CHAPTER TWO
Markie
WITH MY SUITCASE packed and set beside the door, I paced the small, dank room I had shared with eight orphans for the past eleven months. Empty, lumpy mattresses sat atop four sets of bunk beds, the absence of their occupants filling my stomach with lead.
The door opened, and I stopped in my tracks, hopeful.
Tad stepped into the room, wringing his hands as he scanned the space. "They're still not back," he said, leaning against a bunk.
Somewhere north of forty with skin darker than a starless night and heart larger than Texas, Tad had devoted his life and finances to running this orphanage in the impoverished, AIDS-ridden village of Mwembeshi, Zambia. He had patience for days, but I'd managed to wear it thin on more than one occasion. Today was no exception.
He glanced at his watch. "If we don't leave in the next ten minutes, you'll miss your flight, Ms. Markie."
"I know. I just--" Having no idea how to finish the statement, I closed my mouth. Almost four hours ago the children--six girls and two boys ranging from ages three to ten--had set off to deliver fresh water to a family in the bush north of the village. We'd made the trek together dozens of times, but this time I stayed behind to pack and say my good-byes to the villagers. The delivery should have taken them two hours, round trip, and knowing I was on a schedule, the children had promised to hurry back. And with every minute they were late, my stomach tied in another knot.
"I'm sure they'll be all right, Ms. Markie," Tad said. "They know the land. They will not get lost."
My worries had more to do with Zambia's Boko Haram infestation than with the children getting lost. If those psychos got their hands on the children... there'd be nothing I could do. We'd be lucky to ever see them again. Guilt gnawed at my insides, making me wish I'd just gone with them. A little voice in the back of my mind reminded me I was abandoning the children to head back to the States and they'd have to make deliveries without me from now on. Doubting my decision to leave for the millionth time, I checked my cheap, international cell phone again, hoping for a text from my sister. Nothing. It had been weeks since I'd heard from Ariana.
And now I was about to break my promise and head back to the States. Hopefully nobody from Idaho would find out.
The voices of children calling my name drew my attention from my phone. I looked up just in time to count heads as all eight rushed through the door and stopped short, breathing heavily as sweat dripped down their faces.
"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked, wondering if they were being chased.
"We didn't want to miss you," the oldest boy, Kael, breathed.
I didn't care how sweaty they were, I wrapped each in a hug and kissed their moist cheeks. "Where have you guys been? I was so worried!"
"Ms. Tanishia was having her baby, and Hadiya had to help," the five-year-old girl, Aboyomi, said.
"I had to learn," Hadiya, the eldest girl, defended. "I knew you'd understand, Ms. Markie."
I did understand, but Tad took that moment to remind me we were out of time. The children carried my bags to the jeep, we said hurried good-byes, and then Tad and I were off to the airport. Tad drove as fast as his broken-down jeep could, and we arrived only moments before I needed to board. I barely had time to thank him before being whisked onto the plane and strapping in. As Africa shrank beneath my feet, the reality of my departure hit me. I didn't cry--never been big on shedding tears, especially not in public--but my chest felt hollow. Even more so, since I doubted I'd ever return.
* * *
After what seemed like a lifetime of flights and layovers, I finally landed in Las Vegas. I grabbed my bag from baggage claim and was headed for the exit when the aroma of pizza smacked me across the face, reminding my growling stomach that it took more than a handful of airline pretzels to make a meal. Temporarily tabling my search for my wayward sister, I followed my nose to Don's Pizzeria. The restaurant was packed, so I sighed and gave my name to the hostess before wheeling my luggage over to sit in the waiting area.
I was in the middle of typing out text number two hundred and seventy-two to Ariana when a man approached, smiling. Barely older than me, and dressed in a slick tailored suit, it was clear that this was the man in charge. Definitely upper management.
"Is my table ready?" I asked.
He glanced from side to side and then cocked his head like he was trying to figure me out. Then he smirked and my breath hitched. Holy crap the man was hot. As in the next James Bond hot. Feeling like an idiot, I shook my head as heat rushed to my cheeks.
"You're not the manager, are you?" I asked.
"Uh, no." He held out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Angel. And although I can't get you your own table, there's room at mine if you're interested."
I shook his hand. He had a firm grip. "I'm Markie. And that's okay. I don't want to impose."
"Nah, it's nothin'. Me and my buddy are right there." He pointed to a table where an even more muscular guy wearing a suit sat, watching us with a concerned scowl. "That's Bones. He's not nearly as scary as he looks."
"But his name is Bones?" I asked.
Angel laughed, lighting up his face, which, in turn, made my stomach flip. The man was so far beyond handsome it was almost ridiculous.
"Point. But I promise he'll be on his best behavior," he said.
I'd never been one to follow a sexy stranger, but we were in a crowded restaurant, and he was just offering me a seat at his table. No big deal. I'd eaten lunch with strangers before. Heck, I'd traveled across the world to work with strangers. I'd had a bad experience in the past, but I was older and wiser now. Promising myself I'd be careful and bail at the first sign of sleaziness, I followed him to the table.
Sitting in the seat Angel pulled out for me--which was super sweet and immediately made me feel more confident in my decision to join him--I studied the handsome duo. Where Angel was lean and sexy with an aura that drew me in, Bones was like caged violence, almost hostile, making me want to scoot away. Keeping my chair right where it was, I looked him in the eyes like I wasn't affected by his posturing.
"Angel and Bones, huh? Nice suits, code names... you're not secret government agents, are you?"
Bones had just taken a sip from his water, and he almost spit it all over the table, coughing and choking. Chuckling, Angel pounded his friend's back until he started breathing normally again.
"I'll take it that's a no, not government agents."
"Hell no," Angel replied, still laughing. "And they're nicknames, not code names."
"Good to know. I'm just Markie, not short for anything, no nickname. My parents wanted a boy, but got two girls." Realizing they probably didn't care about my life story, I pointed at their wine glasses and changed the topic. "What are you drinking?"
"Merlot. Would you like some?" Angel asked. Before I could answer he slid Bones's glass in front of me. "The waiter poured us two, but Bones isn't a wine drinker."
"Thank you," I replied, reaching for the glass.
Bones stopped me. "Are you even old enough to drink?"
Since, despite Angel's reaction, there was still a possibility the two mystery men could be cops, I pulled out my ID and handed it to Bones. "I'm twenty-three."
Bones glanced at the ID before handing it to Angel. "Knock yourself out," he said, gesturing toward the glass.
"Thank you." Unsure whether or not I'd like it, I took a sip. Blackberries and currents danced over my taste buds, reminding me of other reasons it was good to be back in the States. "Mmm. This is delicious! I haven't had wine since before I went away. Of course, this is better than anything I drank before I left. Boones Farm was the drink of choice for my dorm."
"Went away? You get locked up or something?" Bones asked.
"Locked up?" I asked. As in jail? I knew I looked rough in my rumpled dress and sandals, but jail? "I've been traveling for days, literally... but..." And now I felt stupidly self-conscious. "Do I look that bad?"
"No," Angel hurried to say, flashing his friend a dark look. "You look great. Bones thinks he's funny sometimes. He's not."
"I'm fuckin' hilarious," Bones deadpanned.
"See what I mean?" Angel asked with a smirk.
An Asian man carrying a pizza almost as big as the table and piled with more toppings than I'd ever seen stopped and eyed me. "Is everything all right, Mr--"
"Angel," he snapped. "Please. And yes, everything is great, Ling. Can you get us an extra plate?"
"Of course, sir." Ling set the pizza down and flagged down a bus boy carrying clean table settings. He dropped off the extra plate, asked if we needed anything else, and then hurried off.
"That's the manager," Angel said.
My cheeks heated, but my mouth was watering too much to pay them any mind.
Angel set my plate in front of me. "We can get you a menu. I didn't even think to ask if you'd want something else."
"No, this is amazing, and it's really sweet of you guys to share with me. I can't tell you how much I've missed pizza. I'm so glad to be back in the states," I said between bites.
"You were out of the country?" Angel asked.
"Yep." I took a bite and basically died and went to Heaven. After I recovered and swallowed it down, I added, "Spent a little over a year in Zambia."
"Africa? Wow, what were you doing there?" Angel asked.
"Running drugs," Bones said, gesturing at me. "Obviously. I mean look at her."
"You see what I'm dealing with here?" Angel asked. "Not funny at all."
But I was giggling uncontrollably at the absurdity of the idea. "He's a little funny."
Bones grinned. "See?" he asked Angel.
Angel hadn't touched his pizza. He loosened his tie and opened the top button of his shirt.
"You should eat, it's good," I said.
He looked to Bones, as if for confirmation, before digging in. Did he think I'd lie about the quality of the food?
"I originally went to help build wells, but then the job ended and there was this orphanage with the most incredible kids. They needed an assistant, and I needed something to do with my life, so I stayed and helped out."
"Changed your plans just like that, huh?" Angel asked, shaking his head. "I can't even imagine."
He probably had a lot more going on than I did. Besides, I'd been running from reality. "Didn't have much to come back for, and besides, they were adorable kids. Just the sweetest, rottenest little brats on the planet. Oh the trouble they caused and the things they got into." I smiled at the memories.
"Sounds awful," Bones said.
Not for me. I'd always had a soft spot for bratty kids. "Nah. Where I grew up, everyone was kinda fake. I like working with kids--especially the bad ones--because they're real. You always know where you stand with them. Besides, I like the challenge," I admitted.
"You went by yourself?" Angel asked. "I mean... no boyfriend or family or anything?"
Was he trying to see if I was attached? "Nope. I'd just gotten out of college and needed a little time to fly solo."
"That's crazy," Angel said, but the respect in his eyes told me crazy was good, not bad. "But weren't you afraid? I thought all kinds of shit was going down in Africa."
"Yes. There were a couple of shootings in the village and we had to hide in the bush a few times. It's weird when you're protecting other people, though. Your instincts kick in and you don't think about being scared. You just do what you gotta do. You know? Then you freak out after."
Angel watched me, his eyes dark. Brown? Black? I couldn't tell, but there was an intensity to them that made me feel like he was really listening.
"What are you doing in Vegas?" Bones asked.
"Looking for my sister." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my pictures until I found one of her. "She's not returning my calls or texts, so I came to find her. I know Vegas is big and all, but will you look at this and tell me if you recognize her?"
"Sure," Angel said, reaching for the phone. "Bones knows at least half the city, I swear."
Angel looked at the photo and shook his head before passing it to Bones.
Bones's forehead scrunched up. "She looks familiar, but I can't place her. Where does she work?"
"I don't know. Some restaurant, but she never told me the name of it. She's a singer and came hoping to get her big break."
Bones passed me back the phone. "Sorry. I probably ran into her at a club or something."
Bones's pocket buzzed. He pulled out his phone and eyed it.
"They're here?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. They must have caught a tail wind, because their flight just landed."
"You have to leave?" I asked, suddenly sad to see them go.
"Yeah." Angel stood. "Work calls."
I stood as well. "It was nice to meet you guys. Sounds like you're in a hurry, so why don't you go ahead and head out and I'll grab the check. Thanks for letting me crash your lunch."
They eyed each other. Angel's sexy smirk made another appearance.
"There won't be a check. Everything's taken care of. Thanks anyway." He offered me his hand. "It was great meeting you."
A handshake seemed kind of formal since he'd been so nice, so I hugged him instead. "Thank you for your kindness. I needed this today."
Bones had tensed and closed in on us like I was some sort of danger to Angel. I laughed, because he really was funny. I hugged the big guy too, which seemed to really throw him off. He patted my back awkwardly before pulling back.
"Thank you both. This was nice."
They muttered in agreement before heading toward the door. I needed to get going, but wasn't about to let the rest of the tasty pizza go to waste so I asked a passing server for a box, dropped a tip on the table and headed out, wishing I would have gotten their phone numbers. Vegas was a lot bigger than the village I'd come from, and I'd need all the friends I could get. Especially handsome ones.