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The beach was quiet, a stark contrast to the chatter of families enjoying their time during the day. Since the door had fallen off, it was now leaned up against the outside of the wall, making it easy to enter the dark space.
“Ro?” I called out. The shack wasn't big, but it was pitch-black.
An eerie silence hung within, a stillness. I planned on kicking Ro’s ass if he jumped out to scare me. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction, so I steeled myself and stepped back outside to scan the beach.
He wasn’t in the water, and I didn't see anyone sitting alongside the beach. I pulled his note from my pocket, making sure I read it correctly.
Maybe he meant a different day? Rereading it in my head repeatedly, I wondered if I was early since there was no time for when we should meet.
“Ro? Are you here?” I asked again, louder. I didn't care if anyone could hear me. The longer the silence dragged on, the more I worried about him.
What if he came out to surf and was swept under the current? What if something in the water grabbed him?
As I walked back toward the water, a single tear slid down my face as my brain ventured to all of the dark places it didn’t need to visit. I was imagining the worst, and with each vision, more tears flooded my eyes. Not only from worry but also from the added layer of realization that I actually cared so deeply for him.
“You know, I always liked it when you cried.”
I jumped and turned, my heart racing from the venom-laced words coming from behind me.
No. Please, no.
I licked my lips, praying it was a nightmare. I was frozen in place, afraid of what it meant if this was actual reality. I needed to turn and face him, but I didn’t want to see the man who’d plagued my nightmares for years.
The real monster.
Kane.
He chuckled deep, menacingly. “What, cat steal your tongue, little lamb? Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
“What are you doing here?” It came out as a shaky whisper. I still hadn’t turned to face him.
Fingertips slid down my cheek from behind me, and I jerked as chills crawled down my spine. Memories assaulted my brain, and I couldn’t turn off the trauma of all those years ago. His fingers glazed down my neck, rough against my soft skin.
Once again, I was the victim. The little eleven-year-old girl trying to hide.
Not much had changed. His fingers still felt the same—cold and disgusting. I suppressed another shiver, trying to drum up some form of strength since I was no longer a weak little girl.
“I decided on a little road trip to see my brother. He stopped answering his phone. He always answers his phone, so you can see my concern.”
“No.” My mind started racing. Ro had been communicating with him the whole time? Was it a game? Did Ro tell him I was here? It was a sick way to get revenge if that’s what he was searching for. I might have been the one who pushed for us to mess around, but he was the one who made me fall for him. My heart was now in the mix, and the pain for Ro betraying me and selling me out to Kane was worse than anything Kane ever did to me.
Rough hands grabbed my arms and turned me around to face him. I couldn't look at his face. I wouldn't.
“Look at me,” he demanded, and I shook my head. I couldn't. I couldn't see him. This had to be a nightmare.
His forefinger and thumb latched onto my chin and tilted my head up, so I had no choice but to glare at the monster in front of me. He smirked, and my stomach curled inside. Bile crept up the back of my throat, and I swallowed to keep it down.
“What do you want?” I asked, not wanting to know the answer but trying to give myself enough time to figure out a plan.
I wasn’t inside the shack. We were out by the ocean, so if I could get away, I could make a run for it. I wanted to scan my surroundings, but he was still holding my face toward him.
“I thought we could have a little fun. A family reunion of sorts.” He ripped his hand away from my face and pointed at the shack, grabbing my arm.
“It was you.”
“Me?” He feigned ignorance.
“You wrote the note.”
