Page 39 of Wayward (Wrecked #4)

Eye of the Storm

Haley

E mily’s full-on ugly crying.

“We’re okay. I’m so relieved you are too. And your dad looks great.” It’s my stew voice. I wish I meant it. Rocky looks like he’s aged a decade in the last year.

“You do too. I like your hair short.”

“Uh, thanks. Your brother cut it rather quickly.” There’s a click, and the memory of Easton cutting off my ponytail flashes in my head.

“I’ve been meaning to even it out.” The right side is longer than the left.

But honestly, I hadn’t really noticed until we touched down in London.

I’ve been missing fiddling with my ponytail.

Something I’ve always done when I’m deep in thought.

Though, over the last year I think I’ve hardly done it at all.

When Calvin and Easton were missing, and a few other times.

But not much at all. “I think I might keep it short.” It’s just below my chin.

Easton did the best he could to protect me from the pirates.

There’s a shift in energy in the room, and everyone goes silent.

“What’s happening?” Emily asks. I’d dropped the phone to my side, forgetting I was even on with her.

Easton takes the phone from me. “Em, can I call you back? I’ll tell you everything later.”

“Sure, I love you. I can’t wait to hug you and then smack you for not telling me you were okay the second you got back.”

“Love you, too, Em.”

“Wait,” Em screams out of the phone.

“What?” Easton cocks his head to the side.

It’s adorable. I can’t wait for the two of them to see each other again.

Because I have every confidence that she will give him a kiss and hug and then smack him.

I feel horrible that she’s been so worried.

And it comes at me that Rocky said he’s been talking to my dad every week? That’s . . . that’s crazy.

“Dad, don’t let him out of your sight,” Emily says.

“I won’t,” Rocky says. “Promise.”

“I’m counting on that.”

“Bye, Em.”

“Bye, Jerk Face,” she says, half crying and laughing. Easton sets the phone down, and I sit in an empty chair on the side of the sofa. Five sets of eyes glare at me. But I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. I can’t let Rocky see how much I love my guys.

Dante stands and grabs my hand, and he pulls me over to the sofa and squeezes me in the six inches between him and Easton.

Rocky’s brows furrow, and my pulse races.

I stared at the ceiling of the treehouse more than one night with Calvin’s arm pinning me to the mattress while I was nestled into one of the other guys.

He sleeps so poorly I never want to wake him up.

So I’d lay there thinking of what it would be like to be back home.

What I would eat—not that I obsessed about it, but I’d let my thoughts wander, and it would always come to a moment like this.

Looking at the parent or relative of one of the guys as it slowly sinks in what we are to each other.

How our relationship is more than friends.

My stomach flips, but I’m strong enough to do this. I’m strong enough to love them and push away what other people think. In Dante’s words, fuck them. I straighten my shoulders with as much space as I have. Because I’m comfortable here.

“There’s room over there,” Rocky says, pointing at the love seat on the other side of the room.

“She’s good here. Aren’t you, Haley?” Easton takes my hand and intertwines our fingers and rests them on his lap.

Rocky’s eyes trail from our joined hands to where Dante has a hand on my knee. He turns to Mike the PR person, who visibly swallows and nods at Rocky—like they’re telepathically linked in dealing with business issues.

“We have a lot to talk about, Dad. Some of it is going to be difficult for you to accept, but it’s my life. But the first?—”

“Why don’t you tell me what it is before you make me judge and jury? I doubt I’m going to care. You’re alive, and that’s all that matters. But you’ve got that look on your face. You want to ask me something?”

“You didn’t answer my question about the Zambranos.” His voice doesn't waver.

But me? I’m Jello inside. The PR guy is typing on his phone faster than a teenager with good gossip, and he keeps glancing at me.

This place is putting me on edge. I’ve been to plenty of nice hotels before.

A few of the yachts I’ve stewed on make a five-star hotel look like a roadside motel.

But I’m climbing out of my skin. I don’t belong here.

Only Dante’s hand on my leg and Easton’s interlocked fingers keep me from bolting.

“Sassy,” Dante whispers in my ear, and I’m pulled back from my racing thoughts.

I close my eyes. I can do this. I want to do this. I’m not that same little girl who was scared when her parents fought. I haven’t been her in a darn long time.

Dante squeezes my leg. I’d like to say that my insecurities vanish with a wave of a magic wand. But they’re in there. I know they’re going to come out again. I stare over at Rocky and at Sam, Zane, and Calvin.

Rocky’s staring at Easton. His chest rises and falls. His lips stretch into a thin line, and I’m not sure he’s going to admit to it. After a long while, he stands. “It’s complicated. It’s complicated in the most horrible kind of way. And . . . what are you saying? Where have you been?”

“Right, we’re going to need more than that,” Sam says, standing too. “I don’t have any right to know what’s going on in your business. But your dealings with the Zambrano family put my crew and the vessel I was in command of in peril.”

“How—”

“What happened with the Rock Candy wasn’t an accident. A deckhand, Trent Mitchell, sabotaged the boat. He was blackmailed into doing it. We believe the Zambrano family took Mitch’s cousin.”

Rocky walks the length of the room and back. “No. I . . . How did you find out? And how did Sam end up with the rest of you?”

“The Rock Candy drifted on the same current as their raft. I arrived on another part of the island weeks after they did.”

“So you fixed the ship and?—”

“No, Dad. It’s not as simple as that. Pirates stole the Rock Candy when we had her tied up. They came back to kill us months later. That’s when it takes a twist. We fought back, and Thayer Zambrano came in on his yacht.”

“And he brought you back?”

“Sort of. He went back on his father’s orders to kill us. Instead, he held us captive,” Zane says.

PR Mike sinks to the empty sofa. His eyes are even wider than Rocky’s.

“Why . . . why would he want to kill us? He’s been using . . .” Rocky glances at where we came in. “Is she over there?” he asks Mike.

“Ms. Blanche?” Mike asks, and Rocky nods. “I believe so.”

“Susan kept her maiden name,” Easton says to us. “And why the hell is she here?”

“She never left the company. You know she has too big of a stake in Rockwell-Harding.” Rocky wrings his hands in front of him.

“Honestly Dad, is she the one who brought the Zambranos into the fray?”

“Yes. It took me a while to figure it out. It’s why I divorced her. But I didn’t have complete proof. And then when you were missing, she was so . . . fucking helpful. Damn it. She was helpful because she knew where you were the whole time?”

“I don’t think the whole time. But for the last four months? Most likely.”

“She convinced me that it was Roger Harding who had gotten the laundering going. Right before we left for the trip. I thought about selling my shares, but I couldn’t get a lockdown on the right price for the total company.

I thought I could walk away and get rid of the whole mess.

Instead, they decided to get rid of me.”

“I don’t think they were trying to get rid of you, Rocky, but Easton.”

“I never changed my will. Half of Rockwell Tire would have gone straight to her.”

There’s a red tinge to Rocky’s face. Dante, Easton, and I lean forward because I’m worried he’s going to have a heart attack.

Rocky sinks down next to Mike. “We need to get her on tape. You’ve got twenty minutes to figure out how to keep this from sinking both companies and landing both me and Harding in jail.

We need a film crew and a reporter who has enough clout to make this go big.

I want Susan and the Zambrano family to go down in flames.

Jail’s too good for them, but I won’t settle for less. ”

Easton’s leaning forward, and I can tell he wants to bring up his mother’s death. I squeeze his hand. He squeezes my hand in return and leans back on the sofa. “There’s more, Dad, but let’s start with this for now. Mike’s going to need more than twenty minutes.”

Mike laughs. “I’ve been with Rocky long enough to know what twenty minutes means. Do it fast and right. No worries. I have a team back in the States working on things already. This is going to sound insensitive?—”

“Then don’t fucking say it,” Easton growls.

“What?” Sam asks, at the same time.

“I’m sure it’s not needed, as I can tell you all have a tight bond. But as crew for Rocky’s ship, you are still beholden to the NDA you signed last year.”

“Shut it.” Easton lets go of my hand and stands, thundering across the room in two steps. But I’m right behind him as he’s inches away from Mike’s face.

“Easton?” I put my hand on his arm. “Your family is our family now.” I turn to the rest of the guys, and they nod. “We wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, Rocky, or Emily.”

“Now, about Susan...” Calvin stands. “Are you sure she’s still around? If she gets wind on social media that we’re back . . .”

“I’ve got a security guard at her door, and her assistant messaged me that Susan is taking a nap after this morning’s meetings,” Mike says. “I’m stepping out. I’ll be back when I have the exact time of the interview.” He stops at Calvin. “Forty-five long?”

“Forty-five along what?” Calvin cocks his head to the side.

“Your suit coat size, Calvin,” I say.

“I’m not wearing a suit coat. There’s a reason why I became a ship engineer.”

“For the camera crew?” I ask. And it’s the first time I take the six of us in with the perspective of someone who hasn’t lived on a beach with almost nothing for the last year. We’ve got a feral edge. Or maybe that’s just me with my chopped hair.

“Nothing says a unified front more than a uniform,” Sam says.

Mike snaps around, eyes suddenly alight. “I can do that.”

“I’d like one too,” Easton adds.

Rocky puts his hand on Easton’s shoulder. “I’m going to need you to explain what the hell is going on with the lot of you, Easton. And I’ll leave my judge’s robe in the closet.”