Gael’s head appears between the two seats. “If you two think your flirting is subtle, it is not.”
Erik shakes his head. “I don’t do subtle, Gael. I just like pissing off your cousin.”
Gael, the traitor, holds up his hand, and Erik high-fives him.
“Who knew Erik could talk while flying,” Yaya says, joining her two-timing son.
Erik flushes red and dips his chin. Fuck, that’s adorable.
“Can I assume we will be sleeping on the other side of the house?” Yaya asks with an innocent smile.
I nod confidently. “With earplugs.”
Yaya high-fives me before she and Gael go to the back of the plane. Aside from the usual suspects, Abuelo and Abuela are taking their first flight ever. Erik was unbearably sexy when he offered them both the little plastic wings captains give out to first-time fliers. While they started off slightly terrified, the view of Mexico from up here is far too beautiful to remain terrified forever.
Additionally, Wimberley gave us the go-ahead to bring Sara and her daughter, Antonia, with us. It hurt at first to hear what my grandfather had named his daughter. I’m sure he meant it as some kind of dig or to erase me, but I have decided that it means she and I have a connection. She’s already teased me about being both “Ant’s Aunt” and nearly as tall as me.
Five-year-olds are mean, y’all.
I’m happy to see that Sara is a good mother. She doesn’t know where she wants to go next, but getting out of Mexico is a priority while Wimberley chases down the syndicate.
While we’ve been in the air, they’ve confirmed four drone strikes on four high-target locations, including what appears to be the headquarters outside of Mexico City. Anders is still butthurt about not being included, and it makes me nervous to help him and Hopper understand that I’m not really one of them after all.
Maybe that sounds crazy to say after my little killing spree, but that’s how it feels in my head. My brain will be a tangled mess for a while, but I can hear Hedy saying it’s okay to sit in confusion while I work it out.
Anyway, I’m just looking forward to getting home.
* * *
Erikand I don’t get to fuck right away because, well, my abuela is here, and I’m not about to swing from the light fixtures in front of her. Additionally, none of us have had anything to eat since breakfast, and we’re all starving. Erik makes a quick spaghetti meal that is more delicious than a jar of sauce and a packet of dry pasta has any right to be.
Finally, everyone gets settled in, and it’s just me and Erik in the kitchen. I’m making myself a cup of tea, and he comes up behind me, gently placing his chin on my head.
“You didn’t have to give Emil and Yaya your bed,” I say, smiling.
“Oh yes, I did.”
Stirring in the honey, I ask, completely innocently, “Yeah? Why is that?”
“If I have to spell that out for you then—”
Before he can finish the sentence, however, someone clears their throat. Erik and I spin around, and Javier stands there with Levy, looking a little sheepish.
“Uh, just wanted to let you know we were taking off,” Levy says, stifling a laugh.
I crack up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to traumatize you.”
“There’s literally nothing you could say that would traumatize me more than overhearing Nacho call my brotherDr. Barlowein that submissive voice of his.”
We all laugh because we’ve all heard it.
Levy pulls me into a hug. “Tomorrow night is Friday. We were going to do dinner over at Bram’s house, but if your family would enjoy it, we’d rather have Friday dinner here. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea. I miss having dinner here, and I have a big something I’m grateful for to share.”
“That’s me, right?” Erik cracks.
I wrinkle my nose. “It was. Now I’m not so sure.”
