Page 7 of Outcast

And I needed this.

This anonymity after fucking off from the life I'd had before.

Blowing out a breath, I paddled through the cave, leading the way. Blue light reflected off the water and around the limestone from a hole at the top.

This place was stunning. Exactly what I needed to recharge and figure out my next step, and there were enough English speaking tourists that I easily got a job.

We made it to the Benagil cave, and I gave my spiel on how the cave was formed, how it would change over the next couple hundred years, and pointed out the fossils in the rocks. As much as it pained me, I even made a few expected dad jokes. Then I moved off to the side while the group spent fifteen minutes exploring in the cave.

"Hey, my man." Henry jogged over. He was the one American working for the tour company and he was insufferable. So different from the local people.

I gave him a half-smile, then glanced back at my group, making sure none of them were wandering places they shouldn't be. Or not trying to piss in the water because there were no bathrooms here.

Not that I cared about that, but sizable boats constantly floated in and out for their tours. I couldn’t have anyone in my tours getting struck because of their stupidity, and kayak tours were the only ones who could get out and step foot on the sand.

"There's going to be a party at Cav's house tonight." Henry stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Cool," I murmured. If I showed the right amount of disinterest, Henry usually left me alone for a few days after. He had what I believed the Americans calledpick meenergy.

He wanted to be the cool guy that everyone liked and wanted to be around. He was a solid ten years younger thanme and more shallow than the water on the beach at low-tide.

Stepping even closer, he shrugged his shoulders and got a wild glint in his eyes. "You'll want to come to this party. It's going to have some crazy shit, man."

"Not interested." I never went to parties. I never hung out with the guides past grabbing a beer after a shift, and that was with a very select few.

The only person I really spoke to was an elderly Portuguese neighbor who was cranky as fuck and teaching me Portuguese. As a Spanish speaker, I thought Portuguese would be an easy language to learn, but it was more difficult than I'd anticipated.

Portuguese people sounded like Russian people speaking Spanish, but using words I'd never heard before. And the few run-ins I'd had with Brazilian Portuguese? Those were different words too. Everyone used different fucking words.

"Come on. It's not often that there's any good stuff to take." Henry dropped his head back like I was too slow to pick up what he was putting down.

Somehow, this Cav guy was going to have drugs at his party. Which scared absolutely no one because unless you were the dealer, drugs were decriminalized in Portugal.

"Why the fuck would I want anything to do with that?" I let my true feelings slip through for a second before I reschooled my features to that of a pleasant, tour guide.

Drugs had almost ruined my brother, Lafe. It wasn't his choice to get wrapped up in them. It had been forced on him by our father, so who could blame him for tasting the goods just to deal with his shit life?

My past was scarred by many things, and some were too much to ever want to revisit.

I counted drugs among them.

That, and I'd never make myself vulnerable around any of thesependejos.

Henry blinked, then smiled like I hadn't snapped at him. "It's nothing that's going to kill you. Just make the night a little more enjoyable. Cav's hooked up with some people who are supplying the party. They want to network."

They wanted to find local footmen to push their product.

I pulled a face in disgust. Was this what low-life crime was like outside of the Institution? Or fuck, even inside it but street level?

As the only legitimate son of Vicente Castillo, everything I'd seen of the top officials of the Institution were more like rabid businessmen with vicious ambitions and cut-throat moves. Very formal and self-important. I had to be one of them for so long…

We were nothing like this watered down version of kids trying to get drugs distributed.

"I'm not going to deal drugs." I cut my eyes at him. He couldn't see them behind the mirrored sunglasses but he must have felt the heat because he straightened up.

"Hey, hey, hey." He raised his hands. "Not so loud."

I almost rolled my eyes, but I hadn't changed that much since leaving South America.

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