Lynn nodded once. “I’ll plan for the worst but hope for the best.”
CHAPTER 22
If you’re going to be weird, be confident about it.
-Text from Bourne to Belle
BELLE
I told them so.
Not only did I say ‘I told you so’ but I also pointed out that it was going to be impossible to do anything illegal now that Angel invited them to our meeting.
However, I wasn’t upset at seeing my family there.
The moment that I arrived at the terminal, I saw my mom, dad, Bourne, Booth and Angel.
Surprisingly, it was my father who reached me first.
Bruno let go of my hand just before my father engulfed me with a hug.
He was the only one besides Bruno who could hug me.
There was nothing against the rest of my family—I loved them all dearly—but I just couldn’t do the touchy-feely thing with them. I had never been able to stand it. I felt like I was suffocating.
Which sucked for my mother, because she always wanted to hug me.
I could see it in her eyes over my father’s shoulder..
She wanted to hug me so bad her fingers were clenching and unclenching with it.
My dad, however, squeezed me hard enough for the both of them.
“Damn, you’ve gotten skinnier,” I heard said. “You fuckin’ suck. You still have your boobs.”
I looked up to see my little sister, Priscilla, standing beside my other sister, Daniella. Both of them were grinning hugely.
“I see we brought the entire family,” Lynn said as he arrived just in time to hear Priscilla’s comments.
“Actually,” I grumbled. “I haven’t lost any weight. I found these cool new pants at Target that have tummy control. They’re so tight on me that they’re cutting off circulation to my lower half. But they’re really soft, so I’m able to deal with the tightness.” I looked over at Lynn. “And I’m missing Garrett. So not quite the entire family. If you’re counting siblings. If you’re counting sisters-in-law, then Delanie and Dillan are also not here. And Asa. And…”
I then went on to list exactly who was missing, down to my very newest nephew.
Lynn shook his head with a smile. “I was more just commenting that you were correct in your assumption that they wouldn’t be able to leave you here alone knowing something was going on. Possibly we should’ve just allowed you to hang out in a hotel.”
Bruno made a grumbling sound in his throat before saying, “Wasn’t going to happen. Not with that motherfucker involved.”
“Agreed,” Angel grumbled. “I’ve been dealing with him for a long time. He’s shady as fuck. Even if it was his brother doing the trafficking. There’s no way that Sander doesn’t know.”
Lynn looked around at the private hangar at the airport that he’d come through to make sure that we were alone.
“I swept it before you got here,” Dad replied. “There’s nothing here, and your friend, Hunt, already turned off all camera feeds to this part of the airport.”
Lynn’s head tilted slightly.
“You’re not the only one who has connections,” Dad answered his obvious confusion cryptically. “Now that we’ve all gotten here, let’s do a rundown of what’s happening today.” He paused. “I’d like you to know that for today, I’m not wearing a badge. Angel and my boys will be staying out of this fight until they’re needed.”
I felt my belly clench.