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After another short silence, the conversation turned to lighter things, and to his relief, the night went smoothly. Kira’s parents seemed to be softening toward him, and by the time he cleared the plates, his insecurities had disappeared. When he came back from the kitchen, Kiley was curled up in Molly’s lap half asleep, and Kira was digging through the diaper bag.
“We must have left it in the cabin,” Molly said. “Maybe we should just head back. Kiley is tired. She should go to bed.”
“We haven’t had dessert yet,” Kira said. “I’ll just run back to the cabin and get it. It will only take me a few minutes. If she falls asleep, we can put her down in one of the beds inside. I’m sure Max won’t mind.”
“I’ll join her,” Mary Beth said with a big yawn. “She and I can snuggle under thecovers together.”
“I’ll put the coffee on while you’re gone,” he said. “We can have dessert when you get back.”
When Kira disappeared into the darkness, the gleam of her flashlight all he could see, he turned to go back into the kitchen. “I’ll help you,” Molly said, shifting the baby over to Kira’s father’s lap. “You’ve already done so much already.”
Pleased with the praise but suddenly a bit nervous, he followed Molly into the kitchen, “That really was a wonderful meal,” she said. “Where did you learn to cook?”
“Honestly, I just picked it up here and there,” he said. “But I will tell you a little secret, cooking shows are my guilty pleasure.”
Molly laughed, “Well, if that’s as bad as it gets, I guess I can stop worrying about my daughter,” she said. “I promise your secret is safe with me.”
“Phew, that’s a relief,” he said, smiling at her. “And I just want you to know that you don’t have to worry about Kira being with me. I know how lucky I am to have her.”
Molly studied him for a second, then nodded her head, “You’re beginning to grow on me, Simon,” she said. “Kira might have been right about you.”
The ice broken between them, conversation flowed freely and it was a while before they carried the coffee tray out to the patio, along with the dessert he’d worked on for most of the afternoon. He figured winning over Kira’s mom was half the battle, and was feeling pretty good about the night until he noticed that Kira wasn’t back.
“Isn’t Kira back yet?” he asked, looking out into the darkness, hoping to see the bob of her flashlight. “It shouldn’t have taken her this long.”
“I was beginning to think that myself,” Dan said. “Do you think we should go check on her?”
Before he could answer, the walkie-talkie Max was neverwithout began to spit out a bunch of static, then a scratchy voice came on, “Max, this is Toby, I’m down at the marina, and we’ve got a problem,” the man said. “I think you’d better get down here right away.”
***Kira***
Kira smiled as she walked down the path, Kiley’s blanket slung over her arm, the flashlight beam lighting her way. Dinner was going better than she could have hoped, and it was beginning to look like she’d never have to see Edward again. She felt a little bad that Kiley would never know her father, but that had been his choice, and she hoped that someday her daughter would understand.
She was just about to take the turn that would lead her to Max’s cabin when a dark shadow standing under the trees caught her attention, and her heart began to pound. The island is safe, she told herself, but only a second later, the shadow stepped out into the moonlight, and she let out a little scream when she realized that it was Edward.
“Surprise, imagine running into you here,” he said, an angry glint in his eyes. “It must be nice to be able to run off to paradise. You must be celebrating ruining my life.”
“I didn’t ruin your life, you did,” she said, trying to stay calm. “You are the one who lied, you’re the one who had me fired when I refused to get an abortion, and you’re the one who tried to take Kiley away from me. Don’t blame me for fighting back and don’t blame me for winning. You’re unfit to be a parent, and the judge saw that.”
“You stupid bitch,” Edward snarled at her. “Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve done? Virginia is in the hospital because of you. She broke under the strain. I’ve been fired from my job, we’re going to lose ourhouse, and here you are living it up in Bermuda. But I know how to fix everything. The answer is so obvious, I should have seen it sooner.”
Edward slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket, and when he pulled it out, the glint of moonlight on metal made her heart stop for a second, “What are you going to do?” she asked, wishing her voice hadn’t started to shake. “You can’t just shoot me; you’ll never get away with it.”
“I’m not planning on shooting you. No, you’re going to have a little sailing accident,” Edward said, the evil glint back in his eyes. “This is just a little insurance that you’ll behave yourself for a change and do what I say. If you would have just done that from the beginning, none of this would have happened.”
“If you’re not going to shoot me, why should I listen to you?” she asked, stalling for time, hoping that she’d be missed soon.
“I may not be planning to shoot you, but there are a few people on this island I’d like to see disappear,” Edward growled. “Starting with your good buddy Mary Beth, she’s made my life hell. Now get moving. We’re going down to the marina and borrowing one of those pretty sailboats tied up to the dock. It’s just a shame that you’re too drunk and inexperienced to sail in the dark. I’m sure your funeral will be very moving. Let’s just hope they find your body.”
“Edward, this will never work,” she said. “No one will believe that’s what happened.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ve got all the details worked out,” he said, pulling a bottle of alcohol out of his pocket and waving it at her. “This will be found on the boat with you. That’s all it will take. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or should I go find Mary Beth?”
She looked in the direction of the Max’s cabin, “Oh, I know exactly where they are,” Edward said, waving the gun. “Just think how much damage I could do with them all right there together. Bam, bam, bam. I bet I could get at least three shots off before someone stopped me, I have nothing left to lose. You destroyed my life. Getting rid of you is the only way I can get it back.”
Not willing to risk the people she loved most in the world, she started for the marina. With each step, she thought about Simon and sent him a silent message in her head. “Miss me, miss me, come find me, come save me,” she thought over and over until they reached the dock and she began to give up hope.
Edward stopped at the first sailboat they came to, pulled the top off the bottle, and began splashing her with the ill smelling spirits inside. “Now get in there,” he said, pointing to the boat. “No, wait, untie the lines first.”
