“We’ve gone over this,” Oso said after a long pause. “But I’ll remind you one more time. This is a substantial piece of work and the tatt you’re changing is black. You’ll sit in this chair a lot over the next couple of weeks. It’s a process. The first session will take a couple of hours and cover a fair amount of fresh skin in some sensitive areas.” He paused to regard her. “I won’t lie. It’ll hurt.” At her nod, he continued. “I’ll use a white ink enhancement first. We’ll see if that gets you where you want to go. If not, I can blend in some lasering to fade the color more.”
The wolf’s head would remain over her heart, but Oso planned to lighten it to gray and soften the face with a ruff of fur. She’d opted to add a full body to the newly redesigned head, insisting Oso make it distinctly female. The gray wolf would cover almost half her torso, from its head on her chest to its bushy tail curled over her hip. Oso had warned her the artwork over her rib cage would cause the most pain.
The red V above the original tattoo symbolized her Villalobos bloodline, a scarlet letter forced on her to bring public scorn and humiliation. Instead of lasering it off to deny her father, she would enhance it to honor her mother, adding letters to create the name Lorena had chosen for her. Veranda.
When the transformation was complete, the new creation would evoke her own personal code. Still lupine, deadly, and fierce, but tempered by compassion and full of heart.
“Any last questions?” Oso asked her.
This felt like the final preflight check. Replaying their discussion in her mind, a small but important detail occurred to her. “Can you make the eyes hazel?” She’d inherited her mother’s eyes, another special bond she wanted to memorialize.
“I’ll match them to yours.” Oso leaned in close. “I see shades of green, brown, and gold. Very pretty.”
“Oye cochino,” Chuy said, thumping his fist into Oso’s shoulder. “Don’t be gazing into my cousin’s eyes like that.”
“Who you calling dirty?” Oso tried to pull off a wounded expression, but only managed to look like he’d swallowed a jalapeño. “I’m a professional.”
Chuy rolled his eyes at Oso before handing her a stick of gum. “You were out of it the last time you got inked, so you don’t know what it feels like. Chew on this and squeeze my hand if you need to. You’ve got to be still no matter how much it hurts.”
All transformation involved pain. Serious transformation left scars, visible and hidden. She smiled. This pain, she had chosen. And she would embrace it. Settling back against the chair, she popped the gum into her mouth and slipped her hand into Chuy’s before turning to Oso. “Bring it on.”
As the needle pierced her skin, she contemplated the forces that had shaped her. Born of her father’s brutal crime. Saved by her mother’s selfless love. The new body art would represent both aspects of her nature, blending shadow and light.
I am the gray wolf.
Acknowledgments
When I took off my gun and badge for the last time a few years ago, I thought retiring from a career in law enforcement would end my constant background ruminations about crime. Turns out, I had a lot of stories floating around in my head that wanted out. I am blessed and humbled to have the opportunity to share them.
One of the tools both real and fictional detectives use is familial DNA analysis. I am very grateful for the technical expertise of Jody Wissel Wolf, who checked my forensic science for accuracy. Jody is that wonderful combination of scientist and bibliophile that so many of us admire. Any errors regarding DNA evidence are solely mine.
Editors are a crucial part of the book-birthing process. Fresh eyes and a fresh perspective are helpful when my blinders are firmly in place. Huge thanks to Deborah J Ledford, Terri Bischoff, and Nicole Nugent for all you do.
A sincere muchas gracias to Liza Fleissig, my phenomenal agent, and Ginger Harris-Dontzin, her sharp-eyed business partner. Liza has unstintingly given her time and talent at every turn and bump in the road. And there have been bumps …
Last, but definitely not least, a special shout-out to a New York Times bestselling author who took time from her busy schedule to pay it forward. J.A. Jance is not only an amazing talent but a kind mentor who generously shares her hard-won wisdom garnered from a prolific and successful writing career.
Once the story is written, readers need to hear about it. I am truly grateful for the efforts of booksellers, reviewers, and librarians. In addition, extra thanks go to Dana Kaye and Samantha Lien of Kaye Publicity for their enthusiastic support in spreading the word.
Nothing helped me make the transition from cop to author more than professional writers’ organizations. Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and the International Society of Latino Authors have all made an enormous impact.
I am blessed with a wonderful family, whether blood-related or bound by love. Their acceptance of me, with my many foibles, warms my heart as nothing else can. First and foremost are my husband, Michael, who encourages my dreams, and my son, Max, who inspires me every day. In addition to relatives and in-laws, I consider some of my closest friends to be family. Words cannot express my gratitude for your love and support over the years.
Finally, I would like to thank the readers of crime fiction. It’s exciting to interact with such smart people at events and speaking engagements. Because of my background, some have asked why I write fiction over true crime. The question made me realize that after years of being forced to watch things turn out the way they do, I wanted to have them turn out the way they should.
About the Author
Before her foray into the world of crime fiction, Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life. She retired as a captain after twenty-two years on the force and moved to the Phoenix area, where her uniform now consists of tank tops and yoga pants.
During her tenure on the department, she was a patrol officer, hostage negotiator, spokesperson, and recruit instructor at the police academy. After being promoted, she worked as a patrol sergeant and lieutenant before heading the Public Information Office. Finally, as a captain, she served as Gang Council Coordinator and oversaw a patrol district station before her final assignment as the Commander of the Special Investigations and Forensics Division (since renamed the Investigative Support Division).
She graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico in 2008 after eleven weeks of physically and mentally challenging study for 220 law enforcement executives from around the world. She is proud to have earned her “yellow brick” for completing the famous FBI obstacle course.
Now her activities involve chasing around her young son and enjoying her family when she’s not handcuffed to her computer.
Ms. Maldonado is a member of the FBI National Academy Associates, Fairfax County Police Association, International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, International Society of Latino Authors, and Sisters in Crime, where she served as president of the Phoenix metro chapter in 2015 and sat on the board until 2019.
Death Blow Page 29