Episode 56
EPISODE 56
DON'T TRUST HER
Emily
“For God’s sake, it’s late. Stop that bloody noise!” I open the door and jerk backward. “What the hell do you want?”
A female staff member wearing all white stands in my doorway. “I’m sorry, Ms. Kensington, but you have a phone call.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes. She says it’s urgent.”
“Who is it?”
“She wouldn’t say, ma’am.”
“She? For the love of God...”
“You can take the call in the office at the end of the hall if you need some privacy.”
River, wearing a white robe, leaves the bedroom and joins me. “What’s going on?” His eyes go wide.
“Seems I have a phone call.”
“Who?”
“She won’t say.” I let out a huff. “I’m heading down the hallway to take it. I won’t be long. And by the way, if you’re not letting us have cell phones”—what River doesn’t know is that I do have one tucked away—“the least you can do is give us landline units in these suites.”
“You’re right,” he says. “We’ll have them installed first thing tomorrow. And I’m going with you to take this call.”
“You don’t have?—”
He touches my lips. “I know I don’t have to. I want to. Who the hell is calling you in the middle of the night? I want to be there for you.”
Warmth glides over me. I’m liking River a lot more than I expected to. Not only is he amazing in bed, but he’s warm and caring as well.
And of course he’s a western god, so handsome and rugged.
So different from the sleek runway models who usually surround me in the fashion industry. They’re all beautiful, of course, but River Barrett makes them look like pretty boy cut-out biscuits.
I didn’t expect to fall for any of these men, nor for any of them to fall for me.
I have my own reasons for being here on this island—reasons I haven’t even allowed myself to think about these first two days.
But I also decided—why not have some fun? When my interlude with Sebastian fizzled out last night and I wasn’t randomly chosen for a date tonight, I found Zion during his break and invited him into my room. We didn’t fuck, but we had a damned good time—even after Sienna discovered my secret. She ended up enjoying herself too.
River takes my arm, and together we leave my suite and follow the staff member down the hallway. She opens the door and points to the landline phone. “There you go. It’s line four. Take all the time you need.”
River nods. “Thank you.” He closes the door, leaving the woman in the hallway.
My nerves crackle as I walk toward the phone receiver. “You want me to put it on speaker?” I ask River.
He shakes his head. “No need. It may be personal for all we know.”
True enough, but who would be calling me in the middle of the night? I left my contact information with my mother in the UK and a neighbor in New York. That’s it.
Oh, God... Has something happened to my mother?
River grabs my arm. “Are you okay? You went pale as a ghost there.”
“I’m already pretty pale, River,” I say in an attempt to downplay the apprehension that’s pulsing through me.
“You know what I mean.” He hands me the phone. “Just take the call. Not knowing will drive you nuts.”
I swallow and nod, place the phone to my ear. “Hello, this is Emily.”
“Emily, thank God!”
I recognize the voice but can’t quite place it. “Who is this?”
“It’s me. Ginger. I’m calling from the hospital in Montego Bay.”
“Ginger!” I gasp. “Is Rachel all right?”
River goes rigid next to me at the mention of Rachel’s name. How easy to forget that just yesterday, he spent time with her, was so clearly interested in her. I don’t have the heart to tell him I saw her and Ginger holding hands last night.
But that’s the least of my concerns.
“Yes, Rachel is fine,” Ginger says.
I heave a sigh of relief.
River gestures to the speaker and raises his eyebrows at me.
“I’ve got River here with me. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?”
“Sure. That’s fine. I think we can trust him.”
She thinks we can trust him? Does that mean there are others we can’t trust?
What in bloody hell is going on here?
I flip the speaker button. “You’re on speaker now, Ginger.”
“Ginger,” River says in his low voice, “what’s going on? How is Rachel?”
“She’s sleeping,” Ginger says over the line, her voice coming through a bit crackly. “I’m sure Evangeline told you that she’s expected to completely recover.” Ginger sighs through the phone. “I can’t thank you enough, River, for helping me today. I couldn’t have gotten her back on the boat without you.”
“No need to thank me. Just take care of her.”
River’s voice is gentle yet fraught with anxiety. My God, he truly cares for Rachel. Despite the fact that he and I just had glorious hot sex for hours and I’m feeling emotions I have no business feeling, it’s becoming clear that I’m a mere substitute.
A poor man’s Rachel.
Odd. We don’t look anything alike. She’s brunette and brown-eyed, and I’m blond and blue.
But none of that is important right now. “Why are you calling, Ginger?” I ask.
“Rachel said something that freaked me out.”
My heart thuds against my chest.
“What was that?” River asks.
“She woke up for a bit about an hour ago,” Ginger says, “and she was lucid, or she seemed to be. But what she said didn’t make any sense.”
River meets my gaze, his own troubled. “What do you mean?”
“She’s been through so much,” Ginger says, “and I don’t know how long she was deprived of oxygen before I got her breathing. It’s unlikely that she suffered any brain damage, but after what came out of her mouth...”
I tug on my hair. “For God’s sake, Ginger, tell us what you mean. We’re being driven slowly crazy here.”
“You don’t even know the half of it,” River agrees.
I don’t?
I know more than he thinks.
I know four billionaires don’t plan this kind of an event for pure altruism. There’s a reason behind it—one they’re not telling us.
And I’ve a pretty good idea what it is.
But I’m concerned now only with Ginger and Rachel.
“She said, and I’m going to quote her, ‘Don’t trust her.’”
Though we’re on speaker, I’m still holding the receiver. Rather, I was. It clatters to the carpet with a dull thud.
I pick it up hastily and place it on the desk. “Who did she mean?” I demand, trying to keep my breathing calm and under control.
“She didn’t say.”
“Did she say anything else?” River asks.
“No. She fell back asleep.”
River rubs at the stubble on his jawline, his gaze focused on the wall.
He’s thinking, clearly, but about what?
“How well do you know Rachel?” I ask Ginger.
“Not well. But we hit it off after the hot tub last night, and we...”
“It’s all right,” I say. “Sienna saw the two of you go into her room last night holding hands.”
Silence for a moment.
River’s cheeks redden. Did he not know?
Fuck me and my big mouth.
“Right,” Ginger finally says. “Evangeline said... Well, when Rachel almost drowned, it made the decision easier.”
"What decision?" I ask. "And Evangeline said what?"
"The decision to leave the island," Ginger says.
It doesn't escape my notice that Ginger doesn't respond to my query about Evangeline.
River clears his throat. “So you and she...”
“Honestly, she and I aren’t anything, really. Not yet. But there’s an attraction and a spark.”
“Have you been in a relationship with a woman before?” River asks.
“I have,” Ginger says, “but Rachel hasn’t. That’s what she told me, anyway, before all this other shit went down. But now... I’m not sure what to think.”
“Why did you call me?” I finally ask. “Why not someone else?”
“It was either you or Ariel,” Ginger says. “Rachel mentioned right before we went snorkeling how much she liked the two of you, so I figured she couldn’t possibly mean either of you. I chose you because you’re older, more mature.”
“Why not Evangeline?” I ask. “She’s in charge here.”
“Rachel may have been talking about Evangeline for all I know. I’m sorry if this is a bother?—”
“No, no,” I say. “That’s not at all what I mean. I’m glad you called me. I’m just trying to make sense of everything.”
“So am I,” she says. “Just watch your back, okay? I should go. I’m still at the hospital, and I want to check on Rachel.”
“Tell her we’re all concerned,” River says, his expression grave.
“I will when she wakes up again. Thanks for taking the call, Em. I’ll be in touch.”
I click the phone off and stare at River, who’s staring into space.
“You okay?” I ask.
“I have a bad feeling,” he says.
“About what?”
“About all of this.” He heads to the door. “I’ll see you safely back to your room, Emily, and then I have somewhere to be.”