Episode 111
EPISODE 111
PRISON OF THE MIND
River
Emily’s porcelain cheeks are flushed a creamy pink, and her lips are swollen and red as a strawberry. I desperately want to kiss her again, but I wait for her response.
Does she still want that date with Alex?
Wouldn’t she rather hit the sheets with me?
“You going to answer me?” I demand.
Her full lips tremble. “What was the question?”
I lean toward her ear, ready to whisper, and I inhale her fresh fragrance. I close my eyes, my cock at the ready when?—
“Riv, there you are.” Sebastian walks toward us.
I move away from Emily.
Sebastian smirks. “Have I interrupted something?”
“What do you want, Seb?”
“I need to talk to you”—he glances at Emily—“and sorry, English rose, but it’s a private matter.”
“Not an issue.” She turns and heads up the stairwell.
I watch her fine ass until Sebastian grabs my arm. “Riv, I’m serious. You’re going to want to sit down.”
My heart takes a slam dunk into my gut. “What the fuck, Seb?”
“Let’s go up to my suite. Or yours. It doesn’t matter.”
“Whatever you have to tell me you can tell me right here.”
His hand is still on my arm, which is in itself unusual. Seb and I are close friends, but we’re not touchy types. “Riv, please.”
Something in his voice makes me agree. “My room, then.” I tromp up the stairs to the second floor and swipe my keycard to enter my suite. I walk across the living area to the bar and pour myself a bourbon. I steered clear of most of the wine at dinner, but I get the feeling that whatever Seb has to say to me will go down a little easier with a drink. “You want one?” I ask.
“Yeah. Sure.”
I pour two fingers into two old-fashioned glasses and hand one to Sebastian. He takes a seat in a chair and points to the couch.
I sit. Whatever’s coming, I won’t like it. He made that clear.
“Riv,” he begins, “something’s been eating at you all day.”
“This whole thing is. There are things I haven’t told you yet. I’ve talked to Evangeline about Misty, and?—”
He raises a hand to stop me. “I need to hear all that. I want to hear all that, but first, this can’t wait any longer.” He takes a long drink of his bourbon.
I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. Then he clears his throat.
“Have you heard from your mother today?”
My neck goes cold. “No. Why?”
“Shelley called earlier. Before you get your balls in a bunch, everyone’s okay. Your mom and dad are fine.”
The muscles in my arm tense, and I white-knuckle the glass of bourbon. “What the hell are you saying?”
Sebastian takes in a deep breath. “There was a break-in at your parents’ place. Your mom and the home health worker were out, but your dad was home.”
I rise, taking a long drink of the whiskey. It scorches my throat. I take another.
“Sit, Riv. Everyone’s okay.”
“I’m out of here.” I shoot the rest of the bourbon. “I knew I should have left this morning with Sienna. I let Brett and Evangeline talk me into staying.”
“Yeah, there’s got to be a story there,” he says.
“It’s not important. I should have gotten the hell out of here.”
“We’ve had this discussion. All four of us need to be here, River. You know that as well as I do. Now, would you sit your ass down and let me finish? Please?”
I shake my head. What the hell? I plunk my ass back down. “Give it all to me. Every bit, Seb.”
“Your mom and Jaelynn were out picking up some medical supplies for your dad, and?—”
“Why did they both go?” I demand. “That’s the whole reason we have Jaelynn—to take care of Dad when Mom can’t be there.”
“We haven’t figured out why that is yet,” he says. “Alex and I?—”
“Alex fucking knew? And you haven’t told me?”
“I wanted to, but you weren’t around, and then Evie started this whole cooking thing. I thought it was best to let the event go off without a hitch. We’ve had enough upheaval the past two days.”
While I appreciate his logic, I’m still pissed as hell. “Why didn’t my mother call me?”
“I wish I knew. Shelley said I needed to tell you, and that’s what I’m doing.”
I rake my fingers through my hair and then rub the top of my scalp. “I don’t understand. Why would anyone break in? My dad can’t defend himself.” I massage the throbbing in my temple. “Why did both of them leave?”
“Those are all questions we need to get answers to,” Seb says. “As far as your mom could tell, nothing was taken, so no one knows why the intruders were there. Except…”
“Except what, for God’s sake?”
“Your old room was trashed, Riv.”
I cock my head. “What? Why?”
“I don’t know, but Shelley and the cops say that whoever did this was definitely looking for something.”
“But why my old room? Why not try to get into my home, if they’re looking for?—”
I stop abruptly as an image spears into my mind.
An image of a day twenty years ago.
An image of an item…
Fuck.
“What is it, Riv?”
“I’m not sure. Damn.” I rise again, pace around the living area, stop to look out the window at the glorious scenery.
I’m in fucking paradise.
But I may as well be in prison.
In a way, I’ve been in prison for the last twenty years. We all have. Prisons in our own minds.
We may have everything money can buy, but our billions haven’t been able to purchase peace of mind.
“River, come on,” Sebastian says. “Sit down. Or we can go to my suite. Use my satellite phone. You can call your mom and hear her voice.”
“That’s not enough,” I say.
“It has to be. For now, at least.”
“Have you talked to her?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “But Shelley has. They’re both fine.”
I simply nod. I’ll talk to my mother, hear from her that she’s okay. That will help a little.
But only a little.
Because while I have no idea who broke in and ransacked my old room, I have a pretty good idea of what they were looking for. Something they knew I wouldn’t keep at my own place.
And they didn’t find it.
They didn’t find it because it’s here on the island with me.