Copyright 2013 - All Rights Reserved
Hustle By Claire Chilton
25
Double-Cross
Ellie groaned and rolled off the bed. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but she remembered when her eyes settled on the old table inside the cabin. After the fight inside the volcano, they'd lost daylight. She and Jacob had returned to the village for the night, planning on leaving the island this morning.
They'd escaped from the volcano the same way that Meyer had got in, through a man-made opening in the same chamber as the chest. There hadn't been any mercenaries near the village, so a night in the cabin had seemed the safest plan.
I don't even know if anyone is still after us.
She peered through the broken window beside the bed. It was still dark outside with only a hint of sunlight beginning to rise over the horizon.
She glanced around the cabin. She was alone in it.
She rolled off the bed and pulled on her boots before venturing out of the door. Her mouth was dry, so she headed towards the well in the center of the village.
Jacob had told her to get some rest before he'd left to find a different cabin to sleep in last night. He'd been pretty quiet on the trek back from the volcano. He was probably thinking about his fortune and his father. It must have been a shock to find out that his father had been a criminal.
She wanted to talk to him about it. She wanted to talk to him about a lot of things. Her instincts told her that he had only been trying to protect her, but she was still recovering from him leaving her in the jungle. Even though she knew it was irrational because he'd saved her ass over and over again, she found it difficult to trust him.
Was there a treasure in the chest?
She shook her head.
Where would he have hidden it, in his pants?
She leaned over the well, dunking the bottle into it to fill it with water. She stared into the water, trying to sort out her thoughts. She was angry that he'd left her behind, and that feeling wasn't going away any time soon.
The bottle knocked against a mossy rock at the bottom of the pool. Some of the moss floated off into the water, revealing a shiny object beneath it. She frowned at the glinting rock.
She released the bottle, leaving it to float on the surface of the well as she brushed away the moss. Her eyes widened as the moss fell away to reveal a large heart-shaped diamond.
She stood up, staring at it in awe.
It's here! Did Jacob put it there?
She shook her head. There was no way that Jacob had the time to grow moss on the stone. It had been here for years by the looks of it.
Her pulse sped up.
All this time, it was here at the bottom of the well.
I should tell Jacob.
Yep, that's right. Tell him, so he can try to steal it from you again.
She frowned. She'd taken a chance on him before.
Yeah, and look how that turned out. He abandoned you in the jungle.
She stared at the diamond and chewed her bottom lip.
What would dad do?
Without thinking about it, she turned on her heel and raced to the cabin, snatching up one of the duffle bags before running back to the well. She paused for a moment, trying to decide if she was making the right choice. With a shake of her head, she scooped up the diamond and threw it into the bag.
Dad would get the fuck out of here.
She hurried out of the village without looking back.
Sorry Jacob. You had your chance, and you blew it.
***
By the time Ellie reached the beach, guilt was weighing her down.
She shook her head.
Jacob's a big boy. He knows how to take care of himself. He'll be fine.
You didn't even leave him a note.
Then he'll hate me. So what? He didn't love me enough to stay with me last night. He didn't love me at all. He was just using me for the diamond, just like his father used mine.
She scanned the shoreline and groaned. It was the opposite side of the island, and her boat was miles away.
By now, the sun was burning down on her from high in the sky.
I wonder if he's awake yet.
She stared out at the ocean, considering swimming around the island. She froze when she spotted a small yacht moored just offshore. She studied the boat's name, squinting while trying to read it: Serendipity.
Wasn't that the name of the other boat that Jimmy had rented?
She scanned the water. There were no other boats nearby. She turned back towards the yacht, widening her eyes when she saw Jimmy walking across the deck. He wore a straw sombrero and a Hawaiian shirt. On his arm was a busty blonde in a red bikini.
Jesus, check out Hugh Hefner.
She hurried across the water, diving in and swimming towards the boat. It didn't take her long to reach it. She listened to the conversation topside, trying to discover where he'd been.
"I dunno snuggle-bear." Cheryl's voice echoed from the deck. "Is it safe to go onto the island with all that shooting going on?"
"Bill's got it under control, and I need to find Ellie. She might be in trouble—actually, since it's Ellie, she probably is in deep shit." Jimmy's voice made Ellie smile.
"Fine, then I'm coming with you," Cheryl sounded serious for the first time.
"It's not safe," Jimmy said. Slurping sounds followed, and Ellie wondered if he was having a drink or if he was making out with Cheryl.
"I don't care! I love you, big bear man. I'm not leaving your side, ever!" Although Cheryl's devotion to Jimmy brought her a new level of respect from Ellie, she had to ponder her choice of nicknames.
Big bear man? Jimmy was five-foot ten and skinny with ripped muscles.
"Hey, you gonna invite me aboard or what?" Ellie called out.
Jimmy's face appeared over the railing, staring down at her in shock. "Ellie? You're okay!"
"Yep, but can we please get me the fuck out of here?"
Jimmy reached down and pulled her up the side of the boat, helping her aboard. "What happened? Is Meyer following you?" He gave her a tight hug. "You scared the shit out of me."
She hugged him back, feeling happy to be among friends again. "We need to get moving. I'll tell you everything later." She planned to talk to Jimmy once they got back to Florida. She wanted to find out what he'd been doing in her absence, and she still wasn't sure about Cheryl.
"Where's Jacob?"
"Uh, what?" She hadn't expected that.
"Bill warned us to stay at this side of the island while he dealt with Meyer's mercenaries. He's been keeping us updated over the radio. Did he find you and Jacob?"
"Um, no. Jacob and I had a falling out."
"A falling out?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow.
"Just trust me. We don't want to see Jacob right now."
"Then what do I tell Bill?" Jimmy folded his arms. "That guy saved mine and Cheryl's asses."
"Um, can't you tell him that you've found us via heat-source scanning or something?"
"What am I, an alien trophy-hunter with super senses? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Make some shit up, techie-geek-shit. You're good at that." She flashed him a winning smile.
"You're going to Hell, you know." He shook his head and turned towards the wheelhouse. "There's a special place for you there," he added as he walked over to the radio.
She followed him, still gripping her wet bag. "The one for liars?"
"No, the one for crappy liars. Fucking Predator heat-sources, I might as well tell him that I dreamt of where you are after doing a voodoo ritual that involved setting my ass on fire."
"Just turn this boat towards Florida, and then tell him we're at the village. It's about five miles away from this side of the island, due south."
She glanced at the shore. Her heart ached for leaving Jacob behind, but she'd made her decision when she left the village. This time the Heart of Fortune had won, and Jacob had lost.
Jimmy shook his head as he turned the boat around, heading away from the island.
She turned with the boat and watched the shore with a sigh.
Jacob will never forgive me for this.
She tried to ignore the lump in her throat, but it refused to go away.
At least I'll live to regret it.
Something tickled her neck.
She spun around to see Cheryl holding a lock of her hair.
"Wow, this soooo needs conditioning. It reminds me of Wookiee hair. You ever seen that movie about star thingies? I loved it, but not the Wookiee hair. All those split ends, gah! You know..."
Great, I look like crap.
Ellie slowly exhaled and closed her eyes, trying to drown out Cheryl's voice. There was a dull the ache in her heart. It finally hit her that she and Jacob were over. She'd broken her own heart this time.
Maybe I do belong in Hell.