Page 53 of Johnny

a little box. “Boom. It’s fuckin’ magic.”

He looks over his shoulder but I can see him smiling.

“But… you’re not going to hurt them, right?”

He turns back to me. “Why would I hurt them?”

“I dunno. You don’t seem to be thinking clearly. And you’re on some kind of mission.”

“I just need to check and make sure Charlotte isn’t there. And then, hopefully, get one of them to

tell me about another island to check. I know she’s down here somewhere. I just need to find her.”

“OK. But I’m not going in with you—”

“Fuck yeah, you are. That’s the only way I’ll get in.”

“I don’t want—”

“I don’t care, Megan. This is bigger than what you want. I saved you. You owe me.”

I cock my head and look at him. “Do I?”

He stares at me unblinking. No smile. No coy comeback. Just… studies me.

And this makes me nervous, so I say, “We can go there now and you can check it out, but it would

be better if we waited until the shift change tonight before we try to enter the island interior because

people will be coming and going.”

He blinks, thinking about my response. “What time is that?”

“Midnight.”

“So we have a whole day to kill?”

I nod.

He stands up. “Fine. I need to get some supplies. So we’ll head into Freeport, do some shopping,

and then make our way back south.”

I like this idea a lot better than going to the island because he’s making me nervous and I might

want to get off this ride. “OK. So you want me to set a course for Freeport then?”

“Will anyone recognize you there?”

“Doubtful,” I say. “I don’t go there often. My island is much closer to Nassau and most of our

supplies come in on planes or sometimes drones. If it’s perishable or whatever.”

“Good. Then yes, let’s go.”

He grabs the satellite phone from the docking station on the console in front of me. Then turns

away, jumping down the stairs to the salon. “I gotta make a call. Be right back.”