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“That’s the name given to the eldest son of a long line of men that stretches way back to when I was a girl. Bernard, like most of the Bennett men, was an evil, evil man.” She sighs heavily.
“Bennett? But I thought Malakai’s surname was Dunbar?”
Grandma shakes her head, smiling sadly. “That was his mother’s maiden name. Malakai is a Bennett, regardless of what name he chooses to hide behind.”
“Did Bernard hurt Malakai? Jacosta?” Is that what Lola had meant. He has scars covered by his tattoos, did his father hurt him?
“No one knows for certain, but, yes, I do believe Bernard hurt Malakai. I also believe Bernard murdered Jacosta.”
“You actually think Malakai’s father murdered his mother?” I repeat, unable to hide my surprise.
“I do,” Grandma states with conviction. “I heard about Jacosta’s death a few months after they left the island. They said she committed suicide, but I knew Jacosta and there was no way she would’ve left Malakai alone with that man. No way. As it was, Malakai had no choice but to remain under his father’s keep until he was old enough to leave. When I didn’t hear from him I’d assumed that he’d been drawn into the family’s crime business that Jacosta had tried so hard to protect him from. When Lola arrived a year ago and told me about her friend Malakai who sailed the oceans, I knew he’d finally escaped that life. Knowing that he was safe, albeit living a life on the ocean, was a relief. I’d often considered trying to contact him over the years, but that would’ve meant drawing unwanted attention to myself and my family. That, I couldn’t do.”
“That’s awful,” I say, shocked by the news.
“It is.” She looks down at the photo once more, tapping her finger on Malakai’s image. “That boy, he’s long gone, Connie. I knew that the moment he stepped into this house a few days ago. I know a broken man when I see one. I don’t know what happened to him in the intervening years after his mother died, but I know it wasn’t good. According to Lola, he didn’t start travelling the world until he was in his mid-twenties. She met him a year or so later and that means he was likely part of this crime world for almost ten years of his life. So when I say he’s dangerous, Connie, I don’t just mean for your heart.”
Grandma closes the photo album and places it on the coffee table before taking my hands in hers. “You would do well to avoid him.”
“But if you thought he was dangerous, why invite him into our home?”
“Because I had to see for myself. I had to see if the boy we all once loved is still within him.”
“And is he?”
Grandma eyes well with tears. “I believe so, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous.”
“But he sails the world. He’s a loner. He’s not part of that life anymore, you said so yourself,” I argue.
“I believe he’s tried to escape, to distance himself. Yet, his family still exists, Connie. There’s no getting away from being a Bennett. Not ever. No matter how far you run or where you try to hide. Not even the ocean is big enough to hide in.”
“You don’t know that. People disavow their families all the time…”
“It doesn’t matter what he does, what any of the boys born into the family choose to do. Once a Bennett, always a Bennett. The same goes for anyone connected to the family. I’m fully aware of that fact, more so than most…”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m godmother to his cousin, Connie, and Malakai’s cousin is the current head of the Bennett crime family, he’s the King.”
“What?” My mouth drops open, agog. “Why don’t I know about any of this?”
Grandma presses her mouth into a hard line, her fingers gripping mine. “To keep you safe. I’ve not seen my godson for some time, but I hear all about him on the news. He’s not a good man, though one day I suspect I will see him again. The Palace here on the island, it belongs to him…”
“The old castle, but I thought that was derelict?” I frown. I’ve never really got close enough to it, given it’s surrounded by high walls and locked gates. Then again, I’ve never had reason to go there, content enough with my own home and Broken Shores.
“No, darling, it isn’t derelict. My godson has returned a few times over the years, always entering the Palace by its own private beach. I’ve not seen him for over two years now.”
“But you have seen him here, on this island…”
“In the Palace, yes.”
“Why have you never said anything? Why have you never talked about him?”
“Because you do not need to be marred by such a family. When I agreed to be his godmother it was because I did so for his own mother, who I cared about. Alas, she too has long since passed. An inevitable outcome for the women who fall for the Bennett men.” Her fingers tighten around my hand, her skin warm to touch. “I love you, Connie, and because I love you I’m asking you not to fall for Malakai.Please,” she begs.
“I can’t control how I feel, Grandma,” I whisper, knowing already that it’s too late.
“Then I pray that he’ll have the good sense to stay away from you, darling girl.”
With that, she kisses me gently on the check and hands me the photo album filled with memories of a boy who has grown into a man that I can’t have.
