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I must’ve looked as iffy as I felt because Javier stepped closer to me and settled a hand on my shoulder, sending tingles of awareness all over my body. His sudden touch tickled my knees and some other parts I didn’t want to think about.
Get mad. Even.I shook off his touch and took a step away from him.Oh no, you don’t.
He sighed and softened his voice. “Listen to me, Angel. I hate to admit this, but King’s good. Surfer dude here looks chill and friendly, but he’s a tough son of a bitch. He’ll get the nuns home. Who knows? He might do the job even better than me.”
“Did Angel manage to teach you a little modesty along the way?” Kai widened his grin to reveal a couple of adorable dimples. “It’s a miracle. Who would’ve thought Goof could learn humility?”
“Shut your trap,” Javier muttered.
“You don’t need to call me Angel,” I protested at the same time.
“It suits you,” Kai said, ignoring Javier’s grumblings. “Is it okay if I use it as your call sign?”
I drew back. “I have a call sign?”
Kai widened his grin. “If you want it, it’s yours.”
“Hey, my mission, my idea, my line,” Javier griped and Kai rolled his eyes at him.
“Her choice, not yours.” Kai returned his gaze to me. “Your decision.”
“Um…” Having a call sign felt like almost being a part of a team. “Okay.”
“Sounds to me that the ladies in there mean a lot to you,” Kai continued. “I’ll deliver them safely to their destination.”
My friends would be safer away from me. Once we parted ways, the sisters would have no reason to fear for their lives. Now that they were in a free country, they could practice their religion, do as they pleased. The women also needed to rest andbe among their own. A look at Kai’s earnest eyes assured me he was trustable, well, as trustable as a kinder-than-average man could be.
“Okay,” I conceded. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Kai rummaged through his backpack, slid out a plastic bag with a couple of burner cells in it, and handed it to Javier. “My contacts are programmed in these. I also have a laptop for you in the duffel.” He returned his attention to me. “How about we get out of here?”
“Let’s do it.” I was so ready to get away from the border.
Kai put two fingers in his mouth. His whistle pierced the suffocating stillness of the tropical noon. A white van with a tourist company logo printed on the side rolled out of the woods. Two men sat in the vehicle. The driver parked next to the shack.
His passenger jumped down, slid opened the van’s door, and stood aside as if awaiting instructions. If the men found Javier’s carbine odd, they didn’t mention it.
“Ah.” Javier’s mouth broke into a grin. “Here come the Sisters of Charity’s best warriors, and in full battle uniform, I see.”
“Whereas ye look like a sinner trapped in denim,” Sister Janet retorted. “Magic Mike on his fecking day off.”
Javier laughed. “Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.” He took her bag and came to a stop in front of Sister Elsa. “May I?”
“Sure.” She lifted a hand, and he placed it on his arm.
“This way.” He led them to the van. “I must say, you both look lovely in penguin sable.”
“I know.” Sister Elsa turned her smile in his direction. “God told me this was my color.”
“Come on, loves.” Still chortling, he helped them into the vehicle. “Let’s get you home.”
It irked me that his rich chuckles were only for the sisters’ears. He was all teasing and fun with them, and yet he remained sober and distant with me.Jerk. Kiss a girl and leave her wanting more. Plant the lust and then stop watering it. Pretend you care and then pretend you don’t when your friend is around.
But then again, he was a man. What else could I expect? I’d also let him down. Letting people down was something I did rather well, especially since I’d grown up with few expectations anyway. Javier had never led me to believe he wanted more than a few stolen kisses and caresses when no one was looking.
Now that I thought about it,Imight’ve been the chief architect of those moments. Whatever had or hadn’t happened between us, it was all in my head. I was the one who’d formed an unhealthy attachment to him. I was the one who’d dreamed of him, not the other way around. In reality, I was silly, funny-looking, and needy, and I craved people to love and protect me—the poster child for failure to thrive.
I wasn’t going to cry over something that hadn’t been real. I patted the donkey’s downy neck and asked, “What will happen to this helpful little fellow?”
