“It’s nothing I haven’t seen. Repeatedly.”
Caine grinned and laced his fingers behind his head. “I could get used to this life. I think I’ll have another can of peaches.”
Diana took a quick shower and stepped out, dripping wet, to find him waiting for her, holding a towel.
“Seriously: no,” she said. “We’re done.”
“Well, until we get something to eat,” he said.
She dried off and combed her hair while he watched. The lack of privacy was a little irritating, but she told herself it was a small price to pay for peace. In any universe this would be a lovely room, in a lovely house, on a lovely island. But in the FAYZ every part of it was exquisite, a miracle of beauty and comfort. She remembered Coates all too well. Especially the last months there as the food ran out and the fear and depression and self-hatred set in.
This was a beautiful place. And Caine was a beautiful boy—a young man, she supposed—at least on the outside.
If comfort and luxury and Diana herself could keep him pacified, maybe life would go on this way: peaceful.
Even caring for Penny and dealing with Bug were small problems compared to what she had survived. Panda: she shuddered at the memory and felt sick.
“What’s the matter?” Caine asked.
“Nothing.” She forced a smile. “I guess I’m hungry.” Then, seeing his expression, amended the statement. “For food.”
They pulled on underwear and wrapped themselves in soft, expensive robes bearing famous, embroidered initials. She slid her feet into silk slippers and together they headed down to the kitchen.
Bug was there, looking even more disturbed than usual. He was breathing hard. Diana glared at him, wondering whether he had been spying on them.
“There’s a boat coming,” Bug said.
“What do you mean?” Diana asked.
“A motorboat. It’s real near.”
Caine was out the door in a flash and Diana had to run to catch up. The sky was near dark, the sun setting gorgeously and sending fingers of gold and red across the water below them.
And there, shockingly close, was a motorboat. She saw one person aboard, a boy, but could not make out his shadowed face.
She looked searchingly at Caine. On his face she saw the expression she expected to see, the expression she dreaded.
His eyes were alight, his mouth in a feral grin. His whole body seemed to lean forward, anticipating, ready. Excited.
“Whoever it is, just tell him to leave,” Diana said.
“Let’s at least find out who it is,” Caine said.
“Caine, just get rid of him.”
The boat scared Diana. She wrapped her arms around herself as if shielding herself from cold.
Now the boy in the boat looked up.
“It’s Quinn,” Caine said. “What’s he doing here? I expected it to be Zil or one of his losers.”
“You expected?” Diana frowned. “What do you mean, you expected?”
Caine shrugged. “Sooner or later one of them was going to come to me.”
“But . . . Why would you . . . ?”
He laughed. A smug, cruel laugh. “There are only two four bars in the FAYZ, Diana. Sooner or later someone would get sick enough of Sam lording it over them that they’d come to find me.”