Tinker grabs a case off the counter and hands it to me.
"I'll be back."
I return to the bathroom and put in the contacts. They are bright green, which only makes my hair look more ridiculous.
At least I don't look like myself.
When I step into the kitchen, Axel's eyes widen, and he swallows hard. Penelope covers her mouth.
Tinker whistles like he's a construction worker.
"Don't whistle at my woman," Dirk says.
He holds his hands up. "Can't help it if I appreciate a good looking woman."
I walk up to Tinker and pat his cheek. "You, my dear, have zero standards."
"I have been told that before," he winks.
I spin and sit at the table. "Well, now that I look like a freak show when are we leaving?"
"Tinker's going to contact his friends to help us with border issues. Either tonight or tomorrow, depending on when they get back."
Axel rises. "But, we're leaving now."
We all stand and exchange goodbyes. Penelope and I hug, and she tells me again how grateful she is to us.
"Just find your daughter."
She nods and blinks hard.
"I'll see you in Bermuda. I hope Millie and I can sing together when you get there."
She wipes her face. "Me too."
19
Dirk
"You want us to go through the El Salvador border to get into Guatemala?"
Tinker taps the map. "My contacts are here and here. I don't have one on the northern border, but you should be fine. It's not a regulated crossing."
"So El Salvador, Guatemala, then Mexico?"
"Yes."
I look at Zoe. I'm still trying to get used to her with her green contacts and neon orange hair.
She definitely looks...different. So that's a plus for traveling.
She's still hot.
"You should take those contacts out and save them for the border or large crowds."
She snorts, pulls the case out of her pocket, and pops them out.
"Hi. Good to have you back," I tease when I see her real eyes again.
I love her eyes.
"Funny."
"For a diva, you're handling all this really well."
"And you can't help yourself, can you?"
I wink then fold the map and take the piece of paper Tinker has all the information written on and tuck it inside. There's a knock on the door.
"Stay here. That'll be my car guy." Tinker leaves the room.
I pat my thighs.
Zoe sits on my lap. "You rang?"
"Ha ha."
She puts her arms around my neck. "What's up?"
I slide my hands through her hair. "I'm taking advantage of our alone time." I kiss her, which turns out to be a bad idea. When Tinker walks back in, I'm hard as a nail and ready to go.
Zoe's breathless and has the fire in her eyes that drives me crazy.
Tinker throws keys on the table. "Your chariot awaits."
Zoe gets off me, and I rise. We use the restroom, say our goodbyes, and leave.
A black van, maybe ten years old, is parked in the driveway. A dark sheet has been converted into a curtain and hangs between the driver's area and the back. We get in, and I start the vehicle.
Zoe peeks through the drape. "I have to say, while Tinker is clueless on certain things, he aims high on others."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a mattress complete with bedding and pillows back there."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Awesome."
"If the van's a rockin' don't come a knockin'!" she sings.
"Glad you have high hopes for tonight," I tease.
"You're going to have to show me that you're still interested in me when I have fluorescent hair."
I snort. "That isn't ever going to be an issue. Besides, you've had it in the past."
"Pink and blue are more acceptable than orange."
"I don't know. I think it's growing on me. About eight years ago your yellow was pretty bright."
She groans. "Don't remind me of the past hair failures my stylists gave me."
"You were still smoking hot."
"I thought you weren't a liar?"
"I'm not."
"You are right now."
"I can't help it if I think you're sexy, no matter what."
"Maybe you've been hanging around Tinker too much, and he's worn off on you."
"Nope. Hey, I forgot to ask you how your voice feels?"
She touches her throat. "It's better. This is the longest break I've gotten in years from singing."
"Except for your dirty little performance last night."
She blushes. "That wasn't strenuous singing."
"Whatever you want to call it, I'm up for an encore whenever you feel the need."
She laughs. "I'll keep that in mind."
We drive for hours. The farther away from Omoa we get, the less damage we see from the earthquake.
Zoe's stomach growls.
"Let's eat dinner." I veer off to the side of the road, and she pulls out the leftover tamales.