A Million Different Ways to Lose You (Horn Duet 2)

“Anything,” replied his friend.

“I need you to find out as much as you can about a charity called The Crescent Foundation they work with other agencies to assist displaced Muslims.” Hani looked at the name of the organization on the screen of Sebastian’s cell phone.

“Is this personal?”

“A good friend is involved and I want to make sure there’s nothing shady going on.”

All night long, Sebastian had tossed and turned, restless, sleeping in short intervals until dawn filtered into the porthole. After that, he stopped pretending and went for a swim. I knew it had to do with Charles and the case, though I didn’t pry. When he was ready, I hoped he would explain what was going on in his head.

Nodding briefly, Hani said, “I’m happy to help. Come tonight. I’m having a small get together on my boat.” Turning, he pointed to a megayacht that could have swallowed up the one hundred foot one that Sebastian had chartered. “I’ll have the information for you.” And with that, he placed a brief kiss on my knuckles, slapped Sebastian on the back, and boarded his tender.

“See you around eleven,” he shouted over the loud roar of the engine. His high powered tender kicked up a froth of white. Waving, he sped away, his security team following closely behind.

Chapter Fourteen

A small get together...right. The party was well underway when we arrived around eleven. Nearly three hundred people crowded the open decks. Music courtesy of a celebrity DJ pumped obnoxiously loud. I’m not ashamed to say I was completely star struck. Models and actresses rubbed elbows with Arabian princes and world-class soccer players, a Pulitzer prize-winning writer talked animatedly with a Russian oligarch. Everywhere I looked there was a face I recognized from television or magazines.

Totally unfazed, Sebastian took in the scene. He looked rather bored actually. But instinct told me it went deeper than that, that the boredom was hiding a darker sentiment.

“Stay here, I need to hit the bathroom,” he instructed. I nodded, though a little uneasy about being left alone. “I’ll be right back,” he said and pressed a quick kiss on my lips when he noticed the dubious look on my face.

I walked around aimlessly, overwhelmed by the music, the din of women laughing and squealing, the cacophony of conversation. Pushing past scantily clad bodies, I cut through the drift of expensive perfume hanging in the air, and found a small corner at the back of the boat to hide––to get away from the critical stares of these people I had absolutely nothing in common with. It dawned upon me then, why Sebastian shied away from this, why he was so closed off and guarded––what growing up in an environment such as this could do to a person who was sensitive and thoughtful. Skin to sweaty skin, pressed between all those beautiful bodies, I had never felt so alone, so lost…forever a stranger in a strange land.

Eventually I got tired of waiting. After what felt like an eternity, I went in search of him. As I walked through one of the cabins, I heard his distinct voice drawling, “Someone’s waiting for me. What do you want, Delphine?” The impatience in his voice was pronounced.

“You won’t return any of my phone calls. I just want to know how you are. I’m worried about you,” I woman replied, her accent American.

“No need to worry about me. I’m good––great actually.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that…you look good.”

There was a heavy pause, and then he said, “I’m getting married.”

I reached out to hold onto the wall, my muscles shaking, my knees giving out, too many thoughts and feelings hitting me at once.

“What?” she exclaimed. “Is this your idea of a fucking joke?” Her tone instantly sounded alarm bells. Clearly Delphine was not happy about the news, regardless of whether it was true or false. “Boy, you moved on fast. Did she mean anything to you? Did you ever really love her?”

“How dare you ask me that,” he growled in a low voice.

Reacting without thought, I plastered a smile on my face and stepped into the room. “There you are.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist and crushed me to his side. I had to loosen his grip just to be able to breathe. She was beautiful, there was no debating that, tall and reed thin, long, black hair cascading down her suntanned back. Impulsively, I reached up and ran a hand through my short hair. Her intense, dark eyes traveled from my Blahnik high heeled sandals, to my Tom Ford dress in a thorough inspection. Something about her looked familiar. As a matter of fact the shape of her features reminded me a lot of…

“Vera, this is Delphine––India’s sister. Delphine this is my fiancée.”

My stomach sank and goose bumps swept over me from head to toe. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, stretching a hand out.