Page 128 of Heart of Frost and Scars

He holds out his palm, and she sets the bandage on it.

“No.” He pockets the Band-Aid and extends his hand again with a firm, drawn-out command. “Your phone.”

She gives it over and slumps onto the couch.

He doesn’t waste time reading the texts, his face contorting with rage.

“You thought this was me?” he roars, his temper boiling over. “These messages are fucking disturbing. Threatening. They’re from someone who knows her, who knows us.”

“They knew she was with Rhett.” Kody hardens his eyes. “That narrows it down to the four of us and the security guards.”

“And anyone Rhett might’ve told.” She rubs her head. “I was missing for nine months. For all I know, he told the entire hospital he was coming to see me.”

“Text him. Ask him who he told.” Monty sets her phone in her hand and stalks to the port side, staring out the windows at the waterfront. “Anyone with a camera phone could’ve zoomed in and watched Rhett board the yacht.”

A sharp intake of air burns my throat.

“If I had to guess,” he says, “the sender used SMS spoofing. The number was probably a temporary number used by the spoofer for a short period and deactivated after the spoofing attempt.”

“That would explain why I couldn’t respond.” She purses her lips.

“Somewhere between obsession and compulsion is impulse.” Monty paces the cabin, cursing under his breath. “That’s a Pushkin quote.”

“How do you know?”

“When I found the book of poems in my father’s office, I acquainted myself with the poet’s work.”

He freezes and turns toward a side table. With a guttural bellow, he swings his arms and sends a lamp crashing into the wall.

She flinches, and Kody shifts, putting himself between her and Monty.

Gripping the back of an armchair, Monty straightens, rolls his neck, and with a startling switch in his demeanor, he takes control of the situation. “We’re returning to the safety of the island. Right fucking now.”

My raw nerves fray as he storms off toward the helm, his gait decisive and controlled.

“It could still be him,” Kody mutters.

“Do you think his reaction was an act?” I look at her.

“No.” She chews on her lip. “He can pull off stoic and distant. But when he’s upset, his temper flies just like yours. That—” she points in the direction he went “—was Monty under duress.”

With resistance, my gut agrees.

If the unknown number isn’t him, who is it? And what do they want?

The tension heightens as we prepare to depart. The yacht’s engine roars to life, and Monty navigates us out of the harbor.

As we gather at the helm, Kody takes over the controls for the short ride back. I imagine he’ll be operating his own boat soon, maybe a little cruiser like Frankie’s.

The engine hums as we carve a path through the black velvet water. Emotions simmer, each of us adrift in our private thoughts, the gravity of those texts dragging at our souls.

“How did the negotiations with Pilip go?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“Monty made an offer Pilip couldn’t refuse.” Kody’s grip tightens on the wheel, his voice steady yet tinged with something deeper. “Now it’s up to us to work out the details.”

“That’s awesome, Kody.” She sits beside me, her hand resting on my knee. “What kind of details?”

“There are a lot of decisions to make.” He shifts his midnight eyes to Monty. “The biggest one is whether to trust Monty as my brother, let alone my investor.”

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