Page 58 of Lucky 14

“The woman I came here with.”

Just like that, my bubble shatters, and cold, wet fear slides in. It erases the anger and brings with it another kind of spiral. A worse kind.

Oakley has a woman.

He has a woman.

As I process that information, I realize what that also means.

There’s a woman here. On the island.

Ice forms in my gut with a withering punch. I clench and unclench my hands, trying to regain control.

Control. Warmth. No fear. No dread.

One of my deals coming to this island is that women were never to be involved. That’s my hard rule. Everyone knows that. Wyatt stands behind it.

“You’re lying,” I say, my voice coming out soft. I clear my throat, saying it again in a gruff voice.

But Oakley doesn’t look like he’s lying. He just turns those pretty, sad eyes up at me in a look of hatred.

And I realize with horrifying clarity that he’s not lying.

I feel sick. The feeling crashes over every carefully crafted wall. The wave that’s been threatening all night plows into me and crushes my defenses. Then I’m caught up in it, unable to take a breath, unable to tell which way is up.

Alone. And afraid.

Like I try so hard not to be.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Nine Years Old

Sometimes, I think I can breathe underwater.

Under the water, everything is calm. Little pieces of dirt and grass shuffle over the blue plastic of the pool. And it’s quiet. It’s so quiet, but also so full. I’m not alone down here. It’s me and the water and a feeling of a big hug.

The water vibrates, and there’s the sound of dull yelling.

Dad’s out here.

Even in the hug of the water, something tries to wiggle in my chest. It feels like someone’s squeezing me so tight it hurts. My heart races in my ears.

I know what happens when Dad’s mad.

There’s nothing I can do. I just watch the dirt move left and right, left and right. Focus on the deep nothing.

Suddenly, I’m grabbed from behind and yanked out of the water, out into the air. The freezing air.

I gasp in my first breath. It’s hard after breathing underwater. It hurts.

Dad’s newest girlfriend, Erin, is there, holding me up, looking terrified. “Breathe!”

I do, but not because I want to. Because, when I’m not under the water, everything is so real again.

“Oh fuck, he’s alive.” She looks…upset. But not the kind of upset that she gets when Dad won’t let her go get her ‘stuff’. This is different.

“Demon boy.” Dad’s voice is deep and angry. I see him stomping across the yard. In his hand is…something. It looks like a folder.