Page 23 of Hunted (Desert Island Duet #2)

Unmarked Vessel Found Wrecked Off Madagascar Coast: Authorities Suspect Links to Notorious Thieves

An unregistered cargo vessel was discovered wrecked along a remote stretch of Madagascar’s coastline earlier this week.

Though no crew were found aboard, officials suspect the ship may have belonged to three wanted criminals: Mika Tuala, Sione Fa'amatu, and Tasi Vasa, all known for a string of high-value thefts across the Indian Ocean.

The trio has been linked to a violent robbery in Suva last year, where a local security guard was killed.

Authorities believe the men may have used the ship as part of their smuggling operation.

Stolen electronics and luxury goods were recovered from the wreck, but the fate of the crew remains unknown.

I scroll down and see a blurry image of the three men and gasp, dropping the phone on the table as I stare at it in shock.

Strong hands rub my shoulder and arm as they ask if I’m okay.

I lift my head to Reece’s concerned eyes. “It’s them.” He doesn’t ask, he already knows, but I nod in confirmation anyway.

Weston picks up the phone, and after a minute, he swears. “Fuck. How did you find this?”

“Ever since I got a phone back, I’ve been searching every article I could from around that time.”

I blink back tears at how thoughtful this is.

This is so much more than a simple gesture.

He’s given me some sort of closure. It explains why they took apart their raft.

They didn’t want to be found, and when they saw us surviving there decently well, they decided to stay.

And the fact that they killed someone and were thieves, confirmed what I already knew, that they were bad men.

The guilt I’d been holding onto for killing them starts to fade.

Taking a deep breath, I give Reece a teary smile. “Thank you. This means a lot.”

“I’m glad it helped,” he says, taking his phone back as they all go back to eating.

I lean back in my chair, letting myself feel a bit of peace for a change. After a few minutes of silence, I ask, “So, we’re just hanging out here until I can walk?”

“Pretty much,” Bower says, grabbing a second plate of food.

“What about your families? Did you get to talk to your mom and Hazel?” I ask, looking at Kingsley .

“Yeah, we both spoke to them a couple times, let them know it’d be a few weeks until we go back.”

“She was mad we weren’t coming straight home, but when we explained why, she seemed to understand,” Bower adds, and I wonder what, exactly, they told her.

Did they tell her about me? Did they describe me as a friend?

Or something else? I decide not to ask the question because I have a feeling I won’t like the answer.

How could they explain they were dating the same woman?

I may not have been in the real world in fifteen years, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know that what we’re doing is unusual.

“And your dad?” I ask Reece.

“Yeah, he’s been pretty good. He’s trying to get some of his allies to keep an eye on Frank, so he doesn’t go into hiding before we have concrete evidence.”

“That’s good,” I say, nodding my head. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the entire reason we all ended up on that island.

Well, not that we exactly know the reason, but we at least know it must have been sabotage.

It’s crazy to think that out there is someone responsible for what happened to me and my dad.

And it’s likely the same person who almost killed Weston, Kingsley, and Bower.

To distract myself, I start to ask questions about Madagascar and what’s around here, and if they’ve seen anything other than the hospital, but apparently Arnold is the one who did all the shopping for them, and they’ve pretty much been at my side the whole time.

They all offer to get me something else to eat, toast, crackers, a glass of milk, but in the end, I just take a room temperature bottle of water before Bower carries me to bed.

He and I brush our teeth together, and I can’t help but sigh .

“What?” he asks around a mouthful of toothpaste.

I rinse out my mouth before answering him. “I think this might be my second favorite part about being back in civilization.”

“Brushing your teeth?”

“The whole thing,” I say, gesturing to the sink and toothpaste. “Running water, toothpaste, toothbrush, and of course… floss.” I grin, lifting up the pack of floss.

“You know, your teeth look incredible. I would never have guessed you've been without a toothbrush for so long.”

“I was afraid of the dentist when I was younger. I had a cavity once and my tooth was so sore. So when I ended up on the island, I knew I had to do everything I could to try to keep my teeth clean. I was terrified of ending up with a toothache and no way to fix it.”

He finishes up while I’m talking, then cages me in where I'm sitting on the counter, his hands resting on either side of me on the marble surface as he pushes his body between my legs, forcing them apart.

“Have I told you yet today how amazing you are?”

My cheeks heat and I try to look down, but he grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head up so I’m forced to look at him. “I love you, Zee… Darla.”

Hearing my real name on his tongue sends a shudder through my body, my eyes flicking to his mouth as I lick my lips in anticipation. He slowly leans forward until he brushes the softest kiss across my lips, quickly pulling back as he assesses my face.

I grab his shirt and try to pull him closer, making him grin. Luckily, he takes pity on me and kisses me again. This time, it’s firmer, each press of his lips is languid and controlled, like he has all the time in the world to do this, and it drives me wild .

I try to speed it up, but he pulls back, chuckling. “Zee, baby, we can’t do anything more right now, you’re still healing.”

Feeling desperate, I pout a little. “I bet you could make me come without hurting me.”

Dropping his head back, he releases a loud groan. “You’re killing me, Tink!”

He steps back and narrows his eyes, wagging his finger at me in warning. “You’re playing dirty!”

Before I can respond, he gently picks me up and carries me to the bed, placing me in the middle before he strips down to his boxers.

I take the opportunity to admire him in the soft light of the bedroom. “You look more at home here,” I say, watching him climb into bed.

“Yeah? I’m better suited to this than the treehouse, huh?” He snuggles into my side, resting a hand on my stomach.

“Yeah, you all are. Not like me.”

“What do you mean? You don’t feel comfortable here?”

“It’s… just strange. Uncomfortable isn’t the right word. Unfamiliar, maybe?”

“It’ll take time.”

“What will take time?” Weston asks as he steps into the room carrying something, eyeing us snuggling on the bed.

“Zee getting used to being off the island.” He grunts in response, then steps up to the side of the bed.

“I thought you might want this. King brought it for you.” He passes me what I now realize is my bag, from the island. My eyes widen in surprise, I thought it got left behind .

I quickly look into it and my eyes instantly fill with tears. “Steve! McStabby!” I pull out my knife and rock and hug them to my chest as Bower rubs my back.

“Thank you,” I whisper, looking up at Weston as I blink away the tears of relief.

“Don't thank me, thank King.” He turns away and heads into the bathroom.

“Let’s put this somewhere safe, huh?” Bower suggests, taking McStabby and placing it on my nightstand. “You want to hold on to that?” He points down at the rock I’m clutching tightly.

I turn it in my hands and run my finger along his name as I consider it. It would be a little weird to sleep with a rock when Bower’s sleeping with me.

“You know, I only slept with him because I was lonely.”

“It’s okay if you aren’t ready to let him go yet.” He lifts his hand up to the side of my head, playing with a few loose strands of hair.

Maybe I don’t need him anymore. It’ll be strange to sleep without him, but now I’m not on the island, maybe it’s time for change. I need to relearn how to live in the real world again and it wasn’t like I had to sleep alone.

I turn my head to Bower, feeling a little nervous. “You’ll stay with me all night?”

“Of course.”

I nod, glance down at Steve, then pass him over. “Can you put him with McStabby, please?” He looks momentarily surprised before he wipes that expression away and smiles at me, taking Steve and placing him on the nightstand.

“I’m proud of you, Zee. ”

I smile at him, and we lay back down, staring at each other silently as we listen to Weston brushing his teeth. When he’s finished, he steps back into the bedroom and just stands there, staring at us.

When he doesn’t move, I flip the blanket up on the empty side of me and pat the mattress. “Are you coming to bed, big guy?”

That seems to be the invitation he needed, as he immediately pulls off his shirt and pants and climbs in beside me. His eyes flick over to the nightstand, and I see a flash of surprise on his face before he smiles down at me.

He gives me a soft kiss on the lips then mirrors Bower’s position, so they’re both on their sides, facing me with their large hands sprawled across me.

I try to keep my breathing relaxed, but it’s hard when I’m laying between two of the men I love in such a large bed, all thoughts of Steve long gone from my mind.

“No hanky panky, young lady,” Bower scolds, and I turn my wide eyes to him. Can he read my mind? “Time for sleep.”

“Is Kingsley not joining us?” I ask tentatively.

“He’s probably just talking to Reece, I’m sure he’ll be in later,” Bower tries to reassure me.

After a few minutes, Weston reaches back and switches off the light, then snuggles in a little more.