by Jayna King
"Smells good," I said, as I pulled the bedroom door closed to give Maria a chance to sleep a little longer. "So you feel back to normal?"
"My throat hurts a little, but I feel so much better."
"Is there a doctor close by that you can see today?"
"There's a clinic across town, but since it's Sunday, most offices are closed. I feel much better, though. I don't think I even need to go to the doctor."
I reached for the cup of coffee she handed me, turned down her offer of milk and sugar, and watched her eyeing up my tattoos.
"That's a lot of ink," she said, and I suppressed a smile at her trying to sound far more grown up than she really was.
"Not finished, yet," I said, looking down at my forearm. "When I'm finished, it'll be full sleeves on both arms."
"The colors are really pretty."
I looked at her, exaggerating my disbelief. "Pretty? Yeah, that's just what I was going for."
She laughed. "The colors are so bright. Lots of guys around here have tattoos, but they don't look as good as yours."
"I'm a tattoo artist. I have a studio in Denver."
"Colorado," she said, looking pretty smug.
"Correct."
"What's the name of your shop?" she asked.
I pointed to my t-shirt.
"Red Sea Tattoo. I get it," she grinned. "Moses. Red Sea. That's a cool name."
I grinned back at her. She was impossible not to like. "Thanks. Thought it up all by myself."
The door from the bedroom opened, and we both turned to see Maria coming out. Her hair was all messy, and she looked absolutely perfect.
"Good morning," I said. "Hope we weren't too loud."
She stretched, rubbed her eyes, and finally seemed to remember how sick Nadia had been the night before. "Little one, what are you doing out of bed?"
Nadia poured her a cup of coffee and added some milk. "I feel much better, Mama. Just a little bit of a sore throat."
Maria shook her head and kissed her daughter on the head as she took the coffee. "That's a miracle, little one. I thought for sure we'd be on our way to the clinic this morning." She looked at me and smiled. "You sleep okay? I know the couch isn't very comfortable."
"Slept like a baby," I said. "And Nadia has been a wonderful host. She makes a mean cup of coffee."
"Mean cup of coffee," Nadia repeated to herself, as if she were trying the saying on to see if she liked it.
Maria looked from her daughter to me and back again, shaking her head. I hoped it didn't bother her that I'd been getting to know Nadia. "Maria, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course. Let's take our coffee outside." She led me out to the little private courtyard, and we sat down on the bench. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I have some business to take care of this morning, but I want to see you tonight. Are you free?"
"Yes. Lupita's is closed on Sundays, unless there's a private party."
"That's the other thing I want to talk to you about. I don't want you to go back to Lupita's."
Maria shook her head. "Moses, it's my job. I have a daughter to feed. If I don't go back there, Luis will see to it that I can't find work anywhere in the city. His reach is too long, and Don Roberto is too powerful."
"What if I could get Luis to agree to let you go?"
"That will never happen. He has claimed me as one of his whores, and he will never give me away, at least not until I'm too old to be valuable to him."
"Everyone has a price, Maria."
"Luis doesn't lack for money. He would take it as an insult if you tried to buy me from him."
I shook my head. "He's never had someone offer as much as I can. Maria, I have more money than I know what to do with, and I'm going to get you away from him. I'm going to find someplace to hide you until I can come back for you and get you into the U.S. legally, you and Nadia together."
Maria looked overwhelmed. "But Moses, you barely know us."
"I know you, Maria. I know the woman that spent hours last night pouring her heart out to me. I know you, and I won't let you continue to be used by Luis and men like him."
Maria thought for a moment. "Moses, I can't be your whore, either," she said softly, as if it saddened her to have to say the words. "I can't leave one man who owns me for another."
"Maria, you will never be any man's whore again. Never." I took her coffee cup and set it on the ground, and I took her face in both of my hands. "Maria, I won't deny that I want you. I do. You are beautiful. You are a wonderful mother, and you're a good and kind person. I want you more than I've ever wanted any woman in my life, but I won't take you against your will. I want you to want me. I want you to ask me to take you and make you mine. I will never lay a hand on you without your consent, and if you never want me in your bed, then I will still see you and Nadia free of Luis."
She looked at me as if she didn't believe me, and I knew that only time could persuade her. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her forehead, even though I really wanted to ravage her mouth with mine and carry her back in to the bedroom. I could be patient, though. Maria was the first woman I'd felt that way about -- like she was worth waiting for.
"I have to go," I said, standing up. "But I will be back this evening, if you'll have me."
She nodded, looking like she couldn't find any words to express her thoughts, and I walked to the gate that led to the street.
"I'll be back. Maria. You and Nadia can count on me."
***
I climbed into the back seat of the shiny, black Ford Excursion, thrilled that the air conditioning was running full blast. Even though I didn't have a hangover, I had been up late, and I had an awful lot on my mind. Joker and Zeno had peppered me with questions about where I'd been, but I'd just brushed them off. I needed to figure out how to handle getting Maria and Nadia away from Luis, but I also needed to take care of the business we'd come down to do.
"How far away's this meeting?" I asked Joker when he and Zeno climbed in the huge SUV.
"Luis said it's on the other side of town. Shouldn't take more than half an hour or so."
Zeno pulled his ball cap down over his eyes, though the dark tinted windows screened out most of the sun. "Wake me up when we get there," he said, closing his eyes.
"So where did you run off to last night?" Joker asked. "Luis didn't seem too happy that you and your girl were both gone."
"She was entertaining me. I'll handle it with Luis."
"I don't give a shit what you were up to. You're a grown-ass man, and I'm sure the whore can take care of herself."
I started to tell Joker not to call Maria a whore, but I stopped myself. I had a feeling that my decision to extricate her from her fucked-up situation wasn't going to make much sense to Joker, and I wanted to sort things out before I brought it up. After all, he was right -- I was a grown man, and I could make my own decisions.
"Any guesses about what Don Roberto's going to pitch to us?"
Joker shook his head. "Not really. The obvious thing would be coke and maybe weed, too."
"What are your thoughts on that?"
"Well, I don't know that we need it. We're doing okay with the crank and the girls. We all have more money than we actually need, and I don't know that it makes sense to start bringing in a bunch of shit from Mexico."
"Agreed," I said, relieved that Joker was thinking along the same lines as I was. "Are we gonna vote on it?"
"Probably should. Let's see what he offers us. If it's a sweet deal, we might be foolish to turn it down. And we need the shit he's already moving across the border for us. If we don't have what he's getting to us, we have no meth operation."
"Guess we can't really afford to piss him off."
"You got that right. But he don't need to know that."
"You're pretty smart for an old man," I said, laughing. I might not agree with Joker on everything, but he was my uncle, and I loved him in spite of his flaws.
"I'm gonna take a page outta Z
eno's book and get some shuteye," Joker said, leaning back against the cool, leather seats.
I figured I'd use the silence to plan my next move.
It wasn't long before we pulled up next to a wrought iron gate that surrounded a low, adobe building screened from the road by a tangle of bushes. I elbowed Joker and Zeno.
"Think we're here."
They looked out the window and we waited for the car to some to a stop. The gate swung open and a young man in a suit and mirrored sunglasses stepped outside. Joker opened the car door.
"Welcome," the young man said, looking up and down the street, as if to check to ensure that we were alone. "Don Roberto is waiting for you."
He led us inside the gate, taking care to close and lock it behind us. It appeared that there wouldn't be any way for us to get out quickly, and I hoped there wouldn't be any reason to.
We followed the sidewalk to the front of the house, and even on that brief a walk, I'd broken a sweat by the time we got to the front door. The young man opened the door, and we followed him inside. It was blessedly cool, and so dark that it took my eyes a minute to adjust. The man led us into a study, where an older gentleman sat behind a large desk carved out of gleaming, dark wood.
"Don Roberto," the man said as an introduction, before leaving the room and pulling the door closed behind him.
The older gentleman stood up. "Welcome to my home. I am Don Roberto, and it is a pleasure to meet you at last. Luis tells me that he took good care of you last night. I trust your accommodations were ... comfortable?"
Joker stepped forward. "Luis is a good man. He took care of us, and it's a pleasure to meet you."
We introduced ourselves, and Don Roberto waved us toward three chairs that faced the desk. I got the impression that he had no interest in pretending that we were his equals.
"I understand that you need more of the materials we have been procuring for you."
It wasn't really a question, but the Don's statement clearly called for an answer.
Joker took the lead. "That's right. Luis told us it shouldn't be a problem."
"Of course not. We specialize in getting things that are difficult to acquire."
"That's why we came to you," Joker told him.
"I told Luis that I wanted to meet with you to discuss expanding the business we do together." Don Roberto had barely moved the entire time we'd been in the room. He faced us across the desk, inscrutable. His palms lay flat on the desk, and his stillness lent him an aura of strength tempered with a little danger. Though he was relatively soft-spoken, the gravity of his demeanor made me quite certain that Don Roberto wouldn't tolerate anyone who crossed him. In short, the man was fuckin' scary.
"What kind of expansion do you have in mind?" Joker asked.
Clearly, Don Roberto wasn't quite ready to get down to it. "I have a few questions about your business dealings back in Colorado, first."
Joker looked at me and Zeno and shrugged. "Shoot."
"I understand that you focus on two commodities: methamphetamine that you produce using our materials, and prostitutes that you also use to sell some of your methamphetamine. Is this correct?"
Joker seemed a little impatient. "Yup."
"And the prices for your prostitutes ... do they command large amounts of money?"
Joker laughed. "Nah. Most of 'em are tweakers, and they'll put out for a guy with a twenty in his pocket."
Don Roberto didn't bother to hide the disgust he felt. "Is there a market for more ... exotic prostitutes in Colorado?"
"What do you mean by exotic?" Joker asked.
"Well, you have seen the lovely women we have working at Lupita's, yes? You have sampled some of their offerings, have you not?"
"Yes, sir, we sure did."
"And are my women more appealing to you than the women you control?"
It was obvious where Don Roberto was heading. He wanted to sell us Mexican hookers, but he was taking his sweet time getting to the point. I could hardly control my excitement, though. Don Roberto was about to hand me the solution to my Maria problem. If we took her as one of our hookers, who was to say what we could do with her in the U.S.? She wouldn't have to be a whore anymore, and Don Roberto could take care of getting her into the country. It couldn't have been more perfect. I tried to conceal my excitement.
"Hell, yes, your women are prettier than ours," Joker answered. "You willing to share some with us?"
"Well, not exactly," the Don answered. "I have something even more rare to offer you." He stood up for the first time and walked over to the window, turning so that we could see his profile. "It has been my experience that there are things that some men are willing to pay more for. Things that command a premium price. High quality cocaine is one. A young girl's virginity is another."
Joker looked at me, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. All I knew was that the conversation had gone in a direction that I hadn't expected -- and one that made me very uncomfortable.
Don Roberto continued. "We learned a long time ago that it can be difficult to control women. Our whores would run off, cause problems with our guests, or even commit a mortal sin and kill themselves, rather than continue in our service. It was unfortunate, but we learned that there is one thing that we can use to control women, even whores. It is their children. Whores with children work harder. They must, to support their little families. They fear running off with a young one, and they become our very finest prostitutes."
I clenched my fists, thinking about Maria, raped over and over until she became pregnant. What had happened to her hadn't been unique. It had been a deliberate business decision -- one guaranteed to ensure her slavery.
"What we did not anticipate was the unexpected benefit of our little control measure." He turned to face us. "These babies grow up. The boys are recruited for work for the cartels, but the girls ... they are often as beautiful as their mothers, especially while they are young. Fresh, unspoiled, and very, very valuable."
"What the fuck?" In my horror, the words slipped from my mouth, though they were quiet enough that I hoped Don Roberto hadn't heard. Even in my rage, I knew that any battle fought with the Don on his turf would be a losing one.
Joker ignored me -- acted like he hadn't even heard me. He leaned forward in his chair. "You sell underage girls? Virgins?"
I looked at him, and it was like I was seeing him for the very first time. He looked excited. He sounded turned on.
Don Roberto smiled at him. "They bring in princely sums of money. Even after their virginity is gone, there are many men who will pay for the privilege of fucking a tight young girl. You can train them early, and they become excellent whores." The Don focused all of his attention on Joker. "I could even be persuaded to give you gentlemen a sample of the product, if you would like to try one of our girls out for yourselves. Not a virgin, mind you. That would cost even our most valued guests."
"What do you say?" Joker turned to look at me and Zeno, excitement and lust in his face. "I'm game for some underage snatch."
I looked at Zeno, and, as usual, I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
I leaned over to Joker and spoke quietly enough that I hoped Don Roberto wouldn't be able to hear me. "Are you out of your fucking mind? Under no circumstances are we going to take little girls and turn them into whores. And under no circumstances am I gonna stand by and let you rape a little girl."
"Whoa, whoa, there, son." Joker leaned back, as if he was trying to distance himself from my fury. "Nobody said anything about rape. These girls are gonna grow up to be whores just like their mothers. The Don is just giving them a head start."
Zeno didn't say a word.
I stood up. I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to get out of that room, or I was gonna go after the Don with my bare hands. "I'm out. We don't want your child whores. I'm leaving."
I walked to the door, opened it and headed for the front door. Mirrored sunglass man was staring just inside the front door and opened it for me.
"Can I call you a car?"
"Just get the fuck out of my way and open the fucking gate."
I couldn't see anything behind his glasses, but the man did what he was told without saying another word. I walked past the Excursion and headed down the street. I didn't care where I went, but I had to go somewhere.
Chapter 7
Maria
I spent far too much of the morning daydreaming. All of my thoughts swirled around the tall, young man who'd spent the night on my couch and had completely enchanted my daughter. We'd gone to church and to the market to get ingredients for dinner, and Nadia had kept returning to the topic of Moses. I stood no chance of getting him out of my head.
"I wonder if Moses likes flan," Nadia mused as she shredded monterey jack cheese for the filling of the chiles rellenos I was going to make for dinner.
"I don't think I'll have time to make flan, little one."
"I can do it. I helped Gabriela the last time she made it, and I think I can do it on my own."
I shook my head, smiling at her enthusiasm. "As long as you clean up your mess, that's fine. And don't forget, Nadia, we don't even know if Moses will be here for dinner. He said he'd stop by this evening, but he didn't say when."
"I know, I know," Nadia said, rolling her eyes. "But I like flan, anyway, and it would be perfect for dessert."
"Go ahead and make it, then," I told her, realizing that my daughter had a little bit of a crush on Moses. The trouble was that I was afraid that I did as well.
I knew that the smartest thing I could do was keep Moses at a distance. I'd never had a man actually care about my best interests, and odds were good that Moses didn't really, either. Men used women and threw them away. That was how the stories of women like me ended. Hope was far too dangerous, and Moses had made me hope that things could be different.
I roasted the poblano peppers over the gas burner, letting the skins blister and blacken, before setting them aside to cool. I mixed some cooked chorizo with the cheese that Nadia had grated, and set the filling aside. When the peppers had cooled, I scooped out the seeds, stuffed them with the cheese and chorizo mixture, and put the filled peppers in the refrigerator.