The Dragon Tree Legacy

by Ali Vali

  “How can I help you, Mr. Hernandez?”

  “Will you please share your name with me?” He threaded his fingers together at his waist and smiled.

  “Anyone who knocks on my door usually knows my name.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d like your cooperation since you’re intelligent enough to know our talk isn’t voluntary.” It’s a burden to always be right about this shit, she thought. “Why make it more unpleasant than it has to be?”

  “I’m Tanit Kelley and this is my father Jason,” she said, using the names on the bogus passports her dad had gotten. “We were on our way to sightsee, so can you please tell us what this is about?”

  “Sightseeing in Almoloya de Juárez?” one of the tall men behind Antonio asked, and laughed. His accent was thicker and sounded less educated.

  “Please, Miss Kelley, could you tell me if the name Roth Pombo means anything to you?” Antonio asked.

  She hesitated, her fingers twitching involuntarily. This was totally unexpected and not good if these guys weren’t with Walter. “Not to be rude, but I’ll need more from you, Mr. Hernandez.”

  “Señor Pombo knows it’s a matter of time before someone from the States comes for a fatal visit. Before that time he’d like the opportunity to talk with whoever is assigned that task. Do we understand each other?”

  “I’m not admitting to being whoever it is Mr. Pombo is waiting for, but what exactly does he want to talk about?” It was hot outside, and the room was musty from lack of use, but she was chilled. She was fast on the draw, but it was a gamble to reach for her gun. The clamminess of her skin stemmed from fear.

  “Do you like stories, Miss Kelley?”

  “I’m not a fan of fictional tales, but if it’s educational then I’d love to hear it.” She sensed her father moving closer behind her but never took her eyes off the two men with guns.

  “Are you armed?”

  “That’s like asking my weight.” She laughed. “It’s impolite.”

  “We are all in a dangerous business, and in a dangerous place, but if we go to visit the jail they will not accept any weapon on your person.”

  “Let’s head downstairs to the bar,” Wiley suggested, and was surprised when all three men turned and headed for the stairs. If she’d wanted to, she could’ve taken all three of them out since she was now free to reach for a weapon. “What do you think?” she asked her father.

  “I’m curious. Do you think these guys are with Walter?”

  “Interesting way to go about this if they are. If they are, though, it’s like he’s torturing this guy before killing him.”

  When they entered the bar Antonio was sitting at a table alone, but his shadows hadn’t gone far. Taking their cue, Buckston headed for the bar, leaving her to sit with Antonio.

  “I’m sure this is a surprise perhaps,” Antonio said when she sat next to him. “I do have the right person?” he asked, appearing unsure for the first time.

  “Señor Hernandez, I’m not a nervous tourist who doesn’t know how to shake you, but this isn’t the way I usually do business.” Eventually this would all make sense, but it was like a Rubik’s cube. She’d put one side together only to screw up all the others. “Do you have any connection to Walter Robinson?”

  “I warned Señor Pombo about that snake.” Antonio hissed the word so vehemently, he had to wipe the spittle from his chin. “I would think you have a bigger connection to him.”

  “Touché,” she said, signaling to her dad she was fine. “You want to give me a hint as to why you’re here.”

  “Is Roth a dead man?”

  Stalemates she understood, and Antonio had mastered the technique. “I don’t want to be here, and it’s not in my best interest to be seen with your boss. Thank you for the invitation, though.”

  “Do you know how many lawyers are in this country starving because they cannot make a living?” Antonio spoke like something haunted him. “There are fewer grains of sand on our beaches.”

  “I’m not here to judge you, sir. That job isn’t one I’d ever volunteer for.”

  “You talk in circles and never answer a question, do you?”

  “Talking isn’t a great talent of mine, so I’m not as good at it as you. Whatever Mr. Roth’s future may be, it won’t have anything to do with me or my decisions.”

  “But if you’re ordered to pull the trigger?”

  “Good luck, Mr. Hernandez.” She stood and saw the two men reflexively reach for their guns.

  “Mr. Roth wishes to speak to you about Walter Robinson and their dealings. He knew this is how Walter would end things, so he’s been waiting for you.” Antonio’s words stopped her, and when she turned around he was staring at the tabletop. “Our truce will end when you walk out.”

  Juliana’s comment came back to tap her on the shoulder. She was in a place where she’d never have enough bullets. The only cool thing on her body was the Glock pressed against the small of her back, and it made her ignore the sweat that was making her clothes uncomfortable. One glance at her dad and she was ready for whatever came next.

  “That sounds like a threat.”

  “It’s not often I have to speak to someone in this manner,” Antonio said, still not looking at her. “If this wasn’t so important I wouldn’t be here doing so now.”

  “If I am in Mexico at Walter’s bidding, what kind of person do you think I am?”

  “There’s no skill in killing, but I’m sure Walter thinks you possess such talent.”

  “There’s skill in everything, and for some, killing qualifies. Don’t ever forget that.” She fanned her fingers out and almost laughed when the two men brought their hands higher. It was too early in the game to kill three people in this public a setting. With a quick glance she saw both the men’s pulses and the sweat dripping off their foreheads. No way in hell could they draw and pull off a kill shot.

  “That’s your answer, then?”

  “Answer something for me first, then you’re either going to let me go or shoot me.” She walked back to the table and pressed her hands flat on the top. “If your boss knows so much about what his future holds, why are you here?”

  “I trust you’re a person who keeps her word. I gave Señor Pombo mine that he could tell you what he sees as important before his time is up. If you don’t, I will try my best to kill you.”

  She thought back to her first meeting with Walter and her impression of him. His desperation was a red flag that she could dispel by one short conversation with the man he’d condemned. Not that she believed Antonio, but there was something she hadn’t figured out about the situation. Maybe between Walter’s tales and Pombo’s vengefulness she’d find a bit of truth.

  “What’s the latest we can go?”

  “I’ll meet you here in four hours,” Antonio said, smiling like his neck had been spared from the block.

  “I can’t wait.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “How are you holding up?” Karen asked Aubrey when she joined her on a bar stool in the kitchen. From that spot they both had a clear view of The Dragon Tree Legacy painting.

  “I feel like someone’s around every corner waiting to rip me to shreds for something I know nothing about. Maybe I deserve it for not listening to you about Maria. Hell, if someone does kill me, all this would be over and Tanith will be okay.” The painting was done so it could be sunrise or sunset. Your perception depended on your level of optimism, she guessed. She’d been staring at it for a while wondering how Wiley saw it.

  “Think before you say things like that. Whatever happens, your goal is survival, especially because of Tanith,” Karen said as she hugged her. “What good is having all these military types around if not to sleep better at night?”

  “I don’t think I have a battalion at my beck and call, Mom.”

  “Your father told me where you were when Wiley called you, so that’s not exactly true.” Karen moved close enough to put her arm around her. “I’m sorry if you do
n’t want to talk about it, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It terrifies me to think what could’ve happened.”

  “You know what Dad says about could’ve?”

  Karen laughed. “Not worth the brain cells to worry about it. Still, that must have been terrifying. How are you doing with all that?”

  “Honestly, it’s so surreal I haven’t really processed everything.” Her eyes strayed back to the painting. All those memories, her first kiss, Wiley taking her first steps in becoming her lover, and the happiness she’d experienced in that one spot. When they’d found the courage to express their feelings for each other, Wiley had reminded her of a newborn colt. She’d been surprisingly timid at first but eventually she’d learned to run.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I called her a few hours before everything happened because I wanted back what was stolen from me. I was tired of being out in the cold. Everything I did after Wiley was my attempt to erase her and what she meant to me, but I just made mistake after mistake, and none of it touched how much I missed her.”

  Her mom kissed her temple. “Honey, you’ve got to let some of this stuff out, but don’t you dare blame yourself. None of it is your fault.”

  “I can’t say that.” She moved slightly away from her mom and rested her elbows on the granite of the island. “Wiley’s out there in danger because of me.” Compounding her guilt was the fact that she hadn’t really thought of Maria until now. She didn’t miss her the way someone should miss a lost lover. She was relieved to be free of not only the flawed relationship, but the danger Maria had knowingly put them in. That sounded cold to her, but she longed for the touch of someone she wanted, someone she deserved. She wanted Wiley back and to get on with their lives.

  “If you can say that, you don’t understand Wiley at all.”

  She glanced up at her mom before she set her eyes on the painting again. “You don’t have to pretend now, Mom. When Wiley left me you never gloated, but I could tell you wanted to.”

  “You never admitted what really happened, but you were both miserable. Well, I guess Wiley was miserable, considering she disappeared effectively. From what I can tell, though, the misery continues.”

  “What’s to admit?” Had Wiley been sorry or upset they’d had to part? Or had it given her the freedom to take the chances she’d been afraid of losing her over? “There wasn’t an explanation, she walked away.”

  “I’m not out to condemn her. You can be honest, and if you are I think it’ll help with all this.”

  “It took me a long time to work out for myself that Wiley wouldn’t have left for someone or something unless she couldn’t protect me from it. She’s always felt duty-bound to keep me safe, and while I can’t fill in the blanks this time, I can only imagine what the penalty of staying would’ve been.” She cocked her head back to keep the tears from falling. She was tired of being so emotional while Wiley was so strong.

  “When you first called and told us, I was happy, relieved, really,” Karen said softly. “I was convinced you’d be better off, and after your anger faded you were. To me you seemed lighter and happier without her. Then when you had Tanith I thought her name was the only link to the past you were keeping.”

  “I don’t want to rehash this,” she said, standing up.

  “At least give me the chance to apologize for letting my mistakes and regrets taint your life.” Karen put her arms around her waist and held tight. She had no option but to sit.

  “When you met Wiley and started sneaking off to that tree to make out, your father and I were falling apart. Our move to Louisiana was the sixth in three years, so that and the military’s all-boys club had hit my bullshit limit. He wasn’t the guy I’d dated, and certainly not the man I’d committed myself to.”

  Aubrey didn’t want the reminder of those nights when she hid in her room with her pillow wrapped around her head. The fights had never gotten anywhere near violent, but the screaming was relentless. In those hot and emotional moments she was terrified. It wasn’t the history she’d wanted to repeat, and that she wouldn’t have to was the only comfort she’d found in losing Wiley. She loved her, but the fear they’d turn into her parents had always haunted her. Of course that only lasted until she had a quiet moment to think. Then every second with Wiley confirmed the lie she was trying to live.

  “You were so unhappy back then.” The hurtful words her mom had flung at her father skipped through her mind like a stone over water. How had they survived all those things that could never be unsaid? Maybe it was no different than living with all the things she and Wiley had left unsaid.

  “I was, and thinking back on it, that might be why I was so hard on Wiley and what she meant to you,” her mom said, squeezing her hand before she went on. “I’m ashamed to admit that, but one look at those spit-polished shoes and buttons, and all I saw was a young Peter Tarver. I wanted to spare you the uncertain waters you were heading into.”

  “What happened had nothing to do with you, so you have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to apologize for. In reality there’s no one to blame.” If she didn’t get Wiley back she knew loneliness wasn’t fatal, but the coldness of it would be insufferable. She’d lived with that even though she’d had someone in her bed for years.

  “I’ve got plenty to atone for, believe me.”

  “How did you and Dad work it out?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

  “At first I thought letting him go would’ve been the coward’s way out. You know the SEALs’ motto. ‘The only easy day was yesterday.’ If that was true for his job, then I figured all that hell we put each other through, all the blaming, screaming, and hurting, had to be worth something. No one fights over something unless it’s of value to them. Your father’s my piece of this world, aside from you and Tanith, that I’m willing to fight and die for. Once he realized it, and more importantly, I realized it, I set aside my anger and made it work.”

  “Thanks for sharing that with me.”

  “I didn’t tell you to make myself feel better, but so you’ll learn from my mistakes as well as what I did right.”

  She turned and made eye contact with her mom. “What’s that?”

  “I’m sure Danielle and every military spouse has a similar story. Who you picked and what she does means you must make concessions if you want a future with her. If you don’t find you can, you owe it to both of you to stand up for what will make you happy, even if for you that means walking out.”

  She laughed, but her mom didn’t crack a smile. “If you think I’d ever be happy without her, you don’t understand me at all. I just need to figure out a way into that thick, beautiful head of hers to convince her of that.”

  “Wiley’s not as hardheaded as her father, so that won’t be as difficult as you think,” Danielle said from behind them, obviously having heard some of their conversation. “I’m her mother, so I know Wiley and her understanding of kill shots. Those are second nature to her, but thank God it wasn’t fatal when she turned the gun on herself and her future with you. You’re right that she saw it as her duty to leave, but the wound of doing so was deep, and from what I saw, it came very close to breaking her.” Danielle placed her hand on Aubrey’s cheek and smiled. “I’m begging you not to let your anger finish what she’s already been through.”

  “The only thing I want is for her to stop running away from me, Mrs. Gremillion. I swear it.”

  “We’ve known each other long enough, so call me Danielle. When it comes to Wiley, I believe you. After all this crap, I’m praying we all get what we want.”

  The sound of the buzzer from downstairs was like a stun gun that silenced everyone. Aubrey could sense the shock like a current that ran from Danielle’s eyes to her chest. Whoever it was, they weren’t expected, especially by the person Wiley had probably been the most up front with—her mother.

  The visitor kept their finger on the buzzer, and the screen closest to them was filled with an FBI identification and federa
l warrant. She went numb from the thought of being found here and taken away somewhere beyond Wiley’s grasp. Her limbs were leaden and all she wanted to do was hide as she heard Tanith run down the stairs. This was like being a hamster on a wheel. They could run as fast as they could but not get anywhere.

  “We know you’re in there,” the man said, pulling the documents back far enough for them to see his face. “Open up, or we’ll blow the door.”

  “Mom,” Tanith said. “It’s him.”

  *

  “Who’s this guy?” Annabel Hicks, New Orleans FBI Bureau Chief, asked her assistant after she handed her an envelope with her name on it.

  “He didn’t say, ma’am. All he asked was for me to hand you that, and he’d wait. Whenever you’re ready, he said to come and get him.”

  Annabel tapped her fingers on her desk, staring at the thick packet with the block letters on it spelling out her name. She didn’t recognize the guy sitting in her waiting room, and from experience she knew there was no Santa. Anyone offering free gifts usually came back not only to bite you in the ass, but to rip it to shreds.

  “Keep your eye on him, and stop him if he tries to leave.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Anything else?”

  “Have Sean and Lauren meet me in the situation room, please.” She put on a pair of gloves and dropped the yellow envelope into an evidence bag.

  Her heels clicked on the terrazzo floor and the echo ricocheted off the walls like gunshots. Annabel had been stationed in New Orleans for three years, brought from Washington to tamp down organized crime and the growing drug business. Since her arrival she’d experienced one setback after another, so the sound of her shoes in the empty hallway reminded her that not only was her career as tattered as if someone had machine-gunned her résumé, but she was also alone.

  “Something new, ma’am?” Agent Sean Porter asked as he entered with Agent Lauren Blaise. They headed the local bureau’s terrorism division.

  “We’ve got a live one in the lobby and he thinks this is his way in,” she said, opening the evidence-bag seal after she and the others had placed masks over their faces as a precaution. “Depending on what’s in here, I want you both on this case.”