He nodded, and I continued, “I’ve known you for a while now, but I know nothing about the business you run.”
He stopped for a moment. “Petroleum. And we’re dabbling in tech now.”
“Petroleum?” I was reminded of Mr. Murphy, whom I met during Emery’s wedding, then I looked at him. “You’re a Murphy?”
He arched his eyebrow silently, then I was reminded of the auction in J City. “Have you held an auction in J City before?” If the answer was yes, then that’d explain his appearance in the cemetery and his ‘coincidental’ help.
I gazed at him sternly, then he said, “You’re going to kill me at this rate.”
I looked down and was shocked to see the cotton swab poking his wound and drawing blood. I pulled my hand back and apologized, “Sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
I rubbed the salve on his wound and bandaged it. Then I realized he wasn’t wearing anything else but his boxers. Awkward, I covered his body with the towel. “It’s getting late. Sleep tight.”
He grunted. I kept the first aid kit and left the room without saying anything.
Nora and the girls had the kyanine extracted from them, but they were just ladies after all, so needed the rest to recuperate. Armond had a lot to deal with, so he had no time for me. In that case, I took up the job of caring for Nora and the girls.
I was going to call Ashton and tell him about my situation, but it couldn’t get through. He must have set up call forwarding. I gave up after a few tries, then I tried to call Emery, but my phone was taken by the female officer when I was in Venria. I lost all my contact, and I forgot their numbers, so it was impossible for me to call them.
Nora and the girls were almost all healed up after a week. Armond was done with his affairs too, and the girls moved into the villa the night before our return.
The brush with death seemed to have taken Nora’s lively attitude away. Tabitha and Laurel refused to speak, while Tessa kept reciting mantras as usual. Noticing the awkward silence around the table, Laurel said, “We can go back home tomorrow, guys. Let’s drink to it.” She raised her glass and smiled at us.
Nora looked surprised, but she raised her glass and looked at me. “We owe our lives to Scarlett this time. She saved us all. If it weren’t for her asking for Mr. Murphy’s help, we would have been shark food by now.”
“Yeah.” Tessa stopped reciting her mantra and smiled at me. “All thanks to Scarlett. A toast for her. Bottoms up, girls.”
Everyone raised their glasses and finally started to chat. Good. At least the ice is broken.
Everyone started chatting, and Nora huddled closer to me. “Are you friends with Armond?” she whispered. “Are you related to the Stovalls, Fullers, and the Moores?”
Her barrage of questions stunned me, and I paused for a moment. “Not an easy question to answer, so I refuse to say anything, Nora.”
“Why? Worried we might be a hassle?” Tessa grinned.
I answered a moment later, “No. I just think it’s hard to explain. We’ve been through life and death. I won’t think of you guys as a hassle.”
“Oh, stop right there. The girls were the ones who have been through life and death with me, not you. You relied on men and your connections along the way, and you were never hurt, so give me a break,” Tessa mocked, but she was telling the truth, so I took no offense.
I smiled awkwardly, trying to continue the conversation, but I was at a loss.
“Tessa, that’s rude. We wouldn’t have survived if not for Scarlett’s connection with Mr. Murphy. Don’t look the gift horse in the mouth.” Nora glared at Tessa angrily.
Tessa sneered. “You think I’m the one who’s looking the gift horse in the mouth? The horse was never there to begin with. Do you really think she’s the one who saved us? She could have stopped the surgery in Venria if she wanted to, but no. This hypocrite only ‘helped’ us after Abe stuck that thing in us. That caused unnecessary pain, and I bet she’s just trying to win our favor.”
Tabitha frowned, upset. “You could have gone off on your own when we landed if you didn’t want her help. But I believe you went to Scarlett’s room one night and showed her the scar, obviously begging her to help. Do you really think she owed you?”
