“So it is a cult?”
Naomi flashed a cagey smile. “I call it a cult with affection. It’s no more a cult than Peloton.”
“What makes something a cult?” Gabby was asking for personal reasons at this point. Naomi seemed pretty smart.
“A lot of things are cults,” Naomi said, “but I don’t think they’re dangerous unless they take your money, harm you, and won’t let you out.” Naomi gestured to the surroundings. “This is just a fancy spa in the tropics.”
“Jasmine wants out of Inner-G,” Gabby said. It was now or never. “I know you’re together. She wants to be with you.” Gabby was trying to paddle to keep up with Naomi.
Naomi’s poker face was solid.
“And I know Inner-G isn’t harmless. I think it’s more of a cult than you think it is, or that you’re letting on.”
The waves lapped over the front of her board.
“Genesis kidnapped Sheridan and brought her here. There are some real problems with his finances.” Gabby hedged her bets there because she wasn’t sure what “dumb” thing was going on. “If I’m right, you helped Jasmine sell stories through an illegal media group.”
Naomi shrugged defiantly.
“This place is going down. If you talk, you will be protected. So will Jasmine.”
If she got testimony from Jasmine and a member of the inner circle, plus the financial records, Genesis would be toast. Job back. Ka-ching!
Naomi shook her head. She didn’t look surprised. With a half shrug, she said, “Men,” in a very matter-of-fact, what-did-you-expect tone. “I’m a lesbian for a reason.”
“There are some good guys out there still, right?” Gabby implored. “My guy… George.”
“Lil’ G?” Naomi raised an eyebrow in judgment. “You mean Big G’s sidekick?”
Gabby’s ire spiked. Instead of jumping to Markus’s defense, she schooled her expression.
“So how are you going to help me?” Naomi said. “Are you CIA or something?”
Gabby stiffened her spine, but it threw off her balance, and a wave sloshed over her legs. “Yes.”
She stopped paddling and said, “You know what pisses me off?”
“What?”
“You’re here, ready to save the day, but you’ve missed everything.” Naomi looked sincerely upset.
“What’d I miss?”
“Are you listening?” Naomi’s expression was intense, even though she appeared to be having zero trouble balancing.
“I’m listening.” Gabby listened as carefully as she could over the lapping waves and raucous water birds. “How’d you know her?”
“I was a political correspondent, and she worked for thePost. We met, got to be friends.” A big duck landed right next to Naomi, and she swatted at it with a paddle. “I brought Amanda down here a couple of times.”
Gabby nodded. “How does that tie into Sheridan? Does Sheridan know something about Amanda’s death?”
Without answering the question, Naomi smiled sadly and said, “She was better at paddleboarding than you.”
“Wouldn’t be hard, huh?” It was time to give up the lie that she knew what she was doing.
Gabby held her breath and braced her knees, trying to keep herbalance on the damn board. Just as Naomi was about to speak, someone from the shore yelled, “Gia!” and Gabby looked while trying not to jerk her head too rapidly and tip the whole thing over.
“Is that your fiancé?”
