Chapter Sixteen
Rogers had just circled what felt like the hundredth island, and Zach was second-guessing getting on the boat with his mom’s neighbor.
Did Rogers really know what he was doing?
Where he was going? Every now and then, he muttered something under his breath and crossed something off on a list he’d made.
This felt more and more hopeless. There was no way they could search every single island off the coast of Maine.
Besides, Rogers couldn’t have any more knowledge than the Coast Guard or the police.
Hell, the local lobstermen who were still actively searching for any trace of the Men At Work probably had more insider knowledge of where Pearson might have taken Marit.
Zach had always loved living on the coast. Found it beautiful.
Rugged. Peaceful. But now looking out at the water made him sick.
All he could think of was the fact that Marit was out there somewhere.
Was she right this moment treading water, trying to stay afloat?
Had Pearson hurt her? Had he done something more terrible, like weigh her down before throwing her overboard?
It wouldn’t be a stretch to think he’d tie a lobster pot to her ankles and push it, and Marit, overboard.
“Maybe we should go back,” Zach blurted.
Rogers turned to glare at him. “You giving up on her?”
“No!” Zach said vehemently. “I just . . .”
“You don’t trust me,” Rogers said in a flat tone. He didn’t sound offended though. “I get it. I’m not the nicest of guys. Neighbors. Believe it or not, boy, I actually liked your father. He was a good man. Worked hard. Minded his own business.”
Linc snorted. “At least one of you did.”
Rogers scowled. “As I was saying, I might be an asshole, but that doesn’t mean I’m heartless.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Linc said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Rogers.
“Sure, you let Harper and Kash come to live with you, but you’re charging them rent.
You disparage that kid so much, he’s afraid to tell you about anything he’s doing in school.
He has to come over to Lobster Cove to get the praise he so desperately craves.
That his own grandfather can’t be bothered to give him. ”
“The kid is gonna be stepped on his entire life if he doesn’t stand up for himself. If he doesn’t man up and find an interest in something less prissy!”
“Science is prissy?” Linc asked incredulously.
“You have got to be kidding me. Kash is smart as hell and kind to boot. And don’t think I missed you avoiding me bringing up the fact that you’re charging your own daughter rent.
She’s working her ass off just to make enough to pay for the things she and her son need, while you’re bleeding her dry on the side. ”
“She needs to understand consequences,” Rogers muttered.
“You really are an asshole,” Linc said with a shake of his head.
This was getting out of hand, and it wasn’t helping them find Marit.
“I’m not sure if I trust you or not,” Zach interjected, bringing the conversation back full circle.
“I know you have a lot of knowledge about the various islands and coves and things, but it feels as if we’ve been out here forever, and we haven’t found anything.
I just think maybe the Coast Guard would have a better idea about where Pearson might be. ”
“He could be in Massachusetts by now,” Rogers said.
“Again, I know what you both think of me, and honestly, I couldn’t care less—but I know what I’m doing.
There are more islands near here that I think would be smart to check out.
If we don’t find the boat, I’ll take you back to the dock and you can do whatever you want from there.
I’ll go home and continue to be the bad guy in all the scenarios you can think of in your little deluded world of sunshine and roses. ”
In any other circumstance, Zach might’ve found that funny. Anyone who thought the Youngs had lives full of nothing but sunshine and roses was seriously mistaken, but he wasn’t in the mood to find anything amusing right now.
“Fine,” he told Rogers.
“Fine,” Linc echoed.
It was obvious to Zach that neither he nor his brother was happy, but it wasn’t just that they were stuck with the neighbor they had a not-so-good history with.
It was because they felt helpless. Because they were literally standing on the deck of a boat doing nothing but frantically, and uselessly, searching the endless waters of the ocean for a boat that wasn’t there.
Meanwhile, there was no telling what Marit was going through.
Zach turned his attention back to the water around them.
Where was she? The longer it took to find her, the longer the search went on and they heard nothing from the dozens of lobstermen, the Coast Guard, or the police who were all on the water looking for her, the more dread rose within him.
He needed Marit to be all right. Needed her back.
Marit was being hunted. It was an unsettling feeling. But that was what she wanted. Needed. Lucas needed to be able to find her, needed to think he had the upper hand. Couldn’t have any idea of what she was planning.
The more time that went by, the more desperate the man was getting.
She could tell by the increase in anger in his voice.
He continued to yell threats as he stalked the island attempting to find her.
Told her how useless she was, how the lobster community laughed at her behind her back, how she might as well give up because her fate was inevitable.
Marit ignored him as best she could as she tried to lead him back to the top of the hill.
She thought of what she might say to him to make the man forget where he was, make him so desperate to get his hands on her that he wasn’t even paying attention to his surroundings.
It was a serious long shot, but it was all she had.
So she needed him completely focused on her.
She couldn’t help acknowledging the total absurdity of this situation.
She didn’t normally have to think of what she could say to infuriate someone so much, they’d literally want to kill her.
But if she didn’t distract Lucas, find some way to trap him in that hole, she might never see Zach again.
Wouldn’t get to live the beautiful life they were building.
But . . . she was tiring. And the sun that had been so bright and happy earlier was now hidden behind dark clouds, as if nature itself was affected by Lucas’s vile intentions. There was a chill in the air that she hadn’t felt before.
It was time to get this done. To lure the mouse into the trap.
Scrambling up the back side of the hill toward the makeshift grave, Marit cursed under her breath.
The boots she wore to keep her feet dry and warm in the boat weren’t meant for climbing up the sides of muddy hills.
She lost traction and slipped back down about eight feet before she was able to stop herself.
“That’s right, bitch! Get up there! Back to your hole.
You’re gonna end up there one way or another, you might as well make it easier on yourself.
If you cooperate, maybe I’ll have some mercy and just cover it with boards.
If not . . . there’s a lot of dirt that I can put back in that hole on top of you .
. . after I make sure you’re unconscious first! ”
Looking behind her, Marit saw Lucas for the first time since she’d fallen into that hole. His clothes were dirty, he looked like he was struggling with the hill and out of breath . . . but he still had the evilest smile on his face. As if he was enjoying the chase.
Doing her best to block out his words and obvious excitement, Marit dug her fingers into the dirt and scrabbled on her hands and feet, moving upward.
She hadn’t come this far just to fail now.
She wasn’t letting this asshole win. He thought she was some weak, helpless girl?
Well, he was about to learn that he’d underestimated her.
When she got to the top of the hill once more, she saw the boards Lucas had gone back to the shore to collect. They were lying haphazardly on the ground next to the hole.
Ignoring the shiver that went down her spine, and the loud cursing from Lucas as he attempted to get up the slippery hill—his heavier body weight was making it even tougher for him than it had been for her—Marit grabbed one of the boards and placed it across the hole.
Then she did the same with another, and another, covering the hole as Lucas had planned all along.
She had just enough time to throw a few handfuls of sticks and leaves on top of her work before Lucas made it to the top of the hill.
The second he saw her, his evil grin returned.
“There you are. You didn’t seriously think you could get away, did you?
You’re on an island, dumbass. There’s literally nowhere for you to go.
And since I have the keys to my boat, you couldn’t have taken it.
” He glanced at the hole he’d dug, laughing.
“You think covering it up will make it go away? You’re going in there one way or another, bitch.
Make it easy on yourself, otherwise your death will be so much more painful than necessary. ”
“Fuck off!” Marit shouted. She was tired, cold, and sick of his shit.
“Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you to deserve your bullying? Made sure the authorities were aware that your dad was endangering the lives of everyone who set foot on his boat? Hurting the lobster industry by keeping breeding females and oversize males? What a joke! I don’t deserve the lies and rumors you spread about me.
Your dad deserves your disdain for being a shitty lobsterman, not me! ”