"No more midnight makeovers with Uncle Albert then, huh?" The girl grinned and it had more than just a small spark of trouble to it.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to see plenty of him," Tamara said. "He's family."
"Can I call him? Let him know we're okay?"
Isaac handed over his phone. "Go for it."
While Essie was chatting with Albert using lots of hand gestures, she and Isaac hung back, watching the now-full transport van drive off toward the gate. The only thing that would have made it better was if Amelia had lived to see it. As the van pulled farther away, Tamara let go of Isaac's hand and took a couple of steps to watch it go down the main road until it was out of sight.
Once even the small cloud of dust kicked up by the van's tires was no longer visible, she turned back to Isaac. She expected to find him just as relieved as she was, but judging by his pinched expression he was feeling something completely different.
"So, you're free now." He made an attempt at keeping his tone light, but didn't quite manage it. "You've got all that cash in your duffle bag in the hotel. You can go wherever you want now."
She could. The possibilities of it all made her giddy, but not in the way he was thinking. "The only place I want to be is with you."
His shoulders relaxed as he closed the distance between them. "That's the best news I've heard all day."
"Bet I can top it." She wound her arms around his neck and raised herself up on her tip toes bringing her lips close enough to his that they almost touched. "I love you, Isaac Camacho."
"I love you too." And he kissed her like a man who would always lead her true…and she believed it.
Chapter 25
Elisa
Finally finished with the Feds' questions, Elisa walked away from the hubbub outside the Crest Society chapel. The compound was actually kind of nice, with all of the trees and the mountains surrounding the place. Might even be worth a vacation. Not that she ever took one of those. Vacations were not her thing. Life was boring if you weren't running from one firefight to another.
She didn't mean to walk over to Marko. It just happened. He was off in a quiet corner behind the chapel—exactly the kind of spot she was looking for after answering the same five questions from the Feds over and over for the past hour.
He had his back to her with his phone pressed up against his ear, giving her the perfect view of his wide shoulders, softball-sized biceps and his nice, round ass. Why did such a know-it-all have to come in that sweet, sweet package?
"Gillie, this isn't the best time. Let me call you ba—" Marko turned around, the look on his face anything but nice. He looked downright scary. "What do you mean, trouble?"
Elisa perked up. She couldn't help it. The sort of trouble that gave Marko that kind of face was her favorite.
"What do you mean you're there with Flynn?" Marko yanked on his beard as his eyes narrowed into mean little slits. "He's the last asshole you should be with." He paused to listen, then huffed out a frustrated breath. "Yeah, I know he's my friend. That doesn't mean I want my little sister hanging out with him."
Oh yes. Now this was some juicy gossip. Wait until she told the rest of the girls. Vivi was going to have a field day busting his balls about being an overprotective older brother. Not that she'd be alone in doing that. Nope. Elisa planned on taking more than a few shots herself.
"I have the B-Squad jet," Marko said into the phone. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Try not to blow the place up."
He hung up and shoved the phone into the left pocket of his jeans—no doubt because he dressed right. So she’d looked. What was he gonna do, sue her for checking him out? By the time her gaze made it back up to Marko’s face, he was grinding his teeth down to nubs.
She just smiled. "Explosives, like literally?"
"With my sister?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Anything is possible. I gotta go."
She fell into step beside him. "Not without me."
He picked up his pace, which was a real asshole thing to do because his legs were about twice the length of hers.
She didn't let it get to her, she just did a little walk-jog step to keep up. "Last time I checked, I was the only one of the two of us who had a pilot's license."
Marko's step faltered, but he kept moving forward. "I can catch a ride with the Feds."
"Not likely. All those thorny rules and regulations. You know you wouldn't be allowed to take your favorite toys if you did that. You know, the ones you definitely don't want the ATF to know about?"
He stopped so fast that she almost slammed into him. Reaching out, she wrapped her fingers around as much of his bicep as she could just to keep her balance. He glared down at her. If he was trying to intimidate her, he was using the wrong tack. She'd grown up at the feet of the master of surliness.