RIB = rigid inflatable boats
Karl = the name given to the fog in the bay area by the locals
Date = 1 April
Place = San Francisco (boat on the bay)
POV Enrique
“Wait! Take those two down. We’ll start with them,” the serious man is pointing directly at Jackson and me. What the fuck now?
When I glance at my brother he has a sinister grin on his face as if he’s having a good time. Typical Jackson … ug … and I find myself secretly wishing the man had selected someone else in his place any of the other guys would have been better.
Look, I love my twin to bits, but I also know Jackson is seriously flawed … and putting him in this kind of situation is like squeezing a tiger’s balls.
They separate us from the other guys, and I stand there helplessly watching as my companions are forced to the front of the boat. Their expressions vary from devastation and anger to desperation and fear.
I frantically scan the area, hoping to get a glimpse of Aria one last time … but no such luck. I hope she’s okay. Fuck … here I am just about to take my final steps in life and all I can think about is a damn chick. But I know what it is … I feel guilty because I brought her into my life and now she and Leyla are in danger. And as a result, I automatically feel responsible if anything happens to them. That is all there is to it. This is nothing more than the screams of my conscience. It’s not because I have real feelings for her or something.
But why does it seem like my heart is going to shrivel up and die like a salted snail?
“Enrique!” Jackson shouts and I understand they are waiting for me to step from the boat into a small shipping crate suspended from a crane. Only one of the guards joins us, while the other shuts the door behind us. Light beams through small openings at the top brim of the container but it’s enough for me to see the lunacy building up in my brother’s eyes.
I close mine with a deep sigh, knowing what’s to come … the tiger just woke up, ready to rip someone’s head off. And it happens exactly as expected – as soon as the container begins to squirm into the air, Jackson, with his arms still tied behind his back, takes down the unsuspecting armed man with a few kicks and some strikes with his shoulders.
I kick the pistol to the side of the container, realizing that it’s fake. What the fuck?
“It’s a toy gun,” I say to my brother, trying unsuccessfully to wiggle free while also desperately attempting to maintain my balance in the swaying cage. Jackson is now seated on top of the unconscious man. He carelessly raises his shoulders.
“So where you think we gonna land?” he asks, his wild eyes not fully back to normal.
I shrug since I have no idea where we’ll end up … may it be in the ocean, in another state, or even on another continent. And just then I grip the sides as we hit a solid surface. When the door suddenly opens, I hold my breath and sneer while pushing out my chin. I’m ready to help Jackson fight … I’m too pretty to die now.
SURPRISE!!!!
I blink a few times before squinting my eyes to see what’s going on. The container seems to have landed on the top deck of the ship and we’re surrounded by all our friends and family. So all this was a joke? A damn setup probably implemented by the sweet girls in our lives. All that torture for a fucking party. I can only shake my head.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Blackburn twins, happy birthday to you!” A choir of voices floats over the ocean.
Jackson hasn’t moved a muscle from his human seat, his face a blank canvas as he stares into the crowd, which is now joyously blowing some party whistles. I can’t say I blame the guy … I’m equally awestruck and not moving. Then Leyla runs over to me and wraps her small arms around my legs … struggling to get a firm grip because of the life jacket she’s wearing. I glance down at the tiniest angelic face with the brightest smile and I know that I’ve fallen hard for these sisters. There’s no reason to deny it anymore. My eyes begin their quest, searching for their most favorite view on this planet Aria.
“What the hell did you two psychos do to my man?” Garcia approaches us and examines the unconscious guy sprawled on the floor with my brother still comfortably seated on top of him.
“Don’t look at me,” I answer quickly, “that was all Jackson!”
“Ug, he’s just fine. Can you rather just concentrate on cutting these blasted cable ties, uncle Alberto?” Jackson asks with a sweet innocent voice.
Garcia pulls out a pocket knife and cuts us free, muttering something about crazy guys that are seriously in need of a love life. I immediately rush up to Aria in desperate need of my daily fix and pull her into my arms, my nose in her wild-flower-scented hair. I shut my eyes. This is my absolute favorite spot in the whole damn world, and I can spend eternity reliving this exact moment.
I mumble in her hair, “I think this surprise-abduction-shit merits a punishment,” and I can feel her body stiffen up.
She scuffs, “You try doing something good and watch what happens.”
Leyla coughs playfully next to us, jolting me out of my high, and I pick her up.
“So were you surprised, Ricky? Cause Aria said you would be? And it was so much fun pretending we were kidnapped,” she blabbers, and then her voice shifts as she presses her small palm to her heart, “Sis, I’m scared … ” she unknowingly repeats the words that almost sent me into cardiac arrest and then laughs uncontrollably.
“You ladies have some serious hidden acting talents,” I remark, remembering how terrified I actually was at that moment. Then I notice Lee’s guilty strange-colored orbs.
“You knew, didn’t you, ass-hat?” He merely shrugs his shoulders and pulls a face with his mouth pouted.
“Yeah, you’re all chuffed now … but just wait until your roomy gets his revenge …” He stares at me for a bit as if contemplating my words, and then to my surprise he just shrugs his shoulders pulling an aloof face. Why is he not scared? This must be a first … usually, everybody is terrified of my twin.
“I feel sorry for you,” Leyla bites her lower lip as her sister does when she drives me nuts. See, even she knows and she’s just 7. Not that she’s afraid of Jackson … she has him wrapped around her pinkie.
“Jacki is the worst when it comes to … ” She gets rudely interrupted when Luke suddenly jabs a handful of cake into her face and flees laughing wickedly. With her little hands in fists, Leyla wipes the cake from her eyes. She pushes herself from my arms and sprints after Luke. Now I feel sorry for him.
While some of the visitors grab my attention, Aria leaves my side and gently follows after them. But my thoughts are not on the conversation I’m having, no, I’m gazing at my pretend girlfriend’s behind, slowly unbuttoning that sexy cutoff jean-short that she’s wearing today.
Arms circle my body from behind and I freeze for a second, a cold shiver drafting through my body. Who the fuck? I turn around just to look into Amanda’s overly made-up face, her lips pushed out, eager for a kiss. I’m instantly angry. I shove her away forcefully, not even attempting to hide my unappealing expression. And when I observe Brian next to her, it pulls into an even more unpleasant one. What the fuck is he doing here?