Page 19 of Controlled Chaos

“Monica, it’s good to see you.” Porter’s smile was strained.

“Is it?” she asked, looking at me.

“Monica, this is Clara, my fiancée.”

Monica’s eyes flashed a hint of disapproval before she masked it. “Fiancée?”

“Yes, well, I’m a lucky man. It was good to see you, but we need to get settled before dinner.”

“Of course.” She moved out of the way and let us pass.

I waited until Porter ushered me into the end unit bungalow before I spoke. “Looks like my mojo killer is rusty.”

“She didn’t jump me, so I’d say your mojo killer is working just fine.”

“You slept with her?”

“Yes. We were on the island at the same time. Her drug of choice was crack. She stayed, and I left. She said staying to help was her calling. The one thing she could do to make up for her past mistakes.”

“That must make things awkward.” I slowly turned in place to take in our arrangements.

I’d expected bare bones, considering the place resembled a commune. I felt like I’d been rewarded for being wrong.

The room was state of the art and tastefully done. Sleek hardwood floors led to a small, modern kitchen with state-of-the-art stainless-steel appliances. It was done in warm and inviting shade of tans and blues, complete with a fireplace across the room.

“This is unexpected.”

“These are some of the more luxurious rooms. As you can imagine, the barracks offer different accommodations until the patients can be trusted not to break everything in sight.”

I walked down the hallway to find two doors. One was to a bathroom, and the other led to a single bedroom with a queen-sized bed.

“Looks like we’re sleeping together.” I plopped down onto the bed and glanced around the room.

“Sorry, I can take the couch.” Porter gestured over his shoulder with his thumb toward the door.

“It’s fine. If my predictions and the drawing come full circle, I might as well enjoy my last few days.”

“About that…” Porter ran his hand over his neck. His knuckled whitened as he squeezed. “If I hadn’t seen the clearing with my own eyes, I never would have believed it. Thaddeus’s father was adamant that the rest of the island would remain untouched. I’ll make your arrangements off the island after dinner if you think you’ll be safe until then.”

“Arrangements for me? You aren’t leaving?” I asked.

He gave a slow shake. “I need to stay to figure this out. I owe it to Katerina.”

“Are you going to be able to dodge all those women to actually get work done?” I asked.

“I’ll figure it out.”

I would normally argue with him, but my life was on the line if my visions and Nina’s predictions were to come true.

That clearing was a bad omen. I could feel it all the way down to my bones. The voice in my head was screaming to cut my losses and run.

“Until then, it’s good that I packed my weapons of choice.” I rose from the bed and picked up my suitcase from under the window, then plopped it onto the bed. I unzipped it and froze.

Pulling out the clothes, I tossed them to the side, checking each of my compartments. “My guns are gone.”

Porter picked up his bag and searched through it. “Crap. My extra piece is gone, too.”

“But you do have one, right?”

Porter lifted his jacket to show me the butt of the gun in the arm holster. “Is it typical for these people to go through our things?”

“Drug users, yes, but not guests.”

There was a knock on the door, and I followed Porter down the hall. He yanked it open to find Thaddeus Foster standing on the porch.

He was taller in person than he looked in pictures. Six-foot five with a bald head and built like a freaking linebacker.

He had his hands clasped in front of him. “I wanted to personally tell you that your weapons have been locked in my gun cabinet.”

“Do you normally go through people’s luggage?” I asked.

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