Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
Yosh
Yoga usually fixes all the turmoil in my head, but today’s class didn’t give me the peace I desperately needed. I murmur a few polite goodbyes and evening wishes as my attendees pass by, leaving me alone in the quiet meditation garden.
Adjusting my posture again, I inhale deeply.
Exhaustion and anxiety are a terrible mix. One wants me to shut down, but the other won’t let me. I can’t let either of them take the lead.
I focus on the chirping of a Venezuelan troupial, its call close to a pan flute—or maybe an ocarina. Tom would probably know which one it matches.
Just letting his name pass through my mind triggers a spike of wired tension.
Suddenly, everything irritates me. The fabric of my shirt scratches against my chest; my scalp stings where my hair is tied too tight. I tug it free, letting my bun collapse into something messier, less painful. Then I exhale, all the air leaving my lungs.
Ten years. Almost a third of my life spent becoming a surgeon, only to quit and leave it all behind because I’m scarred with an open wound that never stops bleeding.
But medicine doesn't let you walk away. You can leave the OR, but the vow stays. And on a small island like Avalon, when the hospital is short-handed during a code black, the choice gets made for you.
Losing that girl yesterday was something I knew I hadn’t been prepared for. But it happened, and the aftermath, being covered in blood, had released so many painful memories.
Last night I’d scrubbed myself raw in the shower.
This morning, the sting reminded me of how I lost myself.
Then, during yoga, my elbow had cracked open in a small, embarrassing bleed.
Falling back into that obsessive place feels like a failure. It’s something I thought I’d left behind years ago.
Apparently, I was wrong, and the storm had been too strong for my medication to temper it.
And just when I thought yesterday couldn’t get any worse, Tom came bursting in, throwing all of his messy emotions at me.
Anger. Fury. Betrayal. All of it, thanks to whatever crap Terrence told him.
It didn’t hit me yesterday, but as Tom had left for Calvin’s place this morning, it dawned on me that Terrence must have accessed Tom’s file.
I’m so glad I didn’t write anything down that Tom told me.
Even without that, Terrence had known exactly how to exploit Tom’s deepest vulnerabilities and his lifelong battle with trust and loyalty.
I keep hearing Tom’s voice in my head, yelling that Jay was right all along. To never trust anyone.
Terrence had taken advantage of that and broke down the calm space Tom had created with me. He’d intentionally hurt Tom for personal gain, and I’m not going to let him get away with it.
I’ll regroup, strategize, and once I make it to the big table, I’ll use every ounce of my influence to get that incompetent asshole removed from his position.
But that’s a battle for another day. Right now, I need to focus on Tom and me. On us.
Talking ethics and vows. What an absolute mess.
I roll up my yoga mat, tuck it into its cover, and sling it over my shoulder. I tug the strap tight as I walk out of the meditation garden.
I’ve already made a plan: shower, dinner, bed. Erin had asked me to come by her studio to talk through alternative treatments for her patients, but I canceled. I’m done for today.
Marina has a mango smoothie waiting for me at the bar. She hugs me tight and calls me a hero for what I did at the hospital yesterday.
I manage a weak smile. My head feels foggy, my thoughts even more so. I’m nothing like that, and hearing it only makes the haze in my head thicker.
I take a sip and keep walking. The hibiscus flowers are blooming. I wave at Anya, who’s peeking up from her fashion magazine. Bubba, the resort’s three-legged iguana, is basking on a rock. Just another perfect day in Arcadia, and I need to give it my all to keep up with that.
I step into the lobby area and freeze.
Terrence.
He’s right around the corner, talking to a blonde woman I recognize from my yoga class. I’m not sure, but I think her name is Stella.
I jerk back, pressing myself flat to the wall.
Best to wait until he’s gone. Today my emotions are all over the place, and I’m not doing last week again—security dragging me out, my job on the line, losing my dignity in front of half the resort.
I fold my arms and stare at the menu board, my eyes flicking between grilled chicken with vegetables and pasta Napolitana.
Macky’s grilled chicken is to die for. Italian comfort food sounds tempting as well.
Suddenly I hear Tom’s name.
What the hell?
I edge closer to the corner of the wall.
Stella mentions Tom again. I close my eyes, focusing on their conversation.
“Terrence, leave Tom McKenna alone. Trust me, you don’t want to mess with him.”
“Please,” Terrence scoffs. “I’m not threatened by some reckless lunatic who should’ve joined the 27 Club years ago.”
My hand flies to my mouth.
What?
“Trust me, you don’t want to get involved with that family. They’re dangerous, things won’t end well for you.”
She’s talking about the McKenna’s.
It’s no secret something’s off about them. I’ve listened, made notes, asked questions. There are gaps, things that don’t add up. But what the hell does she know about Tom? Why is she saying this to Terrence?
“You’re friends with him, right?” Terrence asks.
“We know each other from Amsterdam. Same scene, same parties. I’ve seen the ceiling of his bedroom more than once, but that’s all. No way I’m getting near that family.”
No. No. Not her and Tom. I don’t want that picture in my head.
“Tell me everything you know about that family. Why is he here?”
“Okay, this is all a bit crazy, so listen carefully.”
Stella pauses.
“The story goes that the entire family is either cursed or just really, really dangerous.”
Terrence scoffs. When I risk a quick peek around the corner, there’s a mocking smile on his face.
“Here’s what I know,” she continues. “One of Jay and Emily’s children died. Jay is Tom’s brother; Emily is Jay’s ex-wife. Their child drowned.”
Chris.
Fuck.
She’s talking about Tom’s son, but referring to Jay and Emily as his parents. Is this what they made the outside world believe? No one knows the twins are actually Tom’s? Does Evelyn even know Tom’s her dad? Tom never mentioned any of this at all. Oh God, this is messed up.
“Then things started to get… strange,” she whispers in a tone full of suspense. “About a year later, there was a fire. Their mansion burned to the ground. Joan and Evelyn—Jay and Emily’s daughters—and Jay’s assistant were inside when it happened. Are you following?”
Terrence nods.
“Thank God they survived the fire, but…”
She stops, and so does my heart for a second.
But what? What else don’t I know?
“Okay, here’s the thing. Since that night, Emily’s been missing. No one knows what happened. Was she in the house? Did she escape? Is she gone? I don’t even want to say my theories out loud.”
Emily is gone? She’s just… gone?
Her name in my journal just turned into a gaping question mark. And the way Stella speaks, it’s like she suspects the unthinkable.
That one detail Tom never mentioned changes everything.
A part of me wants to walk away and pretend I never overheard this. The other part wants to stay and hear every last piece of it.
“That family is next-level vile. They don’t let anyone in. No one. And whoever manages to get in won’t get out. Last year, their bodyguard was found dead in the canal after it was rumored he’d had an affair with Joan McKenna.”
“Bullshit,” Terrence laughs mockingly.
“No, seriously.” Her laugh comes with a macabre fascination.
“That circle is so closed off, they practically marry each other.”
She lowers her voice again, so soft I have to strain to hear her.
“I’m telling you, if the McKennas turn on you, it won’t end well. Tom is the sweetest, he has a good heart. That’s why they dumped him here, to pull himself together, because he’s weak, which makes their clan vulnerable. But Jay and his daughter Evelyn…”
She clicks her tongue. “They’ll do whatever it takes. And I mean ev-uh-ry-thing. Nothing is off the table when it comes to protecting their clan.”
Terrence stays quiet for a moment.
“So, Tom’s the weakest link? That makes it far more interesting.”
My hands start shaking. Tom? The weak link? He’s the strongest person I’ve ever met. They have no idea. None!
I squeeze my eyes shut and press harder against the wall to stay silent.
“Dont underestimate them,” Stella says. “These people play by their own rules. They will destroy you.”
Her voice quivers. She’s only seen the tip of the iceberg, and maybe that was enough to scare her. She said it herself: the McKennas don’t let people in.
There’s something in the way she talks about them that gets to me. It grips me tighter than fear ever could.
What does it mean to be a McKenna? To belong somewhere so deeply that loyalty becomes self-evident. To stand your ground, even when that same ground is poison?
On second thought, that’s not loyalty. That’s devotion. And with the McKenna’s it’s bound by blood and secrets.
They sound like people who would kill for each other.
What would that feel like?
I need to know what that feels like.