Page 19 of Until It Was Real

“I love you!” Zane shouts.

“I love you, too,” Kai agrees. “Everyone thinks we’re exaggerating when we complain about how controlling Rhett is.”

“For the last time, it’s not controlling when I order you to make your bed.”

Zane’s nose wrinkles. “I don’t understand what the big deal is. You just sleep in the bed again at night and it gets all wrinkled again. What’s the point?”

“Everyone, stop distracting me. Dakota, fix my computer now before I tell Eli.”

“Tell me what?” Eli asks as he pokes his head into the room.

“She,” I stab my finger toward Dakota, “messed with my autocorrect.”

“And I told him I’d fix it if he’d stop going behind my back to try and get me fired.”

Eli grins at her. “You’re going to fit in here just fine.”

“What the hell? You’re not going to yell at her for messing with my computer?”

Eli frowns at me. “You tried to get her fired. Did you think she’d accept your actions lying down?”

“Whatever.” I motion to my desk. “Fix my computer.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Promise you won’t try to get me fired again.”

“I promise I won’t get you fired,” I grit out.

I do reserve the right to voice my concerns over her work with Eli. I will never allow anyone to abuse this family. It’s my job to protect my brothers no matter how much they annoy the shit out of me.

And the first task in my protection duties is to figure out what secrets Dakota is keeping.

Chapter 7

“If this is how Dorothy felt in the Wizard of Oz, I am never visiting Kansas.” ~ Dakota

Dakota

“Did you finish the list?” Eli asks.

I hold up my clipboard. “All done.”

“Good.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Get home and get safe. A hurricane of this size can cause a lot of damage.”

“But a house is safe?”

I didn’t think about the possibility of hurricanes when I moved to an island on the Atlantic coast. But now I’m wishing I had. Because the sound of the wind is freaking me out and the hurricane isn’t even here yet. It isn’t expected to hit land for several hours.

“Of course, it is. All homes on Smuggler’s Hideaway constructed after 1970 have been built to withstand hurricanes.”

1970? TheMermaid Motelis from the 1950s. Is it not safe?

Sadie evacuated all the guests, but she assured me I’d be perfectly safe in my suite. If the guests weren’t safe, why am I? She had no answer to my question.

I force a smile. “Great. I’ll grab my purse and lock up. You go ahead.”

“Thanks for all your help, Dakota. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

I smirk. “You’d be lost without me.”

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