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Sully looked at where I pointed, his body stiffening next to me. “It’s Paradigm Purge.”
I looked up, tugging some of my hair from his fist. “You know it?”
“Radcliffe informed me of it this afternoon. He believes they’re traffickers.”
“Shit, really?” I looked again in that direction, then back to the blinking lights of Rapture. They looked so vulnerable compared to the black stain squatting in the sea. “Are our guests safe?”
“We’re doubling security and adding underwater sensors. They should be.”
Our speedboat slowed as we reached Calypso, and we focused on trading one vessel for another. Climbing the stairs and higher into the sky, I looked again at the ship called Paradigm Purge. “How do you know they’re traffickers?”
Sully pinched his nose as if shaking away the long day of business, family, and now a threat on our guests. “Women go missing whenever he shows up. It’s captained by a man named Rayvn.”
“Should we do something?”
“We are doing something.” Sully cricked his neck. “We’re doubling security.”
“No, I mean...go out there and—”
“Ask him politely to stop?” Sully chuckled under his breath. “I like you alive, Jinx. Not skewered on some trafficker’s knife.”
“But if he’s hurting women—”
“I hurt women.”
I scowled. “Yes, but you stopped and redeemed yourself.”
Sully shrugged. “Took me a long time to get to the point where I was ready to be redeemed.” He narrowed his eyes at the horizon. “You approach a monster who isn’t ready to change, and you die. Pure and simple. As long as he doesn’t trespass on our shores, I won’t trespass on his.”
“But—”
“Oh, finally. You’re back!” Jess bolted from the lounge, skidding to a halt with a drunk look on her pretty face. Pika and Skittles appeared just as chaotically, squeaking and flapping around us in welcome.
“Whoa, someone started on the cocktails early.” I grinned as Jess practically leaped into my arms and kissed my cheek. Her hazel eyes gleamed with a joy I hadn’t seen in her before.
“Not drunk on liquor. Drunk on life.” She grabbed my hands and spun in a circle with me.
Sully rolled his eyes. “What the fuck’s gotten into you, Jess? Find something that’s made you high in Pape’ete?”
Cal laughed, coming toward us with two beer bottles. Passing one to Sully, he toasted him, his own face stretched into a manic looking smile. “Q’s gotten into her. That’s what.”
Sully turned stony. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means...he wants to meet us. That Prest guy and his wife put in a good word for us. He said if we pass his assessment, he’ll begin the process of helping us adopt one of the kids he’s saved from his vigilante habits.”
“Oh, wow.” I slammed to a stop, accepting another giddy hug from Jess. “That’s amazing, guys. Congratulations.”
Sully clinked his beer to Cal’s again with a grin. “I’m happy for you.”
“Have to impress the bastard first, but a meeting is a good start.” Cal took a swig of his celebratory drink.
Sully raked a hand through his hair. “When do you leave?”
“Well...I have a question about that.” Cal straightened his shoulders.
“Uh-oh.” Sully cocked his head. “That can’t be good when you say it so seriously.”
“What are your plans for the next couple of months, Sinclair?” Cal stiffened.
Sully frowned. “Ah Christ, I see where this is going.”
Cal winced. “And...?”
I butted in. “You want us to sail to where Q is so he can meet you guys?”
“Yes!” Jess said, unable to speak at normal volume with her joy. “He’s returning to France after being in Monte Carlo and overseeing the initial introduction between Elder and Tasmin. Tasmin said it went well. The little girl is shell-shocked, shy, and not speaking but they’ve committed to one another and...” Tears came to her eyes and she swiped at them. “I just...I’m so happy for them. And for little Aria.”
“Aria?” I asked.
“Their new daughter,” Cal muttered, longing flashing in his eyes for the same thing.
Sully stayed quiet while he watched our two friends. Pika landed on his hair, tugging at the strands, demanding attention while Skittles plopped onto my shoulder and gave me beak kisses with gentle squeaks.
I loved Cal’s and Jess’s infectious joy. It was blatantly obvious how happy this potential adoption had made them, and it made me all the more grateful that my heart was full thanks to a tiny parrot on my shoulder and the hundreds of rescues back at home.
I wasn’t missing a piece of myself and neither was Sully, so perhaps we’d been selfish in thinking Jess and Cal were as happy as us.
I never understood the drive for kids until that moment, living it through their eyes and feeling my heart tug with their wanting.
Moving toward Sully, I linked my fingers with his.
His gorgeous blue eyes locked with mine, swimming with the same realisations I’d had. We were so lucky. We had everything we could ever want. Goddess Isles was safe and run by Dr Campbell and capable vets. Rapture was being fortified and managed by trustworthy staff. Sully’s pharmaceutical empire was guided by Peter Beck and could be handled remotely via online contact.
