Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
I could only imagine the guilt and pain Mehmet al-Qadiri was feeling. He’d brought Saleem into the Paxis Council. Taught and mentored him before letting him take the family’s place at the table. He’d thought he’d known who his son-in-law was and believed he was trustworthy.
And he’d been wrong.
Maybe this would finally change al-Qadiri’s opinion about Liyana’s abilities. After all, she had to have understood enough of the game to recognize her husband’s betrayal and act on it. And she’d shown her loyalty to the sanctity of the council over any affection for her husband.
I imagined sacrificing Jett for the council, but that was a nonstarter. I would never in a million years choose the council over Jett. Maybe this was selfish. The Paxis Council saved countless lives and prevented wars. What was one man’s life in comparison? Still, I knew without a doubt I wouldn’t have been able to do what Liyana did.
No matter how much it hurt to know that Jett had lied to me, I still missed him every damn day.
“Please eat, stellina.” Concetta’s voice was laced with concern as she stepped out on the balcony and eyed my untouched dinner. “I am beginning to worry.”
I looked up at her and attempted to smile, but before I could reassure her that I was fine, a familiar voice came through the balcony doors, accompanied by my sister’s rapid steps.
“Maybe he just needs some good dinner company.”
Celeste was a sight for sore eyes. She was sun-tanned and healthy, dressed in a simple light blue T-shirt and soft, wide lounge pants with stylish sneakers. I stood immediately and moved to embrace her.
“Shit, Johnny. Since when are you a hugger?” she murmured into my chest.
The old nickname on her tongue made my eyes sting for reasons that had nothing to do with her.
“I’ve been practicing,” I admitted. “And I could really use one.”
She pulled back and fake-punched my chest. “Why didn’t you call me? I didn’t hear about the explosion until we docked in Grand Cayman.”
I held out a seat for her to join me. “You hungry? Roberto made one of my favorites.”
She glanced at my full plate and up at me. “So I see.”
Concetta had already gone off to the kitchen, not giving Celeste an option of saying no.
We settled into our seats, and I gazed out at the sea, lost in thought again without realizing it.
“Concetta’s worried about you,” she said unnecessarily.
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?”
I turned back to face her. “Saleem al-Qadiri’s car blew up. Killed him instantly.”
“Right, but why?”
I shrugged. “He has some powerful enemies. Apparently.”
“How did they get access to the vehicle? Your security is meticulous.”
That was a great question. One the authorities had asked numerous times. Fortunately, I literally didn’t know the answer, so I could answer truthfully.
“I have no idea. My only guess is that it happened off-site. Liyana took the car into town right before it happened. There’s no telling who had access while she was in the shops.”
Celeste made a sympathetic noise. “I spoke to Liyana on the way here. She seems to be holding up okay. Her family is around her. Their kids are obviously devastated.”
I pressed my lips together but didn’t say anything. Since I’d never seen or met their kids—or heard Saleem mention them by name, come to think of it—I had no idea how they’d handle his sudden death. Maybe it would be like the way Celeste and I had handled our own father’s. Mourning the loss of the parent you never really had.
She took my hand in hers. “Talk to me. This seems to have really hit you hard. I know you looked up to him. Respected him.”
I stretched my shoulders, tilting my head from side to side. “I’m okay.” This was mostly true. I thought I’d known Saleem because of the pretty words he’d said. But his actions showed how wrong I’d been. “Tell me about your trip,” I said, attempting to change the subject.
She went along with it, launching into the story of her trip to the Caribbean, a man she shared a clandestine kiss with there, and the tired refrain of how much one of her friends wanted Celeste to set the two of us up.
I was happy to see she hadn’t held on to her anger at me over our last phone call.
Her food arrived, and she shoveled in bites between stories. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stomach any of it. My gut was twisted with worry and loss.
All of it centered on the man I’d fallen for. The man whose real name I didn’t even know.
“You going to tell me what’s really going on?” she finally asked. “Because Minnie called me. She’s even more worried about you than Concetta is.”
I glanced out at the water. At the turquoise pool below, where Jett had challenged me to a cannonball contest and then wrestled with me like a kid. I hadn’t laughed that hard since Celeste and I had celebrated her twenty-first birthday at a Magic Mike show in Vegas.