[Santa Olivia 02] - Saints Astray

by Jacqueline Carey

  Loup looked at the offer. “Whoa! For a million bucks?”

  “Euros, yes. Under the terms of your contract, you’d each receive a hundred and twenty-five thousand euros to serve out the remaining eleven months. After that, you’d be free to renegotiate on your own terms.”

  “And you’d make a nice profit,” Pilar commented.

  “A profit, yes.” Magnus steepled his fingers. “Not as hearty as one might suppose after factoring in months of private training, signing bonuses, generous business expenses, and the political markers called in to get your passports. I will be honest. I am only entertaining this offer because Global failed a client. But the choice is yours.”

  “What happens if we pass?” Loup asked. “Do you get sued?”

  He hesitated. “It’s possible. But that isn’t your concern. We failed to perform due diligence.” He shrugged. “If Danielson sues us, we will sue Château Legaspe for providing false data and endangering hundreds of people.”

  “I told you to make him sign a waiver,” Sabine muttered.

  Magnus glanced up. “Yes, you did.”

  “That idiocy with the pirate ship.”

  “Duly acknowledged, Sabine.” He looked back at them. “Well? Hugh Danielson is a very, very wealthy man. When it came time to renegotiate, I suspect you’d do very well.”

  “What do you think?” Pilar asked Loup.

  Loup studied the offer again, then set it down. “I think I’m really glad we saved the kid. And I think they’re so glad, they’re forgetting that she couldn’t stand you and didn’t care too much for me before it happened. I’m pretty sure she’d drive us crazy once things got back to normal. And I’m not sure I want to work for a guy so whipped by his kid that he wouldn’t cancel a stupid party over a fucking death threat.” She winced. “Sorry.”

  Sabine’s mouth twitched. “You can take the snipe out of the gutter, but you can’t take the gutter out of the snipe,” she murmured. “However, I concur with the sentiment.”

  “Are you actually saying you don’t want us to go?” Pilar asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You kinda did,” Loup said. “Okay. We’ll stay.”

  Magnus smiled. “I’m very pleased.”

  “So what’s next?” Pilar asked. “For us, I mean.”

  “For now, you’re at leisure. The same terms apply. Be available at a day’s notice. We’ve a bit of a mess on our hands, so it may be a couple of weeks before you hear from me.” He paused. “I want you to know that you both did an exemplary job. Loup, I know your capabilities make you… different, but I would never have thrust you into that situation, inexperienced as you are, if I’d thought it would come down to your being the last line of defense. You more than rose to the occasion. And, Pilar…”

  “I know. I was just supposed to be tending bar.”

  “Mr. Lindberg is in a bit of shock,” Sabine said dryly. “You kept your head. You got the job done. We do not call that choking.”

  Pilar flushed. “Thanks.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “You’re being serious, right?”

  “Yes. Do not ruin the moment.”

  “Okay.”

  Back at the Hotel Beau Rivage, they relaxed after the debriefing, rehashing the events of the catastrophic party for the hundredth time since its occurrence.

  “So the fire was a coincidence,” Pilar marveled. “That’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Loup, her head in Pilar’s lap, yawned until her jaw cracked. “Sorry. I’m still tired. Guess it’s not that crazy when you think about it. Faulty old wiring. They had every fucking light in that place blazing.”

  Pilar massaged Loup’s temples with her fingertips, making little circles. “How many people do you think you saved, baby?”

  “Hmm?”

  “How many? On the stairway?”

  “Oh, I dunno. The firemen got there pretty quick.”

  “I bet a dozen.” Pilar leaned over to kiss her upside down. “That guy, the killer sailor… Loup, it scared the shit out of me. I’m not sure I could have done what I did if it hadn’t been you he was aiming at.”

  “You did it, though. Sabine’s right. You got the job done. That’s all that matters.”

  “The way you stared him down…” Pilar shivered. “He had a gun on you, he fucking fired it over your head, and you just looked pissed. Loup, what’s it like? Not being scared at a time like that?”

  “It’s like nothing,” Loup said honestly. “It’s an empty feeling. Like there’s some part of me that knows something’s missing. It’s not bad, exactly. It’s just… nothing.”

  “It scares me.”

  “I know.” Loup caught her hand and kissed it. “But I can’t help what I am, Pilar.”

  “I love what you are.” Pilar smoothed her unruly hair. “I’m just being honest. I guess near-death experiences do that to me.”

  “Kind of like big cathedrals make you all philosophical?” Loup asked fondly. “Hey, we should think about where we want to go next. Do you want to go back to Paris?”

  “You know where I’d go if I could go anywhere?”

  “Where?”

  “Home,” Pilar said wistfully. “Even if it was just for a day.”

  Loup craned her neck to look up at her. “Are you sorry you left?”

  “No!” She tweaked a lock of her hair. “God, no. Don’t ever think that, baby. The best thing I ever did in my life is walk away from my life to climb into that stupid fucking tunnel. It’s been, what? Six months? And I’ve seen and done things I never could have imagined. And you…” Pilar shook her head. “You. I’d give everything up all over again to be with you. It’s just…” She sighed. “I miss them.”

  “So do I,” Loup said softly.

  Pilar smiled. “Can you imagine the look on T.Y.’s face if he heard what I did the other day? He never thought I was good enough for you.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Oh, it’s so true.” She tweaked her hair again. “I know what the Santitos thought. It’s okay, I gave them reasons to. I thought it, too. But I did kind of save your life, didn’t I?”

  “No.” Loup levered herself upright with a lithe twist, turning on the bed to face Pilar, her face grave. “You totally saved my life. And the kid’s, too.”

  “You didn’t give me a whole lot of choice, baby.”

  “I knew you could do it.”

  “You and your fucking trust and expectations.” Pilar twined her arms around Loup’s neck. “It’s enough to make me feel sorry for Miguel Garza. I’m not a hero, okay? I’m just here because I love you.”

  Loup smiled.

  “Oh, shut up.” Pilar kissed her, grateful to have her alive and whole. She laughed when Loup kissed her back ardently. “I thought you were tired.”

  “Suddenly less so.” She cocked her head. “We could try it, you know. Santa Olivia. The tunnel’s still there.”

  “No,” Pilar said after a brief pause. “Jesus! I can’t believe I even considered it. No,” she said again, more firmly. “We’ve got an obligation to Global, and it’s stupid to take that kind of risk now. I bet the army filled in that tunnel again, too. And even if they didn’t, they’re still looking for you. If we got caught, they’d make sure you never got away again. Let’s see how this business with Miguel and the hearings plays out. I lost you once and I really, really don’t want to lose you again.”

  “It was just a thought.”

  “Well, quit thinking it.”

  “Okay, okay!” She looked thoughtfully at Pilar. “What about visiting Huatulco?”

  “You think it’s safe for us to go to Mexico?”

  Loup shrugged. “Not for us, but for Guadalupe Herrera and Pilar Mendez, maybe. We can ask Christophe, he’ll know. I know it’s not home, but there are people who care about us there. And I think that’s a big part of what we’re missing, huh? I mean, we’ll be okay as long as we’ve got each other, but it’s n
ice to feel part of something bigger, too.”

  “Yeah.” Pilar thought about it and gave her a dazzling smile. “I’d like that.”

  “Good.”

  Her arms tightened around Loup’s neck. “So not too tired, huh?”

  “Not anymore.”

  TWENTY-SIX

  Yes, yes,” Christophe assured them on the phone. “There were inquiries, but it is over now, and the Americans did not find out about our family in Huatulco. It is safe for you to visit.” He paused. “But maybe not to run so fast on the beach and make the tourists gossip anymore. Gossip travels, you know?”

  Tía Marcela’s warm embrace made the entire trip worthwhile. “My lovely girls!” she exclaimed. “I’m so very glad you came.”

  “Gracias, Tía.” Loup smiled.

  “Look at you.” She held first Loup, then Pilar at arm’s length. “You’ve been working as bodyguards? Truly?”

  “Loup, mostly,” Pilar said. “Me, only sort of. But we caught a bad guy and everything.”

  “Well.” Marcela gave them both another hug and kiss. “I can see there will be stories. Come, I have your same room waiting for you.”

  “Okay.” Loup pulled out her credit card. “But we can pay this time.”

  “No.” She raised a stern finger. “You are here visiting as family. I will not hear of it.”

  “But—”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “All right. Thank you.”

  Everything was as they had left it—the charming room overlooking the little marina, the palm trees, the bobbing fishing boats. They wandered into town and through the marketplace and saw the same shops, the same bars and restaurants. Even the weather seemed unchanged—warm and sunny, the aquamarine sea lapping the white-sand beach. They had lunch beneath the thatched palapa, eating spiced grilled fish and drinking cold beer.

  It wasn’t the same, though.

  “It all seems different, doesn’t it?” Pilar asked. “I wish it was the way it was before. I hate that you have to pretend again.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  She rested her chin on her hand and gazed out at the sunbathers. “It changes everything, doesn’t it? Because nothing else has changed.”

  “We have.” Loup switched their plates and began finishing Pilar’s fish. “Think about it. Other than a couple days in Mexico City, this was pretty much the only place we’d ever been other than Outpost in our entire lives.”

  “Snipes fresh out of the gutter,” Pilar mused.

  Loup laughed. “Pretty much, yeah.”

  “Do I seem all that different?”

  “In some ways.” Loup studied her. “You know a lot more, that’s for sure. We both do. You’re more… I don’t know. Sophisticated?”

  “You think?”

  “Yeah.” Loup nodded. “More confident and worldly. Do I seem different?”

  “Nah.” Pilar gave her a fond smile. “Not really, no. But you didn’t exactly need confidence. You were always my fearless little hero with the very big appetite, and I don’t think anything in the world could change that. There’s nothing about you I’d change.” She reached across the table and caressed Loup’s cheek. “I had a lot farther to go, baby.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  Pilar shook her head. “You and your ridiculously unconditional love. Oh, don’t give me that big, shiny-eyed look.” She touched the necklace nestled in the hollow of Loup’s throat. “It makes me get all choked up.”

  “Is that so bad?” Loup asked honestly.

  “No.” She thought about it. “No, I guess it’s not.”

  There was an impromptu party that night on the hotel terrace. Most of the aunts and cousins were in attendance.

  “Prima!” Raimundo said, exultant. He hugged Loup, then Pilar, lingering over the latter. “Bonita! I am so happy you are here!”

  Nacio elbowed him out of the way. “Yes, so am I. Very happy.”

  “Careful,” Loup said cheerfully. “Pilar shot a man.”

  They exchanged glances. “Es verdad?” Raimundo asked, disbelieving. “You did this thing? You?”

  “Verdad, sí,” Pilar agreed. “I shot a man.”

  “Prima.” Young Alejandro touched Loup’s arm. “Did you know that you are a little bit famous?” A flush of pride darkened his cheeks. “Amaya has learned it.”

  Loup blinked. “Huh?”

  He nodded adoringly to his shy girlfriend. “Show them.”

  She opened up a thin netbook computer. Her fingers danced over the keyboard, clicking links. “Mira.”

  They looked.

  Pilar laughed. “That’s the concert in Aberdeen, baby. The spitter.”

  “Oh, right.” Loup watched badly lit footage of the band Kate in concert and saw herself stride onstage, the teenage fan slung over her shoulder. She saw herself approach the edge of the stage, shading her eyes against the spotlights’ glare, then dangle and lower the spitting girl. “Yuck. I remember.”

  Amaya said something soft in Spanish.

  “Kate’s fans, they are all curious,” Alejandro said with pride. “They call you Mystery Girl. But we have not told anyone anything to put you in danger. Still, they come, hoping to see you again. More and more, all the time. Amaya read about it in the fan feeds.”

  “Huh.”

  Pilar eyed Loup. “Job offer?”

  “Nah. They’d have contacted us by now, don’t you think?”

  Alejandro conferred with Amaya in Spanish. “No one knows who you are.” He smiled. “What you are.”

  “Sure, they do,” Loup said. “At least their head of security does. What was the guy’s name, Pilar? Clive’s friend?”

  “Jones,” Pilar said absently, watching Amaya replay the footage. “Bill Jones. But why’s he gonna tell them? He’s got his own business; he’s not gonna want to cut guys on his payroll.” She fished out her Dataphone. “Amaya, can you send me that link?” She mimed an exchange. “I’ll send it to Magnus in the morning. Maybe it’s a lead worth following.”

  “You’re such a groupie,” Loup said, amused.

  “Hey.” Pilar gave her a look. “We had a job that actually was babysitting and nearly got killed. And I liked Vincenzo Picco, but I’m not crazy about the whole Mafia wedding connection. Right now, spitting fans are looking pretty good.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  “Can we hear about the shooting and almost getting killed now?” Nacio asked hopefully.

  “Sure.”

  A week later, they heard from Magnus.

  It was in the late afternoon of another idyllic day. Loup went for one of her long runs along the shoreline while Pilar lounged in the sun and read her magazines. She slowed to a reluctant jog as she neared the beach, watching a tall, well-built tourist flirt with Pilar, then picked her way across the sand.

  Pilar brightened. “Hey, baby!”

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “This is your friend?” the tourist inquired. He pointed. “Perhaps she would like to meet my friend, and we could all be friends together.”

  “I don’t think so.” Pilar smiled sweetly at him. “She’s my girlfriend.”

  He flushed. “You said—”

  “You asked if I had a boyfriend, and I said no. It’s not my fault you made the wrong assumption.”

  He went away, grumbling good-naturedly.

  Loup dropped onto the sand. “One day you’re gonna do that to the wrong guy, and he’s gonna haul off and belt you.”

  “Well, you’ll just have to belt him back.”

  “How come I have to do the belting when you’re the one doing the flirting?”

  “Because you’re so very good at it, baby. Anyway, it’s good for them. It reminds them not to make assumptions.” Pilar eyed her. “How far did you run? You’ve got this trickle of sweat running down your throat that’s driving me a little crazy.”

  “Pretty far. I had to go a long way to get out of sight. You know, there are some cute places for sale along the bays.”

&n
bsp; Pilar blinked. “You want to buy a house?”

  “Not the way things are now, but maybe someday. If I didn’t have to pretend anymore.” Loup rolled onto her stomach and propped her head on her hands. “I mean, we’re always going to want to come back, right? And we have to have someplace to call home in between jobs.” She paused. “And no, I’m not giving up on Santa Olivia. But I kind of think whatever happens, it’s never going to be home in the same way.”

  “No, I know.” She gave her a wondering look. “You and me with a house?”

  Loup smiled. “People live in houses, Pilar. You played house with Rory Salamanca for a year.”

  “Oh, hush.” She brushed caked sand off Loup’s arm. “That’s exactly what it was, too. His horrible mother took care of everything. This just seems so grown-up.”

  “I’m just thinking.”

  “This thinking, I like. Do you really think it would be totally safe someday? That you wouldn’t have to pretend anymore?”

  “I don’t know,” Loup said honestly. “But God, I hope so.”

  Pilar glanced around. “I do like it here. I like it a lot. It feels good, you know?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And I like that you have family here.” Her voice softened. “They’d love for you to be more than just a visitor.”

  “You too.”

  “A house.” Pilar cocked her head. “Could we get one of those cute little motor scooters, too?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Loup laughed. “And you can ride it to the market with your shopping bag over the handles and your big movie-star sunglasses and look all cool and sexy, okay?”

  Pilar smiled happily. “Okay!”

  They went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner.

  “Hey!” Pilar waved her Dataphone as Loup emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “News.”

  “Miguel?”

  She made a face. “Not Miguel, no. Magnus. He followed up on the Kate lead. Turns out I was right. The band’s been dying to find you. They fired that Jones guy for stonewalling them.”