“You’re trying to get yourself killed. That’s what you’re doing!”
“And if you were me, you’d be doing the same-”
“Whoa! Stop it!” Orlando said, inserting herself between them. She looked at Quinn. “Do you really think barking at Liz is going to help?” She turned to Liz. “And you, showing up here like this? Do you really expect him not to be mad?”
“I don’t care if he’s mad! I’m not here for him. I’m here for Nate.”
“Who the hell do you think
There was a snort of laughter from near the rear of the car. All three of them looked over.
Daeng held up his hands. “Sorry,” he said, unable to keep the smile from his face.
Orlando gave him a “you are
“You two calm down. Now. Understand?” When no one replied, she raised her voice. “Understand?”
A pause, then Quinn nodded and Liz followed suit.
The looks on their faces were almost identical. If Orlando hadn’t known they were related, there’d be no missing it at that moment.
Now that she thought about it, it was actually kind of funny seeing Quinn up against himself, but she suppressed the smile that had almost made an appearance, knowing it would have only made things worse.
“See that rock?” she said to Quinn. The medicine ball-sized rock was near the edge of the brush. “Take a seat. And you.” This time she directed her words at Liz. “Take that other one.” Liz’s rock was about five feet from her brother’s and approximately the same size.
“Look, Liz,” Quinn said. “You can’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I’m not leaving until-”
“I. Said. Sit,” Orlando ordered.
With a glare, Quinn lowered himself onto his assigned rock. Liz, seeing her brother comply, did the same.
“Okay,” Orlando said. “Liz, how did you find us?”
“I followed you.”
“Yeah, but how did you know to find us in Tampico?”
“No,” Liz said. “I followed you from L.A.”
“You followed us from L.A.?”
“Yes.”
“And how the hell did you do
Liz clammed up.
“Actually,” Orlando said. “I’d like to know the answer to that, too.”
Reluctant at first, Liz told them about how she had only pretended to be in San Diego, and described what she’d done to make them believe it. She told them how she’d recorded their conversations at the house.
While the admission surprised Orlando, she could see it had shocked Quinn. He would have never believed his own system could be used against him, especially by his sister.
When Liz told them about Monterrey, Daeng said to Quinn, “Maybe you should hire her sometime. She’s almost as good as you.”
The comment was not received in the humor with which it was meant. For a few seconds, Quinn’s anger with his sister transferred to the former monk. But by the end of Liz’s story, Orlando could see that even though Quinn was still mad, the edge had been dulled.
“I’m not leaving,” Liz said. “I want to help find Nate. I
Quinn, his voice much calmer than before, said, “Liz, I understand, okay? I really do. But it’s too dangerous. Whoever’s taken him has some pretty extensive resources, and know what they’re doing.”
“You know what you’re doing, too,” she pointed out. “And I followed you all the way here.”
“And we caught you,” he said. “Trust me. If they got ahold of you-and they would-they wouldn’t be as nice as we’re being.”
“I don’t care. Nate saved my life more than once. I can’t just step out of the way when he’s the one in danger.”
“I get it. But you’re not trained for this. You could get us all-”
“You’re not listening to me.
“Liz, do you mind if Quinn, Daeng, and I talk for a moment?” Orlando asked.
Liz looked at her and shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. But I’m not changing my mind.”
“I think you’ve made that clear.”
Orlando motioned for Quinn and Daeng to follow her. They walked down the road far enough so Liz couldn’t hear them.
“She’s going back to L.A.,” Quinn said. “There’s no other choice.”
“I don’t think the choice is actually yours,” Orlando said. “You can try sending her back, but unless you’re going with her and sitting on her lap, she’s not going to stay.”
“I’ll hire someone to watch her.”
“You do realize how intelligent your sister is, right? What do you think the chances are that she figures out a way to get free from whoever that might be?”
“I know the answer,” Daeng said. “One hundred percent, right?”
“Shut up,” Quinn told him.
“Oh, hell, no. This is too much fun.”
“You enjoy seeing me fight with my sister?”
“No, but I see the only path you can take,” Daeng said. “You’ll eventually find it yourself. It’s just fun watching you get there.”
“Oh, you can see the path, can you? What path would that be?”
“Best if you find it on your own.”
“Go to hell.”
“This isn’t helping,” Orlando said.
“She’s going back to L.A.,” Quinn said. “If I have to, I’ll have her locked in a room.”
“And she’ll never talk to you again. Is that really what you want?”
He seethed for a moment. “Better that than she gets killed. Look, I don’t care if she gets free of whoever’s watching her. By then we’ll be gone and she won’t be able to catch up.”
“Think about it,” she said. “What if she comes back to Mexico and starts nosing around? Maybe the people who have Nate won’t know or care, but there are people here who could become concerned and would have reason to shut her up. Moreno, for one.”
“He’s in no condition to do anything.”
“You’re letting your overprotectiveness cloud reality. Moreno will have friends, and if he even gets a hint she’s associated with us, he’ll be more than happy to take out his retribution on her. You
“So, she stays with us? Is that what you’re suggesting?”
“Do we really have a choice? This way we’ll know where she is. I’m sure we can find some things for her to do.”
“And when we find out where Nate is? What do we do with her then?”
“Hope that she’s clear-minded enough to see that things will go smoother if she’s out of our way.”
“What if she doesn’t?”
Orlando looked at him, her eyes softening. “I ask you again, what choice do we have?”
Quinn stared down at the ground and closed his eyes. “Dammit.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“It’s
“But it’s not a no, either.”
Quinn’s eyelids parted, but he said nothing.
Daeng clapped him on the back. “See, I told you you’d find the path.”
