Page 56 of Royal Pain

“And your friends?”

“Well, all four were living off the property so I didn’t think anything of it.”

“And what do you think about them now?”

I laughed, chugging on water before I answered. “Maybe I’ve watched too many horror movies, but I honestly think every child at first is deemed marriage material. For the boys, maybe they have more of a choice in the candidates but for the girls, they are paired with sons of important men who have or will be moving into the community. Keep in mind, the people allowed in can and will do various things for the community from ensuring a vote that affects the community goes the right way, to taxes, beautiful committees, and even blocking developments that might crowd the area. They want their little community kept very private.”

“They are a piece of work.”

“You have no idea. Try attending a holiday picnic when you feel like you’re being sized up like a side of beef. Oh, it was postcard perfect, often catered and the perfect music, but at least for me, I could feel nothing was real.”

“Did you ever talk to your mother about it?”

“Look, I love my mother and that was one of the reasons I trusted her with Damien. The truth was that my original babysitter backed out at the last minute. She didn’t have a single explanation as to why. She was even short on the phone. I had no choice but to cancel the trip and Heidi berated me when I tried. But as far as talking to my mom, she will sit, smile, and nod like a good Stepford wife. If you don’t know what that means, look it up. I swear the next go-around will look more like theHandmaid’s Tale.”

He took my hand into his, rubbing my knuckles before bringing my hand to his mouth. I knew he was doing his best to keep me calm in the face of everything horrible that was going on. “I’mgoing to venture another educated guess your babysitter was coerced to back out.”

“You mean threatened.”

“Yeah, I do. I know this is a lot for you to process but we have to look at the worst-case scenario.”

Now I gave him a hard look. “I never told you this or anyone else, but I have some information I gathered on issues or meetings. It’s not much, but I never allow the drive to leave my side. I sewed it into the lining of my purse so in case anything happened, I might have evidence. The group is so powerful, I could lose everything including any access to my son. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I was sneaky, even slipping into houses when there were parties and social gatherings, and there were many. Don’t worry, I was pretty slick.”

He grinned like I hadn’t seen him do before. “You are more conniving than I originally believed.”

“When you have a child who is important property, you will stop at nothing to keep him protected. I just did a shitty job this time.”

“Stop beating yourself up. You were lured down a path. Not a good one. I have resources that can help, people that will help. Just keep placing your trust in me. Okay?”

He leaned over and just having his lips so close felt a little like home. That might sound strange to some, but he was the only normal I’d experienced in a long time. As he captured my mouth, there was passion, but that wasn’t what the slight moment of intimacy was about. It was allowing me to know he wasn’t going to abandon me.

I gripped his neck, pulling him in even closer. When we finally pulled away at the same time, he couldn’t help himself, biting down on my lower lip and growling. Just another reminder he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Now, we still have over four hours to go. I suggest you get some rest. I still have a few phone calls to make.”

“Can I ask a favor?” I asked, batting my eyelashes.

“Absolutely.”

“Can I have something stronger than water?”

“Babe. You can have anything you want.”

California.

Hollywood.

The land where wild dreams could come true. Thankfully, we weren’t headed to Los Angeles. I wasn’t certain I could take the smog or the heat. Sadly, I knew almost nothing about San Diego. I’d heard it was beautiful with rolling waves, pristine beaches, and huge houses that could rival any mansion in the upper east, but the moment he grabbed his hot red sports car, giving me a look that said in no uncertain terms ‘buckle up,’ I had no idea the treat I’d be in store for.

“I’ll take you on a little tour. Not long because I’m certain you want to get settled, but you should see the quaintest areas and what we’re known for.”

“I’d like that. Just don’t drive too fast.”

“Baby, I drive like a bat out of hell.” He took off, the interstate drive from the small corporate airport. I was able to see the skyline of the city, but it could be anywhere. When he took an exit, forced to slow down, I paid more attention.

“This is the truly older part of downtown. It’s been refurbished over the years. Now, in about three blocks, start looking to your right past the buildings. You’ll start to see the ocean. That’s Mission Beach. There’s an incredible boardwalk full of walkers and skateboarders. Restaurants line the one side, nothing blocking the ocean on the other. You can see the most colorful people every single day.”

At least I could laugh. “I would love to spend some time one day.”

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