Darren doesn’t look satisfied.

“I agree,” Sharon says. “Let it go. Let’s just get Bridget to the clinic.”

Darren grudgingly relents.

I look around for my shoe. Darren finds it and hands it to me. “Not a bad weapon.”

The heel is broken, so Cheryl offers to fetch a new pair of shoes from our room. Sharon accompanies me and Darren to the clinic, where I get sewn up. I overhear Darren talking to JD on the phone.

“You know what’ll happen if I see him again,” Darren says.

“Don’t worry. We got him set up at a different resort,” JD replies.

“I have to apologize to the bride and groom,” I say later as we head back to the resort.

“Why?” Darren asks, disgruntled. “Mok started it.”

“It’s still the polite thing to do. I hope they don’t feel like we ruined their wedding reception.”

Darren doesn’t say anything. I get the feeling he’s still brewing over what else he wants to do to Joseph.

“What matters is that you’re okay right now,” Sharon says.

Back at the villa, I change into one of the bathrobes and try to wash the stain from Elaine’s drink out of the dress. After hanging it up, I examine my stitches in the mirror, running my finger over the unevenness of my lip.

“Don’t pick at it,” Darren says from the doorway.

“I wasn’t,” I object. “I’ve just never had stitches before. Broke my arm trying to skateboard, but no stitches.”

Darren walks over, cups my jaw and looks over my stitches. “Guess this means I don’t get to kiss you for a while.”

I smile. “That’s okay. There’s plenty of other things you can do instead.”

His eyes glimmer. “You got that right.”

Chapter 26

DARREN

Past

“You want to put a hit on Mok?” JD asks the following day.

Sitting on a lounge chair near the infinity pool with the midday sun glaring down at me, I entertain the idea for a second before replying, “Not worth it. If he had raped Bridge, then yes.”

“How about a brutal beating?”

“It won’t be satisfying unless I do it myself.”

JD eyes a young woman in a skimpy bikini sitting at the swim-up bar.

“Where’s Amy?” I ask.

“Still asleep.”

The young woman smiles at JD, prompting him to say, “I’m gonna cool down in the water a bit.”

After JD goes in, I decide to swim in the lap pool. I can’t seem to settle my nerves. Every time I think about Mok, my blood pressure rises.

After several laps of IM, I feel a little better and return to my lounge chair and towel off.

My mother comes up to me. “How’s Bridget?”

“She’s working on some grant application, but she should be up here soon. She wants the chance to say goodbye.”

My mother nods. “She’s more interesting than I first thought. Still not the right girl for you, though. I’m surprised you’re with a wonky type to begin with.”