Forever Yours

by Elizabeth Reyes

  The photo disappeared when the incoming call indicator flashed on Alex’s screen. The caller’s name was Pam. Angel handed it to Alex, thinking he might send it to voice mail; instead, he frowned. “I gotta take this.”

  He stood up from where he’d sat down and walked away, leaving Angel there with thoughts of Sarah and Leo in Havasu. Already he could tell Alex was going to be onboard with the whole not trusting Leo issue, but unfortunately, hearing Alex say that Angel wasn’t being completely unreasonable about this and overly possessive for no reason wasn’t validation enough. He may as well ask Romero for his opinion.

  Sitting down on the bench, he let his head fall back in exasperation. He wasn’t nuts. He knew this. Over the years, he’d gotten better at taming that part of him, the part that felt like punching any guy in the throat who so much as looked at Sarah the wrong way. But this was different. Maybe, just like Alex had suggested he have a man to man with Syd, Angel should also think about having one with Leo. Since he didn’t want to go hurting Sarah’s feelings about her dad falling off the face of the earth the moment he didn’t get what he’d obviously been after, he didn’t want to bring him up to her again. But maybe he could ask Leo privately—make it clear he still had his doubts, not just about her dad but Leo too.

  Chapter 17

  Sarah

  The last time Sarah and Leonardo had driven out to the pontoon Valerie had made a comment about being over it and ready to leave. Monica had hooked up with Paul and had been gone for a while on his Jet ski. There were a lot of secluded areas around the lake where Sarah had seen Jet skis parked. She wondered if Monica might actually be doing more with Paul than just enjoying the waves.

  Sarah had asked Valerie if she wanted off the boat. She could ride with her and Leo back to the shore since Leo and his equally tatted-up friends had a canopy on the shore and a whole set up with a barbeque, music, and food where they could hang out. It was crazy how typically Leonardo and his intimidating if not scary looking friends were the last types of guys Sarah would feel comfortable hanging with. Sarah felt far more comfortable hanging out there than on the boat, which she hadn’t stepped foot on yet. It just went to show you could never judge people solely on their appearances. As formidable as Leonardo and his friends looked, so far they’d all been very sweet.

  Valerie said she’d give Monica another half hour to come back and if she didn’t she’d head back with Sarah, leaving a message for Monica about where she could find them.

  Leonardo and Sarah were standing around the barbeque, waiting for the burgers to be ready. Two of his friends, Alonzo and Bruno, were there with them. Bruno was manning the barbeque while Alonzo worked the tunes on the iPod. They had a ridiculously big speaker and were basically providing the music for everyone nearby. Sarah had been right about Leonardo’s friends reminding her of Angel’s friends in a different way. Unlike the oiled up, showing-off-abs guys with the huge and expensive-looking pontoon who seemed a little too smug, Leo and his friends were much more down to earth. Leonardo had even been annoyed when she told him about Edmund suggesting they could sunbathe topless if they wanted to, so she’d left out the “or even less” part.

  She also got that protective vibe from Leonardo. The same vibe Angel his brothers and his friends exuded. When he’d shown up and literally rescued her from having to go on that boat, he admitted he’d been watching her from a few yards away. When he noticed how uncomfortable she seemed, he couldn’t stand back and just watch. Then later when Leonardo’s most flirtatious friend Marcello, who was out on the Jet ski at the moment, had come on a little too strong, the look Leonardo gave him had been enough to make Marcello lift his hands in the air and back off.

  Sitting under the canopy now with a burger in one hand and a soda in the other, Sarah couldn’t get over how godsent it felt for Leonardo to show up when he had. If she’d been on that boat all this time, she was sure she’d be hating life and dreading having to tell Angel about it later.

  Leonardo took the seat next to her, and she turned to him with a smile. “You ready to go out again?” he asked as he bit into his burger.

  Sarah crinkled her nose, chewing her food then giggling, a little amazed at how comfortable she felt with him already. She could actually see Leonardo and his friends getting along with Angel and his brothers. “You’re so damn cute when you do that,” Leonardo said.

  Just like when he called her baby girl, hearing him say things like that, especially seeing how he looked at her when he did so, was the only thing that could ruin the comfort she felt around him. She did wonder if by chance his calling her that had anything to do with the fact that it’s what her dad had called her when she was a baby. Maybe he’d mentioned to Leonardo.

  She finished chewing and decided to ignore his cute comment. “Can we wait a little? This way we give Monica some time to get back to the boat. I think Valerie is gonna want to come back with us.”

  “That’s cool,” Leonardo said with a big smile. “We can bring her back.”

  She nodded, looking out onto the crowded lake. “You haven’t mentioned it in a while,” she said, splashing her feet in the water then glancing up at him. “Are you still going to try to take the LAPD test?”

  He’d been staring at her when she glanced up at him in that same way she’d caught him doing more than once that day. His smile disappeared in reaction to her question, and he looked away. “I dunno.”

  “Why?” she asked. “I thought it’s what you wanted.”

  He took a long drink of his beer, so long he emptied it, and it’d been more than half full. For a second, Sarah wondered if maybe she should be worried about him drinking and driving on the Jet ski. Drunken accidents on the water weren’t unheard of, but he seemed fine still.

  Tossing his empty bottle in a black trash bag they had tied to the canopy, he turned to her, licking his lips. “We need to talk.”

  She tilted her head, wondering what about. “Okay, talk.”

  The noise of the incoming Jet ski got their attention. Leo turned back to Sarah and eyed her half-eaten burger. “You almost done with that?”

  Nodding, she looked around to see where she could get rid of the rest of her burger. She’d had a hot dog earlier and felt stuffed now.

  “You not gonna finish that?”

  She shook her head and he opened his mouth. It felt funny, but she put it in his mouth anyway, and he stood up holding his hand out for her. She took it, and he immediately laced his fingers through hers, making her insides flutter but not in a good way.

  We need to talk.

  Leonardo grabbed the extra vest from where it was hanging off the side of the canopy.

  “You two going out again?” Marcello asked as he walked up from the water where he’d anchored the Jet ski.

  Sarah didn’t miss the way both he and Bruno eyed her and Leonardo holding hands, but she felt weird about yanking her hand away like she wanted to. To her relief, he let go of her hand to help her get her life jacket on, only he stood a little too close to her. She wanted to tell him she knew how to put her own life jacket on, but a part of her felt as if she were being paranoid for no reason.

  Instead, she focused on one of his many tattoos. One of them in particular had caught her attention earlier because at first glance she thought it was her last name, but at a closer look she saw it said “Fiera.”

  She knew what it meant in Spanish, but still she was curious. “What’s that mean to you?” she asked, pointing at it.”

  He stared at her, still working on tightening the straps of her life jacket. “It’s just a nickname,” he said as if he were looking for a reaction in her eyes. “It’s what all the guys call me.”

  “Wild beast?” she asked.

  He nodded, continuing to stare at her in that intense way, so she looked away. Her eyes focused on another tattoo: double L written in script on his upper arm. “What’s the double L stand for?” she asked.

  She glanced up to see him staring at her in a stranger way n
ow. “Let’s go talk.”

  The moment he snapped all the snaps together on her vest, his hand was back in hers as they walked away toward the Jet ski. Her heart sped up again, knowing perfectly well Angel would be more than suspicious about Leonardo’s behavior. Had he been drinking faster than she’d noticed?

  They reached the Jet ski, and he helped her up from behind. She climbed up awkwardly. She’d since decided there was just no graceful way to get on the damn thing. She straddled the seat and waited for him to climb up behind her. He sat down, pressing his body against hers from behind and brought his arm around the front of her belly snugly. “Let’s go somewhere private,” he whispered in her ear, and she immediately stiffened. She felt him loosen his hold around her and even back up a little. “So we could talk, baby girl.”

  She turned her face him, not letting it go this time. “Why do you call me that?’

  To her surprise, instead of looking alarmed that she’d question it, he smirked, wiping a speck of sand away from her face, close to her lips, which he stared at now. “Because you’re so tiny and delicate next to me. It’s what you make me think of.”

  Gulping, she turned away from him and started the Jet ski up. Within minutes, they were out of the five-mile speed limit zone and she sped up. “Go that way,” he said loudly against her face so she’d hear him over the motor.

  She headed toward the secluded area where he’d pointed, but the closer they got, the tighter her chest began to feel, and she slowed. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Sarah shook her head, trying desperately to shake the feeling of complete dread that crept over her—that feeling that she was being as stupid and naïve as she’d been back in high school with Coach Rudy. But before she knew it, she felt utterly choked up and panicked. All she could think of was Angel. God, she just wanted to be with him or at the very least be somewhere where she could text or call him.

  “What’s wrong?” Leonardo asked again, sounding a little more concerned, and she turned the Jet ski around slowly.

  “I don’t know,” she cried, feeling stupid. “This feels wrong. There’s something wrong. I shouldn’t be here. It’s not you.” She turned to him. “I just . . . after what happened with the coach in high school—”

  “Oh, hell no, Sarah,” Leonardo said, pulling away so his body wasn’t touching hers at all. “I’d never—”

  “I know! I know!” she said, feeling completely ridiculous now. “I’m sorry. I just got spooked. It’s not you; it’s—”

  “Stop the Jet ski,” he said. “Stop it right now.”

  “What?” she asked confused, looking back at him.

  They were in the middle of the lake. “Kill the motor,” he ordered her, so she did.

  The moment they’d slowed enough he jumped off. “Leonardo!” she turned to him then turned the Jet ski around. “What are you doing?”

  “I need to talk to you,” he yelled from where he was floating. “But I need you to feel safe. I’m off now. You can take off whenever you want to—need to.”

  “What?” she said, feeling incredibly stupid not to mention guilty. He’d been nothing but a sweetheart to her all day. “This is crazy. Get back on! We can’t talk this way anyway, and there are too many boats out for you to be floating out there like that. It’s dangerous. Leonardo; please get back on!”

  “I’d never hurt you, baby girl,” he yelled.

  “Okay, I believe you,” she yelled back. “Just get back on before you get hurt.”

  He hesitated but then started swimming toward the Jet ski. He climbed on and again sat behind her, his cold body feeling good against her now dry and scorching hot swimsuit.

  “Forget talking in private,” he said against her ear. “I’ll tell you on our way to get Valerie.”

  “I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t be,” he said immediately. “Don’t you ever be sorry about being suspicious and playing it safe. Okay?” She nodded, feeling like a complete idiot until he took a deep breath and spoke again. “I’ve been lying to you.”

  Chapter 18

  Angel

  “No, it wasn’t anything like that,” Angel said, feeling stupid about Friday night all over again. “No one got arrested, but we’re all in punishment-drills hell now. The coach is not letting us off easy.”

  Sal asked Angel about Sarah. Apparently even he’d seen some of the photos being posted all over including footage of some of the drinking games Angel hadn’t seen and thankfully hadn’t participated in. Angel explained briefly that she’d been a little concerned but they were good now.

  Glad that Alex had since gone up to the room, Angel took advantage of his moment alone to talk to Sal about Leo, especially now that Sal had brought Sarah up. Sal could help him validate his gut feeling that something wasn’t right for good reason, not just because Alex’s and Romero’s first instincts were always to crack their knuckles and assume the worst. His older brother also wouldn’t hesitate to tell Angel to get his head out of his jealous ass and just accept that this guy could be the real deal—that maybe Angel was just feeling weird about having to share Sarah’s affection with yet another guy.

  He brought Sal up to speed about her dad and Leo, leaving nothing out. He told him everything: the flowers, the near-naked photo Leo had sent her, how often they spoke online and on the phone, and how her dad had just disappeared all of a sudden. He even told Sal about Leo busting the guy’s lip in the restaurant’s parking lot. Of course, Sal was more concerned that Alex had made a scene in the restaurant, but they moved past that.

  “So what’s her brother have to say about her dad disappearing?” Sal asked, getting back to Leo. “He doesn’t think it’s odd?’

  “I guess not. Sarah said he seems more pissed about it. At one point, she said he told her their dad can go to hell. He hasn’t been talking to him either.” Sal was quiet for a moment, and Angel continued, getting to what he really wanted to talk about. “The thing is, Sal, I got this bad feeling about her brother. I don’t know what it is, but something tells me not to trust him. And now he’s out in Havasu with her. I just can’t shake the feeling that he’s up to something.”

  “Is that who that thug was?” Sal asked, his voice going up a tenor. “The one in the photos Valerie posted? I was wondering if I should even mention it because I wasn’t sure you’d seen it. Is he the one with all the tats?”

  “Yeah, that’s him.” Angel frowned. “What do you mean wondering if you should mention it? Why wouldn’t you?”

  “Because I figured you’d get all crazy, and what good would it do with you all the way in Hawaii? But never mind that,” Sal said, dismissing Angel’s annoyance. “How the hell is a guy like that related to sweet little Sarah? He’s got bad news written all over him, and he doesn’t look a thing like her. How do you know he’s even her brother?”

  Finally! “That’s what I’m saying!” Angel, said standing up because he was suddenly too antsy to sit anymore. “Other than her douche bag dad’s word that this guy is related to her, we have nothing else. But what am I supposed to do? Sarah seems pretty confident that he’s her brother. And worse yet, she’s excited about having a sibling. He hasn’t asked her for anything or done anything shady, so my hands are tied.”

  “No, they’re not,” Sal said immediately. “Do your homework, man. There’s gotta be a way to find out if he’s really who he says he is. But be prepared to find out he just might be her brother, Angel. Maybe, just like for me, the first impression of him got to you. I thought he was a thug with all his tats and shit, but that impression doesn’t fit what you just told me about him. Other than the photo you called inappropriate, nothing else seems shady about him.”

  “First of all,” Angel said, feeling irritated that Sal would insinuate Angel was making more of the photo than it really was. “It was inappropriate. If those shorts had hung even an inch lower, it would’ve been porn.”

  Sal laughed before Angel could finish. “All right, whatever,” he said. “My point is I sa
w the guns on the guy. Even if his shorts hadn’t been hanging low in the photo, you wouldn’t have liked it. I’m just saying maybe he’s not the brightest. Don’t let that one slip cloud your judgment. If your gut’s right, then good for you for not letting your guard down, but if he’s legit, don’t be a stubborn ass. Sarah deserves to have a relationship with her brother regardless of your first impression of him.”

  The conversation with the more level-headed of his two brothers hadn’t quite given Angel what he’d hoped for: justification for feeling as suspicious of Leo as he did. Sarah still hadn’t responded to his voice mail.

  He was about to check a text from his coach when he heard Alex’s voice and some of the other guys on the team whooping and hollering. Angel looked up to see a smiling Alex walking toward him. “Let’s go check out this island,” Alex said.

  “What?” Angel asked, confused as some of the other guys were high fiving each other behind Alex.

  “You didn’t get the coach’s text?” Alex asked. “Tomorrow morning’s practice is still on, but the second practice tonight is cancelled. We’re free to do what we want tonight.” He turned to look at the guys behind him and lowered his voice. “Those idiots are actually talking about partying.”

  Angel jumped up from where he’d been sitting, suddenly feeling energized but mostly relieved that their grueling second practice was cancelled. “I say we grab a cab and have him drive us around to check out the sites.”

  “Fuck the cab.” Alex’s face soured as they walked out of the hotel. “We gotta a lot of time to make up for. Let’s go rent a helicopter.”