An upside would be that Mallory could share the whole monkey fiasco with her father. They had been getting closer lately. An even greater upside would be making sure these asshats couldn’t curse anyone else.
“I’m in!”
* * *
Five phoenixes glided over the Amazon River, their colorful tail feathers reflected in the slow-moving water. Aaron and Antonio sat in lounge chairs on the torn-up shore, mesmerized by the beautiful birds.
Mallory’s father, Nigel, exited a shack, bringing over a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and three empty glasses on it. He set everything on a rustic-looking coffee table. “I’ve never seen anything like them.”
Antonio smiled. “They’re pretty magnificent, right?”
“Magnificent indeed,” Aaron said. “I still wonder why you wanted to help us. It’s not your problem.”
“From what I understand, my sons are getting serious about your girls. If they become part of our family, weallhave a problem. But together, we’re a solution.”
Aaron’s brows shot up. “A solution? You have a plan?”
“Wait,” Nigel said. “Before we get to that… Nothing has been said or decided yet, right? You seem to think Mallory will be joining your family.”
“Yes. My Gabriella thinks she will, and she’s never been wrong. That woman can spot a daughter-in-law at thirty paces.” He laughed. “I know this is more for Kizzy’s sake, but if Mallory ever needs anything, we’re here for her too. We’d do anything for family.”
“Thank you.”
Aaron looked thoughtful. At last, he spoke. “If Noah makes Kizzy happy, and she has trusted you with her secret and you have trusted her with yours, I don’t see anything wrong with joining our families.”
Antonio leaned toward him. “Thanks. Gabriella thinks he’s found ‘the one.’ They speak the same language. He’s an EMT with ambitions to go on and become a paramedic—maybe someday a doctor. Meanwhile, if he ever gets hurt in a fire, we can heal him. She can heal the rest of the world. Together, they’d make a pretty powerful couple.”
Nigel chuckled. “I never knew all this stuff existed. Thank you for trusting me with your secrets. Now that I know my construction troubles could have been fueled by magic and hidden agendas, I feel oddly better.”
“You understand how important it is to keep everything between the three of us, right?” Aaron asked.
“Who would believe me? Besides, after all my daughter finally told us, I understand it was your daughter and the Fierro family who were looking out for her. If I’d had any idea, I’d never have started this stupid project.”
Antonio glanced around the chained-off area that had been cleared. “Oh, I don’t know if I’d call it stupid. The idea was probably a good one. Most people never get to see this remote part of the world. To take them on tours could be a good thing—as long as you coupled it with a healthy respect for the environment and talks about the interdependence of the plant and animal life along the river.”
Nigel smiled. “Exactly. I’m glad someone appreciates what I was trying to do. It wasn’t about a five-star hotel experience as my daughter thought. That would be an impossible feat to pull off in this part of the world. I’m glad I could be here to explain my vision.”
The birds took a sudden turn and flew over the tops of the trees until they could no longer be seen.
Antonio sat up. “They’ve seen something.”
“Let’s hope so,” Nigel said. “How are you going to rid the world of this menace?”
“We have a plan. I know it may seem strange that I can’t give you details, but together with some friends who prefer to remain anonymous, I think we can manage to do this without killing anyone.”
“I hope it’s foolproof,” Aaron said. “I can’t get over all the wonderful people you know, willing to do whatever it takes to help one another.”
Antonio smiled. “Neither can I, Aaron. Neither can I.”
* * *
After scoping out the area and gathering intel, the phoenixes landed in the backyard of a modest house. It was very private. They shifted and dressed in the track suits they had left on the picnic bench there. Then they met their third cousins at a large truck with a cage over the back and a canvas covering, the kind of thing that would transport soldiers.
“Let me do the talking when we get there,” Jayce said.
“You’ll have to. We don’t know what’s going on.” It was the first time Jayce had met these cousins, but they seemed like old friends, immediately wanting to help.
“It’s probably better to keep it that way.”
