“We can.” I hadn’t asked, but he’d answered. “Every now and again, we’ll run.”
We let the silence settle around us as we ate, watching the people. There were kids playing in the sand, as their parents lay on beach towels nearby. Couples quietly talking as they walked past us. Some wondered what to do next. Others tried to decide what to eat. The waves crashed along the beach, providing ambiance.
I sat back in my chair, people-watching, when I noticed a man near the trinket shop. I probably wouldn’t have thought much of it, but it was clear he was watching us. He stood out among the tourists, wearing an expensive suit with shiny dress shoes. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he pushed the flaps up—revealing the gun at his waistband.
“Bob…by.” I caught his attention, and he leaned forward in his chair. “Man…” I slowly tilted my head in that direction. “Suit.”
He must have understood enough because he let his napkin drop to the ground. Pretending to stretch his back, Thunder leaned down, finding the man in the crowd as he picked it up. “Do you recognize him?” He leaned in, whispering in my ear. Thunder had a volume problem, and this was the only way he wouldn’t draw more scrutiny to us. I shook my head.
Thunder pushed a piece of hair behind my ear before he pulled back and opened his phone. He typed out a quick message before he dialled a number and hit call. “Did you get my text?” he asked, not bothering to say hello. There weren’t enough words to determine who was on the other end of the line.
“What the fuck?” he bellowed, holding his hand out for the gift bag sitting on the table next to me. I passed it to him, scanning his face for any clues.
“That was convenient for them.” He tucked the phone against his ear, pulling the gift box out of the bag. “Okay, what am I looking for?” I was confused, but I didn’t dare interrupt.
Thunder opened the box, letting the lid snap into place before he flipped the stone over, running his finger up the back and over the diamonds where they connected to the chain. He stopped, pressing his thumb forward and back over the connection. “I’m going to send you a picture and call you back. I think I got it.” He hung up. Reaching for my hand, he kissed my knuckles. “It’s alright. Let me do my thing, and I’ll explain soon.” All I could do was nod my head. I was confused, but Thunder would let nothing happen to me.
He called whoever it was. “Did you get it?” His tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth as he listened. “That’s it, isn’t it?” His eyes rolled up to the sky. “I’m leaving it here.” He waited another beat before agreeing and hanging up the phone. “We need to go.”
Chapter 11
Abort The Mission
Thunder
I tucked Liz under my arm, and we walked as quickly as she could back to the resort. My head was on a swivel, scanning for the man in the suit, but he’d disappeared into the crowd.
El Daga de Plata.
The Silver Dagger.
Alex had sent his nephew. He had to have been the same man who paid the saleswoman to make sure Liz walked out with that necklace. I didn’t know which part of today made me angrier: that Alex had set her up, or that he’d known her better than I did. No one would have been the wiser if she hadn’t told me about the out-of-place man in a suit.
We made it back to our room, but before I swiped the keycard to open the door, I held my finger to my lips. There was no way of knowing if someone had bugged our room. Liz seemed to understand, or at least, she was holding up under the pressure.
The door opened, and I quickly scanned the visible parts of the room from the doorway. Nothing seemed out of place, but I still had this instinct that something wasn’t right. Making sure Liz was in the room, I closed the door, letting it latch before I searched.
Bathroom clear.
Bedroom empty.
The sheer curtains covering the glass panes of the French doors billowed in the breeze. Someone had cracked them open, and it hadn’t been us.
I texted Cyph once the room was clear and waited for the next set of instructions. I wasn’t running this operation blind. Supposedly, Cyph had watched us walk back to the resort through the tourist cameras running a live feed on the boardwalk’s website. Now that we were here, he was moving us in the system to another floor to await the club’s arrival. They were going to have to provide an escort. Safety in numbers.
My phone dinged with an incoming text.
Cyph
5th Floor - Room 515
Use the keycard you already have.
Don’t open the door to strangers.
Fucker. I was old enough to be his father.
Me:
