Page 88

It has to be nothing.

The Sacred Light’s compound couldn’t be in the Caribbean. It’s too much of a tourist attraction.

But what a strange coincidence.

“Forgive me for being classist,” I say, “but I didn’t know pastors could afford vacations like that. I’d picture something involving an RV and the Grand Canyon.”

She shoots me a cheeky smile, and it hits me straight in the chest. I’ve made huge progress with her.

But what do I ultimately want? Not her love. I only wanted her to love me back when it was all a game. I haven’t had the need or desire for love since I was a child. But I do want…

Something more from her. I just wish I knew what.

“Is that really how you picture the middle class?” Ava asks.

“I never gave it a single thought until I met you.”

Her growing smile brightens her whole face, and it’s like feeling sunlight on my skin after a long winter. “It’s from movies. That’s what’s hilarious about it. That’s how unfamiliar you are with people like me.” She arches a brow. “Do you feel ridiculous for your ignorance? You should.”

“I feel nothing.”

She laughs. “Oh, Damian.”

The use of my name on her lips is like a benediction.

I clear my throat, wanting to keep this conversation going as long as possible. “So how did your dad afford a vacation like that?”

That cheeky smile returns. “There are huge benefits to being an excellent pastor. Everyone attends church, even rich people. My dad had a friend who…” She bites her lip, her eyes sparkling. “I want you to guess. Guess how rich he is.”

The question is so adorably childlike that I find myself reaching out and stroking her cheek with the back of my fingers. She swallows. “Guess, Damian.”

I spur my horse forward. “He owns a regional trucking company, maybe. A net worth of…let’s say eighty million.”

“Eighty million?” Her voice is incredulous. “No, that’s not what I meant. I don’t know his net worth.” She scoffs. “Whata rich-boy answer. I was going to tell you he owned the whole island.”

My heart stops.

The whole island.

No, this is just a coincidence. That’s all it is.

I glance over my shoulder at her. “You said it was in the Caribbean?” My voice is strained.

“Yes.” She grins. “We even took a boat to Atlantis. Violet and I got to spend the whole day at the water park. Every year.”

The breath I was holding releases in a rush. Atlantis. That settles it. There’s absolutely no way the Sacred Light’s compound would be only a boat ride from one of the most popular island resorts in the world.

Ava is not the little girl from the island.

I’ve heard the mind plays tricks on you when you live in a high-stakes, dangerous environment. Patterns emerge where there are none. You start to believe the universe is speaking to you. That fate is threading an invisible web around your every move.

But she’s just a girl. Unremarkable in any way that should matter.

And yet?—

She feels like something woven into me, like a thread pulled too tightly, binding her to my bones.

Ava