Chapter 3 #3
“I’m so glad you changed your mind,” Nicole says a few hours later.
After I had lunch with my mom, where I put on the show of my life so she wouldn’t suspect I was aware of what they were planning, I went back to Nicole’s coffee shop to tell her that I’d decided to go on the trip with them.
I considered going back to Seattle, but Eric could easily find me there, and while I make a little bit of money from the clothes I create for my friends in college, I don’t have anywhere near enough to take off and hide out.
So, until I figure out my next move, my next best option is to get on a yacht to the Bahamas, where Eric and this Santiago guy won’t be able to get to me.
“The wedding is going to be beautiful,” Nicole says, handing me another cup of coffee.
“Wedding?” A woman standing in line perks up. “Is someone getting married?”
Nicole nods. “Brielle Morgan. She and her husband will be renewing their vows the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s sweet,” the woman says. “Brielle is such a nice girl. I love her Pilates studio. But those Antonov boys …” She mock shivers and then leans in so only we can hear her next words. “They’re just so scary.”
Nicole laughs, but it’s awkward and forced. And I’m about to ask why Bri’s brothers are scary when I remember something Eric said earlier on the phone.
“I warned you that the Antonovs wouldn’t be pushed out of this town.”
Because I was sent to boarding school and then went straight to Seattle to go to college, I don’t know much that goes on in this town, but over the years, when I’ve been home for the required holidays and breaks, I’ve heard Eric complaining about the Antonovs being a thorn in his side.
“Why does that woman think the Antonovs are scary?” I ask Nicole once the woman has gotten her coffee and left.
“Because they are.” She shrugs. “I love Bri, and her sisters-in-law—Peyton and Dani—are so sweet. But their family is dangerous,” she says, her voice low so nobody can overhear.
“I didn’t want to say anything earlier in front of Bri, and I’d love for you to come on the trip, but you should know that they’re not … on the up and up.
“It’s not really a secret that they run Harbor Point, and because of that, my father doesn’t get along with them. He claims to want Harbor Point to be free of corruption, and he believes that in order for that to happen, the Antonovs would need to leave.”
“Kind of ironic, coming from the corrupt politician,” I mutter.
“Exactly,” Nicole agrees. “And recently, I found out that my father was involved with some bad people.” She sighs.
“See that man over there?” She nods toward the guy in all black, standing outside of the shop.
“He’s my guard. One of my father’s enemies, who is also an enemy of the Antonovs, tried to come after me a few months ago because my father had promised to help him get the Antonovs out of town, knowing he wasn’t capable of doing so. ”
“Wait,” I breathe out. “You haven’t had a guard on you this entire time?”
Nicole scrunches her nose up in confusion.
“The entire time I’ve been away at college, your dad’s insisted that I always have a guard on me, saying that it’s because of him being the mayor.”
But I’ve heard the rumors, and what I overheard today only confirms that Mayor Eric Vanderbilt is not the religious, upstanding family man he claims to be.
“No.” Nicole shakes her head. “Not until recently.”
A sense of unease washes over me, and I wonder if maybe he’s always known I was a virgin and had that guard on me as a way to make sure I stayed that way. The few times I met a guy I was actually interested in dating, he would cancel, or something would come up. I never thought about it, but now …
I hear about shit like this on crime documentaries, but I didn’t believe any of it was real. Now, I’m starting to second-guess everything I ever thought.
“The whole thing is a mess,” Nicole says.
“And if you aren’t comfortable going on the trip, I’ll understand, but just know that while the Antonovs are the most dangerous family on the East Coast, they’ve also become my friends, and unlike my father, they’re loyal to those they care about.
I don’t believe they’d let anything happen to anyone on the trip, and there will be tons of guards and protection.
That’s why they booked an entire resort wing—so nobody can get close enough to touch their women.
When you’re linked to them, they’ll make sure you’re protected. ”
Her words solidify what I was already planning to do—get on that yacht and let it take me far away from here. And on the plus side, by association, I’ll be protected by the Antonovs from Eric and whoever this Santiago guy is who agreed to accept me as payment for Eric’s debt.
I consider telling Nicole what happened, but right now, I don’t know who I can trust, and while I want to believe I can trust her, once I spill what I heard, there’s no taking it back.
“I want to go,” I tell her. “It sounds like a fun, relaxing trip.”
And it beats the hell out of staying here and being sold to some psycho sex trafficker.