As the small jet taxied toward a tiny building at the end of the runway, I looked out the window and saw a familiarfigure standing near the small facility. Donatello, dressed in a solid white suit. On anyone else, it would have made for a ridiculous and gaudy picture, but Donatello made it look stylish and natural. At least he wasn’t wearing a hat—even for him, that would have been too much.
The pilot lowered the door that doubled as stairs, and I was the first out, climbing down to the tarmac.
“Welcome, friends,” Donatello said with a smile. “I trust the excursion has gone well so far?”
Still in a foul mood from the news report, I shrugged. “Suppose you’ve heard the news?”
His smile faded, and he nodded. “I did. It is unfortunate, but it seems we timed this perfectly. You couldn’t have chosen a better time to go into hiding.” As he looked behind me, his eyes widened.
I turned to see Sinthy stepping down the stairs, the wooden box with the vial clutched in her hands.
“Is that what I think it is?” Donatello asked.
“The vial? Yes.”
He blinked, then turned his gaze back to me. “Oh, very good. I was actually talking about the magnificent creature carrying it.”
Sinthy shook her head in derision. “For the millionth time, Donatello. The answer is no.”
Donatello put a hand to his chest and sighed sadly. “If only Fate were not so cruel. Perhaps in another life, you would allow me to bask in your presence forever, my lovely friend.”
Sinthy rolled her eyes. “He’s been like this since the first time I teleported to him. The guy spent three hours trying to get me to run away with him. Kind of exhausting, to be honest.”
Maddy came out, followed by the guys. She glanced around, her face falling.
“Didn’t Abi come with you?”
Donatello lowered his head in an apologetic bow. “Unfortunately, the boat will only hold so many. She will be there when we arrive at the island, though. I decided a boat would be safer. The less air traffic between the mainland and my private island, the better. I don’t want to give Viola any hint as to where you or I might be.”
Even hearing her name made my blood boil. My face turned red with anger as I, again, thought about her showing Maddy’s face to the world.
“Have we made any headway finding that bitch?” I asked. “This isn’t just Maddy’s life at stake anymore. Our unborn child’s life is in danger, too.”
Donatello clapped a hand on my back. “I assure you—we will make it happen. Of that, I guarantee. It’s only a matter of time.”
He then turned away from me and waved to the building. Two men in white polo shirts and khaki shorts came hurrying out.
“Please transfer my guests’ bags to the boat on the dock. The faster you move, the bigger the tip,” he said.
The men gathered up all our bags and backpacks and hustled down a pathway leading to the eastern portion of the island. We followed them. Maddy was at my side—her arm around my waist. I took comfort in her being near me. There was no way I would have survived if I’d sent her on her own, not even if I sent every male member of my pack as protection. I needed to be by her side. I had to be.
The speed boat was tied up at a small dock. By the time we’d got to it, the two men already had our bags stowed in a storage compartment at the front of the boat. Donatello thanked them, and unless my eyes deceived me, he tipped thembothfive hundred dollars.
The boat ride was nice, in that, between the roar of the high-powered engine, the hiss of the wind, and the sound of thefiberglass hull crashing through the water, it drowned out my thoughts and worries. For a short time, I enjoyed the ride. It took nearly an hour to get there, and by the time we arrived, the sun had crested the horizon, shining off the ocean and turning it into a blue-green mirror.
The island itself was exactly as I’d pictured it. If I didn’t know better, I would have assumed that itwasa resort. A few small buildings were scattered throughout, and one massive building spread across the central portion of the island. The main building was only about three stories tall, probably due to the threat of hurricanes. From a distance, I estimated the main building took up nearly twenty acres of land. Whoever had built this place had to have sunk hundreds of millions into it. Poor bastard. But one man’s folly was another man’s refuge.
Donatello pulled up and docked the boat expertly, then assisted us with getting the bags out and onto the wooden dock. As I slung my backpack over my arms, I looked up and saw a figure sprinting down the beach toward us. Her hair flowed behind her as she ran. I nudged Maddy and pointed toward the figure.
It took less than a second for Maddy to see Abi and run down the dock to meet her friend. They embraced, their laughter floating up toward us as they walked back toward the dock. Abi had only been gone a couple of weeks, but it was obvious Maddy needed her friend. Ever since Abi had been gone, Maddy had been down. Already, I could see how happy she was to have her best friend back. As they stepped up onto the dock, I could see Abi was crying and pressing a hand to Maddy’s belly.
“I can’t believe I’m gonna be an aunt,” Abi exclaimed through the tears.
“Come on, everyone,” Donatello said. “You’ll be staying in my personal home while you’re here. I’ll give you a quick tour.”
We followed him to a mansion fifty yards from the high tide line. It had very different architecture from the rest of the buildings on the island, and I had a feeling Don had built this after purchasing the defunct resort. Instead of a front yard, the mansion sported a huge infinity pool with a hot tub and seating for sunbathing. I still had a hard time believing anyone could be this rich.
Inside, the house was full of bright, vibrant colors, very different from Donatello’s New York house. While that had been full of dark-stained wood trim, red and crimson wallpaper, and dark, lush green carpeting, this was an explosion of pastel colors, bright white paint, and light gray marble floors. Exactly how I’d imagined a billionaire’s beach house.
