Page 4 of For Your Eyes Only
We grew up together in this old place. She’s fragile, and at almost twenty-one, she has survived more than she deserves. She tries to anesthetize her past with too many drugs and too much alcohol, and it gets her into risky situations. I do my best to protect her when we’re out together. We trust each other implicitly, but Hana won’t let anyone save her.
My brow furrows as I study her. “How are you doing?”
“Better than you.” She gives me a teasing grin. “Look how stressed and annoyed you are. This is not the casual-cool Trip I know and love. Is juggling two women making you tired?”
“Not funny.” I push off the sofa. “I’m sick of Grish dragging me into his love triangles. I want to make my money and be left alone.”
“No one wants to be alone.” Her voice turns quiet, and my lips tighten.
“I'm headed out of town for a little while. I need to find a place to relax while this shit dies down.”
“It’s not like you to run away.”
“I’m not running. I need a break. You should do the same–don’t you have family in one of the Carolinas?”
She shrugs. “Anywhere you go, your demons are right there waiting.”
Impatience is driving me, but I hesitate. I won’t be happy if I leave her this way. “Where’s Blake?”
Hana’s older sister Blake is strong and outspoken. She can’t keep Hana away from the party scene, but she’s a fighter. She’s a better shield than none.
“Blake’s got some modeling gig, and she doesn't like being here with Mama. All they do is fight.”
“Why don’t you see if she’ll hang out with you while I’m away?”
“Blake doesn’t like playing with me.” Hana drinks more. “And she definitely doesn’t approve of you.”
Shaking my head, I shrug that off. “Blake only wants to protect you.” She thinks I give Hana drugs, which I’veneverdone. Debbie is the bad influence in this tight-knit circle. “When your trust fund matures, you can do anything you want. It’s never too soon to think about the future.”
“You definitely sound like Blake.” Hana pushes off the couch.
I sound like a fucking high-school counselor. I want to kick my own ass. “Just a suggestion.”
“Maybe I’ll donate it all to a women’s charity and work for UNICEF. I could be like Audrey Hepburn with the orphans.”
That actually makes me laugh. “What would you do with orphans?”
“Teach them to survive.”
“You are an expert at that.” I push off the couch to stand. “Donations are fine. Just don’t borrow any more money while I’m gone.”
“I have IOUs all over town. What difference would one more make?” She laughs, but she has no idea the dangerous game she’s playing.
Hana drifts through our world, drinking and taking whatever drug she’s offered. She’s like Alice in Wonderland, which makes me feel like the Mad Hatter, but I won’t be here to lead her to the exit.
“I expect you to be alive when I get back.”
Hopping over to where I stand, she hugs me. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
I wish that were true. “Things will get better. We just have to hold on until they do.”
“Famous last words.”
CHAPTER2
GIA
“Your honor, I didnotsteal the mermaid tail.” My accent is a little too thick, and a nervous rasp is in my voice. I know it doesn’t look good with me standing here, holding an iridescent rubber fishtail facing the head of hotel security in one of Palm Beach’s ritziest resorts. “I’m not a thief. It was self-defense.”