I slip on a tank top and a pair of thongs and traipse down the pier to Vaughn's boat, waving to a few liveaboards cooking their dinners and relaxing on their decks along the way.
I reach Vaughn's boat, but he's not home. I check the front office in case he's working late. No sign of him there either. Hmm. That's weird. Vaughn never leaves the marina. The furthest he ever goes is the beach. I scan it, but the only people there are a family of four, walking along the water's edge.
Concerned, I head to Rove and Leo's. Their sleek, flybridge yacht rises elegantly from the water, its tinted windows offset against the pearl-white body. I cross the gangway onto smooth timber decking. That's when I hear a stream of bubbly giggles I instantly recognize.
Relief washes over me. I'm not sure if it's because Mabel was literally dumped in my lap and I was assigned with protecting her or that she's a bundle of joy and warmth no one can resist, but I have fallen in love with her.
And she may not be the only person I'm falling for, even if her father is aslightlymore complicated character.
"Hey, guys!" I call out.
"We're down the back," Leo yells.
I make my way to the sun deck aft. Leo and Rove are sipping drinks on a blanket they've laid out with Mabel between them.
"Where's Vaughn?" I ask.
"Went to the post office in town," Leo answers. When my brows shoot up, he explains, "He only ever leaves this place once a month to send money back home. We've been doing it for him since…you know, the incident, but he said he was ready to go himself now."
"I see."
I hate that my first thought isSo if he's ready to move on from the incident, why wasn't he ready to tell me the truth?
"I realize there are worse places in the world to be," Rove continues, "but anywhere can feel like a prison if you’re stuck there."
I nod in agreement when I hear someone shouting, sharp and urgent.
"Do you guys hear that?" I ask, and they both nod.
Leo gets up and strides over to the railing. His eyes widen. "It's Vaughn. He's running. Something's wrong."
I scoop Mabel up in my arms, and we rush to the passageway to meet him. Vaughn is on the pier, bolting toward us, his face streaked with worry, a throwback to our first meeting.
"I saw them again," he gasps between ragged breaths when he reaches us.
"Who?" Rove asks, but when Vaughn's fear-stricken eyes meet mine, I know.Whoever he's running away from.
"I know what to do." Three sets of eyes land on me. "You guys stay here," I say to Leo and Rove, then I turn to Vaughn. "You and Mabel will come with me."
"What's the plan?" Leo asks. "You guys may not be safe here."
"They didn't follow me, but Leo's right…" Vaughn is still panting. "We have to get out of here."
"Good thing I live on a boat. We'll head out into the open water, and then I'll arrange backup."
"What sort of backup?" Vaughn asks.
"My family has connections. I can have round-the-clock security set up in less than two hours."
"Okay, okay." Vaughn swipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand then looks at Mabel in my arms, blissfully unaware of the shitstorm around her. "We'll just get a few things and be right over."
"Let me take her," I say to him. "You'll be faster solo, which means we'll be able to get away sooner." He nods, understanding the logic of my argument, but I sense hesitation. "I won't let anything happen to her, Vaughn. I swear on my life."
His blue eyes well with tears. "I know, I know. I just—fuck. I hope it doesn't come to that."
17
Vaughn
