Chapter 37
THEO
My body threatens to give out. I fall to the side, but something stops me, pulling tight across my chest. My eyes flash open; it’s too dark to see much, though I quickly work out I'm in one of the sheds near the back of the estate from the smell of hay in the air. When I look down, I can just make out a thick rope tied around my middle and thighs. At my back, there’s something rigid running up the entire length of my body, holding me fast. Pulling against the ropes does nothing, and when I try to wiggle my hands free, everything pulls tighter around my body.
My hand touches something cold and I jump.
Fingers—long, slender, and calloused brush against mine.
Grabbing hold of them tightly, my heart kicks in my chest. “Bay?” I whisper.
There’s no answer, and his hand is limp.
I realise that we’re both tied to a support beam, Bailey at my back.
I turn my head left and right, but I can’t see him at all.
“Bailey.” I shake his hand, but he still doesn’t answer me.
I can’t move.
Can’t breathe.
I promised myself I’d never let this happen again, yet within a few hours of finding out Shane is on the island, I’m right back where it all started—weak and useless.
The beam at my back is unmoving, and the ropes ungiving.
There’s nothing I can do. “Bailey, please! I need to know you’re okay,” I beg, feeling my throat closing up.
There’s a creak in the darkness, and light slices through a gap in the shed door as it opens.
Someone walks in, but it’s not Shane. The shape of him is all wrong—shorter, broader, older.
When he gets close enough for me to make out his features, my brain stutters.
Walking towards me is Dan, the temp we took on.
Hope ignites inside my chest, and I don’t stop to question why he’s here on my farm, or why he doesn’t look surprised to see me. I just want to get free so I can get to Bailey. “Dan, untie me, please!” My voice is desperate, scratching my dry throat.
Dan stands in front of me, his face blank and controlled.
Unease crawls all over my skin. Memories that have been a jumbled mess since my accident start piecing together.
Something in the way he stands—unmoving, staring right through me—reminds me of the figure on the boat.
I thought I’d imagined him, but now I put his face to the memory, and it clicks into place.
“You left me to drown,” I snarl. “What the hell are you doing here?”
The door opens more, and light floods the room, burning my eyes. Shane storms over to me, and my breath hitches in my throat as he gets so close we’re almost nose to nose. My grip on Bailey doesn’t falter as I stare down his brother. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Shane grabs me by my throat. “I want my brother back.”
Bailey’s fingers twitch in mine, and my body relaxes a fraction.
“He followed you the night you left. He chose you over me, when all I ever did was look out for him.”
I clench my jaw, feeling anger rip through me. My hand tightens on Bailey’s, and I feel him squeeze back this time, weak as it is. “You’re sick, Shane,” I bite out. He squeezes my throat tighter, cutting off my air completely. In my panic, I accidentally let go of Bailey's hand.
“Hey, not yet.” Dan mutters quietly. He grabs Shane’s wrist, and the hand around my throat is suddenly ripped away, causing an argument as they walk away, voices hushed.
“T-Teddy,” Bailey whispers.
Reaching for his hand again, I feel him squeeze it back with more force than before. “I’m here, mo leannan,” I soothe.
“I can’t be tied up,” he cries. “I can’t—get them off me!” he gasps, thrashing against his restraints.
My chest tightens when I realise the ropes are triggering him, and there’s nothing I can fucking do.
“Listen to me. I’m right here with you this time.
Try to focus on me, okay? You’re going to get through this.
Shane isn’t going to hurt you.” I’m not sure if that’s true, but I’m pretty sure I’m the problem here, not Bailey.
Shane wants him back, so he should be safe for now—I hope.
Shane turns to look at us and grins. “Oh, good, look who's awake,” he says as he walks around me. Bailey sucks in a sharp breath, and I feel him stop moving altogether.