Paid for by the Cartel

Chapter Twenty-Eight

     Tinsley lay on the blanket, under the shade. Her plate was discarded next to her and she was stretched out on her back, arms propping up her head. Eyes closed, she listened to waves crashing against the beach. Itzel was siting in the sun next to her. Gabby and Letty were each laying on their own towels, catching some sun and relaxing after finishing their lunch. Itzel let out a heavy breath, shifting slight. Tinsley knew that sound. Itzel was getting ready to scold her for something. She turned her head to the side, eyes still closed but listening for her sister's voice.

     "¿Patearlo en la cara? Really?" Itzel started. A small smirk pulled at her mouth and she shifted slightly. 

     "Él obtuvo lo que merecía," Tinsley muttered with a shrug. There was a small pause before Itzel laughed once. 

     "I really can't take you no place, can I?" she said. Tinsley's smirk grew and finally opened her eyes to peer over at her sister. 

     "He slapped me across the face! What's you expect me to do, thank him?" Tinsley laughed. Itzel rolled her eyes. 

     "Not every problem needs to be solved with your fists," Itzel said, looking over at her sister. 

     "You're right! Some call for elbows and others call for feet," Tinsley teased. Itzel pursed her lips and shot her sister a glare, "I'm sorry? Have you met me?" Tinsley asked, leaning up on her elbows. 

     "Yes. I'm just saying, it's not the only option," Itzel said, shielding her eyes. 

     "I beg to differ! I have never found a problem that I couldn't solve with my fists," Tinsley said, smirking at her sister. Itzel rolled her eyes, shaking her head and looking away from her sister. Tinsley laughed. She looked around Itzel and found Letty was watching them with a small smile. Tinsley made a face and shot a wink at Letty. Letty laughed, tipping her head back toward the sun and closing her eyes again. There was a long moment where none of them said anything. The four of them all lay around, relaxing in the warming sun. The sounds of the waves turned hypnotic until time seemed irrelevant. It wasn't until Itzel started to move around and Tinsley was brought back to the beach. Tinsley stretched feeling back into her arms and propped herself up on her hands. Itzel was rifling through the cooler, pulling out more food and setting it around her on the sand, "What're you doing?" Tinsley asked, squinting into the bright environment outside the shade. Itzel looked over her shoulder before turning back to the cooler. 

     "Gilly texted and said that their heading back. Figured I have food warm cause they'll probably be hungry," Itzel said. Tinsley pushed herself up from the blanket and made her way to her sister. They made quick work of placing the containers on the grill and lighting it. Tinsley collected the discarded plates and tossed them into a bag. She collected a fresh stack of plates and lay them on the towel next to her. Letty shielded her eyes and looked back at the two of them, squinting in the bright sun. Letty pushed herself up from the ground, gaining the attention of Gabby. Gabby glanced around before turning herself over and watching Itzel and Tinsley. Letty sat cross legged on her towel and watched both of them. There wasn't much that needed to actually be done, most of it having been done at their house last night. It wasn't long before the distinct rumble of bikes drifted over the air. It was barely there, a sound that if you didn't know it, it wouldn't be heard. It grew steadily louder until the bikes could be seen pulling into the parking lot and filing into the parking spaces that lay empty beside her car. Itzel tapped Tinsley's knee, catching her attention again. Tinsley broke her stare from the bikes and looked back at her. Itzel was motioning toward the plates next to Tinsley's knee. Tinsley leaned forward, grabbing them from the towel and started thumbing through them. They were a well oiled machine. Tinsley would pass over a plate and Itzel would fill it. Itzel balanced the plates on her legs as she filed more or them. Tinsley held out her hand and motioned for Itzel to pass the filled plates back over to her. She began copying her sister by balancing the plates on her legs. The sounds of footsteps in the sand drew their attention away from their task. Bishop was crested the hill and looked up at them where they sat. A warm smile spread across his face. Tinsley returned the smile and held up the plate that Itzel had just handed her.