Savage Hearts

“And all the days after,” he promises with a certainty that makes me believe him.

Chapter Fourteen

Danny

“People who think honestly and deeply

have a hostile attitude towards the public.”

-Goethe

* * *

Getting into The Seasons is easier than I expected, but then Sam and I have extensive pool crashing experience.

Growing up on Maui, we probably crashed every hotel pool on the island at one point or another. The secret is to dress like a tourist, act like you belong, come armed with a room number, and be prepared to play dumb if you get caught.

But we were never caught when we were kids and today is no different.

We stand up paddleboard over to the private beach in our swimsuits and by the time we’ve ordered smoothies from the cabana and wandered up the trail to use the showers, we’re just two more guests enjoying the resort. I’m wearing my ball cap with my hair tucked underneath and Sam has her big hat and glasses on again.

She’s virtually unrecognizable, but I can tell that she’s still on edge. Not that I can blame her.

I don’t blame her for refusing to let me come alone, either. Two sets of eyes and ears are better than one and a team effort is our best bet for getting the information we need. My computer skills aren’t up to hacking The Seasons database and the front desk is never going to tell a couple of strangers a guest’s room number.

The only way we’re going to find out where Todd and the rest of them are staying is by lurking in the right place at the right time.

“If you need to disappear, I’ll meet you by the paddleboards,” I say as I get Sam settled on a bar stool in the shade not far from where the poolside waitresses pick up their drinks.

Sam tugs her straw hat lower on her face. “Okay, but you’re the one who needs to be careful. I seriously doubt any of them are going to get off their lazy asses and come all the way down to the bar to get a drink when they could have someone deliver it to their lounge chair. Lie low and don’t attract attention.”

“I won’t.” I rub what I hope is a comforting hand up and down her back. “And don’t worry, they aren’t going to remember my face from a few pictures they saw on your phone over a year ago.”

I ignore the flash of anger that follows my words.

I hate that pictures Sam took to send to me—private pictures of some toys she’d bought and a few racy shots of her meant to ease the loneliness of being apart for months on end—were used to paint her as some kind of deviant slut during the trial. I hate even more that those pictures might have made her a target in the first place.

Alex copped to passing Sam’s phone around to Todd a few hours before the attack, but we’ll never know if that’s why he decided to isolate Sam in the pool room while a party raged on the other side of the building. I guess, in the end, it doesn’t matter.

I don’t care why Todd decided to do what he did, only that he pays for it.

“Probably not.” Sam takes a deep breath, but her shoulders are still tense as they settle into place. “But be careful anyway. Text me when you’ve got the numbers and I’ll head back to the beach.”

“I will. And have a beer if you think it will help you relax a little,” I say. “I know normal people can do that without wanting to drink the entire keg.”

Her lips twitch. “Are you calling me normal?”

“Never,” I say, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “You’re the best. See you soon.”

“Soon,” she echoes, squeezing my hand one last time before I turn and start down the path leading to the infinity pool.

There are smaller, private pools sprinkled throughout the resort, but my gut says a bunch of fraternity boys will want to be where the people are. They’ll want to see and be seen, and maybe pick up a girl or two to take out tonight.

I set up a dummy social media account months ago and I’m friends with half the SBE brothers. I know that they’re pre-gaming at Guava Bar at a neighboring resort and then heading out to the club that just opened in the closest village. If Sam wasn’t so insistent on me avoiding contact with the douchebags, I could probably lure them out the back door of the dance club with an offer to share a bowl and have them in my trunk a few minutes later.

But I know she wants to keep me safe, so I’m willing to play things her way.

For now.

At least until I hear the new plan she cooked up while I was out teaching people how to hang a tent from the side of a rock face. She said she wanted to wait until we had the room numbers before she fleshed out the details since those were necessary for what she had in mind.