Rising Hope by Edie James
19
“Where are you?”
Enzo pulled the phone away from his ear and winced. He knew that tone. His twin was riled up about something.
As soon as the two other agents unloaded the drugs, Sarah had taken off in her sports car, driving hard and fast. He’d chosen to amble down the dirt road rather than eat her dust. He hadn’t gotten a quarter mile before he got the call.
Rather than make up an excuse, he tried to defuse the situation. “What’s going on?”
”You tell me,” Emmie said through gritted teeth.
A wave of panic washed over him. What had she discovered? “What do you mean?”
”It’s Monday.”
He groaned inwardly. Monday. His weekly date with their niece, Wren. She’d be waiting for him at Widowmaker Beach for their regular surf session. No wonder his sister was so angry.
The mission was making a mess out of his life.
“I’m on my way over,” he assured Emmie. It would be half an hour, at least, but he didn’t mention that.
Emmie sighed loudly. “Don’t bother. I dropped her off at her bestie’s house.” He could hear road noise in the background. She was driving, too. “The family’s worried about you,” she said after a minute. “I’m worried about you.”
The soft words hit him in the heart. He combed his mind for a plausible story.
“I’m fine,” he lied, willing an idea into existence. “Look, I’m sorry I’ve been so distracted lately. We had a bad rescue last week. I’m still trying to shake it off, I guess. Please tell Wren I’m super sorry. We’ll hit the beach next Monday for sure. No excuses.”
“Will do. I’m here if you need to talk.”
“I know.” Bless the Lord, he loved his family. They were there for him. Every one of them. Especially his brilliant, beautiful, intense little twin. He ached to talk to her about this mess, but Halliburton’s warning still rang in his ears.
He made another excuse and ended the call. Despite the chill of the air blasting him from the dash, sweat broke out on his brow. This assignment needed to go away before he had any more amends to make.
He slammed his phone down on the seat, cranked the stereo, and let the pounding beat of his favorite worship band blow away the cobwebs. He’d track down the missing pilot. Sarah would arrange for the big meet with the cartel’s top dogs, and this stupid mission would go away.
Too bad he hadn’t anticipated just how tenacious Emilianna could be. Twenty minutes later, he turned onto his street and hit the brakes. Emmie’s bright green Beetle sat smack in the middle of his driveway.
Seriously? For half a second, he considered just driving away, but he’d never run from anything in his life. Plus, that would be lame.
He pulled up to the curb and pressed a hand to his belly. He should have known she wouldn’t let him off so easily. Grabbing his backpack, he headed for the door, hoping against hope he could skate out of this without too many more lies.
Not gonna happen, he realized the minute he caught sight of his twin and his father planted at his kitchen table.
“Hi, son,” his dad greeted him with that familiar, lopsided smile.
Two strokes had done a number on the left side of Chip MacKenzie’s body, numbing his leg and the side of his face.
But nothing could dim the fierce fire in the man’s eyes. No mystery where Emmie got her intensity.
Before he could even set down his pack, they started in.
His father raked him with a look and squeezed his cane with his good hand. “I hit up some of my old contacts,” he said. “Noah called in a few favors, too. This Duvall woman’s trouble, son.”
Enzo’s stomach flip flopped. They knew about Sarah. Or rather, Peaches.
He wasn’t edgy like Dante, or bull-headed like Rollo. He hated lying. Halliburton’s warning rang in his ears, reminding him of the potential danger to his family. Better that the fam consider his judgement sketchy. Once he was free to explain everything, they’d all have a good laugh. Right?
He spread his hands, trying his best to look like the trustworthy guy he used to be. “I’m just the pilot, Dad. I ferry her to her LA house and back. That’s it.”
Dad looked concerned. “If you need money, you just have to ask.”
He set his jaw. “Or I can work a little extra and do this myself.”
“Do what?” Emmie pressed, going all full-lawyer mode.
“Your brother’s taken on a second job,” his dad answered for him.
“Why?” Emmie asked suspiciously.
Enzo gritted his teeth then forced a smile on his face—wanting so badly to tell her the truth. “I’m thinking about buying one of those new parcels in Cabrillo Estates.”
“Like for a house?” His twin looked stunned.
“No. For a llama farm.”
Emmie crossed her arms and fixed him with a knowing stare. “Who is she?”
He wrinkled his nose, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. Which, he actually didn’t. “She who?”
“This woman who has you thinking about building a house.”
“There’s no woman.” The first true thing he’d said since he walked in.
Emmie looked him straight in the eye. ”Okay, Mr. Secretive. I can be patient.”
His father snorted. “I can’t.”
Enzo was dying inside. He hated lying. Besides being flat out wrong, and an affront to the Lord, lying distanced him from the people he loved most. But he had no choice. He needed to protect Sarah and himself from the dangerous consequences of their undercover mission. He took a deep breath and dove deeper. “It’s just a side gig, okay? Nothing to worry about.”
His father leaned forward. “Son, we don’t mean to dig into your business. We just want to make sure you’re okay. You’ve been acting strange lately.”
Enzo forced a casual shrug and hoped the lie would be enough to satisfy them. “I know, and I appreciate your concern. But I’m fine, really. Just a little stressed out from work, that’s all.”
His father clapped him on the shoulder with his good arm. “I hear you. Just don’t miss the homecoming on Saturday.” He hitched a thumb at Emmie. “This one and her sister’ll have your hide.”
No kidding.
“I’ll be there,” he agreed. Maybe. Hopefully.
Sarah said they’d hear from Halliburton about scheduling the final drug buy. He fingered his mother’s cross. Please let it be in the next couple days.
Emmie raised her eyebrows skeptically. “What Dad said,” she warned. “Call me if you need to talk before then. We’re here for you.”
He stared out over her shoulder, unwilling to meet her eyes. “I know.”
His father stood up, leaning on his cane. “Well, I’m just glad you’re okay.” He patted his bad leg. “I gotta get going. Em’s driving me to my therapy appointment.”
Enzo walked them to the door, feeling a knot in his stomach. “Love you guys.”
As soon as they were gone, he slumped down on the couch. He had to find that missing pilot. He had to get Sarah to the cartel meeting. And most importantly, he had to get out of this mess before he lost any more of himself.
He grabbed a glass bottle of soda from the fridge, popped the top and flipped open his laptop. A helo driver named Wenmark stationed somewhere on the West Coast wouldn’t be hard to find.
Leaning back against the sofa cushions, he took a long pull from the bottle and closed his eyes, resting the cold glass against his breastbone before lifting a prayer.
Please, Lord, keep my family safe while I navigate these waters. And Lord, I beg your forgiveness for the lies I’ve already told, and the ones I’m sure that’ll pile on top.
The words of prayer still ringing in his ears, he spared a thought for Sarah. How could she live in such a treacherous world without faith to hold her up? He couldn’t imagine the loneliness.
No wonder she wanted out.
Shaking off a rare wave of sadness, he pulled his computer close and dug into his search.