Chapter 46
Then
iris
Iris poured herself a glass of seltzer and lime and wished she’d had the foresight to appropriate one of the kids’ “Evian” bottles.
What the hell had Mac gotten himself into?
She found it hard to believe any man would blackmail his own son, never mind get a teenage girl to drug him to get leverage; but Colt Smith was not just any man.
He was a sociopath. They weren’t all wild-eyed serial killers; it was a spectrum disorder, like autism, with the Jeffrey Dahmers of this world at one end, and brain surgeons and tech moguls and corporate business leaders at the other.
And Iris had yet to meet a rich man who didn’t have a ruthless streak a mile wide.
People like Colt got to where they did because they acted without fear or remorse.
They had no conscience to hold them back.
They’d lie and cheat to get what they wanted, regardless of who got in their way.
Jesse wasn’t like Colt. Maybe sometimes he blurred the line between illegal and lawful, but unlike Amy’s father-in-law, he did actually care about people more than money, and he stuck up for his friends.
If he knew how Colt had pressured Mac to help them tonight, he’d be outraged. He’d want to confront Colt.
And Colt would not take kindly to that.
For his own sake, she had to make sure Jesse never found out.
She’d talk to Amy. See if—
—What the fuck!
Suddenly Iris was tumbling across the cabin.
All around her, people screamed as the boat rocked violently beneath them, knocking them off balance.
Bodies collided with hard surfaces, limbs flailing as everyone desperately tried to grab on to something.
It was as if they were in a plane that’d suddenly hit an air pocket and dropped two hundred feet.
Iris had no idea what was happening. She yelped with pain as her elbow connected with a porthole cover, and somehow managed to grab hold of the brass railing that ran around the cabin and regain her footing.
And then, just as suddenly, the violent, whipsawing motion stopped.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
‘What the fuck was that?’ Finn said.
One of the boys behind him snorted. ‘Guess Maggie Walker just sat down.’
‘Don’t be a fucking asshole, Con,’ Finn said.
Iris skewered the boy with a glare. ‘Another comment like that, Conrad Heath, and you’ll be swimming back to shore.’
‘Is everyone OK?’ Kate asked.
‘Darcey broke a nail,’ one of the girls called out.
A ripple of laughter ran around the cabin, relieving the tension.
There was a sudden burst of adrenaline-fuelled chatter as everyone realised the drama was over.
Something to retell and embellish and laugh about tomorrow.
No one seemed to be hurt, beyond a few minor bruises.
Iris could see Rose on deck at the top of the stairs, already scrolling through her phone.
People started to pick up plastic cups and plates of food that’d fallen to the deck, and one of the mothers opened a large black bag and circulated to collect the trash.
Iris rubbed her bruised elbow, thankful the furniture on the Lady was all bolted to the floor, or the mess – and injuries – could have been far worse.
Mac came down the stairs, ducking his head beneath the low cabin ceiling. ‘Everyone in here good?’
‘What the hell happened?’ Iris said.
‘Must’ve hit some debris in the water,’ Mac said. ‘No idea what. Can’t see a damn thing with all the lights out around the lake.’
Kate looked nervous. ‘Maybe we should head back to the marina, just in case.’
‘I wouldn’t worry about it,’ Mac said, already swinging back up the stairs. ‘The crew are checking things now, but it was probably just a tree limb. Any kind of movement or impact always feels a lot worse below decks.’
That wasn’t a branch, Iris thought. It’d felt like they’d hit a damn iceberg.
Kate went to find Maggie, passing Amy as she came back into the cabin.
‘Everything all right down here?’ Amy asked.
‘Well, I think it sobered everyone up,’ Iris said. ‘But we’re all good. What about you? Did you see what we hit?’
‘You can’t see anything out there.’
‘Maybe we should head back to the marina, like Kate said,’ Iris replied. ‘We don’t have to stop prom, but there’s no need to be this far from the shore now the sun’s gone down.’
‘That’s what I just told Mac,’ Amy said. ‘He’s talking to John Berry now. They have to be careful where they turn the boat. We don’t want to run aground on top of everything else.’
‘Surely we’re too far out for that?’
‘I’m not exactly sure where we are.’
Iris felt slightly uneasy. She didn’t like the idea of all that darkness rippling out in every direction. It made her feel simultaneously claustrophobic and terrified they might all spin out into infinite space.
‘Have you seen Finn?’ Amy asked.
‘Over there. Talking to Nicky.’
Ashley had come back into the cabin too, and was clinging on to Finn, clearly keen to be in his protective shadow.
Darcey was chattering away to her, but Ashley wasn’t listening.
She kept darting anxious glances in Amy’s direction, and Iris guessed the pale cast to her face had nothing to do with the collision.
She had no idea what her sister had said to Ashley out there on the deck, but it’d obviously made an impression.
Iris had zero sympathy for the girl. She’d seen the way she’d cosied up to Colt at Amy’s party; unlike Mac, Ashley hadn’t been railroaded into anything.
She was lucky all she’d had was an ass-reaming from Amy.
In her sister’s place, Iris would’ve punched Ashley’s lights out.
The boat began to roll gently beneath their feet.
‘Mac must be turning us around,’ Amy said.
Kate came back, losing her balance slightly as the Lady rocked, causing her to bump into Iris. ‘I can’t find Maggie.’
‘She’s out on deck with Rose,’ Amy said.
‘She isn’t. CJ and Rose are the only ones still out there. I just spoke to Nicky. Maggie was on deck, but she isn’t now. He came inside himself to look for her.’
Iris glanced about them. ‘She must be here somewhere.’
‘I’ve looked. I can’t find her,’ Kate said.
‘Maybe she’s in the kitchen. It’s so crowded in here, it’s impossible to find anyone,’ Amy said.
The boat was rocking more violently now, enough to send plastic cups sliding across tables again. Iris could smell the pungent scent of fuel overlaid with the musty, mineral odour of lake water. Odd that it was so strong.
‘I wish the boat would stop rolling so much,’ Amy said. ‘I’m starting to feel seasick.’
‘I think I might go on deck and find Rose,’ Iris said.
She had her hand on the rail, her foot on the first stair.
And then the water came rushing in.