WICKED PARADISE | JENLISA

TWENTY-THREE

LISA
***

MY HEARING HAD BECOME acute.

A so-called side effect of not having sight.

The barest of noises.

The faintest of sounds.

And I heard it.

I wished to fucking God I wasn’t locked up, so I could place myself in front of Jennie and keep her safe, but at least she was free. At least I’d given her a warning.

“Go, Jennie.”

“I’m not leaving you!” she whisper-hissed.

The noise came again.

Was it Drake?

No…too light of foot.

Was it a mercenary?

No…too swift.

“Who’s there?” I balled my hands, primal instincts crawling through my blood. I already felt stronger than when I’d first woken up. My fever had broken, and I could ignore the steady throb in my stitched-together leg. The rest of my injuries had become inconsequential. Simple scratches that didn’t require attention.

Despite the ending that awaited me—the possible fatal aftermath of my Tritec-87 concoction—I embraced the sensation of power. I welcomed back the use of limbs that’d become a hindrance rather than a help.

“Who the fuck’s there?” I growled.

“Shush!” The soft noise came again, the faint scrape of wood followed by a soft thud in the shadows. “It’s me.”

“Jealousy?” Shock rippled through me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Fuck, Cal would be pissed if he knew she’d put herself in harm’s way. I’d seen him watching her. I knew things he hadn’t divulged.

Jennie’s inhale quickened my heart, making me insanely aware of her.

“I saw the boat,” Jealousy said. “And I couldn’t stomach sitting around another day not knowing if you were okay. So…I swam here.”

“You swam?” Jennie asked. “On your own?”

“I didn’t tell anyone I was going. Arbi wouldn’t have let me.” Her voice softened. “I had to try. I knew the moment the boat appeared that it was you, Jinx. You’re too pig-headed and besotted to leave for good.”

Jennie’s voice teased with a smile. “Well, thank you for putting yourself at risk.” The pad of bare feet paced in front of my cage. “We need to find a key. Even a piece of metal to work the padlock.”

“Forget about me. Leave. Swim back to Lebah.” I searched for Jealousy in my current blackness, settling on speaking in her general direction. “How did you get in here? Take Jennie and go.”

“I came in through the window at the back, but two men are smoking outside now. It was only luck that kept me hidden.”

“Well…luck will continue to aid you. Take Jennie to the beach and swim away.”

“We’ve discussed this,” Jennie clipped. “I returned to get you. If I leave…you leave.”

“I’d be happy to, but right now, it’s not fucking possible.”

“Then I’m not going.” Her feet scurried faster, ducking to the corners of the villa and coming up empty. “No keys. No metal wire or tools to get you free.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to run.”

The tingling awareness of her heated me as she stopped outside my cage. “Did I run the last time you asked me? Did I run when you attacked me high on elixir? No. I didn’t. So stop asking me to because you’ll just get shitty at my reply.”