The Isle Of Sin And Shadows - Keri Lake Page 0,144
such … chaos.”
“Will she be okay?”
“Yes. She has a stubborn will, this one.” A squeeze of my arm draws my attention to a garish-looking, chunky ring on the woman’s finger. “Don’t fret. All will be well,” Jude says before she walks off.
As Thierry runs his finger over Frannie’s cheek, the nurse stuffs a needle into a box, and the girl seems to settle.
Great impression, Cely.
The nurse shoots Thierry a sympathetic smile, setting her hand on his shoulder, and I catch the flinch of his arm, before she pulls away. Not bothering to look at me, she slips past, exiting the room, and I plop into one of the chairs set in the hallway, wishing I’d have just stayed back at the boat.
36
Céleste
“I’m sorry.” The strappy shoes dangle from my fingertips, as I sit with my knees pulled into my chest, the warm breeze sifting through my hair.
Steering the skiff around a log, Thierry shoots me a smirk. “That’s the third time you’ve said that.”
“Yeah, well, an unruly rhino would’ve probably been less chaotic.”
“Probably.”
Dusk settles over the bayou, and the black silhouettes of cypress trees stand knee-deep in the murky water, like a painting, set against the burnt orange and pink sky. Twinkling fireflies add enchanting animation to the surrounding stillness. The Spanish moss slung over branches, reaching down for the glassy surface below, is mirrored by its reflection, like looking at a parallel, upside down world. “As above, so below.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t remember where I heard it. It just makes me think of the duality of things, sometimes. Good and evil. Black and white.”
“Balance.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never bought into the idea that evil balances good. Not with some of the evil I’ve seen, anyway.”
“Yet, without it, the world would be a boring collection of good intentions.”
“Ah, you’re one of those folks who thinks we need the occasional thinning of the herd, is that it? I’ll bet you’re a fan of The Purge movie, aren’t you?”
Lips curved into a handsome smile, he looks out over the water. “I’m one of those folks who believes that, without balance, there can be too much of one thing.”
“And here I thought you were going to tell me too much of me was a good thing.”
“Maybe it is. Or maybe your crazy incites my crazy.”
“And that’s bad?”
At the raise of his brow, I’m reminded of the night before, when he chased me through the woods with a knife. “Yeah. It’s bad. But I knew you wouldn’t have gone through with it.”
“What?”
“Killing me.”
“What makes you so sure.”
“You were protecting your sister. However shriveled it might be, you do have a heart.”
Eyes scanning the surroundings, he licks his lips. “I need to know who told you about her.”
Lips pressed together, I look away and shake my head.
“Why are you protecting this person?”
“Because I’m a hundred percent certain you would kill her.”
“Her?”
“Dammit.”
He turns off the skiff’s engine, and the boat glides to a stop.
Sitting up in my seat, I glance around at the gradually darkening bayou. “What are you doing?”
“You’re going to tell me who told you about my sister.”
“Or what? You’ll tip the boat over?” The nervous chuckle in my throat dies with his deadpan stare. “You’re serious?”
The quirk of his brow sends a sick feeling to my stomach, and, on instinct, my hands fly out to the side, bracing on the edges of the boat.
“I don’t think I need to tell you what lies below the surface, chère.”
“You wouldn’t do this. That’d be crazy, and that’s not you. That’s not balanced.”
“I told you before that you bring out the crazy in me. Now, talk.”
“I can’t. Please, Thierry, just know this person isn’t a threat to you, okay?”
“You’ve no idea who is, or isn’t, a threat.”
“I’m just saying, you’re going to feel like shit if you dump me into the swamp for this completely miniscule bit of information.”
“I promise I won’t feel like shit.” Eyes on me, he prowls toward me, and I back myself to the bow of the skiff.
“Stop. Please. You’re freaking me out a little. Lot.”
Gripping either side of the boat, he rocks it back and forth, and a scream flies past my lips.
“Ever watch an alligator drag someone underwater? Scary shit.” He rocks the boat harder, and a lump shoots up into my throat.
“Please.”
He rocks harder.
“Thierry!”
Faster.
“Jo! It was Jo!” Something tickles my back, and on a scream, I shoot upright to find a snake slithering beneath the bench. The residual rocking teeters me back and forth. “Oh, shit!” Losing my balance, I