“Family?”
“Well, not all family is born from blood. It’s rare one of the Brendon girls comes out to the island anymore, so we all get together when one does. I’ve missed Bo so much. She hates groups, but this is one exception she makes, because she loves all of us.”
“So you’re friends?”
“I was Bo’s first. Didn’t she tell you?” she asks as the amusement fades.
Pretty sure my tongue gets stuck to the roof of my mouth with that confession. What the fucking hell do I say to that? And how do I not focus on the image that is now coming to life inside my head.
“Judging by the look on your face, you just went to the wrong place.” My eyes snap up to meet hers, and humor is back in her gaze. “I take it Bo and Vince didn’t fill you in on what this home is? On what all his homes are for?”
Am I in a damn brothel or something?
“Should have known,” she says with a smile.
My migraine grows and I start pinching the bridge of my nose to stave off the inevitable.
“You okay?” she asks sincerely, touching my shoulder.
“Depends on where you’re going with this conversation,” I grumble.
She bursts out laughing, and the sound only grates on my nerves since my head is already in hell’s stomping grounds.
“Sorry. I’m just used to all the people who come here knowing about us and them. Vince doesn’t allow just anyone out here unless he trusts them. But I guess there were extenuating circumstances in your case, considering the fire and stuff.”
I just nod, ready for her to get to the punchline about this being a secret brothel—
“This is a safe haven home. Just like all of Vince’s vacation homes,” she says, sidetracking my train of thought.
“Huh?”
I look up to see her grinning, and she holds up her hand to flash around an engagement ring and wedding ring.
“My husband and I were both brought here when Vince and Bo saved our lives. I was Bo’s first. Vince has been doing this since he had the money to do it.”
Ever gotten off one of those merry-go-rounds after all your friends were spinning it as fast as they could to see if they could throw you off? That’s how I feel right now—dizzy, annoyed, and completely disoriented.
“I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but I have no idea what you mean.”
She motions to Bo as she kisses a kid on the head.
“That’s our son,” she says, practically leaving me hanging while going on like we’re long lost friends. “His name is Kimbo.”
My eyebrows go up in question, and she quickly adds, “I didn’t name him. We call him Bo for short. It’s also like naming our first child after the girl who saved me.” She smiles, but I’m still lost.
My eyes move over to the boy. His skin is a smooth chocolate that doesn’t match the pale woman talking, but she alluded to the fact he’s adopted. It’s then I hear him talking and hear his accent. It’s rich and almost hard to understand, but he has Bo laughing so hard she’s doubled over.
“You really like her.” Carmen’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I realize I’m smiling while staring at Bo—the girl Bo.
“Still figuring that out,” I confess, half wondering if I should just tell Bo her ruse is up just to be done with the headache it’s causing me.
“Vince brought Kimbo to us last year. He was almost a child soldier like Amani.”
That has my back stiffening. This chick is so random that it’s hard to keep up. She gauges my face before continuing.
“Amani was Vince’s third save. He came here after almost being killed by the man who stole him from his family five years before that. Another man saved him, but Amani’s parents had not made it. The man who smuggled him over didn’t realize Amani had killed before, and Vince was the only person who would take in a fourteen-year-old killer.”
The creepy guy who was eyeing me earlier is now eyeing me again from across the bonfire. Carmen confirms my suspicion when she gestures to him.