Vain (The Seven Deadly, #1)(69)

“I hope not either,” I told him, smiling. I kissed his cheek in return and turned to Abri.

“Thank you for having me, Abri.”

She waved my comment away as if it were a gnat circling her head and avoided eye contact. I was willing to bet that’s what she equated me with. I wasn’t going to bust my ass to prove anything to her. I’d just let time do that.

Ian placed our bags in the back of Simon’s little sports car. I lingered by them when Ian went back to say goodbye to his parents. He’d hugged his father but not his mother. He opened the passenger door and attempted to get in the small back seat but I stopped him and pushed my way through.

“Not about to make your tall ass shimmy in there. I got this,” I told him but was swung back playfully instead and pushed aside.

“Not about to make your bony ass shimmy in there. I got this,” he teased, squeezing his impossibly large frame in the tiniest little back seat I’d ever seen.

“You are crazy,” I goaded, settling in beside Simon.

We went to lunch with Simon before our flight and Imogen met us there. She was impossibly adorable and we exchanged emails before we’d said goodbye. We’d also solidified that they wanted Ribbon Caye on January twenty-sixth so they could have more time to prepare and give their guests at least a month to make arrangements. I’d called Pemmy, that time at not such a decent hour, oops, and he’d confirmed they could have an entire week there and that my father, surprisingly, didn’t care, probably because of who Simon’s parents were.





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE



Masego was at we’d left it yet completely different to me then, at that moment. Its gates represented something I couldn’t quite put my finger on...

“It’s good to be home,” Ian told Charles, sighing.

...And like a lightbulb, Ian had flipped a switch. Masego felt like home to me. Everyone I had grown to love so dearly resided there. Ian, Mandisa, Karina, Charles, Kate, Mercy, the children, and the rest of the staff. I suddenly knew I would do anything to protect them, anything to keep them safe.

When Pembrook arrived with the construction crew, I knew I’d get him to arrange for protection, for some type of security. That was instantly my number one priority.

When the gates opened, they revealed a smiling Karina and the Baobab tree, as stalwart as always. I remembered once Karina explained that as long as the tree was at Masego that she would always be and that made me warm inside.

We’d arrived too late for the children to greet us but Kate and Mercy had stayed up with Karina to see us home. Once we’d parked, I jumped from the jeep and tackled Karina in the biggest hug.

She giggled out loud. “Stop, you silly girl,” she said, but hung on to me just as tightly.

“I missed you, K,” I said, smacking her cheek with a kiss.

“I missed you, too, Sophie.”

She pulled me from her hold and inspected me over.

“What?” I asked, breathless from laughing.

“You look...I’m not sure,” she said, cocking her head to the side. “You look ecstatically happy.”

“So what if I am?” I teased, bumping my hip with hers.

Her eyes blew bright, reflecting the stars above. “It’s a very good look on you, my love.”

She grabbed me by the waist and we made our way toward Ian, Charles, Kate and Mercy so she could say hi to Ian as well. He grabbed her and spun her around and she squealed.

“What in the world has gotten into you two?” she asked, bewildered.

“Nothing,” we both answered simultaneously.

“If you think this is bad,” Charles said, “you should have seen how they acted when they saw me.”

My cheeks flushed red and I was never more grateful for the night sky.

“Come to the kitchens,” Karina said, smiling and waving us her direction. “I’ve made you a homecoming bread.”

“What kind?” Ian asked, wrapping his large arm around her tiny little shoulders.

“Banana, of course. What other fruit do we get around here?” she laughed.

We entered the small kitchen together and all pitched in, getting plates, cups, etc. for our miniature party. Karina uncovered a pan of nice, thick banana bread and my mouth began to water.

We all sat and began eating in silence.



Homecoming, yes. But also a discussion.



“What are we going to do?” Ian asked Charles.

Charles swallowed. “Honestly?” His face was devoid color. “I don’t know where to start. They’ve never come this far south before. They’ve undoubtedly been scouting us for several months. There’s no mistake about it, it’s a ticking time bomb now.”

Kate burst into tears, getting up and retreating to her rooms. “Kate!” Karina called, standing to chase after her but Kate shook her head and Karina sat back down.

“We need action then,” Ian said, taking charge and making me incredibly proud of him. “We arm ourselves. Get the locals to help us take shifts.” The table got quiet. “What?” he asked, tension rolling off of him in waves..

“We’ve already asked them,” Karina said, her eyes never leaving her bread.

“And they’ve refused?” Ian asked in disbelief.