Free Great Exploitations (Crisis in Cali) by Nicole Williams Page A

we were the only people who seemed to be rooting for us, but after a while, I’d stopped caring about what others thought and focused on what Henry and I thought. I’d talked to G once since I got on that plane with Henry and left the country, and I had said nothing more than two words— I’m out . I didn’t wait for what was her surely appalled reply or her reminder that we were working the biggest Errand of our careers or for her to beg me to come back. “I’m out” was all the good-bye I felt I owed her, especially after learning that she had, albeit unknowingly, been part of the reason Henry had been ripped away from me to begin with.
    After that first week of issuing good-byes, our lives had quieted down significantly, thanks in large part to the place Henry had brought us. It was a small, quiet island in the South Pacific—in other words, heaven. The locals were kind and friendly, and the scenery took my breath away every morning. I awoke to a turquoise lagoon bordered by a sparkling white-sand beach hedged by palm trees. That was the view from our bedroom window. Our home wasn’t overly extravagant, but Henry had splurged on one thing, and that was the location. Our location would have outdone the best tropical post cards. I should know—I’d stared at plenty of them as I’d gone from airport to airport.
    We had only been on the island for a month, but my life as an Eve felt like a lifetime ago. Every morning I woke up, it felt further and further away, almost as if it had been a dream. Memories were blurring, images were fuzzy, was almost as if I’d sleep-walked through five years.
    I might have wasted five years in an anesthetized state, but I was doing my best to make up for it. Each day on the island was a new adventure, a fresh start for me to become the person I wanted to be, instead of the person I’d let revenge and anger mold me into. Each day was a chance to experience life with the person I loved and who loved me back. Each day was a gift. A few months ago, the days had been more like tasks, but everything was so much clearer now.
    Today was a Tuesday. The days of the week didn’t mean too much down here other than what day the open market was on and what day Henry had a note in his calendar to call and check in with Max. But today was a special Tuesday. A special day.
    A day that had been a long time coming. Over five years coming.
    I hadn’t worn white, and he hadn’t worn a tux. Very little about our ceremony had been traditional, as neither us nor our relationship were, but we’d held on to the traditions of exchanging vows and rings.
    That’s what I was staring at as the sun started its slow departure into the ocean.
    “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you so happy.” Henry was sitting across from me on the blanket we’d laid on the sand to celebrate the occasion with some champagne and a sunset. Molly was snoring on her side at our feet, having taken rather well to island life.
    I finally looked away from the band circling my finger and smiled at him. “That’s because I never have been.”
    Henry was lying on his side, staring at me like one admired the sunrise. “I never thought you’d be so happy to become Mrs. Callahan. My mother is a Mrs. Callahan too, you know.”
    Not even the mention of Henry’s mom, or the thought of what she’d done to break us apart, could dampen my mood or smile. She’d tried, but she’d failed. “Your mother is one kind of Mrs. Callahan, and I’m another kind. Besides, I’m Mrs. Henry Callahan . . .” I bit my lip to keep from smirking. “And there’s only been one before me.”
    Rolling his eyes, he pulled me down beside him. My champagne spilled onto the blanket, but I didn’t move to save it.
    “There’s been no Mrs. Henry Callahan before you.”
    I shook my head as he rolled over me, his face hovering above mine. “Just how much did you have to pay her to pretend to be your wife that whole time and keep silent about it?”
    He