"You were out of the country?" Angel asked.
"Yep." I took a bite and basically died and went to Heaven. After I recovered and swallowed it down, I added, "Spent a little over a year in Zambia."
"Africa? Wow, what were you doing there?" Angel asked.
"Running drugs," Bones said, gesturing at me. "Obviously. I mean look at her."
"You see what I'm dealing with here?" Angel asked. "Not funny at all."
But I was giggling uncontrollably at the absurdity of the idea. "He's a little funny."
Bones grinned. "See?" he asked Angel.
Angel hadn't touched his pizza. He loosened his tie and opened the top button of his shirt.
"You should eat, it's good," I said.
He looked to Bones, as if for confirmation, before digging in. Did he think I'd lie about the quality of the food?
"I originally went to help build wells, but then the job ended and there was this orphanage with the most incredible kids. They needed an assistant, and I needed something to do with my life, so I stayed and helped out."
"Changed your plans just like that, huh?" Angel asked, shaking his head. "I can't even imagine."
He probably had a lot more going on than I did. Besides, I'd been running from reality. "Didn't have much to come back for, and besides, they were adorable kids. Just the sweetest, rottenest little brats on the planet. Oh the trouble they caused and the things they got into." I smiled at the memories.
"Sounds awful," Bones said.
Not for me. I'd always had a soft spot for bratty kids. "Nah. Where I grew up, everyone was kinda fake. I like working with kids--especially the bad ones--because they're real. You always know where you stand with them. Besides, I like the challenge," I admitted.
"You went by yourself?" Angel asked. "I mean... no boyfriend or family or anything?"
Was he trying to see if I was attached? "Nope. I'd just gotten out of college and needed a little time to fly solo."
"That's crazy," Angel said, but the respect in his eyes told me crazy was good, not bad. "But weren't you afraid? I thought all kinds of shit was going down in Africa."
"Yes. There were a couple of shootings in the village and we had to hide in the bush a few times. It's weird when you're protecting other people, though. Your instincts kick in and you don't think about being scared. You just do what you gotta do. You know? Then you freak out after."
Angel watched me, his eyes dark. Brown? Black? I couldn't tell, but there was an intensity to them that made me feel like he was really listening.
"What are you doing in Vegas?" Bones asked.
"Looking for my sister." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my pictures until I found one of her. "She's not returning my calls or texts, so I came to find her. I know Vegas is big and all, but will you look at this and tell me if you recognize her?"
"Sure," Angel said, reaching for the phone. "Bones knows at least half the city, I swear."
Angel looked at the photo and shook his head before passing it to Bones.
Bones's forehead scrunched up. "She looks familiar, but I can't place her. Where does she work?"
"I don't know. Some restaurant, but she never told me the name of it. She's a singer and came hoping to get her big break."
Bones passed me back the phone. "Sorry. I probably ran into her at a club or something."
Bones's pocket buzzed. He pulled out his phone and eyed it.
"They're here?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. They must have caught a tail wind, because their flight just landed."
