Jinx's Fantasy - Pepper Winters Page 0,36

my husband’s arm. “I can say it absolutely has.”

“I’m glad.” Bowing his head, Sully strode from the building, followed by Sophie, leaving me alone with my blushing parents. Seemed his excuse about security with Radcliffe was a highly convenient excuse to run from this uncomfortable situation.

“So...” I shrugged.

“So...” My dad swallowed.

I cracked a smile, rolling my eyes at the absurdity.

My parents.

Getting it on thanks to a VR sex tool that Sully once rented to nasty men and unwilling goddesses.

If only they knew.

“Come.” I held out my arm toward the sunshine spilling inside. “I think we need a drink, don’t you?”

My mother let out a nervous laugh, and my dad strode forward to gather me in a hug. “I missed you, Ellie Pie.”

“Missed you too.”

Slowly, my mother joined in, hugging me and Dad softly, healing our family that’d been broken for so long.

Turned out, Rapture not only had the power to fix marriages but also relationships between children and their parents.

Chapter Fifteen

“SEE THERE?” RADCLIFFE TAPPED at the security monitor, following the shadowy outline of a ship that looked like a container tanker and a mid-century warship had a love child. “That isn’t authorised to sail around these islands.”

“Authorised?” I scowled. “I don’t think the French Polynesian government has embargos on boats, Radcliffe.”

“They do on this one.” He strode to the printer in the corner, wiping away sweat on his brow from sitting for hours in a tiny security office where the air-con struggled to keep cool in the height of the day. Pulling a sheet of paper from the tray, he handed it to me. “See for yourself.”

A text heavy decree with an official government seal stated that the Paradigm Purge, captained by a man only known as Rayvn was hereby banished from entering the Pacific Ocean around Tahiti and its neighbouring islands.

“Is he a trader?” I passed the document back to Radcliffe, waiting for the trusted mercenary to fill me in on why he’d called me down to discuss an imminent security issue.

“No. He’s a pirate.”

I rolled my eyes. “If he’s a thief, then he’s of no concern to us. All our bookings are done online, we don’t keep large sums of cash on Rapture, and being all-inclusive means guests don’t have to bring big holiday funds. There’s nothing to steal, apart from a few pieces of jewellery and unwanted wedding rings, I suppose.”

“He doesn’t just steal cash, sir.” Radcliffe brought up another webpage, this one full of sightings and warnings of Paradigm Purge.

I skimmed some of the headlines.

Two women missing from Koh Samui after black ship spotted off shore. As yet unfound.

One woman missing on her honeymoon, snatched from a beach in Penang by pirates.

One teenage girl taken under her father’s nose while family stayed in Phuket, Thailand. Authorities are seeking information on unpermitted vessel in harbour.

I scowled. “Unfortunate but not uncommon. Women go missing all the time.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m the cause of some of those disappearances.”

“I know, but women went missing each time Paradigm Purge was found in their bays. It’s not just a coincidence, Sinclair. And the fact that the boat has been seen sniffing off our coast means I highly suggest you double the security guards on shore.”

“You think this Rayvn bastard would steal a wife while she’s working on her marriage?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? But if we make it easy for them, then the temptation might be too hard to ignore. If we make it hard, we keep our guests safe.”

“Fine.” I nodded. “Double it. And have someone install the reef tripwires that we have around Goddess Isles, so they know if a boat arrives unwelcome, regardless of night or day.”

“Consider it done.”

I glanced again at the hulking monster of a ship. Black and sinister with rust on some areas and the tell-tale sign of machine guns hidden beneath coverings, a chill ran down my spine. If that bastard ever appeared in my Java Sea, he’d be picking up shrapnel and body parts for months after I blew his Paradigm Purge to fucking pieces.

I’d learned that viciousness was needed to protect those I loved. Drake had tried to teach me that lesson all my life, but I’d been slow to learn it. Now, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill and then ask questions later. Especially if Eleanor’s safety was on the line.

Speaking of Jinx.

I suddenly had an undeniable urge to see her.

We’d been on this island long enough. Things were working well, and in my experience, if you had a