Chapter 14
I tossed and turned the entire night. Waking up in hot and cold sweats and then falling back to sleep, but only for short moments. Because every single sound sent me flying off the bed. Sent my heart racing and my thoughts spinning. Every time I woke up, I half expected to see Cam standing over me.
Fuck it.
I couldn’t sleep.
I needed to know where the hell Cam was.
I couldn’t just stay here like a sitting duck.
He probably knew where I was already, or if he didn’t know, he would soon.
I tossed off the covers and grabbed a pair of black jeans and my trusty brown T-shirt.
Then, shoving my black cap onto my head, I rushed out through the back of my villa and ran straight for the jungle behind it. It would make for great cover at night.
There were only eleven villas here, and I was going to check each and every one until I found out where the hell he was hiding.
I stopped at number 10 and walked around to the side of it, gripping the windowsill and pulling myself up so I could peer through the window.
The room was dark, but the full moon gave me just enough light to see who was inside. It wasn’t Cam.
I gave the next villa a miss, since I knew that was Victor’s, and checked the one after it.
When I reached number 7, I recognised the man immediately, but it wasn’t Cam.
It was my fellow birdwatcher. I watched him sleep for a few moments, couldn’t help it really.
What did he expect when he was built like that and slept without a shirt on?
‘Not bad,’ I said softly as I dropped back down to the ground.
Number 6, 5, 4, 3 . . .
Not Cam, not Cam, not Cam, not Cam.
A sinking feeling began to settle in, and it only got worse when I reached the second-last villa and there was still no Cam.
I sprinted to the last one, anticipation almost exploding out of me.
This had to be it, Cam had to be here. But when it was only my Louis Vuitton lady and her snoring husband, a sharp bolt of panic shot through me.
I never panicked. But this? Not knowing where Cam was?
It gave him the upper hand. And that was not happening, not on my watch.
I headed back into the jungle and popped out on the other side by the reception area.
My mind was racing; maybe there were other rooms here, not just villas?
Maybe there was a staff village where he was staying?
Hell, for all I knew, he could be camping out in the massive jungle that covered the centre of this tiny island.
With a final look around, I sprinted into the open, and then threw myself behind a pillar for cover.
When I’d caught my breath, I peered slowly around the edge.
One lonely staff member manned the desk, but with their head down on the table and loud snores emanating from them, I knew they’d be totally oblivious to me.
I walked softly into the reception area, scanning for anything worth exploring.
There were three doors off the main space.
One led to a small admin office – I’d seen it the day before while crouching behind the desk.
Nothing interesting in there. I pushed open the door on my left and found myself in a large unisex bathroom.
I rushed through it, flinging open every stall door as I went.
Nothing.
The next door led to an industrial-sized kitchen.
I searched it thoroughly, checking behind every possible thing there was to check behind.
I even looked inside the massive chiller unit.
Cam was such a cold-hearted bastard – possibly cold-blooded, even – that I wouldn’t put it past him to be lurking in freezing temperatures.
At the back of the kitchen, I found another door.
Flinging it open, I was greeted by a long hallway full of more doors.
Great. But after methodically checking each one, there was still no Cam.
I made my way back outside and jogged away from the hotel.
My best guess was that there had to be a manager’s house somewhere, or a staff village nearby.
I spotted a small sandy path disappearing into the thick undergrowth, so I decided to follow it.
I almost cried with happiness when I saw what it led to.
The small cluster of container-style homes had to be a staff village of sorts.
I jumped over the little fence that surrounded it, using the Keep Out.
Private Property sign to hoist myself up.
But ten minutes later, my enthusiasm had dwindled to less than nothing.
I’d looked through every window, picked just about every lock there was to pick and rifled through the biggest laundry room I’d ever been in, but still no Cam.
Where the fuck was he?
Maybe he was on the opposite side of the island, the side I hadn’t explored yet.
I started jogging again. The island was small, so it took no more than ten minutes to reach the other beach, and when I got there, I paused and looked around.
Everything was so empty, quiet and still, and for a brief moment, I allowed myself to take it all in.
The Seychelles was famous for its big, smooth boulders. They stuck up out of the sand and water like giant bowling balls. And with the light the full moon was beaming down on them, the rocks actually glowed. Okay, enough relishing the scenery, I had work to do.
Left or right?
Left. I continued my jog down the beach. I would do a full circle around the island and then comb its interior jungle palm leaf by palm leaf if necessary. But as I rounded the bend, I stopped.
Bing-fucking-go!
In front of me, a jetty that was home to at least five superyachts and a few fishing boats jutted into the water.
He had to be there. Surely he was there.
Anticipation turned my jog into a run as I dashed across the sand and threw myself behind one of the large boulders.
I crouched down and scanned the boats for signs of life.
But the dock was still, the only movements and sounds were those coming from the small waves and the palm trees swaying in the breeze.
All clear! I sprinted the last few metres across the sand before stepping onto the wooden jetty. The yachts here were like floating mansions, and at least two of them were probably worth at least $100 million each.
‘Shit!’ I looked at my watch. This was going to take a while.
The first yacht had five bedrooms and seven staff rooms, all of them empty.
I was lucky there wasn’t any kind of security here, but that was what you got on an exclusive island like this.
The people who stayed here weren’t expecting anyone to steal from them.
It took me another hour to make my way through all the yachts and the fishing boats.
Eventually I arrived at the very last one.
It was small. Too small to belong here.
I checked my surroundings one last time.
The coast was still clear. I kept my steps as quiet as possible as I made my way towards the final boat.
This had to be it. There was no other place Cam could be hiding.
My heart was pounding by the time I reached it, and I was just about to climb on board when—
‘What took you so long?’ A light flicked on, and I covered my eyes as it momentarily blinded me. I blinked, my eyes finally adjusting to the light, and that was when I saw him, stretched out lazily on the outside seating area.
‘I was starting to think you’d never come. You must be getting slower.’
‘And you must be getting sloppier,’ I shot back, my eyes flicking to the two empty beer bottles lying on the floor, as well as the dirty plate and discarded chocolate wrappers.
Cam swung his legs over the side of the seat and sat up. He stretched his arms above his head before cracking his knuckles.
‘You’re going to get arthritis,’ I said, pointing at his hands.
He smiled. ‘That’s an old wives’ tale. Like saying you have to wait thirty minutes after eating to swim or you’ll drown.’
‘I always thought that one was true,’ I said, finally stepping onto the boat.
‘Tell me, when did you last eat?’ I walked over to the bench opposite him and sat down.
He burst out laughing and then leaned back in his seat, and that’s when something caught my eye.
The faint glint of silver stashed under a cushion.
‘Planning on shooting me?’ I asked, nodding towards the gun.
Cam leaned back even more, making a show of being totally cool and casual. What an asshole!
‘Getting a little paranoid in your old age?’
‘You’d be surprised how many angry men who’ve just been caught cheating own handguns, or know how to hire a hitman.’
‘I wonder what Victor’s going to do when you catch him cheating. That is why you’re here, isn’t it?’ he asked with a sly grin.
I sat forward and looked at him. He’d given a little too much away in that statement.
‘Implying that I could be here for another reason? Implying that there is another reason?’ Now it was my turn to act cool and nonchalant. The power had shifted. ‘So what’s Victor got himself into? It must be a little worse than sticking his dick in the wrong place if you’re here.’
‘Wow. You still have such a way with words.’
‘What can I say, it’s a gift.’
Cam exhaled and stood up. I gripped the side of my seat and readied my feet to run. Or fight. Whichever came first.
He looked down at me and smiled. ‘I’m not going to attack you, Lizzy.’
‘Stop—’
‘Yeah, yeah, calling you that. Want a drink?’ he asked.
‘No, thanks.’ I watched him walk into the small cabin, returning moments later with a beer. He sat back down, cracked it open and took a sip. I looked down at the two empty bottles at his feet.
‘Looks like you’ve picked up a bit of a nasty habit since I last saw you.’