Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“I can tie a cherry stem into a knot in my mouth, too,” Caesar volunteered.
“That will come in handy if we need to impress eighteen-year-olds,” Phoenix drawled.
The remainder of the trip was spent in sharing quirky talents. Kestrel worried about Zara’s emotional well-being in all this silliness after what she’d experienced.
Capturing her chin, he kissed her lightly. “Want them to shut up?”
“No,” she said with a vigorous shake of her head before volunteering, “I’m an expert juggler.”
“No way. How many things can you juggle?” Magnus asked.
“Six balls,” she reported.
“That’s amazing,” Kestrel commented and hugged her. The team was helping her recover.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Let’s call my Mom and Dad,” Zara suggested, bouncing on the barstool where she’d sat for Caesar as he’d transformed her into someone ordinary. Lower cheekbones, contacts to change her eye color, and a smaller chin made an incredible difference. For her body shape, he’d created a belt that wrapped around her waist, eliminating her hour-glass figure. “It’s amazing how much just these contact lenses do. They’re so much more comfortable than they used to be.”
“I’m glad, Little one,” Caesar said, smiling. “That small change is remarkable. There are other things we can do, but this is a good start. If her parents are confused, that’ll be an incredible sign.”
“I’ll get it set up.” Magnus bent over his computer.
A half hour later, two familiar faces looked at Kestrel and Zara.
“Kestrel? Did something happen to Zara? Why is she not with you?” Zara’s father asked quickly.
Laughing, Zara said quickly, “It’s me, Papá. We’ve made a few alterations, using prosthetics, so I don’t draw attention to myself.”
“That’s amazing, Zara. I would not have recognized my own daughter,” her mother marveled. “I hate that the world forces you to do this, but I’m excited for you.”
“I can’t wait to try out my disguise. Thank you for sending me here,” Zara said with gratitude in her tone.
“I think that man next to you had a lot to do with making you happy,” her father observed.
She gave a sideways glance to her Daddy. “Yes, Kestrel is very important to me. I love him.”
“I love your daughter with all my heart,” Kestrel assured the older gentleman.
“We will have to meet in person someday,” Zara’s father said, pinning him in place.
“We’ll see how well Zara can tolerate the disguise, and when we’re sure it will be safe, we’ll come visit,” Kestrel promised. “Or you could come here.”
“That is a good option,” her mother agreed.
“Time to shut down the connection,” Magnus announced. As they said their hurried goodbyes, he disconnected from the call.
“It worked!” Zara flew over to Caesar and hugged him tightly.
“It did. Let me take some pictures so we can do this over and over,” Caesar said, setting her away from his body.
By the time, he peeled off the rubber pieces attached to her skin, Zara was itchy. She danced in front of him and sighed in relief as he took each section off.
“You made it about an hour. That’s not too bad to start,” Caesar complimented her.
She sighed. “I’ll have to get better.”
“Definitely. We’ll practice any time you wish.”
“Thanks, Caesar,” she said, rushing forward to hug him again.
“Thank you, Caesar,” Kestrel said, echoing her words.
“Any time.”
She turned back toward Magnus to thank him for arranging the call to her parents and found him grinning wide. It was unusual for him, so she cocked her head to the side. “What?”
Magnus grinned wider as Kestrel wrapped an arm around Zara. “I have good news. While you were on the phone, I got a notification that Mark was arrested at the border.”
Everyone gasped. Zara was stunned. “Really? Will they be able to do anything about the money he was paid to sell me?”
“Yep. His bank account was frozen. I had already taken care of that. Hopefully the police can trace where the money came from and arrest someone higher up.”
Kestrel hugged Zara to his side. “That’s really good news.”
Celeste skipped into the room and clapped her hands, making them all turn her direction. “Are you guys done with the disguise because it’s time for the party!”
Zara glanced at her Daddy, grinning. “Can we go upstairs for the party now, Daddy?” The party had been postponed after Zara had been kidnapped, but it was time to reclaim her life, and Sadie and Celeste agreed that the best way to take control of her life and stop the bad guys from having power over her was to celebrate.
Zara had a lot to celebrate. She’d found the most amazing man as a life partner and her Daddy. She had the best job she could have ever hoped for, working with Celeste. She had great friends and the most beautiful place on earth to explore.
Sure, she had nightmares, but they were starting to occur less frequently, and her Daddy was always there with his arms around her to pull her back into the present.