by Dave Daren
At the far end of the lot was a chain-link fence. A no trespassing sign hung at a lopsided angle from one of the poles, but I noticed the chain was still shiny and new. Perez’s warehouse was just on the other side, and Hector pointed out the open window, about midway along a line of windows on the second floor.
“You weren’t kidding when you said it was open a crack,” I whispered.
“Alberto says someone was using it to smoke cigarettes earlier,” Hector whispered back as he pulled a hefty pair of wire cutters from under his jacket. “So it opens and closes.”
Hector soon had a nice line of cut links, and he pulled the fencing back just enough to let me squeeze through. We both waited a moment, and when no alarms sounded, I sidled onto Perez’s land. There wasn’t much cover here, and I hoped that the smoker on the second floor didn’t decide to take another cigarette break in the next few minutes. I sprinted across the flat, empty space to the side of the warehouse and pressed myself as flat as I could against the rough concrete wall.
Still, no one stirred or reacted, so I crept towards the old gutter that the boys had spotted. It was rusting in places, but still surprisingly sturdy. I examined the wall it was attached to and saw enough nooks and crannies for handholds and footholds. I managed to secure the rope around the pipe and begin the laborious process of climbing to the second-floor window.
Unfortunately, the window I wanted wasn’t right next to the pipe. My fingertips were already going numb by the time I pulled myself parallel to the windows, and I still had to find a way to get across the face of the building. I realized that each window had a narrow ledge, and if I could swing out far enough, I could just make the ledge on the closest window. From there, I could swing over to the open window.
I wrapped one arm around the gutter and then let the rope fall to the ground. I carefully stretched towards the window ledge until my toes found the protruding surface. I grabbed the edge of the sill with my hand before releasing my grip on the pipe. As soon as I let go, I propelled myself towards the window. My left foot dangled over the long drop for a second, and then my momentum carried me the rest of the way. I hit the window pane with a thump, and for a moment, I thought the glass might break.
The glass held and no one approached the window to investigate the sound. I took a moment to catch my breath and steady my nerves, and then I shimmied across the ledge towards the next window. I reenacted my Plastic Man routine and landed safely on the next ledge. The window was still open enough that I could fit the toe of my boot inside. Slowly, I started to lift the glass using my foot. When I had it high enough, I reached down with my hand and pulled it up enough that I could slip inside.
I found myself in a dusty room packed with old storage boxes and an impressive collection of flat screen T.V.’s. I could see footsteps where someone had wandered over to the window, and a pile of ash where they had stood while taking a smoke. I could hear music playing somewhere and voices laughing, oblivious to the fact that two other gangs were currently closing in on this place. I spotted the door and walked as quietly as I could across the floor.
I opened the door a crack and light spilled in from the hallway. There was no reaction, so I nudged it open a bit further and peeked outside. A man and a woman stood in the hallway, just a few steps from me. The woman wore a tight black miniskirt, a leopard print tube top, and painfully bright pink lipstick. She batted her unnaturally long eyelashes at the man, who smiled and reached out to caress one of her breasts.
Decision time, I sighed to myself. Do I try to take out both of them, or hope they decide to leave soon and conduct their business elsewhere? I could handle both of them, I was sure of that, I just didn’t know if I could take them both down before one of them could alert the other Reyes Dorados.
The choice was made for me when gunfire erupted down below. The man stiffened and looked towards the staircase I could just make out while the woman backed away and looked frantically along the hallway. Someone started yelling orders, and the man pulled a gun from his waistband and ran towards the stairs. When he was out of sight, I stepped into the hallway where the woman was still standing.
“Where’s the prisoner?” I demanded as I grabbed the hooker by the arm.
The hooker looked at me in shock, and for a moment, she looked as if she wouldn’t speak. But the sound of automatic weapons had joined the pop of handguns now, and it was moving closer to the stairs.
“Where is she?” I asked again as the hooker squirmed in my arms.
“Down there,” the woman replied as she pointed towards the last door. “There’s a guard in there with her.”
I released her arm, and the woman bolted past the staircase and towards the far end of the hallway. The fire escape, I guessed, a fact confirmed when the woman yanked on the last door to reveal night sky and at least two armed men, firing their weapons at someone down below.
I ran towards the other end of the hall and crashed through the door the woman had pointed at. Two guards were in there with their weapons already drawn. I dropped to the floor before the door had even hit the wall and rolled behind an old desk.
The two men started yelling at each other, and I stuck my head around the edge to double check their positions. I pulled back just as one of them fired at me and then launched myself over the desk and into my nearest opponent. We fell to the floor, and I kneed him hard in the stomach and then quickly jabbed him in the head. A hard blow to the throat left his gurgling on the floor as I rolled away from him and behind yet another stack of T.V.’s.
The second guy fired at the T.V.’s even as I was slipping quietly around the other side. I sprang at him while he was still looking in the wrong direction, smashing his face with both fists just as he turned to look. He stumbled backwards and a hard kick to the abdomen sent him flying into the wall. He slumped to the floor, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.
Sofia was tied to a chair in the corner, her mouth stuffed with an old bandana. She was struggling against the rope, and I signalled her to be still. I pulled out by blade and made quick work of the ropes that bound her.
“Vince,” she cried happily as she tossed the gag to the side.
“I am so glad to see you,” I said as I pulled her against me.
“I wasn’t sure you would find me,” she replied.
The gunfire shifted again, and this time it sounded like it was spreading outside, along our escape route.
“We still have to get out of here,” I whispered as I pulled out my phone and dialed Theo.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I pulled Sofia to her feet and led her towards the door. I risked a peek and was happy to see the hall was still empty.
“Both the Three Eights and the Chuchos Locos are here,” Theo said. “Perez’s guys are pinned down inside. It’s a friggin’ war zone out here.”
“I’ve got Sofia,” I replied as she squeezed my hand. “We can make it to the fire escape, but it sounds like the guards are still there.”
“We can take care of that,” Theo nearly laughed. “You two just be ready to move.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed. “How will we know when to move?”
“Trust me, you’ll know,” Theo replied.
I tucked my phone back into my pocket and gave Sofia a small nod. We darted down the hallway towards the fire escape. I could hear people just on the other side of the door, firing guns and cursing in Spanish. I could hear a woman as well, wailing in pain. The hooker must not have made it to safety.
Theo’s distraction sounded like a nuclear bomb going off. There was a great ‘whumpf’ sound, and then the sky turned orange. Even tucked inside, we could see the sudden bright light through the cracks around the edge of the door. The ground shook, and the woman started screaming. Male voices turned panicky as well, and someone started yelling ‘fuego’.
I pushed the door open and Sofia charged through. She knocked one guy right off the fire escape as she bolted outside, and I sent a second one over the edge with a quick sh
oulder to the chest. A third man stared at me in disbelief for a second and then ran back inside. The hooker who was bleeding from her left shoulder, scrambled on all fours after him.
I barrelled down the fire escape after Sofia, just as a second explosion lit up the sky near the front of the building. Sofia and I hit the ground at the same time and we swerved to avoid the flames that were racing along the edge of the building. I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the fence. Shots rang out behind us, and then something whistled past our heads and dropped behind us. A third explosion rang through the gray morning light, and the gunfire came to an abrupt halt.
Hector held the fence for us as we dodged through the steel wire, and then the three of use sprinted back through the empty lot towards the Wal-Mart. The homeless were up and watching the show, but no one moved to stop us. I could hear sirens as well, still in the distance but closing fast.
We slammed into the side of Theo’s truck, and then Hector wrapped his sister in two giant arms and swung her around in a bear hug.
“Are you okay?” Hector demanded when he finally set her on her feet again.
“I am now,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him another hug.
Theo and his two companions came trotting up then, and I looked back towards the warehouse in time to see the roof catch fire. Theo pulled Sofia into a hug, as did the two other men.
“Alberto, Cesar,” Sofia cried as she hugged them as well.
“We should go,” Theo warned. “The police will be here soon. Come on, sis, we’ll take you back home.”
Sofia glanced at the tow truck and then the Fusion.
“All four of you are in the truck?” she asked.
“Si,” Theo replied as the others started to squeeze inside. I had no idea how they had all managed to fit in the cab for the drive over here or how they expected Sofia to survive the trip home squished between them.
Sofia glanced at me, then gave Theo another quick hug.
“I’m going with Vince,” she declared. “You guys head over to mom and dad’s and make sure no one shows up there. I’ll have Vince take me somewhere I can hide until this is done.”
Theo shook his head, but Sofia kissed him softly on the forehead.
“Si,” she insisted. “It will be safer this way.”
“Let’s move,” I said as I opened the car door for her. I could see the reflection of the emergency lights now bouncing off the buildings. The fire was spreading as well, and the homeless were scurrying from the empty lot as the flames moved closer.
Sofia jumped into the Fusion, and I ran around to the driver’s side. I started the car and followed the tow truck as it barrelled out of the lot and turned down a side street. Theo led us on a twisting path back towards the interstate, but once we were back near the main roads, he slowed down and joined the early flow of traffic that was starting to head towards downtown.
“I could use some breakfast,” Sofia suddenly said. “I haven’t had anything to eat or drink since they grabbed me.”
“There’s a twenty-four-hour diner coming up,” I mused. “We could stop there.”
“That sounds good,” she replied.
We slipped away from the tow truck, and I navigated around yet another endless road project. We pulled into the parking lot of the diner and joined the folks who were just coming off the graveyard shirt as well as those just gearing up for their day. We found a quiet booth and quickly ordered huevos rancheros with plenty of home fries on the side.
“How much longer is this going to go on?” Sofia sighed after the waitress had dropped off our coffee.
“Not much,” I replied. “I know where Burke is, or I should say, who Burke is. I just need to make sure and then we’re done.”
“What do you mean, who Burke is?” she asked.
I told her about Burke, McCaffery and Dalton, and my best guess as to what had happened. Sofia gaped at me as I told her what I had learned, then she shook her head in disbelief.
“Gloria’s been dating her husband this whole time?” she demanded.
“Yes,” I agreed.
“And she knows this?” she continued.
“I’m pretty sure she does,” I replied. “The only one not in on the plan was Perrin.”
Sofia’s shock was giving way to anger, and I could see her replaying all of our encounters with Gloria.
“She played us,” Sofia finally muttered.
“They both did,” I agreed. “They played everyone, for six years.”
“What are we going to do about it?” she demanded.
“First, we’re going to find somewhere safe where you can recover so your brothers won’t come hunting for me when I don’t see to your every need,” I replied. “And then, well, I haven’t quite worked that out yet.”
Sofia managed a smirk as she eyed me.
“And where are you going to hide me?” she asked.
“Not at my place,” I mused. “They’ll be banging on my door before lunch, I’m sure.”
The food arrived, and we both dived in. I contemplated my options while I plowed through my plate and finally decided that another call to Ari was required. I polished off my plate and ordered a second cup of coffee and then dialed Ari’s number.
“Geez,” Ari mumbled as he answered. “I can’t believe you’re up this early.”
“It’s not that early,” I assured him. “And I need a favor.”
“Uh-huh,” Ari replied.
“Sofia needs somewhere to hang out until I get this case wrapped up,” I explained. “I can do that today, but I want her out of sight until this is done.”
“Oh, hey,” Ari said more alertly. “Does this mean you found her? Is she okay?”
“Yes, on both counts,” I assured him.
“Come on over,” Ari insisted. “She can stay here. It’s not the Ritz, but I do have an alarm and a security guard in the lobby.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “We’re just finishing up breakfast. We can be there in about an hour or so.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Ari stated. “Tell Sofia I’m glad she’s okay.”
“Ari says he’s glad your okay,” I announced after Ari had hung up.
“It won’t take us an hour to get there,” she pointed out.
“But it will take him that long to get himself cleaned up and presentable,” I laughed.
We stayed at the diner for another half an hour. We split a slice of apple pie and talked quietly about the Burke case. Theo called twice to check on how we were doing and then admitted that he hadn’t yet told their parents about Sofia’s encounter with the Reyes Dorados. He agreed not to tell either of their parents or their abuela about Sofia’s misadventures on penalty of death. I had to promise to keep Sofia safe for the next twenty-four hours under penalty of severe pain to be inflicted by Theo and Hector if I failed.
We left the diner and drove to Ari’s apartment. The security guard had been told to expect us, and he took in our scruffy appearance with a shake of his head. Very few of Ari’s neighbors were on the prowl yet, so we only garnered a few raised eyebrows as we rode the elevator to the tenth floor and walked slowly down the hallway. Ari already had the door open, and he pulled Sofia into a tight hug before she’d even made it across the threshold.
“Are you all right?” he demanded as he studied her.
“Tired and dirty,” she replied, “but they didn’t hurt me.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” he insisted. “Mi casa es su casa.”
“Thank you, Ari,” she said demurely. “All I need right now is sleep. And maybe a long, hot shower.”
“I can stay here if you want,” he suggested. “I’ll just call in sick.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a wink. “Really.”
Ari looked uncertain, so I took his elbow and walked him back to the door.
“It’s just for today, I think,” I told him quietly. “I’m going to grab a quick nap, and then I’m going to p
ut an end to this.”
“Call if you need anything,” Ari insisted. “I can be back in a flash.”
“I know,” I assured him.
Ari finally nodded and gathered up his jacket and briefcase. I set the alarm after he’d left, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to be too careful just now. Sofia had already wandered down the hallway and I heard the shower come to life.
I trailed after Sofia, mostly just to make sure she really was okay. The door to the bathroom was wide open and she was standing naked in front of the mirror over the sink, examining a bruise on her left bicep.
“I thought you said they didn’t hurt you,” I said with a tinge of worry as I wondered what else they might have done.
“Stupid jerk twisted my arm trying to get me inside that warehouse,” Sofia snorted. “I would have kicked him, but some dude as big as Hector came out and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of onions. I did kick him, but he was too stupid to realize how much he was hurting.”
She sighed and stepped away from the mirror. She looked at me and smiled at the hungry look she could see in my eyes.
“You could join me,” she suggested with a nod towards the shower.
“I could do with a shower,” I admitted with a grin.
The nice thing about Ari’s shower was that it was a large walk-in. No tub shower combination for my best friend. Even better, it had one of those really large rain showerheads, so there was plenty of room and water for two people.
Sofia helped me strip off my clothing while I kissed along her neck and shoulders, drinking in the scent that I was starting to realize I had come very close to losing. She tugged me into the shower, and we stood under the drenching flow while we kissed and fondled and explored like two horny teenagers.
My erection sprang to life, and with a wicked grin, Sofia knelt down in the shower and started to lick my shaft. My nerves jangled with the feel of her tongue as it slowly made its way across every inch. I moaned and rocked on my feet, and Sofia steadied me with a hand on my butt. My own hands were running through her hair, enjoying the silky texture as the water flowed through it. When I was as hard as I had ever been, I pulled her to her feet for one long, wet kiss, then lifted her into my hands and backed her against the shower wall.