Episode 66
EPISODE 66
MORAL COMPASS
Sebastian
The sun streams into my suite, and I open my eyes. After my talk with Alex last night, I tossed and turned. I didn’t sleep much, but I think I may have dozed off around three a.m.
Heather weighed heavy on my mind. I enjoyed my time with her, and another hard fuck with her may have helped me sleep.
But no. It was better to sleep alone last night—alone with my thoughts.
Damn. Misty. Jake’s half-sister. I’m not sure I’m buying her story yet, but River seems convinced. Says he could see Lisa in Misty.
River says he’s leaving, but I don’t want him to. The four of us are in this together. We’ve never had a weak link. We all played to our strengths.
Brett is the natural leader, full of charisma and confidence with a sharp, analytical mind. He’s grounded in his ability to think clearly, act decisively, and calculate every scenario.
Alex combines his creative flair with an academic approach. He’s always buried in books, eager to learn new things and apply his knowledge to create international bestselling novels. His blend of intellect and imagination always gives him a unique perspective.
River is the quiet strength. He’s always empathetic and I consider him the emotional core of the group. He’s a great listener and communicator, skilled at understanding and articulating feelings.
I’m the musician who brings an artistic flair different from Alex’s. The guys have always said I provide inspiration and relaxation, and I consider that a great compliment.
Then there was Jake.
The fifth and final member of the group. I still miss him. Still write lyrics in my head about those days.
He was the justice seeker who always stood up for what was right, always advocated for fairness and equality—our moral compass.
God, he and Brett butted heads on a daily basis, it seemed. Sometimes they fought like cats and dogs, but they always ended up shaking hands in the end. Different as they were, Brett always had a soft spot for Jake. Weird that he hardly mentions him at all now.
We’re all good men, and we’ve all had huge success, but each one of us has skated on the edge of Jake’s moral compass since that day when Jake himself threw his scruples to the wind and agreed to steal from Old Man Larson.
The day everything went to shit.
Everything that led us to this point.
Checkmate , as Alex said.
And now, Misty Holmes has crawled out of the woodwork claiming she’s Jake’s half-sister. I suppose she didn’t make that claim. She claimed she’s the biological daughter of Lisa Patterson from our hometown. What a fucking mess.
None of us had hit puberty yet the summer Jake spent with his grandparents, but even if he and his mother had been here, I doubt I’d have noticed if Lisa was pregnant. I didn’t pay much attention to what my own mother looked like. I certainly didn’t give any of the other moms the once-over.
I remember it was an unusually hot summer, so we spent a lot of time at the lake, and after the sun went down, we got out our lanterns. I plucked out tunes on my guitar while Alex read his adventure novels and Brett and River either played slapjack or chased fireflies.
We all missed Jake, but we didn’t talk about it. Sure enough, though, when summer was over and school was about to start, we welcomed him back with open arms.
Those were the days.
I rise from my bed and take a quick trip to the bathroom. I’m about to turn on the shower when a knock on the door startles me. I trudge to the door wearing only silk pajama bottoms.
I spy Evangeline through the peephole. She’s dressed for the day in black shorts and a dark-blue T-shirt but doesn’t have on her signature goth makeup. I open the door.
“Hey,” I say. “Everything okay?”
She nods, though she looks visibly fatigued, her complexion paler than usual. She places a hand over her lips and sweat beads around her hairline.
“I need to rework the schedule now that we’ve lost Rachel and Ginger. I thought we could talk about the options as well as...” She sighs.
As well as what?
She doesn’t offer anything more, and I open my mouth to ask her to continue but then think better of it. She’s up to something—she and Misty. Or she’s sick. She threw up two nights ago when I was in her room, and she looks like she’s been reincarnated as a rag this morning.
“Listen, Evie,” I say, “let’s take this morning off.”
“But I?—”
I hold up a hand to stop her. “I’m serious. Yesterday was a little crazy for everyone, and I don’t think any of us got much sleep last night.”
“But I thought we’d head to the mainland, maybe do some rafting. Plus hiking Dunn’s River Falls is a must.”
“That sounds like fun—for another day.”
She nods, and I expect her to leave, but she stands in my doorway.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask.
She swallows, again placing her hand over her mouth as if holding back nausea. “Please. I know we’ve had some setbacks?—”
I can’t help a scoffing laugh. “Some setbacks ? A woman almost drowned on our watch, Evie. And according to Alex, you told June that we said she had to leave the island, which was a complete lie.”
“June told me a ridiculous story,” Evangeline says, moving slowly from one foot to the other.
“You mean the one where she blacked out and ended up in a threesome with Misty and some guy?” I shake my head. “And you don’t believe her?”
“She insinuated that Misty might have drugged her. June is a bad seed, Sebastian. She clearly drank too much and is now trying to blame Misty for something she regrets. She basically came to my room and demanded that Misty leave the island. That’s not fair. Misty has just as much a right to be here as the rest of them do.”
“Does she?” I raise my eyebrows at her.
Evangeline doesn’t know I read her email from Misty. And she doesn’t know what Misty told River. Or maybe she does, at that. I don’t rightfully give a fuck.
“I can fix this,” she says, her voice wavering. “I swear I can. I just need more time.”
“We all need some time. That’s why we’re taking the morning off.” I pause a moment, rubbing my jawline. “But this afternoon, Evie, we’re going to have to talk about Misty.”
“I...can’t.”
“You can, and you will,” I say, policing my tone so I don’t sound threatening. “We put our trust in you. We’re paying you top dollar, and you brought someone here for your own gain. Someone who may have tampered with Rachel’s snorkeling gear...or worse.”
“June is lying,” she says.
“About what?”
“She has no evidence that Misty did anything.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I say. “But she has information that she brought to your attention. She thought you could provide her a save space to dispel that information. Instead, you accused her of lying and told her we were going to make her leave.”
Evangeline looks down at the floor for a moment. She sways, and I steady her. She’s clearly struggling with something, but I’m not sure whether it’s physical or mental. Perhaps both.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask.
She draws in a breath, holds it a few seconds, and then exhales. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”
“Good.”
She covers her mouth once more, and her throat moves as she swallows. “Sebastian, I can’t tell you right now what’s going on with Misty. I just need you to let her stay a little longer. Please.”
“If she stays, River will leave.”
“No, no, no.” Evangeline shakes her head. “River can’t leave.”
“Because he’s the one Misty wants.” I narrow my gaze at her. “Am I getting warm, Evie?”
Her eyes widen and she sways again.
“You need to see the doctor,” I say, holding onto her arm.
“I told you, I’m fine. Please. You’ve got to get River to stay here. To see this event to the end.”
“Why?” I demand. “Why is River so important?”
“You’re all important, damn it!” She leans against the doorway. “I’m staking my career on this event. I need all of you!”
I regard her, really look at her. I see truth in her eyes. Truth...and something else. “Brett told us about the high-profile match that went wrong. He said you were hungry. But Evie, I didn’t expect you to be this hungry. If there’s any evidence that Misty tampered with Rachel’s gear, or drugged her, or put her in danger in any way?—”
“She didn’t have anything to do with Rachel and Ginger leaving,” Evangeline blurts out, interrupting me. “ I did.”