Page 419 of Coal Hearts

I supposed living surrounded by the ocean, Victor had his staff go fishing rather than import seafood. Did he have his own lobster pots and crab stores too?

Turning away from the staff preparing tonight’s dinner, I held up my hand to ward off the sunlight spearing off the waves.

Before me stretched an incredibly long pier.

Buoyant and locked together with black flotation pieces, they interlocked like a giant puzzle snake, stretching far out to sea. With every wave, it rolled and crested, riding the water with its interconnecting pieces.

Whatever vessel sailed in could dock without any worry of shallows and hidden reefs.

Farther down the pier, a few posts stabbed the sky with tethering ropes...

But no boat.

No way free.

Two Masters jogged past me, heading to the right and the sweeping cliffs. Victor had built his stronghold at the very top, leaving the downward run through the forest to spit us out at the bottom. Huge granite rockfaces towered above, acting like speakers for the roaring surf. The weathered stone dotted with white-feathered seagulls.

The Masters disappeared into a black crack, swallowed up by the island.

I swayed to follow.

“Ah, Henri, there you are.” Charles panted as he slowed to a stop before me. “Isn’t this fun?”

Swallowing down my sarcastic retort, I forced a smile. “You betcha. Great fun.”

He grinned and pointed to where the other Masters had vanished. “Come on. We better follow. I bet my ass our little gems are hiding in the cave system.”

“Just invite everyone, why don’t you.” Another Master pulled up beside Charles.

I didn’t recognise the guy, but he smirked and swiped back oily brown hair. “Peter knows how to get to the Temple of Facets. I reckon he’ll try to hide in there. But stop announcing it to the entire island, Charles. Less fun for those who find them first.”

“And what do you classify as fun?” I asked carefully, fisting my weapon.

The stranger chuckled. “Buy me a drink first, and then I’ll spill my secrets.”

Charles rolled his eyes. “That’s Kyle.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “And he’s right. Come with us, Henri. We’ll hunt together, but then it’s every man for himself when we find them, fair?”

My guts churned at the thought of teaming up with the same men I wanted to slaughter.

But...we’d cover more ground as a group, so...I nodded.

Once I found Ily, then I could deal with them.

“Fine.” I fell in behind them. “Let’s go.”

“That’s the spirit.” Charles slugged me in the arm, then broke into a lumbering jog. I could walk at his turtle speed. None of us spoke as we headed toward the cliffs and the shadowy crack just above the surf line. Waves lapped at the rocks below the entrance, frothing white and noisy.

Charles stumbled to a walk, breathing hard. “Damn, I need to work on my cardio. Can we stroll a bit?”

Kyle scratched his jaw, raking his fingernails through a thin chin strap. Skinny but strong, he reminded me of a feral chihuahua my old neighbour had. Tiny but absolutely lethal, with a stare that could frighten a fucking Doberman. “You’re a liability, Charleston.”

“I’m the liability?” Charles chuckled, coughing up a hair ball and spitting it on the sand. “You’re the reason Victor started with all his rules and cameras in the first place.” He rolled his eyes in my direction. “I was quite happy with my little needs. I could cut Dane in private, and no one needed to know. But then he came along.” He scowled. “Want to know who has a fascination with dismemberment? Him. That guy. Right there.”

Kyle threw me a smirk. “What can I say? I wanted to be a doctor when I was a boy.”

“Heaven forbid you ever become a surgeon.” Charles shuddered dramatically. “Your patients would walk out missing pieces.”

Kyle laughed. “Isn’t that the fun part?”