SHARING EMMA [18+]

37. Trust of Someone

|CARLOS|

The sky was going wild above us, thunder cracking, and rain pouring down in buckets. The wind was like a wild animal howling in our ears as we followed that twisty path.

When we finally got a glimpse of the village, Tomas parked the jeep right by the chief's place. We didn't waste any time. We jumped out and made a beeline for the door.

After Ryker left for god knew where I wasted no more time. There was no time left to waste anyway. I had to sort this mess before it went off the rails. If Emma was actually poisoned, I had to get her whatever could reverse the effects. If such a thing even existed, that is. And there was only one person who could confirm that.

My knuckles rapped against the wooden door, each thud a heavy note of urgency and grit.

The door creaked open, after a few heart-pounding moments, revealing the chief himself. He stood there, a rugged yet commanding presence, framed by the doorway. His expression was a cocktail of surprise and intrigue as he regarded us, obviously not anticipating any company in this stormy madness.

"What is happening?" he asked, his voice carrying an air of authority despite the circumstances. "Why have you come?"

Selwyn was among the rare few on the island who had a grasp of English. Even though his speech carried a hint of his native tongue, without the need for a translator.

A bolt of lightning momentarily turned night into day, while somewhere in the distance, a tree surrendered to the fierce gusts and came crashing down.

We all turned to where the sound came from, but the darkness was so thick, we couldn't see anything.

I turned my gaze back to the man before us. "We need to talk."

Selwyn shot me an annoyed look, then directed the same expression at Tomas, before finally giving a reluctant nod. He took a step back, widening the door's entrance. "Come inside."

We crossed the threshold into Selwyn's dwelling, the warmth inside providing a stark contrast to the howling chaos outdoors. The room was dimly lit, the flickering flames of a few candles casting dancing shadows on the walls. The chief gestured toward a table strewn with assorted artifacts, clearly a place of importance to him.

As we settled around the table, the chief fixed his gaze on me, his eyes a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "Speak. What is so urgent that it could not wait for the storm to pass?"

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to convey the gravity of the situation, all the while trying to contain the fury that was undoubtedly coursing through me. "It's someone really important to me," I ground out, a sense of urgency coating my voice. "She's sick, and I think she might have been poisoned. Does that remind you of something?"

Selwyn seemed caught off guard by this revelation, his prominent eyebrows furrowing. He shuffled in his seat, an unexpected unease settling upon him. "What happened? Tell me from the beginning."

"I don't have time to mess around with storytelling!" Didn't he get that time was ticking away? 

Even though I was doing my best to hold it together, my anger boiled over and before I knew it, I was up on my feet, grabbing the guy by his threads. "We had a deal, remember? You swore this kind of thing wouldn't happen again. So how the heck did she get poisoned, huh? Is this some messed-up game you're playing? Getting back at me or something? What's your deal, man? Spit it out!"

Selwyn's gaze didn't waver under my intense scrutiny. He took a moment to collect himself, his expression shifting from surprise to something deeper, like he was wrestling with his own thoughts.