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)
“Listen, Evie,” I say, “let’s take this morning off.”
“But I—”
I hold up a hand to stop her. “I’m serious. Yesterday was a little crazy for everyone, and I don’t think any of us got much sleep last night.”
“But I thought we’d head to the mainland, maybe do some rafting. Plus hiking Dunn’s River Falls is a must.”
“That sounds like fun—for another day.”
She nods, and I expect her to leave, but she stands in my doorway.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask.
She swallows, again placing her hand over her mouth as if holding back nausea. “Please. I know we’ve had some setbacks—”
I can’t help a scoffing laugh. “Some setbacks? A woman almost drowned on our watch, Evie. And according to Alex, you told June that we said she had to leave the island, which was a complete lie.”
“June told me a ridiculous story,” Evangeline says, moving slowly from one foot to the other.
“You mean the one where she blacked out and ended up in a threesome with Misty and some guy?” I shake my head. “And you don’t believe her?”
“She insinuated that Misty might have drugged her. June is a bad seed, Sebastian. She clearly drank too much and is now trying to blame Misty for something she regrets. She basically came to my room and demanded that Misty leave the island. That’s not fair. Misty has just as much a right to be here as the rest of them do.”
“Does she?” I raise my eyebrows at her.
Evangeline doesn’t know I read her email from Misty. And she doesn’t know what Misty told River. Or maybe she does, at that. I don’t rightfully give a fuck.
“I can fix this,” she says, her voice wavering. “I swear I can. I just need more time.”
“We all need some time. That’s why we’re taking the morning off.” I pause a moment, rubbing my jawline. “But this afternoon, Evie, we’re going to have to talk about Misty.”
“I...can’t.”
“You can, and you will,” I say, policing my tone so I don’t sound threatening. “We put our trust in you. We’re paying you top dollar, and you brought someone here for your own gain. Someone who may have tampered with Rachel’s snorkeling gear...or worse.”
“June is lying,” she says.
“About what?”
“She has no evidence that Misty did anything.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I say. “But she has information that she brought to your attention. She thought you could provide her a save space to dispel that information. Instead, you accused her of lying and told her we were going to make her leave.”
Evangeline looks down at the floor for a moment. She sways, and I steady her. She’s clearly struggling with something, but I’m not sure whether it’s physical or mental. Perhaps both.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask.
She draws in a breath, holds it a few seconds, and then exhales. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”
“Good.”
She covers her mouth once more, and her throat moves as she swallows. “Sebastian, I can’t tell you right now what’s going on with Misty. I just need you to let her stay a little longer. Please.”
“If she stays, River will leave.”
“No, no, no.” Evangeline shakes her head. “River can’t leave.”
“Because he’s the one Misty wants.” I narrow my gaze at her. “Am I getting warm, Evie?”
Her eyes widen and she sways again.
“You need to see the doctor,” I say, holding onto her arm.
“I told you, I’m fine. Please. You’ve got to get River to stay here. To see this event to the end.”
“Why?” I demand. “Why is River so important?”
“You’re all important, damn it!” She leans against the doorway. “I’m staking my career on this event. I need all of you!”
I regard her, really look at her. I see truth in her eyes. Truth...and something else. “Brett told us about the high-profile match that went wrong. He said you were hungry. But Evie, I didn’t expect you to be this hungry. If there’s any evidence that Misty tampered with Rachel’s gear, or drugged her, or put her in danger in any way—”
“She didn’t have anything to do with Rachel and Ginger leaving,” Evangeline blurts out, interrupting me. “I did.”
EPISODE 67
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
River
I shower in my suite with thoughts of Emily weighing heavily on my mind.
She’s beautiful, no doubt—all the women are. But she’s not the one I imagined myself falling for. Rachel was the first one who caught my eye, of course, but she’s gone now, and I wish her well. If I had to choose someone I thought I might have a chance with, it might have been Ariel or June. Maybe even Sienna.
But Emily?
I’ve never gone for blonds, which is why I wasn’t initially drawn to Misty either. Now, knowing what I do, I have to make a choice. Stay and get to know Emily, or leave and risk walking away from exactly what I came here to find.