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Wren
We took three cars out to a nice Mexican restaurant for breakfast, and the men ate a shocking amount of food in a very efficient manner. I chatted with Brandy most of the time as I attempted to ignore the sparks between me and Magnum, who was sitting on my other side. She helped me memorize everyone's nicknames. She said they didn't normally share their real names until after they got to know you.
"Steel's real name is Itee Nivikanguak." She proceeded to share even though I'd just met Steel.
"Are you supposed to be telling me this?"
She shrugged. "He's from Alaska." As if that explained anything.
"I bet he has some intriguing stories to tell." He had a scar on his face too, not as prominent as Vander's bigVbut more recent and more like a single gash on his cheek.
"Oh, you should talk to Celeste. She is so badass. Her real name is Misha. She's from Russia originally, but Vander met her when Steel was being held hostage in Colombia."
Steel leaned down with his handsome face and whispered in her ear. "Babe, chill on the stories and real names for now."
Her eyes got all dreamy, and she squeezed his hand. "Okay." She turned to me and winked. "Later then."
I continued to observe them as we ate a delicious breakfast of huevos rancheros and burritos. A quiet camaraderie hung in the air over the table, as if they were all in on a secret.
"Where are you from originally?" I asked Brandy because I figured that was a safe enough question.
"I grew up in a traveling circus, so everywhere."
Oh boy. My life seemed exceptionally bland compared to these adventurous, beautiful people. "I've never even been out of California."
"Well, it's beautiful here." She glanced out the glass front window of the restaurant. The rain had stopped and the sparkling California sunshine reflected off the pavement like a mirror.
"Parts of it are. You've probably seen so much of America. Seems like these guys have been all over the world."
A waitress brought me a steaming cup of hot brown liquid. I hadn't ordered it, so I looked at Magnum.
"Mexican hot chocolate," he said. I stared in shock as he poked his finger in the soft foam and then stuck it in his mouth. He popped his finger out and smirked. "A little hot. Watch out." He winked. "Spicy. Not sure if you can handle it."
"I can handle hot chocolate," I said indignantly and took a sip. The thick liquid burned my tongue, but oh my God, it was divine. I smiled at him. "Yum." I raised my eyebrows in challenge. He had no idea of the level of heat I was capable of handling.
He shook his head and laughed as he continued to scarf down his tamales. Why did everything he said and did come off as both playful and a little insulting?
"I've seen the dark sides of a lot of towns. There were many times on the road I wished I had someplace to call home," Brandy continued our conversation from before my drink arrived.
"Mmm-hmm." That was true. I did always have a place to call home. Or I did until we lost the house in Glendale. Now I called the bakery home, but it had always been my home base.
We finished eating, and I was surprised when Vander picked up the tab for the whole table. Full breakfast for seven people! It must've been hundreds of dollars. I tried to hide my eyes bulging out when he dropped a silver card for the waitress. Maybe he wrote these things off as business expenses, but still. My grandfather never splurged like that when we ate at restaurants. We always drank free water and stuck with appetizers instead of meals.
Magnum pulled out my chair and helped me stand up. "Uh, thank you." He'd also pulled out my chair when we sat down. We walked outside to the waiting cars, and he turned to face me.
"This way." He opened the back door of his Jeep and withdrew a black gym bag. "You're gonna go shopping with the girls now. Get whatever you need. Celeste will cover you. You'll be safe. Stella's gonna meet up with you somewhere, and you'll stay at her place tonight in La Jolla." He was digging through the bag looking for something and not really paying attention to me. In fact, he'd been relatively quiet ever since we left the safe house.
"Alright." I was a little nervous about staying with someone I hadn't even met yet in a city I'd never been to, but I wasn't going to complain about anyone offering me help.
He handed me two black, unmarked boxes. They were heavy and weighed down my arms. "New phone and laptop for you. They are secure. Keep the burner I gave you but use this one from now on. You'll go to the office with Stella tomorrow. She'll introduce you to the tech department."
"Okay." It felt a little like I was being handed off to strangers.
"I'm gonna hook up with Helix and hunt down Gavin."
"Of course." Jeez, how did I keep forgetting Gavin was his brother and he could be in serious danger right now?
"I don't think they have him. My gut is still telling me he's hiding from them and us. That's what he does best, but we should find him to see what he knows about Kenny."
