Page 40 of Cole
“So, what do we do?” asked Angus. Ryan looked at the expectant faces and nodded.
“We watch. And wait.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“The things you have in this clinic are things I haven’t seen in top tier hospitals,” said Layla. “How is this possible? Your community isn’t large enough for you to be able to afford all of this.”
“Layla, you’ve met our ghosts, Irene and Matthew,” said Riley. Layla nodded at the woman, smiling. “They own this land, or they did. Matthew made millions of dollars, hell, maybe billions, in oil and gas. He’s been gracious and kind enough to give us whatever we’ve needed.”
“We’ve also had a number of our own people inherit money, make great investments, start successful businesses, all of it,” said Gabi. “Many of them have contributed to our financial freedom. Not to mention G.R.I.P., our weapons manufacturing facility.”
“It’s just remarkable. Cole said that the bathroom products are all made nearby.”
“Yep,” grinned Riley. “Avery Crawford, Skull’s wife, was a famous Hollywood make-up artist. When she came here, Matthew offered to fund her manufacturing facility where she makes lotions, make-up, perfume, and all of it. And it’s amazing!”
“Oh, it definitely is,” smiled Layla. “This is just remarkable. I know I’ve never been here before but it feels as though this is where I’m supposed to be.”
“You are supposed to be here,” said Gray. “Believe me, anyone who sets foot on this property has a purpose, a connection to this land. You may not know what it is yet, although I’m going to bet that it’s Cole.”
“I sure hope so,” laughed Layla. “I can’t believe how quickly I’ve fallen in love with him. It doesn’t seem possible. If I weren’t certain that he’s a good man, I’d swear it’s all smoke and mirrors.”
“I promise, it’s no smoke and mirrors,” said Gabi. “Riley, Gray, Doc, Wilson, Cruz, Bree, and Ashley are all trying to back away from the clinic. With you here, we can start to do that. We need more help, more medical team members, but we’re working on that now.”
“Who else is here?” she asked.
“Well, it will be Kennedy, Londyn, Virginia, as well as Ambry and Vivienne. Vivienne would like to scale down, but she’s willing to keep working full-time until we get replacements.”
“It can’t be that hard,” said Layla. “This is a dream place to work.”
“Well, we’re particular about who joins our team. Calla will start taking on more cases for Ashley and Bree but they’ll be available for the serious abuse cases.”
“That’s just amazing that they’re willing to do that,” said Layla, shaking her head. Riley looked at Gray, then Gabi.
“Layla, honey, did your grandfather…”
“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “No. He never touched me, thank God. I would have run. I know I would have. I was afraid his men might touch me but I think he warned them that I was off limits. I kept waiting for him to marry me off to someone in another tribe but he didn’t do it. I have no idea why other than he was using me for other things.”
“Well, I’m relieved to hear that,” said Gray. “We all are.”
“Sira. She and I spoke and she said that her uncle mutilated her genitalia, preventing her from having children. Was the pond able to fix that?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, Sira came to us long after her mutilation. Perhaps, if she’d come to the property sooner it might have helped but there’s really no way of telling. For the most part, it heals things like scarring, burns, broken bones, lacerations, even some diseases. It didn’t help with Miguel’s stroke, at least not much. There have been a few other incidences. But we’ve been incredibly blessed, and lucky.”
“You’re all such remarkable people. You know, the strange thing is the day I found Cole, I wasn’t supposed to go through that burned out village. I was supposed to stick to the road. But that damn donkey kept pushing me into the village. I thought maybe he smelled something, maybe food or something, so I let it go for a while.
“When he stopped right at the opening of the well, I wasn’t sure what to think. I looked down and there was his face, staring up. I count myself fortunate he didn’t shoot me.”
“He’s fortunate you had that damn donkey to pull him out,” smirked Gray. “Cole’s a big man and you wouldn’t have been able to pull him out by yourself.”
“I didn’t even think about that. What are the odds that I was there when he needed me?” she asked. The women all laughed, shaking their heads.
“Oh, honey,” said Gabi. “Odds are forever in our favor around here. The magic of Irene and Matthew is strong. You’ll find that soon enough.”
“Hi,” said Hiro smiling at the women.
“Hey, Hiro. What can we do for your cute little self?” smirked Gabi.
“Well, my cute little self would like to fit Layla for our special jewelry,” he said laughing.
