I clench my jaw in frustration, knowing damn well we both saw her.
Training my gaze on Enzo, I watch him stare Sylvester down, his suspicion as evident as the old caretaker’s missing leg.
Enzo shrugs casually, a glint in his eye. “Must've just been another ghost.”
Chapter 13
Enzo
“Where the hell are you going?”
The question is out of my mouth before I can think it through. Seems there’s very fucking little I think through when it comes to her.
It’s been a week since we got stuck in the closet, and every day since then, she disappears somewhere for most of the day. Leaving after breakfast and not returning until the evening. She acts normal enough, joking with Sylvester but then ignoring my existence at night, keeping her back turned to me even in sleep.
She doesn’t talk about where she goes, and as each day passes, my curiosity burns hotter.
Maybe it’s because I don’t like being here alone with Sylvester all damn day, though I’ve found plenty to fix around this place to keep me occupied. Or maybe it’s because I don’t like that she’s found an escape.
Slowly, Sawyer turns to face me, halfway out the door with a stony look painted on her face.
Her skin is beginning to pale, indicating she’s not spending as much time in the sun. This island is nothing but rocks. There’s nowhere to go but up.
“None of your business,” she snips, shutting the door behind her before I can respond.
A booming laugh needles into my skin, filling my muscles with tension and my body with anger. Clenching my jaw, I turn my head to stare at Sylvester, who is leaning against the counter drinking coffee.
“Something funny, stronzo?” I ask. He frowns, not understanding what I called him, and I have no inclination to clue him in.
We don’t get along, though neither of us has outright spoken of our distaste for each other. He doesn’t like that I show him little respect, and I just don’t like him.
“Girl’s gotta mouth on her. Haven’t been around people much the past several decades, but it’s always interestin’ to see how feisty women are these days when I do come across ’em. Met a few women on deck when the cargo ships come ’round, and boy, they give those men a run for their money.”
He’s trying to have a conversation.
I turn my glare back to the door.
I don’t like having conversations. Least of all with him.
Standing, I toss over my shoulder, “I’ll be back later.”
Sylvester just grumbles, clearly displeased with my manners. He’s not a meek man, but it’s become increasingly evident over the past week that he keeps the peace with me for Sawyer’s sake.
He likes her. And I don’t fucking like that about him, either.
By the time I get outside, she’s nowhere in sight. Even after walking for several minutes, I don’t see her climbing on any of the cliffs or sprawled across the jagged rocks like I’d half expect. Nothing about her screams graceful.
By the time I circle the entire island and still can’t find her, there’s a seed of concern sprouting in the pit of my stomach, slowly taking root as the minutes pass by.
Where the fuck could she have gone?
This island isn’t that big. There are only so many places to hide. We had to have somehow missed each other, and she’s already made her way back to the lighthouse.
Just as I’m about to give up and head back, I catch sight of a big hole smack in the center of a cliff.
And suddenly, it dawns on me why she’s been getting paler, how she has seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
It’s a goddamn cave.
Something about her keeping that from me pisses me off.
Then again, everything about her accomplishes that without even trying.
Lord knows how big it is, and she could’ve easily gotten hurt and would’ve had no way to let me know. As the scenarios play out of all the ways she could’ve gotten herself in some type of trouble, my fury only heightens while I make my way into the cave. I can't see shit, but I'm conscious of each step as I descend. I reach flat ground and charge through a tunnel, a bright blue glow emitting from beyond.
I’m annoyed enough that the beauty of the cave hardly registers once I emerge on the other side. My only focus is finding Sawyer, ensuring she’s not hurt, and then leaving again.
Curiosity satisfied.
Sounds pointless even in my own fucking head.
I stalk through the cave, stopping briefly to note the blue pool of water, before continuing to search for the constant thorn in my side.