Page 153 of Where Broken Wings Fly

ZACH

LIE TO ME - THE DANGEROUS SUMMER

Weighed down by several packed bags of clothing, I groan in exhaustion.

“Arianna doesn’t need any more fucking dresses. The little monster has enough.”

Tucking her new bank card away, Willow grins at me. “You’re here to be the muscle, aren’t you? Why else would I bring you along?”

“Not much muscle to speak of,” Killian chips in.

“I’m the hottest member of the family, and we all know it. See this body? Pure muscle. Take that.”

“I reckon Killian could rival you in the muscle department.” Willow drops another bag on top of the pile in my arms. “You guys should wrestle and find out.”

“You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?” Killian laughs.

“Well, obviously.”

We exit the clothing store and return to the packed city streets. The day is drawing to a close, and we’ve stayed far longer than we intended to. Showing Willow around and watching her face light up has been fucking breathtaking.

She was so excited when we took her to a popular milkshake shop where you can choose any chocolate bar and have it made into a shake. I snapped a selfie of the three of us sipping away and pinged it over to Micah to make him jealous.

“Should we head back to the truck?” Willow looks longingly at the shops in the distance. “I need to get home for Arianna. We’ll have to come back another day to see the rest.”

Killian drops a kiss on her head. “Whatever you want, baby.”

“Micah texted. He’s got Arianna fed and happy.” I show her my phone and the photograph he sent. “She’s trying to sculpt a vase with him and trashing his clay.”

Willow winces. “He shouldn’t take her into the studio.”

“She loves it.”

“Trust me, it’s a high honour to be allowed in there,” Killian adds.

“I feel bad. She’s ruining his workspace.”

“He’ll cope. Don’t worry about him.”

Wading back through the crowds, we head through the main plaza, packed with popular restaurants and bustling bars. The office crowd is beginning to arrive for evening drinks and food, congesting the pavements with their smart business wear.

Killian ploughs into an unsuspecting woman, and I swear Willow looks ready to slap-a-bitch when she bats her lashes and touches his bicep. I manoeuvre her in front of me and hold on tight so she can’t attack.

“Calm down, hot mama,” I instruct.

“Tell her to stop touching Killian, and I will.”

Untangling himself from the over-friendly woman, Killian brushes her off and marches away as fast as his legs will allow. He looks less than impressed by the encounter and more concerned by Willow’s obvious annoyance.

“See? The city sucks,” he complains.

“Let’s get out of here before Killian’s head explodes.”

“Fine by me,” Willow mumbles.

Walking in tandem to survive the crush of people, we’re almost through the madness when a deep, booming voice calls out. Willow freezes on the spot, almost pulling me off balance in the process.

“Mrs Sanchez! Mrs Sanchez!”

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