by Natalie Ann
She started to laugh. “You’re making me use the broom and you’re going to hold the pan. That’s not fair.”
“It puts me on my knees in front of you. I would think that says it all,” he said and shut her right up.
32
Hardy Stuff
Two months into Bella’s stay she found herself walking into The Bond Retreat on Eli’s arm for the wedding of his cousin Drew.
“Why do you seem so nervous?” Eli whispered to her when they moved into the grand lobby.
“Don’t laugh at me.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ve never been to a wedding before,” she admitted.
“Really? How is that possible? No friends or coworkers?”
“No. I’m not that close to anyone. I know it’s sad. No one from my family, that’s for sure. It’s only me of my generation. As for coworkers, most are already married. Or at least the ones I’m in contact with.”
Even she found it funny that at almost thirty this was the first wedding she was attending. It ended up saying how pathetic her life was prior to moving here.
And though the last few weeks she’d been staying in Eli’s penthouse with him and was happier than she’d ever been, she was making sure his life stayed as normal as possible.
She was out of the penthouse before Griffin would normally show up to meet with Eli. If she wasn’t working, then she was in the gym or the spa. She wanted them to have their privacy and not feel like she could walk in on anything important they needed to discuss.
A few times Eli had told her she didn’t need to leave, but she didn’t care. It made her feel better to let him have that time.
Had she made muffins for them one day? Yeah, she had, and Griffin had stopped and thanked her for it. She’d wanted to do it again, but then told herself to not start becoming a little homemaker. It wasn’t who she was and there was no need to put up some front.
“You’ll have a great time today. You will get a lot of family overload though. Just go with the flow, and it will be fine. If you don’t remember someone’s name, don’t worry. No one will care and everyone will understand. But trust me, you will meet all of my family.”
“All of them?” she asked, not sure she was ready for that.
“All that are here will come over to meet you.”
“Because you don’t bring dates to things like this?” she asked.
“No. I normally go solo and I haven’t seriously dated anyone in years. My career is my life, you could say.”
“So, as pathetic as me,” she said, bumping into his side playfully.
“There isn’t a damn thing pathetic about you,” he said, dropping his lips to hers.
They found their name cards and moved into the ballroom. “I’m not sure what I expected but not this. Where is the reception going to be?”
The chairs were set up on each side, aisle in the center. “In here,” Eli said. “Hunter got married here with this setup too. After the ceremony, we’ll go into another room for drinks and hors d’oeuvres while this room is converted over.”
“Do you do a lot of weddings at the casino?” she asked. She’d seen one being set up last week, but it didn’t look that big.
“A dozen a year. There are a lot of other places on the island people would rather go for a wedding.”
“Ahh, but this would most likely be out of most people’s price range,” she said, moving down the aisle and then taking a seat next to Janet Bond, Eli on the other side of her.
“It is,” he said.
“Don’t you look lovely in that dress,” Janet said. “Eli, I hope you told Bella that she is stunning.”
“I did,” he said. “I showed her too. Want to know how?”
“Eli,” Janet said, slapping his arm. “Don’t be crude.”
Eli laughed, but Bella’s face turned bright red.
“My mother doesn’t mean to embarrass you, Bella,” Eli said. “But I told you that you took my breath away in that dress.”
When Eli had walked out of the bathroom and seen her in the long black gown, he’d whistled low in his throat and instead of zipping the back up for her, he pushed it off her shoulders and laid it neatly on the chair while he brought her to his bed and showed her how turned on he was.
She’d never thought in a million years she could turn a man on like she did Eli Bond, but she was finding so much she was missing was found right here on this little island.
It didn’t take long before the seats were filled and the music started. She’d never thought much of her wedding day. Maybe she didn’t figure she’d have one.
But when she saw Amanda walking down the aisle in a massive princess gown, she realized that the Bond family sure did know how to make dreams come true.
A few hours later, the meal had been served and everyone was mingling and dancing. She’d been meeting people left and right nonstop and she knew there were more to come.
“Bella,” Hailey Bond said with two women by her side. “This is Emily and Penelope Rauch. They own Atlantic Rise Hotel not that far from the casino. I know when we met last week to talk about your proposal I brought up that many of the contestants will have families with them and may not want to stay at the casino.”
She had been glad Hailey mentioned that because she knew that the casino wasn’t a place for everyone. And though they were only in the proposal stage of this, she liked to get all her ducks in a row and knew it would be helpful to bring in another hotel.
“So nice to meet you,” she said to both women.
They took a seat next to her. “I know we don’t want to talk shop here,” Emily said. “But we did want to meet you and see if we could find a time to get together.”
“Emily is taking all the notes about the wedding right now while she plans her own,” Penelope said.
“I know what I want. I don’t need to take ideas from Amanda and Drew,” Emily said. “Besides, this isn’t Crew’s style and you know it.”
“My sister’s fiancé is the one over there talking with our father with his tie off already and squirming in his seat to get his suit off too.”
“Stop,” Emily said. “Crew just doesn’t like to dress up.”
She looked over at the big man and could see though he had a pricy suit on, he didn’t look all that comfortable in it.
“It’s not for everyone,” Bella said. “But why don’t you reach out to me next week with a time that works for you and I’ll make it work for me. My time is flexible.”
“Thanks,” Penelope said, standing up. “We’ll leave you alone now. There are plenty more of the family that you haven’t met and they want to meet you.”
“Don’t scare her,” Emily said. “Ignore my sister. She thinks she's being cute.”
“You can’t scare her,” Eli said, coming back over with a glass of champagne for her. “She’s hardy stuff.”
She smiled, not sure if she’d ever been referred to that way before or not. “If I can put up with Eli I can handle the rest of the family.”
“Not funny,” he said, reaching for her hand and holding it.
“Ahhh, Eli is in looooove,” Penelope said. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Go,” he told his cousin. “I want to say your day will come, but I’m not sure who’d want to deal with you either.”
“He got you there,” Emily said to her sister. “I tell her all the time not everyone likes to be picked on so much.”
“If they can’t handle me then it’s not worth my time,” Penelope said.
Bella watched the two sisters walk away. “So I’m hardy stuff, huh?”
“You are,” he said. “You’re handling this day just like a trooper. Add in the rest of your life and, well, that’s hardy to me.”
“The going with the flow thing is working in my favor.” Until it didn’t, but she didn’t want to say that to him.
Two months with no contact from her uncle was pushing on her last nerve. She told herself someone would reac
h out to her if there was a serious problem. She believed others knew where she was or could find her. Her uncle wouldn’t send her somewhere and not leave word.
And she knew she could call someone or go home, but she’d promised she wouldn’t do that until she heard otherwise. She just didn’t expect this much time to go by with so much up in the air.
She wanted to get to know her cousins but held back there too. It was getting harder to avoid them, but Eli and Griffin felt she shouldn’t tell them why she was here. Until she got her uncle’s side of the story, she wasn’t opening herself up too much.
Nor was she used to being pulled in so many directions.
“What’s going through your mind?” he leaned over to ask in her ear.
“Not much.”
“But something?”
“Just thinking.”
“You’re always thinking,” he said. “But this time it’s about your uncle, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s been two months now. I’m really worried.”
“Griffin has his ear to the ground. I’m positive if there was something serious going on, we’d hear. I know this is frustrating, but I thought we agreed to give it another month before we changed game plans.”
“We did,” she said. “I’m trying. And I’m keeping busy. That helps.”
“If there is anything else I can do to help, just let me know,” he said.
“You’re doing everything you can. More than most,” she said. “I’ll get through it.”
“You will. Part of me is being selfish,” he said. “Once we know more, then you’ll have to decide your next step. I’d like to take advantage of the next month knowing that you’re here with me.”
“Unless something serious happens with my uncle in the next month, I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “Then we’ll figure the rest out.”
“I can’t ask for more than that,” he said.
33
Coming To An End
And though Eli couldn’t ask for more, he wanted to. Another week went by and there was nothing they could find about Oliver. If he could just get a little to give Bella he’d feel better.
The longer it went with no word, the more she worried. And the more she worried, the faster she was going to want to rush home or make a call. Anything to get answers.
Those answers came when his phone rang at midnight. Nothing unheard of for that to happen.
He rolled over and grabbed it, saw it was from Griffin and threw the covers back to get up and answer it and not wake up Bella.
“Hello,” he said quietly.
“Oliver just arrived in the lobby with three security beside him.”
“What?”
“Facial recognition picked him up on the camera. He checked in under a false name.”
“We need to go talk to him,” Eli said.
“No. It’s late; he’s not going anywhere. First thing in the morning we knock on the door. Let me track him until then. He’s not stupid. He knows we know he’s here.”
“And if he’s here then the danger has to be gone,” he said.
“That would be my guess, but until then, sit tight,” Griffin said. “Are you going to tell Bella?”
“No. Not until I get the answers I want. Call me around five. She gets up at six. I’ll play it off as something is going on and we need to meet. She isn’t going to question it.”
“Will do. See you then. Bring me breakfast,” Griffin said, then hung up.
He went back to his room, Bella rolling over. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “A problem with a room, but it’s been taken care of.”
“Okay,” she said, rolling back over. He pulled her against his chest and held her tight, knowing that their time might be coming to an end.
No, he wasn’t going to let that happen.
A little after five the next morning, Eli was trying to wake his butt up, but it wasn’t happening. He hadn’t been able to go back to sleep after Griffin’s first call but didn’t want to get up and go there without the morning call either and have Bella wonder what was going on.
He was positive that she wasn’t going to be happy he was seeing her uncle without telling her, but he had to know more facts.
He let himself into Griffin’s place with a bagel and cream cheese. Since Griffin always put peanut butter on his, he figured he’d make them the way he wanted today.
No comment from Griffin either. He took a bite and nodded his head for Eli to go into the security cave very few knew existed.
“Any movement last night?” he asked Griffin, knowing neither of them probably got much sleep.
“No. They checked in and haven’t left.”
“We are about to go wake them up though,” he said.
“Can I finish my breakfast first?” Griffin asked. “You probably had yours already.”
“I didn’t have the stomach for food,” he said. He could barely get his coffee down, his nerves were worse than the first time he’d met Oliver.
This time they were on his turf though.
“Got your gun on you?” Griffin asked.
“Of course. I don’t need to ask if you do. Sending anyone else down with us?”
Griffin grinned. “I’ve got us covered, no worries.”
Which meant he probably had security in the adjacent rooms if he could.
Griffin finished his bagel and the two of them left and went to the fifth floor where Oliver was registered under an alias. They knocked on the door, which was opened rapidly by one of Oliver’s men. Not one of the goons that manhandled Griffin and him years ago either.
This guy was more like Griffin. Not bulky but probably just as deadly.
“Yes?” the guy said.
“Eli Bond here to see Oliver.”
There was silence that greeted him when he said that, then, “I think you’ve got the wrong room.”
“Let him in, Tony,” they heard. He moved into the suite and saw Oliver sitting on the couch with coffee. “I was expecting you this morning, but not this early.”
“Then why come in under a false name in the middle of the night?”
“Why not?” Oliver said, grinning. “Maybe I wanted to see how good your security was here.”
“You know it’s good or you wouldn’t have left Bella with me.”
“Does she know I’m here?” Oliver asked.
“No. I haven’t told her. I wanted to know it was safe before she came to see you.”
Oliver nodded his head. “Tony, take the other two and go get some breakfast. Give Eli, Griffin and me some privacy.”
“I’d rather not,” Tony said.
“It’s fine. They’ve been watching over Bella for me, as you know. If I can trust them with her, then you can trust them with me.”
When the three of them were alone, Eli asked, “Is there a danger that you’ve brought to my resort?”
“No,” Oliver said. “Not the kind I had back home. That is over. Whether she has one here in the states is yet to be determined.”
“Meaning what?” Eli asked.
“He knows Vernon Kingston is in Boston, don’t you?” Griffin asked.
“Of course I do,” Oliver said. “I needed to get here first.”
Eli started to pace. He knew yesterday that Vernon was on the move but hadn’t said a word to Bella about that either. All he’d asked was if Bella had any contact with her cousins or aunt recently and she’d said no.
He was going to address Vernon in a minute but needed to know what had been going on for the past two months. “We’ve got Vernon covered. Why did you go away? Why leave Bella in the dark like this? You have no idea how hard it has been on her.”
“It couldn’t have been too hard on her since she’s staying with you in the penthouse,” Oliver said, tilting his head. He should have figured the guy would know that.
“You needed her to be watched. That’s what I’m doing.”
Oliver laughed. “You’re only lying t
o yourself if not me. And I’ll tell you the same time I tell Bella why I was gone. If you are asking was I in danger, then that answer is somewhat but not any longer. I couldn’t take the risk what was going on with me would bleed over to Bella.”
Which told him nothing and he knew he wouldn’t get much more. “So you know that Bella has met with some of her family?” Eli asked.
“I knew she would. That is part of the reason I sent her here,” Oliver said.
“What?”
“It’s a long story. She couldn’t do it alone and I had faith that this was the best situation. I worried about her here, but I’ve had people on the inside all along. Just like you have had at my place,” Oliver said, looking at Griffin. “It was time for her to look into her father’s family while I dealt with my issues.”
Griffin smirked. “We didn’t learn a lot.”
“My staff are loyal, but there are plenty that like to talk. I left enough clues in all directions that only select trusted employees knew my whereabouts and why.”
“My staff can also be trusted,” Eli said. And if they weren’t he’d flush them out and terminate them immediately.
“They can and have been quiet for the most part. I’m not stupid enough to have someone talking to them.”
“You’ve paid several here as guests that have talked to Bella?” Griffin asked. “Or watched her?”
Oliver smiled. “Let’s say I know the events of the past two months. My niece seems very relaxed and busy. Maybe she has come out of her shell a touch like I’ve been trying to push her to do.”
“It sounds like this was some game to you,” Eli said. “I should have figured you’d be this way though I didn’t think you’d do it to your only family.” Now he understood more why Bella had no control over her life. He was trying to make an effort to do it less, but it was hard to change who he was.
“Don’t judge me until you’ve walked in my shoes. You’ll get your answers when I talk to Bella,” Oliver said.
He knew when he wasn’t going to get any more information and had to let it go. He’d heard Bella in the shower when he was leaving and decided to call her.