Page 48 of Stranded

I stare out the window at the passing buildings and when I see Black Diamond Sushi, a pang of anguish hits me. That was our favorite placeto eat. Bower would always drag us there to celebrate an accomplishment in the business or even just to celebrate the weekend.

If there was anything Bower was good at, it was living life to the fullest. Fuck, I missed him. That reminds me I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.

I lower my phone as I lean forward. “Arnold, can you swing us by Burger King, get me my usual and whatever you want for yourself.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Reece?” I hear my father’s voice and raise my phone from where I had it pressed into the seat, forgetting he was still on the line.

“Not tomorrow, dad, I’m busy. I gotta go now, talk to you later.” I hang up before he can respond. Letting my head rest back on the seat, I let out a deep breath.

How am I supposed to navigate my business, my dad and my life, without them? I’d do anything for them and if I knew how to find them, I’d literally do whatever it takes for that information. Even getting on a plane, despite my paralyzing fear of flying.

If it’d bring them back, I’d even try to be nicer to the girlfriends they brought around. But they had terrible taste. Every last one of them was either a gold digger, a liar or a homewrecker, and there was no way I was going to let my brothers get hurt by a woman.

I couldn’t even fathom being in a relationship since my first girlfriend left me in such a terrible fashion. The heartbreak that had given me made me realize that the saying was wrong. It was not better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

But Bower and Kingsley weren’t bitter like me. They had big hearts, and I knew they both wanted a woman to cherish and care for. Someone to come home to each night. But therein was part of the problem. Wehad agreed we wanted to keep living together, even if they got married. So then their wives would have to get along with each other and, the hardest part, me.

It wasn’t that I didn't get along with women. We had plenty of female employees. It was girlfriends that I had a problem with, even when they belonged to Bower and King and not me.

Arnold passes me my food as we pull back onto the road and I shove fries in my mouth as I contemplate what to do tomorrow.

I could try contacting another search and rescue team, but I already told the first one to hire as many additional guys as they needed to comb every inch of that ocean.

Maybe my dad was right, and a bit of distraction would do me good. I could head into the office and see what progress has been made on the latest project. Maybe taking my mind off of the guys for a little while will help me see the problem with new eyes.

Biting my burger, I swallow heavily, everything tasting like lead these days. I wonder what they’re eating right now? Are they stuck on a raft out there somewhere, slowly starving to death?

I refuse to think that they’ve already died. It’s not something I can even let myself consider, despite knowing the odds of finding them at this point are about five percent, thanks to an earlier online search. They’ve defied the odds plenty of times before, and they are going to do it again.

Because if they didn’t, then what the fuck was I going to do?

Chapter twenty-one

Darla

“Mo-Mo, stop stealing it all, I already gave you plenty!” Grumbling, I gently swat him away from the basket of fruit. Once again, I woke up feeling bad about how I left things the previous night, so after listening and ignoring their morning calls for me, I heard them say they wanted to check the beach for any signs of rescue. So I got to work collecting breakfast for them.

The jerky will last for a long time, so there was no need to hunt for rabbit or boar for a while, thankfully.

“Eep!” I roll my eyes at Mo-Mo’s demanding trill, while his fingers make grabbing motions towards the fruit.

“Fine, this is your last one, you’ll get sick if you eat anymore,” I say, passing him a guava, which he snatches from my hands and quickly makes his departure.

“Love you, too, buddy,” I say with an amused shake of my head.

I stand and look around camp. Is this enough to make them forget about me running off last night? I just can’t imagine what they’d think if they heard me screaming from my nightmares. I can’t even think aboutthe cause of the nightmares without hyperventilating, so how could I possibly explain it to them?

I glance up at their hut and decide to go check it out while it’s empty.

I stand inside and study their belongings. It looks so different now, like it’s filled with life. Bottles of shampoo and soap sit on the desk, along with some other things that came from their bags. I glance at the wall and see thousands of marks covering it, the ones I spent a lifetime making.

Pulling McStabby from my sheath, I find a spot to add in the few marks I’ve missed since I’ve been sleeping outside. When I finish, I turn and look at the hammock. That’s when I realize that they’ve been sleeping here every night with only two beds.

“Crap shells, I need to fix this.” I quickly make my way to the oldest hut, the one filled with my previous attempts at furniture and other things. I have to push my shoulder into the warped door to get it open.

When I step inside, I take a minute to look around and a chill goes down my back, making me shiver, despite the heat. This place is full of memories and a depressing reminder of how long I’ve been stranded on this island.

---