Page 19 of Shielding Lexi (Temptation)

“Dunno man, wasn’t he with you?”

“Sure, but that was hours ago. We talked for a while, then I emptied the crab pots, and went to the shed to work on the boat, but he was gone. He said he might head back to the cabin to check the windows for damage, but I don’t see him around the house either.” Hawk scratches his beard thoughtfully. I’m amazed at how fast men grow facial hair.

“I’m sure he’s fine. It’s an excuse for him to spend some time cooling off alone. He can’t stand being cooped up with us day after day.”

Hawk kicks off his boots and sets his eyes on mine. “How are you doing, Lex? Sorry I had to leave you like that. I hope Kane took good care of you.” He eyes Kane, then me again, and I nod.

“We had a good time, actually. We played cards. I almost won, but Kane redeemed himself last minute.” I smile and bump Kane’s arm playfully.

“So you didn’t tell her you were a card shark, huh?” Hawk looks toward me, “Hopefully he didn’t steal too many matches from you.”

I smile. “Only all of them, but I guess they were his to begin with, so…”

“Well good,” Hawk says, kissing my cheek. “I’m glad you had fun.”

He barely gets the word ‘fun’ out before the door swings open and Reaper steps in. He stands in the doorway like a hulking, sopping, silhouette.

Water drips from his hair, and he reaches for the bath towel hanging by the door to wipe himself dry.

“Where have you been?” Hawk asks, emptying the bucket of crabs into the kitchen sink.

“I’ve been staying the fuck away from here, that’s where I’ve been,” he barks, stepping into the hallway toward the kitchen.

I don’t stay for the fallout. Instead, I slide back and away from the area, grabbing a paperback of Moby Dick and head into the bedroom. It’s apt reading for this situation I suppose. Though I still have both legs, I’ve lost my memory, and I suppose the whale that took it is Brick.

“What’d you have to yell like that for Reap? You spooked her,” Hawk spits as I hideaway in his room.

“Yeah? Well, the nightmare is almost over. I radioed the mainland and the storm’s gonna settle overnight. Pack your shit up. At first light, we’re heading to the mainland. We’ve got shit to do.”

8

Reaper

When the sun comes up, I’m like a rooster, crowing my ass off until everyone is in the boat. For the most part, they listen, barreling out of the cabin with tired eyes and straight faces. Lexi of course comes from Hawk’s room, the t-shirt she’d been bumming around in gone and replaced by the tiny black bikini she’s been using to enchant my friends. Good thing is, I didn’t hear much coming from their room last night, so either they’ve learned to keep things down, or they actually got some sleep.

I’m sure left to their own devices Hawk, Kane and Lexi’d spend another six months shacked up here, surviving on crabs, coconuts, and whatever we have left in the cupboards. But I’m ready to end this charade and get back to the mainland to figure out how Brick managed to trap another woman under his spell.

I hop into the boat first and start it up as Hawk and Kane help the ever-fragile Lexi into the belly of the yacht. It’s not a big yacht, but it’s a forty-foot vessel equipped to take on the open ocean and a rogue wave or two, though I hope by now, most of the storm has passed. That’s the reassurance I got from the coast guard anyway.

Kane reaches for the rest of the gear on the dock as I untie the lines.

“You’re moving like someone is chasing us, Reap. What the hell?” Kane says, just barely getting the duffle off the boards before I pull out of the boat house.

“Fuck man,” I growl. “You know we have a long ass ride. I’m just trying to get the hell out of here.”

Kane shoots me a stern look that says he doesn’t approve of the way I’m talking.

“What? You have something to say?” I ask.

He sucks in a deep breath and shakes his head as he dips below deck and I open up the engine.

I know they’ve just about had it with my grumpy ass attitude, and I’ve really been trying to calm myself down this week, but the latest news has me on edge. There’s no way she didn’t have something to do with Julie’s… I stop myself before I snap the throttle in half. Going down that rabbit hole is only going to piss me off. I need to keep my head clear until we get back to the mainland.

Refocusing my attention to the horizon, I follow the onboard compass north. There’s a musty after storm smell in the air that’s a mix of rotten fish and damp earth, but it’s still much nicer today than it has been. The sun is shining, and the sky looks blue again, which we haven’t seen in days. I stay driving silent for a long while, losing myself in the light squawk of birds diving into the water and the cool spray on my face. Hell, this is the most serene I’ve felt in a week.

“Can we talk?” Hawk asks climbing up on deck. There’s a shake in his voice and I’m already dreading whatever he’s about to say.

“What’s up?”

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