by Freya Barker
I can do that.
Sophia
“Weren’t you supposed to work?”
Tse looks up from the dishes he volunteered for after breakfast.
I had a quick shower before I rolled into bed last night and didn’t even notice when Tse joined me at some point. I was awake first, feeling a little banged up, but that got better when I started moving around. I let him sleep a little longer while I went down to get coffee and breakfast going.
“Talked to Paco after you went to bed. He knows I’m starting a little later.” He dries his hands and hangs up the towel before turning, leaning a hip against the counter. “A few things we didn’t get a chance to discuss last night,” he clarifies.
Something in the way he said that instantly has me on the defensive.
“Like?”
“Where do I start,” he mocks. “Like the fact you took off down an alley where you know there’s been drug traffic, and without backup. But that’s not even the worst part of it: you got out of your vehicle. There’s a car parked in an alley where drug deals take place that are under investigation by the police, after one of your employees was attacked inside your restaurant, and what do you do?”
“It was Mandy’s car, and I thought something was wrong with it!” I argue loudly, but it’s like I never spoke.
“You get out of your goddamned vehicle. That’s what you do. No protection, not even your fucking phone on you, but you get out of the Jeep and walk right on over.”
The sarcasm is thick and I’m pissed he’s talking to me like a three-year-old, but then I hear what he’s saying and it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed. Because he’s right, it was a stupid move and I wasn’t thinking.
“Scared the fuck out of me, Fee. Seeing you lying there, that fucker kicking you and you not moving, ‘bout stopped my heart. You were on my watch, if something had happened to you…”
His words drift off and I’m already on my feet, rushing up to him. Clearly this has been simmering under the surface since it happened.
“I’m fine.”
“You were fucking knocked to the ground, Fee” he persists, his jaw clenched and his eyes angry on me.
I put my hands on his chest where his heart beats a staccato. He’s worked up all right.
“I was stupid. I wasn’t thinking, you’re right. But I’m okay.”
His lungs expand under my palms as he takes a deep breath in before blowing it out audibly. Then he covers my hands with his own.
“Almost gave me heart attack.”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“Good. Remember that, ‘cause you’re probably gonna get pissed again when I tell you what’s on the agenda this morning.”
“What?”
“Animal shelter. We’re gonna get you a dog. Today.”
“Wait a minute.”
I try to pull my hands back but he has a firm hold on them.
“No. Not waiting. Not after last night. You’re getting a dog, and you’re getting a good security system.”
“Now hold on.”
I shake my head. Things are moving too fast and I’m not getting a chance to process. Tse takes my face in his hands and the intensity in his eyes has the hair stand up on my arms.
“The cops planned a raid on the empty house behind the parking lot for today. That’s what Ramirez told me in the men’s room. But given what happened last night, they moved that search up. He was also gonna search the restaurant.”
I grab onto his wrists, my eyes wide with shock.
“Why?”
“Because he’d be a shit detective if he brushed this off as just a coincidence, babe. When we left last night, Ouray was on his way with Luna. Cops are looking for Mandy. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but with this many unknowns, we’re not taking any chances.”
“Okay.”
I’m stubborn but I’m not stupid. I can see the concern in his eyes and I’m sure by now there’s fear in mine.
In a softer tone he continues.
“Paco’s on his way here. He’s gonna install a security system and you and me are going to the pound. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to shackle myself to you, but I’m afraid that would sour our relationship.”
His lips brush lightly over my partially opened ones.
“And I’d really hate for that to happen…”
He kisses me again, this time a little deeper, and I lift my arms up and around his neck. One of his hands fists in my hair, while the other grabs a handful of my ass. Suddenly my blood is pumping for a different reason altogether.
I moan into his throat, rubbing my breasts against him, ready to climb him like a tree.
“Truck,” he mumbles against my mouth as I try to slip a hand under his shirt. “Fee, baby, truck coming.”
I’m not sure if it’s embarrassment or lust that has my cheeks burn, but I know I’m probably beet red when Tse opens the door to Paco.
“Morning,” I mumble when he steps into the kitchen.
Paco just grins and does that chin lifting thing these guys all seem to have in their repertoire. I tried it once in front of the mirror and I look like I’m having a seizure, so I just stick to words or waves.
“Ravi, you remember Sophia?”
I look beyond Paco, where Tse is standing with his hand on the shoulder of a lanky teenager. I remember seeing the kid around the clubhouse. He’s a quiet one.
“Hey, Ravi,” I greet him and get a barely audible, “Hey,” in return.
But when moments later Tse announces we’re heading to the animal shelter to look at dogs, I see the kid’s eyes light up.
“Ravi, wanna come? Help me pick out a dog?”
He tries to look aloof but the way his shoulders straighten and his teeth bite into his lips, I can tell he wants to.
“He’s supposed to be helping Paco,” Tse points out, and I shoot him bug eyes.
“Helping Paco or helping me, what’s the difference?”
Tse stares at me hard before turning to the boy.
“Would you mind?”
“Sure,” Ravi says with a shrug, making it sound like it’s all the same to him.
But it isn’t, and I know it isn’t, because half an hour later when I see him crouch down in front of the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen—talking softly as he scratches the creature under his chin—the expression on his face is one of pure happiness.
“Good call, baby,” Tse whispers in my ear, as he drapes an arm over my shoulder.
“So what do you think?” I ask Ravi, as I step closer and let the mastiff mix sniff my hand.
In all honesty, whenever I thought about getting a dog, I envision something cute and fluffy, not the big brown scarred face in front of me. Half of one of his ears is missing, the jowl on the same side of his face looks like it was patched together, and a thick rope of scar tissue runs from his flank down his back leg.
“What’s his name?” I ask the woman who is showing us around.
“He didn’t have one when he was brought in, but we’ve been calling him Van, for Van Gogh.”
She points at his missing ear. Makes sense.
The dog leisurely licks my hand as the woman continues.
“He listens to it well enough. Seems to be well-trained and is good with the other animals, even though we suspect he may have been used in dog fights. The vet guesses him to be about five years old and other than the obvious scars, he appears to be in good health.”
“I like him.”
I look down at Ravi in surprise. It’s the first thing he’s said since he got in the back of my Jeep earlier.
“What do you think, Fee?”
I glance over at Tse and then back at the dog. He’s watching me with woeful brown eyes.
“I like him too.”
CHAPTER 16
Sophia
I DON’T RECOGNIZE the SUV parked beside Paco’s truck in the driveway when we pull in.
“That’s Ouray,” Tse announces.
While w
e get out of my Jeep—Ravi holds on to Van’s leash—I wonder what he’s doing here. We’ve been gone a couple of hours, stopping in at Walmart to grab all I would need for the dog and a few groceries, before returning to the animal shelter to pick up Van. He reacted as if he’d already adopted us, with full-body wagging in lieu of a nonexistent tail and enthusiastic licks.
He hopped right onto the back seat, sitting up straight with his nose pressed through the small crack I rolled the window down to. He looked almost happy, insofar as a dog can look happy. Ravi sat beside him, putting his hand on the dog’s back, and kept it there for the trip back to my place.
I have a feeling I’ll be seeing more of the boy.
“Ravi, keep a hold of him for now, okay?”
I’m not sure how Van is going to react to the two men somewhere in my house.
“Sure.”
Tse walks ahead, opens the door, and I follow him in with Ravi and the dog on my heels.
“Whoa, what is that?”
Paco is standing underneath the stairs by the open electrical panel. I can see Ouray outside on the deck, his phone by his ear.
It’s weird having these guys appearing to be at ease in my house. My guess is that’s what life would be like if Tse lived here too, his brothers automatically feeling at home. Come to think of it, he’s spent as much time here as I have this weekend. Stranger yet is the fact I haven’t even tried to claim this place as my own.
“A dog,” Ravi answers innocently, and something about that twists in my heart.
“His name is Van Gogh,” I provide.
“He friendly?” Paco wants to know, approaching slowly.
“Seems to be.”
Proving me right, Van sticks out his nose and his butt starts wagging when Paco scratches his head.
“Damn, but he’s ugly.”
“He’s not ugly, he’s different, that’s all,” Ravi blurts out angrily, and I watch Paco’s expression soften.
“Yeah, bud, you’re right.”
I’m about to tell Ravi to take off his leash when the dog’s head snaps around, and he growls deep in his throat as the sliding door opens and Ouray steps inside.
“It’s all good, boy,” Tse rumbles, and the dog’s single ear twitches at the sound of his deep voice. “Give me the leash, Ravi.”
Ouray stopped inside the door and waits for Tse to walk toward him; Van’s head low between his shoulders as he tentatively follows.
“He’s a friend. Friend,” he repeats as the dog approaches, sniffing Ouray’s hands he keeps by his side.
Ouray doesn’t move until Van nudges a hand with his nose, asking for a scratch.
“Good choice,” Ouray comments, his eyes on me. “No one’s gonna walk in here uninvited.”
Tse asks Ravi to take Van outside, but keep him on the leash for now. After he closes the door behind the boy, he walks up and pulls me close, wrapping an arm around me before turning to Ouray, suddenly all business.
“What’s going on?”
Instead of looking at Tse, Ouray looks at me.
“Cops found thirty-five thousand in cash in the storage room.”
“What?”
I about launch myself forward, but Tse tightens his hold on me.
“Hidden in large denomination bills under false bottoms in the empty produce boxes. And that’s not all,” he adds. “They also found a bag containing fentanyl and meth in the house backing up to our property. It looked like the one you told Ramirez Mandy was carrying. The house also wasn’t as empty as it looked from the outside. They surprised a couple of young guys crashed there with loaded weapons. Took ‘em into custody. Luna ended up calling in her crew. She’s still on the scene, the FBI is stepping in.”
I sink down on the couch and drop my head in my hands. All that money in my kitchen? Holy shit.
“I don’t get it,” I mumble.
“I do,” Tse responds. “Wouldn’t be the first time produce was used as a cover to transport illegal drugs, and it’s not a surprise the FBI is taking over. Drugs are likely shipped in with the produce. They used the Backyard as cover for the distribution. Next delivery they pick up the empty boxes,” he emphasizes his words with air quotes, “and the money hidden inside.”
“Looks like it,” Ouray agrees with Tse before turning his attention to me. “What do you know about Mandy Roberts?”
I can feel the blood drain from my face. I hired her. I gave her the keys to the restaurant when she took over for Bernie. I was so relieved at the time I didn’t think twice.
“She’s a friend of Bernie’s. I needed a replacement for a waitress, and he said he knew someone with experience he’d worked with at his previous restaurant. She worked out great. Then when Bernie got injured, she offered to help out in the kitchen. She did a good job there too. I didn’t know—” I’m rambling but I can’t seem to stop myself when Tse does it for me.
“Nobody’s blaming you for anything, Fee,” he says, and I notice him exchanging a meaningful look with Ouray.
I shake my head. I can’t quite believe it, but then I remember that weird incident last week with the delivery guy. I sit up straight.
“That’s why the guy was an asshole.” Ouray and Tse both throw me confused looks. “Last week,” I continue. “Uh, Tuesday morning. I went in early and was alone at the restaurant when the truck showed up maybe ten or fifteen minutes early. They’re supposed to be there after ten, but I remember it was earlier because Mandy wasn’t in yet. The guy was weird when he saw me. Asked where Mandy was.” I pause, recollecting the incident and my eyes drift out the sliding doors where Ravi is running around, the dog bounding at his heels. “He wouldn’t unload,” I remember, looking up at Ouray. “He was moving around stuff in the back of his truck to kill time, but he wouldn’t unload until Mandy got there a few minutes later.”
“You figure Mandy took over more than just kitchen duties from Bernie?” Tse asks Ouray, who shrugs.
“Could well be. Maybe he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and the attack on him was punishment?”
“Bernie?” I can’t wrap my head around the jovial sous-chef being involved in anything as sinister as drug dealing. I don’t get a chance to say more because Ravi walks in with Van.
The dog instantly moves to my side, sits down at my feet, and tilts his head back for scratches. I readily comply, the dog’s presence making me feel a little more composed.
Tse looks down at me, his forehead furrowed, and his lips set in a hard line, before turning to Paco.
“How’s that alarm system coming along?”
Okay. No.
I’m still freaked way the hell out.
Tse
I watch Paco drive off with a reluctant Ravi in the passenger seat.
The kid really took to the dog and, almost by association, to Sophia, and wasn’t ready to leave. Luna just called Ouray though, giving him a heads-up that she and Ramirez and Luna’s boss, Damian Gomez, are on their way here.
I had a quiet word with Paco and he agreed to take Ravi with him to the build, but first quickly showed me how to set the alarm. He said he could come back for a couple of hours tomorrow to add a few features, including a camera aimed at the driveway.
I’m about to push the door shut when a dark SUV turns into the driveway. I’m on alert until it’s halfway to the house and I recognize Gomez behind the wheel and Luna beside him in the passenger seat.
Waiting for them, I step aside and wave them in. The smell of the fresh coffee Sophia was putting on permeates the air. I have a feeling it’ll be a long fucking day.
_______________
“Absolutely fucking not.”
I glare at Gomez, who calmly stares back.
“It’s perfectly safe.”
“Like hell it is. You’re putting a target on the restaurant, and on Sophia.”
Gomez and Luna just finished outlining a plan of action and it doesn’t sit well with me.
Mandy Roberts was picked up and is singing like a c
anary. Sounds like she’s not necessarily a hardened criminal but participated in the scheme under pressure. The setup was simple, but ensured the actual supplier never interacted with the dealers. That was first Bernie and then Mandy’s job, leaving only the two of them exposed. Something goes wrong, there’s only one person to take care of.
Gomez suggested that’s what probably happened to Bernie. He may have ripped off one of the dealers, who decided to punish him and take what was owed to him from that morning’s delivery. It wouldn’t have been the supplier; they would’ve taken care of business away from their distribution location.
The other guys they picked up—the ones in house behind the restaurant—only represent one dealer. According to Mandy there are more and she doesn’t know who is supplying the drugs. All she claims to know is that they come in on the Clover Produce truck and she’s supposed to hide the money in the empty boxes.
“It’s the only way to identify the other dealers, but more importantly, who is bringing in the drugs,” Luna offers. “Bernie’s sister approached Mandy in the hospital parking lot when she went to visit Bernie. Showed her pictures of her younger sister at her campus at the University of New Mexico, where she studies engineering. Told her, the sister would be safe as long as Mandy played along. She’s terrified, the sister is the only family she has left.”
“Bernie must have set her up.” Sophia speaks for the first time since Gomez and Luna got here. She’s been quietly listening, processing, and apparently thinking. “He’s the one who knew her, suggested I hire her.”
“That’s what we figure,” Gomez answers, turning his eyes on me. “And that’s another reason why it’s important we keep the restaurant functioning as normal. We need time to ensure her sister is safe before we make a move.”
I need some air and walk to the sliding doors where Van is lying on the floor, with his front paws crossed and his chin resting on top, looking outside. The moment I open the door he darts outside but stops at some brush where he relieves himself. Then he saunters back and sits down on the deck at my feet.
“Good boy.” I drop my hand to scratch his head.
I don’t like this plan. I understand it, get the reasoning behind it, but I don’t like it. It could be dangerous. Then again, so could disrupting the restaurant’s daily operations. It’s a fucking Catch-22 and either way Sophia could be hurt.