“You’re helping plenty,” Kairo says as he kisses her cheek. “Just stand there and look pretty for us.”
“That’s not even hard,” She smarts as she slides into the backseat of the SUV.
“Watch your mouth,” Roman calls from the hatchback.
She slams her door in retaliation, and he huffs a laugh as he shoves the bags into the back. “Lord, help us.”
Ten hours later, the shimmering turquoise waters stretch as far as the eye can see. The villa itself is perched on tall stilts over the lagoon, offering a perfect view of Mount Otemanu in the distance. The inside is just as dazzling, with floor-to-ceiling glass panels that let in natural light, and teakwood and woven fabrics make up the decor. There’s only one bedroom with a massive bed that overlooks the private deck.
Roman and Kairo set the bags down in the bedroom, stretching out as we all take in the space. The air is warm, but it isn’t unpleasant as we unpack. Getting some sun and a change of scenery will be nice.
Especially since we’ve never been in a place like this. Being broke most of our adult lives, we haven’t had the chance to explore and travel. I’m in disbelief at how easy we were able to get here with Charlie making a single phone call.
“Charlie’s garage has a car and motorcycles,” Rosalie beams as she steps out onto the deck. “I say we do some sightseeing.”
The warm sunlight hits her, illuminating her perfect skin and bright features. Where once she was dark and hollow, she’s now breathing life into us with every smile. The role swap is surreal, but so pleasant to see. She’s healthy and thriving. And we’ll do anything to keep it that way.
“I hate to put a damper on things,” Roman sighs.
“Do youreallythough?” Kairo quips.
Roman cuts his eyes at the blonde. “But we have some things to look into with the investigation. We’ll be busy for a few hours, and I expect you to stay put until we’re done.”
Rosalie’s shoulders drop as her smile fades. “Well, can’t I just—”
“You don’t go anywhere without us,” Roman slashes a hand. “Do you understand?”
She crosses her arms, cocking her head at him. “My dad can’t reach me. Do you really expect me to just sit here while you work?”
“Yes,” He responds.
She tilts her head. “Fine.”
My brows shoot up at her easy reluctance, but I’m not the only one suspicious of her agreement. Roman points a finger at her, a clear warning in his gaze. “You go anywhere, and there will be consequences.”
She examines her nails. “I heard you.”
She’s definitely going to leave.
Roman stalks out of the room, and I catch Kairo’s smirk as he trails behind our friend. We know the game Songbird is playing at, but I can’t say we’re going to stop her. Truthfully, we want her to disobey. It gives us a chance to let off some steam and get her accustomed to what life with us will be like. She’s met every challenge head-on, and now that we know she can take all three of us…
It’s game on.
We leave her in the living room and do our work in the bedroom. Roman pulls his laptop out, the blinking dot of Waylon’s location still in the last spot we pinpointed him.
“He’s most likely using a burner phone,” Roman shakes his head. “My bet is that he’s already disposed of it.”
It would explain why the dot hasn’t moved in the last forty-two hours. I highly doubt he’s found a perfect place to camp out with no resources and the survival skills of a fucking hamster.
“Any word from Knox?” Kairo asks.
Knox was in the army with us. He specialized in cyber operations and, after retiring, developed his own security company with two of his closest friends. We found we had the most in common with them, and we don’t mind helping each other out of tough situations.
We had him look into Waylon’s records to see if we could find any leads as to what he’s planning. If anyone can figure out his end goal, it’s Knox and his team.
“Let me check,” Roman sighs as he pulls up the email inbox. At the top, there’s a new message from our connection. There are a few files attached, and Roman clicks through them.
Most are recent call logs to an unknown number, but the most notable is the last file. When Roman clicks it, a screenshot of a message sent to the burner phone in Waylon’s possession appears.
