Page 24

“Lucky me.” I grabbed my bag, purse, and dress and followed them out the door.

Exiting the hotel was even scarier than when we arrived. Maybe because I kept thinking I was seeing Mr. Melty Face. I tried to convince myself he might not even be alive.

I don’t remember much of the drive, as I was dead tired and wired at the same time.

Everything seemed to morph into a blur inside my head.

I was in the front per Cole’s request, and Paul drove.

The rest of the guys were passed out in the back.

At one point, I turned to say something to Paul but changed my mind.

I was good with people. It was what made me good at my job, but Paul seemed to dislike me being around, and I wasn’t sure why.

Bruno popped into my thoughts, and the memories from the first time I met him pricked away at the door I kept under lock and key in my head. I’d been about two years into my job when I had caught his attention, and it was a time I’d like to forget.

I pulled my legs up on the seat of the van and curled into a ball and tried to sleep, but with the sleep came the nightmare.

Stop. Stop. Stop. My muscles clenched as I instantly came awake, and I pressed my head into my kneecaps in fear I’d yell out.

Ben had warned me the nightmares would get worse if I didn’t deal with my trauma, but I thought I had them under control, until now.

“Have you ever been to Holbox?” Paul asked just above a whisper, careful not to wake the others.

“No.” I tried to use his distraction to bring myself down, but it wasn’t easy. “I mostly worked Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Chiapas. I occasionally jumped the border into El Salvador.”

“Never mid- or northern Mexico?”

Again, the memories made their way to the surface and smothered my sanity, testing its limits. “Do you have any family in the States?” I asked him, and he glanced at me. I knew he hadn’t missed my change in subject.

His hand flexed on the steering wheel, and I wondered if I’d hit a nerve. “No.”

I quickly asked a different question. “What made you want to join Blackstone?”

“To make a difference. Why did you become a war correspondent?”

“To make a difference,” I repeated.

His lips finally broke into a smile, and I liked how his face looked when he did. “Fair.” He thought for a moment. “Do you have any family back in the States?”

I turned to look out the window and thought about how that question made me feel empty and hollow inside.

“I did,” I confessed, “but I don’t anymore.”

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Sorry would mean someone loved me enough for me to miss them.” My mouth moved before my brain could stop it. “I think I’m destined to be alone.”

His hand tightened on the wheel again. “Now, that’s something I understand.”

“At least you have them.” I nodded over my shoulder. “All I have is a plant that might or might not be alive. He’s living with my doorman.” Tears prickled my eyes, and I realized how much I missed having someone, anyone. “How sad is that?”

“I killed a succulent once,” he remarked, and I laughed but quickly covered my mouth so as not to wake anyone. I dropped my feet to the floor and sighed as I dried my cheeks. “What about Ben Bale?”

“Ben? He’s a good friend, but we see the world too differently to ever have any kind of relationship, if that’s what you mean.

” I thought about Ben. “He’s a great guy and the best at getting pictures that show all the ugly truths, but they only scratch the surface.

I want to dig deep and report the stories with all the details. ”

“You two have worked together for a long time, then?”

“Long enough.” I didn’t elaborate. I blew out a puff of air as I remembered how he was when I was released from Bruno the first time.

He’d been there for me, but he made sure I knew how disappointed he was at the risks I took to get a story.

He hated how I had gained the trust of men like Sully Sanchez.

Little did he know the real truth…I lived my life on the edge because I had nothing to lose.

“When you work with someone long enough, they become family,” he said.

“I have a story that’s going to change the way things are here in Mexico. I’m just waiting for the day I can lay out all the facts and take down a tier of my own.” I didn’t know why I’d just dropped that little bombshell, but he took it in stride.

“Well, we’re on a drive. Why don’t you tell me about it, and maybe we can help.”

I let a smile form on my lips as I sorted through my tangled thoughts. “No, this story is something I have to do on my own.” He didn’t push, and I liked that about him. Instead, we sat in silence and watched the moon ride along with us.

A while later, Paul pulled up to a set of gates, said something I couldn’t hear, and waited for them to open.

We drove down a tiny street that was only large enough for one car, and after a few turns, my jaw dropped at the sight.

A sign read Aguas Brillantes. Roughly translated, it meant Shining Waters.

The ocean looked black against the moonlight that seemed to dance among the waves.

They made a peaceful sound as they lapped at the shoreline.

“What is this place? It’s so beautiful.”

“Mike’s wife, Catalina, has an old friend who agreed to let us stay at one of his cabins.

At least here we’ll have some protection, and we’ll be hidden away from the public.

” He parked and looked around before he opened his door and stepped out.

I joined him as the others slowly woke. Paul handed me my bags, and I followed him to the stairs of the cabin.

He felt along the gutter until he snagged a key.

The smell of something freshly baked filled my senses when he swung open the door.

“Wait here.” He pulled his gun, and I stepped out of his way as he cleared the cabin.

A moment later, he returned. “All clear.” While Paul clicked on some lights, I took in the large windows and French doors that led out to a patio and dock.

I set my bags down and opened the doors and stepped outside to let the salty air brush over me.

“Mike, thank the wife,” Mark sighed. “Am I delirious, or do I smell cookies?” He put a hand over his heart. “Man, this is way better than a hotel room.”

I came back in and leaned my hip on the doorframe as I watched them set up their command station. They made it look as simple as breathing. They worked in unison. Each one knew exactly what they had to do, and I suddenly felt out of place.

“All right, there’s seven of us and three bedrooms,” Cole announced. “There’s two queens in that room.” He pointed. “Paul and Mark, you’re with me in one room. That one has one king, so Keith, John, and Mike in that room, and there’s a king in that one. You take that one, Nicole.”

“So, there’s a bed for all except one of you?” I didn’t like that idea.

“Trust me, we’re used to it.” Mike smiled.

Though I liked my space, I was supposed to be a part of the team, and if they were all bunking up, so could I. “I can share a bed with someone.” They all stopped and looked at me. “Seriously, I’ve bunked with Ben many times.”

“Paul.” Cole nodded. He didn’t miss a beat, and I liked that, but I saw the smirk on Mark’s face when Paul grabbed his bag from the other room and brought it into mine.

I was hoping for anyone else, but I also knew he was the only one who didn’t have a wife.

The last thing I wanted to do was cause trouble for any of them later.

Paul tossed his bag on the couch, and I stepped into the room, I hoped he wasn’t pissed off.

“Sorry if I made things weird.”

“You didn’t,” he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He looked tired and stressed.

“Okay.” I pulled out my laptop and plugged it into the wall and checked my email. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my purse and stepped outside into the warm breeze.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” His tone had a bite to it, and I took notice of the time, somewhat regretting giving him this new number.

“Holbox.”

“Good. You’re nice and close. You ready for the party?”

“Yes.”

“You know what you need to do?”

“Yes.” I hesitated and knew he wasn’t going to like me asking questions. “The guest list hasn’t changed?” Silence.

“No.”

“Good.” I felt my shoulders relax.

“Don’t get sidetracked. Get in and get out, but not until you have what I need.”

I nodded like he could see me. “When have I not?” This time I hung up on him and closed my eyes. He was such a dick.

I turned to go back inside but jumped when I saw Paul leaning against the door, watching me.

“Who was that?”

“Jack,” I lied.

“Since when do Washington Post employees call this time of night?”

“One step forward and three steps back, huh?” I moved past him, but he grabbed my arm and swung me to look at him. He stared into my eyes as if to read my thoughts. “I see we’re right back to where we were before the taco truck.” My voice was low and there was a level of hurt to it.

He let me go, and I grabbed my bag and headed for the bathroom.

“Ah!” Mark screamed like a teenage girl as I walked in. He covered his nipples with his hands dramatically, and I rolled my eyes and stepped back. He had pants on; he was just shirtless.

“So, one bathroom and six guys. Aren’t I lucky?” I huffed, and Mark popped his head out.

“Like what you saw?”

“Tune him out,” Keith muttered beside me. “It’s what we all do.”

“You know, Keith,” Mark came strolling out in his camo pants as he hiked a t-shirt over his head, “I think sharing a room is going to be a good thing for us. We need a little us time.” Keith flipped him the finger, and Mark sent me a playful smile.

“It’s just so much fun.” He winked, and I grinned at how light and playful he was with the other guys. “Bathroom’s all yours.”