Page 17 of The Caress

CHAPTERSEVEN

ELLA

Seeing my sister’s face on my phone screen never fails to cheer me up. And I definitely need some cheering up now that Keir’s mom is here.

She hates me and doesn’t try to hide it. Every look in my direction and every word out of her mouth when I’m around is tinged with that dislike and disdain.

I don’t know if it’s because my family isn’t rich or because I’m not British, or if there’s some other reason for her insistence that Keir end his relationship with me, but it’s past the point of being annoying. Especially when I didn’t ask to come on this trip. I’m just trying to mind my own business and stay alive at this point.

"Hey!" Joy’s cheerful voice and infectious smile make me push all my less-than-charitable thoughts about Keir’s mother aside. "I’ve been worried about you. I thought you were going to be coming home soon."

I feel a pang of guilt as I shake my head. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you and Dad. There’s been a change of plans. I have to stay." I pause, realizing I probably shouldn’t tell anyone exactly where I am at the moment. As long as someone out there is still trying to kill me and Keir, it’s probably best if I keep things vague. "I have to stay here for a little while longer. Just to sort some things out. Anyway, how are things at home? How have you been feeling?"

"Fine, I guess." Her smile dims a little. "Same as always."

"Have you had a lot of doctor’s appointments lately?"

She shrugs. "Not really. No more than usual."

I don’t want to pry too much, especially when I’m not there to comfort her in person, but she isn’t giving me much information to work with. And then the way her demeanor changed just now when I started asking about her health and her appointments? The more she tries to play it off and act nonchalant, the more questions I have.

How sick is she? Is she even sick at all?

It kills me to think she might be hiding something from me, but I wouldn’t put it past our dad to bully her into a situation where she feels she has no other choice.

"I miss you," I say, forcing a smile in spite of all my doubts. "I can’t wait to come home and tell you all about the crazy stuff that’s been going on here."

Her face lights up again. "I can’t wait, either! I miss you, too. Every day."

God, I wish I could scoop her up and bring her to Malta. She’d be able to keep Isla company. I’d be able to watch over both of them and keep them safe.

"You know I’m always here for you, right?" I promised myself I wouldn’t pry, but I have to at least let her know she can count on me if Dad really is putting her in an awkward situation. "You can always tell me anything, no matter what. Always, Joy."

"I know." She turns away for a second and nods. I think I can see tears welling up in her eyes when she turns back to the screen again. "I have to go, but I’ll talk to you later, okay? Love you."

"I love you, too." The screen goes dark before I can say anything else. I’m left wondering if I’ve accidentally made things worse.

I want her to know she can trust me and count on me, but was I actually pressuring her instead? Does she feel like she has to choose between being loyal to me or to our dad?

Maybe I should call her back, just to be super clear about everything. But no, I know Joy better than that. She understood what I meant. Pressing the issue further will probably make her shut down completely. I can’t risk that happening while I’m a million miles away.

"Damn," I sigh, setting my phone aside. "Damn, damn, damn."

I close my eyes and say a silent prayer that my little sister will be okay, then I take a deep breath and try to pull myself together.

Unfortunately, Joy isn’t my only concern right now. I need to look after Isla and check on Keir. And, with any luck, I can do all of that while staying as far away from Keir’s mother as possible.

I scan the sand dunes and the scrubby hillside in the distance as Isla runs along the beach in front of me. "Don’t get too far ahead," I call out. "I’m older and slower than you are, remember? I can’t keep up."

The part I’m not saying out loud is that I want to keep her as close to me as possible in case there’s even a hint of trouble. We might be on a fancy private beach, but that won’t stop a crazy person with a gun. It won’t even stop the paparazzi if they think they’ll get a good photo.

"Okay, okay," she laughs, coming back to run circles around me instead. "Do you think this is a good spot to build a sand castle? I don’t want it to get washed away."

"We should be fine until the tide comes back in," I say, as if I know what I'm talking about. "But if it does get washed away, we’ll just come back out here tomorrow and build a newer, bigger one."

"Yeah!" she cheers, plopping down and scooping up handfuls of sand. "You’re going to help me, though, right?"

"Of course I will." I sit down next to her and start adding to the growing mound of sand. "Is this going to be the hill where we build the castle?"

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