"Yes?"
"Get your ass in here."
The gates slowly swung open, and I pulled forward, following the path to the house. It was hard to see in the dark, but the grounds were beautifully landscaped with an array of flowers in bloom. A big white mansion sat at the end of the drive, windows glowing with soft lights and potted plants lining either side of the staircase that led to the front door. I wondered why Carina had chosen the cramped little studio apartment above a greasy restaurant when she could live at a place like that. Worlds away from the home where I'd grown up. The modest house in a working-class neighborhood in Charleston wasn't anywhere near as fancy as Silverwood. It had been a bitch to heat in the winter even when the electricity had been turned on, and nearly impossible when it had been turned off. Our only saving grace was the fireplace in the living room.
I couldn't imagine what it would take to heat the colossal castle in front of me manually. Then like a punch in the gut, I realized just how low class I'd been compared to Carina. There was no way she'd ever gone without anything. Suddenly I started seeing everything
from a different perspective. Why would she want to be with me? I made enough to be comfortable, but I couldn't offer the kind of luxury she'd been accustomed to living. It was the first time I'd ever felt inadequate, and not just as a person. I'd grown up dirt poor and dealing with the shitty hands I'd been dealt. People had looked down their nose at our family. A drunk for a father. A mother looking for handouts. I was called trash and considered a criminal long before that had been true, but I still managed to come out on top. It was an entirely different thing for a man to feel inadequate when it came to his woman. She said she wanted me to go away; maybe it wasn't for the reasons I initially thought.
I'd been seconds away from turning around and getting the hell out of there when the front door of the house opened. Jamie walked down the stairs, and I got out of the car.
"This is a surprise." Jamie reached out, and we did a mutual hand grab then back pat before releasing. "What brings you out here?" He stepped back, widened his stance, then crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm looking for Carina." I decided to be honest. Jamie's eyes went wide, clearly taken aback by my admission.
"My sister? Why?"
I briefly told him about the night I'd found her in the rain, how upset she'd been.
"It's been a few days since I've seen her. When I saw the SUV, I followed. All I want to do is make sure she's okay and not stranded somewhere on the side of the road."
Jamie stared at me for a few seconds as if he were trying to decide what to say next.
"She's not here." When I opened my mouth to ask the next obvious question, Jamie cut me off, "No, she's not wandering around the island in the dark. That was her choice, by the way. My sister and mother have a very...combative relationship. She wasn't forced to do anything. Carina got pissed off and demanded to get out. I went back out to look for her but couldn't find her. I guess I know where she went." His mouth twisted into a smirk as his gaze shifted to the ground.
"Where is she then?"
Jamie lifted his head but didn't speak. The look he gave me made it clear he wasn't going to tell me.
"Is she coming back?" I asked quietly, my voice no longer sounding like my own. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer after the way things went down between us the night in the parking lot.
"She'll be back. That's the plan." He uncrossed his arms and started to turn away. I tilted my head and furrowed my brow, confused by his answer.
"The plan?" I repeated, and Jamie nodded, so I probed a little further. "What does that mean?"
"I can't get into it." The entire conversation was very unhelpful, and I hadn't learned a thing that would get me closer to finding Carina. As if Jamie had decided to take pity on me, he said, "Shit. Here, put this in your phone."
I realized he was giving me a phone number. It was Carina's phone number. I punched in the digits and hit save.
"Thanks, man."
Jamie nodded and climbed the stairs to the house.
"You know," he said, his back to me as he climbed, "the only reason I gave you that is because she asked me about you." There was a jolt in my chest, and I resisted the urge to smile.
"She did?" I didn't know why my insides felt all weird and warm, but I liked hearing that she'd mentioned me. "What did you say?"
"The same thing I'm going to tell you." He turned around at the top of the stairs. "Just be careful."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Carina
Carmen walked up, put an arm around my shoulder, and gave me a quick squeeze before handing me a towel. Carmen had been with us for years. She'd been hired on as our housekeeper and companion for me. Having her there to take care of Bash was the only reason I could endure being away from him. There wasn't anyone I trusted more with my child. She cared for him and loved him as if he were her own.
"Thank you," I said, returning her squeeze, then wrapped Bash in the towel and lifted him in my arms. He shivered as I cradled him close.
"Let's get you inside, Bash." Together the three of us went inside the house.