Free Bad Son Rising by Julie A. Richman Page B

added.
    “It’s all very interesting and very hands on and is exactly the type of engineering I’m studying, civil engineering and urban planning.”
    “You should do this,” Schooner announced. “These are the types of opportunities and experiences which will shape how you move forward in your career and life. It’ll be memorable and life altering, mark my words. And you will make incredible memories.” With a shrug of his shoulders, “There’s no reason you can’t defer for a semester.”
    Turning to Dr. Castillo, “Do they even need people?” Zac was praying Berto would say yes.
    With a wave of his hand, “They are grossly understaffed and a big able-bodied young man like you, with an understanding of mathematics and engineering, would be considered a godsend.”
    “What do you think?” Schooner asked his son.
    “It sounds interesting,” Zac was trying to play it cool, not show his hand, but the thought of being overseas with Lily, working together on a project, was without a doubt, the coolest opportunity to ever cross his path. There was no way she could ignore him over there. And he’d make sure that Brit stayed far away from her.
    Regarding Zac Moore with a very serious look, Berto’s voice was rife with sincere pleading, “Zac, I would sleep better at night knowing you were there with Lily. I’m not kidding. But you and your father should know before you decide to embark on a journey like this, that it’s rough over there. The environment is merciless, the conditions are unstable, it’s fairly dangerous, but the work is grand. And rewarding. And you’d be there with Lily, which would give me and her mother great peace of mind.”
    Zac didn’t realize at first that he was smiling. The thought of heading someplace where he’d be living on the edge made the blood course through his veins double-time. The fact that Liliana Castillo was there, on the other side of the world, was just a dream come true. For if he were honest with himself, on some level, he had compared every girl to her since the day they met and no one came remotely close to the silken haired serious Yalie.
    What he hadn’t realized was that maybe he and Lily were actually kindred spirits of a sort and that her irrepressible adventurous soul had created a situation for them to explore what he knew in his heart was that elusive something he yearned for, dreamed of and in his most private thoughts, prayed could eventually be his.
    Finally speaking, “I think it would be the coolest thing. I would love to do this.”
    Schooner Moore sat back and smiled. Clearly pleased with his son’s decision.
    Over a quarter of a century before, Schooner had been asked by his own father and Mia’s father to watch out for Mia, as she was only a sixteen year old college freshman, three thousand miles away from home and he was a few years older. Now, in a scenario somewhat similar, many years later, history was about to repeat itself as he asked his son to take on the same commitment to which he had agreed.
    “Zac, I want you to watch out for Liliana. Make sure that she’s OK. We need you to take care of her.” Schooner’s serious sapphire eyes bored into his son’s nearly identical eyes.
    Nodding, “I will, Dad,” and looking at Dr. Castillo, “I’ll look out for Lily. I’ll be there for her.” As much as she’ll let me, he thought, thinking of her tenacious personality and how she would probably let him know, in no uncertain terms, that she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
    Zac knew, as he made the commitment to both fathers, that he would protect Lily. Whether she wanted him to or not, his decision had been made the moment he knew she was in a dangerous place - he would protect Lily. And the very first thing he would protect her from was this Brit.

Chapter Eleven
Project Hydrate Base Camp
Congo, Africa
    Zac Moore arrived at base camp in the Congo with quite a splash, or one might say, in typical Zac style. The young