Page 38 of Gabriel

Luis was right, of course. Jet was a problem, the one that we could no longer locate because the psychopath vanished into thin air. But it would hardly make Amara the enemy. Right? Shit, I had to get myself together because when she was around, it was hard to think straight.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Luis muttered. “Do us both a favor and steer clear of Amara. She and her family are walking disasters.”

“She’s complicated,” I said, unlocking my phone and pulling up my tracking app. A single red dot moved slowly on the map. I still couldn’t believe she hadn’t questioned taking my Jeep. “No one chooses their family.” Why in the fuck was I even defending her? Dammit. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, I understand. You’re looking for trouble,” he said, shifting into drive. “I’m begging you not to make it a lifestyle because it reflects poorly on me.”

We pulled out onto the road, and for a few seconds, neither of us said anything.

Luis broke the silence. “I’d like you to fall for someone boring. You know, someone with a job, a real one. Like a nurse. Or a barista.”

I smirked. “That’d be nice. If I ever wake up and find out I’ve got a boring life.”

Luis laughed, the sharp chuckle all but drowned out by the crunching of gravel under tires. “If you ever wake up bored, remind me to call a priest or a coroner.”

Little lights blinked on the screen, one of them marking Amara’s last known location.

“Looks like she parked by the buildings near the docks,” I muttered.

Luis glanced over, arching a brow. “I know of a certain person of interest there.”

“Yeah, Esteban. The fucking kid is trouble.”

Another chuckle. “Sounds familiar. Do you think Amara knows him?”

I turned my head to level him with a look that saidWhat do you think?“I don’t think she just happened to park her boat near the city’s most reliable hacker.”

Luis smirked, eyes back on the road. “Well, if she fries any circuits, I’m blaming you. Just remember that I warned you to kill Amara and her crazy adoptive siblings. At the very least, it would have solved the problem of that loose cannon pining after Anya. But no, you didn’t want to cross that line.”

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face like it might wipe away the headache forming behind my eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Next time I’ll be sure to pencil in murder between coffee and light extortion. Really brightens up the calendar.” I clicked my tongue. “Diplomacy is key in our line of business, especially if I’m going to be invited to family reunions."

Luis barked a laugh. “Yeah, that’s about as likely as a snowstorm in the goddamn Sahara.”

“Hard to tell who’s the bigger pain in my ass right now—you or them.”

He shot me a shit-eating grin. “Please. It’s not even a competition, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I gave him a look—flat, unimpressed—but the smile still tugged at the corner of my mouth like it had a mind of its own. “Congratulations. You’re officially insufferableandself-aware. A rare combo.”

“Is there a medal for something like that?” he questioned.

I rolled my eyes, then turned serious.

“That unhinged freak wants Anya. And I suspect it’s not in the schoolboy-crush, pass-a-note kind of way. A part of me worries how far Jet will go.”

Luis sobered instantly, the grin dropping off his face. He glanced at me, jaw tight. “Then we make sure he doesn’t get the chance.”

The vehicle rolled on through the city, heat rising off the pavement despite the late hour. I stared ahead, but my thoughts were miles away. Somewhere darker. Somewhere colder.

Amara

This city felt like it was rotting from the inside out.

I walked the cracked sidewalk near La Bodeguita Dock, the wind whipping in off the ocean sharp enough to slice through the fabric of my shirt. It was a welcome reprieve in this humid heat.

A cargo ship groaned in the distance, cranes silhouetted against a smoke-choked sky, the whole area pulsing with the low, mechanical throb of machines that never slept. Somewhere, bobbing in the inky-black sea, Elira was waiting for me. The thought gave me the confidence boost I needed to complete my mission.