Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Minutes pass until just as quickly, we both pull back. I gaze at him, and he’s so handsome, so magnificent. But it’s someone else’s eyes I want looking into mine.
And I see the same longing in his.
We’re both kissing ghosts.
He slides a finger over my cheek and down my neck and shoulder. “If I could turn back time, I would do so many things differently...”
I simply nod.
“Take a chance,” he says. “Take the risk, Sienna. Go talk to him while you still have time. If it doesn’t work out, you can always return to the island.”
Then Brett turns and walks back toward the mansion.
Alone.
EPISODE 66
MORAL COMPASS
Sebastian
The sun streams into my suite, and I open my eyes. After my talk with Alex last night, I tossed and turned. I didn’t sleep much, but I think I may have dozed off around three a.m.
Heather weighed heavy on my mind. I enjoyed my time with her, and another hard fuck with her may have helped me sleep.
But no. It was better to sleep alone last night—alone with my thoughts.
Damn. Misty. Jake’s half-sister. I’m not sure I’m buying her story yet, but River seems convinced. Says he could see Lisa in Misty.
River says he’s leaving, but I don’t want him to. The four of us are in this together. We’ve never had a weak link. We all played to our strengths.
Brett is the natural leader, full of charisma and confidence with a sharp, analytical mind. He’s grounded in his ability to think clearly, act decisively, and calculate every scenario.
Alex combines his creative flair with an academic approach. He’s always buried in books, eager to learn new things and apply his knowledge to create international bestselling novels. His blend of intellect and imagination always gives him a unique perspective.
River is the quiet strength. He’s always empathetic and I consider him the emotional core of the group. He’s a great listener and communicator, skilled at understanding and articulating feelings.
I’m the musician who brings an artistic flair different from Alex’s. The guys have always said I provide inspiration and relaxation, and I consider that a great compliment.
Then there was Jake.
The fifth and final member of the group. I still miss him. Still write lyrics in my head about those days.
He was the justice seeker who always stood up for what was right, always advocated for fairness and equality—our moral compass.
God, he and Brett butted heads on a daily basis, it seemed. Sometimes they fought like cats and dogs, but they always ended up shaking hands in the end. Different as they were, Brett always had a soft spot for Jake. Weird that he hardly mentions him at all now.
We’re all good men, and we’ve all had huge success, but each one of us has skated on the edge of Jake’s moral compass since that day when Jake himself threw his scruples to the wind and agreed to steal from Old Man Larson.
The day everything went to shit.
Everything that led us to this point.
Checkmate, as Alex said.
And now, Misty Holmes has crawled out of the woodwork claiming she’s Jake’s half-sister. I suppose she didn’t make that claim. She claimed she’s the biological daughter of Lisa Patterson from our hometown. What a fucking mess.
None of us had hit puberty yet the summer Jake spent with his grandparents, but even if he and his mother had been here, I doubt I’d have noticed if Lisa was pregnant. I didn’t pay much attention to what my own mother looked like. I certainly didn’t give any of the other moms the once-over.
I remember it was an unusually hot summer, so we spent a lot of time at the lake, and after the sun went down, we got out our lanterns. I plucked out tunes on my guitar while Alex read his adventure novels and Brett and River either played slapjack or chased fireflies.
We all missed Jake, but we didn’t talk about it. Sure enough, though, when summer was over and school was about to start, we welcomed him back with open arms.
Those were the days.
I rise from my bed and take a quick trip to the bathroom. I’m about to turn on the shower when a knock on the door startles me. I trudge to the door wearing only silk pajama bottoms.
I spy Evangeline through the peephole. She’s dressed for the day in black shorts and a dark-blue T-shirt but doesn’t have on her signature goth makeup. I open the door.
“Hey,” I say. “Everything okay?”
She nods, though she looks visibly fatigued, her complexion paler than usual. She places a hand over her lips and sweat beads around her hairline.
“I need to rework the schedule now that we’ve lost Rachel and Ginger. I thought we could talk about the options as well as...” She sighs.
As well as what?
She doesn’t offer anything more, and I open my mouth to ask her to continue but then think better of it. She’s up to something—she and Misty. Or she’s sick. She threw up two nights ago when I was in her room, and she looks like she’s been reincarnated as a rag this morning.