Page 45 of Javier

I let out a long sigh. I wanted to hear my sister’s voice, see her face, prove to myself that she was okay. “What about Cece and Affie? Any news about them?”

“Not that I know of.” Kai must’ve noticed the disappointment written all over my face. “We’re on it. We’ll find them, just like Javier found you.”

“I hope so.” I ventured a glance at Kai. “But it’s hard, you know?”

“One step at the time.” His eyes were full of compassion. “Or perhaps I should say one Astor sister at a time.” He cheered me up with a smile and gestured toward the shack. “Anyoneneed the facilities before we hit the road?”

“Me,” Sister Elsa raised her hand.

“Me, too.” Sister Janet said. “I could use the jacks.”

“It’s not a bathroom proper,” Kai explained as he tied the donkey to a tree next to the shack. “It’s a little setup I did for Guzman so he could pass for an average Joe after his mission. I wasn’t expecting you ladies, but there’s some soap, a couple of gallons of clean water, and a crapper in the back. It’ll be a little while before we get to the next stop.”

“Yer fella’s brilliant,” Sister Janet said to Javier. “He’s very fine.”

“Not finer than me, I hope.” Javier flashed his dazzling smile. “Cherry Tart, don’t you try to make me jealous now.”

Sister Janet’s eyes crinkled with her laughter.

“All right, my loves.” Javier helped the women down. “Go on. Get ready. The sooner the better.”

Chatting among themselves, the nuns made a beeline for the shack. I tugged on the straps of my backpack and lingered for a moment, watching the interaction between the two men, sensing Javier’s neglect as he pointedly continued to ignore me. He was ghosting me in real time.

Kai tossed a duffel to Javier. “Here’s your stuff.”

“I’ve got some shit for you.” Javier turned in the plastic bag with all the evidence we’d bagged. “We need to get started on those electronics. Sitrep?”

They put their heads together. In hushed, curt whispers, they briefed each other. Judging by the lines etched on Javier’s forehead and the way Kai’s straight eyebrows met over his nose, neither one liked what the other was saying. Javier didn’t give me a second glance.

The facilities were as primitive as they got, but the nuns and I made them work. I washed up quickly and donned the single change of clothing I’d brought along—a clean pair ofundies, my extra set of black leggings, and a white T-shirt. They looked exactly like what I’d been wearing before. It’d been my uniform below the habit during my time with the order, and given their vow of poverty, the only other clothing I’d owned in the last three years.

Leaving the nuns to freshen up, I ambled out of the shack. Javier and Kai were still huddled together. Javier had taken off his gear and changed out of his fatigues. He wore Birkenstocks, a pair of ripped blue jeans, and a logoed T-shirt that said “I love Costa Rica.” It was my curse that he looked even hotter than before, if that was freaking possible.

The sight reminded me that, despite his body’s marvelous construction, he was dangerous to my self-esteem and therefore off-limits to me. This was especially relevant, given that I’d gotten the cold shoulder treatment just moments before. This was my lame attempt at smoothing over my severely ruffled feathers, the ones I swore I didn’t own.

I ambled to the men, and, petting the little donkey’s fur, asked, “What’s going on?”

“Change of plans.” The men traded looks before Javier continued. “We won’t be able to fly out of here today.”

I shifted my gaze from one man to the other. “Why not?”

“We’ve been ordered to lie low and stand by,” Kai said. “It’s all we know at the moment.”

Fear knotted my stomach. “Are Thena and Dash in trouble?”

“It’s more like we’re having a comms intercept problem that we have to nip in the bud before we proceed,” Kai offered kindly. “Omega is as thorough as they come, and there’s a lot going on in several fronts. He doesn’t want us to make a move until he can guarantee your safe transfer to Astor House. So, we wait.”

“How long will that be?” I asked.

“We don’t have a read on that yet.”

“K-man here has arranged covert identities for us.” Javier lifted some credit cards and a pair of Canadian passports in the air before he slipped them in his back pocket.

“Wait.” I frowned. “You said your mission was intel gathering, and you didn’t have comms for the last part of the mission. How did Kai know I was coming out with you?”

“I didn’t,” Kai said. “We prepare for all case scenarios. Bringing you out was a far-fetched one, but hey, I’m not complaining.”

“You’ll get a chance to rest, recover and recharge,” Javier said. “You and I are gonna play tourists at a resort.”

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