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He was shocked when he saw her start edging the boat toward Sherguevil instead of going back to Clindale.

“Lady, are you fucking crazy? Are you trying to get her killed?”

“Gabriel won’t kill her. I’ll give him the pin.”

“You’re seriously going to put her in danger? You fucking see that fire? Gabriel is the one who set it. There are two dead bodies on the dock.” Desmond could tell he was making no headway with her, so he had tried another tact. “Does Gabriel know she’s his kid?”

She stopped the boat. “Evangeline is not his daughter!”

“Lady, I don’t know shit about genetics, but the kid looks just like him. You try to take her over there, I’ll make fucking sure he knows she is before I let him hand her over to Ivan. There isn’t a man or woman alive who doesn’t know Gabriel’s decision not to have children. He finds out who she is, your affair will be over.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Go back to Clindale and get her off the island.”

“No one leaves either island without Gabriel’s permission, you know that. What am I supposed to do?”

“Lady—”

“My name is Soleil.”

“I know who you are,” he snapped. “Obviously, you don’t have any problem lying to your husband, so spread a few lies to Gabriel. Just do it before he finds out she was the one who was on the island tonight. I would make her disappear from sight if you want to make sure he never finds out whose kid she is. If you don’t protect her, I will make sure he knows.”

“I have money,” she pleaded. “If you’re so certain Ivan will kill her … then help me.”

The rich bitch couldn’t care less about the little girl. She hadn’t even checked on her once since setting her down.

Desmond remembered staring at the little girl, her unconscious face turned in his direction. Still reeling from losing Aanya, the childlike innocence had brought him down to earth. Aanya had loved children. Before she had married Ivan, many had benefited from her taking up their cause. He knew what Aanya would want him to do. It had been as if she was standing over his shoulder, protecting the child.

“Take her home. Do you have a safe place you and your family can go?”

“My mother’s. But if Jasper and I leave, Gabriel will get suspicious.”

Desmond could tell Soleil had no intention of leaving Gabriel.

“The holidays are coming. It’s a perfect excuse to send her to your mother.”

“I can send both my girls. That will make it seem more probable to Gabriel.”

“You have another daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Then send them.”

“I will.” The indecision he heard in her voice didn’t bode well for the kid.

“You want to keep Gabriel in your life, then send her away.” Pointing the flashlight at the little girl, he said, “She’s the fucking image of him. How do you think he’s going to react when he finds out you’ve been lying to him?”

Finally, she received his fucking message.

“I’ll get her out as soon as I can get a flight.”

“Good. I’ll contact you in a few days on what to do next.”

“What do you mean?”

“Give me the pin. I’ll keep it for safekeeping. Gabriel and Ivan won’t stop until they find it.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” she’d asked.

“I could not give a fuck and go on my merry way. I’m trying to help you.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t keep her from drowning just to let Ivan kill her.”

Soleil took off the pin then leaned over the boat to give it to him.

They had drifted far enough away from Sherguevil Island, so Desmond started the motor, turning the wheel to head back to Ivan’s yacht.

“Wait—what is your name?”

His voice clogged when he tried to give the name of the identity he had bought for him and Aanya to start their new life. He knew that life had been a fantasy that had no hope of coming to fruition, but it still hurt like a motherfucker.

“My name is Garrick.”

Twenty-Six

The memories assailed him as he stared off into space. He had put the memories behind him until King had shown up months earlier, asking for help to get two people off Sherguevil Island.

He’d remained composed as King had filled him in about Gavin, who went by the name of Reaper and belonged to The Last Riders, the motorcycle club whose enforcer, Shade, King’s daughter had married.

Despite his friendship with King, Desmond had had every intention of remaining neutral. He had worked silently over the years to bring Gabriel and Ivan Pavlov down.

Unbeknownst to King and Shade, they were giving him the prize. The woman whom King had asked him to help was Soleil’s own daughter, Evangeline, who was married to Gavin, and Gabriel was refusing to let them leave until he found the artifact she had stolen as a child.