Fighting With Light (The Coldwell Brothers #2)

30. Liam

30

Liam

When we get back to the villa, I start thinking through ways to find the plane that arrives in Mexico City and figure out what’s on it. But the cocaine may not be all together, it could be shipped in multiple ways. They could parcel it out and send it in three different directions. I have no idea how to find something like that except watching it happen with my own eyes. Those things aren’t trackable with computers because there’s nothing to track. The only thing I can think of is hacking into cameras, but that’s assuming I know what to look for. My jaw clenches out of frustration because I hate dead ends.

I could go at it from looking around the dark web, but again, that’s assuming there is something to find. The AC kicks on and I shiver a little with the cool air.

Aelia groans and spins around in her chair. “This is so boring. I know we have a job to do, but this is killing me. We need to do something fun because this has all been way too serious,” she says.

I put my tablet down. “I mean, it kind of is serious,” I mutter.

She purses her lips and glares.

“Okay then, what did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know you’re the one that’s been here before,” she quips.

“Well, it’s not that late. There’s still time for fun. How about rock climbing?” I suggest.

She smiles at me. “You did buy me all that gear, and I would like to use it.”

“Then it’s a date.” I grin and go over to the room phone. “Get your gear and everything pulled out. I’ve been dying to use my motorcycle. ”

She leaps out of her chair, going to her suitcase. Clothes fly while I call the front desk for them to pack up a lunch for us. I know of a place we can go climb and we’ll need to hike half of it.

“Hey, baby,” I call.

She hums and turns around from her suitcase. “What?”

I look down at those pretty long nails that I love dragging across my skin.

“You’ll have to cut your nails,” I tell her.

She sighs. “Oh, well.”

I jerk back because I was expecting some level of whining because she likes having her nails done.

“What?”

“I’m somewhat surprised you’re just okay with it,” I say.

She shrugs and fishes around in her luggage. “It’s not that big of a deal. I can just get acrylics done. I’m sure the resort has a nail salon.”

Hugging her from behind, I smile into her neck. “I like that you don’t get bent out of shape like that.”

She huffs a laugh. “Liam, of all things to get mad about or get irritated with, my nails are not one of them. There are much bigger things that are worth that sort of angry energy.”

My gut twists and I hug her harder for a minute. She leans back into me and puts her hand on my cheek, angling her head to look at me. “Are you okay?” she asks. “We will figure this out. I just think we both need a little fun right now.”

I nod in her hand and twist my head to kiss her palm. She spins around in my arms and rests her hands on my shoulders, grazing those long nails across my skin, making me shudder. I drop my arms below her and lift her up. She giggles and grabs my face, laying one on me.

“I love having fun.” I grin.

She kisses me one more time before I put her back on her feet.

I get changed into climbing pants and a t-shirt. Aelia puts on the same pants she grabbed when we were in Portugal and then one of those cropped sports bras she seems to like. She gets her gear out and I check all of it. After I’m done with hers, I check mine.

Always check your gear before you leave. The last thing you want is to check it when you get there and something isn’t safe to use, like a fraying rope, or a broken carabiner, or you fall and figure it out then.

With the backpack full of climbing gear, snacks, and water, I set it next to the motorcycle, wondering if Aelia would be able to hold it on her back. It’s heavy, but I can’t have it on while also driving the motorcycle.

I glance at her over my shoulder and back at the bike. “Are you going to be able to hold this backpack?” I ask her.

She looks at it and before going back to the mirror, pulling her hair up out of her face. “I’m stronger than I look,” she says and loops the hair tie around her hair.

“Alright, then, She-Hulk, let’s do this.” She smiles and grabs a long-sleeve shirt I gave her so the backpack doesn’t chafe and it will protect her skin from the sun.

I’m sure the resort won’t appreciate me driving through the resort on a motorcycle, so I put the backpack on my back and roll the motorcycle towards the parking lot. Aelia follows quietly behind and when we hit the pavement, I flip the kickstand and pull the backpack off, helping Aelia put it on. She leans back, a little surprised by the weight. I help her adjust it on her shoulders and clip it at her waist, which should help her balance the weight.

“Good?” I ask her.

“Yeah,” she grunts. I smile down at her and she fidgets with the bag a little more.

Three words I’ve never said to a woman almost bubble from my lips and then I choke them back down. I can’t say that. I have no right to say that to her and I have to keep reminding myself that we have an expiration date.

“What?” she asks, looking up.

“Je pense que je tombe amoureux de toi,” I mutter, I think I’m falling in love with you, and kiss her hard and fast. She stumbles into my chest and I hold her tight.

“What does that mean?” she asks .

“Nothing.” I wink before getting on the bike and then hold my hand out for Aelia.

She’s frowning at me, likely trying to figure out what I just said. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, so I said it in a way she wouldn’t understand, and that’s as close as I’ll get to saying those words to her and meaning every single one of them.

“Your chariot awaits.” The bike sits lower to the ground, so she doesn’t have to hoist herself up. She rolls her eyes and puts her hand in mine before throwing her leg over the seat. I give her a moment to adjust herself and then her arms come around my middle, squeezing my waist, and inevitably my heart.

“Okay, I’m good,” she says.

I look down, checking that her feet are in the right place, and start the engine. It purrs to life and satisfaction rolls through me. It’s been too long. I thumb the throttle and it purrs like a jungle cat. This style of bike doesn’t sound like a Harley or a speed bike like mine at home. It’s quiet but strong.

I kick the kickstand and push us off. Aelia’s arms tense on my waist and I pat them before turning out of the resort. She tucks her head on my shoulder as I take us to a place to climb. I’ve been here before and have climbed this formation. It could be a little more challenging than Aelia is ready for, but there is no doubt in my mind she’s up for it.

We ride for about thirty minutes and the warm air blows in our faces. Aelia’s thumb has been rubbing circles over my shirt, and it’s distracting, but I don’t want her to stop. I pull off the road and into one of the beautiful parks. This one is on the side of a volcano that has quite a few different places to climb and hike, and there are a few waterfalls. The gravel kicks up, likely nicking the chrome as we pull into a shaded corner. I twist around, helping Aelia and make sure she’s balanced on her feet before I get off.

She starts to unbuckle the backpack and I help it off her shoulders before slinging it onto my back. “So how far do we have to hike?” she asks. I take another look at her in her cute hiking boots and pants that hug her figure.

“It’s about three miles or so up,” I say and point my hand in the direction we’ re going to go.

“Oh, okay, I can do that,” she says and fits her baseball hat over her head.

I stand there in shock for a moment. This Aelia doesn’t look like my Prada, Louis Vuitton, Billabong, swimsuit-wearing temporary girlfriend.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks.

Those three words resurface as I stare at her a little longer. I like this other side of her. Sure, they are just clothes, but there aren’t many girls out there who are princesses and also don’t mind getting dirty.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” I tell her. Despite the heat, her cheeks turn pink, and she fidgets with her hat. I grab mine from the side pocket of the backpack and put it on my head.

“Why do you say that?” she asks.

“Because it’s true, you are. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

She smiles and I start leading the way to the path. “I am pretty special,” she says with a sarcastic smile on her face.

I reach for her hand and kiss her knuckles. “More than you know, princess.”

Aelia bites her lower lip before her lips split into a wide smile, like she can’t hold it back.

After about a mile in, sweat is pouring down my back, but Aelia is scaling the hills, dips, and rocks like she does this all the time. I had expected her to ask for a break, but I don’t know why. Aelia doesn’t back down from anything or anyone. So climbing up the side of a volcano is hardly something she would hesitate with.

I pause my steps on the path, grab my water from my side holder, take a few long swigs, and hand it to Aelia. She drinks, and then I put it back, and continue walking. I help her sometimes by holding her hand as she goes over the rock or a wide step her short legs struggle to take. We eventually make it to the spot that has been traversed by many other climbers.

Aelia looks up at the large climb, and I drop my bag to unload everything we need. She glances back at me and then at the wall. I pull out our ropes, harnesses, chalk, and carabiners. We don’t have fall pads, so I will have to be extra careful spotting and belaying her.

“What do you think?” I ask her .

She puffs out her cheeks and smiles. “Let’s do this.”

My heart thuds. “Just so you know, this is really meant for a more intermediate climber, so it’s going to push you. Do you remember some of the holds and safety things I taught you in Bali?”

She nods.

“Okay then, show me,” I encourage her.

She moves her hands and fingers into different holds like a crimp. We talk about balancing her weight and using her legs as much as she can as opposed to her arms. When climbing something this tall, it’s important to distribute the use of your body as much as you can. If you only pull yourself up with your arms, you’ll tire quickly and either fall or won’t finish the climb. Balancing between leg and footwork with arms will help her to reach the end of the climb. Obviously, hands and fingers are always involved, but if you have a good foothold, it’s a great chance to give the overworked fingers a rest.

“It’s easy to jump into climbs head first and figure it out as you go. But that’s usually a really bad idea. So take a step back here and study the rock. You can see where others have been with the chalk in certain places. That may seem like it’s easy, and some of those might work, but keep in mind that another person might have a longer reach than you, or a different technique. So focus on your own path and still note those.”

Aelia nods and looks up at the rock to plot her course.

I don’t bother looking because I’m too busy watching her. This is part of the reason I love rock climbing. You don’t have to worry about anything else. The result of the next step is on you. The consequences are on you. Even with surfing, the waves are given to me and I have to choose to take them. There is no in-between. With rock climbing, I can choose to take one hold or another. Of course, I’m not na?ve enough to think that the rock couldn’t just crumble from my hands. It has, and I’ve fallen many times.

The point here is the majority of my life has been changes and decisions made for me, whether they were good for me or not. When Mom encouraged us to try things like sports, I finally had the chance to choose something for myself. Mom wanted us to be trained by the best military specialists out there. I didn’t get to choose that. Our mom knew what we were up against and she wanted to prepare us. The older I got, the more it made sense.

The people associated with my family, and Aelia’s, are not just gang bangers. Some have been trained just like I have. Others have taught themselves and for some reason that’s always a little more nerve-wracking because they aren’t going off of a veritable rule book. They make their own, and so did I because I was forced to. I didn’t get a choice.