Page 52 of Hunted
Unmarked Vessel Found Wrecked Off Madagascar Coast: Authorities Suspect Links to Notorious Thieves
An unregistered cargo vessel was discovered wrecked along a remote stretch of Madagascar’s coastline earlier this week. Though no crew were found aboard, officials suspect the ship may have belonged to three wanted criminals: Mika Tuala, Sione Fa'amatu, and Tasi Vasa, all known for a string of high-value thefts across the Indian Ocean. The trio has been linked to a violent robbery in Suva last year, where a local security guard was killed. Authorities believe the men may have used the ship as part of theirsmuggling operation. Stolen electronics and luxury goods were recovered from the wreck, but the fate of the crew remains unknown.
I scroll down and see a blurry image of the three men and gasp, dropping the phone on the table as I stare at it in shock.
Strong hands rub my shoulder and arm as they ask if I’m okay.
I lift my head to Reece’s concerned eyes. “It’s them.” He doesn’t ask, he already knows, but I nod in confirmation anyway.
Weston picks up the phone, and after a minute, he swears. “Fuck. How did you find this?”
“Ever since I got a phone back, I’ve been searching every article I could from around that time.”
I blink back tears at how thoughtful this is. This is so much more than a simple gesture. He’s given me some sort of closure. It explains why they took apart their raft. They didn’t want to be found, and when they saw us surviving there decently well, they decided to stay. And the fact that they killed someone and were thieves, confirmed what I already knew, that they were bad men. The guilt I’d been holding onto for killing them starts to fade.
Taking a deep breath, I give Reece a teary smile. “Thank you. This means a lot.”
“I’m glad it helped,” he says, taking his phone back as they all go back to eating.
I lean back in my chair, letting myself feel a bit of peace for a change. After a few minutes of silence, I ask, “So, we’re just hanging out here until I can walk?”
“Pretty much,” Bower says, grabbing a second plate of food.
“What about your families? Did you get to talk to your mom and Hazel?” I ask, looking at Kingsley.
“Yeah, we both spoke to them a couple times, let them know it’d be a few weeks until we go back.”
“She was mad we weren’t coming straight home, but when we explained why, she seemed to understand,” Bower adds, and I wonder what, exactly, they told her. Did they tell her about me? Did they describe me as a friend? Or something else? I decide not to ask the question because I have a feeling I won’t like the answer. How could they explain they were dating the same woman? I may not have been in the real world in fifteen years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know that what we’re doing is unusual.
“And your dad?” I ask Reece.
“Yeah, he’s been pretty good. He’s trying to get some of his allies to keep an eye on Frank, so he doesn’t go into hiding before we have concrete evidence.”
“That’s good,” I say, nodding my head. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the entire reason we all ended up on that island. Well, not that we exactly know the reason, but we at least know it must have been sabotage. It’s crazy to think that out there is someone responsible for what happened to me and my dad. And it’s likely the same person who almost killed Weston, Kingsley, and Bower.
To distract myself, I start to ask questions about Madagascar and what’s around here, and if they’ve seen anything other than the hospital, but apparently Arnold is the one who did all the shopping for them, and they’ve pretty much been at my side the whole time.
They all offer to get me something else to eat, toast, crackers, a glass of milk, but in the end, I just take a room temperature bottle of water before Bower carries me to bed.
He and I brush our teeth together, and I can’t help but sigh.
“What?” he asks around a mouthful of toothpaste.
I rinse out my mouth before answering him. “I think this might be my second favorite part about being back in civilization.”
“Brushing your teeth?”
“The whole thing,” I say, gesturing to the sink and toothpaste. “Running water, toothpaste, toothbrush, and of course… floss.” I grin, lifting up the pack of floss.
“You know, your teeth look incredible. I would never have guessed you've been without a toothbrush for so long.”
“I was afraid of the dentist when I was younger. I had a cavity once and my tooth was so sore. So when I ended up on the island, I knew I had to do everything I could to try to keep my teeth clean. I was terrified of ending up with a toothache and no way to fix it.”
He finishes up while I’m talking, then cages me in where I'm sitting on the counter, his hands resting on either side of me on the marble surface as he pushes his body between my legs, forcing them apart.
“Have I told you yet today how amazing you are?”
My cheeks heat and I try to look down, but he grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head up so I’m forced to look at him. “I love you, Zee… Darla.”
