I tried to beg, but the gag in my mouth distorted the words. I tripped forward across the deck as they dragged me by one arm. My head throbbed in several places and my knees and thighs were sore with the beginnings of nasty bruises. I heard a splash. Someone shoved me from behind and my feet hit the water. I started to fall forward, but the second guy yanked me to my feet and pushed his hand into the small of my back. I fumbled ahead, my feet unsteady as I navigated the shallow incline toward the shore. Soon, my toes hit dry sand. The moment they did I was shoved again, and fell face-first into the sand.
My captors--my executioners--laughed. Rage surged through me like white-hot fire. One of them tugged at the knot on my gag and it fell free. I coughed as I rolled over, still blindfolded. There was no light coming through the slits at the top and bottom of the black scarf
107
that was tied over my eyes. Definitely still night. Apparently, we hadn't been on the water for very long.
I felt proud of myself for noticing these things, for trying to assess my situation, even though I was terrified for my life.
"Any last words?" one of them asked.
I swallowed hard. I was pretty sure it was Red Beard speaking. At least it sounded like the boat captain's voice. But now I felt a shiver of recognition. I swore I had heard that voice before. But where? I thought back to every man I had met on the island and couldn't place it. Could it be Daniel disguising his voice?
"Please don't kill me," I blubbered as I was dragged to my feet again. I hated that I couldn't even see them. That they wouldn't even look me in the eye. That I was standing on some beach somewhere and I didn't even know what it looked like. What the place of my death looked like. "Please. You don't have to do this."
"God, just shut her up," one of them whispered. "Enough already."
I pulled in a shaky breath. "Why are you--"
My words died in my throat. Something hard had just been pressed into the back of my skull. I heard the click as the gun's hammer was cocked.
"No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, releasing every ounce of my soul into the air. Fear coursed through my body like cold shock waves. I trembled, more terrified than I had been that night on the roof of Billings with Ariana. More terrified than I'd felt looking down the barrel of Sabine's gun. At least then I had known where I was, had had the benefit of sight. Had known there were people around who
108
could help me. But now, I was alone. Completely blind, completely helpless.
Images flitted rapid-fire through my mind. Josh, Thomas, Billings, Noelle, my home in Croton, my parents, my brother, my dog, my first bike, my first soccer uniform, my turtle--God, I'd forgotten I ever had a turtle--my dolls, my baby blanket, my room.
And Upton. Upton, Upton, Upton waiting for me in his bedroom on St. Barths. The bottle of wine, the look of anticipation on his face. My heart felt as if it was being shredded by a raging lion as I thought of him.
"I have a rich boyfriend!" I shouted, sounding like apathetic crazy. "He'll pay you. He'll pay you anything. Please just don't shoot me!"
For the first time, my captors were completely silent. My heart swelled with hope. Clearly I had gotten their attention.
But then they laughed.
"That's not going to work," one of them said. This one, I realized, hadn't spoken until now. His English was clipped. As if he was concentrating on his words. It must have been the second man. The one who had gagged me and thrown me around the boat. "You see, we are already being paid to kill you."
The air rushed out of my lungs. "What?" I breathed.
"I don't know what you did, little girl, but you've definitely pissed off some very important people," Red Beard said.
People. Plural. Daniel and Paige. It had to be them. That family was just crazy enough to spawn a plan like this. Just rich enough to have the money to do it. But why? Why go to all this trouble to get rid of me?
109
In a week I was going to be back at Easton and they'd never have to see me again. The gun pressed deeper into my skull.
"Wait! But Upton . . . he's a billionaire. Trust me, whatever you're beingpaid, he'll double it." I took a deep breath as the pressure of the gun lessened. "Think about it for a second. You can walk away with twice the money and no blood on your hands."
The gun was lowered and they shoved me to my knees. For a second I thought they were just going to pull the trigger and I pressed my eyes closed under my blindfold. I couldn't breathe. My whole body involuntarily flinched over and over and over again, thinking each second was my last on earth. "Waiting for the shot was torture, pure and simple. My teeth clenched together, and every inch of my body shook.
But then the gun was lowered, and I felt them walk away. Felt their eerie, looming presence subside. Their voices carried to me on the wind in snippets as they discussed my offer.
"That kid . .. would never..."
I twisted my hands around, trying to loosen the twine that bound my wrists together. The rope only cut deeper into my flesh. I bit my lip to muffle my cry and kept twisting. This pain was preferable to getting shot.