The Isle Of Sin And Shadows - Keri Lake Page 0,188

I unfold the letter to find two simple words scrawled across it.

Si seulement ...

They blur behind the shield of tears in my eyes. Slapping a shaky hand to my mouth, I look around to see if anyone is watching me right now, my mind in a state of disbelief.

“Tante Brie, what’s wong?”

Smiling, I hold the letter to my chest, one I’m now certain is from Céleste, whom I’ve not heard from in a month. “Nothing is wrong, baby. Everything is going to be just fine.”

51

Céleste

Somewhere in French Polynesia

The sound of the ocean lulls me into a half sleepy daze, as I lay sprawled on the top deck of the boat. One would think a girl could easily get bored after bouncing anchorages for the last few weeks, but this isn’t like rest stops on a highway, or anything. It’s a yacht. With crystal blue water and picture-perfect weather. For just a few bucks a night, the Le Havre Yacht Club offers a mooring ball, in case we need to grab supplies ashore. It also offers free Wi-Fi, so I was able to connect to the offshore account where my father, the one I recognize as my father, anyway, left a large sum of inheritance for me. Turns out, the lawyer in Chicago is an old friend of his. Seemed he’d been waiting quite a while for me to get in touch with him, and when I finally got curious enough, I learned my father made arrangements with him, long before the murder, to leave behind something of an estate. It was enough that I could send some money to Brie, and still have more than enough funds left over to purchase the Charpentier Estate property, in the event I ever decide to go back to Chevalier Isle.

Perhaps I might. Someday.

For now, I’m just enjoying the untethered life of cruising the world on the open sea.

Julio let Thierry walk, in exchange for taking out a few bad men, in addition to the chip, which we conveniently hid in Moses’s favorite sunning spot back on the bayou. Hopefully, the lazy gator didn’t make a snack out of it. But no matter, we made a copy that Thierry sent to Gabriela Lozano, wife of the cop he delivered to Julio, with a note explaining what the chip contained, so she didn’t have to look herself, and that her husband died to protect it. A week later? The news reported a massive investigation into a mysterious cult and trafficking ring.

A light tropical breeze sifts through my hair, while the radiant beams of sunlight pour across my body. The delicious scent of coconut has me blindly reaching for my colada off to the side.

Something cold and wet slithers across my skin, and I gasp, opening my eyes to the handsome face staring down at me. Hair wet with ocean water that drips down on me, Thierry stands over me like a god, his muscular body, bronzed by the sun. Smiling, I reach up for him, and he bends forward to press his lips to mine.

“How was your swim?” I ask against his lips.

“Refreshing. And your nap?”

“Also refreshing.” Dipping my tongue to deepen the kiss, I tilt my head back, as he settles his big body over mine, and the cold drops of water practically sizzle against my hot skin.

Pulling himself away from my lips, he buries his face in my neck, kissing along my jaw. “So, where do we go from here?”

Back in Chevalier, Thierry sold his houseboat and purchased a sleek, state-of-the-art sailing yacht. The interior of the thing is unreal, brimming with modern décor, and has better amenities than we’d find at a five-star hotel …. Now that I’ve actually slept in a five-star hotel, I can attest. Ultimately, it means we have the freedom to go anywhere we want.

“What? Paradise isn’t exciting enough? Are you bored of Bora Bora?”

“It doesn’t matter where I go with you, chère. You don’t give me the chance to be bored.”

With a chuckle, I tilt my head, giving him full access to my throat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means …” Lips latched onto the crook of my collarbone, he applies just enough pressure to send a zap of dizzying pleasure through me. “I’m ready to shower with you.”

“Again? How many showers can a man take in a day?”

“Depends on the woman he showers with.”

Digging my fingers into his scalp, I moan as he sucks and nips at the sensitive flesh along my neck. “I have a