SEAL’s Love by Leslie North
8
Colin wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Harper and his mom going inside the Wellness Center without him. On that point, Harper had been right. But thankfully, they’d been able to find another way. The Wellness Center had been quite accommodating when Harper had called and said that she wanted a consultation to take place at the resort. The center’s receptionist had booked Harper for an afternoon appointment, so now all they had to do was wait and see if it would be Harper’s sister who arrived. They had no way of knowing how many female faith healers Sebastian had on staff, but Harper had described the exact practices she was interested, sticking as closely as possible to what she knew her sister offered, so they were both cautiously optimistic that Serenity would be the one who’d come to the meeting.
But even that carried its own questions. What sort of condition would Serenity be in? Would she show signs of injury or mistreatment? Had she been brainwashed by Sebastian, as so many of the center’s ardent followers seemed to be? There was nothing to be done but to wait and see.
Just in case Sebastian had brainwashed Serenity, Colin had decided that he and Harper shouldn’t sit together. If Serenity reported back to him that her sister was worried about her, better for Sebastian not to know that Harper wasn’t acting alone. That said, though, he was keeping a close eye on the table where she was seated—and an ear on it, as well. She’d called his phone, then placed her own face down on her table, so he could listen in to their conversation and step in if it all went to hell. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. He really didn’t want to make a scene in the place if he didn’t have to, and he hated the thought that Harper might end up in harm’s way.
It wasn’t long before Serenity arrived. She walked in, wearing a long pastel printed maxi dress and white sandals. She was a bit taller than Harper and a bit curvier too, but there was no mistaking that they were sisters. The minute she saw Harper sitting there, it was like a light switched on inside Serenity, and she ran over for a hug.
“What are you doing here?” Serenity asked when they finally pulled away from each other. The sisters took seats on opposite sides of the small table. Colin heard the sniffle in her voice. “When I saw the name ‘Harper’ on my appointment list, I immediately thought of you—but it said Harper Parks, not Harper Bell.” She gave her sister a playful smile. “Is there something you need to tell me about? You didn’t elope, did you?”
The name thing had been Colin’s idea. Harper using her real name seemed like it would be too big of a giveaway, spoiling all the work they’d done to stay under the radar and keep Sebastian from realizing Serenity’s family was looking for her.
And if he happened to like the way “Harper Parks” sounded, that was no one’s business but his own.
When Harper spoke, it was too muffled for him to hear, dammit. And so was Serenity’s reply, when she whispered something back to her sister. He shifted in his seat, wondering if he should move closer to make it easier to hear. Across the room, Harper’s eyes locked on his and she waved at him, beckoning him over. What the hell? This was not what they’d agreed on. She was supposed to play it cool until they had a chance to suss out what Serenity’s situation was with Sebastian. Colin wasn’t supposed to be mentioned at all until they were sure Serenity hadn’t been brainwashed or manipulated. And he definitely wasn’t supposed to come over when anyone could be watching them. But there was nothing for it now—if he ignored Harper’s gestures, he’d just make a bigger scene and draw more attention.
Scowling, he made his way to their table slowly, all his SEAL instincts on high alert. Why the hell would she blow his cover like this for no good reason?
“Colin,” Harper said, grinning up at him. “I want you to meet my sister Serenity. Serenity, this is Colin Parks, the ex-SEAL turned PI who’s been helping me find you. Obviously, he’s done an excellent job so far, since you’re here now.”
Still off-kilter, Colin forced a smile he didn’t feel and shook hands with Serenity, then sank into the seat beside Harper, wondering what the actual fuck was going on. He didn’t like spur-of-the-moment changes, even though that seemed to be Harper’s specialty. He planned ahead, kept it all clear, effective, efficient. Sitting here in the open discussing what could well be a hostage-kidnapping-cult type situation was not what he would call clear, effective, or efficient at all.
“Tell him what you were starting to tell me, sis,” Harper said.
Serenity nodded, then glanced back at the lobby entrance and the bar before starting. “Sorry. I can’t stay long. Sebastian sent his driver with me. The guy is in the bar right now watching the game, but he could come out at any second. I’ve got twenty minutes max—that’s how long the consultation is supposed to run.” She swallowed hard and lowered her voice. “Anyway, I wanted you both to know I haven’t been brainwashed or anything like that by Sebastian. I actually went to the clinic on my own because I’m trying to take him and his organization down from the inside. I was hired to do a series of personal sessions for a woman who was staying here at the resort but who was also getting ‘treatment’ at the Wellness Center. She told me about Sebastian Bone, and the more I looked into what he was up to, the less I liked it. At first, I figured he was just another slimy fake faith healer taking advantage of sick people’s ignorance about what faith healing is really all about. But I thought if I could convince him that I was interested in what he was doing and wanted to join him, I could record evidence of him lying to his clients, then turn him in. But once I got inside the place, I realized the scam was much more sophisticated and cult-like than I was prepared for.”
She took a deep breath. “Do you know they take everyone’s cell phones the minute they step inside the compound? Which meant that I had no way of recording Sebastian lying like I’d planned to do. And then, once I was in there, I couldn’t find a good way to leave again without arousing Sebastian’s suspicion, so I was trapped.” She shook her head. “I think the best plan to catch him now is to look at his client files and his financial records for proof of insurance fraud. But I need time to do that.” Serenity checked her watch. “Damn. I need to get back. Otherwise Sebastian will wonder where I am and what I’m up to.” She stood and smoothed a hand down the front of her flowy dress as Harper and Colin got to their feet as well. “I’ve already told you I won’t have a phone inside, but now that I know Harper is here on the island and staying with your family, Colin, I’ll figure out a way to contact you guys if anything goes wrong. And I’ll try to check in as often as I can.” Quickly, they ran through the avenues they’d used to keep in touch—ways that Serenity could reach them if she needed to, and clues they’d be sure to include in messages to prove that they were legit.
Harper hurried around the table to hug her sister again. “Let’s plan to meet up here again. Say two days from now around the same time? Two p.m.? I’ll make another appointment.”
“Sounds good.” Serenity gave them a little wave, then headed across the lobby for the bar.
On the drive home, Harper was quieter than usual, and Colin knew it was because she was worried.
“Hey,” he said, reaching over to take her hand. “This is all good news. You’ve seen Serenity—she’s not lost or hurt. Plus, she hasn’t been brainwashed, and she’s actively working to bring this guy down. Sounds like she knows what she’s doing.”
“But does she though? I’m not so sure,” she said, staring out the passenger side window at the scenery beyond. “What if Sebastian Bone finds out what she’s really doing there and that she’s trying to catch him? Serenity isn’t trained to defend herself like you are. She’s not a spy or some kind of special forces operative. She’s my sister. She reads tarot cards and makes candles and practices hot yoga. Hardly prime espionage material.”
Colin exhaled slowly, then turned onto the drive leading to their house. “Well, the fact that she’s stayed undercover and off Bone’s radar for this long is a good sign. And now that we’re here, your sister has backup and a way to contact us if things go south and she needs us. Both of those are good things.”
“I guess so.” A beat or two passed in silence, then Harper said, “Look, I understand if you don’t want to continue with this investigation anymore. You did what you promised. You helped me find my sister. Your part of this deal is done. Taking down Sebastian Bone and his clinic is way more than you signed up for, Colin. I completely understand if you want out at this point. I can take it from here. Wait until Serenity’s done with her investigation, then bring her home.”
For a second, he was too stunned to say anything. Then he shook his head. “No. I don’t want out. And no, this isn’t over yet. It won’t be done until your sister is safely out of that compound and away from Sebastian Bone and his weird cult for good.” He frowned out the windshield as he pulled to a stop near the front of the house and parked. He undid his seatbelt, then shifted slightly to face her. “Listen, Harper. I don’t leave missions half finished, okay? It’s not in my nature. If something needs doing, then it needs to be done right. Otherwise, what’s the point? Besides, I promised to help and I promised it would be okay. And I won’t know for certain everything is okay here until Serenity is out of that compound. So, I’m going to stick around until both of those promises are fulfilled. You aren’t getting rid of me that easy.”
Harper looked over at him then, giving him a watery smile. “I’ve never known anyone like you before, Colin Parks.”
He snorted, then cupped her cheek without thinking, just because it felt so damned good to touch her. “I’ve never known anyone like you either, Harper Bell.”
An odd intimacy filled the air between them, turning the interior of the SUV into something else entirely. Colin felt mesmerized by her eyes, by her warmth, by her scent, by everything about her. He leaned closer, closer, so close that they were only a breath apart, his gaze on her lips, near enough that he could practically taste them and…
Knock, knock, knock.
His mom was at the driver’s side window, waving for them to come inside. Great. Harper had recovered faster than him, unclicked her seatbelt and got out of the car, following after his mom and leaving Colin to stare after them, wondering when in the hell he’d lost complete control over everything.
