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How he got into the resort and evaded all the teams out looking for him in the village nearby, I don’t know. But I do know that it’d be naive to think that this is anyone else.
The man I’m staring at is the one I’ve been looking for, the one who’s been after us for months now. And I also know that if he’s here, that means there’s a reason for it. He wouldn’t have come here simply to make small talk.
This, whatever this is, is all a part of his endgame, and knowing that scares the shit out of me. But I’ll never let him see it. Regardless of what happens here, I’m glad I’m alone and all the others are together at the pool.
That means no one else is in danger right now, and he might be bigger than me, but I can take him. Dad has been training me pretty much since I could walk to fight in a way that makes up for my smaller stature.
I guess I’m about to find out if all those lessons paid off.
A tremor runs through me, but I clench my hands into fists at my sides so he doesn’t notice it and walk deeper into the room, putting some space between us even though all I really want to do is run back outside. If I do, though, he’ll follow. And that’s if I even get past him.
So no. It’s safer for everyone else if he’s here with me and me alone. My decision is validated when I turn to him again, and since I’ve got a better view now that he’s farther away, I see the glint of metal sticking out of his belt underneath his jacket.
Fuck. He’s got a gun, which means I need to keep him here with me at all costs. If this goes sideways and he goes on a rampage, all it would take to kill someone I love is one fucking bullet from that thing. None of them know he’s here. Nobody will be running, hiding, or barricading themselves in someplace safe.
A bullet from his dad’s gun killed Vincent’s uncle. A stray bullet fired when his dad and mine were fighting once almost killed the man who later became my father in every way that matters. I won’t let a bullet from him do the same—not to my dad or anyone else I care about.
Sucking in a deep but quiet breath through my nostrils, I pretend to relax and even manage to smile at him. I have no intention of letting him kill me either. He simply got the drop on me, and until I figure out how to take him down without getting hurt in the process, I need to make nice. Or at least I need to make it look like I am.
My dad’s voice that day in the business center runs through my head.Thank God you accepted him. I hate to think what might’ve happened if he thought you were rejecting him.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Justin,” I say finally, deciding to follow my dad’s advice for now. Justin didn’t knock me out or shoot me as soon as I came in, which means I might just have a chance at getting out of this alive as long as I play the game and nothing unexpected happens. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Maintaining eye contact with him, I send up a silent prayer that no one comes looking for me and incline my head in the direction of the minibar. “Can I get you a drink?”
27
VINCENT
Max rolls his eyes, laughing as James and I lift ourselves out of the water and make our way back to the loungers and our drinks. “It’s a good thing I didn’t put money on either of you since you both lost.”
James laughs. “Do you really think you could do better, old man? At least both of us put up a good fight. I bet I could get you in the water in under two minutes.”
His dad smirks, lazily stretching one of his arms above his head and reaching with the other to set his drink down on the table beside his chair. “Bring it on, son. I taught you all those tricks, remember? If you really want to take me on, then go for it.” He glances at Dad and Tim. “Or I could just show you how it’s done.”
James follows his dad’s gaze, then grins. “Let’s see how it’s done first. I will take you, but later. I need a drink and a laugh, and this should be hilarious.”
Max grins, taking his time to pull off his sunglasses and take all his stuff out of his pockets. “In that case, watch and learn, boys. Watch and learn.”
After winking at us, he ambles confidently over to where Dad and Tim are talking. They’re so caught up in their conversation that neither even seems to notice him as he approaches. In a flash, he’s grabbed Tim’s arms and has him in a lock as he pushes him toward the pool.
The other man lets out a surprised yelp, but with both of them moving faster than I’d thought possible, Tim manages to spin out of Max’s grip, and he laughs. “Game on, Max. You chose the wrong target for this game.”
“This is really not the—” Dad starts saying, but suddenly, John grabs him, and then all four of them are engaged in trying to toss the other into the pool.
There are hoots of laughter and cheering from everyone else, the moms and kids all egging on the man whoisn’ttheir family. It’s hilarious, and it’s fucking nice to see them all so relaxed and excited after how tense things have been recently.
Laughing along with everyone else, I turn to the spot Olivia and Isabella chose for the morning, my gaze seeking hers out. It’s my first instinct these days when anything happens—to share it with Olivia.
Logically, it doesn’t make any sense, but I’ve learned that logic and love don’t seem to sit around the same campfire. It doesn’t matter whether something makes logical sense. Love will make you do it anyway.
As I look over at them, though, my heart does a strange skip when I find Olivia’s lounge chair empty. She was there just a minute ago. I know it because even while I was wrestling with James, I found myself sneaking glances at her.
What the…?Although my immediate reaction is to panic, I force myself to rein it in.Jesus, she’s probably just gone to take a leak… or whatever girls call it.
Deciding to check just to be on the safe side, I make my way over to the other side of the pool when the first big splash sounds behind me. Glancing back, I see that John and Dad are the first who went in. Not even a beat later, and before I even look away again, Max and Tim go tumbling in together too.
Ha. Suck on that, Max. I smirk at him when he surfaces, merely raising my eyebrows in a look that says,I thought you were going to show us how it’s done?
