“Are you sure—” She cut herself off with a shake of her head. “Sorry, Ethan. Of course you’re sure it’s a fine idea, or you wouldn’t have agreed. I just had a knee-jerk reaction because, well, she’s my sister.”
Ethan inclined his head. “No problem.”
“Where are you going?” Chad asked, joining Sabina in the doorway.
Kara glanced at him. It had been a few years since he’d been to South Lake Tahoe, but he didn’t think much had changed. “Just a walk through town. Maybe browse the shops. Maybe take the gondola to the top of Heavenly.” Heavenly Ski Resort was the largest in South Lake Tahoe. And again, if he remembered correctly, they turned their winter destination into a summer playground with zip lines, gondolas, rock climbing, and several other activities.
“And lunch at some brewery Ethan recommended,” Kara added.
Interest and, if he wasn’t mistaken, a bit of longing flickered in Sabina’s eyes. “Do you want to join us?” he asked. Spending a lazy day poking into shops, having lunch, and maybe finding a bit of wholesome adventure were things the sisters had never been able to do together. Not until very recently. And while he would have enjoyed having Kara to himself, he’d enjoy sharing the experience with his cousin and Sabina even more.
“Would you mind?” Sabina asked, her voice tentative.
“Of course not!” Kara exclaimed, leaning into him and giving him a gentle squeeze. She didn’t say it, but he recognized a “thank you” when he experienced it.
Chad’s gaze flickered to him, and Ethan gave a small nod.
“We’d love to,” he said, nudging Sabina out of the coach. “Let me just tell the security team what we’re doing. They can follow us discreetly.”
Fifteen minutes later, a set of excited and chattering twins led them off the grounds of the concert venue and onto Lake Tahoe Boulevard.
* * *
Ethan grinned as Cody alternately twirled and dipped Sabina and Kara. They were backstage after the show and enjoying a few minutes of celebration before the HICC drivers arrived to take them home. He, Kara, Sabina, and Chad had spent the day meandering through the shops and restaurants of South Lake Tahoe. They’d stopped for lunch and a couple of craft brews at Stateline Brewery. Then they’d headed up Heavenly’s mountain in a gondola where they’d popped into the café for coffee, dessert, and a spectacular view. The day hadn’t ended there, though. They’d continued up the mountain on the lift, where he’d taken his first picture of him and Kara together. They’d smiled at the camera as the lake stretched out more than a thousand feet below them. He already planned to get it printed and framed. He even knew where he’d put it on his desk.
After descending the mountain, they ate a casual dinner at a local taqueria, then headed back to the venue and picked up their passes. Together, they’d enjoyed Cody’s show from the privacy of a VIP box before joining him and the rest of the band backstage.
“You’re not going to dance?” Ethan asked Chad, who was standing next to him nursing a beer.
Chad shook his head. “Cody’s having too much fun. He loves dancing but doesn’t get to do it often. He isn’t comfortable spinning women around who might think it means more than just a fun time on the dance floor. With Sabina and Kara, he doesn’t have to worry about that.”
No, he didn’t. And that was yet another thing Ethan hadn’t considered about his cousin. Yes, he and Chad were naturally suspicious and cautious because of the work they did. But they didn’t need to worry about sycophants. No wonder Cody had been coming home more and more often in the past year. Sure, he wanted to welcome Sabina and Josh’s partner, Sofia, to the family. But Ethan would wager that he also wanted to be somewhere—and with people—that he could trust. People he could be himself with and not worry whether they had ulterior motives.
“Any news from Ava?” Ethan asked as the song changed to a popular country party anthem.
Chad nodded. “She texted during the show. She confirmed Hilton flew into a private airport fifty miles from Portland. From there, he took a circuitous route, but arrived by car today.”
“Do we have eyes on him?”
Chad’s lips thinned, and he shook his head. “We should have sent one of our own up there. Or someone from Tia’s company. We partnered with a new firm based out of Seattle and let’s just say, it will be our last time partnering with them.”
“They lost him?”
Chad nodded. “It gets even worse. He had a go at Astrid andthenthey lost him. She’s fine,” Chad said, before Ethan could ask.
He blinked, thinking he couldn’t have heard his cousin right. But judging by Chad’s expression, he had. “What the fuck?” he demanded. The fact that Hilton had tried to kill yet another teammate wasnotsomething Chad should have kept from him.
“I should have mentioned that earlier. I know. But, well, there wasn’t anything we could do about it, and I thought they deserved a night off.” He nodded to the dance floor.
“You can’t do that, C,” Ethan said. Chad turned to look at him. “You can’t keep that shit from me when it involves Kara. You can’t make those decisions on your own. I understand your perspective, but what if the killer was hunting Sabina? What if I’d decidedfor youthat a few hours of being in the dark was better than knowing?”
Chad regarded him, his gaze steady but contemplative. After a beat, he closed his eyes and shook his head. “Shit, you’re right. Sorry, E. It wasn’t my decision to make. I just…”
Ethan sighed, accepting his cousin’s apology. Because he understood the reason behind it. “I know,” he said. “You just want them to be happy. They haven’t had a lot of that in their adult lives. And because we love them, every laugh, every smile feels like a win. It feels like we’ve been able to give them something special. Even if only for a moment.” He paused and watched Cody spin Kara. “I don’t like that you kept it from me, but I understand why you did. Just don’t do it again,” he said. Chad nodded. “And you know Sabina’s going to give you hell for withholding that information,” he added with a chuckle. There was very little Sabina liked less thannotknowing something.
Chad shrugged then grinned. “I can get her over it.”
Ethan didn’t doubt he could. “So what happened? And do we need to worry about him showing up here?”