by Jamie Begley
“Hello?”
“Hammer, this is Reaper.”
“You finally getting around to me?”
Walking around the back yard, Reaper stared up the bedroom window. The curtain was closed but the window was open, and he could hear Ginny’s soft voice spilling out as she sang.
“I saved the best for last,” he said in a low voice, not wanting his voice to carry.
“You want to call me back, we must have a bad connection.”
“Don’t hang up, you heard me right.”
From the breathing on the other end, Reaper knew Hammer was listening.
“I want to thank you for getting me out of that hellhole, more importantly, I want to thank you for being there for Ginny before I was. Brother, without you I wouldn’t have the future I’m asking you for. Can I marry Ginny?”
“Brother.”
Reaper could hear the pity in his voice.
“She’s all yours.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
The restaurant looked different when it wasn’t busy. Ginny smiled at the waitress who saw her coming in the door.
“I’m sorry. The restaurant doesn’t open for dinner for another hour,” the waitress explained as she walked nearer to her.
Ginny didn’t lose her smile. “I’m not here to eat. I’d like to speak with King, if he’s not busy?”
“Are you here about a job?”
“Yes,” Ginny lied.
“We’re not hiring. I can give you an application, and he can call you when there’s an opening.”
“I will only take a moment of his time.”
The waitress gave in. “I’ve been there,” the woman said. “I was at wits end before he hired me. He’s in his office. Go through that room, and his office is across the hall from the kitchen entrance. If he asks who let you in, tell him it was Tara. I can’t stand that bitch.”
“Got it, thanks.”
Giving her a thumbs-up, the woman disappeared, probably afraid to be caught talking, Ginny assumed.
Walking through the restaurant, she found King’s office door. Knocking, she waited until she heard the smoky voice giving her permission to enter. The office was quite a bit larger than she expected. The man she was there to see was sitting behind an imposing desk, and from his facial expression, he didn’t want to be interrupted.
“Hello, I’m Ginny—”
“I know who you are. I’ve been to the club several times when you’ve been there. How may I help you?”
“I was hoping you could spare a few minutes of your time. I would like to talk with you.”
“Go ahead. I have a few minutes.”
Ginny closed the door before walking toward his desk.
King raised an imposing brow as he motioned for her to take the chair in front of his desk.
Not wanting to waste the man’s time, Ginny got to the point. “I would like you to convey a message to a friend of yours.”
“Exactly who would that friend be?”
“Desmond Beck,” Ginny answered.
“What makes you think I’m friends with him?”
“Penni, Shade’s—”
“Sadly, I know who Penni is,” King interrupted her. “What’s the message?”
“Thank him for saving my life. My mother came to the home I was building and gave me two things that will ensure the man who wanted me dead will never get out of jail. My mother would have never given me the evidence I needed if she’d had a choice. Mr. Beck must have taken that choice out of her hands.
“I heard the announcement today on the news that has taken over Angels World Rescue. I sincerely hope that he serves those in need to a significantly higher standard than Gabriel Allerton did, but I’m not counting on any members in that organization to ever do the right thing.
“Since he saved my life, I’m giving him a heads-up. The walls of secrecy that AWR has been hiding behind is going to be exposed. I’m sure with the information he gave me, Mr. Beck already has his ducks in a row, but being he save my life, I figured it was the polite thing to do.”
Ginny rose from the chair. “He should also give serious consideration to changing the name. AWR is definitely a misnomer.”
“I’m curious.” King rested his elbows on the desk to link his fingers together. “Why didn’t you call him yourself? I’m sure he would have taken a call from you.”
“Shade advised me that I should make you aware of the situation. If Mr. Beck believes by saving my life—by ensuring I got the information to convict Allerton—that Gavin and I will play nice and won’t go after the charity he’s now in control of, I’m afraid he’s very much mistaken. The next time he or any of his men steps on my property, we’ll take it as a direct threat and act accordingly.”
Just before she shut the door to his office, she offered, “Have a good evening, King, and tell Evie I said hi.”
Ginny stood behind the curtain, waiting for her intro. From where she was standing, she couldn’t be seen, but she was able see the thousands of people standing in the stadium and the huge screens that would televise the performers.
“Nervous?”
Ginny felt Gavin move closer to her, sliding his arms around her waist.
“No.”
Ginny told her husband the truth. She wasn’t nervous or frightened, and she should be both. She had never hoped to reach this level of fame, to perform on this international stage for Mouth2Mouth.
Kaden had been asked to perform at the massive event to highlight the charity that Sawyer and he had founded to combat violence against women.
“I should be, but I’m not. You going to regret marrying a woman who’s about to instigate a national investigation?”
“I will never regret marrying you. It took me too long to get you to say yes.”
“Wild man, you never needed a piece of paper, legal or illegal, to know I belong to you.”
“A man needs his peace of mind,” he countered.
“Do you have it now?”
“Nymph, you and peace of mind don’t belong in the same sentence.”
Her name being introduced had her hand going to Gavin’s that was laying across her waist. “I hope I do the song justice.”
Kissing her cheek, he removed his arms from around her to give her butt a hard pat to get her moving. She heard his voice as she walked onto the stage. “You’re the only who can.”
She was the only no-name singer performing among twenty-five of the most famous artists in the world. Without Kaden and Sawyer’s help, she wouldn’t have had a chance in hell of even getting a ticket to attend the event; the proceeds were going to help victims of violence across the world.
Walking to the microphone, Ginny heard the music begin to play. She was singing “Hero” by Mariah Carey.
As the words came out of her mouth, she saw Kaden give a nod to the producer. She looked up at one the screens that televised the stage. The image of her singing on the stage switched to a video; it showed a beautiful woman being beaten mercilessly.
Ginny’s gaze transferred to the man who had a front row seat, next to his son.
Markoff and Alek Lukin were guests of honor.
Realizing who they were watching being beaten mercilessly garnered two different reactions. Alek got up and tried to take his father’s frail arm to get him to leave. Markoff jerked his hand free, remaining seated.
On screen, Ivan Pavlov kicked Aanya again as she lay on the floor of the boat before going into another room. A second later, there was a slight movement as a small child scooted out from under the bed to crawl toward Aanya, moving her hair away from her face. The child tried to help Aanya to her feet, but she wasn’t strong enough. Aanya used the side of the bed to raise herself into a sitting position.
Ginny looked at the terrified Evangeline crying as the beautiful woman, despite being beaten mercilessly, cupped the little girl’s cheek to stop her from crying. When that didn’t work, Aanya took of the diamond-encrusted broach, pinning it to the thin shirt that the little girl was
wearing.
Pointing at another door, Aanya was silently telling the child to leave. The little girl was shaking her head, but Aanya pushed the little girl toward the door. Little Evangeline was still crying as the door closed behind her, and as it closed, Ivan came back into the room, his face retaining the same fury as when he had left.
Bending down, he lifted Aanya’s struggling body to her feet by her neck. As Aanya’s body went limp in Ivan’s hands, Ginny’s hand went to her neck and pulled on the necklace tucked under her cream-colored blouse.
Singing the last words of the song, the screen cut to Ivan and Aanya standing on the balcony on their palace grounds. As the camera panned in, it was easy to see the woman next to Ivan, while just as beautiful, was not Aanya.
As Ginny sang the final bars of the song, the screen switched back to display her standing on stage. The crowd sat in silence looking at the screen and seeing Ginny’s glistening tears and the camera zoomed in on the scalloped-shaped broach, exposing Aanya’s royal insignia that matched the ones on Alek’s and Markoff’s chest.
The camera panned over to Markoff, who slowly rose to his feet, tears on his face. Staring at Ginny, he bowed his head in acknowledgment, then turned to his guards to usher him out of the coliseum with Alek trying to talk to his father, whose bodyguards repeatedly kept shoving him away until his guards forced him back to the end of the procession.
Ginny finished the song and replaced the microphone. As she began walking off the stage and to the curtain, a sound of clapping could be heard, slowly swelling higher and higher until the whole coliseum was on their feet.
Walking behind the curtain, she went straight to the arms that Gavin held out to her.
Gavin held Ginny in his arms as she cried. Tonight was the only other time Ginny had been willing to watch the video that her mother had given to Ginny before her death. Gavin had watched it the same number of times. Both times, he had thanked God for how close he had come to losing the woman he loved more than life.
“Aanya told me to run and hide, Gavin.”
“I know, baby.”
“She saved my life.”
“You would have survived.”
Ginny lifted her face from his chest. “How do you know?”
“Because that’s what heroes do.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Ginny’s arms went out for Gavin to lift her off the small jetty that had transported them from the yacht to Clindale Island. She’d been fighting back tears since this morning when she woke to see where they had stopped during the night.
“I told you I would bring you back.” Grinning at her, he set her feet on the new dock.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Ginny asked tearfully. “They have to hate me ….”
“Ginny, look at them. It’s because of you they were able to come home, that their families have been reunited. Allerton loaded them on two ships, telling everyone the island was in the direct path of the storm, and each ship was going to different islands. It was just luck of the draw that my investigators found one of the islanders. Do you know how many islands I paid for them to go to? When they found the first hundred people, we never expected to find the rest of them a hundred miles away. It was pure luck.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was divine intervention. I’ve never wished ill will on anyone in my life, but I do Allerton.”
“Wish him dead as much as you want any other time, but not today. Today is about us, them, and the rest of our family. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Placing her hand in the crook of his arm, he smiled down at her. “Are you finally ready to marry me?”
“Technically, we’ve been married twice before,” she argued.
“Are you finally agreeing the first one was legal?”
“I’m not going there.” Ginny laughed, taking the bouquet of flowers from Trudy as Dalton placed her down on the deck behind them.
She hugged her sister tearfully. “We’re home, Trudy. We’re home.”
Trudy hugged her close, her eyes filled with tears. “It’s just as beautiful as I remember.”
Dalton gave them handkerchiefs. “I thought these may come in handy today.”
Wiping her cheeks, Ginny turned back to the island when the children began singing. Their beautiful voices were low, reverent.
“That’s our signal,” Trudy said, moving in front of her and Gavin to take Dalton’s arm as they began walking down the dock to the island.
Ginny took Gavin’s arm to follow behind them. As they got closer, she squeezed the bouquet of flowers holding Gavin’s arm tighter to keep from falling down. The children were singing “Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.
“Do you like it? I had trouble picking.”
“I couldn’t have picked better myself,” she managed to get out.
Walking through the line of villagers was the most beautiful moment of her life, and she’d had so many over the last five months; the small wedding she and Gavin had in Lucky’s office with only Willa as a witness, him holding her in his arms as he told her he’d asked everyone she loved for permission to marry her, and after the baby was born and old enough to travel, he had a special place where he wanted to them to take their forever vows.
“Gavin, I don’t need a second wedding, if you want us to keep it private.”
“I want to make this one special. You won’t have to do anything. I have all the details for today, and I’ll let you pick out the next one in twenty years.”
Gavin had kept his word for planning this wedding. He asked for her preferences for colors and food, but he kept the location, her dress, and the song a secret.
As they walked the path that she could walk in her sleep, the villagers walked behind them, while continuing to sing.
Passing the village, she saw the effort that had been taken to restore the island and the villagers’ way of life. Viper, Gavin, and Willa had created a foundation with the help of Manny’s brother, who guided them to rebuild Clindale, including a new school and assistance to build the life they had before. Manny’s sister was taking the courses to become the new teacher; the foundation provided monetary help and tools, but all the decisions were the islanders’.
Outside hands had destroyed this island; they weren’t needed to put Clindale back together. They could do that for themselves. This beautiful island had survived despite Allerton, and they would grow stronger and flourish for generations to come.
Diamond was making sure that Allerton paid for what he’d done. Justice had finally caught up with him, and his finances were now in shambles. There was nothing left of his once vast wealth.
Picking up the front of her dress, Ginny began to climb the trail that led to the base of the waterfall. Every step of the way, she held Gavin’s hand, as she would continue to do for the rest of their lives. Reaching the waterfall’s basin, the area was already filled with their guests waiting for them. Those who hadn’t joined them on the yacht, they’d flown into Sherguevil Island and were staying at the resort, which Desmond Beck now ran, along with the foundation.
Desmond had quickly cleaned house and removed the members who’d supported Allerton. Under Desmond’s new direction, Sherguevil Island was a thriving vacation spot where charities and donors could meet for the benefit of the foundation and its causes.
Ginny took Desmond Beck being completely philanthropic with a grain of salt, but she trusted Diamond and Gavin to make sure he would be held accountable for any actions they considered shady.
The singing stopped when they entered the clearing. Pausing by a woman, Ginny released Gavin arm to take her son. Placing a kiss on his forehead, she handed her wiggling son to Gavin.
“Go ahead. I’ll be there in a second.”
Snuggling, Freddy to his chest, Gavin went to take his place in front of Paster Dean, who was waiting to perform their ceremony.
“Thank you for taking such care of Freddy this morning. I really appreciate it,” Ginny said.
Je
well’s standoffish attitude didn’t prevent her from reaching out to hug her.
Pulling back, Ginny gave her a warm smile. “Gavin told me used your vacation to come here and help him plan the wedding. You’ve done a beautiful job.”
“You never told him I was in love with him.”
Genny’s heart cried for what Jewell was going through. “I told you I wouldn’t.”
Jewell shrugged. “A lot of people say they won’t do things. Doesn’t mean they won’t.”
Her gaze sharpened on her. “When Gavin asked me to watch Freddy this morning and keep him during your honeymoon, he said you asked for me specifically, despite Trudy and Willa offering. Why did you want me to be the one to watch him?”
“Because you would give your life to protect Gavin’s son.”
A flash of unimaginable pain flash crossed Jewell’s face before it she could hide it behind the cool mask she normally wore.
Ginny reached out to hug Jewell again. “I swear, Jewell, there is a man meant just for you,” Ginny whispered to her as she pulled back to give her a mischievous smile. “Who knows? You could meet him tonight at the party.”
Moving away from Jewell, Ginny took a few steps to the man who was waiting to escort her to Gavin. Hooking her arm through Will’s, they moved through the parted crowd to take her place beside Gavin.
Paster Dean cleared his throat as he began the ceremony. “We have all gathered here to witness the end of Gavin and Ginny’s search for the special someone who makes them whole. This is a celebration for these two souls being reunited, as God meant for them to be. Gavin, you may speak your vows.”
Gavin handed Freddy over to Viper, who was standing by his side before he turned to face her. “Ginny, there have been times in my life when I felt God had turned his back on me. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t understand He had given me His greatest gift—you. When most couples fall in love and marry, their love often evaporates in time like a glass full of water placed out in the sun until the water evaporates. That’s why soulmates have to constantly fight to be reunited with the other to refill the love that was lost. I pledge to refill the glass each and every day with my love so, at the end of our life together, there will be enough to overfill into the universe to light the way for you to find the eternity our love deserves.”