Sugarman

by Vincent Vargas

  “What happened to your boot?”

  She doesn’t skip a beat. She leans forward to inspect it. “Huh. No idea.”

  I shouldn’t push it, but I do. I was a grunt, not a spook; “Seems like something you’d remember. Looks deep.”

  Anna-Maria just keeps on lacing. “Oh, no, these aren’t mine. I got my boots soaked yesterday down at the river, so I borrowed these from one of the girls on my team.”

  Relief floods through me and I want to punch the air like I just won the goddamn Super Bowl. I’m so happy that I almost forget there was a reason behind my worry. These boots belong to someone, and they tried to stomp my face.

  “Hey,” I say, and the change in my tone makes Anna-Maria stop what she’s doing, and sit back to look at me.

  “What is it, Dom?”

  I take a breath. “Do you trust me?” I ask.

  “If I didn’t would I be out here?” There’s an edge of confusion in her words, but they convince me.

  “Well I need you to trust me now, okay?” She nods. “Those boots.” I say. “Who do they belong to?”

  Her confusion grows, but she answers. “A girl on my team.” Anna-Maria tells me. “Silvia Lopez.”

  Chapter Fifty

  I say nothing but I can feel my skin prickle. Silvia Lopez. Jesus fucking Christ. The leader of the kidnappers is in Anna-Maria’s charity. It makes so much sense. Where better to find vulnerable illegals to kidnap than from a charity that’s set up to help them?

  “Dom…” Anna-Maria says, reading me, “is there something I need to be worried about?”

  I don’t know what to say.

  “Has Silvia done… Dom, what’s going on?”

  I go down to one knee so that my eyes are the same level as hers. I place my hand on her shoulder, and look straight into her eyes; for the first time, I see fear in them.

  “I’ve got you, okay?”

  “Got me from what, Dom?”

  I shake my head. “I can’t tell you everything right now.” But I will. I know I will. I trust this woman. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I need you to do something for me?”

  She hesitates, but I don’t blame her. I’m asking her to put blind faith in me. “Anna-Maria, you came to me because you trusted me to do the right thing. Please. Trust me now.”

  She slowly nods. “What do you need, Dom?”

  I smile sadly. What’s coming next won’t be easy for any of us.

  “I need you to introduce me to Silvia Lopez.”

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Anna-Maria wanted to ask me questions - lots of questions - but she must have seen in my eyes that she wouldn’t get answers.

  “Just trust me.” I promised her.

  The truck cab was quiet as I drove her back to the bar to collect her own. I kissed her, and her arms went around my neck. There was no passion, there. Just worry.

  “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” I told her.

  I felt her shake her head, her words into my shoulder. “I’ll do it. I trust you.”

  Alone I drove to the office. Usually, this was my sanctuary. A place where my mind was lost on other people’s problems, not my own, but the ice-cold fingers of dread were clawing at my stomach, their touch growing stronger and stronger; was Silvia Lopez the Lopez? A family member? Someone else in the kidnap gang who happened to share the same name? Would they get spooked? Would they hurt Anna-Maria? Would they kidnap her? Would they torture her?

  I tried to calm my mind. Silvia Lopez was Anna-Maria’s teammate. There was no reason she wouldn’t trust her. No reason she’d see the request to go with Anna-Maria as anything other than just another day at the office.

  “Hey Dom, you okay?” It was Ortega. He handed me a coffee. “You look like shit.”

  “Thanks,” I said, sipping the caffeine. “Came off my bike.”

  He half-smiled. “Mind on other things, huh?”

  I nodded, and the older guy looked at me for a second. It was the kind of look an NCO gives to his junior guys. A little worry. A little pride.

  “Nothing better than the love of a good woman,” he told me, and I knew there was more coming, “and nothing better at distracting you on the job, either.”

  “I won’t let it affect my work, Orty.”

  He shook his head. I’d misunderstood him. “Not your work, Dom. You. Border’s a dangerous place.”

  “I got it.”

  “Good.” He grinned. “You’re a big mother fucker. I’d lose half the office to lower back injuries if we had to carry your coffin.”

  He smirked and left.

  “Thanks for the coffee.”

  Ortega was right, I knew. The border was a dangerous place, and I was part of the reason why. Having people that I cared about fucked up the simplicity of violence that I wanted, but what the fuck was I supposed to do about it?

  I picked up the coffee in one hand and my phone in the other, and walked out into the heat of the parking lot.

  “Hey Sarah,” I said as she answered. “How are things going with Diego?”

  “We’re having a good time.” She told me. “I’m learning a lot about superheroes.”

  I smiled at that.

  “Hey, Dom.” She said quietly, and from the change in her voice’s echo, I figured that she’d stepped into the bathroom. “I need to go to the funeral directors today. Is he okay to be on his own, because…”

  Because otherwise he’ll figure out that it’s his mom and Ethan going into the dirt.

  “He’ll be fine.” I said. “He’s a good kid.”

  And he deserves to know the truth, I thought to myself. As soon as Lopez is dealt with, I’ll tell him.

  We said our goodbyes and I turned back to the office.

  I’d only taken a step when my phone vibrated. It was a text from Anna-Maria.

  Your ranch, 6PM.

  I’ll have company.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  It said everything you need to know about Juarez that the news of the killings in the safe house hadn’t even reached my office. There was a little talk about the tunnel house, but most of the agents had even moved on from that; there were just too many bodies, warm and cold, that needed dealing with. You didn’t get a chance to draw your breath - the border saw to that.

  Ortega must have sensed I was off because he kept me in the building working on papers. Most days I’d have pushed against that, but today it suited me just fine. I finished my shift and started the drive back to the ranch, turning my mind over to what would happen at eighteen hundred; Anna-Maria was coming with Silvia Lopez, and whether or not she was the Lopez, the mother fucker had tried to kill me, and she was part of the kidnap crew. How was I going to deal with her? Could I just ask Anna-Maria to walk away? Was I willing to kill a defenseless woman?

  I thought a long time about that last question. It was the thought of the torture that Lucia had suffered that sealed it. Yes, defenseless woman or not, I would kill her if she was the one responsible. I’d promised Ethan that I’d kill them all, and I would not break that oath to my brother.

  I parked in front of my house, checked that I had a round chambered in my pistol, and put it into the small of my back. I had my switchblade in my pocket, and I put another into my boot. I didn’t know which it would be, but I did know that one of those tools was about to even a score.

  I looked at my watch; six o’ clock. Almost on the dot, I heard the sound of a truck in the distance.

  Time to meet Lopez.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Anna-Maria’s truck pulled to a stop. She looked nervous.

  She was alone.

  I stepped forward as she opened her door. “Are you okay? Where is she?”

  She hugged me and kissed me. The kind of kiss you give someone when you’re worried about them.

  “I dropped her a little further south.” She told me. “I don’t know what this is about Dom, and I trust you, but whatever it is, it doesn’t seem like a good idea that she should
know where you live…”

  Her eyes asked me if she was right. I nodded. “Thank you.”

  Anna-Maria pushed a strand of blonde hair from her face and gave me a nervous smile. “I told her that we’re meeting a group of illegals that are crossing.”

  “How far from here?”

  “A ten minute walk.”

  “Do you think she suspects something’s up”

  She shook her head. “We do this kind of thing a lot.”

  I pulled her close. “Thank you for doing this.”

  Anna-Maria smiled weakly, and I hated myself for bringing her into this shit storm.

  “Let’s go.” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”

  We didn’t speak as we walked. The brush was thickening; perfect cover for illegals, and I wondered how many crossed my land that I had no idea about. I thought about asking Anna-Maria, but now wasn’t the time.

  I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. She looked nervous, and I couldn’t blame her; you could smell violence in the air.

  “How far?” I asked quietly.

  “She’s waiting in those trees.” She said, and I felt overcome with the need to protect her. “Walk behind me.” I told her. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

  She swallowed, and fell in behind me as I walked quietly to the thick stand of trees. The sun was high, casting shadow beneath me, and I was nearly on top of it before I saw the shine of metal against the dirt.

  I took another step, and saw that there was no woman waiting for me here...

  Only a shovel.

  I turned, and saw the gun in Anna-Maria’s hand.

  “Lopez.”

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  I didn’t know whether to puke or cry when I saw the pistol aimed at my chest. My life had been one long series of betrayals; why had I expected this time to be any different?

  I want to cuss at her. Charge at her. But the gun in her hand is a .45, and it’ll take a hole out of me before I can get my hands on her. I don’t want to die. At least not until I fulfill my promise to Ethan.

  And so I say nothing. If this bitch wants me to dig my own grave, I’ll not make it easy. I’ll wait for a chance.

  “Keep your hands straight up.” She tells me, no wobble in her voice. “Now turn around.” Comes the next order, and once again my back’s to her. “Use your left hand to slowly take out your pistol, finger and thumb. You move fast, I’ll put a hole in the bottom of your spine, and leave you out here for the coyotes.”

  I have no doubt that she means it. I take the pistol out as she tells me, and toss it out of the stand of trees.

  “Now slowly, walk to the shovel. Slower than that!”

  She keeps the perfect distance behind me. I’m not close enough to make a grab, not far enough to run. She’s a clever bitch, and even the shovel is a short handled kind to make it useless to me right now. Useless except for digging my grave, that is.

  Anna-Maria - Lopez - keeps the pistol in both hands, but close to her chest. I’m a big guy and she can’t miss me even before she punches out to be fully drawn down. “You know what to do.”

  I start digging. As the metal cuts into the dirt, I hear the words fall out of my mouth. “I’m digging this for you, you fucking cunt.”

  There’s no laugh from her. No smile. She looks more worn out than ever, those dangerous eyes in a face that’s showing lines before its time. “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be, Dom.”

  Well, I’ve heard that one before, but this isn’t the kind of breakup I’m used to, no matter how bad things got. “You’re fucking evil.” I can’t help myself saying. “Exploiting the people you pretend to help? There’s a special place in hell for you. A special fucking place.”

  It’s then that her expression changes, and she looks at me like a child. “Exploiting?” She sneers. “How fucking dumb are you, Dom? I thought you were more than just a Grunt, but can you really not see past the end of your dick?”

  I don’t know what she’s talking about, but fuck it. I drive the shovel into the dirt, and turn my eyes fully onto her. At the bar she felt the need to unload her shit. Maybe she’ll do it again. I’d like to know why I’m about to die.

  From my look she breaks, willingly. It’s as if she’s scolding a child with shitty grades. “You ever make an omelette, Dom?”

  It’s not enough for her to kill me. Now the bitch is attacking my cooking.

  “The border is fucked, Dom.” She curses. “You know this! Every year, thousands of people are dying, and nobody cares.

  “Ten years I’ve been down here, and I can’t even say that there’s been one single week where I thought things were getting better! There’s no hope! There’s just misery.”

  “Misery that you cause!” I shouted, wanting to plow the spade into her head. “You killed my friend, you fucking bitch! You tortured her! And I’ll fucking kill you for it!”

  My threat goes straight over her head. Why wouldn’t it when she was the one holding the gun, and I was on my knees.

  “You think I enjoy that, Dom?” She asks, a crack in her voice. “You think I enjoy it? How much sleep do you think I’m getting, huh? You think I saw my life turning out this way?”

  She shakes her head, then emphasizes every word. “I. Do. What. I. Do. For. The. Greater. Good.

  “No one cares about extortion down here! Fuck, no one even cares about bodies anymore! That’s why it had to be Lucia and all of the others!”

  The reason behind Lucia’s death hits me like a brick, and I think back to Sarah’s files on the kidnap victims, so many of them with next of kin in the military…

  “You’re trying to start a war.” I realize.

  She nods savagely. “It’s the only kind of message our country understands!

  “No one in the rest of America wants to look down, Dom. They don’t want to see! The only way to change that is to start a war.”

  And what better way to do it than to provoke soldiers into taking on the war in a way that no agency can? I’d walked straight into the trap that she’d baited with her collateral damage. Ethan had been her target, but she’d gotten a Ranger on the loose all the same.

  “I’m sorry, okay Dom? I’m sorry.” And maybe she was, but she’d killed and tortured my friend. There was no path to redemption for her.

  I started to turn back to the shovel, but she shook her head.

  “Enough is enough.” She punched out the pistol. “Close your eyes.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  “Close your eyes!” She snapped.

  I didn’t. I wasn’t about to make this easier for her. I kept my eyes open and staring hard into hers. I knew what she’d done to Lucia and many others, but had she ever killed someone she’d shared intimacy with? I was certain that she hadn’t known I was behind the safe house until I asked her about the boot, and Lopez. Fuck it.

  “Did you ever actually give a shit?”

  I saw her swallow. “Just close your eyes.”

  I wouldn’t. Her knuckles were bright white on the pistol grip.

  “Close your eyes, Dom.”

  I wouldn’t.

  “CLOSE YOUR FUCKING EYES!”

  No.

  And then, a gunshot.

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  The sound of a shot crashed through the trees; not the boom of a .45, but the crack of a 9mm that clipped Anna-Maria’s backpack, sending her spinning on her axis. I didn’t wait to figure out who, or how. I just charged.

  She saw me coming, and pulled the .45’s trigger on instinct, but she was shocked and not aiming, and only got off two wild shots before I was on her, putting my weight on top of her, and driving my skull down into her face. I felt her nose collapse, blood run into my eyes, and I did it again and again as I held onto her wrists. I felt the moment she gave up her grip on her pistol, and by the time that I’d backed up onto my knees, she was unrecognizable, and no threat to me.

  But she was alive, and I didn’t want that.

  I stood
up and grabbed the .45. Aimed it at her face. I didn’t know where the first shot had come from, and I didn’t care. If it were law enforcement, I was willing to go to prison to see out my oath to my brother.

  I looked down at my woman at my feet. She had taken from me everything that I loved. I just had to move my finger a few millimeters, and Lopez would be gone from the world.

  Then I heard a sound to my left.

  “Uncle Dominic…”

  Diego stepped into the clearing.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  The kid was visibly trembling as he took in the sight in front of him; his uncle stood over a woman with a smashed face. Walking up on this he had the right to be terrified of me, but when I saw what was in his hand, I knew Diego was a witness to the truth.

  He was holding my gun.

  He saw my eyes, and took on the look of a kid who knows that he’s in trouble. “My Dad, he… he… he told me to never shoot unless he was around. I’m sorry, Uncle Dominic.”

  His Dad. Ethan. I lowered my own pistol then. Diego didn’t need to see this.

  “Its okay.” I told him. “You saved my life.” And I knew that deep down in my soul, my brother had saved it too. Because of love he’d taught Diego how to shoot, and I had no doubt that he was the reason I was still drawing breath.

  I look down at Anna-Maria. I want her dead, but I can’t help but hear the words of the Ranger Creed. Words that Ethan and I had shouted out shoulder to shoulder as we stood on parade grounds and chest deep in swamps; “I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of The Rangers.”

  Where was the honor in killing a defenseless person?

  Thinking of those words, and looking at Diego, I knew what Ethan would want to change in his last moments; “look after the kid.” That’s what he’d want.