Page 27 of Saul

I turned on him. “You were eager enough to step in with Calvin last night. Where were you just then? And this is the second time that prick has had his hands on him. Seems like you only show concern when it suits you, or it isn’t your brother.” Chris’s jaw worked, and I turned and grabbed my small suitcase from the closet and threw it on the bed.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Look, it’s better for everyone if I leave. You enjoy your wedding.”

Chris scowled. “Might I remind you that you agreed to this job for the whole weekend?”

I paused at throwing socks in my case and looked Chris in the eye.

“Shit, sorry,” he said, deflating. “Forget I said that. You’re right. You’re right about everything, but come on. Stay.”

“No,” I said quietly and gazed at the man who’d had my back and vice versa for a lot of years. “I quit.”

Chris froze.“Quit?”he repeated as if he hadn’t heard properly. “Look, I had no right to leave you hanging last—”

“I know about Ricky’s asthma. Calvin told me.” I interrupted. “Look, enjoy your wedding. But do me a favor and make sure that fucker keeps his hands off him, unless Calvin expressly wants it.”

Chris sighed. “Matt taking you?”

I shook my head. “Some guy from the marina.”

“Saul, I—”

But I shook my head and zipped my case. “Go down and make sure they’re both okay. We’ll talk next week.”

Chris nodded and held out his hand. “What do I say to Calvin?” I casually clasped it, then turned and picked up my suitcase.

“He won’t miss me.”

Chapter fourteen

Calvin

What was I doing?

“Cal? Did he hurt you?” I glanced at Steven, who was staring daggers in the direction Saul had just left, and simply gaped. Steven seemed to take my silence as agreement, even though he was the one in the wrong, and he stepped toward me. I took a step back, right into a hard body. I turned to apologize, knowing everyone was looking at me again, and saw Matt, one of the guys who drove the boats, and the one who was trying to spot dolphins for me. I blinked back tears. I was such a mess.

“Been looking for you,” he rumbled. “You wanted to see my orchids?”

“Cal, wait.”

I tried to take another step, but Steven grabbed my arm again. The low warning rumble that came from Matt’s chest reminded me so much of another that more tears pricked my stinging eyes.

“No,” I whispered, but Steven had already caught me, and my chest grew tight. He was hurting me.

“Baby, we need to talk. Let’s go upstairs—”

But it wasn’t Matt who stopped him. This time it was Chris. He had Steven by the back of the neck and was leading him away before I’d had a chance to process. But Chris had gone after Saul, so where was Saul? Chris turned and lifted his chin at Matt, and he seemed to take that as some sort of signal because Matt repeated, “The orchids,” and stepped away.

Then Ricky stopped me, but taking one look at my face, he leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “Go.”

Matt managed to get me out into reception, then he held open a door marked Staff Only. I paused, but he shrugged. “Just don’t tell Daniel.” I followed him to the end of the corridor, and it came out at the back of the hotel.

“Do you really grow orchids?” Because what was happening here? Not that I wasn’t grateful for the rescue, but I needed to get upstairs and try to talk to Saul if I had a hope he might listen.

Matt nodded. “But that’s not why we’re here.” He passed a small wall next to some large metal things that looked like giant trashcans, and then we could see the beach and the path that led down to the jetty.

Matt’s boat was there but my eyes were glued to the hunched figure standing there, hands in his pockets, small suitcase at his feet. “You’re taking him to the marina?” I choked out, inexplicably hurt when it was all my fault he was going.

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