Page 25 of Fire Island
“You don’t get it. You are not simply decommissioning an old hunk of concrete and windows, not even a shitty old lamp. You are decommissioning a man and his purpose. Aft—” She hauls in air, the inhale so rough I hear it from the hallway. “You are kicking a man when he’s down, after all he’s done for the seafaring people of this coast.”
Murmurs hum for a moment before Mullins clears his throat. “We can suspend the shutdown for another few years. But the lamp that’s currently in use will have to do. There is no budget for a new Fresnel, nor would the board approve a replacement this late in the game.”
“You’ve got to be—” Iris starts.
“Iris, this is a good deal,” the mayor says calmly. “Please talk it over with Callum.”
I swear I hear my little sister curse them out under her breath before the office door flies open and she strides out. She slams it, storming down the hall and throws me a glance that tells me all I need to know. I feel like the bad kid outside the principal’s office whose mother went ten rounds to save their ass.
Or something pretty damn close.
“Irry, wait up!” I take off after her.
She slows down and I take her elbow. “Thanks, I think?”
She stops now and lays her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Cal.” Her chin wobbles. She’s out of sorts over this. I know ourfamily has lived on and worked that island for decades, but it’s just that—an island.
Her bag—no, her phone—buzzes again.
With a sigh, she slides it out.
“I better take this, wait for me outside?” She offers a small, sad smile.
“Take your time.” I walk through the front doors and drop onto the seat outside.
Iris taps the screen and accepts the call, turning away from me. I make out a few phrases before letting my attention wander to my surroundings.
“...I tried, Em. Nothing, again. She’s not answering.” Iris’s voice ratchets up a notch.
I still, listening when I know I shouldn’t.
She’s nodding, but a hand rises to cover her mouth.
“Livvy tried her, too. She got the same as me. No answer. I have a bad feeling about this, Em. Nobody knows where she is.”
Iris turns, and her gaze meets mine. Surprise floods her face before something like regret sinks over her features.
“Shit. I gotta go.”
She pushes through the door, scanning my face as she stops in front of me. I look up and notice—for the first time since we left this morning—the dark circles under her eyes. The fatigue weighing her pretty face down.
“Who’s missing, Irry?”
Seven
EVIE
“Do you have any idea where you’re going?” I snap as the damp earth under my bare feet slips again.
Timothy pays me no heed, just as he hasn’t since we cleared the tree line, simply tugging on the bonds around my wrists. By my estimate, we are around halfway into the forest. In twenty to thirty minutes, we should reach the fishing hut.
My stomach growls.
I haven’t eaten since the night before last when he drugged me.
Not willing to experience another scuzzy jerk-off scene of Timothy’s, I have opted against food or drink. A decision that weighs heavier and heavier with every passing hour.
My head thumps from dehydration.
