Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“Looks top-notch,” Leif says. “Thank you, Reid.”
“Absolutely. No problem. Rock and I will feel a lot better with you this close to Kelly and the others.”
“There are only three of us here right now,” Kelly says.
“Some of the women chose to go straight home rather than stay here first.” Reid cocks his head. “Jade, for example. Amethyst.”
“They have names, you know.” Of course, I don’t know what they are.
“You’re absolutely right. Carly. And Jenna.”
“Why did they choose to go home?”
“They had family available. They wanted to go home to family.”
Right. Family. I remember Katelyn—Moonstone—didn’t want to go home because her mother was kind of a freak. Garnet—Aspen—seems to love her parents but wanted to stay here first, gather her bearings.
They’re both gone now, married.
Aspen somehow snagged that other Navy SEAL guy, and boy, is he hot.
But damn… The one standing in front of me now? A hundred times hotter, and I’ve never liked blond men that much.
That’s a strange thing, and something I was just talking to Macy about.
I’m finding men attractive again, which means I’m healing.
And Leif Ramsey is about the most attractive man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Which means I need to get the hell out of here.
I turn.
“Kelly?”
I turn back around. I know Reid’s voice, and that wasn’t it.
It was Leif’s voice that said my name.
“Yes?”
“I’m right next door. Whenever you need anything. That’s what I’m here for. Anything.”
I nod.
Then the words come out. The words I have such a hard time saying.
“Thank you.”
7
LEIF
Once Kelly is gone, I turn back to Reid.
“My God…”
“I know, man. She is definitely a handful.” Reid pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes his forehead. “Anything you need. Don’t be afraid to ask or expense. We’re determined to do right by Kelly.”
“You know what her story is?”
Reid shakes his head. “Her therapy sessions are confidential. We get weekly reports from Macy but they only give us a bare minimum of information. She takes her doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously, as she should.”
“I get the feeling she was a mess before the whole island thing,” I say. “I met guys like her in the military. People who were fucked up before they got there. And man, we saw some fucked up things there, so I can’t even imagine what it did to those guys.”
“I doubt we’ll find out anytime soon. She’s not exactly a talker, as you’ve noticed.”
“Except to be nasty,” I say.
Reid nods. “Just be kind. That’s my best advice.”
“That hasn’t done so well so far.”
“No. But everyone deserves kindness, don’t you think? Especially any woman who suffered at the hands of my father and that horrible island.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Why did your family decide to keep the island? I never quite understood that.”
Reid pauses a moment. “It’s a valid question, and the four of us talked a lot about it. But it’s prime real estate—”
I let out a chuckle. “You Wolfes. Always the businesspeople.”
“True, but let me finish.” He smiles. “Like I was saying, it’s prime real estate, and we thought we could reverse what happened there, or at least make up for it. Spin lead into gold, so to speak. Riley was very adamant about building a retreat center not just for the women who suffered but for anyone else who needs help. Where better to recuperate than on a beautiful South Pacific island? It’s also a great place for an artist retreat and colony, which was one of Roy and Charlie’s dreams. Rock and I, of course, wanted something that would make money for business, so we came up with the Wolfe Resort and Casino.”
“You have a lot of resorts and casinos in Vegas,” I say. “Plus one in Reno and two in Atlantic City, as I recall.”
He grins. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want more. But this one is going to be top-notch.”
“And the others aren’t?”
“You’ve been to our properties in Las Vegas,” he says. “Like I told you at the meeting, we’re opening soon. You, Buck, Aspen. We want you to be our guests. After a week at that resort? You tell me if the others are top-notch.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “It was a lucky day when Buck and I walked into your office, answering your call for security and investigation.”
“Are you kidding me? We were the lucky ones that day. You two have been invaluable to us. I can’t tell you how happy I am that Buck found love with one of my father’s victims.”
“Right? The two of them are amazing together. It’s like they just fit, you know?”
“I do know. Zee and I are exactly like that.” He glances at his watch. “Which reminds me, I have to get back. I promised Zee I’d be home at a reasonable hour tonight.”
“You got it. Never take your woman for granted, Mr. Wolfe.”
Reid wrinkles his brow. “Mr. Wolfe?”