Chatper 3

Rowan's POV

By evening, the yacht pulls into Carr Reef on my orders.

It's a half-developed island, small harbor, a few bare-bones dive hostels scattered along the waterfront. Nothing special.

The second we drop anchor, I have the crew haul Beau and Sadie's luggage straight onto the dock.

"Get off my boat. This is where your trip ends." I stand on the deck and look down at them.

Beau stares at his bags piled on the dock and finally gets it. This isn't a bluff. His expression shifts through half a dozen things before he forces out something close to a smile. "Rowan, come on. We don't know anyone here. Where are we supposed to go? I know I was out of line today, okay? I'm sorry. Sadie didn't mean any of it either, she's just young, don't take it personally."

"Too late." I look at him without any expression at all. "You can walk off on your own, or I can have security walk you off. Pick one."

"Are you serious right now?" The nice act disappears fast. "You can't just dump us on some random island. If something happens to us, that's on you!"

"You're grown adults. There's a hotel on this island and a ferry out of here. Buy your own tickets back to the States." I turn to go. "Say one more word and I'll call the police for harassment."

Sadie stomps her foot on the dock. "Beau, forget her. We're done begging. When we get back, I'm posting everything. Everyone's going to know exactly what kind of person she is."

I turn and go back inside without another glance.

That night, I check into the only decent hotel on the island, take a long hot shower, and sleep better than I have since I came back.

The weight of everything that happened before feels like it's finally starting to lift. I just need to stay away from those two, and my life gets back on track.

Except I underestimate them. I never learn how far they're willing to go.

The next morning, the steward's call jolts me awake.

"Rowan, we have a problem. The backup speedboat is gone. And there's something else…" He sounds like he's barely holding it together.

My stomach drops. I throw on clothes and get to the dock fast.

The back of the yacht is empty. The speedboat, dual-engine, a hundred-thousand-dollar boat, is just gone.

And that's not all. My dive gear bag, the satellite phone, even the first aid kit from the main cabin storage — all of it missing.

Stuck to the cabinet door is a note, written in lipstick:

"Rowan, since you want to play it that way, we're heading to Devil's Reef on our own. Borrowed the boat and the gear. Hope the island gives you time to think about how to treat people. — Beau & Sadie"

I stare at it for a second. Then I start laughing.

They walked right into it themselves. I didn't even have to do anything.

I had been ready to let this go. Cut them off, move on, never think about either of them again. And they went and handed me this.

"Rowan, should we go after them?" The steward is hovering, clearly panicking.

"Not yet." I take out my phone and dial the coast guard. "I need to report a theft. Someone took my speedboat and a significant amount of equipment, and they're currently heading into an uncharted danger zone."

After I hang up, I find Mack at the far end of the dock. He's been running these waters for decades, weathered and gruff, with a beard that's seen better days.

"Mack, I need to hire you. Two people took my boat out to Devil's Reef without a sonar, without any real gear. I need to go find them."

The name alone does something to his face.

"Lord. Are they out of their minds?" He shakes his head. "That reef is a nightmare. Rocks everywhere, currents that'll flip a small boat before you even see them coming. And that's before you get to the tiger sharks breeding out there, or the box jellyfish. You go in without a full protective suit and a shark cage, you're not coming back."

"I know." I look out at the water. "That's exactly why I want to go see for myself."

Theft. Stolen equipment. Trespassing into a restricted zone. There's a police report with their names on it now.

This time around, I'm making sure they rot for it.

Assuming, of course, they make it back at all.

That thought puts a smile on my face I can't quite shake.