Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
“She’ll have it forever.” I leaned closer, worried. “I’ll get called away again before this is over. I promised Sean.”
She nodded. “I’ll watch her. But promise me, as soon as your final commitment is done, you’ll take her away.”
I hummed in agreement. I was already planning a trip to Fiji. I wanted Ally to see the beauty of the island, sleep the mornings away with her every day, and dance on the sand under the stars until late into the night. I wanted her to lie by the pool and see her pale skin kissed by the sun and watch the stress leave her body.
And marry her.
“Come with us.”
Elena looked startled. “What?”
“Come with us. I’m taking her to Fiji. It’s beautiful, and the villa I plan on renting is huge. You can have your own suite.”
“You don’t want an old lady there,” she scoffed, but I saw the flicker of delight in her eyes.
With a grin, I lifted her hand and kissed it. “No, we want you. Ally would love it. You can stay for a week or a month—whatever you want.”
“You want to see me in a bikini.”
I threw my head back, laughing. “You got me.”
“I won’t go with you, but I’ll come visit for a few days.”
“At least a week. Two would be better.”
“On one condition.”
I grinned. “Negotiations? Excellent.”
She grinned back. “I want to be there when you tell Sarah and Ronald.”
“You’ll have to say it,” I teased.
She leaned forward, cupping my face in her hands. They were as soft as powder, the skin thin and pale, her veins a map of bruised purple under the skin. Her rings were cold on my cheeks, but her expression was filled with affection.
“I love you, boy. You and your Ally. The two of you are my heart.”
I held the gaze of a woman I had come to love dearly. She was blunt, honest, and snarky—and underneath all the bluster was the sweetest woman I’d ever known, aside from my girl. We loved spending time with her.
I kissed her cheek. “Front and center, Elena.”
She beamed back at me.
Ally walked in, carrying a tray, smiling at us.
My phone rang.
She stopped smiling.
I shared a look with Elena. She dipped her chin, telling me silently she would watch closely.
I stood to answer, moving past Ally. She gave me a brave nod, but I saw the worry in her eyes already taking hold. I stopped beside her, brushing her lips with mine. “Soon,” I promised. I hit accept to stop the ringing, already looking forward to the day it was silent forever.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Wind tore through my hair, the fierceness of it stinging my eyes. Debris flew around, and I ducked and bobbed, trying to avoid being hit as the storm raged.
This time, I was closer to home. The phone call from Sean had been to tell me about a huge hurricane blowing toward the Atlantic coast, and Chris and I flew out to capture the images as it hit and the aftermath. We’d been watching it roll in, capturing the violence and the beauty as it came inland. It was immense in its fury.
I hit the ground as a huge piece of debris barely missed my head, and I knew it was time to retreat. We needed to hunker down until we knew it was safe to return and capture the aftermath of the storm.
When it was safe, we ventured out into the weak morning light, staring at the path of destruction. Grimly, I glanced at Chris. “Time to get to work.”
Hours later, I returned to the motel, exhausted. I hadn’t slept in three days, going on adrenaline and caffeine when I could grab it. Wearily, I sat on the edge of the old bed, powering on the satellite phone. There was no other way of getting hold of Ally and I knew she’d be worried, so I needed to talk to her before I tried sleeping. I dialed Ally’s cell phone, thinking I would catch her before she went to work. When she answered, her voice was thick and raspy. When she heard my voice, she began to weep.
I stood and started to pace when I heard her deep sobs. “Ally, what is it? What’s wrong?”
There were more cries—heart-wrenching, pain-filled cries that were frightening. “Baby,” I pleaded. “Tell me what’s wrong. Are you hurt? Ill?”
“No,” she gasped out.
“Take a deep breath. I need you to calm down and tell me.”
Her voice was so rough, I knew she’d been crying for hours. “Elena,” she whimpered.
My heart sank. “Elena?” I repeated in a low voice.
“She–she died, Adam.”
I had to fight, bribe, and plead my way home. There were no flights leaving the storm-ravaged coast. Chris stayed behind to keep working, and with Sean’s help, I found a car. I drove as fast as I could, finally getting to a major city, and flew back to Toronto and my brokenhearted girl.