Sun, Sea, and the Princeton Brothers – Part 3

“Alaina phoned me last night,” Darcy said to his brothers. They were currently in the living room of the bungalow that temporarily served as the men’s makeup room. Nicolas, Conrad, and Hayden were sitting on the sofas, while Sebastian rested in an armchair. Meanwhile, Tristan and Logan were standing, as was Darcy, who was leaning against the wall.

“And?” Hayden asked.

“She didn’t sound great,” Darcy admitted. “She was frightened.”

Conrad asked, “Alaina? Frightened? Of what?”

Darcy folded his arms across his chest as a frown appeared on his face, remembering the quivering, nervous voice that belonged to his twin sister.

“She told me she thinks Sakura is in danger.”

Nicolas raised a brow. “We all know Sakura is in danger. That’s why we’re taking precautions. And since when does Alaina care about Sakura?”

Darcy thought for a moment and then decided to explain everything to his brothers. “Mom and Dad have been in contact with Alaina. They asked me for help.”

Tristan asked, “Help? How?”

“Believe it or not, Alaina came to me a few days after Mr. Tachibana’s fashion show at our hotel in New York.” Darcy paused. “I guess she couldn’t cut me out because we’re twins.”

Logan nodded in understanding. “Same here. I wouldn’t be able to cut out either Tristan or Sebastian, since we’re triplets.” He chuckled. “In fact, I don’t think I could ever cut any of my family out.”

The brothers nodded in agreement at that. They were family, after all. None of them had ever thought of cutting anyone out, no matter the circumstances.

Nicolas said, “So Alaina came to you and apologized?”

“In a way,” Darcy said. “We talked, and eventually we came to an understanding. Anyway, back to Mom and Dad. They’ve reconciled with Alaina. Although, there was a bit of an argument a few days ago between Dad and Alaina when we arrived in Hawaii. He wanted her to join the family at the holiday house, but Alaina refused, and well, you know.”

Hayden asked, “When did this happen? How come we didn’t know anything about it? The reconciliation between Mom and Dad with Alaina, I mean.”

Darcy said, “It was a few weeks back. Alaina asked them not to tell. She wanted time. Sakura is her biggest obstacle, and she knows if she can’t accept Sakura, you guys won’t accept her, especially after what she did a year ago on St. Joseph Island.”

The rest of the brothers nodded in agreement. How could they forget that their sister had joined forces with Tara and Kate in trying to murder Sakura?

Conrad said, “So back to last night and Alaina calling you…”

Darcy nodded. “Like I said, she told me she thinks Sakura is in danger, though she didn’t specifically tell me the details. I’m assuming she’s found out about Tara’s mother and Tara’s background and motive, the real one, which is the reason she and Tara are no longer friends.”

Hayden nodded. “Yes, I heard they aren’t on speaking terms.”

Darcy nodded. “I’m also assuming Alaina must have realized Tara’s mother, Mrs. Clark, would likely do anything to get rid of Sakura, considering the woman’s background. And after I saw Sakura’s frightened face at the beach this morning, my gut instincts told me something’s off.”

Sebastian nodded. “I’ve seen her look like that before, back in New York. It was the day I took her to see Dave for a health checkup. She looked as though she’d seen a ghost.”

Nicolas continued. “And that night she ran to Dad at the hotel.”

Conrad carried on. “When we found her there, she had nightmares.”

Hayden said, “That could only mean one thing. She saw someone she didn’t want to see.”

Conrad asked, “Did she happen to see Mrs. Clark or something? Maybe we should ask her?”

Nicolas shook his head. “I doubt she saw the woman. I think it’s more like she has the feeling she’s being watched or something. I noticed her searching the beach as if she were looking for someone, but didn’t know who.”

Sebastian nodded. “I agree.”

Darcy said, “We’ll have to be more careful from now on.”

“I was talking to Dad this morning before breakfast.” With his brothers listening attentively, Nicolas continued. “Mrs. Clark has fled New York, and as of now, there’s no information on her whereabouts.”

“Why the hell did she leave New York?” Hayden asked.

“Because Dad’s investigator got to her,” Nicolas said. “The team dug up a whole lot of shit about her background. Shit you guys wouldn’t believe.”

“Like?” Sebastian asked.

Nicolas shook his head. “This isn’t the place to talk about something like that. We’ll have a meeting tonight with Dad.”

Darcy said, “For now, let’s just watch over Sakura carefully in case something happens.”

Once again, the brothers agreed.

It was then that Akira’s voice could be heard from across the hallway. “Princeton brothers, lunch is here.”

Tristan called out in response, “We’re coming.”

Some moments later, the brothers came to the back garden, where an array of food was on offer. Today, instead of going up to the hotel to eat, they had catering, which was easier for the crew. Of course, neither Alaina nor Tara were joining them.

Sakura was munching on a club sandwich when Logan appeared beside her. “I shall be your bodyguard during lunchtime. How’s that sound?”

Sakura chuckled. She thought he was teasing her, of course, and replied playfully, “Thanks, Logan. That sounds wonderful.”

The man beamed with delight as they went about putting food onto their plates.

Across the way, Sebastian said, “Sakura seems less fidgety.”

Darcy nodded. “She’s surrounded with family and friends. She feels safe and relaxed.”

Once lunch was over, it was photo sessions again, and the first one featured Sakura and Akira with Hayden and Conrad. Wearing a chic bikini with a transparent lace cover-up, Sakura looked sexy and stunning. Akira wore a one-piece swimsuit that enhanced her slender figure to perfection. Meanwhile, Hayden wore a pair of shorts without a shirt, showing off his hot, muscular body, and Conrad was in shorts with a blue shirt, the buttons undone halfway. Both men also donned summer fedoras. The four models posed on the rocky shore as Jason continuously snapped their photos.

Finally, Jason said, “Excellent, guys. You four are pros.”

Hayden and Conrad high-fived with glee at the compliment, while both Sakura and Akira giggled at seeing how pleased the two men were.

“Wow, it’s hot,” Sakura said as she gladly came under the shade of the umbrellas.

After Sakura enjoyed some cool spring water, Jane said, “You need to go and change for your next shoot, Sakura. Kay is waiting for you at the bungalow.”

Sakura nodded. She was just about to head off when Hayden asked, “Where are you going?”

“To get changed.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

Sakura shook her head. “It’s fine. It’s not far. Besides, you have your next photo shoot with Tara and Alaina. Conrad, too. Look, they’re waiting.”

Hayden frowned. “Where’s Sebastian and Darcy?”

Jane answered, “Getting ready for their next session. And Nicolas is at the hotel. Apparently, there’s some sort of business emergency. And Tristan and Logan are with Sosuke. Ms. Ruka is briefing them on their next shoot, which is straight after yours.”

Hayden sighed with frustration.

Upon seeing how worried he was, with no apparent reason, Sakura couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s fine, Hayden.” With that, she turned on her heel and headed in the direction of the bungalow.

Hayden was about to go after her when Mr. Tachibana called to him, “Hayden, we’re starting now.”

Hayden reluctantly turned and headed back toward Mr. Tachibana. The bungalow wasn’t far, he told himself, so Sakura should be fine by herself for a little while. It was only a short walk, after all.