Page 118 of Fallen Stars

Leaning in so only I hear her, she says, “Trav says we’re a couple miles away. With the waves, maybe twenty-five to thirty minutes.”

When she inches back and meets my eyes, I nod and mouth, “Thank you.”

I shuffle closer to Levi but don’t crowd him at the bow. Resting my free hand on his waist, I tell him without words that I am here and not going anywhere. Ever so slightly, he presses his weight into my hand.

Less than ten minutes pass before the faint shape of tall evergreens breaks up the horizon. In another five, it’s easy to discern the island—a little over a mile long and three-quarters wide. With its jagged rock face and dense forestry, an onlooker would think the small stretch of land uninhabitable.

Which made it the perfect place for illicit activity.

The boat banks a little left and Levi reaches for my hand. As we circle around the island and approach a hidden alcove with sporadic docks, my hand loses feeling as his fingers curlaround mine with ineffable strength. When the boat slows and the motor quiets, Levi’s audible, rapid breathing hits my ears.

With a gentle clutch of his hip, I step into him, my front a breath away from his back. “I’m here, moje srce.” I rest my forehead on the back of his head and breathe him in. “I’ve got you.” I press my lips to his hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His hand on mine tightens, his silent way of saying thank you.

Travis eases the boat next to one of the long wooden docks and ties off the boat. One at a time, we disembark the boat and wait.

As discussed ahead of our trip, we will let Levi guide every step of this journey. Although we were all impacted by what happened, our side of the story is tame compared to what Levi experienced. Coming back to this place, triggering his memories, must be on his terms every step of the way.

Levi takes my hand and laces our fingers. Like a pebble skipped across the water’s surface, trembling ripples from his body to mine. I absorb those apprehensive vibrations and blanket them with love. Stroke the length of his thumb with mine as I study his profile and wait for his next move. Send every ounce of strength and courage from my body to his as his eyes scan the trees.

No one moves, no one says a word. In a semicircle around Levi, we shower him with endless support.

And then, he takes his first step toward the island.

This early in the day—the sun shining brightly overhead, the wind whipping through the trees, and various wildlife milling about—the place appears less ominous. Doesn’t change how any of us see it. None of us will look at this island or others like it without unease.

We step off the dock and follow a path created by small vehicles. Pine needles and twigs crunch under our boots as wewander through the thin forestry into a denser canopy. Salt, earth and pine linger in the air. Birds squawk overhead. The occasional chipmunk scurries through the brush.

It’s all very… disorienting.

Levi pauses and I whip my attention to his face. His eyes widen, and I follow his line of sight to see a small structure through the trees.

Where did that come from?

I scan the woods and spot another similar building farther out. Too nice to be a shack built by the homeless, but meager enough that the inhabitant isn’t cozy.

Travis clears his throat. “Guard stations.” He sidles up to me and points in a different direction. “The island has several, but most are near the main door.”

With my attention focused on finding Levi the last time I was here, I missed the finer details of my surroundings.

“They’re being dismantled like everything else,” he adds.

Good. Everything those assholes built needs to burn.

We trek the path farther. Gradually, the trees start to thin again.

Levi shakes so hard it rattles my bones. His fingers crush mine as his breathing picks up.

One foot in front of the other, we approach a solitary door with narrow, tall walls around it. An elevator shaft to the darkest parts of the underworld. No one presses forward without Levi taking a step first.

Levi peers past me to Travis. “Are we—” He closes his eyes, inhales a deep breath, and swallows as he meets Travis’s patient gaze. “Are we able to go inside?”

With a well-practiced, emotionless expression, Travis nods. “Law enforcement hasn’t shut off the power yet. Until everything is deconstructed and filled in, we still have access.”

Shifting his gaze back to the door, Levi secures his hold on my hand. “I need to go down there,” he whispers. “If only for a minute, I need to see it’s truly over.” Resilience coats his final words.

After years of pining, sexual frustration, sleepless nights, unimaginable obstacles, and the world trying to rip us apart, I didn’t think I could love Levi more. I’ve never been more wrong.

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