Chapter Six
Valli
Nixie has called me to her office. I wish it were to fire me—at least then I would know what to expect.
The last few days, she has given me time off to deal with everything going on with Cave.
Sure, I might have bitten someone’s head off for asking a simple question, and that person was a guest, but I took their question the wrong way, then went on a rant about something completely irrelevant.
Nixie is at her desk when I walk in, and she gestures to the chair in front of her. I sit and fold my hands in my lap, needing something to do with them.
“Vincent called me, and there has been a development. A petition was submitted yesterday by the facility’s legal team, requesting a formal extension to the observation period. If it’s approved, it adds another two weeks to the hold.”
I take a deep breath; there is no point yelling at Nixie—none of this is her fault. Yet two weeks added to what is left of the original thirty days is bullshit.
“Is it going to be approved?”
“Vincent doesn’t believe so. He filed an appeal and has the judge who issued the original visitation pass in his corner. He’s confident.”
“At least that’s something. Do we know why they are doing this?”
Nixie shrugs. “Officially no, but I have a feeling my past with Evan and a few of the others may have something to do with it. Without telling you my personal history, let’s say, feelings were hurt when I chose Cave and walked away.”
“That isn’t fair to Cave.”
“I know, and if this is a tantrum on their behalf, they’re about to be reminded of what my ass looks like when they watch me walk away with him again.”
I smirk at her words. Nixie is a badass, and I can imagine it hurt her to leave them, but from what I can see, you never tell her what to do or how to do it. Nixie walks to the beat of her own drum.
“Are you okay?” she asks as I stand.
“Yes, I will be.”
She nods once. “I will let you know the moment I know anything more.”
“Thank you,” I say and walk out.
The morning is gray and cold, and I smell rain approaching again.
I stand outside Nixie’s door for a few seconds and breathe before I walk away.
I don’t return to the shed or even the bar; instead, I walk to the far edge of the island, where there is just a cliff and water.
I simply stand there with my hands in my pockets and breathe in the salty air.
Two more weeks.
Now I understand why Vincent said not to make any promises to Cave.
I couldn’t keep them. Guilt crashes through me.
I told him to be strong, that it wouldn’t be much longer.
He still has a few weeks left, so why would they want to add more time?
Do they really think they can fix him? I know doctors see someone like him and think they can use their fancy degrees to fix everything, but he isn’t broken, not in a way that needs to be repaired. He’s perfectly fine the way he is.
I give myself ten minutes of solitude. That’s what I have always done, ever since my parents passed away. Space so I can feel it, then tuck it away. Today the time doesn’t feel long enough, but I turn around and walk back.
I know I should have gone straight back to the shed and told Noa and Cipher, but I needed a moment. On the walk back, I try to figure out what to even tell them, as it’s not news any of us wanted. But what can we do?
As I pass through the doorway, I find Cipher at his workbench, still working on the music box. He looks up as I enter, and when I ask where Noa is, he tells me he’s in the cornfield, which makes me smile. If Cave were here and Noa was digging random holes in his field, it wouldn’t end well for Noa.
I make coffee and sit at the makeshift table Noa brought back here the day he declared us a family and decided we needed to eat meals together. Cipher keeps peering over at me; he knows something is up, but I will wait for Noa to arrive back, as it will be easier to only say this once.
Tires crunch against the fallen twigs, causing both Cipher and me to look at each other, then at the door. A few seconds later, I hear Noa’s voice. “I’m back!” he shouts.
Cipher tilts his head back down to his work, and I take a deep breath. I was low-key hoping he would be a little longer.
“Look who has graced us with her presence,” he says, a split-second before he steps through the door.
Leni appears beside him, a bag slung over her shoulder. “Hey, sis!”
I stand, and she runs across the shed, dropping her bag before her body slams into mine. I press my face into her shoulder and close my eyes.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers.
I pull back and look at my sister; I swear she has matured since I last saw her. “Since when did you grow up?”
She laughs. “Since I stopped having my sister watching over my shoulder all day.”
“Hey, I wasn’t that bad.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Yeah, you kind of were, but I’m not complaining.
You are the best big sister a girl could have asked for.
I’m just glad I had a chance to really see everything you did for me.
Now enough about me, I officially want to meet your other man,” she says and leans in closer. “Three men? Go, sis!”
I chuckle and Noa claps. “We are going to have so much fun. Leni, come meet Cipher.”
My sister turns to Noa, who has a smile from ear to ear, while poor Cipher looks like a fish out of water. I move to his side, taking his hand, and he relaxes a little.
“Leni, this is Cipher. Cipher, meet my sister, Leni.”
Cipher extends his free hand, and Leni practically throws herself into him, wrapping her arms around him. My sister is a hugger. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”
Cipher is still ramrod straight as she pulls back. “Nice to meet you too,” he says.
“Would you believe Noa talks about you all a lot? My sister, not so much. But I’m so excited to be here. Noa and I have so much planning to do, and he is taking me to meet this Nixie lady today. It’s sad Cave isn’t here, as I have been looking forward to meeting a real-life scarecrow.”
The mention of Cave reminds me of the conversation I need to have with the guys. While I shouldn’t do it with Leni in the room, I also don’t want them to hear it from Nixie or anyone else first.
“Actually, I have news, and it’s not great.”
Both Noa and Cipher look my way at the same time. “They’re trying to add another two weeks to Cave’s hold. Vincent thinks it won’t happen, but we won’t know for a bit.”
“What? That’s fucking ridiculous! How can they do that? He needs to come home.” Noa paces while rambling about how unfair it is, and though I agree, our hands are tied. “Maybe we should send the Jester in, or Vero. Cave would look sane then.”
“Absolutely not,” Cipher says. “Cave would kill Vero and end up in prison. Let’s give Vincent a chance.”
Cipher and Noa bicker, and Leni turns to me. “You look terrible.”
“Life has kicked me in the ass recently. With everything that went down with Rowan, and now Cave, I’m soul-deep tired.”
Leni takes my hands. “I’m here for a while now, so let me help you. I wish you’d told me about Rowan sooner, because I knew it was bad, just not that bad.”
“It wasn’t your burden to bear—one of us needed to live a normal life. He’s gone now, and I don’t think he will be stupid enough to come back.”
“Good, because if he does, I will kick him in the balls.”
I laugh, and so does she.
“Oh damn, little sis, that’s brutal. Even I can feel the pain,” Noa jokes. “But it would be totally deserved. Who’s hungry? Let’s give Leni a tour and get some food.”
“I’m starving,” Leni says, and we all head toward the door.
Even Cipher takes my hand, and Noa links his arm with Leni’s and talks her ear off as we walk toward Ares’s Bar.
Everything feels a little better with her here.
Noa points at things as we walk and tells her what is where.
He even invites her to dig holes later, and she agrees, which makes me smirk, as she is not a dirt kind of girl.
Leni stops and turns in a circle once we get close enough to see the tent top and the cornfield. “It’s really beautiful here. I thought it would be, I don’t know, more remote.”
“It is remote,” Noa says, standing beside her. “That’s what makes it perfect. You can’t accidentally end up here—you have to actually want to come.”
“Or be brought here in the middle of the night against your will,” I mutter.
Leni turns to me. “Is that what happened to you?”
I shrug. “More or less. Yet another Rowan-inspired incident.”
“You must like it here, though.”
I smile. “I love it here. Someone smart once told me that there is a gravitational pull on the island, and when you feel it, you stay.”
“I can see why.”
Noa links his arm with Leni’s again, and we keep walking. Cipher stays beside me, his fingers entwined with mine. This is way out of his comfort zone, and he would no doubt prefer to be at his workbench tinkering, so it means a lot that he is here. He knows how much Leni means to me.
“Thank you,” I whisper to him.
“For what?”
“Coming with us. I know you’re doing it for me.”
He smiles at me and squeezes my hand. “I would do anything for you, and she is your sister. At least Noa is here to hold the conversation.”
I chuckle and watch as Noa squats down in front of Leni, and she gets on his back. As soon as she is holding on, Noa takes off running while Leni screams.
“I appreciate it. She is my favorite person in the world, but don’t tell Noa.”
He smirks. “Never.”
We reach Banks’s freaky museum, and Noa goes inside with Leni. They are in there for five minutes, and when they come out, Leni is no longer on his back and has a tub of cream in her hands.
I hurry to snatch the pot away from her.
“Hey, give that bac! Hee gave it to me.”
Noa laughs hysterically, and Cipher lightly chuckles.
“Oh, you think it’s so funny? There is no way my sister is using Banks’s baby batter on her face. I don’t care if it’s a miracle cream that reverses aging. That is so gross.”
Leni laughs as well. “Told you she would have kittens. It’s not for me, sis, it’s for a girl in my building who’s a two-faced bitch. I was sort of seeing someone until she decided she wanted him. Good riddance, but at least I get the last laugh.”
Noa high fives Leni, and I shake my head. Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing, if I’m being honest with myself.
Ares is behind the bar, and he glances at us as we walk inside. I have no doubt he already knows who Leni is, as Ares and Clay run background checks on everyone who steps foot on the island, and I was no exception.
“This is Leni,” Noa announces to the entire room. “She’s Valli’s sister, so everyone be nice.”
“When am I not nice?” Ares asks.
“Do you want me to answer that?” Noa teases.
Ares ignores Noa and looks at Leni. “Welcome.”
Leni smiles at him. “Thank you. I have heard a lot about this place.”
“Good things, I hope.”
She chuckles. “Mostly.”
We find a table near the window, and Nails appears out of nowhere with our menus. He smiles at Leni and hands her one, and once she thanks him, Rue calls him back to the kitchen.
“What’s good?” Leni asks.
“Everything,” Noa replies. “Order at least two things, maybe even three. Rue may be offended if you don’t. His food is to die for.”
“I can’t wait!” She wiggles excitedly.
Noa leads the conversation, asking Leni way too many questions about her plans after college and if she would ever consider moving here. Leni just laughs and says she has no idea what the future holds, but as soon as she knows, she will tell him.
The food comes out pretty fast, which tells me Rue knows there is a guest he is trying to impress. Leni takes the first bite, then makes a sound that stops all conversation at the table.
“Okay,” she says. “It’s decided. I’m never leaving.”
“Be careful. You think it’s a joke, but how do you think we all ended up here?”
Leni’s gaze shifts, and I follow to see what has caught her eye. Khodi has stepped through the doors, and she tracks him as he moves through the bar and stops to talk to Ares. Once he is done, he turns and his eyes lock with my sister’s, then he walks our way.
He reaches the table and gives us a nod.
“Khodi,” Noa says by way of greeting.
Khodi nods again as he stares at my sister, who has suddenly become shy and looks down at her food. Then she glances back up and holds his gaze.
“Hi.”
“Hey,” he says back.
There is silence for about two seconds, and I’m surprised Noa has kept quiet this long. When I glance over at him, all he needs is popcorn—he looks so invested. I am almost concerned and plan to talk to him later. He is so quiet, and he is never this quiet.
“You just get in?”
“Not too long ago,” she says. “I’m visiting my sister.”
Khodi glances at me before looking back at Leni. “Valli?”
“That’s me,” I say.
His attention goes straight back to my sister. “How long are you staying?”
Leni smiles slightly. “Why? Are you planning on kicking me off the island?”
“No.”
“Good. That would be a terrible first impression.”
“I’m security. I could make an exception.”
“For kicking me out?”
“For letting you stay.”
Her cheeks blush pink again, but this time she doesn’t look away. “Do you make exceptions for everyone you’ve just met?”
“No.”
Noa shifts beside me, resting his chin on his fist as he watches them.
Leni notices. “What?”
“Nothing,” Noa says. “Please continue.”
Khodi’s mouth twitches.
“Ignore him,” I tell Khodi.
“I was.”
“I like him,” Leni quips in Noa’s defense.
Khodi keeps his eyes on her. “That’s unfortunate. I was hoping you’d like to get to know me.”
Leni’s lips part as a smile slowly takes over her face. “Only time will tell.”
“I’ve got time.”
“Khodi!” Ares calls from the bar. “Clay is looking for you.”
He glances over his shoulder. “Tell him I’m coming.” He looks back at Leni. “Good to meet you. Think about the ‘getting to know me’ part.”
“I’ll consider it,” she says, and watches him walk away.
The moment he is out of earshot, Noa spins toward her. “Okay, that was something, right?”
Leni simply shrugs.
“What do you mean?” Noa mimics her, shrugging slightly. “That was flirting . . . with Khodi. I suppose he is objectively good-looking. If you’re into pretty boys with massive egos.”
Leni’s mouth hangs open. “Are you blind? He is hot AF—just look at those muscles. And did you smell him? My mouth literally watered. I wanted to eat him.”
Noa scoffs. “Excuse me, I do not need the mental image of my new sister wanting to eat a man I work with. Let’s order dessert, just the usual for you two?” Noa asks, and Cipher and I nod. “And for you, cannibal?”
“Surprise me, no allergies.”
Noa nods and gets up from the table, wandering to the bar to order.
While today didn’t start great, Leni being here has made it better.
I only wish Cave were with us too. I remind myself that I have to be patient and hope to hell he doesn’t do anything to get himself into trouble.
Hopefully, he will be back with us before we know it.