Page 15 of The Night Island

“By charging several hundred dollars a night, probably,” Talia said. She scrolled down, searching for the financial details, and stopped when she found them. “Nope. It’s not expensive at all. ‘The Unplugged Experience is dedicated to promoting the benefits of achieving harmony and balance in daily life.’ There’s a lovely mission statement.”

“Forget the mission statement,” Luke said. “I found some reviews. The Unplugged Experience has been operating for about six months. Evidently it hasn’t been a big success. No one seems thrilled by the meditation and labyrinth walking. One reviewer calls Clive Venner, the guru in charge, ‘a run-of-the-mill grifter with a New Age hustle.’ Says the System is just a worn-out collection of old-fashioned breathing and meditation exercises. But people do rave about the vegetarian cuisine.”

Talia looked up. “Really? So the food is good?”

“Apparently. If you’re vegetarian. One guest notes that ‘the homemade sourdough bread and mushroom pâté are to die for’ and another says that, ‘whatever you do, don’t miss the chocolate crème brûlée.’ ”

“Interesting.” Talia went back to her phone.

“What are you doing?” Luke asked, his voice sharpening.

“Trying to make a reservation,” she said. “I want to see how hard it is to book the Experience. Oh, wow. Not hard at all. I can get a room as early as tomorrow. Probably because it’s off-season. At this time of year tourism in the San Juans slows down. Hang on.”

“Stop, damn it. We need to talk about this.”

“In a minute. I’m making a reservation for three days, starting tomorrow.”

“That,” Luke said evenly, “is a very bad idea.”

A shiver of cold energy charged the atmosphere. She glared.

“I warned you not to try to manipulate me,” she said.

“I’m not—”

“Yes, you are. I realize you’re pissed. It’s okay to be annoyed with me. A lot of people find me annoying.”

“No shit. I wonder why?”

“For your information, I’m not feeling all warm and fuzzy toward you right now, either.”

“I’m crushed, of course.”

“I’m not joking, Rand. I don’t care if you’re irritated. It’s not okay to try to manhandle my aura or whatever it is you’re doing. If we’re going to work together there will have to be rules. Rule number one is that you are not allowed to mess around with my energy field. Is that clear?”

He studied her for a long time, his eyes half-closed. She knew he was once again trying to decide what to make of her and how to deal with her.

“Think of us as temporary allies,” she suggested in an effort to be helpful.

Luke blinked.

She smiled, satisfied. “There. See how easy that was? Now I suggest we stop wasting time. If you don’t like my plan to go to Night Island, can I assume you have a better one?”

“Yes.”

“I’m listening,” she said, trying to sound encouraging. It wasn’t easy, because she was pretty sure he did not have a better idea.

“I will book the Unplugged Experience,” he said evenly. “Alone.”

“Forget it. You don’t have the right vibe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She finished entering her credit card details, hit the submit button, and put the phone down on the table. “No offense, but you just don’t look like the meditation retreat type. No one will believe you booked a tech-free experience that consists of breathing exercises, labyrinth walking, and vegetarian cuisine.”

“I can fake it. Pay attention, Talia. I’ve got a few rules, too. Rule one is that you are not going to that island on your own.”

“It’s not like I’ll be walking into a mysterious Gothic castle on a remote island. The retreat is sponsored by a legitimate nonprofit organization.”

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