Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
River goes rigid once more. “Emily’s right. What the fuck is truly going on here, Misty?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” She shakes her head.
I huff. “Uh...not to me.”
“I was trying to help her,” Misty says. “I heard through the grapevine that you, Brett, were looking for a matchmaker to put together an event for you and your three best friends. Evangeline is a matchmaker. And I had just found out that my birth mother was from the same small Montana town as you. And River...you still live there.”
River’s gorgeous features tense up, and I know what that means. He’s ready to blow.
“The poor woman’s been through hell because of your father,” he grits out, “and you’re using her, Misty. You’re using her for your own gain. Using what you know as leverage to get what you want. You’re a fucking blackmailer, and I don’t want anything to do with you.” He grabs my hand. “Come on, Emily. I’ve had enough of this.”
“No.” Brett’s voice is loud and firm. “We’re all in this together, Riv.”
Something passes between River and Brett at that moment.
A look. A silent understanding that only years of friendship could produce. River’s anger doesn’t dissipate, but it cools for a moment, his gaze never leaving Brett’s.
“I’m not a blackmailer,” Misty says, her voice trembling slightly. “I only wanted to help her and in return find out about my birth. I can’t get any information. It’s like my birth mother vanished without a trace. And I can’t find any information on who my birth father might be. I’ve tried several private investigators, but there’s no trace. It’s as if they don’t want to be found, as if someone with significant resources is blocking my path.”
River’s grip on my hand tightens to the point of discomfort, but I don’t say anything. I can feel his anger radiating off him like a heat wave.
“You said your father didn’t know you found your adoption papers,” he says.
“He doesn’t. At least not that I know of.”
“And if he finds out?” Brett’s question hangs heavy in the air.
Misty shrugs, a hollow, detached look on her face. “He can’t hurt me any more than he already has.” She pauses a moment. “But he can hurt Evangeline. And her baby.”
EPISODE 133
THE NEXT STEP
Brett
A driving urge to protect Misty overwhelms me. I rise, holding out my hand. “Come with me,” I say.
“Uh...excuse us,” Alex interjects, “but we need more information out of her. And according to Riv, you have something you need to tell us.”
I keep Misty close to me. “I’m taking her back to her suite. She’s had a rough night. In fact, it’s late and we should all be getting back.” I look at Misty, smooth her hair behind her ear. “I want us both to get a good night’s sleep. After all, we have a private date to look forward to tomorrow.”
“Wait just a minute, Brett.” River, with Emily still hanging on him, stalks toward Misty and me. “This needs to end. We all agreed. Until we can find out what’s going on, who threatened Rachel and Ginger, and who the fuck broke into my parents’ home—”
Emily gasps. “Someone broke into your parents’ home? Is everyone all right?”
“They are, thank God,” River says. “But this is all related to—” He stops abruptly.
“Keep your cool, Riv,” Seb says.
I glance at River. He and I have our own communication system, and I echo Seb’s sentiments with my glance.
But River doesn’t back down this time. “What the fuck else has to happen before you agree that this was a failure? Rachel almost drowned, my parents’ house was trashed, and Rachel and Ginger are receiving threats to their lives if they return here. And you”—he glares at Misty—“threw yourself at me last night—”
“And you lied to me, River!” Misty wrenches away from my arms. “You said you knew who my birth father was, and you lied!”
River scoffs. “I said a lot of things to you that I didn’t mean.”
Misty lets out a choking sob. I put my arms back around her. “Ease up, Riv. Can’t you see she’s frightened?”
“Frightened?” River shakes his head. “She went diving headfirst into a tidal wave and then stayed under the water longer than either of us could. She’s fucking fine.”
I cock my head at Misty. Damn. I see so much of Jake in her. The hair, the eyes. That silly cowlick on the right side of her forehead. I can’t help myself. I reach out and touch it—something I’d always had the urge to do to Jake but never could. “Tell me, Misty,” I say. “How were you able to stay underwater for so long?”
She shrugs. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
My heart drops to my stomach. “Damn, Misty. What the fuck did your father do to you?”
Twenty Years Earlier...
Seb nudges me out of my fantasy about Jake. “It’s time.”