Obviously she didn’t recognize Leo from the photo she’d showed her weeks ago. Sarah turned to face her cousin, feeling a sudden enormous relief that she wouldn’t be getting on the boat. “Yes, this is Leonardo.”
Valerie’s expression eased instantly. “Oh,” she said then smiled and addressed Leonardo. “Are you sure you’ll be able to find the boat?”
Leonardo assured her they would, though Sarah didn’t care if they did or not. In fact, she preferred it if they didn’t. She had no desire to be on that party boat and sit out in a deserted cove somewhere then take turns going out on a Jet ski with one of those guys. Worst case scenario, she’d meet Valerie and Monica back at the hotel later that night. But telling Angel she’d spent her day with her brother beat telling him she’d jumped on a boat full of booze and guys they’d just met.
Hanging out with her brother would definitely be easier for Angel to hear about when she told him tonight about her day rather than the alternative.
“You know,” Leonardo said, tossing her bag effortlessly over his big shoulder as they walked away from the shore. “You’re the only one who calls me Leonardo. Everyone else calls me Leo.”
“But Leonardo sounds so much better,” she said. “I like it.”
That murderous glare he’d worn just moments ago was replaced with that soft somewhat vulnerable smile she’d seen on him during their chats on more than one occasion now. It was a sweet smile so opposite of what you’d expect to see on such a fierce-looking guy like him. “I like hearing you say it.”
~*~
Angel
“This is bullshit,” Alex said shoving the last piece of sushi in his mouth. “We come all the way to Hawaii, and this is the most we get to see of the place outside our hotel and that f**king football field?”
“At least the food was good,” Angel offered, sitting back and looking out into the herd of people walking the beach. “And it’s not like we paid for this vacation turned nightmare. Just think of it as hell week in Hawaii.”
They were in between their torturous two practices scheduled for that day. The coach let them all go back to the hotel for a few hours to rest and grab something to eat. Then they’d be back on the field again for practice number two. This was the first moment they’d had to get out and see a little of the nearby beach since that first night they screwed up so bad.
The practices the coaches were putting them through weren’t regular practices either. He was having them run the most unforgiving drills. No doubt he was hoping to tire them all out to the point none would even consider going out to party tonight when it was all over. All Angel and Alex could think of then was getting back to the room and passing out.
“Have you talked to Sarah today?” Alex asked, frowning down at his phone screen.
“No,” Angel said, pulling his own phone out of his pocket. “I texted her this morning, and she texted me back but that’s the last I heard.”
“Have you seen what Valerie’s been posting?”
Angel couldn’t help frowning. “Posting where? I haven’t been able to get onto my Facebook page in weeks.”
Not that he’d tried much. He’d always thought Facebook such an annoying waste of time and something he’d never really gotten into.
“Hmm,” Alex said, nodding. “Then you haven’t.”
He waited for Alex to elaborate a bit more on that because he really didn’t want to ask. He was almost afraid to. He knew Alex wouldn’t even be mentioning it unless it had something to do with Sarah. Angel stared at his brother as Alex continued to stare down at his phone. He nearly burned hole through that big brick head of Alex’s and nothing.
“What’s she posting, Alex?” Angel finally asked almost through his teeth.
Alex glanced up at him finally. “Pictures of Havasu. I was surprised when she mentioned Sarah was there with her, but then”—he chuckled looking back down at his phone—“I guess after Sarah heard about Friday night I can see why she took off.”
“That’s not why she did,” Angel said, not sure why he needed to make that clear.
“Oh yeah?” Alex asked, sounding completely unimpressed and still not looking up from his phone. “Well, good thing for you she didn’t because the place looks just like I remember it. Everyone there’s getting laid tonight.”
Angel glanced up and waved the waitress down. He wasn’t having this conversation with Alex. He’d overheard some of what he and Valerie had talked about last night. From what he could make out, Valerie wasn’t convinced that Alex had really gone back to his room alone Friday night. So it didn’t surprise him that he might be thinking the same about her. But Angel knew better. That wasn’t something he’d even consider worrying about when it came to Sarah.
The young waitress came over, and Angel asked for the check. She was in the middle of asking if they’d be ordering any dessert to which Angel was already saying no to when he heard Alex say something about Leo and Sarah. The waitress nodded, leaving the check at the table and walked away. Angel narrowed his eyes on Alex, who held up his phone to Angel.
“At least with her brother there she’s got someone looking out for her,” Alex said.
Angel reached out and took Alex’s phone. Valerie had posted several photos under the caption “Hot in Havasu.”
Among them there were plenty of girls in bikinis on a boat surrounded by shirtless guys all flexing their arms and holding up whatever they were drinking. He searched for Sarah or even Leo in the crowd but didn’t see either.