Please read Chapter 6 of Revenge, and this will make more sense.
Sunday, December 24, Smiling Dolphin Cay, Bahamas
The seaplane circled the tiny slice of paradise before it dropped down on a bed of crystal-clear water and taxied to the dock.
**
It had been a very difficult two and a half months, but Rosario thought she was past the worst of it. She would never be the same, never as open and quick to trust, but she could laugh and smile again and even talk about Carlos and Carol without breaking down and curling into a ball.
Paul had hired a psychologist, Donna, who, along with Paul and Katie, had teamed up and nursed her back to health. Donna helped her work through her feelings, Paul showered her with affection, and Katie was her 'big sister,' nudging her to start living again.
She hadn't told her mother or Esmy about the rape and swore Chito and Paul to silence; she would tell them after she had dealt with Debra, and it was all over.
Paul had asked them what they wanted for Christmas one night while they lounged in his Manhattan penthouse overlooking Central Park, and the girls voted for someplace quiet with a beach.
**
Rosario hopped out onto the float and tossed the line to the island's caretaker, Nat. Fifty-one, with dark, leathery skin and a bit of a belly, he helped them onto the dock and grabbed their luggage.
"Welcome to Smiling Dolphin Cay," he said, loading their bags onto a dolly and, limping slightly, headed toward a golf cart where his wife was waiting.
"This is my wife, Carol," Nat said.
Katie and Paul tensed, their eyes sliding to Rosario, who smiled brightly.
"It's a pleasure, Carol," she replied, introducing the others.
A decade younger than her husband, Carol had large breasts and curvy hips, a quick smile, and an easy laugh.
They loaded up the golf cart and headed toward the main house, Katie, Paul, and Rosario following on mopeds along a crushed seashell path lined with colorful flowers and plants.
The main house consisted of six bedrooms upstairs, including one with a California king bed and a covered deck, and another two on the main floor along with a library and kitchen. A large sitting room with couches, recliners, and a huge television on the wall took up most of the floor, with a large fireplace filled with driftwood and ready to light.
A large drawing, maybe five feet across, of a dolphin in mid-leap adorned one wall, three people on jet skis watching in the distance, three smiling faces resting on clouds looking on from above.
"It's beautiful," Rosario said.
Nat's face lit up.
"The son of the owners of the island drew that a couple of years ago when he was just four years old," he said proudly.
"Wow. Who is that?" Rosario asked, pointing to the faces on the clouds.
"Those are the little boy's parents and grandmother. They died, and the owners of the island adopted him. He's a wonderful little boy," Carol added, stepping out of the kitchen and pouring everyone an orangish-red drink.
"That's so sad."
"Yes. We get to see him for a few weeks in the summer and he just lights up the place. You'll see his drawings scattered around the walls here on the island. We're blessed to have him in our lives."
"Why directly on walls and not framed and hung? And who's that?" Katie asked, stepping closer and pointing at a sad little girl way off in the distance.
"His parents died of a drug overdose soon after he was born, and the boy, KJ, was raised by his nana in a very poor area of Nassau. There was no money for paper or fancy-colored pencils, so he drew with chalk on the cinder block walls of their little home, and when he finished, he would wash the wall and draw something else," Nat said.
"KJ drew this a few days after his nana passed, and he didn't want to draw on paper; he still doesn't," Carol added, smiling.
"And the little girl?" Katie asked.
"That's Alice, his best friend. She's sad because KJ was not going to be with her at the orphanage like they thought."
"Mmmm," Katie nodded.
"The island's owners came back a few months later and adopted Alice, as well; she's quite, uh, strong-willed," Carol added, chuckling.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Rosario smiled, taking a glass from Carol.
"One of the buildings here on the island, Big Willie's Bar, has many of his drawings if you're interested. Happy Christmas Eve, and welcome to Smiling Dolphin Cay," Carol said, everyone raising their glass and taking a drink.
Katie and Rosario coughed and spluttered, Paul smiling appreciatively and taking another drink.
"It's got a little bit of a kick," Carol smiled, the girls nodding through watery eyes.
"We'll stop by every few days with clean linens, food, and drink, unless you need something in between, and I'll prepare a feast of island dishes down by the cabana Wednesday night."
"If you need anything, day or night, we're just about forty minutes away," Nat added, handing Paul a map of the island and a list of things to do, along with a large set of keys.
Paul drove them across the island to the dock where their boat, the Bahama Beaty, was waiting. They returned with the golf cart, and Katie and Rosario hopped in to explore the tiny slice of paradise.
There was a little lighthouse, a small stone chapel, and a boathouse with three jet skis and a small boat. They came to a thatched roof cabana next, a large fire pit nearby where Carol would be preparing her island feast, presumably.
They found a wooden walkway running out into the water a hundred feet or so to a large cabana with a thick glass or acrylic floor, the water so clear they could see the ocean floor forty feet below.
"Look," Katie pointed, as a small school of colorful fish swam by below their feet, and they grabbed long cushions and lay on their stomachs to watch.
Rosario was relaxed and happy, taking Paul's hand and leaning toward him.
"Thank you, honey, it's wonderful," she whispered, kissing him with obvious intent for the first time since the events with Carlos and Carol in early October.
Paul looked at her, surprised, and Rosario blushed.
"I think I'm ready."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
She shrugged and grinned. "We'll find out tonight."
Katie stared at the fish, unable to hide her smile. She and Rosie had had sex three times since Thanksgiving, but the thought of being with a man, even someone Rosie loved, like Paul, had proved more difficult. Katie said a little prayer that things would go well that night.
**
Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, Manhattan, New York City
Paul was in Vermont with his kids and his two-week-old grandchild, his first.
She and Katie were in the bedroom they'd converted to a gym, sparring. Katie had been a part-time jujutsu instructor in San Francisco and was more than a match for Rosario, who used their sessions to purge her anger at Carlos and Carol.
Speaking of, Carlos had endured his punishment in angry, humiliated silence. One woman had slapped him and spit in his face, another five calling the hotline to say he had drugged them; Willson had quietly paid them off.
Willson resigned as ambassador and disappeared with his son, resurfacing in early December with Carlos by his side as they toured his long list of companies.
Carol had not been heard from, Andre keeping their text exchanges to himself.
Katie and Rosario lay in a tangle on the mat, exhausted and bathed in sweat.
"Shower?" Katie asked, breathing hard.
Rosario nodded, and they got slowly to their feet, heading for the master bedroom at the other end of the condo.
"You're getting stronger," Katie said.
Rosario nodded. She worked out hard for three hours every day and, physically, was in the best shape of her life.
Stopping in the bedroom to undress, Rosario winced as she removed her sports bra.
"Shoulder?" Katie asked.
"Yeah, been hurting a few days."
Katie frowned. "I warned you about pushing too hard. You have to give your body time to recover, Rosie," she admonished.
"Come on, let's get you into a hot shower," she said, taking Rosario by the hand.
The hot, pounding water felt wonderful as Katie held the spray nozzle to her shoulder and neck for a few minutes after they had cleaned themselves up.
