Spirit Bound - Christine Feehan [17]
Judith bit her lip. Levi Hammond would not be welcomed to Sea Haven by Jackson, Elle’s husband. Levi had been there when Stavros was holding Elle Drake captive. He’d been deep undercover trying to stop a major human trafficking ring and he couldn’t risk blowing his cover to save Elle. But, none of that would matter to Jackson. Elle had been raped and tortured for months by Stavros, and as far as Jackson was concerned there was no goal important enough to justify turning a blind eye to her suffering.
“You’re afraid they’ll make his life hell,” Airiana ventured.
“Or worse. Rikki is too fragile for that.” Blythe rubbed her temples in agitation. “If they force Levi to leave, Rikki will go with him, and she won’t do well out of this environment. It took her so long to adjust.”
“The Drakes can’t force us out of Sea Haven,” Judith said. “But if they can’t get over who and what Levi was, and they make his life here impossible, I’m willing to relocate.”
Blythe looked up at her. “Really think about it, Judith. We all should before making a personal decision. You have your business and studios here.”
Judith nodded. “I love Rikki. She’s my sister and she’s autistic. She needs us. She needs the ocean and she needs Levi. If they go, I’ll go with them. It doesn’t matter to me where I work. I love this place, but our family is what matters most, not where we are.”
Airiana let out her breath. “I’ve been worried too. I didn’t realize anyone else was.”
“Have you spoken to the others? To Lexi?” Judith asked.
Lexi spent most of her time on their large farm. She grew the vegetables they sold to markets and at the farmer’s markets in the surrounding towns.
“Everyone but her,” Blythe admitted. “Lissa said she’ll relocate as well. It will be hard for Lexi. She’s put so much into this place.”
“Do you really think it will come to that?” Airiana asked. “Jonas did fairly well when he found out and he’s married to Hannah, Elle’s sister.”
“That doesn’t mean Jackson is going to have the same reaction,” Blythe pointed out. “I’m their first cousin, a family member, and believe me when I say, they can close ranks just as we can. If Jackson can’t come to terms with Levi, Sea Haven’s going to become a difficult place for us to live. Rikki is very sensitive and she’ll feel it.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just trying to anticipate that it might happen.”
“All of us have been worried,” Judith said. “I think Levi worries, but probably not in the same way. He wouldn’t care one way or the other if he’s accepted, and I suppose Rikki wouldn’t either if she could stay out of the village.”
“A child would feel it,” Airiana ventured. “A child always knows when they’re being ostracized.”
“I doubt if Rikki would consider having a baby,” Blythe said. “But at least we’re all in agreement. I’ll approach Lexi on the subject as well, just to be safe.”
“It might be difficult to sell the farm,” Judith pointed out. “Times are hard right now, although the farm is making money.”
“Which will make it easier,” Blythe said. “Showing a profit is going to be beneficial. But we can cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Have you looked at other places where we might all relocate together?” Airiana asked. “This works for us all. Can we find something similar somewhere else?”
“We’ll find the right piece of property if we need to,” Blythe said with conviction.
“Are you going to talk to Rikki and Levi about this?” Judith asked.
Blythe shook her head. “Not Rikki. I thought I’d talk to Levi tonight, but not until I see Lexi. I thought I’d break it to her after I leave here. I just wanted to make certain the two of you were on board.”
Judith looked around her house. She’d designed it from top to bottom, just as they all had. They built the houses together, each doing quite a bit of the carpentry. She’d planted her gardens just the way she wanted. She had a Japanese garden with a waterfall cascading down rocks into a quiet pool of koi, surrounded by every shade of green available. Each night, from her bedroom window she looked down to her night