Page 59 of The Engagement Party

Dylan smiled. “What boat?”

Chapter Forty-Four

Alex

Alex’s worst fears had come true. Dylan showing up had been too easy, too convenient. He came off too steady for a guy who’d walked into a massacre and got shot. He stayed too calm for someone facing off against a bunch of strangers with a dead body they couldn’t explain. And the voice change. It morphed from low and serious to more natural sounding and almost amused.

His manner, his tone, could only be described as chilling.

“How did you get to the island without a boat?” Alex balled his hands into fists and turned his wrists behind his back, trying to get enough leverage to move his arms and break the tie. Even that little bit of jostling turned up the pounding in his head.

Dylan’s smile grew wider. “I didn’t need a boat. I was already here.”

Alex felt the cold delivery vibrate through him.Already on the island.What did that even mean? Actually, he knew but he couldn’t believe it. This man was a total stranger... wasn’t he? “What are you—”

“Everyone stop shifting around.” Dylan aimed the gun that time. Right at them. One by one. “No one is going anywhere.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening.” Will sounded lost.

Dylan cocked his head to the side. “Story of your life, isn’t it, Will?”

The whole room froze. Ruthie, who had barely said a word, sat wide-eyed, her focus never leaving Dylan’s face, as if she was trying to read him.

Alex struggled to keep up, but he had an excuse for his delay. His brain, usually his strongest asset, had gotten stuck in neutral. He strained to make even sluggish connections and logical leaps. But theoh shitlook both Mitch and Sierra wore told Alex they’d realized how dire this situation was and how much worse it could get.

Will swallowed a few times. “How do you know my name?”

“Will.” Dylan pointed the gun as he spoke. “Mitch.” Moved it around the couch. “Cassie and Alex.”

Mitch shook his head. “Sonofabitch.”

“How do you know who we are?” Cassie asked at the same time.

“We’ll get to that.” Dylan glanced at Sierra. “I’m sorry you’re here. You could look at this as an important lesson about what happens when you love the wrong man. If you survive, of course.”

Mitch looked like he wanted to get up. “What the—”

Sierra rushed in, probably thinking Mitch could say the wrong thing and get himself shot. “Where’s the boat you were driving before? The one you had when we were at the garage.”

“Safe. Off island.”

“But you’re here.” Sierra’s voice had gone flat.

He winked at her. “Yes, I am.”

Who the hell is this guy?Alex searched his memory, tried tocome up with an answer. When that failed, he tried gathering more intel. “You’re not injured.”

“Of course not.” Dylan removed the scrap of material tied around his arm and held it up. “Not my blood. I needed an easy way inside the house and went withact injured. It’s all part of building trust and getting you to talk.”

Cassie made a noise that sounded like a mix of impatience and terror. “Talk about what? What the hell are you saying?”

“Actually, the ‘trust’ thing was a line from a seminar I attended a long time ago.” Dylan shrugged as he continued using a light tone that didn’t match the dark vibe pulsing through the room. “Doesn’t matter. The point is I’m here. You’re here. Now we can chat.”

“No one else is on the island.” Sierra said the words as if she was saying them right as she thought them. “There isn’t a dangerous killer running around out there.”

Dylan’s annoying smile fell. “It’s fair to say all the killers on the island who are still alive are in this house.”

Ruthie finally spoke up and said the one thing they all knew. “He’s not a policeman.”

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