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“You’re going to tell me who told you about my sister.”
“Or what? You’ll tip the boat over?” The nervous chuckle in my throat dies with his deadpan stare. “You’re serious?”
The quirk of his brow sends a sick feeling to my stomach, and, on instinct, my hands fly out to the side, bracing on the edges of the boat.
“I don’t think I need to tell you what lies below the surface, chère.”
“You wouldn’t do this. That’d be crazy, and that’s not you. That’s not balanced.”
“I told you before that you bring out the crazy in me. Now, talk.”
“I can’t. Please, Thierry, just know this person isn’t a threat to you, okay?”
“You’ve no idea who is, or isn’t, a threat.”
“I’m just saying, you’re going to feel like shit if you dump me into the swamp for this completely miniscule bit of information.”
“I promise I won’t feel like shit.” Eyes on me, he prowls toward me, and I back myself to the bow of the skiff.
“Stop. Please. You’re freaking me out a little. Lot.”
Gripping either side of the boat, he rocks it back and forth, and a scream flies past my lips.
“Ever watch an alligator drag someone underwater? Scary shit.” He rocks the boat harder, and a lump shoots up into my throat.
“Please.”
He rocks harder.
“Thierry!”
Faster.
“Jo! It was Jo!” Something tickles my back, and on a scream, I shoot upright to find a snake slithering beneath the bench. The residual rocking teeters me back and forth. “Oh, shit!” Losing my balance, I stumble backward, just catching a glimpse of Thierry lurching for me. The edge of the boat scrapes against my calves, right before I crash into the warm, stagnant water.
The small bit of breath I have punches at my lungs, at the same time as a paralyzing fear claims my limbs. I will myself to swim upward, but my limbs feel heavy, like lead. A tickling of my calf sends me into a kicking frenzy, tangling my legs in something that leaves me inwardly screaming.
Something takes hold of my arm, and I expel the last bit of air, thinking it’s a gator. I fly up through the water and emerge on a gasp of breath.
With a tight grip, Thierry pulls me out of the water and onto the boat, where I collapse onto its floor.
Wheezing and coughing for breath, I turn to my side, until the first, long inhalation fills my lungs. In and out, I breathe through my nose, ignoring the godawful sulfur stench that clings to my skin. “Snake?”
“Cottonmouth. Tossed it into the water. Was probably a good thing you fell in when you did.”
“I lost my shoes.” Pushing upright, I glare at him from across the boat. “But I guess you got your information. Yay. I’m surprised it wasn’t obvious, given how snoopy the woman is.”
“I expected you to tell me it was Luc. He would’ve been the most obvious, even if he swore never to say a word about her.” Eyes lost to contemplation, the frown on his face deepens. “Jo’s never met Frannie. I’ve never brought her back to the boat. Boudreauxs have been on this island a long time, though, so it’s possible she knew my mom.”
“So, what does this mean? You threaten to dump the old woman into the swamp now?”
“Means I watch her more carefully.” He fires up the engine of the boat. “And don’t let you out of my sight.”
* * *
The warm water trickles down my face, as I tip my head back, rinsing my hair for the third time. With every long blink, I can damn near feel the jaws of an alligator clamped to my leg, or the bite of a venomous snake, and I shiver. I love nature, but this place is the home of things that slither and crawl, and I’m having a hell of a time shaking it off.
A warm hand slides across my stomach, and I flinch, snapping my eyes open as Thierry steps inside the stall, closing the door behind him. In the cramped space, his body crowds me, but he’s a distraction to the creepy-crawlies I’ve been imagining over the last twenty minutes.
