Page 73 of What Doesn't Kill Us

He squints at me, his left eye twitching, his lips twisting a bit as he replies, “Going soft on me, baby girl?”

I laugh. “Hardly. But I’m becoming quite fond of this whole fuck-around-and-find-out mentality. It grows on you after a while.”

He smiles in response, his golden eyes warm on my face as he leans closer, nipping at my earlobe, his breath warm against my ear as he whispers, “I’ve got something that’ll grow for you.”

I can’t stop the giggle that erupts, and I squirm against his hold. Then, I hear Jayme’s voice behind me, “Oh, for fuck sake. Would you two get a room?”

Agatha snorts, and I hear a chair push back as she says, “They are disgusting. I may as well go take a nap.”

Dare stands suddenly, hefting me up into his arms, and I yelp, my hands clutching at him as he says, “You two do whatever you want; just don’t bother us until it’s time to toss Toni overboard. We can make her walk the plank.”

Dare heads toward the exit, still carrying me, and I push against his chest to break free. “I can walk.”

Dare hefts me higher, giving me a little bounce so I’m more secure in his arms. “Don’t care. Shut your face.”

I’m slightly annoyed but I’m not unhappy about it, so I shut my face and let him take me wherever he wants.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dare

Ididn’tenjoytossingAntoinette overboard, but it also wasn’t a great hardship once I wrapped my head around the idea. I heard her cursing and snarling on her drop into the water, along with the cackling of Agatha as she watched. It was immensely satisfying, given how much shit she has given me since we met.

Of course, now, I’m wandering around the ship rather morosely, with that deep fear that she won’t make it out alive, leaving a hollow feeling in my chest. She explained Matt would have eyes on her tracker at all times, and the time she’d spend in the water would be minimal, but I know how easy it is to lose sight of someone in the middle of the ocean at night. And though she had a flare in her kit, the odds that she would risk using it were nil.

Regardless, I constantly scan the sky for her distress signal, relieved and annoyed when nothing comes of it.

I’m on what feels like my hundredth lap of the ship when I see Agatha and Jayme approaching me, matching serious expressions on their faces. They stop when they reach me, and we spend a few moments staring out at the ocean as daybreak peeks over the horizon. I know why they’re here; they don’t even have to say it.

It’s time.

Agatha inhales deeply through her nose, then turns to me. “Are you ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

She gives me an assessing look, then reaches her hand out, squeezing my forearm as she says, “She’ll be fine, Dare. I promise.”

I raise my eyebrows at her, then eye her hand on my arm before replying, “Kind of a bold promise, don’t you think?”

She doesn’t waiver. “It’s facts. You know Antoinette, but you don’t know Toni. She is the reckoning. You’ll see.”

She’s right. What I know of Toni is minimal, given the chaotic evolution of our relationship. I know her intimately. I feel her soul entwined with my own, but the inner workings of her character and upbringing are foreign to me. But it still grates on my nerves that someone may know her better than I do. “I didn’t get the impression you knew her all that well, either.”

“I don’t, but I’ve heard people talk, and countless people would swear up and down that she’s the most dangerous sister. And since this would have included Lilith, that’s saying something.”

I have an idea how dangerous Toni may be if provoked, especially after hearing how she took out some of her attackers after she was assaulted. She understands the kill-or-be-killed mentality, and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty when needed. “Let’s hope these rumors are accurate because she’s going to need that bloodthirsty tenacity to get us out of this mess in one piece.”

“Did you tell her Tony isn’t allowed to hunt down Carolina?”

I nod as we walk toward the room where we were previously being held. “I did. She said she’d do her best, but we all know how Tony is once he gets something in his head. Luckily, he won’t focus on her too much right now, but we’ll have to rein him in once all this is over.”

“Do you think he’d just kill her outright?”

I shrug, opening the door to our makeshift prison and motioning for her to enter before me. “Possibly. But I feel like he’d play with her first just because it’s fun for him.”

Her eyes widen as she walks to the corner where the shackles are still hanging from the walls. She bends down, picking up an old dirty bottle of sand, handing it to me. “Jayme said we better get gross, or they’ll be suspicious.”

“What is it?” I ask skeptically, holding the bottle gingerly.

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