15. FriendsEnemies?
Friends or Enemies?
Onyx
Havoc’s gaze was intense, dark pools that seemed to completely absorb me.
I couldn't read his expression—was it curiosity or something else entirely? I steadied my breath. “You scared me.”
He glanced at the grave I had just made. “You buried bones.”
“Three dead kids.”
“Do you know how they died?”
“I just know that their wrists were handcuffed and an adult set of bones was with them with a rotted out gun.”
“A scumbag trafficker making a delivery to one of these islands, as one would deliver pizza to a house on a Friday night.”
I frowned. “That’s what happens around here?”
“That and more.”
“How do you know?”
“I had to kill some of the guys that would want the delivery, and other times. . .”
“What?”
“I worked for them.”
I swallowed down hard as the weight of his confession sank in.
The rain had slowed to a gentle drizzle, the drops falling rhythmically around us. The stark reality of our situation and the man I was stranded with became even clearer.
He raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“How did you end up working for them?”
Havoc's gaze darkened more. “Desperation, greed, survival. Sometimes you make choices that you can’t take back.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Regrets don’t change the past.”
I studied his face, searching for any sign of deception, but all I spotted was demons.
Havoc stepped closer, holding out one of the coconuts. “Found these. Thought you might want one.”
“Of course I do.” I walked over to him and accepted the coconut, yet the weight of his gaze still remained heavy on me. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” Havoc glanced at the boat behind me. “We’ll use the boat and the raft to reinforce our shelter. It’ll give us some protection from the elements.”
I nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. And we have 6 ⒈／⒉ water bottles and 3 beers I found in the cooler.”
“Good find.” He put his view back on me. “We’ll need every resource we can get.”
I studied him. “How long were you standing there, watching me?”
“Long enough.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I wanted to see what kind of person you were.”
“And what kind of person is that?”
“A person who still cares, even when it’s hard. That’s rare in our line of work.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I looked down at the coconut. He’d clearly used my knife on the coconut to hack through the tough husk.
So now you know what’s in the bag. Will you use that gun to hunt on the island? Or will you use that gun to kill me?
The thought made my heart race.
I had been through enough to know that trust came at a dangerous price. In my life, I’d learned to rely on myself, to keep my guard up, and to always be ready for the worst.
On the boat, it seemed like we had found some sort of connection.
But here, on this desolate island. . .maybe things were different.
However, I had to remember that Havoc and I were bound together by circumstance and necessity. Our survival depended on each other, and despite my instincts screaming at me to stay guarded, a part of me desperately wanted to trust him.
I needed to believe that we could work together, that he wouldn’t use my own weapons against me.
I yearned for an ally in this nightmare, someone I could count on.
In silence, Havoc watched me closely, his eyes probably searching mine for any sign of what I was thinking.
Did he sense my inner conflict?
Did he share the same doubts and fears?
I looked down at the coconut. It’s rough, mottled brown husk was cracked open in uneven places, revealing smooth, creamy white flesh inside.
The hard, pointed edges of the husk showed signs of being hacked at with a knife.
So thirsty, I lifted the coconut up to my mouth and drank from it.
Oh my God. So damn good.
The coconut water was pure, clean and incredibly thirst quenching as it flowed into my mouth, leaving a hint of odd sweetness on my tongue.
Mmmm.
A dark chuckle left Havoc. “Can a bear do that?”
I almost choked on the coconut water and I swallowed more and then lowered it. “Fuck. I needed that.”
“You did.”
I began reaching inside and tearing at the white flesh, starving more than I ever have before.
Havoc followed my lead, reaching into his coconut, yanking away the bits of flesh, and eating it.
The taste of the coconut was sweet and nutty, and as I scooped out chunk after chunk, devouring every bite, I could feel some of my strength returning.
Oh my God. He’s right. The damn bear couldn’t do this.
Munching on coconut too, he kept his gaze on me and remained silent.
We must have done that for several minutes.
When I finally finished, I licked the last bit of coconut flesh from my fingers and looked at him. “I really mean it. Thank you.”
“No need. You will thank me later.”
Those words hung in the air, charged with a tension that sent shivers down my spine.
Thank him later? What the fuck does he mean by that?