Diego

by Hope Stone

  “Property’s insured and that’s a good start with the barricades. See you when you get here.”

  I set to work with the spare MDF panels at the back of the warehouse. I carried them out from the back storeroom and to the first of the back windows to check the sizing match. Actually perfect. It was as if they were made to be boarded up anyway.

  I grabbed the nailgun from my toolbox and set to work on each window. I kept my ears tuned for cars on the street, leaving one of the windows clear while I was inside so I could see out. I felt around for my gun and took it out of the holster and set it down on the table in front of me. The deafening roar of my heartbeat in my throat made it hard to breathe. The problem was I had no idea when the strike would happen. I had just about finished setting the boards when I heard the low hum of a car engine. I snatched my gun off the table and pinned myself along the side of the wall of the warehouse. I kept my voice still and my breath steady. I waited for the person to answer.

  “Diego,” they called out, banging on the front door. “Diego, it’s me, Rick.” Beads of sweat had formed on my forehead. I jogged to the front door, gun in hand, and slid the door back.

  Rick took one look at my face and the gun and said, “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, pretty much. I’m sweating bullets here.”

  Rick beckoned to me and he had a four-pack of beer. “Let’s sit, form a game plan to win this.”

  “Okay.” I pushed the loose strands back from my face as I sat across from him. He had a stern demeanor and was wearing all black.

  “Okay. So what I didn’t explain to you is that I own a security company – it’s small. I do the weekend stuff for extra cash. If you want to hire me to run security I can and quit that. I spoke to Ryder and I’m going to come in and train the enforcers with a new bag of tricks.”

  I gave him a handshake. “Sounds good.”

  “Got the letter? Can we get this to the cops?”

  “No. Cops are on payroll and pick sides. Plus, they would much rather we kill one another.”

  Rick grimaced and twisted the top of a beer and handed it to me. “Here, drink up. Tell me more about the ransom and more importantly, does the club have the capital?”

  I winced. “Yeah, we got it, they know that.”

  “Okay, so what game are they running?”

  “Two of the Las Balas crew are running a pro’ ring and they want to fund the operation. Apparently, these two are working alone. They were apparently kicked out of Las Balas. I’m not convinced.”

  Rick looked confused. “Wait a minute. They are blackmailing you under the guise of Las Balas but they’re not part of the chapter?”

  I sucked down part of the beer and stared at Rick. “Yep. That’s what I’m saying. The problem is, I don’t know whether to believe that or not. The source I’m not sure is credible yet. I have definite intel that the Las Balas boys like their pro’s so they’re seeking to profit off them.”

  “Ahhhh. Okay, big business with brothels, maybe that’s what they’re trying to set up. There’s a few underground ones. Where the red lights are on, you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I do.” The edge was off now that Rick was in the picture.

  “Okay. I will call in my guys to case the perimeter. They got semi-automatics. I have some camera gear as well, right in my car. Will take me a couple of hours to test and set up.”

  “We already have a camera.”

  Rick pointed to the inside. “You need a camera for the inside panel so you can see out the front who is coming in. I can set it up on the computer and wire it. You also need a camera around the back. All sides.”

  “Okay. I gotta call Ryder too. I need him to check negotiations between Palo and us. He needs to know now.” I let the last of the beer slide down. I kept repeating myself about Ryder. But first I wanted to tell Misty...

  “Looks like things are getting pretty real, huh?”

  “Doesn’t get much realer. I didn’t come here for this, but we gotta defend our territory.”

  Rick pointed to the banner on the side of the wall. “That’s the code. I guess I’m putting it to the test now.”

  “You sure are. Welcome to being an Outlaw.”

  “Proud to be in. Let’s do this.”

  Eighteen

  Misty

  My hair sat on top of my head like a bird’s nest and I hadn’t been to class for the last two days. My nerves were shot and now my own brother was looking at me like the enemy.

  “So you heading to class today?” he asked innocently as I made my morning coffee.

  “I’m not feeling too good today, so I think I’m going to just stay home.”

  “Uh-huh. Are you coming down with something?”

  “Yeah, I might be.” I averted my eyes from his and moved past him with my coffee to the bedroom. I didn’t have any major tests, but Shauna was texting me like crazy.

  “Girl where have you been? I missed you yesterday. You good?”

  “I’m fine, I'm just not feeling good.”

  “Really? Want me to bring you some chicken soup?"

  “No I’m ok thank you see you tomorrow”

  “Ok well get better xx”

  The guilt ate at me a little. I knew ultimately I could talk to Shauna, but something made me pull back. I texted Diego so Palo, the sneaky bastard wouldn’t hear me on the phone. I let my fingers do the typing.

  “Hey are you ok. I’m worried.”

  “Call you later gotta handle some things.”

  I frowned and lay back on the bed with my hands over my chest. My heart was ka-booming out of it. My central nervous system felt like it was about to explode. I tried to get up and clean my room. I tried to sit and say a prayer to Santa Maria. It didn’t work. Nothing was working. Thirty agonizing minutes passed.

  “Hey, baby.” A flat-sounding Diego had finally called.

  “Hey, honey. I don’t know why I had this bad feeling. I might be paranoid.” I kept my panicked voice low.

  “You’re not.”

  “I’m not what?” I was confused.

  “Paranoid. Those guys in black came back and they left a letter.”

  I stood up quickly “They what!” I hissed under my breath. “Hold on. I’m going outside.” I snuck out of my room in the backyard.

  “Yeah. I got a ransom note for a hundred thou’ in forty-eight hours,” he told me.

  “I don’t understand. Why the hell would they do that?” I threw my hand up to the sky in disbelief.

  “Our guess is they are using it to start a brothel. I gotta get the boys involved now.”

  “Oh my God. This is bad, isn’t it?” I clutched my forehead and my breath started to pick up in pace.

  “I mean, yeah. The note was signed by Las Balas. So either your brother is involved or he has no idea. Which is it, Misty?”

  “Diego. Palo wouldn’t do this. Give me some time to get the names. I’m telling you. They are not even on the club page.”

  “I don’t exactly know that. All I know is we got serious beef and I’m putting security in place. May not be a good idea to see one another until this blows over. I gotta deal with this.”

  My stomach somersaulted as I thought about my involvement.

  “I swear to you, baby. Palo is a good guy.”

  I nearly jumped right out of my skin. Palo was behind me and had snuck up without me knowing.

  “I fucking take it back. You sneaking up on me, now estúpido!” I pushed him in the chest to his surprise. He caught my hand and turned my wrist a little. “Palo, let go!” I hung up the phone quickly.

  “Why are you so jumpy lately? What aren’t you telling me, Misty?” Palo’s eyes burned straight through me and we were inches from one another. I wondered if he could smell the fear in me. I stepped aside from him and he dropped my arm.

  “Move, Palo! Don’t eavesdrop on my conversations!”

  He watched me storm past him and back into the house.

  “It’s my house. I will do what
ever I want,” he yelled as I slammed the door. I waited for him to follow me, but I didn’t hear his footsteps.

  I went into my room and put on my sneakers. I wanted to ride out so I could clear my head and see how to clear my knucklehead brother's name. I came out of the room steaming with anger, but I had forgotten my car keys, so I swung around and went back into my room.

  “What the hell is going on with you, Misty?” He stepped in front of me on the way out.

  “You are overbearing, that’s what’s wrong. I need some air and it's time for me to get out.”

  “I know you’re still seeing him. My sources saw you,” Palo said in an eerily calm voice. I stopped. My hair had flown all around my face. Does he know about the ransom note? Could my brother have done it?

  “Okay. Let me call your bluff, big brother. Who told you? How do you know?”

  “I have eyes and ears all over Merced. We are Las Balas. I make it my business to know.” He gave me a sinister smile as his eyes hooded over.

  “Palo, tell me you’re not involved in any criminal activity with Las Balas,” I said with a deathly tone.

  “What? We got rid of all the criminals. I told you I’m cleaning up the chapter.” He looked at me weirdly.

  “Tell me who they were, Palo. Those two guys. I wanna know their names. Tell me! I demand that you tell me now!” I slammed my flat palm on the kitchen bench. Palo looked me over without blinking.

  “I ran them out of town, therefore you don’t need to know. Besides, what the fuck are you gonna do?” he threatened, his eyes full of misplaced anger.

  “Yes, I do need to know and a lot can be done.” I pinched my fingers together in front of his face.

  “Why? I told you I handled it and what – you don’t believe me?” he spat out, his eyes glowing with rage.

  I twisted up my lips and pierced him with my eyes. “Yep, just like you believe me about Diego, right?”

  Palo’s face went beet red. “That’s not the same. The guy’s a safety risk and it’s not a good idea.”

  “Why isn’t it? Why do gangs have to be rivals? Why is it they can’t just be connected? Since you’re so community-minded and all…” I jutted out my chin at him and stood sideways. I had silenced my brother. At least for the minute, anyway.

  “Look, I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Let me handle things, it’s definitely too dangerous for you to be involved. Don’t even think about doing a goddamn thing.” Palo’s stern voice meant business as he pointed his finger at me. I watched as his small compact body stormed away and walked inside. I followed closely behind him. He grabbed his jacket from the couch out front without turning around. He lifted two fingers as a departing salute.

  “I’ll be back later. I gotta take care of a few things.”

  “I bet,” I punched out as he closed the front door.

  I licked my lips and put two hands to my temples, breathing out an anxious breath. I looked around aimlessly for a minute as I worked out what to do next. Instinctively, I moved to the study where Palo worked from home sometimes. He had computer drives and IT discs and hardware stacked everywhere. I went into the office and shuffled the loose papers on the desk around, looking for clues. Anything that might be a lead to the names of two deathlords. Too many pieces of paper. Palo was a messy dude. I stepped back and looked at the desk. Where would I hide the details of two former chapter members? I pulled the two drawers open on the left. My heart pounded in my chest. If Palo walked back in the door, I would be dead meat. Top drawer, I stared at paper clips, a box of matches, pencils, tape and other stationery items. I pulled out the second drawer. A small notepad with two names on it. I held it in my hands and stared until the names forged in ink blurred from my gaze.

  Jimmy Santos and Blaze Hernandez. Shakily I removed the notepad and took it with me to my room. I closed the door and switched on my laptop. Felt like a million years before my laptop loaded up.

  “Come on,” I muttered to myself. I typed in both names. The shock of what I found made me want to vomit. The fat guy I saw at the club that approached me was part of an article. Jimmy Santos from Merced sentenced to two years’ jail for the sexual assault of an underaged minor. I clicked on images and yep, that was him. I clutched my stomach and forced myself not to hurl.

  I clicked out and made myself keep looking on the internet. I typed Blaze Hernandez’s name in the search bar. No criminal records or charges that came up but images came up with none other than El Diablo. The depth of darkness in their eyes was hard to describe, but it permeated both their faces. The image came from Facebook. I clicked on it and it led to Blaze’s Facebook page. Tempted, I hovered the mouse over his name but didn’t click. I was in half a mind to bait the guy and create a fake page to corner him. I closed my eyes as my legs shook under the table. That might be the only way to draw them out and distract them from coming after Diego. I decided to call him. I peeked out my door again to check Palo wasn’t there. Only the whirring of the fan he left on in the front room. I walked down the hallway and turned it off.

  I walked back to my room with my legs wobbly. I picked up my phone and dialed Diego.

  He answered on the fifth ring. “Hullo?”

  “Hey, baby. I have some news.” My mouth was dry like cotton.

  “What news do you have?” His voice sounded tired and suspicious.

  “I got the names of the two guys. Hopefully your crew knows them. But I have a solution if you let me get involved.”

  Diego huffed on the other end of the line. “Mamacita! I told you no. Give me the names and we’ll take it from here. I gotta get in touch with Ryder, it's gone too far anyway.”

  “The names are Jimmy Santos and Blaze Hernandez.”

  Diego fell silent for a moment. “Jimmy Santos, Jimmy Santos… Why does that name sound familiar? I know that name…”

  “He was brought up and convicted of sexual assault charges when he was younger. Served time in juvie from what I read.”

  “Fuck! I should have known. That was the thirteen-year-old girl. Yoda told me about that a while back when we were at war with Las Balas. Shit’s making sense now. I gotta get rid of these fuckers. Get ’em off the motherfucking streets. I don’t want you near this. You hear me?”

  “I know. Same thing my brother said.” I sighed helplessly.

  “What? What is your brother doing?”

  “Well, he said he took care of it. Obviously he didn’t. I was thinking I could set up a fake profile picture or something and catfish one of them. Should be easy enough and lure them into the open. You can handle it from there. That’s what I was going to suggest. You don’t have much time to waste, papi.” I realized I was biting my nails, so I dropped my hand from my mouth.

  “I don’t even want to tell you it’s not like I haven’t been through this before because I have. We got it covered. But that’s not a bad idea. I spoke to the pro’ who knows who was setting it up and they were hanging around The Partition. Just might work. I want you to stay out of it. Thanks for the names. Let me work on it.”

  “Okay. Please be careful. I feel- I feel like this is my fault.” I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.

  “Baby, like I said, it’s not your fault. Are you kidding me? I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said fiercely. “Besides, I love you. It’s too late now.”

  “You love me?” I let the words sink in. “I love you too, Diego. Please be safe.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Nineteen

  Diego

  I shook out my shoulders, the knots forming in quick succession once I got off the call with Misty. I shook out my hands and opened my fridge as normal. I looked at the beers, closed it shut and re-opened it again, pulling one out. The whooshing sound let off as I popped the beer open.

  I sucked it down until one-third of it was gone. Didn’t ease the nerves. I peeked through my Venetian blinds to see if anyone was in the parking lot. Not a single person in sight. Only the sound of an owl hooting i
n the background. I closed the door. I had my laptop in my bedroom. I went in there and scrounged around for it. I rarely looked at it unless I needed to. I bent down under my bed and slid it out. I remembered I left it there in a laptop bag. I fired it up while I sat on the bed. Time to research. I wanted to soak up as much information about these clowns as I could. I needed to find someone in the know to lure them out. Misty’s plan wasn’t half bad.

  Jimmy Santos. I clicked on the article from the local Merced News.

  A local teenager has been charged with the sexual assault of a minor whose name will remain undisclosed. Bail is set at $15,000. A corresponding picture with the fat fucker sat at the top of the article. He was fat as a teenager too. From the moment I saw him in my parking lot of the warehouse, I knew he was trouble. His side profile in the mugshot screamed of a deviant. I switched out and looked up Blaze Hernandez. There were plenty of photos of him floating across the net. One with his arm around fellow weasel El Diablo. I should have known. Both of them were wearing their chapter patches on their leather jackets. I now understood that it was out of my hands. It was time to call in the Outlaws. To be, well, Outlaws.

  I walked with my bare feet out to the kitchen like I always did. I picked up my cell phone as I jumped off the see-saw of indecision.

  “Hey, Diego. Midnight caller, huh? This has gotta be good, right?” Ryder’s answered.

  “Yeah, it is. You’re gonna love it,” I replied sarcastically.

  “Okay, hit me with it,” Ryder said as I heard him moving around the background.

  “Las Balas left me a nice little note. I got a ransom on my head for a hundred thousand.”

  “Those muthafuckin’ bastards.” The anger in Ryder’s voice was evident. I checked out as I sipped my beer. Misty flashed through my mind. There was no way she could be in on this. The way she fed the information to me on the phone. The panic and the careful nature of her tone. What a way to declare our love for one another.

  “So what’s the plan? There’s no way we’re paying the bastards. We have to outsmart them,” I probed Ryder.