Page 58 of The Engagement Party

“A precaution until I understand what’s happening here.”

They obeyed him with varying levels of reluctance. Sierra didn’t want to drop the pan in her hand, but she did. She’d grabbed a knife earlier and palmed and pocketed it. Just in case.

“Step over here.” Dylan waited until they all walked around the sectional, away from the table with the makeshift weapons, to talk again. “The way I see it either one of you hit me or someone out there did.”

Cassie nodded at the door. “Out there.”

“You.” He pointed at Sierra. “This is the second time I’ve seen you. Both times you looked just this side of frantic. Tell me what’s going on.”

Where do I start?“I honestly have no idea.”

His eyebrow lifted. “But...?”

Instead of waiting for an answer, Dylan leaned against one of the barstools. Not really sitting, more like preparing to pounce. He wore a ripped strip of cloth around his arm as a bandage but otherwise looked steadier than the rest of them. The injury and the earlier gunfire suggested either the killer was a terrible shot at close range or the killer had been toying with Dylan. Toying with Dylan and the rest of them.

Cassie and Ruthie didn’t move closer, and Alex probably couldn’t. Still, they all managed to stand about eight feet from Dylan, crowding him but not answering his question.

“The important thing is you’re here.” That sounded like nonsense. Sierra knew the minute she said it. But he expected them to explain the unexplainable.

“There’s a body in the shed, so I’m betting you’re not that happy to see me.” The officer’s gaze traveled over them. “Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”

“We should leave the island. We can answer your questions and sit down with your entire department once we’re back in whatever town has jurisdiction.” Sierra barely knew where theywere, but she knew they’d need legal reinforcements. She refused to let Alex and Cassie act as her lawyers in this disaster. Not for a second. “Which is it?”

Dylan pointed the gun toward the back door. “In case you missed it, there’s a storm out there. No one is leaving.”

“What about your injury?” Sierra could see the arm bandage but he didn’t act like a guy in pain.

He shrugged off the concern. “I’m fine.”

“Our cell phones don’t work. Does yours?” Cassie took a step toward the table with their abandoned phones. “I’d really like to call my daughter.”

Dylan looked stunned by the comment. “Don’t you think you have bigger worries right now?”

The way he delivered the line set a new wave of anxiety spinning through Sierra. She understood his point. This looked awful. The whole situationwasawful. The bodies, though it sounded as if he’d only found one. The shifting and fidgeting. The way they ignored his questions. They all sounded and acted guilty. The tension clogging the room had her fighting for breath.

“We didn’t touch the guy in the shed.” Will’s words came out rushed and panicky. He pointed at Mitch and Sierra. “Well, they unwrapped him, but we didn’t do it.”

The outburst sucked away the last of the calm.

“Okay, I’ve heard enough.” Dylan reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of white zip ties. “Each of you put one on. Behind your backs. Help each other.”

Cassie scoffed. “No way.”

“Is this necessary?” Alex asked.

“It wasn’t a suggestion.” Dylan lifted his gun a little higher as he stared at Ruthie. “You, too.”

“Just do it.” Mostly Sierra didn’t want him to start shooting. If he searched them and found her hidden knife or Ruthie’s gun he just might.

They all complied but not without grumbling. The officer ignored most of the muttered denials and Alex’s insistence that they were the victims.

With their hands bound behind them, Dylan directed them back to the sectional. They sat on the edges of the cushions while he moved their gathered weapons to a chair on the other side of the room, out of reach. He picked up discarded knives and studied them. Then he walked toward the kitchen.

No limp. No dripping blood. She’d hurt her knee and hadn’t stopped rubbing it and wincing. He’d been shot and moved as if the bullet had passed right by him. “Where’s your boat?”

Dylan stopped in mid-stride and turned around to face her.

“You need reinforcements. The weather stinks, but we could pile in your boat and just go before anyone else gets hurt.” That was the only logical plan. Sierra’s skepticism spiked when she realized he hadn’t suggested it.

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