Fat Louise

by Jamie Begley

  She nodded her understanding, sinking back down onto her bed. Carina ran forward slamming and locking the door.

  “Estúpido perra! I told you to be careful,” Teresa hissed at her, not moving from the bedroom doorway.

  “I’m sorry. I thought I was. I’ll leave.” Jane stood to her feet.

  “You can’t. It’s the middle of the night,” Carina protested.

  “I don’t want to put you or Teresa in danger.”

  “We’re not the one in danger. Those men know they can have us, that our families are not wealthy. We would serve no purpose. You, on the other hand, could pose a threat to them with your questions, and they will eliminate any threats to their organization,” Teresa told her, going back into the bedroom and slamming the door closed.

  “I’ll leave on the bus in the morning.”

  Carina shook her head. “Give it one more day. We will try harder to get into Jorge’s office. Maybe you can find something to help you. He’s been in business a long time. Surely, he will have the address of someone in the Silva family.”

  Jane gave in. She needed an address, and most of the legal addresses given were not the ones they lived in; using fake addresses as a way to keep their residence a secret from their enemies was common practice.

  “Are you okay?”

  Jane nodded her head, not mentioning the soreness of her ribs. The violence of the situation had her shuddering. If Cade hadn’t shown up, she was sure the soldiers would have taken her. She had stayed too long.

  “I’m fine, but I need to leave before they decide to come back.”

  “I think so, too.” Carina agreed unhappily. “Tomorrow, we’ll find something to help you.”

  “I hope so.” Jane lay back down on the bed after Carina left her. Covering herself with the blanket, she buried her face in the pillow.

  She had never missed her friends more. In hindsight, Jane wished she had confided in them. Although she had made a mistake not doing so, she wasn’t going to call them to help her. She wouldn’t endanger her friends because of Bailey. Her sister was her responsibility.

  “I’ll find her, and when I do, I’ll be able to go home,” Jane promised, brushing a tear away. She was homesick and scared.

  Taking a deep breath, she brought images of her friends to her mind, which eased her anxiety. Even hundreds of miles away, they gave her strength enough to close her eyes and go to sleep.

  * * *

  Jane dressed for work in her borrowed clothes from Carina. She hurried, wanting to be downstairs during lunch since it would be the best time to search Jorge’s office. She went downstairs, going through the back door to the small kitchen behind the bar. Jorge didn’t provide much food to the bar customers, mainly items he bought from vendors that could be easily reheated.

  She grabbed a tamale from the metal pan sitting on top of the stove. Taking a bite, she enjoyed the spicy flavor.

  “Jorge will make you pay for that,” Carina teased, coming inside the kitchen to place some dishes in the sink.

  Jane made a face. “On my salary, I’ll owe him for letting me work here.”

  “Do you need some money? I can lend you some,” she offered.

  Jane shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She wouldn’t take the money from her friend; she worked too hard for it.

  Jane and Carina went into the barroom where Carina waited on tables while Jane worked behind the bar. When she had started working at the bar, she had been slow, but now she moved back and forth behind the bar with familiarity. When she returned home, she might take a part time job bartending.

  She saw Teresa sitting at a table with Cade. He was wearing a black T-shirt, and his wet hair made it look as if he had just taken a shower. Every so often, Teresa would get up to refill his drink or get him food. Jane tried not to watch them as she worked; however, Cade was hard not to notice. She wanted to smack herself for staring at them.

  Bringing herself back to earth, she started focusing on Jorge. He seemed tired today, moving slowly behind the bar as he helped waiting on customers.

  Seeing his keys were on the shelf next to the glasses, she took several glasses and placed them carefully on the shelf. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was paying attention to her, and then she slid the keys into her pocket.

  “Jorge, I’m not feeling well. I need to go to the restroom.” Jane told him as he moved from one customer to the next.

  He studied her face for a second before nodding. “Hurry the fuck up. We’re busy.”

  Jane guessed fear of getting caught taking his keys had made her face pale, adding credibility to her claim.

  “I’ll try.” Jane tried to give a make-believe sick look before disappearing around the corner where his office was. The bathroom was directly in front of it, and the room that Cade was renting was next to it.

  Jane hurriedly slipped the key in the door after checking to make sure no one else was near. Slipping inside, she closed and locked the door in relief. She stared around the office in dismay. It was filled with papers and boxes. She would never be able to find anything in here before Jorge noticed she had been gone for too long.

  Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she began her search, making sure to place things back exactly as they were so Jorge wouldn’t know she had searched his things. Time flew and Jane was about to give up when she noticed a ledger lying on top of a box that was closest to his desk. Opening it, she saw several names with money amounts and addresses.

  Jane ran her finger down the column, almost shouting when she saw the last name Silva. Jane memorized the address then closed the ledger.

  Barely opening the door, she peeked outside, and seeing no one, she slipped back out into the hallway. She was about to close the door when she found herself jerked away as a hand reached out and snapped the door closed.

  Jane stared up into Cade’s face as she was backed against the now closed door with Cade plastered against her.

  “What?” Before she could say anything else, his mouth slammed down on hers. Jane’s hands pressed against his chest as she tried to turn her head to the side. A firm hand on the side of her face held her still as his tongue pressed against the seam of her lips. Unable to stop herself, Jane parted her lips, letting him enter. Her hands fluttered against his chest before grabbing on to his T-shirt to steady herself. His tongue slid against hers in an intimate way that had her wanting to imitate the movement.

  “What the fuck, Cade? You already have one of my girls. I need at least one to work. Carina’s upstairs with a customer. Either pick Teresa or Jane.” Jorge stomped back around the corner. When he moved, Jane saw a furious Teresa staring at her from the end of the hallway.

  Cade took a step away, giving her room to move. Jane hurried forward, intending to go back to work, but Teresa blocked her path. Carina had warned her about Teresa’s fury.

  “Teresa, come here.” The male voice behind her had a seductive pitch that had Jane’s head turning, but Cade wasn’t looking at her. His attention was on Teresa, who nearly knocked her over when she brushed by. Jane’s mouth dropped open at her rudeness while Cade’s arms slid around Teresa’s waist as she neared him, pulling her closer to him. When Teresa lifted her mouth to his, Jane spun around and left the two alone.

  “Why am I not surprised he picked Teresa?” Jorge’s sarcastic comment had Jane’s blood boiling.

  “Maybe because she’s a slut?” Jane snapped, handing a customer a fresh beer.

  Jorge raised his brow at her yet didn’t say anything else. Jane tried not to notice that neither Cade nor Teresa immediately returned to the bar. She tried not to let it bother her, but somehow, it did.

  It was over an hour before Teresa returned to the bar, shooting her a triumphant look, which she ignored. Setting down the bar rag, she walked to Jorge’s side. “I’m going upstairs for a break. I’m still not feeling well.”

  “Go,” he snapped. “Make sure you’re back before six.”

  “I will,” Jane lied. She
had no intentions of ever stepping foot in the bar again.

  She felt inexplicitly sad that she would never see Cade again, which made no sense, considering she didn’t even know him.

  “For Christ’s sake, I’ve never even talked to him,” she said to herself. Her anger at herself didn’t make her feel better, even though she told herself it did.

  Before she walked out, Carina gave her a sad smile, somehow knowing Jane wouldn’t be coming back. Jane gave her a thumbs up in return as she passed. She would leave Carina a note, thanking her for her help. Jane would miss the friendship that had begun yet promised herself she would keep in touch.

  As she headed upstairs, Jane looked down at her watch. She had twenty minutes to catch the bus for Peñuela. She was going to find her sister and get back to the life she had left behind.

  Chapter 5

  “Going somewhere?”

  Jane dropped the shirt she was stuffing into her backpack.

  Cade was standing in the bedroom doorway, putting on his T-shirt. Jane turned bright red. Teresa must have brought him upstairs using the back steps and had left him in her bed when she returned downstairs.

  “I’m leaving, heading back to the States. I was visiting Carina, but now my vacation’s over.” Jane picked the shirt back up, shoving it inside the backpack then zipping it closed. She didn’t look at him as she sat down to pull on the tennis shoes Carina had given her.

  Ignoring Cade, she set an envelope down on the kitchen counter with her goodbye note and some money to cover the cost of the clothes she had been given.

  “Where are you really going, Jane? Your family will be happy to hear you’re heading home, but I don’t believe that’s where you’re going, is it?”

  She stopped mid-stride, turning to face him. She started to reply yet was cut off.

  “Don’t lie. You’re a lousy liar. I’m not in the mood to listen to you make up another one.”

  “You should be in a good mood after just getting laid,” Jane snapped.

  Cade grinned at her. “It cost me a hundred bucks, and I’m going to get my money back from your father for a business expense.”

  Jane’s eyes widened when he mentioned her father as if he knew him.

  “My father?”

  Cade nodded his head, coming farther into the room. “He hired me to find you and your sister. He wants you both back in the States.”

  Jane felt her eyes fill with tears. “Daddy sent you?”

  “Yeah, Daddy sent me. Christ, how have you managed not to get yourself killed yet?”

  Jane’s shoulders straightened. “There’s no need to be sarcastic.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “How do I know my father sent you to help?”

  “You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me, won’t you?”

  Jane could tell from his expression he really didn’t care if she believed him or not.

  “How did you find me?”

  “The cell phone you have hidden in your backpack puts out a nice, clear signal for me to follow.”

  “How did you know it was in my backpack...?” Jane’s voice trailed off as she guessed he had been snooping after Teresa left.

  “Let’s go. I want to get out of here.”

  Jane nodded, sliding the strap of her backpack onto her shoulder.

  “We’re going to Peñuela?”

  “I’m going to Peñuela. I’m dropping you off at an airstrip. A buddy of mine will fly you back to an airport where your father can pick you up.”

  Jane shook her head. “I’m going with you to find Bailey.”

  “Nope.” Cade took her arm, leading her to the door.

  She jerked away. “I’m not going home without her.”

  “You don’t have a fucking choice. I’m not taking you to Peñuela. It’ll be easier for me to get Bailey out without having to try to keep up with you. Use your common sense!”

  Jane hated to admit he was right. “How do I know I can trust you to save my sister?”

  “Again, you don’t.” He shrugged. “But there’s no other choice. You’re lucky I was here last night, or Luis would have taken you to Javier. Believe me, you don’t want to meet Javier.”

  “I don’t?”

  “No, you don’t. Now, can we fucking go?”

  “Yes,” Jane gave in, wanting to go home. If her father had hired Cade, he would find her sister and get her out safer than she could. Jane knew her limitations, and she had definitely passed those last night.

  Cade followed her down the steps, motioning for her to go towards the small parking lot where there were several vehicles. Jane tried to guess which one was his yet lost when he opened the door to an old, grey Chevy. Jane climbed inside, wincing when he slammed the door shut.

  Cade sat down behind the wheel after shutting his own door. He drove out of the lot, heading away from the bar.

  “I thought yours was the SUV.” Cade threw her a surprised look, as though he couldn’t understand what she was talking about. Jane blushed slightly. “I tried to guess which vehicle was yours. I guessed wrong.”

  “This isn’t my truck. I bought it from Jorge. I wouldn’t drive an expensive SUV like that.”

  “Why not?” she asked curiously.

  “Because it would get stolen at the first roadblock. This piece of shit, no one will want. I had to give Jorge a thousand for it.”

  “Another business expense?”

  “That’s right.”

  “This is going to cost my father a lot of money, isn’t it?”

  “He can afford it,” he said without sympathy.

  “Yes, he can, but sleeping with Teresa doesn’t count as a business expense,” Jane snapped back, becoming tired of his unfriendly attitude. People were usually nice to her. Actually, the only people who didn’t like her were her stepmother, her sister, Teresa, and The Last Riders. But everyone else liked her. She was a nice person and went out of her way to make people freaking like her. She shouldn’t take it personally. Maybe he was an asshole who didn’t like anyone.

  “Yes, it does. It was hard work to satisfy her. Teresa would have turned you over to the Silvas if she became angry enough. She was mad as hell when she saw me kissing you.”

  “Why did you kiss me?” Jane asked, making sure not to look at him when she asked.

  “Jorge was about five steps behind me. If he had seen you come out of his office, he would have shot you and thrown your dead body out his back door.”

  “He wouldn’t have shot me!”

  Cade gave her a grim look that had her believing him.

  “He would have?”

  “Yes. Jorge might come off as a bumbling idiot, but he takes his own safety seriously. He wouldn’t have let you jeopardize his safety for any reason. That’s how he’s kept alive all these years.”

  Jane stared out the window, watching the people in the streets as they passed. They walked on the sidewalk like they would in any city, although they dealt with the fear of getting killed daily.

  Cade drove through the city. Gradually, it thinned out until they were driving on a smaller two-lane road. Jane began to get nervous when he drove onto a small, dirt road.

  “This is the way to the airport?”

  “We’re going to an airstrip. There’s a difference.”

  “There is?”

  “Yes. Fuck!” Cade gradually began to slow the truck down.

  “What’s wrong?” Jane asked.

  Cade nodded his head toward the road in front of them. “There’s a roadblock.”

  Jane’s breath hitched. She had been stopped while on the buses a couple of times, each one terrifying her.

  “Stay quiet and do everything they tell you.”

  Jane nodded as he stopped the truck.

  “Get out.” A soldier dressed in fatigues pointed a gun at Cade. Cade held his hands in the air and carefully reached down to open his truck door. The soldier kept his gun pointed on Cade as they climbed out of the truck. Jane’s own hands rose into the air when she saw another soldier s
tanding by the truck-bed with a gun trained on her.

  “There is a toll for traveling on this road. Give me your money,” Jane heard the soldier demand from Cade.

  She turned to watch as Cade pulled the cash from his pocket, handing it to the soldier who shoved it into his own pocket.

  “Is that all you have?”

  “Yes.” Cade’s voice was low and non-confrontational. Jane was kind of surprised, thinking he would have fought harder to keep his money.

  “Search the truck.” The soldier motioned her to go stand beside Cade as he opened the truck door.

  Jane stood beside Cade as the soldier found her backpack, pulling it out of the truck to toss it to the ground in front of the soldier who had taken Cade’s cash. He bent down, tossing her clothes in the dirt as he shifted through her things. He stared up at her in surprise when he pulled out the gun before shoving it into the waistband of his pants. Standing up, he kicked the backpack towards her, and she bent to pick it up.

  “Get out of here.”

  After Jane and Cade both got back inside the truck, Cade made a turn and went back the direction they had come from.

  “We’re not going to the landing strip?”

  “Change of plan. I don’t have the money to pay the pilot, and he doesn’t do credit. I’ll find a place for us to stay in Peñuela and get some more cash. Looks like you’ll be flying back with your sister after all.”

  Jane was both relieved and frustrated. She had wanted this ordeal to be over, but she was relieved not to be going back without Bailey. She hadn’t liked feeling like she had failed her father.

  Sometime later, Jane announced, “I’m hungry.”

  “How am I supposed to pay for food?” Cade replied.

  Jane took her shoe off and pulled out some folded money, showing it to him.

  Cade’s eyes glinted with anger. “It would have been good to know you had that money before I missed the plane.”

  “It’s not a lot, but it should be enough to buy me something to eat,” Jane snapped back angrily.

  Cade’s lips tightened as he slowed the truck down to turn into a store.

  “Stay here.”

  Jane regretted telling him she was hungry, but dammit, she was. He was the rudest man she had ever met. Even The Last Riders weren’t rude to her. They were rude to the rest of her friends yet ignored her like everyone else did.