by Kara Parker
“Nothing happened here, Marta,” Julian said, glancing at her nametag. “Don’t worry. The police aren’t going to call you because nothing happened here. Do you understand me?”
She stared in awe at the money in his hand and nodded up at him. I looked over at him in disgust. Was this how he was planning on handling this? Did Julian think Paul just another problem he could solve with money? Paul was dead. His life was over and Julian could hide the body, but I would always know.
“I know your name, Marta, and your face. Don’t give me a reason to look for you.”
The woman let out a muffled sob and took what must have been ten thousand dollars from Julian’s hand. He guided her out of the hotel room and into the hallway; she glanced over at me and then looked away. I wasn’t sure if she saw Paul’s body on the ground or if she just thought he was a pile of laundry. At least she had lived. I didn’t want to have another innocent person’s blood on my hands.
Ten thousand dollars, was that all that Paul was worth? He had saved me. Without Paul I would be some diner waitress or worse by now. There wasn’t enough money in the world to make up for his death. I looked at Julian, but he was busy walking around the room and closing the curtains. What would he do now, take Paul’s body himself?
The door closed behind Marta and Julian picked up his phone and dialed a number.
“Yes, I need a clean up team immediately.” He said and he stood silently for a moment waiting for the person on the other line. “The Ace Hotel, Executive Suite A. No, it was clean. I might not be here, let yourself in. Call me when it’s done.” He hung up the phone after his short conversation and stared at me across the room. “Clean up crew is coming, we need to get out here so they can do their work,” Julian said. His voice was calm and even, as if killing Paul had been as easy as drinking a cup of coffee.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I asked, nodding at Paul who I could still make out under the sheet. “An unmarked grave somewhere, are they going to burn his body, dump him in a lake?” I was shouting now. Paul deserved a real grave and a real tombstone. He deserved to be mourned and remembered. He deserved a funeral with a thousand white roses and hundreds of mourners. He was my first love and I had killed him. How was I supposed to go on now? Look at what I had done.
Julian took a step closer to me and said, “You need to keep your voice down or someone is going to call the police and then we’re both screwed.”
“I don’t care,” I said loudly. “You killed him and you still haven’t said anything. Does it mean nothing to you that you killed him?”
“He tried to kill me, Daniela. I was defending myself. Do you really not see that?”
But I couldn’t think about it. I couldn’t pull that thread. The blame kept shifting from me to Julian to Paul. But in the end, it was Paul who was dead and lying on the ground. How could we blame the dead man for his own murder? It was too cruel to even comprehend.
I shook my head at Julian, refusing to look at him. Paul was right. Julian had tricked me. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and I had been taken in. He had kidnapped me and hunted me down and seduced me and I had forgotten everything I knew. And now I was done. I could never rejoin The Bandits. Paul had died because I had let down my guard and slept with a Los Desperados. It was everything they feared from a female member of the gang. It was the worst thing I could have done and I had no excuse for myself.
Being with Julian had ruined my life. Before Julian I had been a badass biker chick, the lead driver of my gang, a woman who took no one’s shit. Now I had lost my family, my friends, my home, my livelihood and the man who had saved me. I had nothing left and it was all because of Julian Gonzales.
“Please, Daniela. Let’s go,” he said walking slowly towards me with his hands outstretched.
He attempted to caress my arms, but I jerked back away from him and crossed my arms. Did he really think that would work on me anymore? I knew who he was and I knew what he was doing. His every gesture read as false to me now, more tricks to try and get me on his side.
“Don’t touch me.” I said through gritted teeth. “You know what you’ve done. I’m done in The Bandits now; they’ll never take me back. You wanted me to join Los Desperados and now I have no choice. But let me tell you this, I might not be able to run away from you now, but I will one day. I promise you that. And stay away from me. I’m never, ever touching you again.”
Julian loomed over and stared down at me, but he didn’t look angry. He looked devastated. For just a moment his mask fell and I could see the man behind it and I could see that I was breaking his heart, but was happy to do it. He needed to feel how I felt; he needed to understand what he had done to me.
But it was only for a moment and then his face became a mask again.“Get dressed, we’re leaving,” he said, his voice was cold and dark and for the first time I was scared of him.
I walked away from Paul and began to gather my clothes from the floor. I slipped into my underwear and pants, pulling them on awkwardly as I stood. I put my bra on and then my shirt and I grabbed my jacket from the floor. As I bent down to pick my jacket up I could see the slightest glimpse of Paul’s hand and fresh tears began to appear and my vision blurred as I let out a sob. I hated crying; it made me feel weak. But I refused to hold back the tears. Paul needed someone to mourn for him and I was glad it was me. Every tear I shed reminded me of Paul’s death and pushed me farther from Julian. I needed to be far from him. We were toxic together. I could never look at Julian the same way again. He would always be the man who killed Paul. His hands would always belong to a murderer.
I took a step towards him, but Julian grabbed my arm and pulled me back and away. I could barely see. Everything was blurry and I was surprised I had tears in me left to give. I was shaking all over and I felt too weak to fight Julian off. He led me to the door and as we opened it a man in a suit stood before us a large suitcase in his left hand.
He and Julian nodded at each other, but otherwise they didn’t speak. I craned my neck and watched the man in the suit walk into the room and close the door quietly behind me as Julian continued to lead me away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
A map of LA was spread out before me. I traced my finger along the freeways that twisted and turned and intertwined down the California coast. There was a single bulb hanging low from the ceiling making shadows shudder and twist on the walls all around me. The men around me were the only people in the clubhouse and other than the sound of my voice the night was silent. The map was on a table and members of Los Desperados who were listening to me silently surrounded the table. Marco was standing next to me, his arms crossed. He was deep in thought, but he would nod in agreement every now and then, so I kept going.
The top leaders of Los Desperados surrounded me. Marco was there, along with a heavy-set bearded man named Bill, aka The Bear, who was in charge of selling the goods. There was also Jake, a younger looking man who spoke very little; he was in charge of keeping the cops away from what we were doing and he was very good at his job. There was Ted, a tall African American man who was in charge of arms and numbers. Next to him was Julian’s old friend David who would be the second in command. And then, of course, there was Julian.
“They know what they’re doing. For the most part the truck will stay on the freeways because it's safer there. The driver will have a pre-planned route that travels through well-lit and well-populated roads. The truck is easier to spot and tail on the freeway, but if we can see it, so can everyone else. Staying on well-traveled roads means that if they do get hassled, there will be other drivers on the road who will call the cops. It’s your basic herd mentality, safety in numbers.
There are two places where they will be off the freeway and on street roads. The first is here,” I pointed to a spot on the map next to the nicer part of Echo Park. “The truck will take Exit 249 and then North Seventh Street for four miles before turning onto Marianne Drive for another ten miles. From Marianne Drive he’s goi
ng to take this entrance and take the 405 South for another twenty miles.
The second time he’s off the road is when he takes Exit 34 and he takes the forty-five all the way to the bank located here.”
I looked at the men around me. The Bear had a big smile on his face as he nodded at the map. I could see he was already mentally spending the money we would get on this ride. Jake was looking at the map, a troubled expression on his face. He was worried about the cop; it was a lot of road and a lot of jurisdiction for him to cover. As for Julian, I didn’t even bother to look at him.
“False detours won’t work with this company. Any change in the route and they call the home base to make sure it’s legit. If it’s not, the cops will be called. The bank gives a lot of money to the police union, so when the bank calls the cops, the cops show up fast.”
“So we can’t get them on the freeway and we can’t divert them off the Freeway. It’ll have to be street roads,” Jake said. “So which street roads would you pick?”
“These,” I said, pointing to the Echo Park neighborhood. “If we’re smart we can run him off the roads there. There are small alleys that are dark and have no cameras on them here, here, and here. Any one of those would work. But we have to be fast. He’ll have a radio in the truck and he can call for backup in a second. There will also be civilians and other people around. The best option is to take the truck and the driver in one swoop. We need to drive it down one of theses alleys and get the driver to open the door and let us in.
We take the truck here,” I said. “It’s an empty lot in the bad part of Echo Park. I’ve used it before. There are no lights and no buildings around. If the drivers cut their lights before the turn no one will see us in there. But-”
“Why is there always a but?” The Bear asked, but I just kept going.
“The truck has a GPS on it and the bank can track it. Without a distress call from the driver we will have some time, but not a lot. The Bandits will need to work quickly and move the money into one of their trucks. That’s where we get them. The empty lot is huge; we can hide in the corners and surround them while they’re working. Then we take their truck and head back to the clubhouse.”
I knew the lot well. Ten years ago a developer had bought it before being busted for racketeering. He was in jail, and that lot was the only part of his wealth that remained. His family still owned it and they refused to do anything with it. Letting a huge piece of land sit unused and covered with garbage was their revenge against the city. Homeless people congregated there – sometimes enough of them to make a tent city. It was also a favored spot for desperate hookers. A dead body was found there every other week, but there was nothing the city could do about it. It was the perfect place for what we needed to do.
“Marco,” The Bear said. “You still haven't told us how much the truck is.”
Marco looked at me and then at the men around the table. “Ten million in gold bars,” he said. He and I had discussed this last night, but he had asked me to keep the amount a secret. It was a lot of money and a very big heist for Los Desperados.
“Holy shit,” Jake said, running his hands over his face. “That’s a lot of gold, Marco.”
“And gold is up. This is a big heist and it needs to go perfectly. I need to make sure we are all on the same page,” Marco said, his voice clipped but even.
“Have you asked her?” Julian said, and everyone froze. “I know we disagree on this, but her loyalty is still under question.”
“Who’s questioning it?” Jake asked.
“I am,” Julian said. “She’s said a thousand times that she would never leave The Bandits and now she’s planning a heist against them? I don’t trust it.” Everyone glanced over at Julian and then at Marco, but no one looked at me.
“Have you sworn your loyalty to us yet?” Julian asked.
“This job will swear her loyalty to us,” Marco answered. His voice was low and even, but it permitted no discussion. Marco wasn’t arguing with Julian, but telling him how it was and Julian didn't have the authority to disagree.
I finally looked at Julian, but he was looking away with a look of disgust on his face. Good. I wasn’t looking at him for approval; I didn’t care what he thought about me. Julian and I hadn’t spoken in weeks and I was perfectly fine with that.
“This operation will work. We’ll need to get to the lot early and hide our bikes ahead of time. I know The Bandits won’t get there before us. Anyone who would be in that lot is either a hooker or a vagrant and they won’t call the cops. The Bandits won’t want to get there too early in case the sight of all those gang members sets someone off and the cops are called. If we get there early and hide well, we can surround them while they work and then take the truck when they’re done. I’ll get there early with the gang and hide us in the lot. I’ll know when they’re done. We won’t need to fire a single shot or risk losing a single man. ”
“Are you really going to trust her?” Julian asked. “How has she earned that?”
“Ten million dollars in gold bars, Julian,” The Bear said. “I’d trust the devil himself if he said he could get me that much money.”
“I’m saying it here and now, I don’t trust her and I think this is a bad idea.”
“And I’m saying we are trusting her,” Marco said and there was a hint of edge to his voice. “This is her initiation. If it goes well, she’s a full member. She becomes a lead driver and she gets to plan her own heists. If it does not go well or she betrays us, she dies. Daniela and I have discussed this, Julian, and that should be good enough for you.”
The empty clubhouse was silent. In front of me I could see the replacement wall Los Desperados had just finished. It had been built in just a few days, but they wanted something extra. Now, instead of a blank wall, there was a mural honoring the fight against The Bandits and the men who had died there. Never forget it implored us, but I didn’t need a reminder. I would always remember what happened that day.
Julian’s jaw worked in frustration and I could tell he was unhappy. But I didn’t care. This was entirely his fault. Everything that had led me to this place was because of Julian. He was the only reason I was here, and now he was trying to sabotage my place in Los Desperados. I wasn’t under his thumb anymore. He couldn’t lock me to his radiator again and I had the feeling it was killing him. But I was glad. I hoped he spent the rest of his life being miserable.
Any feelings I had for Julian disappeared when he killed Paul. They went out like a flame snuffed and I had no desire to re-light the fire. This time things would be different. I would never sleep with Julian again and I wasn’t letting him back in. He had done too much damage the last time. I didn’t trust Julian Gonzales and I never would.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It had been two weeks since the fight at the hotel. I had no idea what had happened with Paul’s body. Part of me didn’t want to know. The Bandits must have figured out he was dead by now. I hoped they created a memorial for him somewhere. I hoped someone else was mourning him other than me. I hoped they were making a tombstone for him. There wouldn’t be a body to put in the ground, but he deserved a real tombstone at least.
I hadn’t spoken with Julian since that night in the hotel. He had brought me back to Los Desperados’ headquarters and I meant what I said. I would never touch him again. I never wanted to see him again. There was a small basement apartment in the clubhouse where Marge and her old lady lived. They had an extra bedroom and told me I could stay as long I wanted.
I spent five full days crying on the bed. I would wake up, try to eat something, and then it would all come back to me, every event of that horrible night. I remembered the crying maid, the fight, Paul’s death, and the silent cleaner who arrived after it was all over. That surprised look on Paul’s face was the worst part. I saw it in my dreams at night. Paul was being pulled away from me and I was running and struggling to grab him. But he was always just out of reach and his expression never changed.
When Julian killed Paul he had destroyed my chances of rejoining The Bandits. They knew Paul had been looking for me and when he never came back they must have accurately guessed what happened. Paul died trying to rescue me and I still hadn’t come home. I couldn’t go back. If I did, they would ask me what happened to Paul and they would pull the truth out of me. Paul had come to rescue me at a hotel where I had been sleeping with a Los Desperados member. Not only had I betrayed my gang, but my actions had got a member killed, too. They would never forgive me for it. If I went back to The Bandits now, they would kill me.
Julian had known. He wanted me to join Los Desperados. It was his only goal from the beginning and he made that clear many times. I refused, but he didn’t take no for an answer. I had refused to willingly join them, so he forced my hand. Like it or not I was part of Los Desperados now. All I had to do was prove my loyalty. And what about Julian? Was this all some trick on his part? Had he been trying to seduce me away from my gang? Had he planned the whole thing, pretending to have feelings for me and care about me just to get what he wanted?