“Your mother.”
Mia’s eyes glared.
“This is about your mother. She pushed this, didn’t she?”
Mia would offer her nothing.
“I trusted you with everything, Mia. My job. My story.”
“You trust too easily,” Laine said quickly, as if she couldn’t keep it in.
Riley looked at her. “How did you find this out?”
Laine turned away from Mia. “I didn’t trust her. Not from the first moment I saw her. And it didn’t add up last night. Then I saw her with Christian. I knew there were all kinds of motives going on with this one. So Winnie and I set up a decoy.” She hung her head and bit her lip. “Tamyra was going to her room to fake needing Mia. But when she got there, that man was waiting on her.”
Riley let out a gasp.
“Winnie and I had no idea. So while Mia was gone to check on Tamyra, we went through her things. All of them. That was when we found a fax and the pills. We just put two and two together and I made her confess.”
Riley shook her head, blinking hard. “I can’t believe this. You made her confess?”
“I told her inmates would like her.”
Riley shook her head again. “You did all of this . . . after what I said about you last night?”
“Riley, stop it. You didn’t say it. You didn’t slip off the wagon. You’re still the incredible woman you were when you woke up yesterday morning. All of this was a horrible, despicable scheme of this woman,” Laine said, tossing her head at Mia. “Now, would you like to press charges?”
Riley’s head shifted back. “What? Press charges?”
Laine sighed. “Yes, this woman could get jail time for putting something in your drink.”
Riley hadn’t even thought about Mia’s actions being a crime. She looked at Mia. Her face registered no remorse. Jail would probably do her good. But it wouldn’t come at Riley’s hands. An officer stood silently at the front of the car. “No. No, there will be no charges.”
“Are you sure?” Laine asked.
Riley knew Laine knew she was sure. But she also wasn’t surprised she asked again. “I’m sure. Mia apparently already lives in prison. She’ll have to decide when she’s ready to set herself free.”
Riley looked at the police officer. “Officer.” He walked over to her. “You can let this woman go. I won’t be pressing charges.”
Mia’s face was expressionless.
“Are you sure, ma’am?”
“Absolutely.” Riley turned her back on Mia and walked through the automatic glass doors. Laine came up beside her. “Thank you,” Riley whispered. “Thank you so much.”
* * *
The doctor came into the waiting room when Riley and Laine got back inside. The three women huddled together as he began to speak. “We’ve done our initial evaluation and her nose is broken badly, there are quite a few broken bones in her face, a couple cracked ribs, and she will have some major bruising, but there is no head trauma, no swelling on her brain of any kind. Honestly, with the way her face looks, I thought . . .” He paused; then his training seemed to kick back in. “Well, it is far better than we ever expected.”
Laine heard Winnie exhale. “Thank you, Jesus,” she said.
“How much longer will she be in surgery?” Riley asked.
“Another hour maybe for her nose; then a plastic surgeon is coming in and he will probably be with her a couple more hours. We will come and let you know when she is in recovery.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor,” Laine said.
He nodded and turned.
The three collapsed in side-by-side chairs. “That is great news,” Riley said. “When I saw her face, I didn’t know how in the world she would live through that.”
“It’s a miracle,” Winnie said. “An absolute miracle.”
Laine nodded. Her phone rang inside the purse at her feet. She pulled it out and her eyes lit up. “It’s Mitchell.”
“What?” Riley couldn’t hide her surprise.
“I know; I haven’t gotten to tell you in all of the commotion. But I can’t tell you now. You tell her, Winnie,” she said as she accepted Mitchell’s call and walked out of the waiting room.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Lainey. Listen, if you’re not coming home, I’m coming there. I don’t want you going through that storm without me. It’s too dangerous. So I’m flying my plane out and will be there as soon as I can.”
“No!” she protested loudly. “It’s too dangerous for you to come! We’re in the middle of this thing, babe. The wind is blowing like crazy. Rain is coming down in sheets. You haven’t been flying that long, and even experienced pilots aren’t flying in this. Just stay put and I’ll be home as soon as it’s over. It’s just too dangerous.”
“I know. That’s why you shouldn’t be there.”
She shook her head. “I had to be. Honestly, if I hadn’t stayed, I don’t know what would have happened.” She filled him in on last night and Riley and what had happened to Tamyra. His final words before hanging up were “I’m coming. I’ll be there tonight, and I love you more than you will ever know.”
He was going to see her no matter what. She hung up the phone and prayed. Laine was praying.
* * *
Riley had left the hospital once Laine came back to sit with Winnie. Max had called her on the way back to the hotel, apologized, and assured her he’d get her some new help as soon as the storm passed. “Let me know if you need anything over there. I’ll be at the Towers,” he said.
She ran through the parking lot and underneath the shelter, her umbrella no longer any protection from the driving rain. She had lived through hurricanes before and respected them for the force that they were. It was time to start moving guests into the ballroom. There were only a couple dozen remaining, but she needed to make sure the workers stayed safe too. Her job was to protect them all. She grabbed the glass door to the offices and pulled with her full strength, her small arms no match for the wind and the leaded glass. She saw a strong tanned hand grab ahold of the door and push it open.
“Get in here. It’s horrible out there.”
The door closed, sending a burst of air through and pushing her right into Christian’s chest. She looked up, ringlets hanging in her face, blown free from her ponytail holder. He didn’t move. She didn’t either. He raised his hand and brushed the hair away from her face. She felt every part of her being come alive. He let his hand slide to the back of her neck, and as he leaned his head down, he raised hers to his own. His mouth covered hers and she let it. Everything inside of her screamed to life. Her body relaxed beneath his touch, and he wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her even closer. She wrapped her hands around him and let every ounce of his presence engulf her. When he finally lifted his head from hers, he saw the tears that brimmed at the corners of her eyes.
“So I can make you cry too?” he chided.
She laughed and pushed at his chest playfully. But he wouldn’t let her go. “You knew, didn’t you?” she whispered, settling her palms against the linen of his white shirt.
“I knew that wasn’t you last night. And something about Mia just didn’t compute. I was, in fact, headed here to confront her when Max called me to come over. It was then I put it all together.”
“I saw it in your face this morning. I saw that you didn’t believe the worst about me.”
“I knew what happened to you the other night at the church was real. It was like nothing I had ever seen. And I knew from the moment I met you that you were a woman who was strong and not the woman that I saw last night.”
She dropped her head and let her forehead rest against his chest. His hands slid up her back and she could feel his lips kiss the top of her head.
“We’ve got to make sure these people are safe,” he whispered.
She nodded. “I know.”
“Let’s round them up and get them to the ballroom, and we’ll spend the night together,” he said. She didn’t miss his innuen
do.
She laughed. “Yes, it looks like we will. Boy, I’m an easy date. One date and you get me for the night.”
“I think I might want Riley Sinclair for longer than any night.”
She tilted her head up, and his black eyes bored into her own. She’d take care of her guests in a minute. Right now she was going to kiss this man in front of her one more time.
22
Friday evening . . .
Winnie pulled her luggage down the hall. The hospital had sent her and Laine back to the hotel. Tamyra was in ICU, so they could only visit a few minutes every other hour. The staff told them they would be safer riding out the hurricane at the Atlantis than at the hospital. Riley had sent all the guests to get their luggage and come down to the meeting rooms at The Cove. Winnie’s Mesa Red Vera Bradley luggage looked like a cowboy’s bandanna. That’s why she had bought it in the first place. It matched the red bandanna she wore around her neck to complement her studded denim skirt and white T-shirt emblazoned with a red-sequined heart that took over most of her bosom. She had risked a shower and changed her clothes even if it meant being reprimanded by Riley.
The elevator deposited her at the entrance to the ballroom. Gerard was waiting for her in the hall. He nodded toward the doorway. “He will walk you the rest of the way, Miss Winnie.”
Winnie looked across the hall and saw the man. It was Albert. She couldn’t believe it. “What in the world are you doing here? You should be home. You should have gotten out of here when you could,” she scolded like a mother talking to a four-year-old.
“I called home and my children said yours were beside themselves when they found out you weren’t taking that flight home. So I told them I would stay here with you. Now we need to get a move on,” he said with a firmness in his voice that bade her to comply.
“Well, you should have gone home. I am more than capable of taking care of myself,” she huffed slightly.
“You know what, Winnie Harris? You need a man who will straighten you out. You’re set in your ways, and it’s time you open up and let someone inside.” His hand held her by the arm.
Her rigidness softened beneath his grasp. She looked at him with slight dismay.
“Yeah, that’s right. You tell kids what to do all the time, but I’m not a kid. I’m a grown man. And I think you’re an incredibly beautiful woman, albeit a pain in the butt. But I’ve handled worse than you. And we’re going to the ballroom and I’m going to make sure you get home safe. And, well, dang it, I’m going to—” And with that, Albert’s lips came down on Winnie’s and sucked every last word from her. Her heart beat beneath the sequined one like a schoolkid’s at recess. He lifted his mouth from hers.
“Now do you understand me?” he asked.
She just stood there. Head tilted back. Eyes still closed. Mouth partially open. And all she could do was nod. She heard him chuckle.
“I should have done that a long time ago, huh?”
She nodded again.
He laughed harder. He pulled her arm softly and took her large bag from her. She opened her eyes and released it to him. And for the entire walk to the conference room, she didn’t say a word. Winnie Harris had been rendered speechless.
* * *
Laine paced the length of the ballroom.
“He’ll call,” Riley assured her.
“I told him not to come. I told him it was a hurricane, for pete’s sake. No one should fly in a hurricane. He’s a pilot. He knows better.”
“He’s flying himself?”
“Yeah, he got his license a few years back. He loves it. But this is stupid. And he doesn’t have experience for this kind of weather.” Laine looked at Riley. She knew her eyes had to be pleading, because her heart sure was. “He will show up, won’t he?”
Riley patted her. Laine could read the concern on her face. Professional pilots didn’t even have the experience for this kind of weather. It was foolish.
“Yes, he will show up. Now come on; get something to eat. Neither you nor Winnie have eaten since this morning.” Riley nodded to the table where Winnie sat with Albert.
They could all hear the storm outside. In the last three hours since they had all the guests accounted for, the winds outside had grown fiercer. The last report had coconuts flying from the trees like missiles and the ocean a mass of white spray. The lights in the ballroom flickered. “Have you seen how she’s been looking at him?” Laine asked as they walked to their table.
“Yes, I’m not sure what’s happened, but I think ol’ Albert has broken Miss Winnie-belle.”
“Miss Winnie what?”
Riley laughed. “Southerners add belle to anything and everything.”
“You are weird people.”
Riley nudged her. “Well, you only wear black. Let’s not talk about weird.”
Laine raised her finger. “Ah . . . last night I did not have on all black.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t remember last night.”
Laine shook her head. “Of course you can’t. The one night I actually wear something that isn’t black or some shade thereof and you can’t remember.” She sat at the table, and before she could speak again, the lights went out. The eerie blackness in front of them made the sounds outside seem even louder. If Laine were to describe it, she’d say the noise reminded her of a wolf howling for its prey. The noises of the darkness were soon drowned out by the guests’ dialogue, which had escalated in pitch and anxiety. It descended rapidly, though, when the generators kicked on and floodlights illuminated what had only moments earlier been encased in black. Apparently hurricanes had a predisposition for black too.
* * *
Riley watched as Christian passed out bottled water. The staff was minimal and so were the guests. He caught her watching him and smiled. She smiled in return and surveyed the rest of the room. Cots were lined up on one side of the room and some guests had already settled in to try to sleep. Tables were lined up on the other side, where some guests planned to eat their way through the storm or entertain themselves until it was over. Some played cards. Others carried on conversations. All attempted to forget what was going on beyond the windowless walls around them. The fact that the ballroom was belowground made all that was going on outside easier to ignore. But some of it still couldn’t be avoided. The main thing they had to be concerned about down here was flooding. And Gerard and his team were making sure that there was no sign of that. So for now everyone was okay. And that was Riley’s main concern.
Christian walked over to where she stood. “You should sit down and get something to eat.”
She hadn’t thought about food for hours. She had for others, but not for herself. Hard to believe it had been only a day. She felt as if she had lived a thousand lives in the past twenty-four hours. Her stomach growled. “Not a bad idea.”
He walked with her to a long table. The buffet dinner that had been provided earlier had been put away. Coolers full of boxed meals now lined the table. She opened the lid of one and picked up a white box labeled Turkey. “Turkey it will be.” Christian handed her a bottle of water, and they sat down.
She unhooked the top of the white box that was fastened like a carton of Chinese food. “Ever been through a hurricane?”
“Can’t say we get many of those in Greece.”
She pulled out a turkey and Swiss sub sandwich, some baked potato chips, and a brownie, then leaned back in her chair. She immediately realized how exhausted she was. He reached his hand across the table and touched her face. “You’re exhausted, Riley.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I am.”
“You eat; then you can grab some sleep and I’ll keep watch over everything.”
She sat back up and unwrapped her sandwich. “I’m fine. Honestly, I’ll be fine.” She took a bite.
“You’ll eat, and then you’ll sleep. Honestly, woman, you’re hardheaded.”
She laughed. “Okay, I’ll sleep.” Her smile dropped. She knew it was time. He deserved to hear the t
ruth. She put her sandwich down. “I want to tell you something first.”
“You can tell me anything.”
“I want to tell you my story.”
He smiled softly at her. And that same smile stayed on his face as she relayed every detail of her painful past. She could see at times her own sorrow reflected on his face. But that smile—that genuine, comforting smile—never left it. When she finished, he stood up and walked over to her. He bent down, lifted her chin with his fingers, then kissed her softly, gently.
He leaned back. “Thank you, Riley. Now you will never have to tell me again.”
She couldn’t hide her emotion. “It’s a horrible story, Christian.”
His hand never left her chin. “It is horrible, Riley. And sad. And I’m sorry it is yours. But it’s only part of your story. Don’t ever let yourself think it is the sum of your story. There is much left for you to write. And the Riley that is living now is beautiful.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for sharing it.”
She finished her sandwich while he talked and told her more about his life and his family. They laughed together while Hurricane Kate acted far more unladylike outside than its Southern name would suggest. Before Riley laid her head down, she looked up and checked on her friends. They were both asleep. She was surprised Laine had finally laid her head down. Her panic over Mitchell had her fit to be tied. But it had been a long day and night for her, too. Albert slept in a cot next to Winnie’s, and she hoped that Winnie’s unladylike noises wouldn’t frighten him away. Riley closed her eyes and said a prayer for Mitchell. Then she thanked God for Christian . . . and that she wasn’t more than he could handle. And she also thanked God that her story wasn’t over.
23
Saturday morning . . .
Riley’s cell phone vibrated her to life. When her eyes darted open, she saw Christian sitting in a chair by her side, wide-awake, sipping a cup of coffee. He apparently had never gone to sleep and must have worked all night. She was surprised her phone could receive calls now. She was even more surprised that anyone had slept through the storm. But most were still sleeping. She picked her phone up. It was Max. She sat up, shook off her sleepiness, and answered the phone.
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