“What did you find out?” Callie asks, before I get a chance.
“He’s alive,” Nina blurts, her voice catching. She clamps her mouth shut and raises her hand to cover her mouth, shaking her head to hold back a surge of emotion. Katherine nods, and takes Nina’s hand, squeezing tight.
“We found more recent footage taken outside Amador’s compound, near the water. A man matching Chris’ description is seen on a daily basis among a small group of laborers who work under armed guard. Amador evidently has a group of who we assume are captives he uses for slave labor doing construction around his compound. During the springtime they’ve been building what looks like a breakwater off the coast below the house. It suggests he’s planning to dock something close, and not his yacht, which he keeps in a marina farther down the coast.”
Callie nods as she takes in her mother’s news, but the grip she has on my hand is so tight I have a feeling she only heard the first part and is just waiting to speak. When Katherine stops, she finally lets loose.
“When can you get him out?”
Katherine shakes her head, grimacing. “It’s not that easy, honey. We’ve been planning this operation for years already. The intel Mason secured for us is enough to move forward, but it’s still going to take some planning before we can mount our attack on Amador’s compound. Captain Watts is on the ground in Belize, putting together a team, but they’re nowhere close to ready. We need to cover every single angle so we don’t go in unprepared. Getting Chris out is only a secondary priority.”
“But it is a priority, right?” Callie asks, her voice turning shrill.
“Honey, finding the right men for the team doesn’t happen overnight. We need to do this right to minimize collateral damage and make sure the mission is a success. Like I said, Captain Watts is building a team. That part is in his hands. It’ll take time before all the intel has been fully analyzed and the plan nailed down. I just wanted to come and give you two a personal update that all evidence points to Chris being alive, and that we’re moving forward on the next phase of the operation.”
The toilet in the adjoining bathroom flushes, and we all go silent as whoever is on the other side of the door turns on the faucet for a brief second. When the water turns off, the bathroom door opens.
Marco stands in the doorway, his casual demeanor replaced by steely determination. He spears me with a sharp look that I can’t read, but I’m positive a hard conversation is in store for me later. Then he looks at Katherine.
“If you’re talking about Captain Benjamin Watts, I want you to tell him Marco Santos wants in. He’ll remember me. Because whatever the fuck this ‘mission’ is, if it involves my family, you’d better be damn sure I’m going to personally make sure it’s a success.”
I clear my throat and point at my brother. “Senator Longo, I’d like you to meet my brother, Marco.”
“I know who you are, Commander Santos,” Katherine says. “And you didn’t hear this from me, but your entire team is already on our list. We just have to go through proper channels to get you reassigned. You will hear from us before too long, I assure you.”
Introductions and revelations settled, I leave Callie to spend time with her mom and best friend, while Marco heads to the back yard to take over grilling duties from Sam. I settle into a chair on the back porch, nursing my beer and watching as Zoe is fawned over by Celeste while Mom looks on with a smile. My daughter is a fearless little thing once she gets comfortable with new people and seems to thrive as the center of attention.
“She’ll rule your life if you let her,” says a deep voice from the doorway behind me. I crane my head around to see Arturo Flores step through, dressed down in slacks and a peach-colored button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He clinks his bottle with mine and takes the empty seat next to me.
I eye him suspiciously before nodding. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He chuckles. “You say that now when she’s too young to get into much trouble. Just you wait. She’ll challenge you at every turn.”
His gaze is fixed on Celeste, but I don’t see an ounce of regret. Only pride.
I tense when the Quiñones twins step through the door, but they stride right past Flores as if he isn’t there and straight to their sister Toni, who stands in conversation with a couple other guests near a table filled with desserts. My little brother Sam stands at Toni’s side and scowls at the twins when Toni greets both her brothers with big hugs. I don’t miss the sidelong looks they give Sam, which prompt him to turn and slink back through the crowd. He stops at Elle’s side and hovers over her like a big guard dog, his eyes narrowed at Benny and Baz as if daring them to try something.
Sure enough, within a few moments, both twins’ gazes gravitate to my sister, but Sam’s right in their line of sight. This is definitely a fight in the making, and I hope to hell the parties involved keep their heads. Sam’s been in love with Toni since he was a teen. Now she’s his boss, but his adoration of her has only grown keener over the years. And it’s hard to say what the twins’ interest is in Elle, but they went to school together and have been friends for years, so maybe it’s innocent, but you
