Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,83
spend time in there, enjoying the air conditioning while the beach thugs bake.”
He laughed. “You have a mean streak. I like it.”
“I’ll take that as a yes to my plan.”
“Lead the way.”
An hour later, Owen concluded that the joke was on him as well as the four troublemakers keeping an eye on them. While the men were outside the shop using their imagination, Owen saw the many lingerie options and resorted to mentally stripping down, cleaning, and reassembling weapons in his head to keep from imagining what the lingerie would look like on his girlfriend. Escorting Gigi outside the shop with her purchases in a bag, Owen breathed a sigh of relief.
She nudged him with her elbow. “Was it that bad?”
“I stripped, cleaned, and reassembled every weapon I own in my head multiple times while you were browsing,” he murmured. “What does that tell you?”
She smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “The point was to pay back the creepy foursome for making me so uncomfortable. I didn’t mean for you to be caught in the backwash.”
He winked. “You can make it up to me later.” Hearing her laughter banished the tension that had accumulated in his neck for the past hour. “I’m still in the mood to make Gonzalez’s men suffer. Do you want to visit another store nearby?”
“The candle shop one block up the street. Do you mind?”
“Of course not.” He glanced at her. “You have several candles at home. Did you see something unusual on the shop’s website?”
“It’s for Mom. She loves candles as much as I do and would love a candle from Mexico.”
“Do you want one?”
She leaned closer and dropped her voice. “No way. The only good thing about this trip is spending time with you.”
“I understand.” He opened the shop door for Gigi and followed her inside. “I think I’ll stay by the door. I feel like a bull in a china shop. If I turn the wrong way, I’ll knock something over.”
She laughed and kissed him as the shop keeper approached. “I won’t be long.” True to her word, Gigi was ready to leave fifteen minutes later, after purchasing one candle for her mother.
“What now?” she asked softly as they walked toward the SUV.
“Lunch, then beach time.”
Although Owen kept track of Gonzalez’s crew, the afternoon passed without trouble. Didn’t hurt his feelings one bit that the four men looked miserable decked out in black on the beach.
Thirty minutes before they were expected at Gonzalez’s home, Owen drove the SUV to the back of the cottage and quickly loaded their bags into the cargo area while he was out of eyesight of the four men. He returned to the back door and escorted Gigi to the SUV. After he helped her inside, Owen leaned in to kiss her, slow and deep. “You look beautiful, G,” he murmured. The dress she wore struck the perfect balance of fun and flirty while still being modest.
“Thanks.”
“You ready for tonight?”
“Oh, yeah.”
He kissed her again, then closed her door, and slid the electronic signal detector from his pocket. Owen slowly circled the SUV, watching the chaser lights for indications of trouble. Thankfully, the lights stayed green. No bugs or tracking devices on his ride.
After climbing behind the wheel, he checked the chaser lights again. Still green. No unwanted electronics inside the vehicle, either.
As Owen cranked the engine, his phone signaled an incoming call. He checked the screen, frowning. Brody and his team should be gearing up.
“Something wrong?” Gigi asked.
“I’m not sure. It’s Brody.” He tapped the screen to answer the call. “You’re on speaker with G, Brody.”
“Can you talk?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Trouble with a capital T.”
His stomach knotted. “Explain.”
“The feds have joined the party.”
Owen groaned. That was the last thing he wanted to hear. “Tell me you’re joking.”
“Sorry.”
“Brent couldn’t persuade Martin to call them off for twelve hours?”
“Tried and failed. Trust me, the boss isn’t happy about the extra party attendees.”
“He’s not the only one. Anytime they get involved, things go downhill in a hurry.”
“Preaching to the choir, buddy. I’m not a fan myself. Sit rep.”
He began the drive to their dinner destination. “Leaving now for Gonzalez’s place. Cocktails still at 7:00, dinner at 8:00. We’ve had a tail on us since yesterday afternoon. We dragged them on a long shopping spree this morning and forced them to sweat in the afternoon heat on the beach.”
Brody chuckled. “Good job. You’ll have company for those cocktails. There’s been a steady stream of traffic going into the estate. Hope you’re not decked out