by A. M. Brooks
Pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the whole story starts to make sense. I hate that it does. How many times has Jay told me to talk to her, to listen to everything? More than I want to admit. My stubbornness always came first and my thirst for revenge was next. Jay’s disapproval of my plan to send Scarlet to prison makes sense. For the first time in years, I even cringe at my own ruthlessness. How the fuck am I supposed to lock up my child’s mother?
I scrub my hands down my face and take another step back from her. My mind is assaulted with images from the last time we were in Vegas and the empty expression Scarlet wore on her face when she gunned down her old man. Sure, he deserved it, and at the time, it was him or me. I doubted her when it came to accepting his death. I didn’t believe she was instantly on our side. Now to know she’s been fighting against him for six years, it feels like my heart is stirring back to life. Everything I thought I knew is flipped upside down.
I have a daughter.
“Where is she?” I ask, finally able to raise my eyes to look at her.
“Talúm,” Scarlet replies, “with Evita.”
“In Mexico?”
“She’s safer there than here or in Tijuana where my father had been living. Very few know about her existence and I wanted to keep it that way. Until this is over, I asked that she be able to stay there. I have eyes on her and so does Jay,” Scarlet launches into detail.
I’ve already agreed with her, it just pisses me off more to know that Jay is more involved in my little girl’s life than I am. “What’s her name?”
Scarlet sucks in a breath. “Selene. It was a full moon the night she was born. I swore when I was giving birth, I kept smelling bonfire, and after it all, the next time I looked at the sky, it was a perfect swirl of pink and blue, just like the night we met. And even though it was dawn and I’d been in labor for hours, the moon was still out, and still bright.”
Her words cause my chest to tighten. I hate that I missed it. I hate that my daughter is five and I know nothing about her life or what she looks like. My eyes sting, and I rub them with the heels of my palms. Scarlet cries silently across from me. I want to hold her while at the same time I’m so angry that I try to convince myself she deserves it.
“I prayed for a girl,” she says, once again pulling my attention to her. “I knew in my heart if it was a boy, he’d look just like you. There would be no way to hide that. I put myself in a panic for months. After finding out I was pregnant, my father wasn’t happy, but he also did what I thought and left me alone. I was being watched the entire time still and I knew he would be curious about the sex of the baby to see if he could gain anything. The day the doctor told me it was a girl, I’d never felt more relief.”
“Do you have a picture?”
She shakes her head. “I never carry one. If it ever fell into the wrong hands, I didn’t want anyone going after her. She’s beautiful, Trent. She has dark hair like mine, same nose and lips, but she has your eyes.”
I nod my head, trying to picture everything, every detail in my mind. Once again hating Raul Alverez for ever being part of my life. He tainted everything and his mark is still left on the world. I thought last night had been a break for Scarlet and me, only to come full circle with more secrets.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, and I can’t make myself reassure her.
I get it to some extent, from what she’s explained. I can’t help but think, though, that I could have helped. I could have intervened. I could have protected them if she trusted me. I would have given up motocross and AfterHours in a heartbeat, and called up Jay too.
“You should have told me,” I tell her, “we could have fixed everything then.”
“Would you have, though? If I had come to you and told you everything, would you have walked away that day? Knowing I was lying to you and betraying you?” she counters.
My jaw clenches. I want to argue that I would have, only I don’t know for sure. In hindsight, yes, I like to think I would have. I don’t know about twenty-one-year-old me, though. I glance down at her stomach, thinking about last night. “I didn’t use a condom last night.”
Her eyes meet mine and a sad smile tugs her lips. “I’m clean. I also have the implant now.” I nod. Silence stretching between us again.
“What do we do now?” I ask, hoping she has a better solution than I do.
“Keep going with our plan,” she responds. “Julio will be here soon. We get this over with then we deal with what’s next.” Her throat bobs again. “I’m not refuting that I’ve done horrible things. I just wanted you to understand why I did them. While I’m away, will you take Selene and raise her?”
“Scar,” I start to say before she cuts me off.
“She knows you. Well, knows about you. I’ve never lied about her daddy, only kept your name a secret if Grandpa visited. Evita tells her every day that we’re on an adventure to save the world. So, she knows you. If you take her, she’s going to be thrilled to meet you,” Scarlet finishes.
I take a step toward her, my hands resting gently on her shoulders. Her body grows rigid, as if she’s unsure about the contact. I give her a small tug forward, until she steps closer. Her arms eventually wind around my waist, her head resting against my chest. I hold her, until she stops crying, and until my own feelings are less intense. The situation we’re in just became more fucked-up. Jay and I are going to have words. Somehow, I have to reexamine my own beliefs and figure out what I can live with and what I can’t. First, though, we have a date with Julio Bandara.
“Hey Momma,” Julio Bandara, Ghost, a notorious man that we’ve spent years searching for walks into the room with the swagger of the criminal he is. What I hate most, though, is when he stops in front of Scarlet and kisses her cheek. She may be oblivious, but I see it. The way his gaze rakes over her with a hint of possessiveness. He wants her. Lucky for me, I get to hear everything, while I’m still acting like her bodyguard.
“How is your room?” she asks, when they sit again.
“The roses are a nice touch.” He smirks at her and she laughs, her fingertips brushing his arm. My jaw clenches and I fight the urge not to make a scene. Another reason I’ll be happy to see all of this over with is that Scarlet can quit acting.
“I was expecting more product,” he adds, and her head nods, a secret smile on her face.
“There is more,” she sighs, before sitting back in her seat, legs crossing. “Unfortunately, my father’s death left me with more eyes on me than I like. Business here is almost nonexistent. I need to get back home.”
“What’s stopping you?” he questions, his legs spreading while he contemplates what she’s telling him.
“Besides the obvious,” she spreads her arms wide, indicating the hotel, “no, it’s the anonymity.”
“I’m sure a smart woman such as yourself has a plan,” he retorts, finally taking a sip from the bourbon in front of him. His questions sound harmless, exactly what a business partner would ask, only Bandara doesn’t play that role. He’s testing her.
“I found a driver.” Scarlet shoots back the shot of tequila in front of her without flinching. “There is a new path called the Arroz Strait. Tomorrow night, I’m expecting my shipment delivered.”
“With the hotel out of commission, you need another distribution point,” he drawls, and she nods at him again.
“I’ve put out some feelers. Most of them are accessible.”
Julio strokes his jaw with his fingers, lost in thought, before his eyes move lazily back to her. “I got a guy, but it will cost you, Momma.”
Scarlet makes a face. “I can’t move big right now. Cash, yes, I have that on hand. Nothing else until all this media and the blue boys leave me alone again.”
“Money always talks, Scarlet, you know this.” He smirks at her.
“How much would your guy cost me, after you take your cut?” Her head tilts like she’s contemplating it.
“He’s a reasonable man. I’m sure you’d fine it accep
table,” Julio replies, and Scarlet nods, pretending to think it over.
“Meet at the Arroz Strait? You take the product to your person, leave my cut and take your own from there?” she asks, making a plan. Julio regards her for a second before nodding in agreement.
“I usually charge for personal delivery,” he throws out, and she laughs.
“I’ll give you a free night in our penthouse.”
He smiles at her crookedly, when she flashes a smile of her own.
“What do you plan to do with your newfound freedom with Daddy dead? I doubt you plan to stay here.”
“After this deal, I’ll be leaving the States for a while. Tijuana is not on my radar, so don’t worry. I’m thinking of spending time on the East Coast,” she tells him.
Bandara strokes his chin, thinking over her words and proposition. She basically is handing him the best deal that could be presented between the two of them, saying she plans to fuck off from the land her dad was controlling. Too bad the deal isn’t real. With Alverez out of the way, Julio can expand in that area, since Scarlet is not planning to claim it.
Or if she’s not waiting to fuck you over again. I think the thought before I can stop myself. It’s been happening more lately and after the way the morning went, I won’t lie and say I’m not twitchy about it. Scarlet has more to lose than I imagined. When we make it through this mission, she is looking at prison time. Time that I fought for, made my arrest on and included in the final contract she signed with Jay for her plea deal. Scarlet Reyes is a snitch and taking all her buddies, men like Julio Bandara, down with her. And because I’m so intent on making sure she follows through and atones for all her sins, my child is now going to be motherless.
I zone out as much as I can, pretending to be as uninterested as I can, until Scarlet signals they’re ready to leave the room. Bandara is no longer staying the night at the hotel, since he wants to get to the strait as soon as possible. If you ask me, he’s paranoid, and knowing the hotel is where Scarlet’s dad died, he wants out of here. They pick a time for the drop and she tells him about the driver. They say goodbye with a familiarity that irks me, even when I have no right. Scarlet isn’t mine. She may have given me her body again and shed the rest of her secrets, but there is still so much between us. Too much anger, hurt, and betrayal, and that’s only from me.
I watch Julio’s retreating back until his disappears from sight, before helping Scarlet stand. She eyes me and takes another shot of tequila before rising to her feet. “I can get to my room,” she murmurs, her eyes fixated on the floor. Since our conversation a few hours ago, she’s closed herself off.
“I’m going that way anyways, Scar, just let me take you,” I tell her. Her eyes flash with my use of her nickname. It’s brief and barely there before she glances away and nods her head. I keep up appearances while I escort her back to her room, once her door shuts behind her and I have a text confirming she’s okay, I head back up to the roof to confront the next person on my list.
Jay leans against the edge, smoking a cigar and waiting. “Thought you might come find me,” he says, even though I have yet to speak.
“You knew,” I reply. No point in accusing him. Scarlet already told me what happened.
Jay sighs. “I’m glad you finally talked.”
No apology, no excuse. I scoff. “It would have been nice to know sooner.”
“It wasn’t my place to tell you. She also built it into her protection clause.” He inhales, eyes watching me. “I told you to reach out. Both of you being stubborn and unwilling to trust anybody is what got you here.”
I hate that he’s kind of right. I shake my head, still unable to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m a father. I have a little girl, who has my eyes, apparently, and I’ve never met her. I run a hand through my hair before taking a cigarette from my pack, lighting it up, and taking a deep inhale. This little girl will hate me once she realizes I’m the reason her mom is behind bars.
Jay seems to sense my inner struggle. His hand claps my shoulder. “Let’s just get through tomorrow. After we deal with Bandara and Los Moños, then we can figure out the rest. Nothing is final until the report is finished.”
I keep my eyes on the skyline while he walks away, thinking over his words. I’m hoping things will be clearer after tomorrow when all of this is behind us. The end of this case has been within my grasp for so long. The loss we’ve endured to get here has been far greater. I’m doing this for Blake and now I’m doing it for Selene. I thought I didn’t care if I made it out alive as long as we finally put an end to the monsters. Now I have the biggest reason to stay alive. I understand Scarlet, just a little more, and that is what will keep me up tonight.
Trent
“Are you sure you’re ready?” I ask her again, and I don’t miss the hint of annoyance in her attitude when she narrows her eyes at me.
“You act like I haven’t done this before,” she says.
I shrug. “Just making sure you actually plan to show up, Reyes.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” she retorts, one hand on her hip, and the other holding her phone. “Dax already confirmed.”
“Let us know when you leave, so we know roughly when to meet you,” Jay instructs from where he’s standing by the door, grabbing our bags and amo. He’s ready to leave and I can’t make myself budge. My mind remembers this same feeling from six years ago. A sense of loss mixed with an anxious need to keep Scarlet in my line of sight fills my chest.
“You ready?” Jay asks, and I nod.
“Be there in a minute.” He leaves without a word and then it’s just Scarlet and me.
Her brow lifts. “If you plan to just lay into me about following orders, I got it. I want this over as much as you do, Trent.”
My lips twitch with amusement. “Don’t go soft tonight, Scar. Bring your A game. Finish up with a bang, so no one ever forgets the queen.”
“Off with their heads, right?” she says, with a forced laugh. Her smile doesn’t meet her eyes and something that feels strangely like guilt burrows into my gut.
I stalk toward her, not stopping until I’m close enough that she has to tilt her head back. I lift a hand and trail my fingers down her cheek, to the point of her chin. Her eyes go soft and her lips part. My hand slides into her hair, the thick, black strands wrap around my fingers, and I tighten my hold. “Be safe,” I tell her, emotion thickening my voice. Her eyes meet mine, a sheen of tears making them glisten. Unable to speak, she nods her head and mouths the word “yes.” I lean and touch my lips to her forehead, inhaling her, savoring the feel of her skin, before I step back. Her eyes follow me as I cross the room to the door. She doesn’t call out or chase after me. With my hand on the door, I look at her one last time. She stands up straighter, the mask I’ve seen dozens of times in the past month slides on and she tilts her chin up. A silent goodbye passes between us before I step out into the hallway and close the door behind me. See you on the other side.
By the time the sun sinks into the horizon, Jay and I have everything set up and ready to go. Our team is on the outskirts. Far enough away to be undetected. That’s what I’m hoping for at least. Julio Bandara has a knack for finding out the impossible and evaded our grasp more than once. This time, we’re hanging onto the hope that he won’t expect to be set up by someone he apparently trusts. The irony of the situation is not lost on me. How many years ago was I in a similar position?
The last we heard from Scarlet, she was getting into Dax’s car. She opted to leave her cell at the hotel and we’re tracking her on the small device attached to one of her hair pins. They’re making good time and should be at the designated place to meet with Bandara as planned. When I talked to Cougar, he assured me Dax was the person for the job, and made sure he would give her the information when she reached out. I feel somewhat better knowing he’s the one driving her. Scarlet isn’t fully aware of how far my reach goes in the underbelly, and I like to keep it that way. Jay and I have spent a lot of time maxi
mizing my alter persona all for the purpose of Scar to exist, so we can get information.
When the moon is high in the sky, Dax’s car rolls to where the Arroz Strait is. After a few minutes, he turns his lights off but keeps the engine running. With his tinted windows, I can’t make them out, but feel relieved they stay in the car. The sand glows from the moonlight and the nearby mountains look like black pillars, creating a wall around where we are. Using a pair of night vision binoculars, I scan the perimeter and the only nearby dirt road from both directions. There is no motion anywhere. Jay uses code to tap into our radios. The team answers back using the same technique. Shivers start to run my spine, and my fingers flex against the bulletproof vest on my chest. The half face mask is starting to feel stifling. Doubt crawls over my skin, and I’m about ready to head in Dax’s direction.
I take one step when the passenger door of the car opens. In the moonlight, I can make out Scarlet’s form as she steps from the vehicle and moves to lean against the hood. Suddenly Dax flashes his lights three times. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when the soft rumbling of an approaching vehicle can be heard, coming from the mouth of the Arroz Strait.
“Hold tight,” Jay says under his breath, so quiet only I can hear, and I nod. A beat-up looking Jeep Cherokee soon is speeding up and heading right toward the car. The Jeep stops within a few feet. Scarlet pushes herself off the hood and approaches the driver side door. I see her reach her arm in the vehicle and pull out what looks like a black bag. Cash. She’s making her part of the transaction. Dax steps out next and she throws him the bag. He rounds the car and opens his trunk. Soon after, another engine, louder this time, cuts through the silence. Scarlet and Dax turn in the direction Jay and I are already facing. Three blacked-out vehicles are heading toward the group. The middle vehicle is a jacked-up Hummer. The thing looks bulletproof and bomb resistant.
“Has to be Bandara,” I say quietly, and Jay nods. He talks quickly and quietly into his radio, before signaling that it’s time to move in closer.