41

“Well done, hotshot!” said Ling, her tone dripping with sarcasm as the two of them, having made their apologies to the man with the tiger tattoo, beat a hasty retreat to the party.

“Sorry, it was dark, I couldn’t see his face,” Connor replied. “And he did have a machete.”

“To cut coconuts with.”

“But you were the one who jumped him,” argued Connor.

Ling spun on him and jabbed a finger in his chest. “Don’t blame me for your mistakes! I’m always having to pick up the slack on this mission.”

“What do you mean?”

Ling let out a derisive snort and fixed him with a withering look. “Well, to start with, on Manly Beach you completely failed to spot that mugger’s approach. And I had to keep him from escaping with your Principal’s handbag.”

“That was Jason’s fault,” explained Connor. “If he hadn’t—”

“Don’t bring Jason into this,” said Ling, cutting him off. “Your reactions were slow and you know it. And what about the other day? I believe it was me who noticed your Principal floating off on an inflatable mattress. I thought you were supposed to be a gold-winged guardian. Now you’re seeing threats where there aren’t any!”

Connor held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. I realize I’ve made some mistakes. That’s probably why I’m being so jumpy, but I know what I s—”

“Hang on,” Ling interrupted. “Where’s Emily?”

For the second time that night, Connor felt his throat tighten in panic. He scanned the crowd for Emily’s face, but everyone kept moving and twirling, the dark and firelight confusing the scene. Then he spotted the red-haired boy dancing with— “No, it’s Chloe that’s missing,” corrected Connor.

“Are you sure?” said Ling, squinting at the remaining sister.

“Yes, that boy hasn’t left Emily’s side all night.”

Ling cursed. “Chloe could be pretty much anywhere,” she muttered as she hunted the darkness for her Principal.

Connor didn’t like the situation either. Beyond the glow of the bonfire lay a one-mile stretch of starlit beach. It would be virtually impossible to find her, especially near the tree line where the darkness was absolute.

They did a sweep of the party, down toward the bonfire. When this didn’t produce a result, Connor checked his watch. Chloe had been missing at least five minutes, long enough to start getting concerned. He approached Emily in the crowd. She greeted him with an unexpected kiss on the cheek.

“Have you come to save me from this boy?” she whispered in his ear, flicking her eyes toward her dance partner. The boy frowned at Connor, clearly wondering why he was intruding.

“Sorry, man,” said Connor with an apologetic smile. “We have to go.”

Connor led Emily away by the hand, leaving the boy openmouthed and crestfallen.

“Thanks,” said Emily. “He was sweet, but a real bore.”

“Do you know where your sister is?” Connor asked, getting straight to the point.

Emily shrugged. “She said she was going to the bathroom.”

Connor relayed this information to Ling.

“I’ve already checked. She’s not there,” came Ling’s tense reply in his ear.

They regrouped at the edge of the party, Connor keeping Emily close. If her sister was missing, then he couldn’t afford to let Emily out of his sight. There might be a completely innocent explanation for Chloe’s disappearance. However, the longer she was gone, the less chance the outcome would be good. She could have wandered off with a boy, whose intentions might or might not be honorable. She could have gone swimming and been caught in a current, or fallen over in the darkness and hurt herself. Or maybe he had seen Todd, as well as his accomplice earlier that day in the forest, and the two men had snatched her. The nightmare scenarios were endless.

“What should we do?” said Ling, a hint of desperation edging her voice.

Connor realized he had to take charge of the situation. Definitive action was the best solution to such an emergency. “First, we call Brad to bring the tender over,” he said, pulling out his phone. “We can’t search the beach and protect Emily at the same time.”

Once he’d spoken with Brad and explained the situation, Emily asked, “Do you think my sister’s okay?”

She eyed the darkness fearfully as if invisible hands would reach out and spirit her away too. Connor wore his most reassuring smile. “I’m sure she is. But we can’t take any risks. I’m sending you back to the Orchid while we look for her.”

“Hey! I thought you were leaving.”

The three of them turned to see the red-haired boy approaching, a hurt expression on his face.

Emily nodded. “We are, but we have to find my sister first.”

“Well, I just saw her.” The boy pointed up the beach. “She’s in the snack bar with Matt.”

“What?” exclaimed Ling. “I must have walked straight past her.”

The three of them hurried up to the snack bar, leaving Emily’s admirer behind again.

“Does that mean you’re staying now?” the boy called out hopefully, getting no reply.

They found Chloe perched on a stool, chin resting in the palm of her hand as she gazed into the dark eyes of the boy with Bermuda shorts. Matt had broad shoulders, a six-pack and an easygoing smile. A few years older than Chloe, he had clearly charmed her.

“Well, panic over,” said Emily, sighing with visible relief.

“I still think it’s time to go,” Ling said to Connor, her eyes flicking toward Matt, who had an eager look on his face. She strode determinedly over to the snack bar and broke up the intimate twosome. “Sorry, but we have to leave now.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped. “But the party isn’t over yet!”

“Brad’s on his way. Besides, your father said to bring you home before eleven.”

Chloe looked mortified, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and rage. “Just leave us alone,” she hissed.

Ling stood her ground. “No can do.”

“Oh, don’t be such a killjoy!” said Chloe, waving her off. “Look, if you’re worried about my safety, don’t be. Matt can protect me.”

“Sure I can,” he said, resting a hand on Chloe’s arm while offering Ling a winning smile.

Ling remained unmoved by his charm. “You don’t get a hungry lion to protect a lamb.”

Matt’s brow knotted in confusion. “Say again?”

“Oh, forget it,” said Ling, losing patience with him. “We have to go.”

Chloe glared at her, refusing to shift from her stool. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, Matt held up his hands. “Listen, I can see I’m causing problems.” He turned to Chloe. “I’ll catch you another time.”

“But we might be sailing to another island tomorrow!” she protested.

Matt glanced uneasily at the small yet forceful Chinese girl standing beside him. “I think it’s for the best if you do go.”

Chloe fumed at Ling. “Well, at least give me a chance to say good-bye.”

“Certainly,” replied Ling, turning on her heel and rejoining Connor and Emily.

She raised her eyebrows at Connor and tutted in exasperation. Connor shrugged sympathetically, although he thought Ling could have handled the situation a little more tactfully.

They waited while Chloe enveloped Matt in a hug and kissed him on both cheeks. When she finally released him, he grinned and winked at her. Chloe then made her way out of the bar.

She threw Ling a scathing look. “Thanks for nothing, I was just starting to enjoy myself.”

“Yes, it sure looked like it,” replied Ling.

“What are you implying? Matt’s a nice guy.”

“How do you know?” challenged Ling.

Chloe stared at her in disbelief. “You don’t trust boys very much, do you?”

“No,” replied Ling, leading her toward the jetty. “Especially ones I don’t know.”