me, he won’t make me suffer?
I slump down to the floor and pull my knees to my chest. I have the horrible feeling that this room might be the last place I see alive. I close my eyes and feel tears run down my cheeks.
There’s no coming home from this. There’s no Emilio to dive in and save me.
There’s only that drain and my end.
Chapter 24
Emilio
The waves lap gently against the lip of the cave. The boat rises and falls, softly scraping the stone, stuck in its mooring.
Dirk crouches nearby, crying.
Dom and Nathan loom behind me. Neither shows any emotion. We didn’t go through the rigorous and brutal training of our parents, but we learned how to control ourselves when doing what’s necessary. This is painful and ugly, but it’s what needs to be done if we’re going to find Kaye and bring her home.
Terrence lies on his side, gasping for air. He’s a foot away from the water and shivering in the chilly cave breeze. His hands are tied behind his back and his ankles are bound. He wretches once, spits up water, and groans as he tries to curl into a ball.
“Again,” I say and Nathan and Dom move to help me. We lift Terrence as he struggles, moaning, and we shove him down into the water. Dirk’s crying intensifies, and we hold Terrence under until he begins to struggle, only pulling him out after counting to thirty.
He gasps when we drop him onto the stone.
“Where is she, Terrence?”
He gags and spits up more water. He coughs, moaning. His skin is pale and his eyes are bloodshot. He looks at me with real sorrow, and it nearly breaks my heart.
I don’t want to hurt him. The last thing I want is to cause someone I called a friend any pain. Even after his betrayal, I want to help him—that’s the worst part of all this. Terrence is a decent man in his heart, stuck in a shitty position, and he did what he thought he had to do.