The moment he entered my mind, my knees wobbled, and I collapsed cross-legged in the dirt.
Would he come for me?
Half of my body hummed with hope that he cared enough to search for me even though I’d defied him and left, while the other half of me went icy with dread.
If he did find me…what would he do?
Would he hurt me?
Kill me?
I shivered in my pile of leaves, willing my logic to wake up and lecture me. I’d always been fairly good at assessing a situation and choosing the most coherent and rational answer. I’d chosen to travel with Scott, even though we’d only known each other for a little while, because his goals aligned with mine, and it was safer to travel as a duo rather than as a single girl.
I’d decided to stop being naïve after the bonfire where the boy forced himself on me and I’d enlisted the help of my friend’s sister to drive us away.
I prided myself on accepting my mistakes…if it meant I could salvage something from my screw-up.
And in a nutshell? I’d screwed up.
I shouldn’t have left Sully’s captivity. I should’ve known I wasn’t a qualified seafarer to get far enough to be found and rescued. I should’ve fought for my future in other ways.
But…I’d tried and failed, and now, I had another choice to make.
Stay hidden and hope I didn’t die from exposure, dehydration, and starvation.
Or…let him find me, accept the consequences, and fight for whatever came next.
Time skipped and looped as I remained sitting there, tearing a leaf into shreds, debating if death was preferable over being a glamorised whore for the next four years.
I’d like to be more of a martyr and choose an ending over the acquiesce of letting men use my body against me. But…I was a fighter. A survivor. The sea had spat me out to give me a second chance.
And Sully…
He’s my second chance.
I sighed as the decisions settled weighty and wrong around my heart. By staying here, waiting for him, I willingly relinquished myself. I would return with him of my own volition unlike when I’d first arrived.
Then, I’d been delivered without any choice. This time, I would walk back knowing exactly what waited for me. I would let the gates close around my free will. I would say goodbye to any key I had at escape. And I’d give him four years of my life, hoping he’d stay loyal to his promise to let me go at the end.
You can’t.
He’s…dangerous to you in more ways than one.
That truth punched me in the belly.
If I returned. If I spent more time in Sully’s company. If I allowed my fascination with him to overthrow my fear…I could risk losing so much more than just my body.
But…I don’t have a choice.
I would rather endure what he had planned for me, rather than die here on this island.
A flutter of wings and a buffet of air wrenched my head to the side. The tiny parrot that’d kept me company descended with its little green wings spread out to float gracefully onto a perch.
I expected it to land on the fallen foliage in front of me—so used to the no-touching rule the feathered creature had set. However, this time, it eyed up my knee and tucked away its wings. Its sharp talons dug into my bare skin, clutching me for balance.
We stared at each other.
Tears sprang to my eyes for no other reason than acceptance of my choice. At least, if Sully didn’t kill me for running, I would be able to continue hanging out with this trusting, tentative thing.
Holding up a finger, I very carefully reached out to touch it. “Are you okay? The storm didn’t hurt you?”
The parrot eyed my hand moving closer. I braced for a peck, but it head-bumped my thumb instead. Its soft plumage so delicate and breakable.
A tear escaped, rolling down my cheeks, soothing sunburn and using up the last liquid in my body. “Thank you for travelling with me, but…we have to go back. It might take a few days for him to find us…but we’re going home.”
The parrot blinked. It bobbed its head and allowed me to scratch under its chin.
And fate once again stepped in to orchestrate my life.
It wouldn’t be days.
It would be minutes.
Because in the distance, a helicopter sounded.
The whir of blades.
The thunder of retribution.
The arrival of a master come to claim me.
Chapter Fifteen
“FLY LOWER. KEEP YOUR eyes open.” I kept my hands clasped between my legs,