Page 11 of Redemption

Dominic drives across the dirt and sand acting as a parking lot for the build, but there’s only one other car. Is the project at another standstill? I smother a sigh of frustration. “What’s going on? Where is everyone?” In front of us, the building is a concrete skeleton. Better than a foundation, which is what we had a couple weeks ago, but we must be falling behind.

Jay’s brow creases. “What am I missing, Dominic?”

“Today is a holiday.” He gets out of the car. “Only the manager will be here to show you around.”

“I need to update my phone with local information.” Jay takes it out of his pocket. “Why wouldn’t he have told me when I asked? We could have come any day.”

“Probably better this way,” Dominic says. “Otherwise, it’ll be very noisy.”

That’s true. The site doesn’t have the same sense of urgency and pace when it’s quiet. “Where are we meeting him?”

“In the lobby.” Jay nods toward the framed entrance.

As we walk to the roughed-in door, the wind swirls the sand at my feet. In the distance on either side of our hotel and casino are other hotels, but we’re the first casino on this island in Cape Verde. A feather in our cap if we can get the damn thing up and running. Initially, the construction sped along, but then we hit roadblock after roadblock. At least the outline of the buildings is here, and I can identify the size and scope of each section.

A man comes out of the front, and Jay grins. “Adiel! Thanks for meeting us. You could have mentioned it was a holiday.”

“No problem. No problem.” He waves off Jay and extends his hand to me. Dominic is a few steps behind us, and the two men exchange a nod of acknowledgement. “I’m happy to show you the great progress we’ve made since the permits have come through. So much government red tape.” He ushers us into the building.

We follow him around the construction site as he recounts everything that’s been done in the last few weeks and what his team is planning to have completed in the weeks to come. We pore over plans and discuss whether we need to move the completion target.

“No.” Adiel smiles. “We can make the original date. With the red tape gone, we’ll have no problems.”

Jay and I exchange a glance behind Adiel’s back. Is he blowing smoke up our asses, or is his claim accurate? “No problems,” I clarify. “We’ll have to start marketing and promotions on an international scale soon to drum up interest. If you can’t make the date, now is the time to be cautious, not confident.”

Adiel’s face clouds. “Yes, of course. When do you need a firm yes?”

Jay whips out his phone and scrolls through various emails we’ve had with our team. “You’ve got about four weeks.”

“Lots of time.” Adiel’s expression clears, and he gathers the plans into a neat pile. “I will have a solid date for you in one month.”

I smother my smile with my hands. His reaction isn’t funny, but when it’s not Adiel’s skin on the hook, nothing appears to be pressing. He has a month—he’ll take the month. Schooling my face, I meet Adiel’s gaze. “Great.”

We walk to the front of the building to Dominic, who has been keeping watch. He was right about the site being quieter. The eeriness is probably my imagination because I expected the build to be a bustle of activity.

We’re almost at the exit when a familiar smell assaults my nose. “Is that…”

“A gas leak,” Jay confirms, his hand on the small of my back, ushering me toward the door. “We gotta get out.”

My foot hits the sand, and I half turn to ask Adiel about the shutoff valve. A deafening roar rises behind us, and then I’m lifted off my feet, flying through the air. Like any moment when something bad happens, time slows, narrows. Jay disappears from my side. It’s like there’s a hand square in the middle of my spine, propelling me farther and farther from the building. Every bone in my body loosens and vibrates with the tremendous force. Am I going to die? I’m rotating, out of control. I don’t want to die.

Finn. Lucas. I’m so sorry.

The ground rushes at me unchecked. I hold out my hands to break my fall and brace for the impact.

I wake up to Lena peering over me. “Where am I?” When I try to move my head, it explodes in agony.

“Hospital. Someone blew up your hotel.” Her expression is resigned. “More trouble following you around. You’re lucky to be alive.”

A crease forms in my brow when I attempt to remember what led me here. Hotel. Looking over the plans.Jay. “Jay was with me. Oh, God. Jay!” I struggle to sit up. Sharp beeps fire in the room, and a nurse rushes in.

“You’ve got to stay calm,” she chides as she checks the wires coming out of my body attached to machines. “You’ve had a nasty accident.”

“Jay’s okay.” Lena’s palm is on my chest. “Adiel got the worst of it, and he’s still alive.”

I ease my hand across my forehead. “Sofia has Lucas?”

“Yes. Everything is taken care of. You need to look after yourself.”

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