Page 149 of In the Pursuit of Haven
So he’d made himself a nuisance for half a year and then Haven had her stroke. By then, Abby was dazzled with thoughts of treasure.
Jessie’s sister sat across the room from us, her features pale as she mournfully watched her brother.
The lights from the lantern glowed against the wall in its strange play of dancing images. Luther’s fists opened and closed in anticipation. However, when it got to the part with the suns drifting across the wall, followed by the location of the pond, he lost his patience. He let out a snarl. “Yes, yes, it’s on Misery Island! I know that already! Tell ushowto get it!”
“What do you mean?” My shock pulled the question from my lips. How on earth did Luther know that already? “The Relics show us where it’s at. That’s it!” Sure enough, the dramatization ended on the treasure getting taken to the pond before the light show started up again.
“Give me the map!” Luther demanded.
Hunter had already confiscated my backpack. He dug it out so they could comb over it for something different than what we’d already found. I was stunned.
The lantern continued to play—the sounds of Dimond’s rattle shaking and jingling made an eerie contrast to the splashes of ocean dripping down the wall while the ship and moons sailed around us in a manic loop.
Luther turned the map over, reading the back: “Fix eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen…” He bellowed out in frustration. “I know that already!” he shouted. “Get on with it.”
How? This was insane!
Luther wasn’t about to explain. His glittering eyes shot to me. “Yes, we’re definitely taking her along,” he said under his breath. Hunter motioned the huge men with him to move in.
“Get back from her,” Jessie snarled.
“What a mess,” Luther continued like he hadn’t been interrupted. “Bring those Relics along too.”
My hands clutched Jessie’s, even while I tried to stop him from fighting anyone for getting too close to me. Eventually, our cellphones were stolen under Finn’s wild barking, and we were forced back into our winter coats and boots and marched outside, past the lighthouse.
I should’ve known Jessie was planning something by the way his grip tightened on me. The broken door to the lighthouse swung on groaning hinges. His mouth brushed my ear. “I’m sorry, Roxy.”
He picked me up and shoved me inside, throwing the door shut behind me.
The power of that slam echoed through the tower.
I gasped, twisting around, realizing that he’d also pushed the envelope with the evidence against Haven into my hands. What had he done?
“Jessie!” I shouted. My voice echoed through the staircase leading up the tower. I might as well be Rapunzel for how stuck I was.
Hunter and his men tried to get to me, but I knew from past experience that nothing but emergency workers could pry me out of here. It was why we never closed this door! “Jessie!” I cried out. “Don’t you dare do anything stupid out there!”
“I love you, Roxy,” he said. “Never forget it.”
I moaned. Hewasgoing to do something stupid! My pulse was all over the place, and I couldn’t think straight. “I love you, Jessie…” I had to let him know, even if I was so angry at him I could punch a hole through this wall. “Just get through this alive for me.”
The sound of Hunter’s men taking their rage out on him was my only answer. I let out a cry, flinging myself against the door. “Leave him alone!” My shouts mingled with Abby’s.
“You really can’t get this door open?” Luther shouted. “But that’s unacceptable. We need her! She’s the only one with the brains to figure any of this out.”
“Why do you think I’m here?” Hunter growled out. “Just forget her. We can do this on our own.”
“She knows too much!” Luther’s chilling words penetrated the steel door.
His words hit me like I was the one getting punched and not Jessie. The guy sounded like a hitman.
“Well, she’s not going anywhere,” Hunter said. “She’ll be waiting for us when we return.”
I backed away from the door, scrambling up the stairs until I reached one of the windows to look down. One of Hunter’s larger men jerked Jessie upright and shoved him for good measure. Jessie was holding his stomach. His cheek was red where they’d hit him.
Letting out a mournful cry, I ran up the rest of the stairs to get to the top of the tower. The only way out of here was down the side, and it was just too high.
Helplessly, I watched the treasure hunters drag Jessie and Abby to the boats waiting for them on the beach.
