Haunted asc-8

by Jeanne C. Stein

  “What I think”—Max leans his face close to Luis’—“is that I’m about to take two scumbags off the streets. Maybe more if we get Pablo to make a deal.”

  “Never.” Luis spits the word. “Pablo will die before he talks.”

  Max looks over at Culebra and me, eyebrows raised. “Isn’t that what Luis said?” he asks us, smiling. “That he’d die before he talked?” He turns back to Luis and presses the rifle butt against the wound on Luis’ leg. “How’d that work out for you?”

  CHAPTER 53

  MAX GATHERS THE TROOPS—ADELITA, CULEBRA and me—and leads us to the bar.

  Luis he leaves on the chair squirming in pain.

  He pours us all a glass of tequila—full shot glasses for the three adults, a tiny taste for Adelita.

  I take the bottle from him and top hers off. “For god’s sake, Max, after all she’s been through?” I cock a head toward the bottle. It’s one of Ramon’s most expensive. Then I wink at Adelita. “Fit for a warrior.”

  She smiles back at me.

  Max says, “We deserve this.” He raises his glass. “To a job well done.”

  We clink and drink, all emptying our glasses. Except for Adelita. One sip and she grimaces and carefully sets her glass back on the bar. “There isn’t any soda, is there?”

  Max grins and rummages beneath the bar, producing a bottle that he hands to her.

  “When do you go after Pablo?” Culebra asks.

  Max nods toward Luis. “As soon as we get the details of where he is and how he’s guarded. Pablo won’t be as easy to take as Luis. He’ll be hiding in a fortress with soldiers, not among peasants.”

  “Was Luis really sent out as a decoy?” I ask. “Doesn’t make sense.”

  Culebra shrugs. “Not a decoy exactly. Since the border trouble, the narco kingpins have had to go underground. Luis’ operation wasn’t big, but it was enough to keep the cartel’s buyers supplied. Kept them from looking for other sources until normal operations could resume.” He pours himself another drink and holds up the glass. “The Santiago brothers have a reputation for living large. No one would think to look for one of them in a place like that village. It was generally thought they were hiding in Central or South America. That he left Luis here does say something about their relationship.”

  “That he’s expendable,” Max says.

  Culebra nods.

  I roll my glass around in the palms of my hands, processing Culebra’s words. “Then why would Ramon risk bringing you here? Why would Luis let him?”

  “Ramon’s deal. Pablo was suspicious. He knew Ramon’s son committed suicide and he knew there had been bad blood between Antonio and Rójan. When Rójan turned up dead, and the minister demanded blood, Ramon was the logical suspect. Ramon and Luis must have worked it out that if he brought me back, dead of course, he’d be able to divert suspicion for Rójan’s death and the minister’s wrath to me. He’d already laid the groundwork. The gun deal. In return, Ramon would swear loyalty to Luis, who would speak on his behalf to Pablo. He and his family would be safe.”

  I pose the next question, mindful of Culebra’s past association with Ramon, wondering if he has any regrets over killing him. “How did he know you were alive? Where to find you?”

  Culebra pours himself another shot, downs it, before looking at me. “I thought I could trust him. When I settled in Beso de la Muerte I got word to him. I wanted him to know he had a place to come if things got bad. Wasn’t very smart. But until now, he hadn’t betrayed me.” He casts his eyes downward. “Or so I thought.”

  Max lays his glass on the bar. “Let’s see what we get from Luis.” He refills the glass and takes it to Luis. He holds it under Luis’ nose, waving it back and forth.

  “Thirsty, Luis? Do you want a drink?”

  Luis’ head snaps back. He eyes the glass, his tongue darting from his mouth.

  At that moment he reminds me of a snaked-out Culebra and I have to smile.

  Max tilts the glass toward Luis’ open mouth. When the alcohol touches his broken lips, Luis jerks his head back again.

  Max keeps dribbling the alcohol, over his mouth, over his cheeks, saturating every inch of bruised and scraped skin until Luis is weeping from the pain. Blood-tinged tequila drips down his neck and onto his shirt.

  When the glass is empty, Max lets it drop to the floor. It hits the tile and shatters.

  Luis jumps.

  Max leans close. “Where do we find Pablo?”

  Luis nearly chokes in his effort to get the words out. “I’ll tell you. I’ll give you the address. Will you protect me?”

  “Depends on what you give us. Has to be more than Pablo’s address.”

  “I’ll give you everything. Supply routes, operations, dealers in the States. Help me and I’ll help you.”

  Culebra speaks from the bar, his voice hard. “The guns,” he says. “They have not all been accounted for. I want to know where they are.”

  Luis doesn’t ask, what guns? He nods. “Most are gone,” he says. “But there are still several hundred in a hiding place. I can show you.”

  Culebra and Max lock eyes. Max pulls Luis to his feet. “Then we’ll be on our way.”

  Adelita looks at me. “Luis will be protected? He will live?”

  Max is the one who should answer her. But I think I better understand her—her rage, her wish for retribution. At the same time, I know Max is right. He is looking at the greater good. Information Luis will provide can mean one huge drug pipeline closed down.

  Of course others will spring up, but . . .

  Adelita has grabbed my arm. “He should die. He deserves to die. You promised me.”

  “I did. And I’m sorry. Max must take Luis and Pablo to stand trial. It doesn’t seem fair to you, I know. But you can play a part in bringing them to justice by telling your story. Make people aware of what is going on in places like your village. Of what people like Luis and Pablo make you do.”

  Adelita frowns. Her fists are balled at her side and when I see her eyes go to the revolver at my waist, I deliberately slide it around until it is tucked into the small of my back.

  “Don’t be foolish, Adelita,” I tell her, keeping my voice low. “You have good friends in Max and me. A chance for a better life. You are young. You don’t want the memory of killing a man—even one like Luis—to follow you around for the rest of your life.”

  Max is moving Luis to the stairs. He’s bound the leg wound with the same scraps of towel I used on Maria. He looks at Adelita and me and jerks his head toward the door.

  I turn to Adelita. “Are you coming with us?”

  She’s fighting a battle, I can see it in her eyes. Culebra has already headed up the stairs after Max and Luis. That leaves just the two of us in the great room. I will only give her another minute to decide. Then I’ll be off with my friends.

  A long sigh escapes Adelita’s lips. She looks around at the finely upholstered furniture, the mahogany bar, the plush rug under our feet. Her eyes stop at mine. “Es un tonto el que dice que el crimen no paga.”

  She says only a fool thinks crime doesn’t pay.

  I hook my arm in hers and we follow the men up the stairs.

  Max details the plan as we go. It will take less than an hour to reach the place where he left his car, another two to three hours to reach the airstrip. It’s almost dawn. Max’s DEA friends will meet us at the airstrip at ten and when we get the information we need from Luis, we’ll leave him in their custody. Adelita, too. I see her bristle when he says that but she remains quiet.

  I also see the wheels turning in her head.

  I’ll make sure we check every vehicle for stowaways before we start out after Pablo.

  The car is under the same camouflage net Ramon used for the Jeep. Max and Culebra strip it off, leaving it in a pile on the ground instead of hiding it the way Ramon had. We climb into the car, Max and me in front, Culebra and Adelita in the backseat. Luis is forced to sit with his back against the seat in the cargo
area. Culebra bound his feet to a toolbox, just in case he gets the idea to open the hatch and jump out.

  I can’t believe how good it feels to sit on something other than the ground. And to be driven instead of walking or running. I know we won’t go home until Pablo and Luis are behind bars, but at least now, we know who the enemy is. It wasn’t always so clear.

  I lean my head back. I wonder what Culebra is thinking, but when I reach out, nothing comes through but a feeling. Soft, cozy, like being held in cloud hands.

  I sneak a peek into the backseat.

  Culebra is asleep, his head propped against the window. Beside him, Adelita is asleep, too. She’s slumped down in the seat and her head rests on Culebra’s shoulders.

  She looks like a little girl.

  I catch Luis watching her over the backseat. His face no longer reflects pain, but his expression is licentious, shameless, as if he’s remembering how it had been to take her. When he catches my eye, he smiles and turns away.

  At that moment, I hope he tries something—anything—so that I can unleash vampire. I know what I told Adelita. I know what Max wants.

  But if he looks at her like that again, I’ll kill him.

  CHAPTER 54

  EVEN THOUGH IT HAD ONLY BEEN A FEW DAYS, I’D forgotten what a bone-jarring ride it was to the airstrip. The sun is up, the heat heavy. Max has the air conditioner on in the car, but with so many bodies packed together, the humidity makes everything feel damp and dirty.

  No one has spoken in the last hour. Culebra and Adelita awoke from their naps, Adelita sliding away from him quickly, embarrassed that she fell asleep on his shoulder. It will be a long time before she trusts a man enough to want to touch him. Even accidentally.

  Max drives with purpose. His expression is both serious and eager.

  I understand. I have that quiver in my gut that comes with knowing we’re about to wrap this up.

  “Ten minutes,” he announces after what seems an eternity.

  I rest my head on the back of the seat. Ten minutes. A good thing and a bad thing because when we’re finished here, it means going home to face Stephen.

  Or going home to find him gone.

  I’m not sure which is worse.

  Or which I prefer.

  I haven’t thought of him in how long?

  I’m an idiot.

  Max’s voice pulls me back. He’s looking at his watch. “Anna, we have about thirty minutes before my guys arrive. I don’t want to wait to question Luis. I may need your special talents if he suddenly grows a pair and decides he’s not ratting on Pablo.”

  “You expect me to object?”

  He laughs. “Hardly. I expect you to exercise restraint.”

  “You don’t let me have any fun.”

  He clucks his tongue. “From what I saw you do to Ramon, you’ve had plenty of fun.”

  “You saw that?”

  He drops his voice. “Adelita wouldn’t go until she was sure you’d kept your promise.”

  “But I heard you leave.”

  “Well, we came back. Adelita insisted.”

  I think of our conversation. She knew what I’d done to Ramon. She watched. “Was she upset?” I ask quietly.

  “No. And we didn’t stay to see it all.”

  I glance back to Adelita. She’s looking out the window, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn she’d been listening. She must feel my eyes on her because she turns her head toward me.

  “Did you say something, Anna?” she asks.

  My expression says no. I turn back to the front.

  Max picks up the conversation. “Culebra, you take Luis into the hangar as soon as we get there. I’ll speak with the pilot. It shouldn’t take us too long to get the information we need. By that time, the task force should arrive. Then you, Adelita and Luis will be on your way to the border at Tijuana.”

  The hangar is in sight now. This time the doors are pulled closed. “Where’s the plane?” I ask Max.

  “Inside the hangar, I imagine,” he replies with a touch of sarcasm. “Where else would it be?”

  “I thought the plane was supposed to be ready to take off. I don’t see the pilot, either.”

  Max pulls the Explorer to a stop and peers around. “Where is the pilot,” he repeats as if to himself.

  That quiver in my gut clenches like a closed fist. “Max, something is wrong.”

  The words still hang in the air when the hangar doors swing open and the pilot steps out. He motions to us to drive forward. He’s smiling.

  “See,” Max says, putting the Explorer in gear. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  His optimism is short-lived. Three black Humvees roar out of the hangar, spitting gunfire in our direction. Bullets slam into the ground around us. Adelita, Culebra and Luis cower down.

  Max slams the Explorer to a stop. He starts to put it in reverse, to turn around, but before he can, we are surrounded. Men spill out of the vehicles like circus clowns from a Volkswagen, guns trained on the Explorer. The passenger door of one of the vehicles opens and a man jumps to the ground. We hear Luis shout a greeting from the back.

  “Pablo. Hermano. Thank god you are here.”

  CHAPTER 55

  CULEBRA REACHES AROUND AND BACKHANDS LUIS. “Shut it.”

  But the sight of his brother has revived Luis. He spits at Culebra. “Now we will see who is the coward.”

  We watch Pablo approach. Unlike his brother, Pablo is lean, tall, dressed in a tan flight suit that emphasizes a runner’s build—wide shoulders, narrow hips, long legs. His face is brutally handsome with dark eyes, a straight nose more Greek than Latin and thin lips so unnaturally red, I wonder if he’s wearing lip gloss. He carries himself like a soldier though he has no weapon in his hands or at his waist.

  The twenty or so goons with him make it unnecessary.

  He approaches nonchalantly and motions for Max to roll down his window.

  Max glances at me, then does.

  “Hola, my friends,” Pablo says. “How nice of you to bring my brother back to me.” His eyes seek out Culebra’s. “And my good friend Tomás, as well? An abundance of riches. Come, get out of the car. My men will take care of it.” He glances at a big, gold watch on his left wrist. “I think we don’t have much time before we are joined by our DEA colleagues.”

  A rush of air escapes Max’s lips. Pablo has already opened his door and stepped back.

  I send a frantic message to Culebra. Should I make a run for it?

  Culebra is looking at the guards standing with pointed rifles at the car. Too much firepower, Anna, even for you. Best wait for a better opportunity.

  Pablo has sent one of his men to the back of the car to open the hatch. He helps Luis out and uses his own handcuff key to release his hands. Luis rubs his wrists and joins his brother.

  They embrace, then Pablo holds him at arms length and examines his face, the bandage around his thigh. “¿Quién te hizo esto?”

  “El cerdo del DEA,” he snarls. He jabs a thumb at Adelita. “Y la muchacha.”

  Pablo raises an eyebrow and looks into the back window at Adelita. “¿La muchacha? Un qué gato salvaje.”

  “Sí. Será un placer domesticarla.”

  Adelita listens to the words pass between Luis and his brother, but her face betrays nothing. She’s stone-faced, like their words haven’t touched her. But I know, too, what they said and I want to let her know that Luis will never get the chance to “tame the wildcat” that bruised and battered his face.

  I’ll kill him first.

  Luis has opened Adelita’s door and he pulls her from the car by her arm. I jump out. A guard puts out a hand to grab me, but I push him away. I hear him ready his rifle to fire, but I’m at Adelita’s side before he can take aim.

  Pablo holds up a hand to stay the guard. He examines me the way he examined his brother a moment before. “And who are you?”

  “I am her friend. Your pig of a brother better take his hand off her or I’ll break it off a
t the wrist.”

  Luis actually drops her arm. He’s already had a taste of my strength—and my resolve. I’ll bet he’s not aware he’s rubbing at the wound on his thigh. But that moment passes quickly. “Be careful of this one,” he tells Pablo. “She is tougher than she looks.”

  “Ah. Another wildcat, huh? Maybe we both have our pussies to tame.”

  They chuckle like two frat boys.

  Oh please. Take me somewhere alone. It’s just the opportunity I need to—

  I’m so busy glaring at Luis, I don’t see the blow coming. Pablo’s backhand sends me back against the car. Vampire is ready to retaliate, but I restrain her. Better to play the victim until the time is right.

  I straighten slowly, swipe at the trickle of blood oozing from the corner of my mouth. Luis is grinning. Adelita gasps and takes my hand.

  “It’s okay, Adelita,” I tell her, silently begging her not to say anything that will alert them to my true nature.

  She doesn’t. Perhaps she realizes that the odds are too great even for a vampira.

  Pablo and Luis stride toward the hangar, leaving us to be brought along by their gunmen. They frisk us in a practiced, efficient manner. Not surprising since they’ve most likely been trained like Culebra, in a school for soldiers and assassins. They take our weapons and cell phones.

  Max positions himself next to me while they herd us toward the hangar. “I know he can’t really hurt you, but it looked painful just the same.”

  I touch the tip of my tongue to the cut on my lip. “It was. What are we going to do? Your guys are walking into a trap.”

  Max dips his head so his voice won’t carry. “If they don’t see the plane on the runway, they’ll know something’s wrong. They’ll pull back and wait.”

  I shake my head. “You can be an asshole, but you’re also a pretty smart cop.”

  That gets a small smile. “That’s me. Half asshole, half good cop.”

  “Any idea how Pablo found out about us?”

  One of the guards pokes Max with his rifle. “Silencio. No hablan.”

  We’re almost at the door to the hangar. The Explorer passes us, a soldier at the wheel, and disappears inside.