Chapter 412

Bianca Fairchild stood drenched at the infirmary doorway, her hair dripping. Her face was paler than Xander Quincy's on the hospital bed.

"The branch penetrated about three centimeters. Fractured left tibia. Cracked third and fourth ribs on the right side." The doctor removed his mask. "Multiple soft tissue contusions. Immediate evacuation is recommended."

At the words "no life-threatening injuries," Bianca's legs buckled. She nearly collapsed.

Liam and Lucas Croix stood in the corner. Though only lightly injured, they hung their heads like guilty children. Xander had shielded them with his body during the tumble down the slope.

Timothy Gold and Eugene York crouched at the end of the hallway. The two grown men clutched their hair like drowned rats. The yacht rocked with the waves as rain lashed against the windows.

"Did you release the statement?" Timothy's voice was hoarse.

Eugene stared at his phone screen. "Sent. Said we'll evacuate once the weather clears." He locked the screen abruptly. "The internet must be exploding right now."

Inside the infirmary, the monitor beeped steadily. Evelyn Laurent stood by the bed, gazing at Xander's bandaged body.

"Evie!" Julian Langley burst in and grabbed her wrist. "Are you okay?"

Evelyn shook her head, her eyes fixed on Bianca. The usually poised woman now gripped the bed rail with white-knuckled intensity.

Ethan Sullivan appeared at the doorway, idly shuffling a deck of cards. "Anyone up for poker?"

"Poker?" Evelyn blinked in confusion.

Julian perked up immediately. "It's a three-player card game!" He leaned closer to Evelyn's ear. "We'll make Ethan lose his shirt."

A flash of lightning illuminated Ethan's smirk. "Ten grand a hand. You in?"

The yacht lurched violently with another wave, scattering the cards across the floor. The survival challenge on this storm-wracked island had proven far deadlier than any of them imagined.