Haunted asc-8

by Jeanne C. Stein

  Vampire lets it flow into her mouth, sampling. It tastes like any other human blood—full of warmth, vibrancy, life. It flows like sweet, fresh water drawn from a well. There’s no hint of evil beneath the skin. No hint of death and treachery. I put both arms around him as his body slumps into mine. Hold him up, shake him, make sure he’s conscious. I draw my head away to look into his eyes. He sees. He’s aware.

  He’s afraid.

  I glance back at Culebra.

  His face is stern. He meets my eyes and nods.

  Vampire smiles at Ramon. In a dim corner of the human Anna’s mind, a picture of a son driven to suicide and two dead girls lying in the back of a truck comes into sharp focus. It’s all vampire needs.

  She turns snapping jaws back to his throat to finish the job.

  CHAPTER 49

  RAMON SAGS AGAINST ME, DEADWEIGHT, THE LAST flutter of his heart going still. I step back and let his body drop.

  Vampire is reluctant to relinquish control, but Culebra is close and his urgency comes through.

  We have to go.

  I let my head fall to my chest, shake it to clear away the animal and look up at Culebra with human eyes.

  “Thank you,” he says.

  “It was for your family. And Adelita.”

  “I know.”

  Culebra hands me a rifle and we start after Max. There hasn’t been a sound from the villagers, not a light has gone on in any of the shacks. It’s full dark now, and as I glance back at Ramon’s body, a shadow among shadows, I wonder if anyone will venture out to see if he’s really dead.

  Or maybe no one cares.

  I stop to pick up the duffel, thinking it’s beginning to feel like an extension of my arm.

  But thanking Max for packing it.

  Culebra and I move quickly and quietly through the brush. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble seeing in the dark or keeping up with me. It’s not long before I hear footfalls ahead and know we’ve almost caught up to Max.

  From the direction of the road, the sound of an approaching vehicle moving toward the village. I tilt my head.

  “I think Luis’ men are returning. We’d better hurry.”

  We pick up the pace, trotting through the underbrush, oblivious to the growls and hisses that rumble around us as we disturb other night predators on the prowl. We are not challenged and in minutes, we see Max ahead.

  He hears our approach and peers into the darkness. “Anna?”

  “Right here. Luis’ men are at the village. I don’t know how long it will take them to learn what happened from the villagers. They don’t know who we are, but they know we have Luis. They’ll come looking for him.”

  Luis has been listening. He looks behind us. “Where’s Ramon?”

  “Dead,” Culebra says.

  Luis spits at the ground. “He was a traitor. He lied to you. He brought you here to die. Let me go and Pablo will reward you. You were a good soldier once, Tomás. You could be again.”

  I think Culebra is going to ignore Luis. He stares at him, no expression at all on his face. Then, with a single, quick thrust, he slams his rifle butt into Luis’ gut.

  Luis doubles over, unable to draw a breath as the air rushes from his body, gasping until his face is blue from lack of oxygen.

  Culebra grasps a handful of Luis’ hair and yanks him upright. “Your brother called me a traitor once, too. And had my family killed. Ramon told you lies about me and you believed him. When I left the cartel, I left this life behind. I took my vengeance in my own way. I never came after you or your brother. You and Ramon should have left it alone, Luis.”

  Luis struggles to breathe, his chest heaving. Culebra shoves him away and he collapses on the ground, rolling into a fetal position in an effort to force oxygen into his lungs.

  Max takes Culebra aside. “We don’t have time for this. When we get to Ramon’s, you can beat the shit out of him. Hell, I’ll help you. But we have to get there first.”

  Culebra’s eyes are still on Luis, but he gives in with a grudging nod. He reaches down and hauls Luis to his feet. When he prods him with the barrel of his rifle, Luis moves. Unsteadily, at first, but faster as he catches his breath.

  Adelita trots beside me as we resume our trek. “Is he really dead?” she asks.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  “Yes.”

  “The way you killed the bastardo in the truck?”

  I let my eyes find hers in the dark. Her expression is neutral. No fear. No unease. “Do you know what I am?”

  She hesitates only a moment. “I think so. ¿Eres vampira, no?”

  “And that doesn’t scare you?”

  She raises her shoulders. “You have not hurt me. You have protected me. The evil in this place resides in the souls of men. Like Ramon and Luis.”

  “They can’t hurt you anymore. Max will see to that. If you want, he can get you into a program across the border.”

  Adelita’s expression sobers. “Then who will stay to protect other girls? To tell the world what is happening here?”

  I remember the conversation we had when I convinced her to stay put while I went back to help Culebra in the village. “You can do both,” I tell her. I think of Stephen. “I know just the person who will help you.”

  She lapses into silence, perhaps considering if such a thing could be possible. I’m silent, too. Wondering if introducing Adelita to Stephen is the last conversation Stephen and I will have.

  CHAPTER 50

  THE FARTHER WE GET FROM THE VILLAGE, THE SAFER we feel, and the mood of our little group lightens. Max and Culebra talk softly between themselves. Adelita strides with quiet confidence beside me, her eyes on Luis’ back. I have a feeling if he tried to make a break for it, she would be on him before any of us.

  I glance at my watch. It’s almost three a.m. We’ve been walking for four hours. I don’t recognize the terrain around us, but when I last came this way, I was following a scent, not noting the landscape.

  “Max? How much farther?”

  He stops and we gather together. “Should be close. Anna, you and I will go ahead. We saw the location of the security cameras so we know how to avoid them. Culebra, you stay with Luis and Adelita until we know it’s safe. I don’t want to walk into a trap. If Maria got out, no telling who might be waiting for us.”

  Culebra yanks Luis to a tree and secures the handcuffs around the trunk with a piece of rope. He pulls it so tight, Luis’ cheek rubs against the trunk. He yelps as his already bruised and battered face presses into the rough bark.

  Adelita and Culebra smile at each other.

  Max and I start out, Max scoping the tops of the trees with a flashlight, searching for the hidden cameras. I spot the first without needing a flashlight. I point it out to Max. From its location, it’s easy for us to determine the location of the others. We quickly move forward, keeping low to the ground, until we get to the clearing.

  But at that point we have to stop. There is no way to cross the clearing without being picked up by the cameras.

  No way for Max, that is.

  I take a look around.

  The cameras are positioned to catch movement on the ground in the front of the cabin. Only one door, no windows. The place looks as if it’s about to fall down, leaning precariously to one side. Designed to look unsafe, to discourage anyone from coming too close. There is a small gap up at the apex of the roof, caused by the uneven settling of the cabin’s foundation.

  I gauge the distance. If I can get up onto that roof without detection, I will be able to see if Maria or her daughter are inside keeping watch.

  When I glance at Max, I see he’s been following my roving eyes with his own. I point to the roof and he nods. Then I move into position so I’m out of the line of sight of the door.

  I realize when faced with a challenge like this that I’ve yet to figure out all that I’m—that vampire—is capable of. It takes a situation like this to test the boundaries. I’ve scurried up
walls and the sides of buildings and leapt from roofs. But I’ve yet to leap onto a building. I call forth vampire with a little thrill of anticipation. This will either be a spectacular success or a bone-jarring failure.

  I gather myself to leap, muscles tense, tendons tight, feet flexed. When I launch myself into the air, there’s a moment of exhilaration. A feeling of escaping gravity, of leaving the confines of the Earth. I hold my arms to my sides and look toward the spot I’m aiming for. When I’m above the roof, I straighten, head up, feet down, and float to a landing just above the gap.

  It’s magic. I feel like Superman. I’m so excited, I forget for a moment why I’m here. Even Max, when I look for him in the bushes, has a look of astonishment on his face. He smiles when he catches my eyes and gives me a thumbs-up. He mouths, You can fucking fly.

  I have to force myself to push the excitement down and think about what I need to do next.

  I lean over and peek into the cabin. The table has been levered down to expose the stairway. But no one is in sight. I listen carefully for noise from inside. I can’t hear anything, but that may be due to the thickness of the cave walls, not the absence of humans. From this vantage point, I can’t tell if the door at the bottom is open or not.

  Only one thing to do. I gesture to Max to stay put and lower myself carefully into the cabin. There’s not much room to maneuver and no way to escape being seen if anyone’s standing at the bottom of the steps. I lay on my stomach and creep to the open trapdoor.

  When I look over the side, the stairwell is empty.

  The entrance to Ramon’s secret hideaway stands open.

  CHAPTER 51

  FROM MY VANTAGE POINT AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRWAY, I can’t tell if the control is still broken and if the door was forced back or if it’s been removed. I can see into the great room but can’t hear the mechanical whir of the generator. I don’t sense any human presence, either. There are no heartbeats, no familiar smells associated with females, no deodorant, perfume, pheromones.

  The place feels deserted.

  Before I call Max and tell him to bring Culebra and Adelita here, I’d better make sure.

  Once I make it to the bottom of the stairs, it’s obvious how the door was opened. It’s been removed, bolt by bolt, and lies on its side just inside the entryway.

  Could Maria have done it? I heft one corner. I doubt it. The thing must weigh two hundred pounds.

  I make my way quietly across the great room and check out the hallway and bedrooms. Empty. All Gabriella’s things are gone as are Maria’s. Only Ramon’s clothes occupy a half-empty closet.

  So much for standing vigil.

  With the generator turned off, the air in the cave is still, stuffy. The faint smell of pine that gave the place its open-meadow freshness is gone.

  When I check out the kitchen and dining area, the pieces of towel I used to bind Maria lay in a heap next to the chair she was tied to. The broken cell phone is where I tossed it on the counter. Other than that, the only thing out of place is the slightly rancid smell of food from a refrigerator whose power has been turned off.

  And the missing artwork that adorned the walls.

  Maria took the valuables.

  How long has she been gone? More importantly, who helped her with that door?

  I run back up the stairs and call to Max. No need for caution now. He disappears for a few minutes and returns with Culebra, Adelita and Luis.

  Luis is as dumbstruck by Ramon’s elegant hideaway as Max, Culebra and I were when we first saw it. Adelita just stares. I’m sure she’s never been inside a home like this, let alone a narco’s secret safe house.

  Max sniffs. “We need to get that generator turned back on.”

  “Any idea where the controls would be?” I ask.

  Max heads for the kitchen and begins opening cupboards and cabinets. Culebra shoves Luis onto a chair and hands Adelita his rifle.

  “If he moves, shoot him,” he tells her.

  Only she and I know she has no idea how to fire that rifle. Culebra doesn’t. Luis certainly doesn’t. The way she scowls at him, the rifle pointed at his chest, Luis hunches his shoulders and sits still. After what she’s done to him, with what he knows she wants to do to him, he’s not taking any chances.

  Neither am I. I stand beside her and keep watch.

  Culebra joins Max in his search. Finally, in a corner of a pantry, Max spies a metal panel. He pulls the latch and points to what looks like a computerized circuit board.

  “Jesus, Max. Do you know how to work that thing?”

  He grins. “How hard could it be?”

  Culebra puts out a hand and grabs Max’s before he comes in contact with the circuits. “Wait. Ramon may have booby-trapped the place.”

  Max jerks his hand back. “Like a self-destruct function?”

  Culebra nods. “He was a clever bastard.”

  Max takes a step back. “Well, we’re not going to be here that long, anyway. We’re getting air from the open stairway. That will have to do.”

  Luis has not said a word since entering the cave. Now he straightens in the chair and says, “What happens now? Do you call your DEA buddies to come get us? Do you think I will tell the American police any more than I tell the Federales? I will tell them nothing. Pablo’s lawyers will have me out in an hour if we cross the border. You have no authority. You are kidnapping a Mexican citizen. My government does not look favorably on such a thing.”

  Max smiles. “You are right, Luis. Which is why I have no plans to take you with us when we leave. It’s your brother we want. It’s your brother who has the bounty on his head in my country. You are going to tell us where he is.”

  Luis’ battered lips curl in a sneer. “I will never tell you. Even if you threaten to kill me.”

  Max shrugs. “Okay. Adelita? Shoot him.”

  CHAPTER 52

  ADELITA GRINS AS SHE RAISES THE RIFLE. I GET ready to jump in, but she sights along the barrel like a pro. Did Culebra give her shooting lessons on the walk here?

  Luis cowers back in the chair. “No. Wait. What do you want? I can give you anything. Money. More money than you can spend in a lifetime.”

  “Don’t need money,” Max says. “What we need is your brother.” He takes the rifle from Adelita and pushes the barrel against Ramon’s forehead. He definitely knows how to fire the rifle. He moves the selector lever off safety and releases the firing handle. “One of the advantages of the AK-47 is that it can be fired at close range; did you know that, Luis? Of course you do. It’s the weapon of choice for every fucking narco.” He turns the rifle this way and that in his hands as though studying it. “It produces a relatively minor wound when the bullet exits the body, like it will your head, and doesn’t have a chance to tumble and fragment. But it’ll do the job. You’ll be dead.”

  Luis bites on his lower lip, eyes locked on Max. But I can tell by the hatred in his eyes, he’s not ready to talk.

  I take the revolver I’ve been carrying around at my waist and step up to Max. “Wait a minute, Max. Let me show you a trick I learned from Luis himself. Remember this?”

  I push the gun into the meaty part of his thigh, make sure I miss that pesky femoral artery by listening closely to the racing of his blood and fire.

  Luis comes off the chair like—well, like he’s been shot. He screams and falls over, blood seeping through his jeans in a crimson halo.

  Vampire growls and licks her lips.

  Luis is wide-eyed with pain and fear. “You are all crazy,” he pants. “I’m going to bleed to death.”

  Vampire retreats. The human Anna feigns surprise. “You call us crazy? Really? Isn’t this what you did to those villagers when they didn’t give you the information you wanted? The difference is that they were ignorant about what happened to the girls and couldn’t tell you. You do know. And I’ll just keep shooting until you give it up.”

  Luis turns his head toward the floor and I hear what sounds suspiciously like a sob. “Pablo will kill me,
” he whispers.

  No. We’ll do that, I say. But to myself.

  Max grabs Luis and hauls him back into the chair. With his bruised and bloody face now smeared with snot and tears I could almost feel sorry for him. Almost. Adelita’s presence and two corpses in a burned-out truck chase sympathy away. He’s more monstrous than any fanged, clawed or bloodsucking villain I’ve come up against.

  Max has the rifle barrel against Luis’ chest—more a prop to keep him upright than a threat. “Where is he?”

  Luis raises his eyes. “Reynosa.”

  “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Max pulls his cell out of the pocket of his jeans and puts the phone to his ear. “Time to call in reinforcements.”

  Max speaks for a few minutes into his cell, then powers it off. “The task force will meet us at the hangar in four hours. We’ll go after Pablo together.” He looks at me. “A helicopter will pick us up at a military airstrip outside Reynosa in eight hours. Plenty of time to round up Pablo and get extradition papers just in case your government is not ready to cooperate.”

  Luis looks up. “My government will not allow you to take him. He has powerful friends.”

  “He has killed Americans, Luis.” He crooks his finger toward Adelita, and she joins him. He puts an arm around her shoulder. “And when Adelita explains how she was kidnapped, raped repeatedly and almost murdered by you and your brother—”

  I step up beside them, too. “How she witnessed the murder of two other girls, their throats slit because they resisted. How she was taken from her village by Ramon, a lieutenant in your cartel. How girls as young as twelve are gathered up and sold as whores and worse. All compelling facts, Luis. Facts your government can’t ignore.”

  Max nods. “If your government wants to claim any kind of legitimacy, it will have to denounce Pablo. Then he will be ours.”

  Luis shakes his head. “Do you think that will stop what we do? There are a hundred ready to take Pablo’s place. You fool yourself if you think you are making a difference.”