LOVE ABOVE LAW

by Alvarez, Sandy

  Kurt walks across the room and pours himself some coffee into a styrofoam cup. "Since we have been brought onto this case the department wants us to fly down to Florida and meet with the agents down there who've been working it for a while now." He takes his seat at his desk across from me. "These two agents have busted their asses on this case. If we get down there and they are a little pissed about us being there, ignore it. We don't need over inflated egos clouding judgment." Kurt looks directly toward Kai.

  "I'm not anyone's bitch, Kurt. I'm there to do a job. As long as they remember that—." Kai leans back in his chair and runs his hand through his long hair pulling it back before securing it at the nape of his neck with a hair tie. Kai may be a little hot-headed, but he makes a good agent. When we were at the training academy together, he was the only guy who could give me a run for my money physically. I'm a competitive guy. I want to win and succeed at everything. Kai happens to be the same, and he would make everything a competition between us, which is why we got along so well and instantly became friends.

  Giving Kai a hard stare, Kurt continues. "They believe they may have enough to gain a warrant to search Santino's home, and we need to be a part of that. Not to mention I want us to do some of our own snooping around Santino's stomping ground and see if we can dig up anything useful."

  "When do we leave?" I ask.

  Kurt scrubs a hand down his face then digs into his desk drawer, "noon." He holds out a ticket for each of us to take.

  "The wife is not going to be happy," Dean announces and pulls out his phone. Dean has a wife and two kids.

  Kai stands. "Does this mean we have the next couple of hours to ourselves?" he waits for an answer from Kurt.

  "Just make sure your asses are at the airport before takeoff," Kurt tells us.

  Dean walks off to make a call to his wife, and Kurt gathers his ticket and paperwork, drapes his jacket across his arm and heads toward the elevator leaving Kai and me behind.

  "I'm headed over to Rumors. I'll catch you later," he grins. I know all about Rumors. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I have a few hours to head back to my place and pack a bag for the remainder of the week. I ride the elevator down to the garage with Dean. "How's the family?" I inquire. His wife's pregnancy hasn't been easy this go around. They put her on bed rest three months in.

  "Good. We have six weeks to go. Despite the fact, she has a couple of small contractions every day the baby is strong. I hate leaving town. I don't know what we would have done without her mom these past few months. At least I can leave home knowing Hannah and the kids are in good hands." The elevator doors slide open, and we both step out.

  "It will all work out. Take the next few hours to be with your family before you have to get your head back in the game." We stand in the middle of the parking garage for a second before he lets out a heavy sigh. "Fuck man, you're right, I need to leave my shit here when we get on that plane. For all we know Santino could have eyes and ears on us as well. I need to be focused," Dean states.

  "I'll see you later," he calls out after he turns and walks off in the direction of his black SUV. Turning on my heels, I stride in the opposite direction. Getting into my car, I fire her up and head toward my apartment.

  A few hours later we're in the air. It's almost a six-hour flight so, I take that time to go over all the intel we have and take more notes. I'm hoping we can dig up a few more leads on the ground.

  We're greeted by a man and a woman as soon as we step out of the terminal gates. "Agents Johnson, Taylor, Kekoa, and Wallace?

  "That's us," Kurt extends his hand.

  "Thanks for coming. I'm Agent Mackey, and this is Agent Stamos," Agent Mackey declares.

  "Greek?" Kai directs his attention to the female agent standing in front of us. It seems she's just as impressed by his appearance as he is hers. I clear my throat and shake their hands.

  "It's good to meet you both." I recognize their names. These are the two agents who have worked on the Santino case for some time now.

  "Come on. Dinner is on us tonight. We'll take you to the hotel you'll be staying at afterward. Tomorrow we start bright and early."

  "Sounds Good." I look to my coworkers and they all nod in agreement.

  * * *

  Early the next morning the guys and I meet up with Stamos and Mackey. Their first names being Zoe and Dylan. Our first stop is out by the loading dock in the harbor where they made the massive drug bust the other night. "Where did you pinpoint the sniper's positioning?" I ask them.

  Stamos turns and points toward a five-story warehouse building to our right which looks like it's currently under construction and has a crane mounted on top of the roof. "From the direction of shots fired it was in that area. Whoever it was left nothing behind."

  "Lex and Kai, go look around. Never hurts to search again. Meet us down by the loading dock when you've finished."

  With our orders, Kai and I head over to the building. Two men making their way into the yard make eye contact with us as they walk by but never say a word. "Was I the only one getting creepy vibes from those two?" Kai says in a hushed tone.

  Within three yards of the building, we hear what sounds like metal clinking against metal coming from above. The moment the two of us glance up, we notice a massive iron beam attached to a chain that's connected to the crane on top of the building, and it's swaying from side to side. Without further warning, the chain snaps. Running, we clear the area just as it crashes onto the pavement.

  "What the fuck?" Kai looks up at the broken chain still swaying.

  "The safety foreman is going to have someone's ass for breakfast." I look around making sure no one else was near when it happened.

  "Those two dumb fucks we passed a few minutes ago came from this direction. Think they could have been up to no good?" Kai peers off in the direction they were heading, and I do the same.

  "Something we can look into," I tell him. "Could have been an isolated accident."

  We take about an hour casing the building. We inspected it from top to bottom not finding anything, so we head across the yard toward the shipping containers where the rest of the team is standing.

  "Find out anything?" I ask them.

  Stamos answers. "Nothing we didn't already know. The people around here are tight-lipped. If they aren't working for Santino, then they are scared to open their mouth for fear of losing their lives. I take it you two didn't come across anything new?"

  "Nothing." I cross my arms and wait for the others to wrap up their questioning with the yard supervisor.

  "How's that warrant coming along for us to gain access to Santino's home?" I ask her.

  "Hit a snag on that one. DA doesn't feel like we have enough to get the judge to issue one but plans to put it on his desk later today anyway.

  With that news, we decided to stretch out the day here at the yard interviewing pretty much every employee on site. The warrant fell through, and no one was willing to talk the moment Santino's name was brought up. We ended the day the same way we started.

  4

  Leyna

  Sitting in the back seat of a sleek black car an arms-length away from the man who calls himself Santino, I mask my feelings of being terrified. I have the urge to throw my body out of this moving car. I'd rather eat asphalt than play Santino's pawn. But I have no choice. Whatever is going on involves my brother, and I'd do anything for Gabriel. So, keeping my ass rooted in place is my only option. Although I can't help but wonder just what my brother has gotten himself into. What could Gabriel have that has Santino going through such drastic measures to get what he wants?

  I'm pulled from my thoughts when I feel the car come to a stop. Peering out the tinted window, I see we have stopped on an airstrip in front of a small plane. I almost want to laugh at how quickly this man has come into my country, taken me out of my home, and is now about to fly me out of Cuba; a place my brother and I have been trying to get me out of for the past couple of years. Getting permission to leave my
country is not easy; not the legal way. But for men like Santino, who have money and power, the rules don't apply. A few seconds later the back-passenger door is ripped open, and a hand latches on to my right bicep, pulling me from the car. In this moment, I've decided I have had enough of this asshole manhandling me. Using my left hand, I reach over and down toward his crotch. I then grab a fist full of his dick and squeeze. Once he releases my arm, I use my now free hand to deliver a swift chop to his throat, causing the prick to double over and gasp for his next breath.

  "Do we have a problem here?" Santino asks in a bored tone striding up behind me. I'm just about to answer and tell him to keep his goon in check, but before I can get the words out of my mouth, my hair is grabbed from behind. Seeing a meaty hand coming at me from the corner of my eye, I brace myself for the blow. "No!" Santino orders just before palm meets face. "No marks. She's worth nothing to me if you mess up her pretty face, Hugo." He says, and I'm left wondering what the hell he means when he says I'm worth nothing to him if I'm roughed up. My questioning thoughts must be written all over my face because the man Santino calls Hugo gives me a knowing smirk; one that says he knows exactly what his boss is talking about. Masking my features, I return a smile of my own. One that says fuck you, I win this round.

  Stepping inside the cabin of the plane with Santino leading the way and Hugo looming behind me, I take in my surroundings. This will be my first time flying. Peering over his shoulder at me Santino barks, "sit." I do as he says taking the seat furthest away from the door and away from Hugo. Just as I'm buckling my safety belt, a man appears through a door at the front of the airplane. "We take-off in five and will refuel in Miami before heading to Montana." At the mention of Montana; my brothers home state, I perk up. I try to listen to the low murmurs of Santino and Hugo's voices, but I'm unable to make out a word they are saying.

  I'm not stupid enough to think these men will willingly hand me over to Gabriel once he agrees to do as they ask. I don't know much of how the world works, but I do know it's not that simple. Men like Santino don't play fair. And they don't live by the code of honoring their word. My only hope is my brother will be able to outsmart Santino. I have faith in Gabriel. It's that same faith that is keeping me calm now. I have to look at the bigger picture and hold on to the possibility of what the future may hold and not focus on the what ifs, or what may happen if Gabriel fails. The moment you lose faith and stop believing is the moment negative energy seeps in and takes over. There is no amount of distance or years between me and my brother that could make me lose my faith in him. I believe without a shadow of a doubt, Gabriel will come out on top.

  Roughly ten hours later, we land in Montana. When we step off the plane, a gust of cold air hits my face, and I am not at all prepared for the climate change. My shorts and tank top do little to keep me warm. The weather in Montana is a far cry from the tropics of Cuba. I grit my teeth as a man steps out of a black SUV and offers both Santino and Hugo jackets yet doesn't spare me a second glance. But then again why would he. Why would any of these men care about my comfort? I'm merely a means to an end; a nobody. On the car ride to wherever our destination is, I take in what little I can as the sun begins to set behind the mountains. From what I can tell, Montana is beautiful. Once we pass a sign marked Polson City Limits, we come upon a small town.

  In an instant, it dawns on me how close I am to my brother. Close yet so far away. Polson is his home and where his club is. All too quickly we pass the small town and are now driving down a winding road surrounded by nothing but trees. About a mile in we come upon a sizeable two-story cabin and the SUV parks in front of the home where there are three men perched at the front entrance. One of the men breaks away from his group and makes his way to my side of the car, opening the door. "Let's go," is all he says, and I comply by sliding out of the backseat. "I'll take her to her room," Hugo says stepping into my space but is swiftly cut off by his boss. "No. Mateo will handle the girl. You come with me, Hugo." I see irritation mare Hugo's face, and I release a sigh of relief as he does as he's told and walks off in the opposite direction with Santino.

  Once inside, I cut my eyes around the house and do my best to take in the layout. To my left is a living room with large double doors that lead out to a patio; that's one exit. To my right, I see a kitchen. In there is a sliding glass door. That's exit number two. Exit three is the front entrance in which I just walked through. "Don't even think about getting any bright ideas, bitch." The man leading me through the house says as if he's reading my thoughts. "Even if you were lucky enough to make it outside, you wouldn't get five feet from this house before one of us was to put a bullet in you."

  "Better dead than go through whatever your boss has planned for me," I retort.

  "Hmmm," he hums. "Pretty and smart. Such a damn waste," the man states and confirms my suspicion that Santino's plans do not include handing me over to my brother and the thought causes dread to settle in my stomach.

  Continuing down the hallway toward a set of stairs, I hear the voices of Santino and Hugo. "Don't make me remind you again, Hugo. You will keep your dick in your pants and your hands off the girl. If my suspicions are correct that she is pure, then she's going to be worth something."

  "But you said," Hugo goes to protest.

  "I know what the hell I said. But my plans for her have changed. Are you questioning my order, Hugo?"

  "No, sir."

  "Good. Now do as your told and don't forget what I said. The shipment goes out in a few weeks. I need to make arrangements for the lovely Ms. Martinez."

  My heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest at the little bit of conversation I just overheard. My body moves strictly on autopilot as I'm led up the stairs and into a bedroom. I faintly recall the door being shut behind me and locked from the outside. So many emotions come over me at this moment. But most of all I feel numb. I want to say I don't know what the conversation Santino had with Hugo meant, but I do. The words pure, arrangements, and worth play out in my mind. I also recall Santino not wanting Hugo to hit me. He didn't want me marked.

  Several minutes pass before I finally take in the bedroom I'm currently standing in. There is a queen size bed along with an end table and lamps on either side. On the other end of the room is a dresser with an attached mirror. There is also an en-suite bathroom.

  A couple of hours have passed, and though I'm incredibly sleepy, I pace the bedroom willing myself to stay awake. I'm scared to let my guard down. Suddenly, I hear someone turn the lock on the door just before it swings open and filling the space is Hugo. With a scowl on his ugly face, he tosses a bag onto the bed. Then without a word turns on his heel and leaves. Seconds later the smell of food hits my nose and my stomach grumbles. I hate accepting anything by these assholes, but I'm also no idiot.

  * * *

  It's been three days since I was taken from my home and held up behind the four walls of this bedroom. The only human interaction I've had is with Santino's men when they come by three times a day to bring me food. Each time it's the same song and dance. The door opens, the food tossed in—thrown at me like I'm some animal and then I am left alone once again. The only other time I've seen Santino was yesterday afternoon. He strolled into my room, held out a phone and ordered me to say hello to my brother. My hopes were short lived when I barely got a whole sentence out of my mouth before the phone was snatched away from my ear and Santino strolled back out of the room.

  The only thing keeping me going right now is the fact that my brother now knows where I am. I know that much because as Santino was leaving my room, I heard him tell Gabriel he had me here in Polson. The bedroom door was then slammed shut and locked before I had the chance to overhear anything else.

  I'm so lost in my thoughts I don't realize I'm no longer alone; that someone has come into my room—Hugo. "Let's go. You have a visitor." He spits the word 'visitor' out like it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. I want to ask questions, but I don't. I stand from where I'm sitting on th
e edge of the bed, hold my head high, and follow behind Hugo as he leads me downstairs.

  When we come upon a closed door, he opens it then steps aside. When he does, I come face to face with someone I haven't seen since I was a little girl. Someone who no matter how much time has passed I would recognize his dark, yet warm eyes anywhere. "Hermano!" I sob and throw myself into Gabriel's strong arms.

  Placing his finger under my chin, bringing my eyes to his, Gabriel questions, "have they touched or hurt you in any way?"

  I shake my head. "No, they have been good to me. Did you come to take me home with you?"

  "No, Hermana not today but soon. I need to handle some business for Santino first. Until then you have to stay here," he tells me, and my shoulders slump in disappointment. Gabriel then turns to a man standing to his left. A man with a bushy beard and blue eyes. He's wearing a vest like Gabriel's with a patch that says PREZ.

  This man is not as tall as my brother but carries a fierce presence, and he says, "my men will make sure the shipment gets to where it needs to go. You make sure nothing happens to this girl," he points to me, "and that she is allowed to stay in contact with myself or her brother every day."

  Just as Hugo goes to grab me, I hear a growl escape my brother's mouth. The warning causes Hugo to drop his meaty paw. Before I am led out of the room, my brother delivers a promise. "I promise I'll be back to get you soon." With his parting words, a sense of calm washes over me. My brother never breaks a promise.

  5

  Lex

  We've been in Miami for less than twenty-four hours, and we've turned up no other leads. My palm presses against the cold tiled wall of the shower stall as the hot water cascades over the top of my head and down my back. Today we are hoping the judge will sign off on the search warrant so we can make a trip out to Santino's estate. Stamos isn't banking on it and neither am I. Mackey informed us yesterday that the last couple of times they've tried to search his home they were denied the warrant based on lack of evidence. From studying all the files, it doesn't surprise me, and I'm more than confident we won't come across anything useful today that will help us in the efforts.