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Unable to resist, I lay my hand over hers, chest tightening with relief when she allows it. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m the one who should apologize, for being such an asshole that last night in Taupo. I hated myself for it the next day. I haven’t had a drink since.”
“Me either. I don’t drink anymore.” She slides her hand out from under mine and stands, pacing a few steps away before turning back to face me. “So, say we get Scott sent to jail. Do the rest of them stay and finish their vacation?”
“You know they would,” I say, lip curling. “They won’t give a shit if one of their brothers is in trouble. They’ll say he brought it on himself, call a lawyer if they’re in a generous mood, and leave him to twist while they drink beer by the pool.”
She nibbles the pad of her thumb. “Would a lawyer be able to get him out?”
“Maybe,” I admit. “But not before he spends a year or more in jail waiting for a trial date. From what I’ve read, it seems like the Costa Rican courts try to be fair, but they’re not real concerned with quick. There are ten U.S. citizens in the prison in San Jose awaiting trial right now. Some on drug charges, but some for smaller stuff like destruction of property or unpaid child support. All of them have been locked up more than a year.”
“A year.” She tilts her head back with a sigh, gazing up at the leaves whispering above our heads while she mumbles something about “going soft” that I can’t quite make out.
“What?”
Her gaze returns to my face. “I can live with Scott spending a year in prison, but the rest of them don’t get off that easy. J.D. and Jeremy need something worse and Todd doesn’t live to hurt anyone again. He’s the one who made it happen. He’s the leader. Without him, the rest would have backed off.”
I nod. “So we do J.D. and Jeremy—”
“I do J.D. and Jeremy,” she corrects. “You can help with the plans and be my alibi, but that’s as far as it goes. If I’m caught, I’m caught alone.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone.” I want to pull her into my arms and hold her until the layer of frost covering her heart melts away. “Don’t you think you’ve spent enough time alone?”
“I’m serious,” she says, staring me down. “If you can’t promise me you’ll stay out of the serious shit and mean it, then you need to leave. I’m not going to change my mind about that.”
“Fine,” I agree, knowing I should be grateful I’ve gotten her to bend this far. “You do J.D. and Jeremy at the same time and we work out a way to make whatever happens look like an accident.”
“And then we get Todd right after,” she says, pacing back and forth at the edge of the shade. “Before he has time to connect the dots and realize he’s the last man standing. No poetic justice for him, just something swift and final. And then we both leave the country the next day.”
“Sounds good.”
She turns back to me, head drifting to one side as she studies me. “Does it? Really?”
“The leaving the country part. And knowing it’s finally over,” I say, admiring the way the sun filtering through the leaves catches the gold in her hair. “I like the blond. I still love the brown best, but this looks good on you. Makes your eyes seem even bluer.”
“Don’t,” Sam says, her voice soft.
“Don’t what?” I ask, feigning innocence.
“You know what. That’s part of the bargain too. If you stay, you stay as a partner on this project. Nothing more.”
My jaw tightens. “Project is a weird word to describe framing, maiming, and killing, don’t you think?”
She frowns, but I speak before she has a chance to lay down any more rules.
“I’m good with partners.” I come to my feet and reach down to pick up her bag. “But I can’t plot any more until I’ve got something more than a banana in my stomach. Let’s go get some lunch. My treat.”
“All right, but we get something in town, not by any of the beach resorts,” she says, falling in beside me as I start back toward the rental car. “The SBE brothers aren’t due to land until next week, but I’ve been staying away from the airport and beaches so I don’t start to look familiar to people over there.”
“I know,” I say. “I’ve been following you. And watching you eat next to nothing. As far as I could tell you’re running on bananas, coffee, and the occasional bag of fried cheese bread.”
She lifts a shoulder. “I’m low on funds. The room at the resort next to The Seasons next week costs a fortune. I made a two thousand dollar deposit, but the rest of the balance is due at check-in. It’s another four thousand and that’s almost all I have left.”
