Page 120 of Totally Wrecked
Rex.
I love him. I love him like I love Killian, Gray, and Leander.
But he doesn’t see me that way.
I put out a hand and he takes it for a moment. “Stay safe,” I say.
‘I love you’ remains unspoken.
LEANDER
We decide Killian will stay with the girls. Gray, Rex and I are so used to working as a team it makes sense that we are the search squad.
Now we’ve been trekking through this dense jungle for an hour. It’s hard going and we are drenched in sweat, but we are also filled with determination. We don’t stop to eat, we march on. Fueled by rage.
Rex leads, and I’m following with a sharpened wooden spear in my hand. Gray, behind me, carries no weapon but his giant meaty fists.
Rex is the tracker; he has the most experience from growing out into the wilds with his great-uncles and grandfather. The Ozarks is quite a training ground.
As we trek, we don’t talk, just listen for something human within the chorus of jungle sounds. Rex scans the undergrowth, his sharp eyes searching for any trace of Harvey.
"Harvey is no idiot. The plane is the most obvious place to check, but I doubt he is there."
“We should look anyway,” Gray says quietly. I agree.
The sun barely filters through the thick foliage, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor. The jungle is weird; I often feel like someone is watching me. Most of the time it’s a parrot or something like that, but now I picture Harvey lurking behind a bush, a satisfied smile on his face as we move past him. Fuck.
Suddenly, Rex stops, his eyes narrowing as he studies the undergrowth.
“Someone has been here recently.” He shows us where the vegetation is crushed, obviously by a human foot.
"Quiet now. It’ll be easier if we catch him off guard."
As we follow the trail, the jungle grows denser, its shadows stretching longer.
Finally, Rex raises a hand and we halt, crouching down at his signal. Ahead is a small clearing, and there, passed out under a tree, is Harvey fucking Bannister. Fast asleep.
“Well, well, well…” Rex says quietly, moving closer like he is going to kick the shit out of him.. Unfortunately, he is only wearing the homemade flip flops. Before he releases the kick, I put out an arm.
“We should take his shoes before we send him swimming,” I whisper.
Rex gives a grin and a brief nod. “I like it.”
Gray is done with talking. He moves into the glade, swiftly getting to Harvey, and in one movement, pulls the little turd onto his stupid toed-shoe feet.
I can hear the birds squawking in the trees, and whimpers coming from Harvey. He is pale, despite all the sunburn.
“You and I are going to fight,” Gray says. “We are not just going to beat you—you get to fight back.”
We haven’t discussed this. I’m not sure I'm OK with Harvey getting pulverized by Gray. I’m not sure if I’m OK letting Gray loose, letting his inner beast loose. He’s told me a little about his fucked up childhood and how he works so hard to not be like his dad.
But my fists are aching to lay into the fucker. And Rex gives Gray the nod.
“Yep. You and Gray are going to fight. The rules are,” Rex says, “if you put Gray down, then you get to leave on two feet. Then you use those two feet and swim to the next island, and that’s where you remain.”
I say nothing, just narrow my eyes.
Leaving on his own two feet? Not happening.
