Page 92 of Won't Back Down

His face lightened with dawning realization. “I guess it’s hard for you to come here after what happened that night.”

Fresh on the heels of the flashback, my blood chilled. “What are you talking about?” I struggled to maintain any sort of cool.

“Where you drowned. It was somewhere over this way, wasn’t it?”

Something in his gaze was all wrong. His features were set in a mask of concern, but I wasn’t buying it. Every inner alarm I had was blaring not safe. I had to find a way out of this car.

He kept staring at me, as if he expected to see… something. As I stared back, he finally sighed in obvious disappointment. “It doesn’t work anymore. I should have known it would wear off eventually.”

I shook my head, not understanding. “What doesn’t work anymore?”

His hands tightened on the wheel, the leather beneath his fingers creaking from his grip. “Your conditioning.”

“My… what?” What the hell was he talking about?

Roland continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “You remember, don’t you?”

“Remember what?” But I knew. Because I had remembered—at least part of it. My brain was busy peeling away the years. Roland had been a classmate of my mother’s. He wasn’t as old as I’d originally thought he was. Twelve years ago, he could’ve been slimmer, his hair fully dark. It could have been him on the beach that night with the gun.

“I didn’t want to do this. I never wanted you to be involved. That idiot Anderson made a mistake.” He shook his head. “But I couldn’t risk you sharing what you might have seen or heard. Then you miraculously survived, courtesy of your devoted husband to be. He clearly loved you, even then. Honestly, I was glad you survived. But without any idea what you might remember, steps had to be taken. And it’s worked so well all these years because Collin is very good at what he does. Or was.”

I struggled to process all the implications of everything he was saying. “You know my psychiatrist?”

“Knew, yes. God rest his soul. We were good friends back at Georgetown. I knew he was exactly the right person to help with my… well, your little problem. That’s why I made the suggestion to your parents. He was a memory specialist, after all.”

Oh my God. This man was the reason I’d been institutionalized for two years. And my doctor had done something to manipulate my memories, conditioning me not to remember.

But Roland assumed that I’d remembered everything. Whether I had or not, he’d revealed enough himself that it made me a threat. No way was he bringing me out here, away from everyone on the island, with any intention of letting me live.

We were nearly to Osprey Beach. No one knew where I was. I had to do… something. But what?

“I was really hoping that this would be a reset. That you would finally go back to the way things were.” He looked over at me with an avuncular affection. “I have a terrible soft spot for you, being Vicky’s daughter and Henry’s granddaughter. You’re really special, Willa. I’m sorry about this.”

He shifted in his seat as the car slowed, reaching for something inside the suit jacket it was too hot to wear.

Gun.

I didn’t stop to think, didn’t question. I opened my door and hurled myself out of the car.

I hit the shoulder of the road hard and rolled. The impact drove all the breath from my already struggling lungs, but hearing the screech of tires behind me, I scrambled to my feet and began to run toward the trees, barely registering the pain in my arm from where I’d landed.

“Willa! Don’t make this harder on yourself than it has to be!”

I didn’t answer, and when next he shouted, he’d lost the kind, gentle tone he’d always used with me.

“Damn it, girl! Come back here.”

I flinched as I heard a gunshot, and bark sprayed from a tree not two feet from where I passed. Fresh terror dumped adrenaline into my system, and I ran faster, hurling myself into the trees, dodging and weaving through underbrush. I’d have cover here. I knew this place better than anyone else on the island. The sun was already setting. If I could just stay ahead of him, lose him once it got fully dark, I could get somewhere safe.

But where? There was nothing at this end of the island but Sutter House, and it was miles from here. My only hope was to lose him in the thick of the trees and pray that Sawyer came looking for me before it was too late.

CHAPTER 42

SAWYER

The Zodiac zipped over the waves as Daniel brought us around the south end of Hatterwick, past the lighthouse, then opened the throttle. I kept my weight low, instinctively balancing with the bounce of the boat and willing him to find some extra speed.

Something was wrong. I knew it down to the very marrow of my bones. I just hoped I’d guessed right. If O’Shea hadn’t taken her to Osprey Beach, I didn’t know where to look next. I didn’t think he’d be able to get her off-island without someone seeing. But if he had his own boat, all bets were off. He could get her away, and no one would have any idea where they’d gone. But then what? The moment he showed back up in Sutter’s Ferry, there’d be questions. He had a life here. A respected place in the community. He wouldn’t want to jeopardize those. So he probably wouldn’t take her off-island.