Page 25 of The Perfect Escape
“Well, they are going to have to entertain themselves, or at least my father will. I told Reyna that I would take her to see the sights and I thought it would be nice if you came along.” It completely slipped my mind that Patton and my father would be back today from West Bay, where the newest resort hotel was being built. The Crossbow Resort and Hotel had been a dream of mine ever since my father talked me into purchasing the villa.
“I’m sure Mr. Cross will have plenty to do to keep himself entertained while we are away.” Mika was a gem and knew of my father’s appreciation for the island and the women who occupied the pools at the Grand Hotel, which was currently the most elite place to stay while visiting the Island, and our stiffest competition.
Speaking of the devil… As he was in the room, he picked up on our conversation. “There is nothing wrong with having an appreciation of beautiful women. You of all people should understand that, son.” If my father only knew how much of what he said was true. There was no woman more beautiful than Reyna.
“I won’t deny it.” I smiled, placing my hand on my father’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “How are things going with the new hotel?”
“Things are moving along on schedule. I think we will be ready to open as planned. Just in time for the holiday crowd.” My father was always optimistic and usually right.
“That’s good to hear,” I replied
“What is this about a hotel?” Reyna walked into the kitchen, hearing the end of our conversation.
“The Crossbow,” I began. “It is a new hotel my father and I are having built in West Bay.”
Handing me my phone, Reyna looked between us. “How exciting. Can we visit it when we go out?”
The reaction displayed on my father’s face was not what I expected. Reyna’s comment annoyed him. “I think it would be best to wait until it is finished. There are too many safety hazards since it is still under construction.”
Even though I didn’t think it was a good idea either, it wasn’t because the hotel was still under construction. It was more about keeping Reyna safe. Not all the men working at the site had received background checks. It would be stupid to risk Reyna’s safety until we cleared every one of them. “Maybe another time, Reyna. We have a lot to see as it is.”
Disappointed, Reyna smiled with understanding. Thankfully, the topic dropped when Mika interjected. “Breakfast is ready. Please take your places at the dinner table.”
∞
Reyna hardly touched her breakfast. And although I was concerned, I wouldn’t bring it up until later when we were alone. After taking separate showers, I shared my concern, but she denied anything was wrong. She was hiding something. Even with dinner last night, she barely touched her food. I thought for sure her spirits would be lifted once she talked to Kenzi. I was mistaken. Reyna appeared to be happier, but her actions said otherwise.
It wasn’t long after we showered and changed that we were on our way to the city. Mika finished cleaning up the dishes in record time, worried that we might leave without her. Of course, that would never happen. Not once had I ever gone back on my word.
Since my father had plans for the day, Patton accompanied us. He and I took the front seat of the SUV while Reyna and Mika sat in the back. Inviting Patton was the extra safety precaution I needed to ensure that nothing would happen to Reyna. There was still no word on Salko’s whereabouts, and I wasn’t about to take any chances.
As Patton drove the SUV away from the house, my cell rang. Looking at the caller, I saw it was Axe. Hopefully, he had some information for me regarding Salko. “Tell me you have some good news for me, Axe.”
“If I could, I would. I wanted to let you know that Giles Curtis and Louise Braxton have gone missing. The tracker we had on his phone stopped tracking, so Marcus and I got concerned and searched his last known location. It was just south of Atlanta. When we got there, the only thing we found was his phone. It was in a dumpster in an alley near an apartment complex.”
“Did anyone bother to check out the complex?” My gaze narrowed to Patton. His concern matched mine.
“Affirmative. No one has seen anyone that fits their descriptions. My guess, they dumped the phone and headed somewhere they wouldn’t be found.”
Unaware of my reaction, I forked my hand through my hair, which caused Reyna to address my concern. “Is everything okay, Davian?”
“Do whatever you need to do to locate them. Call me with updates, no matter how small.” Curtis and Louise were up to something, but I wasn’t sure what.
“Davian, what is going on?” Reyna broke my train of thought.
“Nothing for you to worry about. How about we just enjoy the day?”
~18~
Reyna
The conversation between Davian and Axe had piqued my curiosity. I wasn’t sure who they were talking about, but I was confident that whoever it was had Davian concerned. He said it was nothing for me to worry about, but even I knew when someone said “it’s nothing to worry about,” it usually meant there was a reason for concern.
Mika must have noticed my frustration because she placed her hand over mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. For now, I would let it go, only because I had concerns of my own to figure out. Mika didn’t know it yet, but as soon as I could speak to her alone, I would need her help. Once we reached George Town, I was sure that there would be a pharmacy where I could purchase what I needed, or at least Mika could.
Enjoying the ride, I let my mind drift to the scenery. The narrow road Patton drove on provided a magnificent view of the ocean. The white beaches stretched for miles, and while the tall hotels blocked most of it, I still caught a glimpse of the beautiful water. Before I left this beautiful island, I would make a point of dipping my feet in the water. Davian didn’t tell me how long we would be here, but I wanted to take advantage of the water whenever possible.
The view of the ocean disappeared the closer we got to the small city. There wasn’t much I knew about the small island other than what I learned in my social studies class in high school. I learned that George Town was Cayman Island's capital city, with around twenty-nine thousand people. Davian told me that it was a popular vacation spot because the small island had more beautiful beaches than any other island. I had to agree, even though I hadn’t seen too many beaches to compare them to.
