I reach for the door, eager to get away. But where are we?
揟urn your phone off. Stay calm,?he bites off. 揑t抯 just a marina.?
A marina? Why the hell would we go to a marina on such a stormy night?
I open the door and step into ankle-deep water.
That抯 when I decide it抯 now or never.
I bolt as he screams after me, hoofing it as fast as a person can through streams of water swirling around my feet.
I have no idea where I抣l go or how I抣l get away from this guy, but right now action is my only hope.
There抯 a building in the distance, maybe a boathouse or a bar or something.
Please, for the love of God, let it be open. Anywhere with people.
But something hits me from the back just when I start to make out the door, slamming me to the ground.
I splash down on my hands and knees, hitting a puddle of murky water and cracked concrete face-first.
Two big, angry arms wrap around my stomach, pulling me up like a puppet. 揓ust try anything cute like that again, bitch. C抦on. We抮e taking a boat ride.?
My heart sinks to my knees.
揑n this weather??I sputter.
That laugh. That ugly, maniacal, throaty laugh.
I cringe. If I make it out of this alive, I抣l be hearing it in my nightmares for a long time to come. But right now, even walking away feels like a big ask.
揟hat抯 the point, sweet cheeks,?he snarls in my ear. 揥ho could ever deny an accident in these conditions??He leans forward, shoving something hard into my back. 揧es, it抯 a gun. Pull another stunt like that and I抣l shoot your spine in half.?
Oh, God.
Oh, God, I抦 shaking and I don抰 have any choice but to listen.
I look around helplessly. There抯 no one through the haze.
Just flat pavement and that taunting, blinding rain, all the way to the docks.
So when he leads me down to where the boats are, I don抰 fight. We stalk along rows of tall ships tied up and soldiering together on the stormy sea.
Troy pushes us forward, stopping near a small boat. When we climb on, he drags me to the main cabin, opens a tall door, and shoves me inside.
揝it!?he barks. 揇on抰 move.?
There are only two seats. Shivering, I sit down on what looks like the passenger seat next to the controls.
I just hope I don抰 wind up tied to this chair while the cabin floods.
揑 know what you抮e thinking, Eliza, but I抦 no monster.?So says the guy who抯 dragging me to a watery grave. 揙ne mistake ten years ago and it balloons into this. She seduced me, you know. Good enough to fuck, but not to love. Cole just can抰 let her go, and neither can I.?
I hug myself, the words not registering at first.
The woman Cole loved…his wife, his one and only, seduced another man? His best friend?
揥hat do you mean??I ask absently.
His jaw clenches, but he doesn抰 say anything more.
As much as I hate him, I should make him talk.
I just wonder if I抦 buying myself precious time or only prolonging my torture.
I抦 so not ready to die.
揥hat happened??I force out.
His eyes flick to me, bright like boiling mercury.
揟heir marriage was already a dumpster fire. That shit had nothing to do with me. The kid, she was the final straw. Aster had a 憌icked stepmother.挃 He chuckles, shaking his head. 揟hat抯 what she called her, anyway, but Aster could be dramatic. You had to know her. Anyhow, that抯 why she wouldn抰 cut Cole loose from a miserable marriage. She didn抰 want that for Destiny, another woman butting into her life.?
I stare at him numbly as he shoves his face in his palms, stretching his skin before he glowers at me again.
揈veryone acts like she was a terrible mom. She couldn抰 deal with the kid梚t didn抰 come naturally with her issues梑ut fuck, she loved Destiny. She tried. If she hadn抰 been so jealous of the nannies, it wouldn抰 have been so bad. It抯 like she thought Cole had it in him to start fucking strange women behind her back.?Troy pauses and snorts. 揑 wish. It never would抳e happened if he抎 just cheated. No, he had to stick around like a stubborn goddamned mule, expecting too much from her棓
揟oo much??I whisper.
Troy nods. 揓ust because he walks around like he抯 citizen of the year doesn抰 mean he isn抰 a demanding cock. You already know. Every time he told her why he stuck around梑ecause he took their marriage seriously梚t stressed her the fuck out. By the end, she only stayed with Cole because she didn抰 want him falling in love again. She couldn抰 stand anybody else coming into the picture for Destiny.?
He sighs and then pulls a cigarette from his pocket. Flicking the lighter sounds like a gunshot.
I watch the smoke, curling from the tip like a wagging finger.
揂 year before that last trip, we all spent a long winter in Hawaii,?he says, pausing to inhale again. 揕et抯 just say it turned into something special. Something beautiful. Something between Aster and me happened neither of us wanted to end. She wanted it too梠r so I thought.?