“Good point.” Sebastian gave her a deep, lingering kiss, then put on his boxer briefs, jeans, and t-shirt. “I’ll check in with the PIIB agents and see if there’s any update on Tony Brooks while I’m down there. I won’t be too long.”
Gabrielle enjoyed the view of watching his tight ass as he left the room, then went into the bathroom for a steamy hot shower. Thirty minutes later, she walked out of the shower expecting to find Sebastian.
But he wasn’t there.
Across the room, a large plate filled with goat curry, rice and peas, johnny cakes, and sparkling water were placed neatly in the center of her sitting table. Next to the food was a page from her Emerge Anew stationery. She walked closer, heart thudding in her chest. An irrational thought that somehow her stalker had got inside and left another threat.
But she was relieved to see it was from Sebastian.
I promise you’ll get everything you want tonight. I’ll be back soon.
Love, Seby
She ran her fingers over the last line. The only thing she wanted was Sebastian. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Her mind wandered to elaborate fantasies of him trekking across the island to get a romantic gift for her—chocolates, flowers … engagement ring. Maybe that was too soon. But Sebastian made her want to be married. A prospect she’d never thought was in the cards for her in the past was a real possibility now.
She busied herself over the next few hours with Serena going through Hullabaloo Enterprises business matters and dodging her sister’s attempts to bring up having their parents declared deceased for the hundredth time. She wished Ike was here to help with the decision. Or to stop Serena from pursuing it. Gabrielle wasn’t ready to concede that their parents were gone forever. Not without any definitive evidence of their deaths, which all the private search firms they’d hired had yet to find.
She returned to her bedroom suite alone. Her excitement had devolved into simmering frustration that teetered closely to panic.
Her texts and calls to Sebastian had gone unanswered.
But she didn’t sound the alarm.
Not yet.
The cell phone buzzed against the bed table, turning slightly from the force. She glanced at the screen and frowned.
Not the person she’d expected to call today, but one she could never ignore. Pressing the call button, she answered the phone.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be willing to talk to me,” said Brad.
Gabrielle sighed. “Just because the PIIB told you to stay away from the case doesn’t mean I can’t talk to you.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. The two of us have a long history,” Brad said, then added, “I’m here at King Estate, but they won’t let me in to see you.”
“That’s ridiculous. What did they tell you?”
“To not meddle in the investigation. Go home,” Brad said, a forlorn sadness in his tone. “I thought maybe you told them you didn’t want to see me.”
The hurt in his words tugged at her heart.
“Of course, I didn’t. Are you here about the investigation? Or for another reason?” Gabrielle looked around for her sneakers. Spying them in the corner, she slipped her bare feet into them and grabbed her keys from the side table.
“I wanted to see for myself that you’re okay after everything that happened in the safe house. To apologize to you face to face.”
After everything Brad had done for her a decade ago, she owed him that much. “I’ll come down. Are you at the front gate?”
“Not anymore. I didn’t want to cause any trouble, so I left. I’m at the fruit stand near the entrance to the private road that leads to King Estate.”
“Good. Behind the stand is a trail that leads down the hill to the beginning of our private beach. Wait for me there.”
“Are you sure?” Brad asked. “I doubt they’ll let you see me.”
“You let me handle the PIIB,” Gabrielle said. “They don’t understand our history and how close we are, but I do. It means a lot that you came by to check on me. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes turned into thirty as Gabrielle struggled to navigate the web of security guards placed around the property for her protection. The last thing she wanted was to argue with them over going to see Brad. Despite their swarming presence, none knew this property as she did. Weaving along the grounds, she made her move when one of the lookout guards was distracted by a maid bringing him a snack. Navigating trails through the jungle that she knew by heart, Gabrielle emerged from the brush onto the narrow strip of beach. Frothy waves oozed over the golden brown sand peppered with pristine white and rose seashells. Towering rocks of the hillside bordered the beach, creating a natural barrier that deterred locals from venturing to the area that marked the northernmost end of the property owned by her family.
Stepping out into the warm sun, she glanced to the left.
