Chapter 20 – Everly

This is beginning to confuse me now.

I followed the directions James gave me to get to his place: head east out of town, down the dirt road, second left turn. But I thought I was there already. Now I’m wishing I had called a cab, because this road seems to go on forever.

Surely this can’t all be his land? There seems to be an entire forest growing here, and I still can’t actually see a house. Didn’t he tell me that he lived in a little wooden shack or cabin or something? None of this is making any sense.

What feels like several miles ago—but is probably just my mind playing tricks on me—I passed through a gate that looked like it might have been put there to mark the end of a long driveway. I was impressed, I have to admit. The gate looked old, maybe Victorian, but it had to have been taken from somewhere else because the pillars to either side and the wall that led off in each direction looked almost brand new. The sign on the gate said “No Trespassing,” but now I’m starting to wonder if I took a wrong turn and I really am trespassing. Nothing else would make any sense.

The woodland to either side of the road looks well maintained, as if someone keeps it tended all year round, but there’s still a natural feel to it. On the left of the road it sweeps up steeply on the side of the valley, but on the right, it appears to run flat. The silence here is so peaceful, just the occasional hum of insects or crack of a branch somewhere deep among the trees.

I run through what I have to say again in my head while I walk, imagining the possible reactions I might get from James. They want me to return to Texas right away... Will you come with me? He could laugh in my face at the very suggestion. What if the attitude I saw in him that first night really was the true James Morelock? What if he thinks that a woman should be a meek and mild thing, looking after the home, bringing up the children, dutiful and pretty?

No, surely that couldn’t be true. The way he’s been with me since, the respect he’s shown toward me... He’s encouraged my research, hasn’t he?

But then again, I know that he likes to dominate, to be in control. Isn’t a part of domination keeping the other person dependent on you?

No. I shake my head. The idea is preposterous. I know him better than that. I enjoyed the submissive role when we had sex, but it doesn’t follow that I’m submissive in everyday life. Far from it. That was a kind of release, and boy did I need it.

Okay, so what if he just says no? What if he simply can’t bear to leave his business? And isn’t his mom around here? He might decide that this—whatever this is—isn’t as important to his life as his home, his family, his friends. If that happens, I’ll have to respect that decision. But where does that leave us? Do I just go on home to Texas on my own? I guess that would be the only choice I’d have. We could try to keep things going, a long-distance relationship, but they’re notoriously difficult to maintain. Sooner or later, one of us is going to decide that it’s too much effort and break it off.

But what if he says yes? What if he takes a moment to think it over before agreeing to go with me—or, swoon, immediately kisses me and says he’d follow me to the ends of the earth and back? The thought is both exciting and scary. I can just imagine the look on my mother’s face when I introduce him.

A smile creases my lips at that thought. Oh, how she would hate it.

But is that the right reason to take him with me? But then again, it’s not the only reason. It’s not even any reason at all, just an added bonus. Because I want James. I can no longer imagine my life without him in it. And when I explain that to my father, he’ll grin and tell me how happy he is for me.

I turn a corner and finally see a largish log cabin standing in what appears to be a natural clearing. This must be the place. It’s well maintained from the looks of the outside, and there’s a big utility truck pulled up to one side. I had no idea James even had a car at all, but that definitely fits my expectations. What doesn’t fit my expectations is the car parked alongside it.

A sleek black Cadillac.

There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s the same one that followed me the morning after I arrived here. I shiver despite the warmth as I think about the cold manner of the man who confronted me, the money he offered me. What’s he doing here? Oh God, I hope I haven’t put James in danger!

I quicken my pace, staying to the side of the road, so that as I get close, I can see inside the window, panicking the whole time that I might see James inside with a gun to his head or bloodied and beaten. If anything has happened to him, I will pursue Trenton Investments through every court in the country.

Then I pause.

As the sun passes behind a cloud, the glare on the window disappears, and I see right inside. And what I see doesn’t make any sense. There’s James and the man who owns the Cadillac parked outside. They’re standing together in the middle of the room, and neither one looks unhappy about being there. I can see the bald man clearly, his face relaxed as he nods and says something, a slight grin playing on his face.

Then he leans forward, clasps James’s hand in his and shakes it firmly.

How do they know each other?

My mind is racing. What am I witnessing here? Is the bald man a family friend? An old acquaintance? No, too much of a coincidence. Then what?

The only explanation that makes any sense is the one that my mind is trying desperately to ignore. They’re in cahoots. James works for Trenton Investments.

I clutch at my stomach as the realization hits me. I turn to the side of the road, wanting to vomit into the undergrowth. That’s how he’s able to afford all this. He must have been in their pocket for months. Of course, they’d need someone here who knows the local area to assist them with the arrangements. It makes perfect sense. Oh God! That’s how he knew exactly where the hammerhead breeding ground was! I’m such an idiot. Did everything he told me about his sister even happen?

He must have thought he’d hit the jackpot when he realized I was attracted to him. String me along, get me into his bed, and all the while getting paid for doing it by the very people I’m trying to stop.

I retch, but my stomach is empty. I haven’t eaten in a while, so there’s nothing to bring up.

I have to get out of here before they see me.

The realization that I’m all alone out in the middle of nowhere, with one man who’s already threatened me and another that I clearly don’t know at all just a few feet away from me, hits me like a runaway train. Not knowing exactly where I’m going, I run into the woods, desperate to get out of sight. Who knows what they might do if they see me?

I have to get away. Is my research still valid if it was collected with the help of someone who was being paid by Trenton Investments? I’m not sure. Oh God, why didn’t I just stick with the arrangements the university had made? Lance Pollack might be an asshole, but at least he’s a trustworthy asshole.

As I run, branches cut my arms, but I don’t stop. The adrenaline is pumping through my veins. My phone. I whip it out, and it goes crashing into the undergrowth. As I scrabble around to find it, another thought hits me: James has been sabotaging my work ever since I met him.

It makes perfect sense. The problems with Lance’s boat, the eel knocking my air tank, the massive hammerhead. He tried to stop me from gathering my data, and then when that didn’t work, he tried to kill me.

I find my phone and punch in the number for the taxi company that brought me to town from the airport. “Hello,” I gasp, panting for air, panic gripping my chest. “I need a cab right away. It’s an emergency.”