Page 82 of The Bridesmaid

HOLLY

I make it to be no more than a ten-minute walk to the dilapidated buildings I saw from the airplane, but the minute the jungle closes around me, the muggy heat seems to add lead weights to my ankles.

The trail is soft underfoot, littered with creeper roots and glossy oval leaves. Insects flit around. I bat them away, feeling sweat prickle my hairline.

‘I’ll bet Adrianna Kensington has an outfit for this,’ I mutter, trying to quell the rising anxiety of exploring the family island alone.

‘Holly! Wait up!’ I turn around to see Fitzwilliam jogging toward me, black hair in its usual tidy shape, and the barest sheen of sweat on his clear skin.

Much as I hate to admit it, relief floods through me. It must show on my face because Fitzwilliam’s angular jaw breaks into a smile.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve decided to break the law?’ I ask.

‘Ortiz and I get along pretty good. She might pretend she didn’t see if we get caught,’ he says. ‘Besides, you’ll probably need help getting in. There’ll be security.’ He pauses, taking in my outfit. I changed from the sopping-wet dress I pulled Silky out of the oceanwith, and put together an outfit from my new designer closet. ‘You could probably pass as a guest though,’ he adds.

‘I think I’m getting the hang of putting up with discomfort for fashion.’ I shield my eyes. ‘What do you think is on the other side of the “keep out” sign?’

‘Something the Kensingtons don’t want us to see,’ he suggests.

‘You should be a detective,’ I say dryly as we start walking. ‘Speaking of which, what’s your take on Adrianna and Mark going ahead with the wedding? I don’t understand why she and Mark don’t call the whole wedding off. Marry quietly somewhere.’

‘She’s got a lot of responsibility on her shoulders,’ says Fitzwilliam. ‘Probably doesn’t want to let people down.’ Something about the way he says it suggests he knows more about this than most.

‘You’re from a wealthy family, right? At college I assumed you were a privately-educated trust fund brat.’

He laughs. ‘Not all wealthy families are like the Kensingtons. But yes, I guess you could say that. Anyway, all I’m saying is it works both ways. You grow up with money, and a lot of privilege, but you also have a lot of not-so-good stuff. Like it or not, you’re part of this family, which someone made a big success of. The pressure is there not to mess that up. You’re basically born with a gratitude debt.’

I’m quiet, turning this over as we hike through the jungle.

‘Let’s pick up the pace,’ says Fitzwilliam, oblivious to the fact I am at aerobic full capacity. ‘With Mark Li landed, someone will realize who you are sooner or later. We need to find this grave or whatever it is before they catch us.’

Chapter Sixty-six

HOLLY

Fitzwilliam and I are deep into the jungle, swatting an endless cloud of bugs.

‘You’ve been on paradise islands before, right?’ I ask him, pushing a branch from my face. ‘Is there some technique for this?’

‘You wouldn’t usually trek off into the jungle,’ he says. ‘Unless you were on an early-morning nature-spotting excursion with a guide.’

‘Do you miss it?’ I ask. ‘The luxury lifestyle?’

He considers. ‘Not so much the lifestyle, but being dropped from the world I was raised for was tiring at first. I had no idea how to act in the police locker room or on the firing range. It was like a whole language I had to learn to speak.’

I consider this. ‘How do your parents feel about you becoming a cop?’

‘My dad pretty much cut me off,’ he says.

‘Are you serious?’

He shrugs. ‘Less yelling. But I get sad about it sometimes.’

‘Least you know your father.’ I decide, straightening up and leaning back to fill my lungs. ‘My mom’s family disowned her forrunning away with a musician to a New York squat, and he repaid her loyalty by leaving her, just after I was born.’

‘Sorry to hear that.’ His tanned forehead puckers as he sets off at a walk. ‘Explains your rejection issues.’ Fitzwilliam is striding ahead.

‘What rejection issues?’ I stop talking since he has come to a halt in front of me. There’s a small cinderblock guard hut, almost out of sight in the jungle. It disgorges an angry-looking man, wearing the security uniform of Elysium.