Barefoot With a Stranger (Barefoot Bay Undercover Book 2) (6 page)

“Oh, Gabriel.” Nino took a step closer, but Gabe held up his hand.

“It’s fine.” Of course, it wasn’t fine, and Nino could see that. “It’s nothing.” Now there was a whopper of an understatement.

Nino searched his face, his old features processing the news. “You have a son?” For a normally loud Italian, Nino barely whispered the question.

“I might. She had a kid, and all we know about him is his first name, but birth records are questionable because it’s Cuba, and up to about five minutes ago, everything was questionable about that dung heap, but he’s four, so about the right age.”

“A four-year-old boy.” Nino’s eyes filled. “What’s his name?”

Gabe looked down at the milk and took a shallow breath. “Gabriel. Which means nothing, of course—”

“Nothing?” Nino shot into Gabe’s face, the whisk still in hand. “
Nothing
? Family is everything!”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Gabe fired back. “Do you think I don’t wake up in a cold sweat with bile in my throat at the thought of a child,
my child
, living on this earth for four years
and I didn’t even know he existed
?”

Nino didn’t flinch but met Gabe’s anger with tapered black eyes. “Then why the hell are you here and not in Cuba?”

Gabe swallowed. “I can’t go there.”

“But that’s changing! They’ve opened an embassy. We’re all good with Cuba now!” Nino shook his head, vehement, as if Gabe didn’t read the damn newspaper. “We can both go, Gabriel. We’ll go find him and—”

“No.” Gabe put his hands on Nino’s shoulders. “I cannot go to that country no matter what happens between Cuba and the US. It doesn’t really have anything to do with politics, really.”

“Why?”

Gabe shot him a
get real
look, which he knew Nino instantly understood. Certain things—most things—about Gabe’s previous life as a consultant for the CIA were closed topics. “Let’s just say I pissed off the wrong people.”

“Then what are you going to do?” Nino asked.

“I’m not going to do anything. Chessie is—”

“Here!” The female voice rang through the living area as the screen door banged. “Don’t you two lock this door?”

Nino’s eyes popped wide as he tossed his whisk back into the egg mix and opened his arms for a hug. “Francesca!”

Coming into the kitchen, Chessie slowed for a split second. “Don’t call me that, Nino.” She fell into her grandfather’s arms and looked over his shoulder at Gabe, whose own jaw dropped.

“How the hell did you get here so fast?” he asked.

“Because I’m amazing.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “And you’re welcome.”

He shook his head, shocked that his sister had veered from an agenda. It was so rare and…a good sign. A very good sign. Maybe it wouldn’t take as much convincing as he thought to get her to lose her field status virginity.

“Well, you were supposed to be here last night,” he said. “So not that early, technically.”

The faintest shadow crossed her eyes just before she closed them. “Even I can’t make Southwest fly planes if they don’t want to. But Avis had a Mustang, so I blew down here almost as fast as a 747.”

Nino pushed back and frowned at her. “You drive too fast, Chess.”

“Only Fords. And my bag is on the plane that I wasn’t, so one of us will have to make a run to the airport.” She batted her eyelashes at Nino.

“After I feed you,” Nino agreed easily, his priorities always in order.

Chessie pecked the old cheek and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, her usually bright and perfectly made-up face looking pretty worn from the overnight drive. That she’d made for him because, like Nino said, family is everything.

Instantly, Gabe’s heart softened as he took his own brotherly hug. She cared so much that she’d rushed down here and didn’t even worry about not having luggage. So not like her, and such a testament to the fact that he picked the right person for the job.

“Thanks, kid.” He gave her a squeeze. “I appreciate you dropping everything for this.”

She eased back. “Anything to, um, fix your computer system.” She winked.

Nino nudged into both of them. “Stop the lying, Francesca Rossi. I know why you’re here.”

“You do?” She looked from one to the other. “He does?”

Gabe nodded. “Welcome Nino to the vault, Chess. I just told him.”

She broke into a wide smile. “Pretty cool, isn’t it? A new little baby Rossi.”

“Not exactly a baby,” Nino replied. “Gabe says he’s four.”

Guilt punched, along with a numb ache that Gabe couldn’t get used to. “We don’t even know if he’s mine,” he said quickly, taking his fallback rationalization every time he allowed himself to believe the boy was indeed his and he’d missed four years of his life.

“Then let’s find out!” Chessie gave his shoulder a solid punch. “I brought my laptop, but if this on-site security company you work for has better systems, let’s use them. Or maybe you’ve stolen more files from that Cuban TV station like you did a few weeks ago. Whatever, dear brother, I am on it like a bonnet.” She grinned. “And I’ve been working up some algorithms that might let me crack those Cuba files even deeper. Also, I’ve found a few more databases—”

“You’re not going to need a computer, Chess.”

She laughed and looked at Nino. “That’s like you saying you don’t need your perfectly seasoned cast-iron skillet.”

Nino lifted his brows, clearly pleased with the fact that he knew something Chessie didn’t. “Listen to your brother,” he said.

Chessie turned back to Gabe. “Why wouldn’t I need a computer?”

“Oh, you can take it, but the Internet is notoriously bad to nonexistent in Cuba.” He could actually see his words hit her brain like little bullets, making her lips part in shock.

“
What
?” she managed to choke out the word.

“You’re going in the field.”

She lifted her glasses and peered at him like that might help her make sense of what he was saying. “I know you’ve been away from the Guardian Angelino offices for a while, Gabe, but I’m the computer girl, remember? If it’s digital, it’s my domain. I don’t go in the…”

Her voice faded as she realized he was serious. She looked at Nino for help, and Nino gave her his infamous one-shoulder shrug that had a million interpretations. This one said,
Tough shit, kid. You’re going to Cuba
.

“Nino!” she exclaimed.

“Chessie, it’s a
new member of the family
,” he said, as if that covered all things holy.

“We
think
,” Gabe added. “I have to find out for certain, and that has to be done on the ground.”

“By me?” Chessie’s voice rose, not exactly in fear, but with the tension that thrummed through her when a curve ball came her way. “How can I go to Cuba?”

“Easily. It’s all arranged. I even have a great cover for you.”

“I’m going
undercover
?”

“That’s kind of what we do here, Chess.”

She let out a breath. Or maybe hyperventilated. “Am I going alone?”

“No, no. God no, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

He could see visible relief on her face. “Thank God. So you’re able to get into Cuba now?”

“I wish, but no. Never.” Or he would have blown out of here a few weeks ago, minutes after Chessie discovered the existence of a four-year-old Gabriel listed as the child of Isadora Winter.

Chessie canted her head with a questioning look. “Nino’s going?”

Their grandfather puffed up. “I’d love that!”

“And come back with a recipe for
arroz con pollo
and no word on the kid?” Gabe shook his head. “No, sorry. I have someone assigned to go with you, Chessie, and—”

A solid rap on the screen door silenced him. “Gabe?”

At the sound of his friend’s voice from the front door, Gabe grinned. “And there he is. Come on in, Mal,” he called.

Chessie startled. “
Mal
?”

“No worries, kid,” he whispered. “Malcolm Harris is the perfect partner for you on this job.”

All the color in her face drained, leaving her pale and wide-eyed.

“It’s going to be okay, Chess.” He gave his sister a hug. “I promise you’ll love this plan. You don’t have to be afraid of the field.”

“It’s not the field I’m afraid of,” she whispered.

Just then, Mal Harris came into the kitchen, looking bigger and tougher than before he went to Allenwood. He started to smile at Gabe, but his gaze snagged on Chessie, and suddenly he looked as shocked as she did.

For one long second, they stared at each other, and Gabe could have sworn the lights flickered with the power charge that surged through the room.

What the fuck?

Chapter Five

How the hell had she beat him here? Why wasn’t she boarding that morning flight right now, still hours away? That’s what Mal had been counting on, giving him plenty of time to get here, get briefed, and get going without ever having to bump into
Gabe’s little sister
.

But here she was, just as pretty and desirable as before he knew who she was and why screwing her was such a bad idea. He’d likely lose his balls and a few teeth when Gabe found out what they’d done. He might even lose a valued friend, which was worse.

Mal managed to tear his gaze from the woman whose scent still clung to him and reached out to shake Gabe’s hand, copping a look of complete innocence that he hoped the other spook couldn’t see right through. “Good to see you, Gabe.”

“Is it?” Gabe returned the shake, but then added the quick man-hug that their friendship—and Mal’s four years in the house—demanded.

Mal gave Gabe’s back an easy punch, guilt tamping his enthusiasm. “Of course it’s good to see you.”

Gabe backed away, still giving Mal the stink eye. “You look like you just pissed on an electric fence.”

Mal didn’t laugh or even steal an uncertain glance at Chessie. If she was as smart as he thought she was, she’d pick up the cue and stay silent. “Just shell-shocked by a long trip.”

“This is my sister Chessie,” Gabe said. “She’ll be your mission partner.”

Holy sweet mother of Jesus. The slightest flash of horror crossed her expression, which probably matched his.

Mission partner.

Mal extended his hand to Chessie and finally made direct eye contact, long enough to see the infinitesimal flicker of surprise and, shit, hurt. Maybe some really pissed-offness, too.

“Nice to meet you, Chessie.”

It certainly pained her to take his hand and offer the most lackluster shake in history, pulling away before he even had his fingers around hers. “Hello, Malcolm.”

He could have sworn Gabe looked from one to the other with the crooked frown that meant he smelled something. And in this case? He’d smell sex. On both of them.

So Mal seized on the other person in the room, reaching his hand to the older man’s shoulder. “And this must be the famous grandfather who goes by Uncle Nino.”

“Nino Rossi,” the older man confirmed, banging his gnarled hand over Mal’s arm and adding an impressive squeeze. “It’s always a surprise and honor that my grandson talks about me.”

“Are you kidding?” Mal asked. “Gabe talked about his whole family.” He glanced at Chessie and couldn’t help adding, “Which is big, so I might not have remembered everyone’s names.”

Truth was, Gabe
had
mentioned a “baby sister”—not a thirty-year-old beauty with a hot bod and a killer mouth. No, he’d said nothing at all about that in the Rossi family line.

“I’m sure I told you about our family nerd.” Gabe patted Chessie’s back, a joke in his voice, but his gaze a little too inquisitive. Of course, the super spy didn’t miss a beat, and, shit, if they weren’t careful, Gabe would know exactly what beat was pounding in this room.

Chessie inched out of Gabe’s brotherly touch. “Well, you certainly never mentioned anyone named Mal, which I would remember, because that name means
bad
in so many languages.”

Ouch
.

“I met Mal at Gitmo,” Gabe said. “He was a guard there.”

“A
prison
guard?” Chessie asked, her brows lifting, a subtle expression of hope or relief in her eyes.

Because of the T-shirt, of course. Which he’d left as a way of saying,
You made a bad choice
, and prayed that would keep her from confiding in her big brother about a stranger named Malcolm Harris.

“He’ll make a great partner for you,” Gabe said to his sister, and to her credit, she didn’t even flinch.

But Mal had had no idea Gabe wanted him to partner on this job. Gabe had called in the middle of the night a few days after Mal got out of Allenwood. He’d agreed to help instantly, even if it meant going back to Cuba undercover.

“But you know I can handle alone whatever you have, Gabe,” Mal said, on the off chance they could get out of this awkward mess.

“It’s going to take a team, and you two are it.” Gabe looked from one to the other, frowning slightly, and Mal braced for the inevitable.
Have you two already met? Did you, by any chance, fuck each other’s brains out? Excuse me while I kick the living shit out of Mal.
“I think the cover will work perfectly,” Gabe finally said.