Page 82 of Ruined
There was something unspoken about her answer, but we didn’t have time to unravel it. Once Nora was safe, we could discuss the particulars, like the disgusted look she gave when I told her my name.
Her eyes were wide when she took a seat in the private jet. It was definitely her first time flying.
“We’ll be there before you know it,” I said.
She nodded but gripped the armrests beside her, her fingers turning white. I wasn’t good with kids, not because I didn’t like them, but because I didn’t know what to do around them. But I knew what I would have wanted if I was nervous for my first plane ride as a teen. I took the seat next to her and strapped in.
“Take a deep breath. Inhale,” I said. She lifted her shoulders and puffed her cheeks wide. “Now let it out as slow as you can.” The air whistled through her nose and the pilot started making announcements overhead. “Again.” Her chest lifted and relaxed at a steady pace. She kept her exhales strong, even as we took off.
A few minutes later, after she had stopped the breathing exercise, she said, “We’re in the air.” Her voice was even-tempered; that was good.
“We’ll be on the island in less than an hour.” She didn’t move, but at least she was somewhat relaxed, sitting in her chair, and not on the verge of tearing the armrest apart. I pulled out my phone and flipped to the most recent picture I had of the property. “I don’t guarantee that weather, but there’s plenty of private beach to explore, rain or shine.”
“Private beach?” she asked. “You literally have a private beach?”
“It comes in handy,” I said. It had been years since I had used it for pleasure, but I was glad to have it at a time like this.
It was a six-bedroom house on a sandy piece of shoreline, with evergreens surrounding the place like a private gate. Most of the property owners were other billionaires, but hardly any of us stayed on the island for long. Despite that, there was a small town center in the middle of the island, with a small hotel, a few restaurants, and boutiques.
It was still dark when we arrived, though it would be morning soon. The house manager had prepped the estate for our arrival and left the kitchen fully stocked. I showed Nora to her bedroom and returned to the second-floor deck. I gazed out at the black water, mysterious in the night. My pilot had left to return to the Sage City Airport. Haley had his phone number when she was ready.
But how long would it be until Haley returned? Had I made a mistake by letting her face Aldrich alone? I had to remind myself that Haley was capable of making her own decisions. I had to trust her.
At dawn, Nora shuffled out of her bedroom, still in the same clothes. We’d have to get her a few new outfits from one of the boutiques later. She sat in the chair next to me.
“So this is what it’s like to be rich?” she asked.
I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean?”
“All of my classmates are rich. Their parents own yachts. They have their own personal chefs. They go to Switzerland over the holidays.Andthey own private islands. Like this.”
“I don’t own this island.”
“You know what I mean.”
I looked out at the water, then remembered that Nora was probably hungry. We should have picked up food on our way to the house, but I hadn’t thought of it.
“I’ll fix you something to eat,” I said. Inside, I rummaged through the cupboards and found a packet of hot cocoa mix, giant marshmallows, and a box of granola bars. I heated up some water in the microwave, then dumped the brown dusty powder on top, spilling half of the mix on the counter. It wasn’t mixing very well, but I supposed as long as it tasted good, it didn’t matter. I topped it with one giant marshmallow, then grabbed a granola bar. I handed them both to her.
She pulled the marshmallow off and wrinkled her nose. “Did you even mix this?”
I handed her the spoon. “Good luck.” She smiled and started mixing. We had time; we ought to make conversation while we were out here. And I needed to know what I could and couldn’t talk about with Nora. “Tell me,” I said. “What do you know about your sister’s life?”
“You mean, do I know what she does for a living?” She slurped down a gulp of cocoa. “She works at the Dahlia District, right?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s where Mama worked.”
“But do you know what Haley does there?”
“She entertains rich people. Dances and stuff like that. Like for you.” She bit the marshmallow, taking half of it in her mouth. “That’s how she met you, right?”
“Right.”
That surprised me. I had figured that Haley, knowing how ashamed she was about her mother and her own life, would have hidden the truth from Nora, but she hadn’t. “Do you know why you sister had me take you here?”
“Some guy threatened me, right? Alder-vich? Something like that. I don’t know what she thinks is going to happen. It’s not like he’s going to hire a hitman to kill me.” She tilted her head back and finished the rest of the cocoa. Apparently, it wasn’t that bad. “She’s a little dramatic sometimes. You know what I mean?”
