Page 46 of Reign

“We need to meet him at Joelle’s at noon. Still no sign of Mateo’s jet but we just got recruited to help Nikita with the backup plan.” Cas looks at Diego. “I hope your hands aren’t too sore from this morning. We’ll need fists for this one.”

They look positively elated about that fact.

Cas kisses me hard as he takes the chair next to me, leaving Diego on his own sprawled out on one of the loungers. The sky is still angry but somehow it isn’t currently raining. The cloud cover means it’s cool enough to enjoy sitting outside so we’ve taken advantage of every second.

“And who will you be using those fists on exactly?” I ask, scraping the last bit of food out of my bowl.

“Max,” Cas says, his eyes darkening. I know he’s wanted to hit that guy ever since the bathroom incident. I chuckle and Diego sits up and plants his feet over the edge of the lounge chair.

“The dude who went after Libby in the bathroom?” Diego recalls from the information he was given when he first arrived.

“Yes,” Cas says through gritted teeth.

“That’s the same guy who’s actually been stealing Mateo’s money, right?”

I nod.

“I think that guy needs the thunderpunch,” Diego says, throwing a conspiratorial look at Cas.

“We need to keep him alive, D,” Cas says but can’t prevent the smile from spreading across his kissable lips.

“What the fuck is a thunderpunch?” I ask. Cas holds his hand out for Diego to take the floor and explain.

“It’s a move Dom and I perfected a while ago where he lands a hard kick to dislocate a knee and as the person falls forward, I catch them under their chin with an uppercut that usually results in a snapped neck when it comes from this baby.” Diego holds his fist up and pretends to kiss it, making me laugh, despite it being such a dark subject. I never knew some men could be so cavalier about ending a life.

But then I think about the shitty excuse for a human that Max is and tuck my righteous attitude away.

“Ok, well, I promised Camila I’d help her get ready for her date at one, so if you guys need me, I’ll be here.” I know full-well they won’t need me. If the three of them go after Max, the only thing he’s likely to do is shit himself.

“She has another date with Adam?” Cas asks. I search hard but only hear genuine curiosity in his voice.

“Yes, they seem to be getting along well. She told him that she didn’t want to have sex with him yet, but he asked her out again anyway.”

“That’s a red flag right there,” Diego says, making a joke. “No man settles for being in the friend-zone with Camila.” I slowly turn my head and give him my bestis that soface. Quickly realizing his mistake, he tries to backtrack. “Except for Dom, of course. He definitely wants that friend-zone because he’s already been there and done that and now he's getting his fill elsewhere.”

“Diego?” Cas says.

“Yeah, Pollito?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Diego gets a look of pure mortification on his face and I laugh so hard I get a stitch in my side.

~

THE GUYS LEAVE TO DO whatever it is they’re planning to do to Max and I’m standing behind Camila with a curling iron in one hand and hairspray in the other, putting the finishing touches on her hair.

“Would you quit messing with it?” I tap her hand with the can I’m holding.

“You’ve used an entire bottle of hairspray already. I doubt I could mess it up even if I tried.” Camila fingers the crunchy curls hanging over her shoulder. “God, are yousureyou didn’t grow up in the eighties?”

At this, we both laugh out loud and she takes another sip of champagne. After our heart to heart on the beach, we’ve found common ground. It’s not without its hills and valleys, but we’re standing on it nonetheless. I gifted Camila the GPS bracelet Cas gave me in Aruba and told her I’d keep an eye on her location without being nosy. I can sense her starting to fray around the edges. I’m not sure if she regrets coming with us, but I can tell this situation is definitely taking its toll on her. As it is on all of us. It feels like a big game of hurry up and wait while the guys get some shit in place before making a move to end this.

“Are you going with the red one?” I ask, fluffing a curl, referring to another stunning red summer dress Camila has hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Hanging next to it is a sexy black one but Camila is a knockout in red. Besides, they’re going out to lunch and the black one seems too formal.

“I feel like he’s already seen me in red,” she answers.

“Well, we both know he really wants to see you in skin tones but trust me, the red is a close second.” I giggle, the champagne making everything funnier than it actually is.

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