Tempt (Take It Off #3)(41)
Author: Cambria Hebert

Please, God, let someone see.

Part of me was very afraid the storm would keep the rescuers away. Part of me whispered that this was it. We were going to die.

I wouldn’t accept that.

And I wasn’t going to hide.

I ran toward the boat graveyard, hell-bent on finding some sort of weapon. But my need for a weapon was momentarily derailed when I saw my suitcase. The one with Kiki in it. A small cry of relief ripped from my throat and I changed course, running to it, refusing to leave her behind.

I was so focused on getting to the object of my desire and getting something to help Nash that I didn’t hear him approach.

He pounced on me from behind, tackling me in the sand, his weight pinning me down.

I started to scream.

22

“Shut up,” he said as he flipped me over and pressed his hand over my mouth.

I froze and stared up at Duke. He was pale. His long hair was wild and he was soaking wet.

I bit his hand.

He howled and released my mouth. I brought my fist down and connected with his fragile man parts. He rolled off me and I scrambled to my feet and took off.

He caught me in seconds, spinning me back around.

“Why are you doing this?” I spat, looking around for a weapon. There was nothing here. I needed to get to the boats.

“Do you think I want to do this?” he asked. “I don’t. But I don’t have a choice.”

“I’m pretty sure you have a choice.”

“You’re right. I do… It’s life or death. Your death for my life.”

I swallowed. Well, I didn’t care for those odds.

My eyes wandered back to the woods and I thought about Nash.

“He’s a dead man,” Duke growled.

In hindsight, I realized that leaping at him to cause bodily harm was not the best idea I ever had. But even knowing how it was going to end, I still would have done it again. Anger bubbled up inside me and I clawed at his face and neck, desperate to inflict any kind of pain that I could.

He backhanded me.

I fell.

He dragged me across the sand, toward the rocks…

Toward the chains.

I started to fight. To kick and yell.

“Keep fighting, honey,” he drawled. “Those assholes love a challenge.”

I went limp. Revulsion rippled through me.

He slammed me up against the rocks and proceeded to clamp one of the chain cuffs around my wrist.

I struggled and kicked, swinging my free fist around and connecting with his cheek.

He stopped and looked at me. “I guess I deserved that.”

“Why are you doing this, Duke? I liked you.”

Regret shined in his eyes. Some of the determined craziness seeped away. He pushed his hands through his tangled hair, tucking it behind his ears.

“Do you know what it’s like?” he murmured. “To be trapped here, day after day, week after week. Alone. Knowing that no one will come for you?”

“I think I might have an idea.”

“You have no idea,” he growled.

“Then tell me,” I implored, tucking my free hand behind my back between the rock and me. I prayed he would forget one arm was still loose.

“They attacked my boat. They came out of nowhere, speeding right up alongside me. At first I thought they were just sailors passing through. It became apparent they weren’t the closer they drew. My little boat was no match for their bigger engine,” he said, lost in memory, his eyes looking far away. “I don’t know why they would waste their time on such a small boat. Why they would bother with a guy like me. I barely had any money. I didn’t want any trouble. I gave them everything and told them I would jump overboard. That I would likely drown on the way home. I wish I had drowned.”

“What happened to you, Duke?” I whispered, gazing at the scar in his eyebrow, remembering the scar I saw on his back.

“They kidnapped me. They forced me here to this island. I became their whipping boy. Their servant, their pet.”

He yanked off his shirt and threw it into the sand.

He turned, showing me the many crisscrossing scars that covered his back. Some were newer than others; some were raised and puckered.

Emotion clogged my throat. I knew then that these chains, the bloodstains on this rock, were likely his. I suddenly felt terribly sorry for him. “Oh, Duke.”

“They forced me to rob boats for them.” He continued, still showing me his back. I wanted to shut my eyes to the horrible sight, but I didn’t. “I don’t look like a criminal. I don’t look like a dirty pirate. They would use me to get close to boaters. I would pretend to need help and the owners would invite me onto their ship. And the pirates would converge. They would take over the boat. They would kill men and rape women.”

“All for money.” I choked.

“And then they would beat me. They would taunt me and say I would never go home.”

“But why would you do this to me? You know Nash and I… we wanted to help you. We meant it when we said we would take you home.”

He laughed. A hollow sound. “You’re not getting off this island. There is no getting away.”

“We will.” I insisted.

“They knew you were here the minute that plane crashed,” he went on. “They came to investigate immediately. Nothing happens on this island that they don’t know about. At first they thought you were dead. They saw your bodies and figured you hadn’t survived. It was only later when I saw you that I knew you’d survived.”

“You were nice to us. You showed us food.”

“You catch more bees with honey.”

“You pretended to like me…” I trailed away, my head spinning, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I felt stupid. Utterly idiotic for falling for his longing looks, his smiles, his teasing. He was trying to tempt me away from Nash this entire time.

Only I would never be tempted away from someone like him.

“I realized fast that wasn’t going to work. He was getting in the way.”

“Did you set that trap?” I glanced back at the forest. Things were too quiet.

“I had to get him out of the way. They only want you. They don’t want him.”

My anxiety spiked and I tried to get away. I strained against the chain that held me. I had to get to Nash. I couldn’t let him die. I didn’t care what happened to me anymore so long as he was safe.

The distant sound of a plane shocked me back from panic. “Help!” I screamed. “Help us!”

I knew they couldn’t hear me. I knew they couldn’t see me. But I couldn’t stop screaming. I screamed and screamed.