He stops, his back to her, then keeps walking, pulling his car door open.
“I’ll go to the police,” she shouts after him. It’s intended as a threat, but he stops and strides back toward her, his face dark with anger. She grits her jaw and stands her ground.
“Do you know what I’ve risked to warn you?” he says, his face close to hers. “I’ve lived with what happened to Saffy all this time.”
“So have I,” she spits back, tilting her jaw up. “I lost my whole family. And you can tell whoever put glass in my food that I’m coming for them.” Her words—their sudden, truthful venom—shocks her.
“You better watch that temper,” he says quietly. “If you’re still on the island in twenty-four hours, you’ll be buried in it.”
He stares purposefully at her pregnant belly, then at Clover, before getting back inside his car.
III
Luna drives straight to the ferry port, shaking with anger and shock.
“Who was that man?” Clover asks.
“No one,” Luna says.
“He looked scary. Did he want to rob us?”
“No,” Luna mumbles, pulling into the port.
How did he know it was me?
She allows herself to breathe out in relief at the sight of the ferry. It was a mistake to come to Lòn Haven. It had always been her biggest terror, and now that she’s here, she’s risked her life and her son’s. And Clover’s.
The only reason Brodie would know it was me is because he’s been waiting.
They all have.
She pulls to the ticket officer and rolls down her window, covering her face when the ticket officer glances in. She doesn’t know who to trust.
“No tickets for the rest of the day, I’m afraid,” he says. “Wind’s too strong for the crossing.” She gapes. The cars in front of her are all pulling back around and driving away.
She watches as the ferry sits dormant in the dock, swaying in the wind.
A text from Ethan pings on her phone.
Am at Cromarty. Ferries canceled. Will try again tomorrow morning.
Love you x
She covers her face with her hands and cries. She would give anything, anything at all right now, for Ethan to be here.
A hand reaches for her shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re sad,” Clover says softly. “When I’m sad, sometimes I sing a lullaby. It makes me feel better.”
She starts to sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Luna finds herself smiling at the gesture. In the stillness of the car, marooned on this godforsaken island, Clover’s voice is a small spell, casting the terror far enough away for her to think clearly.
“See?” Clover says, smiling. “It works.”
Hunger drives her to find a fast-food place—another pastiche, King Burger—where she buys enough food for a small tribe. She and Clover devour the meal in the car. The sky bruises with night clouds. She has no idea where to go. Brodie’s warning has sent her mind reeling. Who is watching her? Why do they want to harm her?
Going to a B&B or hotel is out of the question. Perhaps, like her mother all those years ago, she’ll have to sleep rough.
“Why do we always end up sleeping in the car?” Clover asks when she mentions this.
They drive toward the visitors’ center where she hopes the trees will provide coverage from the storm. And there’s a CCTV in case someone tracks her down. She remembers the way Brodie laughed when she threatened to go to the police. Nowhere feels safe.