Reaper wanted to tell her to hurry. He needed to be on the chopper, yet he remained silent, captivated by Ginny’s childhood. Every detail T.A. was sharing could be useful when dealing with the man who wanted to kill her.
“Manny might have taught Evangeline to sing out of the goodness of his heart, but he wasn’t above using it for his gain. I can’t blame him; he didn’t know the man who controlled the island was so dangerous. None of us did—until it was too late.”
“Who was he?”
“Gabriel Allerton.” T.A. gave him a wry smile. “You’ve heard of him?”
Reaper was shocked by the information. Gabriel Allerton was always in the news. He was known as the man with the Midas touch. Whatever business he invested in or developed turned to gold. Twenty-eight years ago, he sold his business with the intention of retiring, but then founded and headed a worldwide charity.
“Who hasn’t? He’s one of the richest men in the world. You said he was the one who convinced your parents to move to Clindale? I wasn’t aware he owned the island. How could he own and control Clindale Island if there are native islanders living there?” That he owned an island had never made the news, as far as he knew.
“He doesn’t own Clindale; he owns Sherguevil Island, which is the sister island. If you think they are taking Evangeline to Clindale, you’re mistaken. No one gets near Clindale without Allerton’s permission. You are taken to Sherguevil Island first, then to Clindale by a boat operated by his men, and unless you have permission, you won’t be allowed within ten miles of Sherguevil or Clindale Island.”
“He doesn’t own the ocean,” Viper interrupted.
T.A. shook her head, as if she was dealing with a child. “The government does, and Allerton has them in his pocket. Don’t you watch the news?”
Allerton’s charity included high profile, wealthy men and women from around the world.
“He’s been photographed shaking the hands of the last four presidents of the US, and he’s just as chummy with high-ranked officials in governments and regimes from around the world. The officials might not be endorsed members of the charity, but they do his bidding. They use huge amounts of money donated to Allerton’s charity for aid, as well as grease the wheels of the foreign governments where their ‘donors’ want to build their companies. The governments look the other way when regulations are loosened. The charity might spend a few million to pay the officials, but in return, they’re raking in billions in illegal builds and destroying natural habitats and resources. Whatever wealth they are giving away isn’t a quarter of what they are getting in return. Evangeline will only be allowed on Clindale Island if and when Allerton lets her.”
“Give me a second, T.A.” Reaper stopped her from going further, reaching for his cell phone. “Train, the plane Ginny is on will be charted for Sherguevil Island, not Clindale.”
“Got you,” Train said before abruptly ending the call.
Reaper replaced his phone in his pocket. “What else did Manny teach Ginny?” Trying to speed up the gathering of information, he wanted her to get to the point when their idyllic life changed.
“Not only had Manny taught Evangeline to sing, but he had also taught her how to steal. The islanders from Clindale were allowed to take boats over to Sherguevil Island during the day to sell their fresh food and crafts at the market square.
“Manny’s father, Gyi, would take a load of fresh fish over to the Sherguevil, and he brought Manny and some of the island children along for the ride. Allerton didn’t care, and the visitors were charmed by the children and would usually give them money, which they’d take home to give to their parents. In turn, they’d use those funds to purchase supplies from boats docked at Sherguevil. It kept everyone happy on Clindale Island since there was no other source of income, other than bartering with each other. Allerton never hired the villagers to work on his island, and his staff were not allowed to visit Clindale.”
“What if an emergency happened or they wanted to leave the island?” Reaper asked.
“Sherguevil has its own hospital with state-of-the-art equipment and doctors and nurses, all of whom are staffed by Allerton. And no, they never left the island, ever.”
“Who would want to work there and never be allowed to leave?” Viper asked. “I could see the islanders being content to stay on Clindale, but if you were an outsider, why would you give up your freedom and never leave Sherguevil?”
T.A. sadly stared down at her cup. “People who have no hope of creating a better life for themselves; people who want more for their families. Allerton gives them the money to send home to their families. And even though they will never get to see them again, they’re allowing the ones they love better lives. Allerton doesn’t only want people willing to sell their souls to work for him, if that’s what you’re thinking. He hires employees who are willing to sell their souls so they will never betray him, and none of them ever have… or Evangeline wouldn’t have spent years running from him.”
“Why did she have to run?” Reaper spoke, turning T.A.’s attention back to him.
“She wasn’t given a choice.” T.A. face twisted in pain. “Sadly, a great deal of Evangeline’s life has been spent trying to outrun the perils she found herself in from those she loves. Most of what I’m about to tell you are things we found out after the fact, and the bits and pieces of what Evangeline remembers.”
T.A. took a deep breath and Reaper had a bad feeling this story was going to be long. “When Evangeline was three, Manny started sneaking her aboard Gyi’s boat; his father only ever allowed the island children. Gyi would never have allowed Evangeline to go.
“Manny had her sing in front of the visitors, who would throw money in the collection box, but what he was really doing was using her to distract them while the other children pickpocketed the guests. The children then gave the loot to Manny, who took his profit, then divided up some for the kids to take home to their parents.”
“What went wrong?” Reaper urged her to go faster.
“Evangeline went wrong. She picked up on what the children were doing and wouldn’t stop bugging Manny until he taught her how to be a pickpocket too. By then, I think Manny had no choice but to give into her, knowing she’d tell our parents—and Gyi—if he didn’t explain it away like a game. So that’s what he did. Manny told her all the children were saving to buy a big boat like the ones docked at Sherguevil Island. They’d all be able to play on it while their fathers fished.
“With the money Manny gave her, she bought little trinkets for the other children and herself in the market. He taught her to hide her purchases and made her promise not to tell our parents or me, or he wouldn’t take her again.
“She was fascinated with the large yachts that were docked at Sherguevil Island.” T.A. gave a small sob but kept going. “If she won the game, Manny told her she would be able to help the other children buy the big boat for the village.”
“Fucking bastard,” Razer groaned, shaking his head.
Reaper could understand Razer’s anger. He had two rambunctious twin boys who would easily have been suckered into doing the same thing.