Losing You (Finding You Series Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter Twelve

Dakota

Evil lurked, whether it was in hellish dreams thousands of miles away or closing the gap nearby. The night had brought with it the first hint of rain, altering the seascape to a wishy-washy grey with a splash of white on the caps of water.

Being curled into a ball for a good portion of the night had me feeling like a rusty pocketknife trying to open. My legs and arms resisted the stretch, forcing me to cringe with discomfort as I pried them open. The kink in my neck softened with a couple of good rolls, allowing me to sit up to assess the surrounding conditions.

Cloud cover with possible showers. That would ease the burden of my quest this morning. With no Plan B, it was imperative to find Daniel. I would need to push myself beyond my limits. I groaned at the thought. Yesterday had floored me. I didn’t know how I would do it all again today. My bones ached. I needed a damn hot shower. My teeth were furry. I hated it. And as for deodorant, pfft, let’s just say that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to underarm odor, even if it is mine.

I reached into my pocket and found the warm citrus fruit that was to be breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My mouth watered for the succulent flesh and juice as I peeled and sucked, peeled and sucked. It was as close to heaven as it was going to get today, so I savored every mouthful, enjoying it for as long as possible, thinking that if I didn’t find some other source of food soon, I’d have to start eating the bark off the trees.

The sun was low in the sky, having only risen a short time ago, so the early morning, cooler temperatures were advantageous for the search. My plan was to keep heading northbound until the end of the road or until Daniel was found. I was praying that I would stumble across him before then.

What made me think he was out there somewhere and not back at camp? Just a hunch. His eyes were different yesterday, like he was really afraid for his life. I’d only searched them for a flicker of a second but it was a look of “I can’t do this anymore, I’m done.” And well, it was understandable. Everyone had a breaking point. Some people just took longer to reach it than others.

Climbing further, the dense brush of the forest thinned out towards a peak and then disappeared altogether when the track steamrolled out. The vista was stunning. I could see for miles, left and right as far as my eyes could go. If I wasn’t feeling like a renegade on the run, I would have stopped and basked in its splendor. The harsh, ruggedness nature had preserved failed to tempt me as I started the hairy descent towards a long, uninhabitable stretch of beach. Going down was easier than climbing up, although on really steep parts I had to stop myself from somersaulting over the crutches and rolling all the way to the bottom.

I kept stepping on spiky seeds that had fallen off trees, cursing into the breeze, having to stop every time to let the sting fade. My feet were dirty, toenails needing a good cut. I would be in dire need of a pedicure and a good pair of shoes when I got out of this hell-hole!

I was chuffed at my grueling efforts when I reached the bottom, more than ready to park my backside again. Looking up at where I had come from, I couldn’t believe how high up I’d been. And to have made the descent on crutches was not only crazy, it was a miracle I hadn’t fallen to my death. I never would have attempted anything so silly if a child’s life weren’t at stake.

Hunger soccer-punched me in the stomach and thirst strangled me, but Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard was bare. I had nothing. Not even a piece of orange skin left in my pocket that I could chew on. It really was a sad state of affairs.

“Daniel!” It was worth a shot.

Moving out onto the sand further enabled me to look down the length of the mile-long beach.

It was massive. Not just long but wide.

A knot tied itself up inside my stomach at the sight of the rough waves powering in to shore. This was the closest I’d been since the accident. I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, fighting the tightening in my chest as I moved closer.

“Don’t think. Just move. Keep going. The water can’t hurt you anymore.”

I spoke these words over and over out loud, staying on the dry sand to make it easier on the crutches.

Halfway down a large bird sat digging for crabs.

I screamed again. “Daniel!” It was useless. The bird looked up for a second and then kept foraging. Only as I neared it did the shape change. Was it a bird? Maybe it was a seal. It was hard to tell. I wouldn’t have thought there would be seals on a tropical island. I associated them more with colder climates.

Something in me stirred.

I hobbled faster, fingers gripping tighter, legs burning like acid. My heart matched the increased pace. That was no bird! No seal either!

“Daniel!” Sweet Jesus! It was him! I’d found him. I almost collapsed to the ground.

I called out again and he looked up.

“Can you come here, please? I need to see you.” The thunderous surf threatened to drown out my voice.

He stayed put, looking up and out to the ocean. He obviously didn’t want any company but that didn’t deter me. I had come this far. I wasn’t leaving.

“I know you’re embarrassed and ashamed about what I saw, but it’s okay. I won’t judge you, Daniel. I’ve been a victim myself and I know what you’re feeling. You feel like you’re alone and that no one else understands. I understand, Daniel. I do. Please talk to me so I don’t have to keep yelling.”

“Go away! I want to be alone!” he hollered back, not letting his barrier down.

“Meet me halfway. I want to tell you some good news. I have a way to get you off this island.”

Those words had him look at me.

“Why don’t you come and talk to me and I’ll tell you all about it. I promise you can go back to being alone after I’ve finished.”

I waited a couple of minutes. It looked like he was going to make me go right up to him but then, tentatively, he rose and started closing the gap. His shoulders were slumped forward, causing his frame to appear infant-like.

He approached me and stopped a little distance away, looking everywhere but my eyes, so I took the steps he couldn’t.

“I’ve decided to leave the village and live over on this side of the island. I hate your father for what he’s done to you and I don’t want to be near him. I want us to be a team now. I know what you are going through. You see, Daniel, I too was beaten. Not by my father, but by my own husband. He used to hit me and torture me with cigarette lighters and then force me to do things to him that I didn’t want to.”

I swallowed the urge to cry. At least I had Daniel’s attention.

“I lived with the pain for years until he nearly killed me and I had to call my dad to come and get me. My family saved me and helped me get through it. I know that your family are the ones hurting you, but if you’ll let me, I’d like to be your family now. I want to take you away from here when the supply helicopter arrives. We can have a great life in the modern world. What do you say?” I had thought about it long and hard. I didn’t know if I was being selfish in my wanting to protect the boy and take him away from his home. My intentions felt right. I wanted to save him.

I could see his mouth shaking and knew he was on the verge of tears, so I reached out for him and drew him into an embrace. “It’s all right, Daniel. I’m here to help you. I’m not letting you go back. You don’t have to put up with that anymore.”

He clung to me, causing both crutches to fall to the sand. I had to steady myself and counter-balance against him to stay upright. He wept hard into my chest, letting me comfort him.

I kissed his head and brushed his fringe back from his tear-stained face, thrilled that he’d been found safe.

“Will you be all right?”

He nodded, still holding onto me. I let him cry it out for a long time, knowing he needed to let it out. He probably wasn’t allowed to cry to anyone back in the village. I imagined they would see it as weak rather than human.

“I have a wonderful man in America who will be only too happy to give you a good life: A life that you have only dreamt of. We’ll enroll you in school so you can mix with other kids your age. You’ll get to drive in a car, eat candy, and watch television.”

Listening to my own words, I only hoped that I still had a man to go to.

Daniel looked up at me with tear-stained eyes, as if all his prayers had been answered. “You mean it? I can come and live with you in America?” he asked, not entirely convinced.

I nodded, hugging his fragile frame, feeling the bond deepen. We held onto each other, craving the human contact.

“But where will we live until then?” he asked, finally pulling back. I reached down to get my crutches.

That was a fair question. I truly didn’t know.

Things would be pretty tough, having to catch our own fish and forage for fruit. Daniel would need to shoulder most of the physical work.

Silence marked our indecision before Daniel cried out with an idea.

“I know where there is a cave! We can stay in there and make it our home until we leave. My parents will never find us. Come on, I’ll show you where it is.”

His mood had lifted already, confirming to me that I had done the right thing by taking him away from his home. He would suffer no more.

Daniel led me back along the beach toward a rocky headland. It jutted out like a nose with a huge bump. I didn’t know how I was going to maneuver it. Had he forgotten I was on crutches? I stopped when we reached it, sighing with resignation. This was the end of the road.

Daniel was already halfway around when he turned to check on me.

“It’s no good. I won’t be able to climb over all those rocks with my leg the way it is.”

“Give me your crutches.”

“What? But I need them. I can’t move without them.”

“Please, Dakota. Trust me. I’ll take them and put them in the cave around the corner and then I’ll be back to help you. We’re nearly there.”

I was too tired to argue, so I handed them over and sat on a rock, watching him disappear, grateful to be sitting but feeling a little vulnerable with my crutches removed. I was so used to having them now. They were my security. My liberty. My liberty in a sea-shrouded cage. A cage that had just become so much smaller now as we were limited to our own corner of such an already small blip in the ocean.

Where was Daniel’s father? How far away was he? Was he watching us now? Would he even bother to come looking for his son? Something told me he would. It was just a matter of when. Sitting out in the open made me an easy target.

Hurry up, Daniel! Don’t leave me out here too long!

Not only was I nervous about unwanted visitors, I wasn’t exactly comfortable sitting this close to the ocean. My breathing had quickened, my back turned towards it so I couldn’t see the turquoise depths that haunted even my waking dreams.

Even with the cloud cover my brow dripped with sweat. Or maybe it was more to do with the incoming tide that I worried might sweep me away in my sleep.

Thankfully, Daniel’s sooty mass of curls came into sight minutes later. He chewed up the craggy rocks with little effort and reached me with calloused, outstretched fingers.

“Here, let me help you. Hold onto me and hop on one leg. We’ll go very slowly. When you need to get over the big rocks you can use your bottom and sidle along. It’s the only way.”

I wasn’t sure how to pull it off but was left with little option. We needed to get to the safety of the cave.

“What’s the matter?” His question was aimed at my hesitation.

“I don’t think you’ll be strong enough to hold me.”

“Just try, please!” It was an order more than encouragement.

“Hmm.”

Standing up, I put my arm over his shoulders and he eased his hand around my waist.

His broadness caught me off guard. Shielded by an oversized tee shirt, I had underestimated his size. He had always appeared slight. His spindly, short legs had failed to catch up with his expanding chest that bordered on adolescence. Hard work was shaping him mentally and physically. The boy was becoming a man.

“Hop!”

I hopped, still avoiding transferring all my weight to him. He held me fast though, not letting go, gripping my waist protectively.

“Again!” And so it went. On his commands, we inched forward, up onto small rocks and then down into watery pools, sitting to get over bigger ones, Daniel’s patience a virtue. Our new home appeared as we rounded the bend. Tall enough to stand in and wide enough to swing a cat in, it would suffice as our shelter and hideout. It was tucked away enough to keep us safe from danger.

Who on earth would ever come here? It was a marathon in itself. No one in their right mind would tackle such a trek.

On the home stretch, Daniel heaved me over the last hurdle before we both fell onto the soft sand just outside the cave, exhausted.

“How is your leg?” He panted the words out.

“My good one or the bad one? At the moment, both legs feel like two bad ones.”