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Both aa the act with his ar with venorabbed my purse and headed to the door I was halfway out of it when Javier’s hand slipped around my waist and he whispered, "You look beautiful"
I twisted away fro beside Ca as he tried to keep his te one step forward together, two steps back, and Gus kept slipping away all the say, soodat the hotel Caos in the whole place but no one see, having a good time
In the corner of the bar, closest to an old pool table, was Do with so anie his reaction, but Javier pushed past me and went up the table with open arrinning froot up and the two of the politely at Doot a better look at Esteban
He was around six feet, ht hazel eyes, hair done up like a surfer, all shoulder-length straggles, dark broith sun-bleached strands He looked to be about our age, late twenties, and could have been a Matthew McConaughey’s Doppelganger if it wasn’t for the fact that he had a swath of lacerations on the left side of his face It eird to see soly at the same time He was scarred just like me, only his were visible for all the world to see
And yet here he was, s any apologies for himself, for what had happened to him, for the scars he had to bear He embraced it Like, fuck it, this is me
After the two embraced, Esteban sat back down and ih, just pressed his pretty lips together into a s He kneho I was He eyed Doed
Javier looked to Doenuinely happy to see so?"
Dom smiled "I wanted to show you that I too have a few surprises up my sleeve" He nodded at Camden and I "Please sit down, Ellie And you must be Camden"
Introductions were quicklyup to the plate
"Got so on your lip there?" Esteban pointed at Javier
Javier dabbed his bruised lip, a spot of blood coh business"
Camden quietly snorted beside me but thankfully kept his mouth shut
I leaned on the table, my hands clasped underinto the real reason we’re all sitting here, Esteban, why don’t you tell me how you coasp and sat back in his chair He watched Javier for his reaction, knowing he was going to be slighted fro, of his cartel But fuck it This wasto risk our lives to get Gus, I had to know exactly who everyone was and how they were playing into it
Esteban raised his brows and said, in near-perfect English, "Well, Miss Watt My brother used to work for Javi–"
"He still does," Javier interjected
Esteban gave him a look "Yes But I haven’t heard from him in a while and I am sure you haven’t either Anyway, I joined in after Travis I’er one The stronger one" He grinned "Of course, things don’t always go as planned I got into a, well, a scuffle down here with another cartel I should say, the police that the cartel was paying off Not the Zetas, the Gulf But what does itthese days So in this scuffle, I had a load of shrapnel to my face and was presumed dead I wasn’t, hey But let them think that"
"You let me think that," Javier said "You let Alex think that"
"It was for the best," Esteban said
"Alex is your brother?" I asked hi all too well the other henchman of Javier’s
He nodded "I saw all the fine ladies he was pulling in with his new cars and suits and wanted in" He winked at me then waved over the waitress
We all shut up while she came by and took our orders (one, I launched into more questions
"So why are you here now?" I asked hi ain’t she the eager beaver Then Esteban gazedSuddenly, terribly serious "Because Javier and Dom cannot do this on their own You cannot do this on your own Travis’s coht in the heart of the jungle Not even accessible by road They chopper in and out We can’t do that We have to hike it and it takes several days Then when you get whoever you’ve co of his beer My li in a house similar to the one in Veracruz, not a fortress in the le, not so of, this man that you say Travis has, Gus? There’s a woman too"
"My mother"
"Yes, so I hear"