Breaking Even by Lily Bishop Read Free Book Online

can’t.”
    “Maybe. Just know this. If you betray him,
I will kill you myself.”
    Vaughn sat there, waiting when Javier
stood up to leave. “I finally figured it out. You look just like the man who
had me arrested in Calliope.”
    “Xavier is my twin brother.”
    “Now that sounds like a story. Cousin
versus cousin. Brother versus brother.”
    “You would be wise to not ask Miguel about
Ricardo. You may find the blade of his sword in your throat. Consider yourself
warned.”
    Vaughn nodded. “As soon as I can get back
to Miami, I’m gone.”
    “Believe me, I’d like nothing more. The
more you ask to leave, the longer Miguel will wait. Help the fishermen, offer
to help on the construction downstairs. If he thinks you like it here, he will
send you back sooner. That’s the kind of man he is.”
    Giada came back to clear the table, and
Javi followed her out, leaving Vaughn alone on the terrace. He sat and listened
to the waves until the sun went down before he finally went inside.

  CHAPTER
FOUR
Long Voyage
     
    Lindsey woke to
sunlight streaming through the window. She wanted to roll over and go back to
sleep, but she had too much to do.
    She picked up her phone from beside the
bed and saw two texts and a missed call from Ric. You must have already gone to
bed followed by Miss you. Call me when you get on the road tomorrow.
    She had stayed up late packing—what time
had he sent the text? She looked again. After two. She sighed, wondering what
else she could do to reassure him that she was not making a move on Ben. Ric
had sounded hurt when she told him about her roommate, almost as if he were mad
at her.
    The house around her didn't make a sound.
Laura must have already left for her early flight to Las Vegas for the job
interview. The truth finally hit home that she was on her own. She had wanted
Laura to recognize her independence, but it still hurt. She rambled around the
rooms crowded with her boxes, restless. She felt empty.
    She took a quick shower, got dressed, and
packed her toiletries. She looked around at the stacks of boxes, focusing on
the beginning of a new chapter, not the end of the last.
    Although Laura had irritated her some this
summer, Lindsey would miss her. Since their mother had died four years ago of
breast cancer, Laura had often acted more like a second mother. Since Lindsey
was getting her own apartment, this would be her last summer with Laura. It was
becoming more difficult to ride out Laura's motherly impulses.
    Once Lindsey moved, Laura would quit
asking about what had happened in Calliope. Technically, nothing had happened,
yet everything had changed.
    Laura had ranted the whole plane ride back
from Calliope about “that horrid man firing stun guns.” Lindsey's attempts to
defend Ric’s actions only made Laura angrier. Lindsey had leaned back and
closed her eyes, refusing to argue about it. She didn’t want to fight that
battle until she had to. Since she and Ric were taking things slow, it might
not matter. She didn’t need to upset Laura by flaunting a relationship. At
least not yet.
    In contrast, just mentioning a roommate
named Ben had triggered more questions. Lindsey explained several times that
they weren't dating, but her didn't sister believed her.
    She and Ben might have dated in a
different time. They met in a philosophy class her junior year and became quick
friends. He had started hanging out with her other friends from the dorm and
joined their close little circle. His sister, Kayla, came out with them some,
but she was in a sorority and that took up a great deal of her time.
    Lindsey made friends with boys more
readily than girls because they treated her as one of them. Girls thought she
was a creature from another planet. Meanwhile, most boys didn’t want to date
her; they just wanted her to do their homework. Unfortunately, suspicious
girlfriends didn’t buy it.
    She had hoped Ben would be different.
After all, he didn’t need her help to get good grades. One