Page 30 of The Forever Vow

Olivia sighed. “Does it bother anyone besides me that she came out of nowhere? MDI is a small community. Everyone knows everyone. But I can’t find one person from the club who knows who she is. You have to be on a guest list, they don’t just let you in there.”

“I’ll ask her if that helps,” I offered.

“Thank you.” Olivia tapped some more on the keyboard. “This whole thing worries me— Colby seems out of his mind. There’s been a lot of inappropriate behavior, and it’s beenveryquick and intense. I know he’s a big boy, but he seems over his head with this girl.”

“I agree. I wonder what it is about her…”

Olivia frowned. “I know he’s always had a soft spot for strippers—maybe since she doesn’t come from a lot, he feels sorry for her.”

“I don’t know if he feels sorry.” In fact, the only thing I’d seen him feeling was Tateupon the boat ride home from the party. “But Colby’s a good guy. If he sees something in her, maybe she’s not as bad as we think.”

Olivia’s lip curled. “Unfortunately, that’s not usually how this works. Can you talk to her some more and see if you can find out anything else? In the meantime, I’ll let Gene know you’ve been helpful.”

“Thanks.” I meant it. If Gene was satisfied, it meant I got more time with Bryce.

I’d take whatever I could get.

* * *

The following two days passed without incident. No one threatened to blackmail me. Gene didn’t send me any video messages; he was quiet from the confines of his jail cell. Mimi Jones didn’t get drunk and accost me, Felicia Jones was busy doing god-knows-what, Daphne was off-island shopping, and Tate and Colby were nowhere to be seen. Midge said she’d heard they’d been barricaded in the guesthouse having nonstop sex. At least they’d gone someplace private! Maybe Tate was getting the message, after all.

Still, the relative calm unnerved me. It felt like the island was holding its breath, just waiting for the next round of drama to unleash havoc on all of us.

The only new pictures of the Windsor family on the internet were from the Nguyen’s party. The photos were mainly of Bryce and me, and the details were about who’d designed my dress. One stray headline posed the question:Chloe’s Back—is Brylecia Done for Good?“Brylecia” was the press’s pet name for Bryce and Felicia, so I freaking hoped so!

Gene Windsor had instructed me to stay away from her so things looked better for the family—more settled, calmer. So far, it had been working. I prayed my good behavior kept my father-in-law satisfied.

Other items needing my attention were Elena and Akira. When I’d been in trouble, they were the first two people I called. But as soon as I’d returned to Bryce I’d been quiet, except for my questions about Tate. I’d probably given them whiplash with so much back and forth over the past few months.

My lawyer was snippy with me. “I can’t believe it’s back on with him just like that. You told me you wanted out.”

“You told me I should go back,” I reminded her.

“Itold you to not sign the contract in the first place! Remember that?”

“Of course, I remember. I’m sorry—I’ve been all over the place, I admit it.” I sighed. “I’m just glad you’re still taking my calls.”

“You’re still my client.” Akira’s tone softened a little. “And I charge for telephone calls, remember?”

I laughed. “Then we should talk business for a second. Did Noah’s guardianship papers go through yet?”

My father had signed another agreement waiving his rights to Noah in exchange for even more money. We’d filed it with the court immediately thereafter. But if the judge hadn’t approved it yet, there was still a chance he and Lydia could make a legal claim for my brother’s return.

“It hasn’t been approved yet. The family court’s insanely backed up. But itshouldgo through—as long as Bryce isn’t trying to take him from you anymore.” Akira wasn’t about to let me forget about Bryce’s ugly threats.

I winced. “Of course not.”

“No, ofcoursenot.”

I hesitated for a moment. “Akira…are you mad at me for going back to him?”

“No Chloe, I’mworriedabout you. Some of the things you’re doing don’t seem like you. You took this job because you needed the money and to get Noah away from a bad situation. But then you ran away from Bryce in the middle of the night like you were scared of something—something you haven’t shared with me. And then you ran right back to him two minutes after telling me you wanted out of the contract.” She went quiet for a moment. “Like I said, I’m worried about you. It seems like there’s more going on here than you’re sharing with me.”

“I can’t… I can’t talk about it.” I shook my head.

“I’m your lawyer. You can tell me anything and it’s confidential, so long as it’s not in an attempt to commit or cover up a crime or fraud.” When I didn’t speak, she sighed again. “Call me if you want to talk, okay? I’m here for you.”

Once she’d hung up, I stared off into space. The reason Ihadn’tconfided in Akira wasn’t that I was worried about being prosecuted. It was because I feared Gene Windsor. He’d told me to keep our arrangement a secret, and he’d threatened me. He was just scary enough for me to believe he’d follow through. I’d love to know if she could help me with that situation, but it seemed too dangerous.

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