Page 61 of Death

I look at his face again, the sharp lines and square jaw where there’s a constant shadow of black bristles. The light brown highlights in his dark hair are more prominent in the sunlight.

Again, I notice the diamond studs before my gaze travels lower to where some of his chest is visible.

“Ciara?” Santiago murmurs, reminding me of the question he asked.

I shake my head. “Not the way Nolan did.” I meet his intense eyes again. “But you won’t let me go either.”

He brings his other hand to my face and tucks some strands behind my ear. “Once you’re safely on the island, you’ll be free to make your own choices. Right now, I’m doing what’s best for you.”

Suddenly, I’m too brave for my own good, and I ask, “So you’re not interested in me? Are you just helping me because I’m Grace’s sister?”

“How I feel about you is irrelevant right now, and no, it’s not because you’re Grace’s sister.” He pulls his hand away from mine and leans back in his chair while letting out a heavy breath. He gestures at the fruit. “Eat something while I tell you a story.”

I reach for a bunch of grapes and pop one into my mouth.

“There’s a fortune teller in the village. Lorena. She’s gifted, and a lot of things she’s predicted have come to fruition. A year ago, she did a reading for me, and she said, I’d live a long and happy life with a woman that’s like the rising sun.”

He calls me sunshine.

My hand stops midway to my mouth, and I stare at him.

“Yes, that woman is you, but that doesn’t mean I expect anything from you. If you can only give me friendship, then I’ll be okay with it.”

There’s a flash of sadness on his face before he glances at the horizon. “The only thing that matters is your happiness.” Hisgaze flicks back to me, and the corner of his mouth lifts. “Seeing you smile every day will be more than enough for me.”

My lips curve up, and the warm sense of safety I’ve found in Santiago grows in my chest. Like he did with me a few minutes ago, I reach for his hand and give it a squeeze.

I lean closer and hesitate for a moment before I press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for making me feel safe.”

“That’s all I want,” he replies.

When I pull back, it’s to see a wide smile on his face, and he looks so happy, as if I’ve just given him the world.

An exciting emotion I haven’t felt in a really long time makes my heart beat faster, and suddenly feeling shy, I quickly pull back. My face warms, and I grab another handful of grapes, quickly popping one into my mouth.

Santiago picks up the glass of juice, the liquid a deep red, and he drinks some before asking, “Would you like to try talking to Grace again?”

After the disastrous call when I had a panic attack, Santiago printed more photos of Grace for me. I’ve been practicing conversations with them, and wanting to try again, I nod. “Please.”

He pulls his phone out and unlocks the screen before dialing Dominik’s number and putting the call on speaker.

“Hi, how are things there?” Dominik asks as he answers the call.

“Good. You’re on speaker. Ciara would like to talk to Grace.”

“Give me a second.” I hear movement, then Dominik says, “Ciara’s on the phone for you.”

“Really?” Grace gasps. A second later, she says, “Hi, sweetheart!”

My lips curve slightly, and I bask in the warm tone of her voice. “Hi.”

“How are you?” she asks.

I lean closer to Santiago. “I’m much better. I got more photos of you. You look happy in all of them.”

“I wish I had a photo of you. Can you send me one?” she asks. “I’d really like to see you.”

Santiago closes the distance between us and whispers by my ear, “Would you like to switch to a video call so you can see each other.”

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