The Only Man On An Island Of Beauties

Chapter 9

After saying those words, Jackson typed something onto the phone.

[Something just happened, so I can’t answer the call for now. But don’t worry, everything is alright. I still have the suitcase with me.]

“Hey, you didn’t answer the call, yet you’re going to send that person a message?” Irene asked, her tone laced with disbelief.

“Yeah,” Jackson answered. “I’m buying some time before they find us here. Because I’m hoping that before they can track our location, we'll be away from Tempest Island by then.”

Irene sighed, playing through the blazer with her fingers. “I hope the same thing… But that plan could backfire on us.”

Jackson paused, and then he looked Irene in the eye.

“I know,” he said, his tone subtly showing fear. “This is the only thing I can do for now. If they know that the suitcase was lost and already in our possession, they may be quick to move.”

He didn’t have any plans yet, and it had been a while since he worked as a programmer. But now, Jackson needed to go back to his soldier demeanor.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” Jackson said, and without waiting for Irene to argue, he clicked ‘send.’

It took them a long time to send the message as the phone barely got a signal.

Tempest Island was known to be an isolated island, so people who were stuck here rarely had a chance to ask for help.

Seconds later, they received a reply from an unknown number.

[So you were already in Tempest Island, huh? No wonder you couldn’t answer the call. Afraid that sharks might have eaten you alive?]

Upon reading the message, Irene gasped and covered her mouth using both hands.

“What the… How did that person know about Tempest Island?” Irene asked, her voice already cracking in fear. “And sharks? Are there really sharks here?”

Suddenly, Jackson’s mind went to the person Irene found on the shore yesterday.

“Could it be him?” Jackson muttered, caressing his chin as he pondered.

Irene looked at him, her brows furrowing. “Who?”

“The man who died in a shark attack yesterday,” Jackson answered, looking Irene in the eye. “Could he be the person assigned to bring the suitcase?”

Hearing those words, Irene’s mouth widened, feeling like the missing pieces of the puzzle were finally being connected.

“Right… the coincidence is crazy!” Irene exclaimed in shock. “That asshole. I even felt sorry for him when you were taking his stuff. He deserves it!”

Jackson stifled his laughter upon seeing how adorable Irene was.

For him, Irene really has an aura of being sophisticated and cute at the same time, making his heartbeat go crazy over her.

However, Jackson was still feeling the fear inside his heart. He had a bad feeling about this.

“We still can't be sure, but there’s a high possibility for it to happen,” Jackson said, his gaze fixated on the suitcase.

But if their hunch was true, it could mean one thing; the boat that the person used could still be with them.

‘And seeing how that person didn’t have a key… This means that someone could be with them, trying to find him.’

Jackson looked at the phone’s screen again. He connected the person’s message to the suitcase and the person who died in a shark attack.

“It wasn’t a coincidence,” Jackson said, his tone dangerously low. “That person was meant to go to Tempest Island in the first place.”

Irene blinked in shock. “What? But why would someone go here on their own? Didn’t they know the terrifying stories behind this island?”

“I have a hunch that they know about it. But it is possible that the monsters here aren’t just the species we haven’t discovered.”

His gaze moved to the peaceful sea, yet it gave him goosebumps.

“It could also be humans.”

Although Irene couldn’t understand what Jackson was saying, the hairs on her body stood up, feeling an unexplainable fear creeping into her.

Taking a deep breath, Jackson typed something into his phone.

[I’ll update you later.]

Upon sending that message, Jackson turned off the call.

Irene was conflicted about what she should feel. She understood that what Jackson was doing was for their safety, especially hers.

But at the same time, thinking that not using the phone to call someone for help is plain stupid.

As her fingers tightened around the blazer in her hands, Irene spoke.

“We need to call for help.” Her voice trembled. “We can call 911 using that phone, right? Maybe… Maybe we just need to go in an open area to get a strong signal? It’s possible—”

"No," Jackson cut her off, his tone firm.

Irene clenched her fists, her eyes widening as she looked Jackson in the eye. She was angry at people who dared to interrupt her.

At the same time, she was angry that Jackson ignored her suggestions.

“What do you mean, no?” she snapped. “We’re trapped on a damn island who might be coming to kill us! And this is Tempest Island! If we don’t die from their hands, we might die from something here!”

Her loud, angry voice reverberated in the area.

“I don’t know how long that phone will last. Its battery was getting low,” she explained, trying not to let the negative emotions overtake her. “If we don’t call the authorities now, we might not get another chance!"

Jackson exhaled sharply. His gaze scanned the surroundings, being attentive just in case someone was already here to attack us.

“And what do you think will happen if we manage to get through to emergency services?” he asked, his tone low but authoritative. “Do you think they’ll come to us?”

“They’ll come for us, especially when I tell them my identity,” Irene answered, her tone hesitating, but she concealed it fiercely. “They have to.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow and his eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

“Hey, what do you mean by that?” Irene squinted her eyes, being offended by Jackson’s words. “Are you saying that I’m not an important person to save, huh?”

“No. I’m telling you the opposite,” Jackson answered as he leaned toward Irene, his gaze laced with intimidation. “Since you’re an important person, especially with the suitcase in our possession, they would rather have you killed.”

Irene blinked in surprise, not just because of Jackson suddenly leaning his face toward her, but because of his words as well.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” she trailed off.

“You’re forgetting one thing, Irene,” he said, his breath damping onto her skin. “Whoever is behind this also has resources. Just like your family.”

He added, “I may not be sure how wealthy and powerful they are, but if they can smuggle this…” he gestured to the clothes and poisoned drugs in the suitcase, “then they sure as hell can intercept a call for an emergency.”

Hearing those words, Irene suddenly forgot how to breathe. The sweat accumulated on her forehead, her heartbeat thumping hard.

“The moment we dial 911, the call might not go to the police… It could go straight to whoever the owner of this suitcase is.”

“s**t…” Irene’s skin went cold, her lips pursed as if she didn’t know what to say.

Jackson exhaled, running a hand through his hair before taking a step back, putting space between them.

“I know this is my fault. If I hadn’t pulled that damn suitcase from the water, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” His voice was low, laced with guilt. “But I’m taking accountability. I swear I’ll protect you, so don’t—”

“Jack.”

Her voice was softer than he expected, pulling his gaze back towards her.

“I’m not saying this because I’m just worried about my life.” Irene took a step closer, looking up at him, her eyes searching for his. “I want you to survive, too. Both of us.”