by Ruff, K. S.
I glanced at the clock. It was just after four o’clock. The sun would be up soon. Rafael wasn’t due to arrive until sometime around eleven. I had no clue when Maxim would be rolling in. Dante wasn’t happy with me inviting the Russian mafia into his home, but honestly? I didn’t care. I knew he’d view things differently if Maria was the one who was missing.
“He’ll see the logic behind your decision by the time the sun comes up,” Alejandro noted softly. Somehow, he knew I’d been thinking of Dante. “I think you made the right decision. I’d do anything to get Isabel back, and I know Cenia feels the same about Roger. I’d been contemplating confronting the cartels myself.”
My eyes met Alejandro’s. “Do you think one of the cartels has them?”
He brushed a lock of hair out of Cenia’s face. “What other explanation could there be?”
“Will they kill them?” I asked. A strangled sound caught in my chest.
Alejandro sighed. “It depends on who has them. The Gulf Cartel will not kill government officials from the United States. If they have Kadyn and Roger, they’ll ask for a ransom and eventually release them. If it’s the sicario…” he trailed off ominously.
I curled my feet under me as I settled into the chair Cenia had claimed earlier. I was exhausted, but sleeping didn’t seem right, not when Kadyn and Roger weren’t safe enough to sleep. I kept praying they were free, that they hadn’t been kidnapped, that they’d find our note, and call Isabel’s phone, but her phone didn’t ring.
My head popped up when the dogs began barking outside. Alejandro joined me at the screen door after lowering Cenia onto the couch. A black sedan pulled off the gravel road and parked in the driveway between the farmhouse and the barn.
“Is that him?” Alejandro inquired anxiously.
Maxim stepped from the car.
“Yes,” I breathed before running outside to see him. Maxim lost his footing and his breath when I barreled into his chest. “Thank you,” I sobbed.
“Shhhh. Everything will be okay,” he soothed. He smoothed down my hair and kissed the top of my head before folding me in his arms.
“Kri?” Shae asked in a very small voice.
I peered over Maxim’s shoulder, stunned. Konstantin and Shae were standing on the other side of the car. I started crying even harder.
Maxim released me when Shae walked around the car to give me a hug.
“It was awful,” I cried. “The guns… the blood… they’re gone, and no one knows where they are.” Konstantin rubbed my back while I sobbed.
I swiped the tears from my cheeks when Maxim pulled me back into his arms. “You guys must be exhausted. Let’s go inside.”
Alejandro met us at the door. “I’m Cenia’s dad, Alejandro. Thank you for coming. I really appreciate your help.”
“This is Maxim, Konstantin, and Shae,” I informed Alejandro. “Konstantin works for Maxim in Ukraine. Shae is a friend of mine from Virginia.”
Alejandro shook hands with both men before kissing Shae on the cheek. “I’ve moved Cenia to the back so she can sleep with her mother. There’s another guest room available if you’d like to get some sleep.”
Konstantin glanced questioningly at Shae.
She nodded. “I could really use some sleep, now that we’re here.”
Alejandro showed Konstantin and Shae to the guest room.
Maxim joined me on the couch. “You haven’t slept,” he noted softly.
I shook my head. “I can’t sleep.”
“You can and you should. You will be of no use to Kadyn or me if you don’t.” He moved to the far end of the couch and patted his leg. “Rest your head here and let me hold you for a while.” He turned the lamp off on the end table before draping a crocheted blanket over me. His fingers gently caressed my back while he coaxed me to sleep.
Alejandro locked the front door before offering Maxim a glass of water. Then he settled into the chair and told Maxim everything he knew about the cartels, Kadyn, and Roger. Their hushed tones eventually lulled me to sleep.
* * * * *
The living room was dark. Someone had pulled Maria’s heavy drapes over the windows. I had been drifting in and out of sleep, while listening to the quiet but soothing sounds of someone moving about the kitchen. Maxim had changed our position while I slept so he could stretch out and rest. I was now curled between his legs with my head resting on his chest. The steady rise and fall of his chest had lulled me back to sleep when I woke earlier.
My breath caught when my brain circled back to the last time I slept next to Maxim on a couch. I tried easing off the couch.
Maxim’s arms tightened around me. “I’m not ready to let go of you yet.”
I peered up at him as I eased back onto his chest. Maxim’s hair had grown out since the last time I’d seen him. Dark waves accentuated his handsome face. “When do you think you might be ready to release me?” I asked teasingly.
“When I am buried six feet under,” he replied with a playful smile. “Now, before I retrieve the dark horse, may I have a kiss from the fair lady?”
“The dark horse?” I asked.
“Kadyn,” he replied.
I rolled my eyes. “I must be very broken inside.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I really would like to kiss you,” I confessed.
“I guess that makes me broken too,” he mused.
“You? Broken?” I laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“I am,” he insisted. “Everyone is in some small way. If they aren’t, they will be eventually. It is not a bad thing.”
“I think it is,” I argued softly.
“It is through that brokenness that we find courage and strength. It is what empowers us to do great things,” he persisted.
I turned his point over in my head. “You, Mr. Markov, say the most amazing things.” I planted a chaste kiss on his cheek before jumping off the couch.
He chuckled softly as he rose from the couch. “Surely you can do better than that?” Maxim captured my arm and drew me to his chest. He hooked his arm around my lower back and pulled me onto my tiptoes when our bodies met.
“Maxim,” I breathed. I wasn’t capable of any further response.
His arms tightened, locking me in place, while his tongue swept possessively through my mouth. My entire body softened. He deepened the kiss when he sensed my consent. His hands raked over my back, bottom, and thighs before inching up my dress.
“You’re looking well rested,” Konstantin noted, chuckling softly.
Maxim tensed.
“They’re stirring back there, or I wouldn’t have interrupted,” he said. “Why don’t you join Shae and me in the kitchen?”
Maxim shot Konstantin a scathing look when I backed away. I grabbed Kadyn’s cell phone off the coffee table on our way into the kitchen. Maxim pulled me onto his lap when I tried to sit next to Shae.
Konstantin set two cups of coffee in front of us. “That’s one thing about the Mexicans,” he observed. “They really know their coffee.” He sat in the chair next to Shae.
I reached for the mug closest to me. “What time is it?” I asked. The kitchen seemed a lot brighter than the living room.
“Seven-thirty,” Shae replied.
I released my grip on the coffee. “I slept for two and a half hours?” I objected. Tears pricked at my eyes as I thought about all the things that could have been accomplished during that amount of time.
Maxim forced me to look at him. “You were in shock. You needed rest. You’ll think more clearly now that you’ve had some sleep. Besides, drug lords aren’t open for business at five or six o’clock in the morning.”
I swiped at my eyes before reaching for Kadyn’s phone. “I want to show you something.” I retrieved the picture of the man with the black truck and handed the phone to Maxim. “Kadyn took this picture after he sent us into the woods. He hid the phone and the keys to the van inside the garment bag for Cenia’s wedding dress. I
think this picture is the key to figuring out where they are.”
Maxim studied the picture before handing the phone to Konstantin. Konstantin examined the picture, then handed the phone to Shae.
I took a sip of coffee. “When the Mexicans saw this man step out of his truck, they ran. They ran for a reason. Cenia’s cousin, Dante, the man who owns this farm, has been asking around but he’s limited in who he can ask. People are afraid to speak about the cartels because if the wrong person overhears them, they’re dead. If you can gain access to someone inside the mafia, they may know who this man is… or they may know something about Kaydn and Roger.”
“Are you able to print this picture?” Maxim inquired.
I set the coffee mug on the table. “Can’t we just show them the picture on the cell phone?”
“We?” both men asked.
I glanced at Konstantin before locking eyes with Maxim. “Yes. We. I’m going with you.”
Maxim stood abruptly, nearly dumping me from his lap. “You are not going with me.”
I reached for the table as I steadied myself. “I asked you to help me, Maxim. I didn’t ask you to do it for me.”
“You are not going,” he repeated stubbornly.
I acknowledged his aggressive posture with a sigh. “Look,” I said as I stepped toward him. “I’m not asking you to do anything I’m not willing to do myself. I just need your help establishing the necessary connections. I am not trying to trade a life for a life here. I swear, I will never forgive myself if something happens to you. I want to go with you so I can make sure you aren’t taking any unnecessary risks.”
“I’m going too,” Cenia said.
We all turned and gaped at her.
“This is Roger’s fiancé, Cenia,” I explained. “Cenia, this is Maxim and Konstantin, my friends from Ukraine.”
Cenia shook their hands. “Thank you for coming.”
Shae handed Cenia a cup of coffee before offering her a chair.
“You cannot expect me to stay here and do nothing,” Cenia stated. She hugged Shae before sinking into the chair. “I have to do something.”
I offered Cenia a shaky smile before renewing my efforts with Maxim. “If you take us with you, then your questions will appear less threatening. You won’t be perceived as hostile, you’ll be perceived as two men trying to help someone they care about.” I glanced at Shae, seeking her support. “You know as well as I do that a violent confrontation is less likely to result when women are present. Men behave less aggressively when women are around.”
Shae dropped into the chair next to Cenia. “That is a legitimate conflict prevention strategy.”
Maxim shook his head. “This is why I cannot take you. If I take you, I will appear soft. I need to be aggressive. I must appear threatening to get the answers and the results we need.”
Alejandro and Dante walked into the kitchen. Alejandro introduced Dante to Maxim, Konstantin, and Shae before pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“There are other things you can be doing,” Konstantin opined.
“Like what?” Cenia asked.
“You need to get your cell phones functional,” Maxim replied. “I presume Roger had a cell phone?”
Cenia poured some creamer in her coffee. “Yes, but he didn’t have any cell service when we were in San Fernando.”
“Roger and Kadyn may not have been expecting you to return to the service station so soon. They may have gone to San Fernando to rent a car or purchase a SIM card. If they fled the scene, they would need a functional vehicle and a phone in order to find you. If they were kidnapped, the cartel would take Roger’s phone, insert a SIM card, identify the number most frequently dialed, and demand a ransom. Either way, you need to purchase a SIM card and activate your phone.”
“We can take them to an electronics store in San Fernando,” Dante offered. Alejandro nodded.
“Make sure your phone is functional too,” Maxim told me. “I want to be able to reach you.”
“Does your phone work here?” I asked.
“Yes. We purchased SIM cards in Reynosa,” he replied.
I reclaimed my coffee as I sank into the chair next to Cenia. I eyed Maxim over the top of my mug. “So where are you going? What are you going to do?”
“We are going into San Fernando to speak with some Russian business owners,” Maxim replied. He retrieved the picture of the man with the black truck from Kadyn’s cell phone, zoomed in a bit, and snapped a picture of the image with his cell phone. “Do you have a picture of Kadyn and Roger?”
I retrieved a picture of Kadyn from my cell phone and handed it to Maxim.
He took a picture of the screen with his phone. “I need a picture of Roger,” he informed Cenia.
She pulled up a picture and handed him her phone.
Maxim captured the image on his phone before returning her phone.
“I doubt you will find many Russian business owners in San Fernando,” Dante warned. He was brewing a second pot of coffee.
“There are six,” Konstantin replied. “We already know who they are.” He smiled at the surprised look on my face. “We had some time to kill at the airport.”
“How can they help?” Alejandro asked.
Maxim shrugged. “Every illegitimate business has a legitimate store front.”
Isabel and Maria walked into the kitchen. “Buenos dias,” Isabel greeted.
Dante kissed her on the cheek before handing her a cup of coffee. He did the same for Maria.
“This is Cenia’s mom, Isabel, and her cousin, Maria,” I announced. “Isabel, Maria, these are my friends, Maxim, Konstantin, and Shae.” Everyone shook hands.
“Can I fix you something to eat?” Maria asked. She began digging food out of the refrigerator.
Maxim shook his head. “No, thank you. Konstantin and I will be leaving for San Fernando shortly. We’ll be visiting a restaurant while we’re there. I’ve found restaurant owners are more willing to talk when you purchase a meal.”
“At what point do we notify the authorities?” Cenia asked.
Maxim looked thoughtful. “If we have not been able to obtain any information and you have not heard from Roger or Kadyn by three o’clock, then you should contact the authorities in the United States and in Mexico. Do not tell them we are involved.”
Cenia nodded.
I studied the picture of the man with the black truck while Maxim and Konstantin used the bathroom. “There’s a reason Kadyn took this picture,” I repeated, as if everyone needed to hear it again. I zoomed in on the picture and moved the image around, trying to see what Kadyn had seen. Suddenly, my breath caught. “Alejandro, is this a Texas license plate?” The image appeared a little grainy when I zoomed in. I could identify the plate number, but the word above the plate number was too small to read.
Alejandro examined the picture. “Si. Cenia’s padrino has plates that look like that.”
I was mentally kicking myself. “I should have thought to look at that license plate sooner.” I glanced at the clock. “If Rafael or Jase could look up the plates, then we might be able to figure out who this man is.”
“Do they have access to that type of information?” Cenia asked.
“If they don’t, they’ll know someone who does,” I replied. “Isabel, do you mind if I use your phone again?”
She handed me the phone. “Of course not.”
I dialed Rafael’s cell phone number. His phone rolled over to voicemail. “He’s probably in the air,” I explained. I dialed Jase.
“Hello?”
“Jase, this is Kri…”
“Are you okay?” he exclaimed. “Rafael told me what happened. Do you need me down there?”
“I’m safe,” I assured Jase. “We’re still looking for Kadyn and Roger. Can you access DMV records? I need to identify the owner of a truck with Texas plates.”
“I may be able to do that,” he replied evasively, “but it would be illegal.”
I swallowed nervously. “If
you were looking into something else and accidently stumbled across the information, could you inadvertently let me know?”
Jase laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I read the plate number on the picture. “CK7H347.”
“Is this the best number to reach you?” Jase asked.
“For now,” I replied. “If I’m not available, please leave a message with Isabel. My cell phone should be working within the next hour or so.”
“When do you expect Rafael?” he asked.
I looked at the clock again. “In about two and a half hours.”
“I should have the information before then,” he replied. “Stay safe.”
I handed Isabel the phone. “Thank you.” I gulped down the mug of lukewarm coffee before glancing at Cenia. “Are you ready?”
Cenia nearly leapt from her chair. “Yes. I want to stop by the van before we head into San Fernando.”
“I’m coming with you,” Shae announced as she rose from her chair.
“There’s room in the truck,” Dante replied. Everyone began moving toward the living room.
“Wait! You guys should eat!” Maria exclaimed. She handed Alejandro and Dante a burrito. “You girls wait. Let me fix you a burrito.”
Cenia and Shae lingered in the kitchen. I escaped so I could brush my teeth, wash my face, and run a comb through my hair. Maria had hooked us up with toothbrushes and travel size toiletries when we took our showers. She said she had a steady stream of visitors who were always forgetting things so she liked to be prepared.
Maxim and Konstantin were talking in the hallway. I kissed both men on the cheek. “We’re going to get our SIM cards. I’ve got someone looking into the plates on that truck. I’ll call you when I find out who it belongs to. Call me if you discover anything useful, and be safe.”
Maxim’s fingers brushed against mine. “Do you want to meet in San Fernando later, or do you want to meet back here?”
I glanced at him as he wove our fingers together. “We have to be back at the farmhouse by eleven o’clock so we can meet up with Rafael. We may have to head back into San Fernando to file missing person reports later this afternoon, so it depends on when you’re done talking to those business owners.”