Page 98 of Sinners Retreat

So that’s it, then.

She’s left the island, and I’ll never see her again.

With my head hung low, I start back toward my villa. This is the end of something magical, and fuck, it hurts. I love her. With every fiber of my being, I love Kindra. So I have to let her go. I must respect her wishes and leave her alone.

I’ll just wait for her for the rest of my life. No woman has ever come close to making me feel this way, and no one ever will.

Bennett and Maverick are still standing outside when I return. They see everything on my face. The despair. The heartache. The loss of a will to live.

“Didn’t go well, I take it?” Bennett asks, and I appreciate that he doesn’t have any snark in his tone.

I produce the scathing letter from my pocket and hand it to the guys. They huddle over it like two schoolgirls with a note from a crush. Maverick even uses his finger to trace each line. I don’t mind. As long as I don’t have to relive the words myself, I’ll be okay.

Bennett clears his throat and hands the letter back to me. “Absolute sack of dog shit? Damn, that’s harsh.”

Okay, as long as I don’t have to relive my failures, I’ll be okay.

“I mean, you did lie to her for damn near a week about her brother’s killer, though,” Bennett adds. “You also had an elaborate setup for keeping her fooled. So I get it.”

“You’re not helping,” Maverick whispers.

“Okay, okay,” Bennett says as he turns his attention to me. “I don’t know why you’re here, though. The pilot refuses to fly before he’s had his lunch. If she’s down at the airstrip, then...”

His face pales, and the letter drops from his hand. I scramble to grab it before the wind can snap it up.

“Fuck,” he breathes.

“What?” Maverick and I say in unison.

“Oh, I fucked up.” Bennett grips the boardwalk railing and leans into it. “I fucked up bad, Ezra. You have to get to the hunting grounds.”

I shake my head and stuff the letter into my pocket. “No fucking way. I’m not going on?—”

“No, you don’t get it. The entire reason I was at your villa this morning was because Kindra knocked on my door and asked which way to the airstrip. I jokingly pointed toward the hunting grounds and said I took Cat that way. I figured she was just asking a question, and me, being my asshole self, decided to make a joke.”

“And she took you seriously,” I say. “If she’s in that jungle...”

Bennett covers his face with his hands. “Fuck. I didn’t even think anything of it. Then I came to your place, and Maverick filled me in on what happened, and I filled him in on what actually happened. I forgot all about seeing her this morning.”

“Meanwhile, Kindra is out there in a jungle filled with nonces! Bennett, what have youdone?”

Maverick holds up his hands and steps between us. “Before another brotherly brawl breaks out, let’s use our logical minds. Kindra is a serial killer. She can take care of herself out there.”

Yes, maybe against one or two, but I saw the conga line headed into the jungle. Most of their suits were red or pink. The child abusers might not go for her because she’s aged out of their sick perversions, but the reds...

“Don’t do anything crazy,” Maverick says. “Just find Jim and have him hold off until she’s found.”

“It’s too late. I saw them heading into the jungle moments ago when I went to Kindra’s villa.”

Bennett shrugs. “Then I guess we go on the hunt and if we see her, we’ll send her to the correct airstrip instead of the imaginary one.”

I’m glad he can be so nonchalant about all of this. I may be responsible for the majority of my woes, but this one? This one falls squarely on my brother’s shoulders.

“I have to go after her,” I say.

Before they can argue, I’m already headed toward the jungle.

Grim and Ice Pick stand at the trailhead when I reach it. I stop running and plant my hands on my knees while I try to catch my breath. There’s no use asking if they’ve seen Kindra. She went into the jungle at least an hour ago, maybe longer.

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