“Did you see the party?” Laney asked. She was still speaking softly, but she spat out the word ‘party’ like it wascursed.
I shook my head. “Nope. By the time I got over here, I had no idea where the fuck you’d all gone. I started walking around looking for you, but that island is surprisinglybig.”
“Yeah, Iknow.”
“I think I got a bit lost in the woods. But after a while I heard music, so I figured I was getting close. I started heading that way. Then I heard your voice. Turned my head and saw you sprint right past me like a bat out of hell, just a few yards away. I tried to go toward you, but there was a creek blocking my way, so I doubled back and headed for the shore, because it looked like you were heading there. That’s when we ran into eachother.”
“Oh.”
I turned my head over my shoulder again. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did someone try to hurt you at theparty?”
“Not really,” she muttered. “I just wanted toleave.”
I could tell she was keeping something from me, but it was also clear she wasn’t ready to talk about it. At least not withme.
I turned my head back to the front and rowed harder, sucking in deep breaths so I could maintain thepace.
“Why have you been watching me, Hunter?” Laney asked a few minuteslater.
“What?” I said, distracted by a freezing droplet of water that had just flown up in myface.
“You said you followed us tonight because you’ve basically been stalking me and saw someone take me,” she said. “Why have you been doingthat?”
“Because I’ve beenworried.”
“Why?”
“I’m always worried about you,” I saidquietly.
“Why?” she repeated. She was starting to soundmad.
I hesitated for a beat. “Because someone’s been trying to hurt you, and I’m worried they won’tstop.”
She fell silent afterthat.
When we made it back to the shore, I helped her out of the boat and carried all the stuff back over to the storage shed. Then I put my hand on the small of her back. “C’mon. I’ll walk you back to yourdorm.”
She remained silent, but she didn’t protest. She stiffened a little at my touch, though, which stung more than I wanted toadmit.
When we made it back to her front door, her brows pinched together. “Shit,” she muttered. “I don’t have my keycard. I’ll have to climb that ladder outside and go through the bathroomwindow.”
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” I said, reaching into my pocket for my wallet. I still had a copy of her card in there from when I stole it agesago.
As I unlocked the door, she murmured another ‘thank you’ to me, chin down and eyes on thefloor.
“Don’t thank me. I only have this card because I was an asshole and I wanted to break in to fuck with you,” I said, grimacing as a cold shard of guilt stabbed through myguts.
“I meant thank you for getting me off the island and bringing mehome.”
“Oh. It’s fine. I’m just glad I was there to help,” I said, giving her a tightsmile.
She gingerly rubbed at the scratch on her arm and looked up at me for a few seconds. “Seeing as you’re here now, do you think you could do me anotherfavor?”
The expression on her face suggested that I was the absolute last person she wanted to ask for help, but it was almost two in the morning, so I was the onlyoption.
“What is it?” Iasked.
“I want to stop my bathroom window from opening ever again. Just in case. Could you take a look at it and see if there’s some way that can bedone?”