Free Eden by David Holley Page A

you don’t soon forget.”
    “Yes. She certainly does. Her name is Mia. I had a brief conversation with her on the raft. She seemed a sweet girl, Noah. In fact, I felt an instant connection with her. I’ll keep my eye on her and see if there’s any basis to your trepidation.”
    “Alright then. I’ll work my way through the group and see if I can turn up anything else.”
    Evelyn shivers and wraps her arms around her chest. “I sure could use a drink right about now.”
    Noah laughs. “It’s funny you should mention that. He pulls two bottles from his pocket and twists off both caps with one turn of the wrist. She takes one of the bottles and squints at the label in the moonlight. “Oban!” she cheers. “My favorite!”
    Noah smiles at her warmly. “This isn’t quite the holiday we had in mind is it?”
    “It never is.” They clink their bottles in a sardonic toast.

Chapter 7
     
    In the several hours since the survivors landed on the island, they have scanned the skies for helicopters and the horizon for ships. But nothing has appeared to lift their spirits. The raging fuel fire to the west has diminished, crystallizing the rocky terrain into a field of charcoal and ash; a dark canopy of sulfur hangs over the shore. Cooler winds have swept in from the sea, confining most of them next to the fire. The Lockhearts sit together by the tent, keeping close tabs on the injured man who rests inside. They distributed articles of clothing to those who were in need of it and they themselves have changed into more suitable attire. Only a few people attempt to eat from the flank of mako shark that Noah retrieved from the raft and prepared for the others; most stare listlessly at the fire, waiting to be rescued. To Noah’s right sits Jacob, in the process of finishing his second piece of shark meat.
    “This is surprisingly quite delicious,” he says. His nasal voice sounds mildly shocked. Though black bruises are starting to take shape around his eyes, after a brief inspection, Evelyn deemed his nose fractured, but assures him that he’ll retain his profile, much to his relief.
    “You can thank Sarah for bringing your dinner on board,” replies Noah, raising his portion toward the woman he had rescued just hours before.
    Sarah smiles. “I'm glad you’re enjoying that, but I don’t have the stomach to try it for myself.” She scrunches her face, shaking her head from side to side. Fair-skinned, with light brown hair and soft blue eyes, Sarah Kinsey is a Welsh woman in her early forties. She wears a pair of dark grey zip-off hiking pants and a red fleece jacket, courtesy of Evelyn, while her own clothes dry by the fire.
    “Suit yourself,” Jacob shrugs. “That means more for me.” He happily reaches for another portion.
    Despite Jacob’s attempts at levity, the overall mood is tense. Noah takes inventory of his new mates, outwardly appearing nonchalant. He manages to carry on sparse conversation with those near him, but he carefully studies and eavesdrops when the opportunity allows. Hiroshi and Luna are conspicuously absent by the fire, and Noah assumes that they are sharing a quiet moment with their departed Leilu. Earlier, Evelyn had learned from Luna that her husband is the famed architect Hiroshi Saito, renowned for his massive structures built using only sustainable materials and run solely on self-reliant energy systems. Noah recalls a letter he had received a few years ago from Evelyn, who had seen one of his buildings while on assignment in Vietnam. She described a 12,000-square-meter greenhouse made entirely of bamboo and solar glass that could collect its own water supply and generate all of its own energy while remaining carbon neutral. She marveled at his ability to design a structure so aesthetically pleasing and so highly functional.
    Noah listens in on a conversation Sarah is having with two men to her left. From what he overhears, Tom Murphy and Hank Ashton are business partners from London.