Chapter 3
Vaughn
"Oh, my baby. My beautiful baby. I've missed you so much." Tears flood down my cheeks, spilling all over my precious Mabel, but she doesn't seem to mind, smiling up at me innocently with her mother's emerald-flecked green eyes.
"We're so glad you're safe," Leo says, handing me a tissue.
"Thanks." I take it from him but keep my gaze focused on Mabel. She's the sole reason I'm here and not in Sydney, exacting revenge on the psychopath who killed her mother and tried to finish us off, too.
"We were so worried," Rove adds, sitting next to Leo on the sofa in the living room quarters of their boat.
Leo and Rove are honorable men who have been nothing but good to me since I showed up at the marina a little over three months ago in search of a job, accommodation, and a safe, new life for me and Mabel.
I haven't told them a lot, just enough to satisfy their natural curiosity, as well as a contingency plan should the worst happen.
The worst did just happen, but I survived.
Barely.
Leaving Mabel with a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere was the single hardest decision I've ever made in my life. But it was the right one. The one that had higher odds of her surviving and making it to her first birthday.
I ran for hours after that, heading further west into the hinterland, where the rows of sugar cane dissolve into a wild expanse of rainforest. I hitchhiked to a remote mountain town where I based myself until this blew over, until I received confirmation Davi and his men had left the area and retreated back down south.
I answer all of Leo and Rove's questions as best I can without divulging anything that could jeopardize their safety, so it's mainly retreading over familiar territory.
Yes, it was the Brick Syndicate.
No, they didn't hurt me.
I stayed at the backup cabin.
What will I do next?…
That one stumps me.
I want to stay here. In spite of what just happened, I still believe this is the safest place for Mabel to grow up. We got sighted by Davi's men because I made a reckless mistake, one I never intend on repeating. We left the safety of this sanctuary.
Privacy is of paramount importance to both Leo and Rove, not to mention the somewhat odd and reclusive liveaboards who have made this hidden gem tucked between the sea and the rainforest their home.
Despite being surrounded by super touristy coastal towns, this stretch is relatively quiet due to it being a far distance off the main highway.
The marina is monitored by CCTV cameras throughout the property so it's as safe as I can hope for.
"The man," I say, cutting Rove off mid-question. "The man who brought Mabel here. Who was he?"
"You lucked out, man," Leo says, his American drawl sharpening the edges of his words. "Did you happen to see the massive superyacht parked at the end of the pier?"
"No," I answer.
I didn't pay attention to anything. The sunset. The colors in the sky. The boats bobbing in the water. All I cared about was getting back to Mabel.
"Well, that's his superyacht," Rove supplies.
"He's still here?"
"He is," Leo says. "His family and I have business history. They fucked me over back in Florida…" He inhales through his nose, like the memory still pains him. "But all in all, he's a decent guy."
"Why is he still here?"
"Well, Australis Property Group has an office in Cairns—"
"That's not the only reason he's here," Rove interjects.
Leo rolls his eyes. "Now is not the time to be getting into the private details of Clayton's love life."
Clayton.
I've had a lot of time on my hands, waiting for this to blow over. I hated myself for not remembering more about the stranger I entrusted Mabel to, but I was running so high on adrenaline, all I cared about in that moment was ensuring her safety.
All I've had to go on these past twenty-seven days was a blurry image of a good-looking man, maybe in his mid-thirties, with windblown dark-blond hair, and brown eyes.
Warm, friendly, trustworthy brown eyes.
That's what I kept telling myself, anyway, praying I didn't hand over the most important person in my life to a sick pervert. Mabel is all I have left of Evie.
"I want to meet him," I say, tearing my gaze from her.
"He leaves for work around seven," Rove informs me with a wry smile. "Walks right by the front office where I believe you'll be on your morning shift. You'll be able to meet him then."
"Bold of you to assume I still want to work for you."
Rove smiles. "Cute of you to think we can't see how much you love working here."
I smile back. Mabel. These guys. This place. In the span of a few short months, I feel more at home here than I ever have in my life.
And tomorrow? Tomorrow I'm going to meet the man who saved Mabel's life.