The Perfect Gift

The answer hits me hard. I might have known this girl only a short time, but I know her heart. I know her and she’s gone home. She’s left to do what she believes is the right thing, but based on the threatening tone of the text messages, I don’t know if she realizes the danger she’s in.

Fear wraps around my lungs, freezing my breath to ice. I push through my near-paralysis and stumble back into the bedroom, rifling through my luggage and throwing on the first pair of pants and T-shirt I find, running out of the house at full speed. Phone in hand, I dial my business partner, cursing at him for not answering until the fourth ring.

“Lincoln! How’s the vacation? More importantly, how’s the little blonde—”

“Where did you find her?”

His startled laughter makes my skin crawl and I vow to buy him out of the company at first opportunity, so I never have to deal with him again. “She’s that good, huh?”

“Listen to me, vermin. Tell me where you found her. The name of the restaurant. She’s gone and I have to find her now.”

A chair creaks in the background. “Can’t remember the name. Something cantina. It shouldn’t be hard to find, though, it’s the only place on the damn island.”

I hang up, my heart in my throat, and I start running.

* * *

Nova

It’s still only late morning when I walk into the restaurant.

As soon as I set foot in the door, Raquel fists a hunk of my hair, using it to yank me up onto my toes. “Why didn’t you answer any of our text messages?”

Pain rips through my scalp and I bite down on my bottom lip to keep from crying out. “I forgot to look. I was busy.”

Constance hisses in my face, alcohol heavy on her breath. “You better have been busy getting pregnant, or so help me God.”

I lift my chin. “No, I wasn’t. And I won’t do it.”

Raquel slaps me across the mouth, scrambling my brain waves and momentarily tripling my vision. “I knew you would do this. Little miss noble. Little miss pure of heart,” she spits. “You think you’re so much better than the rest of us, don’t you?”

“No,” I wheeze, going up on my toes to ease the sting in my scalp. “Please. He’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of.”

Constance stomps on my foot and I suck in a breath, pain shooting up my leg. “If you don’t do this, you are useless to us. You understand me?”

“She’s right. Might as well send you down the cliff.” Raquel’s eyes are harder than I’ve ever seen them and I realize, I’ve underestimated her hatred of me. Maybe her hatred, period. Why did I leave the safety of Lincoln’s house? He never would have let anything happen to me.

“We can make it look like an accident,” Constance murmurs, her pupils sharpening.

“Please, don’t,” I whisper. “I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to make you hate me. But I’m begging you, please. Don’t take me from Lincoln. I love him.”

“No one is taking you from me, Nova,” comes Lincoln’s hard-edged growl from just inside the door. “Ever.”

My sisters jump away from me like they’ve been scorched.

I don’t think, I just do what my heart commands me to do. I run and throw myself into Lincoln’s waiting arms, peace, gratitude and love filling me like rays of light.

Raquel laughs nervously. “I’m not sure what you overheard, but this is just a sisterly squabble.”

“Totally,” Constance adds, her gulp audible. “Every family has them.”

He presses a hard kiss to my temple, his hands busy stroking my back. “Not like that they don’t.” I can hear his heart thundering against my ear, his big body vibrating with anger. “You’re right to lie, though, Raquel and Constance. A man with a bank account like mine is capable of a lot of things. It’s never wise to make an enemy out of him.”

I glance back over my shoulder in time to watch the color drain from their faces.

“Y-you would kill us?” Raquel stammers.

Lincoln’s smile is ice cold. “If I did, I wouldn’t put my plans in a text message,” he drawls. “That kind of thing could be turned over to the police so easily. And money could persuade them to dole out a harsh penalty.” He lifts me off the ground, holding me tight to his body and I follow instinct, circling his waist with my legs. “Anything to keep my future wife safe.”

Constance sputters. “Future wife?”

“That’s right.” Lincoln’s mouth moves through my hair, his vengeful eyes trained on my sisters. “Your plan was to send Nova to me…so I could get her pregnant. I’m assuming you lied to my associates about her being on the pill?”

A beat of silence passes. “Yes,” Constance mutters.

“I’m sorry, Lincoln,” I whisper unevenly into his neck.