I noticed Finley leave the house and approach me, but I tried to ignore him, wanting to be left alone. Being so isolated from the rest of civilization was utterly terrifying. I was stuck with a madman who was using me to get revenge on my brother. I didn’t have a clue what he would do to me—or how evil he really was.
Joseph, you better be looking for me.
If he didn’t come for me, I wouldn’t know what to do. Even if I killed everyone, how would I get off this island? Crewe had a helicopter, but I couldn’t fly one if I tried—no matter how smart I was. There wasn’t a boat, as far as I could tell. But Ariel must leave every day. Unless she lived there. Was she really his business partner? Maybe she was his wife. He didn’t seem like the husband type.
“Lady London?” Finley was an older man, his Scottish accent heavy. He had brown hair tinted with red and a few freckles on his face. He had to be in his late sixties despite how easy it was for him to get around.
I realized in that moment Crewe didn’t have a Scottish accent. It was American—just like mine.
Interesting.
“Yes?” I turned to him, feeling my heart soften when I saw the thick jacket and pair of binoculars he held.
“Mr. Donoghue was worried you might get cold out here.” He wrapped the jacket around my shoulders. Since it was three sizes too big and Finley was a petite man, I assumed it belonged to Crewe himself. “And he wanted you to have these.” He handed over the binoculars. “If you look along the rocks, you can see seals and penguins. There’s wildlife everywhere.”
“Oh…” I held the heavy binoculars in my hands and nodded. “Thank you.”
He nodded then headed back to the house.
It didn’t matter how cute and charming Finley was. I couldn’t let that sweet old man get to me just because he gave me a jacket and a pair of binoculars. My goal was to get off this island and back to my life. I belonged in the hot and humid city of New York. I should be doing my rounds at the hospital this very moment. Even if I made my way back there, I would still be missing lectures and rotations. Hopefully, the university would grant me some leeway because of the extreme circumstances.
I spent the next few hours walking around the island, appreciating the beautiful flowers and the unique grass. Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t deny how beautiful this place was. It was rich in botanical life.
I found a good spot along the cliff and watched seals swim around looking for fish. Some of them crawled up onto the rocks to enjoy the sunlight, their rubbery skin heating up despite the cold wind. The binoculars were helpful, and I found myself laughing when the seals fell asleep and accidentally rolled off the rocks and landed in the water.
“They’re funny, aren’t they?” Crewe was in his jeans and a long sleeved shirt. He sat beside me on the rock and looked down into the water.
The second he was next to me, I was on edge. My day had been peaceful until his presence ruined everything. I had to ignore some of the sweet things he did because he was evil underneath that pretty package. It didn’t matter how ruggedly handsome he was. If I had the opportunity to kill him, I would take it. “They’re fun to watch.”
“The other islands have Shetland ponies—it’s what the islands are known for.”
“Why?”
“There are a lot of breeders here.”
I placed the binoculars on the grass between us, just in case he wanted to use them.
“There’s a bedroom for you upstairs if you’d like to sleep there.”
I didn’t want to go back to that cage underground. There was no sunlight, no fresh air. It was freezing cold, and that cot was no better than the cement. Even though I was outside in the cold, having his jacket around my body gave me the most warmth I’d felt since I arrived here. “I guess.”
Crewe looked into the distance, staring at the deep blue ocean that stretched on forever.
“You don’t have a Scottish accent.” It wasn’t a question, but I didn’t know how to ask him anything. We were enemies, after all.
“I do.” Fluidly, he switched into a Scottish accent, pronouncing each syllable with perfection as if he’d been born speaking that way. “I also have a British accent.” He changed again, sounding like a lad from London.
“Why do you have an American accent?”
“Because you’re American. Thought it might make you feel more comfortable.”
“Since when do you care about making me more comfortable?” I snapped. “And why do you know all these different accents?”
He ignored my abrasive comments. “I work with a lot of different people in different places. Accents are important. They allow you to be accepted into different cultures more readily.”
“What do you do when you aren’t kidnapping people?” I asked, partially sarcastic.
“I have a lot of different trades. That’s all you need to know.”
“Good talk,” I said bitterly.
He stood up and extended his hand to me. “Dinner is ready. I came to get you.”
I stared at his hand then looked away, refusing to touch my enemy. Maybe he was nice now, but just the other night he threatened to rape me if I didn’t strip down and shower in front of him. I got to my feet on my own and grabbed the binoculars.
Crewe didn’t seem to care about my brush off. “Did you have a good day?” He walked beside me back to the house, his hands moving into his pockets.
“As good as it could be, I suppose.”
We spent the rest of the walk in silence and entered the house. Finley had dinner on the table in the dining room, a separate room that could house fifty guests. The table was long, hinting of ancient royalty. I eyed the old wood before I sat down, feeling awkward for dining with my captor.
A few candles were lit, and our plates were set in front of us. Our dinner was freshly caught fish and greens.
I almost didn’t eat it because I was disgusted that I had to eat with Crewe.
He ate quietly, not seeming to pay any attention to me.
“Is Ariel your wife?” I picked up my fork and finally took a bite.
“No.” He didn’t pull his gaze away from his food. “Why?”
“It just seems odd that she’s just your business partner.”
“Why?” He looked at me, his stare cold. “Because she’s a woman? That’s an awfully sexist comment coming from a woman aspiring to be a doctor.”
“That’s not how I meant it.”
“Oh really? Didn’t seem like it.”
“I’m surprised because you seem like a sexist pig. After all, I’m being held here against my will.” I gave him a look that conveyed just how much I hated him. “Let’s not forget that. We aren’t two friends having dinner together.”
“I’m not as evil as you make me out to be.” He sipped his scotch, an odd pairing with fish.
“I strongly disagree.”
“Joseph stole four million dollars from me. For some idiotic reason, he thought he was going to get away with it. When he took a job dealing with criminal intelligence, he knew his loved ones would be targets if he crossed anyone. And from my research, it seems like you’re his only living blood relative.”
I held his gaze and didn’t waver despite the emotion in my heart. My parents were killed by a drunk driver while they were out having a date night. A speeding car T-boned them into a tree, and they both died on impact. Joseph and I were just kids at the time.