Page 23 of Saint
There was always a but. Robyn was too silent for my liking, and it wasn’t like her to bite her tongue.
“Have you seen the news lately, Tori?”
I didn’t watch TV. To me, it was just a distraction and a way for people in power to control the thoughts of the masses. I had no interest in distractions from my art or any form of propaganda.
“No. Is there something I should know?”
“Uh… yeah. They found over two hundred women near Komodo Island recently in a sex trafficking ring… and many of them have admitted to being lured into it by Javier or his cohorts. He’s been linked to drugs as well. Up to now, they haven’t been able to find him. When I ask if you’re okay, Tori, I mean it.”
I got really silent on the line. Everything I’d learned over the past few weeks about Javier, Saint, and Saint’s family was all corroborated by Robyn.
“It could have been me,” I said aloud, more to myself than Robyn. And Saint was the reason it hadn’t been. I thought I wanted him that day I saw him climbing out of the pool, but knowing what I knew today…
“And thank God it wasn’t you. Tori, we didn’t know what to think when we got that text from you. The news had just broken a few days later, and you were being all cagey about how you were doing. You weren’t answering the phone. You weren’t responding to texts. It was mayhem over here.”
I felt terrible for sending my friends into a fit of worry. But I’d been safe all this time. Perfectly comfortable and secure in the luxury of Saint’s beach house.
“How did you get away, Tori?”
“I think that’s a conversation we’d have to have in person, Robyn.”
“Girl, say less! I will drive my ass to South Pointe right now.”
“Well, about that…”
“Ain’t no about that. What’s going on, Tori? You’ve got me on pins and needles over here. I have on a bonnet and pajamas with my keys in hand. Girl–”
“Robyn! Calm down, sis. I’m in Paramour. Paramour Beach.”
“What the hell are you doing over there?”
“I’m at his house. Saint’s house.” I explained, hoping it would deter her from making the trip.
“Oh! Send me the location. I’m on the way.”
“Robyn…”
“Girl, bye. Don’t Robyn me. I’ll know you’re okay once I lay eyes on you and determine that you’re okay.”
The triple beep of the phone informed me she’d hung up. I should have known my being at Saint’s house wasn’t a deterrent for her. Of all my friends, Robyn absolutely did not play when it came to me. She lived in Paramour, and the beach was only a fifteen-minute drive, give or take, from her home.
There was a storm threatening to make an appearance outside, coating the sky in a misty gray. It was just after six in the evening, and Saint was nowhere to be found in the house. Wherever he’d gone, I prayed he was okay. Darkness coated the interior of the house, so I flipped on a few lights to assist me as I padded around inside. When the doorbell rang, I directed myself to the door to answer it, not expecting Robyn to throw herself into my arms upon seeing me.
“You’re whole. Oh my God, thank goodness, you’re whole.”
“I am,” I fleshed out, leading her to the backyard once she freed me from her arms. After confirming that I was in perfect health, she started on me.
“I can’t believe you left us in the dark like that, Tori. You can’t be flaking on your friends.”
“I know. I’m sorry, friend,” I coaxed, walking through the foyer as she followed behind.
Her gaze raked over the interior of the house the same way mine had when I first laid eyes upon it. I knew she was just as awestruck as I was.
“Goddamn, girl, you really know how to choose ‘em. Does he have brothers?”
Producing a giggle, my feet kept moving until we were outside on the patio. I figured we’d have some semblance of privacy there despite Saint’s pervasive absence. We settled into the outdoor chairs, enjoying the breeze compliments of the calm before the storm.
“You know what, Robyn? You might be in luck. He has two brothers. One of them, I met.”