Emma turns her attention to Liv. “Hey, I wanted to let you know now that I can talk freely in the car that we may be gone for a while. Something has happened that may be a bit dangerous, and we need to leave.”
Liv looks between us. “Where are you going?”
Philip looks at Emma in the rearview mirror, and Emma nods. Ignoring Philip’s pleas to stay silent she, of course, does the exact opposite.
“I told Liv no more secrets, Philip.” She brushes back her hair that has fallen out of her loose bun and inhales deeply, closing her eyes.
Liv waits patiently, as if she’s almost afraid to blink.
“The man that killed my family lives in Brownsville, and we are going to hide out, assessing the situation to ensure the next part of our plan to take revenge for our family is implemented.
Liv snorts. “Damn, Em. You say that like it’s a nursing care plan you used to write for school.”
Emma laughs, and I look at them, not understanding the joke, but I am sure I won’t get many of their private jokes.
“Well, I do have a fully furnished condo near Brownsville, and it sits empty now, if you need a place to hide out, just so you know.”
Philip looks at me, and I place my hands together.
“Oh, a secret hideaway lair. How perfect.” I rub my hands together like an evil overlord plotting Earth’s demise.
Emma slaps Liv’s leg, startling her. “Liv, that might just be what we are looking for. Do you need to ask Dax, though?”
She shakes her head. “Nah, we can’t use it now anyway, and I’m sure he’s offered it to Jameson also. Not a problem. Just let me know, and it’s yours if you need it.”
“It’s right on the beach, too, huh?” I ask anxiously.
Liv nods. “Yep, you’ll love it.”
She sits back, and we laugh and talk about normal things women our age would. They catch me up on their friends back in Padre Island, since we are on the topic of it.
Soon, the trip is over, and we make plans to do it again soon. They drop me off next, and I tell Emma that I’ll see her later. As I am walking to the door, I hear the car door open. Emma comes running over to me and tightly hugs me.
“I am so glad that we have the chance to do this, Evie.”
I hug her back. “Me too, Em.”
With that, she gets back into the car and drives off as soon as I enter my apartment. With everything that will happen in the near future and all the unforeseen complications with Mr. Martinez and now Mateo’s grandfather, it was nice to have a sense of normalcy, even if it is just for a brief moment.
Jameson, Mateo, and I drive over to Eduardo’s and Emma’s place since we planned on meeting there to discuss our next step with Ramón. We found out that Ramón is Mateo’s biological grandfather and Mr. Martinez’s father, so we have to decide what this could mean for all of us. Eli, Gus, and Philip are there. We are all gathered around the island. Eduardo comes out of his office with his laptop.
“I have a few people who are going to be on a video conference with us.”
“Who is it, babe?” Emma plops herself onto Eduardo’s lap, and he pulls her in tight, moving her off to the side as he tries to shift himself discreetly. Emma tries to move over, and he halts her, whispering something into her ear. Her face blushes, and she nods once.
Mateo’s eyes narrow, and I cough to hide the laugh that threatens to leave me.
Eduardo clears his throat. “My dad, for one, my brother Ramiro and his fiancée, Anna—” Emma cuts in.
“Oh, that call. Our Uncle Andrés and cousin Adrian, too then?” Emma announces.
I can’t help the question that leaves my mouth. “Why is your brother’s fiancée listening in?”
Eduardo leans over the island, pushing Emma along with him. “We don’t keep secrets from each other anymore, Evie. We are family, and all of us here, whether related by blood or not, are family. Our own family is built on love, trust, and respect for one another. No more secrets.”
Emma leans over to him, nuzzling her face into his neck. “I couldn’t have said it better, my love.”
Eduardo claps his hands. “Okay, ready to get this started?” He logs into the video conference call, and faces pop up on the computer, letting us know that they are all there and ready. After a few rounds of ‘can you hear me?’ and ‘how do I turn on my camera?’ we are finally ready to formulate a plan together.
