“I will.” He sounded tired, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Which was to say he sounded exactly the way he always did. “But I can’t. Not yet.”
“Can you even trust this Kellerson? What if he’s leading you into another trap?”
“He’s not. I’ve made sure of that.”
“How?”
He didn’t answer, and Lara realized she didn’t want to know.
Will does what he has to. What he needs to. Like he always does.
That’s why he’s Will.
“No, don’t tell me,” she said. “What about Roy?”
“He should be back at the island in a few hours with a passenger. Her name’s Zoe. She’s hurt, so you’ll have to take care of her for me.”
“Carly warned me you’d find someone else out there.”
He laughed, and Lara couldn’t help but smile.
“We were sort of thrown together,” he said. “I think you’ll like her.”
“Is she okay?”
“She was shot, too.”
Who hasn’t been shot these days? Lara thought, but said, “How bad is it?”
“I wasn’t sure if she would live, but she’s a tough one. She was in one of those blood farms when all of this began.”
“How did you two meet?”
“She was working in one of the camps the collaborators were running. The one Josh was in charge of.”
Josh.
Lara still couldn’t believe it. Eighteen-year-old Josh, who followed Gaby around like a lost puppy when she first met them all those months ago. But as difficult as it was for her to believe that Josh had changed so much, it had been even more of an ordeal for Gaby.
Will’s hurt. Gaby’s missing. And Josh has become the enemy.
How did it all go so wrong?
“When I was shot, she saved my life,” Will was saying. “I owe her everything, Lara.”
“Then I’ll have to thank her when she gets here.”
“She’s a doctor, so once she’s better, she’ll be a big asset to the island.”
“Oh, a doctor. A real doctor, you mean.”
He laughed again. “It’s not like that.”
“No?” she teased.
It had been so long since she’d had the opportunity to have a little fun at his expense. The fact that he was still alive made her a bit giddy, and Lara was glad she was alone in the third floor of the Tower so no one could see. She could be herself with Will, but these days, other people expected more out of her. Too much, sometimes.
“She could never replace you,” he said. “No one could. Not in a million years.”
“Good answer,” Lara said. “Though I’m sure if she wanted to replace me, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge. She is, after all, a real doctor.”
He went quiet again, and she wondered if she had gone too far.
“Will, it’s just a joke.”
“It’s not that, Lara.”
“What is it, then?”
“You can do this. It’s in you to lead.”
“That’s not my job. That’s yours.”
“I’m just a grunt.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s true. I’ve always been just a grunt. Give me a gun and a target, and I can handle it. But you… You’re smarter and stronger than I’ll ever be.”
Her chest tightened. The way he had said it — so earnestly and with so much conviction, as if he believed every word of it with every fiber of his being. At that moment, she wasn’t sure if she should be proud or scared. It was probably a little of both.
“Danny told me how you handled the West and Brody problem,” Will said. “You did good, babe.”
“Thanks.”
“Just like I knew you would.”
“Then you had more faith in me than I did.”
“Don’t doubt yourself, Lara. You survived The Purge.”
“I was lucky.”
“It wasn’t luck. It was persistence and that strength I mentioned before. You have it in you to lead, Lara.”
“Will…”
“That’s why I know the island will be fine without me for a few more days. Or however long it takes to find Gaby. When I’ve done that, I’ll come home. There’s nothing I want more. Nothing in this world than to hold you and kiss you again.”
“You still love me?” she asked.
It sounded like something only a lovesick teenager would come up with even to her own ears. But she couldn’t help herself, and she wasn’t the least embarrassed by it. Not here. Not with Will.
And she had to know…
“More than anything,” he said. “More than anything in this world. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Absolutely nothing.”
His voice was steady, heartfelt, and she wanted to cry but didn’t. Because that was something a teenage girl would do, too, and she hadn’t been that in a long time.
She sat up straighter in the chair instead.
“Do you believe me?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said softly.
“But I need to find Gaby first. I have to try.”
“I know.” She took her fingers off the transmit lever and took a breath, then gathered herself, grateful for the cool wind sweeping into the Tower through the four open windows around her.
“Lara,” Will said.
“Yes…”
“I’ll see you soon.”
She smiled, pressing the transmit lever. “Go find Gaby, then come home. The island and I will still be here when you get back. I promise.”
Hours after her conversation with Will over the radio, Lara stood at the end of the pier and watched the pontoon through a pair of binoculars. Blaine and Bonnie were standing on the boat, with Roy and the woman sitting in chairs as they glided smoothly across Beaufont Lake. Blaine was behind the steering wheel, Bonnie leaning to one side, her long auburn hair blowing wildly in the breeze.
Lara smiled at the sight. Even on a fast-moving boat, her face splashed with too-bright sun and no makeup, Bonnie still looked like a supermodel that had just stepped off a runway. It was almost unfair for every other woman on the island.
“As milady requested, the infirmary’s ready for its newest customer,” Carly said, coming up behind her. “Though I have to say, it’s a good thing Roy’s bringing back medical supplies, because we’re running dangerously low.”
“I know,” Lara said.
Their dwindling medical supplies. It was one of the reasons Will and Gaby had gone out there in the first place. There were other reasons, but there was no getting around the fact that they had suffered too many injuries lately.
Everyone’s hurt. Everyone’s shot up. Every day, surviving gets harder and harder.
I could use you back here with me right now, Will.
“You know, there’s an easier solution to this problem we keep having,” Carly said.
“I’m listening…”
“Stop getting shot or stabbed.”
“Now that’s an idea. I’ll bring it up at the meeting later tonight.”
“I get credit for it, right?”
“Absolutely.” Then, Lara added, “Danny’ll be all right, Carly.”
“I know,” Carly said. “I just realized this is the first time we’ve really been apart, that’s all.”
Carly watched the pontoon coming toward them and absently played with her red hair. Lara was always surprised how much older her friend looked despite being just twenty. Carly had been a teenager when they first met, but then you grew up fast or you didn’t grow up at all these days.
Adapt or perish, right, Will?
Lara took Carly’s hand and squeezed. “He’ll be fine. The two of them out there? Those collaborators don’t stand a chance.”