Bravura (Portentous Destiny Series Book 3)

by S. E. Rose

  The memories of his profession of love come rushing back to me. I reach up and caress the side of his face. He is in desperate need of a shave, and I can just make out the stitches buried in his scalp beneath his wildly disheveled hair.

  I smile up at him, feeling strength and calm that I haven’t experienced, well, maybe ever. “I love you too, Cody.”

  I see the love in his eyes as he gazes down at me. Another word pops into my head, a word Dr. Hannigan used in therapy comes back to me. Resilient. I smile to myself as I realize that both Cody and I are resilient. We are strong, and we have survived. I shiver from the intensity of my thoughts and his stare and then I feel warmth spread throughout my body as his hand glides down my back, gripping my ass and pulling me into him. He leans down so our mouths are but a breath apart.

  “I love you too, my princess,” he says as he crashes his mouth to mine. My mind goes blank as Cody claims me with a kiss. His lips take ownership of my body and my soul. I know in that moment that this is different than all the one-night stands, the drunken romps, the bad boyfriends of my past, this is real. Fairy tales are real, and he is my Prince Charming.

  Epilogue

  Zoe’s Playlist: “Sweetest Thing” by U2

  One year later…

  The baby in my arms squirms and I look down at him. “Shhh,” I coo at him and kiss his forehead.

  “Hey there, Zander, how’s my favorite godson?” I whisper to him.

  “Is he giving you problems?” Ethan asks as he walks by on the way to his kitchen.

  “No, not my little guy here. We have an arrangement.” I smirk.

  “Oh, really. Hey, does that arrangement involve diaper changes?” Ethan asks.

  “Nice try. But I wasn’t born yesterday,” I laugh. I rearrange Zander and walk into the kitchen where Amanda is placing more food on a tray. “Can I help with anything?” I ask her.

  “Just keep that one occupied for a bit, OK?” she asks as she smiles down at her son. “Hi there, handsome. You be nice to your godmother, alright. I am depending on her for some future babysitting.”

  I laugh. I feel hands on my shoulders, and I smile knowing whose hands they are. “How’s the little man?” Cody asks as he leans over from behind me and places a kiss on Zander’s head.

  “He’s fine,” I say in a voice reserved for babies.

  Cody laughs as Zander smiles up at him. “Careful, she’s a sucker for smiles,” he murmurs to the little bundle in my arms.

  Rob walks in with a box wrapped in a cute baby print wrapping paper. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” he sighs as he gives me a hug and kisses Zander. “How’s the man of the hour?”

  “Fine. I think it’s about lunchtime,” I say to Mandy. She laughs. “OK, give me my little stinker. I’ll be back in a flash. Can you get some more of the chips out?” she asks as she grabs Zander from my arms.

  “Sure thing,” I say.

  Rob frowns. “Hey, I get to hang out with my godson next, right?”

  “Of course,” she laughs.

  “The rest of family’s going to stop by later, yes?” Mandy asks as she heads toward the back room.

  “Yes, of course,” I say smiling at her.

  It’s hard to believe that Olivia died a year ago. Mandy and Ethan have become like extra family members to us. They were there for Cody and me after our ordeal in China and they’ve even spent holidays with our families since then. When Mandy found out she was pregnant one month after we got home, I couldn’t have been happier for Ethan and her. And I am obsessed with my godson.

  I smile at Cody as I load a tray with snacks. We’ve been living together since the day we got home. At first, I think he didn’t want me out of his sight, but now I can’t imagine not waking up to him every morning. The doorbell interrupts my thoughts.

  “Can you see who’s there?” Ethan calls from the living room. We have come together today to celebrate Zander’s baptism. Ethan and Mandy wanted it to be on the anniversary of Olivia’s death. They wanted the day to be a happy memory. I hear my entire family milling down the hallway. I laugh at their rambunctiousness. Jack, my aunt Laura, Lance, Lily, Nick, and my mom all come loudly clambering into the kitchen. Lily and Lance are each holding a baby. The twins, Rosa and Frankie, are a few months old and are adorable. Leidy walks in holding Laura’s hand. She immediately makes a beeline for the toys in the family room. I frown as she didn’t even say hello to me yet. I see Lily start to laugh when she realizes I am hurt by the actions of her six-year-old daughter. I give her a glare and she rolls her eyes as she sets Rosa down next to Leidy, who eventually turns and gives me a hug.

  “Hey, where’s your godson?” Lance asks.

  “Eating,” I answer. “Can you take this out to the family room?” I ask Lily. We hug, and she takes the tray into the other room.

  We all stand around the kitchen island catching up on things. I’ve lost track of Cody, but I am too busy putting finishing touches on the meal that Ethan has prepared for us to give much thought to his whereabouts. Ethan’s parents and brother have flown in from Chicago and Mandy’s mom stands next to Ethan helping him with the salad. I’m sad her dad didn’t live long enough to meet his other grandchild, but I’m glad their families could be here too.

  I feel my phone buzz, and I look down to see a text from my dad.

  Dad: Hey, honey, hope you’re having fun at Zander’s party. Will we be seeing you guys soon? Cody promised that you will both visit us next month.

  I smile. Things are slowly getting better with my dad. After China, he flew out to see us with Helena. They stayed for two weeks, the longest visit I’ve had with them in years. We talked a lot about our relationship and the things that had happened. My dad was able to explain things from his perspective, a perspective I had never once considered before we spoke. I was also able to tell him how his actions had made me feel. Even Rob spent time with them, which is a big step for him.

  I can’t say things are great and perfect, but they are much better than before when I didn’t want to have any sort of relationship with my dad. I’m not sure I completely trust him yet, but he’s working hard to gain my trust for the first time since I was a girl. I hope that things stay good between us in the future, but for now, I’m taking it day by day and finally letting myself hope that our relationship might someday be more than it is.

  Zoe: Yep, at the party. I’ll talk to Cody about visiting next month.

  Dad: OK, give our love to everyone.

  Zoe: Will do.

  Dad: Love you, Zoe.

  Zoe: Love you too, Dad.

  Ethan pulls me out of my texting world and hands me a platter of bread to take out to the giant sun porch that they have converted into a second dining and sitting area. They have made the table big enough to accommodate everyone, so basically, it takes up the whole room. Slowly people mill in and take seats around it. When everyone is seated, I see Ethan look to Cody and then me.

  “Uh, Zoe? Can you go get my wife and son, I think the natives are going to get restless?” he asks, giving me a warm smile.

  “Oh, sure,” I answer and walk back into the house. I find Mandy finishing up nursing Zander. The way he looks up at her, his eyes half-closed in a milk coma is so beautiful. A very small part of me flutters thinking about that being me someday. I shake my head. I’m getting ahead of myself. Cody and I aren’t even engaged yet. We’ve talked about it, but there’s no rush.

  “Ready?” I ask her. She looks up and smiles at me.

  “Yes,” she says and situates herself with Zander over her shoulder, so she can burp him.

  We walk back to the sunroom, and I see Cody standing by the door. I give him a curious look. He smiles at me as Mandy walks by us and places Zander in a bassinet by her seat. I can see Ethan take her hand as she sits. Suddenly, I realize everyone is staring at me in silence, and I begin to feel a little self-conscious. Before I can read too much into it, Cody is down on a knee in front of me.

  “Zoe?” he asks. I begin to tremble. “
I remember the first time I saw you, sitting at the table by the pool at our hotel in the Galapagos. I knew then that you were something special, but then when I saw you again in Miami…,” he pauses and I see Lance’s eyebrows go way up…oh yeah, perhaps we failed to mention that little get-together, “I knew I could never let you go. We’ve had a crazy start to this life together, but I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else. I can’t imagine waking up without you in my arms.” I’m suddenly aware that Cody’s parents and sister are standing in the kitchen doorway, and then I see my dad and Helena. My mind goes blank as I stare back down at Cody. “I love you, Zoe. You’ll always be my princess and I hope you’ll do me the honor of being your Prince Charming, forever.” He finishes and pulls out a small box and opens it. It’s a beautiful sapphire encrusted with small diamonds embedded in an antique platinum band. The whole ring sparkles in the light. I look back up at everyone surrounding us and then down at Cody, my emotions becoming too much for me.

  I can feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. I begin nodding. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes,” I say as he slips the ring on my finger, and I launch myself at him on the floor. He stumbles back, and I fall on him as he starts chuckling.

  “That’s a real yes, isn’t it?” he says as he leans in and kisses me. I can hear our friends and family laughing, but I don’t care, right now all I see is Cody, the man I’ll be spending forever with, my Prince Charming.

  Interlude

  One year earlier…

  The video surveillance shows the second his brother dies. He replays it three, four, five times. The anger boils inside him, and he sees red. Revenge. He’ll get it.

  He needs that data more than ever now. He knows he has to be smart about it. His brother made too many errors. He has enough information to last him a few months, but to continue beyond the year, he’ll need that data.

  “Damn it!” he yells as he pounds his fist on the table. He sees his maid scurry in another direction. He stands and walks over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that cover this side of his penthouse. Dubai looks small from up here. He watches cars driving around, people walking, boats in the distance. The vast wealth here is unparalleled.

  The familiar sound of an incoming video call rings in the room. He clicks a button on his phone and a screen comes to life on the opposite wall.

  “Sir, I’ve tracked down another copy of the data,” the man says.

  He keeps his composure as he stares at the man on the screen. “Good, when can I have it,” he says.

  “Well, it’ll take some work to get it, but I’m sure we can arrange something sooner rather than later,” the man says.

  “I want that data yesterday. I don’t care what you want to charge me. Just make it happen,” he growls.

  “Yes, sir. It will be a complicated extraction,” the man continues.

  “And why is that?” he says, perturbed.

  “It’s housed in the servers for Ryder Enterprises,” the man explains.

  This makes him pause. Ryder Enterprises, Jesse Ryder. This makes sense to him since he knows Jesse Ryder’s connections to Zoe, Lily, and Laura. This fucking family, he thinks to himself. I’m smarter than my brother, he stews, and I will do what he failed to do.

  Acknowledgements

  This book was a challenge to write. A good portion of the book follows Zoe as she recovers from head trauma. I, too, suffered a head injury a few years ago, and the recovery is a tough and sometimes frustrating one. (Although mine wasn’t nearly as bad as Zoe’s.) I tried to have the book follow the actual way a person is feeling after head trauma as well as how time may go by without much memory of it. I hope I did head trauma survivors justice in the way I attempted to show Zoe’s thoughts throughout the ordeal. For that, I want to thank all my family and friends for being patient with me after my concussion. It took a few months to get back to normal, and they were all so supportive!

  I also want to thank you, the readers! I’ve met so many fantastic readers on my writing journey. Thanks for sticking with me and being my cheerleaders!!

  Thanks to all the amazing authors I’ve met! You are all wonderful and provide me with great advice, or sometimes just a shoulder to cry on.

  Thanks to my wonderful cover designer, editor, and marketing folks! Your hard work helps so many authors like me succeed at what we do!!

  And, of course, thanks to Beta One and all my other early readers! Your input helped make this book so much better!

  About the Author

  S.E. Rose lives in the DMV. And if you know what that means, then you know where she lives. She currently resides with her husband, two children, and always at least two cats and usually other random creatures her children decide they need. While she works at a desk during the day, her evenings and weekends are devoted to writing and editing her romance novels. She loves all things wine, coffee, tea, and dark chocolate, that’s right dark chocolate. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, traveling, going to concerts, and reading.

  Learn more about upcoming books from S.E. Rose at www.seroseauthor.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @seroseauthor. She has many other social media accounts and you can find them all at: https://linktr.ee/seroseauthor .

  Books by S.E. Rose

  Available on Kindle Unlimited:

  Island (Portentous Destiny Series Book One)

  Secrets (Portentous Destiny Series Book Two)

  Bravura (Portentous Destiny Series Book Three)

  Available on iBooks, Nook, Kindle, kobo, and Tolino:

  Neighbor in Apartment No. 5

  Chronicles of a Hot Mess

  Coming Soon…Determination (Portentous Destiny Series Book Four)

  Prologue

  Jesse’s Playlist: “Call to Arms” by Angels and Airwaves

  Present Day

  The waves are crashing over the bow of the boat. I bring it around again, trying to get closer to the shore. The reef is thick in the shallows, and I know I can’t get any closer to the beach. I look down at my cell phone. I can see the ping from Vanessa’s phone. She’s here. She has to be here.

  I glance back at the island. It’s small, maybe the size of about ten football fields. There’s a small cluster of palm trees in the middle. It’s thick enough that I can’t see to the far side. There are some large stones jutting out from the trees. I reverse the engine and pull back into the waves. The boat lists to one side and I do my best to steady it as I fight the waves, the tide, and the impending storm. I need to get closer. I begin to drive the boat around the island.

  Damn it, all I see is fucking reef. Normally, so much coral would excite me. I’ve sunk a lot of money into bringing back coral reefs and this island is proof that perhaps my funds are not going to waste. But right now, I need to get this boat to shore; I need to get to Vanessa and this fucking reef is between her and me.

  As I hug the reef and follow the water around the island, I am greeted with the sound of waves hitting the shore. Thank fucking God!! I drive the boat toward shore as I see a small alcove appear around the side of the stones that seem to jut out on this side of the island. As I coast over the waves toward the shore, I hear a clap of thunder and turn just in time to see a bolt of lightning strike the ocean less than a mile away. Shit! I’m so mad at myself. I control everything, everything! How did I miss her leaving? I’m as pissed at myself as I am with her, but mostly, I just need her to be alright.

  I push the boat’s throttle, and I feel it pick up speed. It seems like agonizingly long minutes as the boat flies along the water and toward the alcove. Please let her be OK, please! My desperation grows by the second. I’m about to lose my fucking mind when the boat finally reaches the shore. I slow the throttle as I feel the bottom hit the soft white sand. I turn the key and jump out into the salty water. I don’t care that the key is still in the ignition; I only care about finding her.

  I look down at my phone. The software I installed on her phone gives me a precise location. I start tracking it as I step t
hrough the sandy, isolated beach. I don’t have time to take in the unbelievable beauty of this untouched island paradise. I’m a man on a mission. I traipse through the foliage as I continue past the beach and into the dense canopy in the middle of the small island. Twice I lose my footing on rocks that seem to protrude out of the earth in odd and unsuspecting angles.

  My phone screen shows me as a blue dot moving with every step as the map is zoomed in as far as the app will let me take it. I see Vanessa’s purple dot and for a split second I can’t help but crack a smile. She picked the damn color. It’s not far now, maybe five hundred yards away.

  I want to call her name. Keeping my mouth shut is killing me, but I’m not going to risk either of our lives. I look back at the screen. I press a button and allow my location to be tracked. There should only be two people that can find me now and I’m counting on them to know I’m here.

  “Come on, sweetness, where the fuck are you?” I mutter under my breath.

  The sun is all but gone now as storm clouds fill the sky, and I can feel the cool wind whipping past me. Slowly, a single drop lands on my shoulder and then another and another until it’s pouring. The rain makes it hard to see, but I continue onward.

  I will find her. I continue trudging through the sandy soil. I can hear birds even with the wind whipping through the trees. After a moment or two, I come upon a rocky outcropping. It seems to go on forever and I don’t see a way around it. I sigh. I’ll have to scale the wet rock and climb over it. Visions of my sister float through my head as I remember her fall off a wet rock not even two years ago.

  I put my phone in my pocket and begin scaling the rock. I slip a few times and bump various body parts. Eventually, I make it to the top. I glance down the other side to see it’s just as steep. Shit! I slowly climb down trying to remember everything I learned in my rock climbing gym class in college. My right foot hits the ground, and I say a silent prayer. I plant my feet on the solid horizontal ground and pull my phone out of my pocket.