Chapter 616 Chapter 616
“How did you survive? On that island for that long? Without food or anything.”
Devin moved to step in front of her.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind answering.” Journee looked up at him and nodded, so Devin stepped back again.
“I nearly didn’t.” She said quietly. “I had no idea where I was. I didn’t recognize any plants or berries there, so I didn’t touch them.” She shrugged, “I couldn’t stomach the salty water.”
The room was utterly silent. Asher’s heart started beating harder in his chest as he envisioned the picture she was showing all of them. She hadn’t told him that part. She should have told him he would have—he didn’t know what he would have done, but he should have been told this.
“I was not in good shape at all.” She shook her head, “I don’t know how long I had been there, but I was finally desperate enough to go closer to the buildings and see if I could find something to eat.”
“Were you caught?” Wynter was leaning across the table, looking at her intently.
“Almost.” Journee huffed out a breath. “There was this lady; I know she was a shifter, but I don’t know what clan.” She shrugged, “but somehow she knew I was out there.” She nodded slowly. “She started to leave food and blankets out by a big rock.” She sucked in a breath and blew it out gradually. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have survived much longer.”
“She was a prisoner, clearly, or she would have turned you in,” Blaise stated with an angry look.
“Yes. There were several women there.” She glanced at Devin. “Not many men at all, they would come and go, but—” she lifted her shoulders and let them drop, “what were they going to do? Swim away? Unless the men were there dropping off supplies or,” she looked at her clasped hands, “girls. There was no boat left behind. It was scary during storms. Being there and not knowing if you were going to make it through them.”
“Do you know any names of these women?” Gage had his arm around Kelsey, a concerned look on his face.
“No. They never called each other by name, and once she was helping me, I didn’t go too close to the camp. Just enough to check on my sister mostly.”
“She wouldn’t still be there.” It wasn’t a question, but Webb still said it.
“No. I—I don’t know when they moved my sister off the island. I was sick for a while, and when I recovered, she was gone.”
“Sick?” Wynter spoke quieter this time.
Journee nodded, “After one of the swims back to the island.” She closed her eyes for a second as if she were remembering something. “I swear someone helped me—in the water, but I think I just washed up on the shore and passed out.”
“Do you know anything about the older women that were there?” Calum came over and sat on the end of the table closest to the front.
“Not much. I could describe them, but most weren’t there very long.” She stared at him. “The lady that helped me would have had dark hair when she was younger, but there were a lot of greys when I got there.” Titling her head, she held his look. “She had very green eyes. I remember that about her the most.” She sat straighter. “She only spoke to me a few times. Once she told me not to talk because shifters have great hearing.” She nodded, “and she said something I will always remember, and it was what got me back.” Calum didn’t move as she spoke. “She told me to pay attention. The answers were out there if I looked hard enough.”
Calum stood up. So did Gage. They both turned to look at Devin. Asher didn’t know why that was significant, but the expression on Calum’s face was the coldest he’d ever seen. “Was this woman still alive when you left?” His tone was low and without any emotion.
Journee nodded. “She helped me get on the boat, so I wasn’t trying to hang on and be dragged in the water again.”
Calum nodded several times, looked at Devin, turned, walked to the back of the room, and left. Shaelan was on her feet and hurrying after him.
“What just happened?” Gia asked Kobie in a hushed voice.
Kobie shook her head.
“I think the green-eyed woman was Calum’s mom,” Blair whispered.
Asher looked at the door Calum had gone through. Had it been him, he would have kept going to a vehicle and to find that damn island.
“I’m going to put the sketches up on the screen outside the operations room.” Nate stood up. “Everyone needs to take a few minutes to look at them.”
Asher turned to see Devin and Rayne talking to Gage. Their gazes kept going back to the door Calum had gone out. Journee sat there with an expression on her face that said she wished she was somewhere else right now. Straightening away from the wall, he went over to her.
“I think that’s enough for today.” He said it softly but was willing to call anyone out that objected.
Rayne looked at him and nodded.
“Come on. Let’s go see what your pup has gotten into while you were gone.” It was just a way to get her out of the spotlight, but he also meant in. That little wolf was probably outside right now, finding every weak spot in the fences.
“Okay.” She tried to use the wheels to push her chair and turned it into the table.
“I got it.” He stepped behind it and waited for her to move her hands so he could push it. “You did good.” He told her as they reached the doors.
“It was hard. There are so many people here.”
He grinned. “Not a fan of crowds either.”
“Journee?”
They turned to see Wynter following them.
“I just want to thank you.” She nodded. “We’ll find that island and put a stop to that happening to any girl again. You have my word.” Her expression was hard. Then again, Asher had never seen her when it wasn’t. “Those girls will be saved, and it will all be because of you. And your sister, if she’s out there somewhere, we’ll find her.” She nodded abruptly, “Now, I have to go have a word with Nox,” she growled his name, turned on her heel, and went toward Nox and York.
“She’s a little scary.” Journee whispered.
Asher snorted, “Yeah, she is.” He jerked his child toward Raymond Hardy, where he stood talking to Griffin and Blair. “He’s, I feel, the scariest.”
She nodded. “I agree.”