30
Rayne
Polaroid
A crid smoke spewed into the air as the wooden floor and roof of the stone house blackened in flames. The cloud cover was thick, but the sparse snowfall wasn’t enough to extinguish the fire I’d lit, fueled by the lighter fluid I’d drenched the interior with.
I’d removed the majority of my father’s belongings. They were currently heaped in piles around Salem, who was seated in a chair I’d dragged out here for her, wrapped in a thick blanket and sheltered beneath an umbrella. She insisted her foot was fine; I insisted otherwise.
A massive storm had shut down the island for the past twenty-four hours.
The temperature plummeted, and the first snow of the season fell fast and heavy, carpeting the ground and blanketing the trees.
The cold was vicious; the wind made it worse.
It had blown so hard, I’d woken up to several downed trees, branches and debris scattered across the property.
But despite the freezing cold, Salem refused to stay warm in the house as I returned to destroy the beast’s burrow, and the building with it.
So, after ensuring she wouldn’t freeze to death and was properly sheltered, I occupied her with my father’s possessions.
She was currently rifling through a moldering cardboard box—seemingly his favorite method of storage—her eyebrows drawn together in concentration.
I hadn’t kept all his shit for sentimental reasons; I would have preferred to let it burn. But I needed to know what else he’d been keeping hidden away from me.
I couldn’t get my mother’s words out of my head. The tape had never been sent, and I had a sickening feeling my father was responsible for that.
I’d never seen my mother look so afraid. I knew she and my father weren’t close, but hadn’t known she feared him, perhaps even more than I did.
We need to get out of here.
He opens the letters.
He’s watching me.
I was keeping an eye on the fire, but Salem and Loki noticed something at the same moment. Salem started, and Loki got to his feet.
“Uh, Rayne?” Her alarmed tone made me turn, my back stiffening when I spotted the figure striding toward us. It took me a few seconds to recognize who it was, and only then did I relax.
Andy was bundled up in a thick coat and boots, his beard dusted with snow.
“Having a bonfire, eh?” he called out. “Should’ve told me!
I would have brought the girls along with marshmallows.
” He gave an easy chuckle as he embraced me, then greeted Salem.
“Good to see you’ve survived your first real taste of Blackridge, Miss Lockard.
Though not without a bit of damage... ”
“Just keeping Rayne on her toes,” Salem said, entirely too chipper for someone in her position.
Andy glanced at me just in time to see me roll my eyes at her.
He looked at me for a long moment before cracking a smile and saying, “It’s good to find you in high spirits.
Lifts my soul a bit.” Gazing down the hill toward the smoldering fire, he said, “What’s happened with that? ”
“It had a burrow beneath,” I said. “Nearly took Salem. But it won’t be using that tunnel anymore. Doused the whole thing in gasoline.”
Andy nodded grimly. “Good. Glad the outcome wasn’t worse.”
“I know you didn’t come all this way for a chat, Andy,” I said, my concern growing despite his good mood. Sure enough, his expression grew more serious, his smile gone.
“Last night’s storm damaged the cell tower,” he said. “The phones are down across the entire island; internet too. With all the snow, it’ll take me a few days to get up to the north end of the island and assess the damage. Wanted to ask if you’d watch the girls while I’m gone.”
I didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll go.”
“Rayne, you don’t need to—”
“Your girls need you,” I said firmly. “Besides, I’m a better climber. You’ll fall off the tower and break your back, what then?”
Andy chuckled, but insisted, “I’m no doddering old man! Come on now.”
“Stay with the girls,” I said. “I’ll head out first thing in the morning, before the next storm moves in.”
We all glanced with trepidation at the dark clouds on the horizon.
More snow was coming, but the island needed to have its communication channels running.
Neither Andy nor I were professionals, but we’d climbed the tower in previous years to remove massive buildups of ice and snow.
When there was no one else to call, we had to learn to do things ourselves.
Andy huffed and puffed, muttering a bit before he finally said, “Alright. There’ll be supplies at the fire tower; you can shelter there from the storm.
Harness and ropes will be there too. You keep me updated, you hear?
If I don’t hear anything, I’ll come looking for you. We don’t need to lose anyone else.”
I nodded before I glanced back at Salem. I lowered my voice. “Can she and the dog stay with you while I’m gone? She shouldn’t be alone.”
“Course she can.” Andy patted my shoulder reassuringly. “The girls will probably lose their minds.” He added teasingly, “They keep calling Miss Salem your princess. Becca thinks it’s the romance of the century.”
I didn’t have the words to respond to that. My heart was light, and when I looked at Salem again, she smiled at me happily from her mound of blankets. I didn’t say it out loud, but I felt like Rebecca was right.
“Couldn’t I just go with you? Please? It’s only a few days.”
God, how had anyone ever managed to deny this woman? With those big eyes staring at me, that sweet pleading look, her downturned mouth—
“No,” I said, and it killed me a little.
We were in the lounge, with the fire blazing bright, keeping the room warm despite the near-freezing temperatures outside.
“You’re hurt, Salem. I’m not going to make you hike all the way out into the forest, climb all those stairs, and then sit in a cold firewatch tower.
You’re safer with Andy. Besides, when that storm moves in, I could be stuck out there even longer.
It’s not comfortable. You won’t like it. ”
“I can walk!” She immediately cast off her blanket and stood up, but I firmly pushed her back down.
“I swear if you keep putting weight on that foot, I’m going to strap you to the chair,” I said.
A fire lit in her eyes, as if I’d challenged her. “Good. Strap me down, I’ll be easier to transport that way.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Enough. Why don’t you tell me what you found in all these boxes?”
She sighed, pursing her lips as if she was debating whether or not to keep arguing.
“Well...” She was surrounded by open cardboard boxes on all sides, filled with heaps of books, papers, strange jars, and copious handwritten notes.
“Most of the journals are sermons, and related verses. There’s a lot of books written in French, which I can’t read, but I’m pretty sure they’re all religious texts too.
” She leaned over, grabbed a small box, and dragged it in closer.
“This one is cool though. Check this out!”
She reached into the box and excitedly pulled out an old Polaroid camera. Taking it in my hands, I smiled as memories came back to me.
“This was my mom’s,” I said. Bringing the viewfinder to my eye, I turned it toward Salem and she struck a pose. To my surprise, there was a loud click when I pushed the button, and an undeveloped photo emerged from the slot.
“No way, it still has film?” Salem said excitedly as I waved the Polaroid back and forth. The film was certainly old, and somewhat damaged, if the strange colors and water spots were any indication. But the sight of Salem’s silly, smiling face captured on film made me happy.
“I’m taking this one with me when I go,” I said, carefully setting the photo aside. Salem pouted.
“Take me with you,” she said again. “I won’t say anything the entire time.” I tweaked up an eyebrow skeptically, and she sputtered, “Well, I’ll try not to say anything!”
“I should just gag you,” I said, grasping her face and giving it a playful shake. “Tie you up and fill that naughty mouth with something else to keep you quiet.”
She smiled excitedly. “Does that mean I can go with you?”
“No.”
“But what if it finds you?” Her voice cracked. “What if you’re trapped up there in the middle of the night, and—”
“You want to know what I’d do?” I said, surprising her as I seized her, squishing her back against the couch. God, the way her eyes widened as she looked at me drove me wild. The excitement on her face, the lust, was enough to make me ravenous. “Do you think I can’t defend myself, pretty girl?”
Grasping her jaw, I tilted her head back, baring her throat. A slight, thin red scratch still remained from where I’d accidentally cut her. Reaching down, I unstrapped the same knife from my thigh holster and held it up.
She stared at the blade as its metal caught the light, her pupils enlarging. Her breath hitched, and the small movement of her throat made my belly do somersaults.
“It’s sharp,” I whispered. I pressed closer, my thigh squeezing between her legs.
Her hips moved in slow, hypnotic thrusts against me.
“I can use this knife like it’s an extension of my arm.
It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve defended myself.
” I came close enough to trace my lips over the shell of her ear, grinning when she shivered.
“I know how to kill. I’ve done it before. ”
Delicately, I kissed her temple, her cheek, her jaw. My breath ignited goose bumps on her skin. Her body drew closer to mine, her hands grasping my hips. Her breathing quickened, a silent plea on her face.
“God, you really trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course I trust you,” she said. Why did those words hurt, like darts piercing into my chest? “You showed me I can.”
She touched my face, in that gentle way that made me feel transcendent. I was not on this cursed island, in this haunted house, facing down the dark and lonely night. I was in my woman’s arms, and she in mine.