Page 6 of Dear John

It was…odd.

And yet, they all seemed so happy.

“Over here,” Knight said, handing me earmuffs. I scurried over to him, putting them over my head as I watched him pull out his gun and look it over. I tried to watch carefully, to understand what he was doing. In all my years on the island, I’dbeen around guns the whole time, but I was never allowed to touch one or understand how it worked. From what I had seen, it looked pretty clear-cut.

Point and shoot.

I stepped back behind Knight as he took his stance. He fired off round after round, but even the earmuffs didn’t stop me from jumping at the loud noise. I pressed my fist to my chest, fighting back the panic that suddenly filled me. Ebarardo wouldn’t like this. He would be angry if he knew I was out here. I should leave. I should go back to my room and read a book. He would be happy knowing I was still abiding by his rules.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and ran for the building. I could hear Knight’s footsteps behind me, but he didn’t try to stop me. I yanked on the door, but nothing happened. A keening sound left my lips as I struggled to get back to the comfort of my room. I tugged over and over again until I finally crumbled, huddling in a ball on the ground as tears splashed down my face.

Ebarardo would be so mad at me. I had left the island and now I was here…wandering around without my guards. There were guns and women with explosives. It was all too much. None of this was right.

Knight knelt in front of me, his face blank as he stared at me until I calmed down enough that my sobs were only stuttered whimpers. I looked up at my brother, terrified that I would see judgment in his eyes, but instead, he just watched me, waiting for me to calm down.

I swiped the tears from my eyes, giving him a shaky smile. “Sorry about that.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he grunted, getting to his feet. He held out his hand and didn’t say another word about my meltdown as he pulled me up and slid his hand over the scanner. I blocked out everything else as he guided me through theconfines of Reed Security. With every step we took deeper into the building, the easier it was to breathe. As soon as I heard the door to the panic room shut, everything in my head went silent, save one voice.

Good girl.

A smile graced my lips as I walked back to my room and shut the door. Somewhere, Ebarardo was smiling down at me.

3

CLAIRE

I watchedmy daughter retreat into her bedroom, sighing in relief that she was back in the bunker. She didn’t need to say a thing. I saw it all over her face. She liked being trapped. It made her feel like she was at home. But that wasn’t what I wanted for her. I remembered the days when she was still a young woman, so full of life and ready to take on the world. That woman was gone.

I felt Michael behind me and stiffened. Sure, he was here now, but I knew as soon as Cash called with the next lead, he’d be gone. Off to chase more ghosts. Everything about our life had been complicated, but now that Zavala was dead, all I wanted was peace. But I knew Michael could never give me that until he ended this. And for him, that meant taking out every last person involved.

I felt the warmth of his breath caress my neck as he exhaled heavily. “Back in that room.”

“It’s where she feels safe.”

“I wish she would come out here.”

I did too, but I didn’t like that Knight was trying to drag her out into the world. It wasn’t safe for her. She needed to be where we could watch her and take care of her.

Now that she was locked in her room, I headed down the hall to the living room, which was an elaborate setup for an underground bunker. It made me wonder if they had lived here at one time. Sitting down, I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the chill of uncertainty.

Michael walked in, leaning against the wall, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stared at me. “Maybe we need to get her a psychiatrist.”

That was amusing. “How about thirteen? One for every year she was trapped on that island? Maybe they can each take a year to unravel.”

I pressed my hand to my head, rubbing at the ache building. Ever since we got her back, I hadn’t been able to get rid of the constant throb. It was almost worse now that she was here with me. Every second, I wondered if someone would snatch her away from me again. Had it all been for nothing?

And what about her mental state? How was I ever supposed to get my little girl back when she worshiped that monster?

“Hey.”

I sucked in a breath, not realizing Michael had moved closer. I desperately wanted to reach out and touch him, to soak in the warmth of his touch, but I promised myself I wouldn’t fall into his arms until he could give me every piece of himself.

“Maybe you should try to get some sleep.”

“I’m fine.”

He smiled at me, which only pissed me off. “You keep saying that, but you’re exhausted.”

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