Chapter Six
The journey to Alabaster Isle was surprisingly smooth.
Granted, I went into this with no damn clue how to drive a boat, and Dash had only done it the one time. But we figured it out.
Thankfully, Nikki’s boat is pretty straightforward.
Honestly, most of my anxiety came from making sure we were going in the right direction.
Not tooting my own horn or anything, but I’m sorta proud of how I was able to track down the coordinates.
I used Google maps and freaking math to get the location based on where I know the island to be—since it’s obviously not listed anywhere.
I knew my coordinates wouldn’t be exact, but we stocked the boat with more than enough extra fuel just in case we wound up sailing around aimlessly searching.
But that didn’t happen. My shit was accurate as hell, within about a half-mile. I’d call that a success.
Unfortunately, getting here was only the first part of this excursion. And I’m sure it was the easy part.
We dock on the southwest coast of the island, because it’s hidden from sight by a cliff of jagged rocks.
Good for us not being spotted, but not good for us now trying to figure out how to get up there.
It takes many minutes of hiking and climbing, but eventually we make it.
Dash and I are both in good shape and active, so it wasn’t as scary as I’m sure it could’ve been.
Still, it was one of a few fleeting moments, over the course of our travels, where I’ve frozen solid in a spiral of panic and holy fuck, what the fuck am I doing??
Bringing Dascha back here, delivering him right into The Ivory’s hands, after doing everything in my power to protect him from this very outcome for months, seems recklessly arrogant, na?ve, and just plain fucking stupid.
But then… This is what he wants. More than my own uncertainties, I will do literally anything in the world for him, and I’ll do so while ensuring he’s safe and happy because it’s my job. He’s my sole purpose.
So while it is probably pretty foolish to be setting foot on this island again, without the slightest clue what we’re walking into… My only concern continues to be supporting him, while protecting him from harm.
Nothing will hurt Dascha Reznikov. Not as long as I’m breathing.
“Oh, shit!” Dash gasps as someone dives out from behind a tree, grabbing him by the throat.
In a flash, my heart rate spikes, adrenaline taking over with a rage that blinds me. Everything is a blur as I lunge.
“Not another step,” a voice rasps from behind Dash, and all I can see is a dirty hand holding a knife up to my fiancé’s throat.
Dash’s hands are up, eyes wide with fright as I stand, powerless and shaking.
No. No no no no no… this will not happen. I will not let it.
“Move and I slice him open.”
Dash’s brows zip. His head turns as he subtly tries to peek over his shoulder at the person. “Felix?? Is that you??”
The knife falls away fast, and Dash whips around. I can now see who was just holding my fiancé at knifepoint. My shoulders drop just a bit.
“God…” The Carver breathes out steadily, taking a slow blink. “Fuck me.”
Then he launches himself at Dash in a different way, hugging onto him so hard Dash nearly topples over. Dash hugs him back, laughing and squealing, lifting Felix Darcey off the ground to spin him around.
It’s very cute, and I’m smiling. The burning fury of someone attacking the love of my life the literal second we stepped onto this goddamn island—and my immediate failing of my one job—melting into the warmth of this heartfelt reunion.
I know Dash misses his friends like crazy. Even before shit went dark here, when he would call every week just to talk to them, I could feel the longing myself. The way his happiness could only ever climb so high, because he couldn’t actually be with them.
I’ve missed the people here myself. Joy, Peters and Hancock… Shit, even Velle. When I worked here, I never in a million years thought I’d miss John Chevelle.
But here I am… Eager to see him, and make sure he’s okay. All of them.
Glancing around to see if he, or Rook or Joy, are about to come sneaking out of the woods too, looking like the kids from Lord of the Flies.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Dash whimpers, still clutching his serial killer bestie.
“Me… t-too,” Felix stammers, emotion shaking his voice.
Tears well in his eyes when Dash finally releases him and he gazes up at him from behind black-framed glasses, lenses all smudged and dirty.
The kid is fucking filthy. His clothes look like they were probably once a color other than brown, but now they’re so matted with mud, you can barely see the fabric. He has black smeared on his face, leaves and twigs all in his hair.
Dash looks him over, cringing at the dirt now staining his own clothes. “Are you… What the hell is going on??”
“I’m sorry, Dash.” Felix drops his face.
“I’m so sorry! I swear, I wasn’t trying to hurt you!
I’ve been out here for so long, and this island is crawling with cartel guys, so I just…
” He pauses to shake his head, giving Dash a puppy dog pout that’s pretty hilarious if you know the context—that he’s a vicious serial murderer.
“Fuck, I should’ve known it was you. From the hair… ”
Dash grins, and Felix huffs.
“I’ve missed you like crazy.” Dash beams. My heart is bursting.
Felix lets a tiny grin out. It’s so innocent, I can’t take it.
“I missed you too.” His eyes finally peel off of my fiancé and slide my way, cheeks flushing a bit. “Hi, Kellan Kemper. Nice to… see you again.” His lashes flutter. “You look great. You both do.”
I purse down my smile while Dash chuckles.
“You look…” Dash’s voice trails, and he blinks. “Like you should be on a fan boat while Fortunate Son plays in the background.” Felix laughs. “Seriously… Is Charlie all around us??”
“In a way, yea.” The amusement falls away, from all of us. “Seriously, though…” Felix’s face flings about. “We should move. The woods have more cover.”
“Felix, what is going on here?” I ask, my mind plagued with a million questions that need answers.
“Can you get us to Joy?” Dash asks. “To the prison?”
He nods. “Of course.”
“We haven’t been able to get ahold of—”
“I promise, I’ll tell you everything.” He motions for us to follow him. “It’s not smart to be out in the open like this. I have a spot… Come on.”
Dash and I share a look, sparing one last glance around the coast that seems clear, though we’re not na?ve enough to believe it. And then we scurry in between the trees, following the serial killer turned guerrilla soldier.
“We’ll help you get Lem back,” Dash says to him, in firm sincerity.
Felix’s eyes sparkle, a small grin sloping his mouth.
He nods. “First thing’s first. Let’s go to prison.”
Not that I knew what to expect coming back to this island—I had an inkling that the tensions between The Ivory and our side had finally reached boiling point—but I have to say, this is mayhem that has far-exceeded all of my expectations.
During our trek, Felix tells us everything he knows, and it’s pretty upsetting.
We’ve seemingly stepped into a dystopian nightmare.
Between the state of the prison, snipers keeping watch, the constant gunfire, cartel soldiers everywhere, and The Carver lurking in the woods with a Bowie knife, I think it’s very unsafe to say that we haven’t the slightest clue what we’re doing.
Luckily for us, though, Team Velle does.
We make it to the old armory with no issue—it’s always been our rendezvous point should anything go wrong, so I’m not surprised they’re using it now—aside from having to take cover at every snap of a twig.
We have no qualms following Felix’s lead.
He’s been out in these woods for weeks. At this point, he knows them better than any of us, despite my having lived on this island for over a decade.
I wasn’t exactly hanging out in the forest, although I would stray from my usual jogging path along the coast from time to time and cut through, just to check out the old armory, or marvel at the foreboding structure formerly known as the guard tower.
Us guards had a lot of thoughts about the tower over the years.
Mainly, how much of a waste it was that no one ever manned it, and how if we had been asked to man it, we wouldn’t have wanted to, because it was clearly becoming less and less structurally sound over time.
It’s one of those things that you sort of push out of your mind as something above your pay grade, but is admittedly a ticking time bomb you know you’ll have to deal with one day.
Would you look at that… We were right.
Some part of me always assumed Velle would just up and disappear one day. Clearly, I didn’t give him enough credit, nor did I know him as well as I thought I did.
We never really got along, but I tolerated him because I love Joy, and we worked together, and… well, that was it. Velle and I just sort of existed around one another, but we did that for ten years. And based on all that time, I’d thought I had him pegged.
I guess I didn’t… But Joy did.
Ha!
No, but seriously. The guy isn’t what we all made him out to be. The gruff and menacing exterior is just that, but underneath the tattoos and piercings and the facade of a cocky asshole who doesn’t give a fuck, is a true leader with a heart of gold.
Who knew.
Seeing the Pen in the state it’s in certainly helped cement this new reality we’ve stepped into. Dash and I are quick to adapt to change as it is, especially in high-stress situations. It’s something you learn in the Academy.
Not that I ever actually became a cop, but I almost did, and I remember everything I learned. About reading situations fully, switching off emotion and focusing on protecting yourself in order to keep those around you safe.
And Dash was a bank robber. So he’s good with being shot at. Among other things.