Page 80 of Sapphire

“Ibiza is beautiful,” Gracie marvels as she watches the white-washed walls of the village pass by.

It really is. I don’t remember why I came here, that part of my story is missing, but seeing the island outside those four walls is nice.

It’s a quick trip into the little village. It’s quaint and beautiful, with the hustle and bustle of tourists walking around and locals enjoying lunch. It’s a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky.

“We’ll stay close; you won’t notice us here,” our bodyguard advises.

Gracie grabs my hand and pulls me into a brightly colored dress shop.

Hours later, Gracie and I have been to the hairdresser and beautician, and our arms are laden with bags. Our tummies are full of wine and tapas, and we are utterly relaxed. Today has been the best day in a long time. It was exactly what we needed.

As the car rolls to a stop at the front of the house, I see Mateo and Tomas rush out, and before I know it, I am in their arms.

“Thank god you are safe,” Mateo says.

“You made it home,” Tomas adds.

“I’ve missed you guys too, but I’m okay,” I mumble as my face is pressed hard against them.

They eventually let go of me.

“Guys, I’m okay. We kept an eye on security as we went and made sure we didn’t put ourselves in any dangerous situations. It was great, we had a brilliant day. Thank you.” I smile at them. I can see the tension leaving their bodies. It breaks my heart that they are so scared for me. I hate them worrying.

Security brings in our bags and places them at the front door.

“Looks like you ladies did a bit of shopping?” Tomas says.

“Yes, among other things.” I flip my hair.

“Oh shit, your hair.” Mateo catches on first and runs his fingers over the silky strands. “It looks good.”

“I like it,” Tomas says.

“Okay, well, I’m going to go to my room,” Gracie announces, leaving me with my two boys.

Mateo nuzzles my neck. “Are you going to show us what you bought?”

“Yes, I am. But this isn’t all for me.” I pick up the bags. “I wanted to grab some things for you two as well. It’s what doting girlfriends do, isn’t it?”

I swing the bags in my hand as I walk down the corridor to our bedroom.

* * *

After the success of our first shopping trip, the boys let us go out once a day for a couple of hours if we feel like it. Most days we didn’t, but it was just nice knowing we had some freedom. The boys had been called back to Barcelona for a couple of days, Mateo had an interview and some contract negotiations to attend to and Tomas needed to check in with his office.

Before they left, they agreed to us exploring Ibiza Town. They were still not happy about us going out exploring without them, but they understood they couldn’t keep us stuffed away in the house all day long.

Enrique has been keeping us informed of Nikolai’s whereabouts, and it seems he is still in Russia, which has calmed the boys down a little.

I kissed my men goodbye and promised we would behave and stick close to security just like we always do.

Gracie laughs as we walk arm in arm. “I’m giddy on the freedom.”

We spent the day just like any young tourists, checking out the sights of Ibiza Town. We wandered the old town, which overlooks the beautiful ocean. The cobblestone roads, the white-washed walls; everything is steeped in history. We explored the marina with its million-dollar yachts and designer fashion and sipped champagne with the holidaying billionaires. We people watched, killing ourselves laughing as we tried to work out backstories, a game we used to always play as kids.

“I’m sorry about this whole situation,” I say to my sister.

She takes my hand across the table. “Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about.”

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