by Jeff Shelby
Aidan's grin sharpened. “You. Are. Fucked.”
“Am I?” I asked, irritated that he was still pushing. “Because I'm about to—”
“You're not gonna do nothing,” a familiar voice said behind me. “Or I'm gonna blow a hole right through your spine.”
FORTY THREE
“I'm gonna come around by my good friend Mr. Dixon,” Marcus Sloan whispered behind me. “Just everyone stay still and it'll all be good.”
He came around on my left and Aidan couldn't hide his joy. Sloan was in jeans, work boots, and a gray windbreaker. His right hand was inside the pocket of the windbreaker and I was fairly certain that he was holding something that could've put a hole in my spine.
“Who the hell are you?” Sabrina asked.
Arturo stood up straighter, the fear radiating off of him now.
“I told you, you asshole,” Aidan said. “I told you you were fucked.”
“Shut up, kid,” Sloan said, frowning at him before focusing on me. “So. Here we are.”
I laughed. “Yep. Wish I could say I was surprised.”
I really wasn't. The more I'd thought about it, the more Sloan made sense as the link between Aidan and Arturo. Sabrina said Aidan was working with someone else. Sabrina said someone had given Aidan directions to get to Arturo. Sloan had been quick to dismiss the photos as anything substantive. He had the connections and the access.
I just wasn't sure what his motivation was.
“Think we got an issue,” Sloan said.
“I don't have one,” I said, shaking my head. “But you do.”
Sloan chuckled. “That right?”
“What's in this for you?” I asked. “All those years on the ranch and you just wanna screw over Henry now?”
“I'm not screwing anyone over,” Sloan said, shaking his head. “I'm just making sure my retirement's covered.”
“By smuggling? And extorting?”
“Call it what you like,” he said, shrugging. “I like to think of it as a...citizenship tax.” He smiled at Arturo. “Ain't that right, amigo?”
Arturo didn't move.
“So you target workers on your own ranch? That seems a little short-sighted.”
His lips thinned. “It ain’t my ranch, it’s Henry’s. And all the other places near us have been hit.” His lips twisted into a smile. “Gotta spread the love, right?”
“No. You don’t.”
“Well, I did, and now we gotta figure out how to solve this,” Sloan said. “Since you done fucked it all up.”
“There's nothing to figure out,” I told him. “You heard the deal I just offered Aidan. Take Sabrina and walk away. We'll do the same. That's the deal.”
Sloan chuckled again. “Son, I don't think you are fully understanding who is holding all the cards here.”
“I do,” I said. “And it's me.”
“The fuck it is,” Aidan growled. “You're full of shit and we're gonna--”
“You're right,” I said, cutting him off. “I am full of shit. That isn't what's going to happen at all. I.C.E is about to jump all over your asses in thirty seconds.”
Aidan straightened up again and tried not to look panicked.
Arturo shared the panicked expression.
I held my hand out to him, trying to keep him calm. “Esta bien. Lo prometo.”
Arturo nodded at me, but I could tell he was unsure and I couldn't blame him.
“Bullshit,” Sloan said, his eyes now sweeping the entire area.
I motioned for Arturo to come to me. He hesitated, then took several steps and came over next to me.
Aidan was too busy worrying now to stop him.
“Don't you fucking move again, amigo,” Sloan said, but he, too, was distracted.
I let go of Sabrina's elbow and looked at her. “I'm not lying. Just be honest about what happened. You'll be fine. I told them you aren't the real problem here.”
“Jesus Christ,” she muttered. “This is unbelievable.”
I looked at Sloan. “I'm not lying. And I'd pull that hand out of your jacket now before it gets shot off.”
Sloan twitched.
“I'm not lying,” I repeated. “Don't make it worse by doing something stupid here.”
Aidan pivoted hard and sprinted for the ice arena.
The guy working on the light sprinted after him.
The woman on the phone had a badge out as Aidan came barreling forward. The guy with her stepped in front of her and wrapped him in a bear hug and took him to the ground.
Sabrina watched, frozen.
So did Sloan.
“Don't run,” I told Sabrina. “Don't run and you'll be fine.”
The two guys at the trashcan were on Sloan before he could move. Sloan got his hands out of his jacket.
The pocket was empty.
He was lucky.
Another woman came up behind us and took Sabrina by the same elbow I'd had her by and ushered her toward her brother, whose wrists were now in plastic cuffs behind his back as he lay face down on the pavement.
The two guys with Sloan cuffed him quickly and followed Sabrina.
Sloan looked back at me, still bewildered by what had taken maybe six seconds to go down.
The mother and daughter eating ice cream watched, the little girl pointing, the mother trying to gather her things so they could leave.
“You guys should go get a cookie,” another familiar voice said behind us.
Arturo and I turned around.
Rebecca Standish was standing behind us.
She whispered into a small shoulder mic, then nodded at me. “Well done.”
I shrugged. “Wasn't that hard.”
I'd called her to let her know what I'd learned and what I'd negotiated. She'd been happy to show up with a couple of her agents to assist.
“Still,” she said. “I've seen simpler things go worse.”
“His sister intimated he wasn't terribly bright and that played out,” I said. “Sloan wasn't really armed. Lucky.”
She looked at Arturo and gave him a short nod.
He nodded back but seemed terrified. I wasn't sure how much English he understood, but he absolutely knew Standish was an I.C.E. agent.
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Esta bien. Lo prometo.”
He swallowed, but didn't say anything.
“You get anything else from her?” Standish asked, her gaze back on me.
“She said he usually works for someone else,” I said. “Didn't know his name and I believe her. I assume it's Sloan, but not really sure what his role is.” I gave her the rundown on what Sabrina told me about getting directions to the ranch.
Standish nodded, unsurprised. “Makes sense. We'll get them all talking and see what shakes out.”
“You'll go easy on the girl?” I asked.
Standish shrugged. “That's my plan, assuming she plays ball. But I'm not terribly interested in her.”
I nodded.
“But seriously,” Standish said. “You guys should go get a cookie and head home. Before I start asking too many questions. Far as I can tell, we were able to arrest a couple traffickers here today.” She glanced at Arturo. “I don't know much about anyone else here, but I may have to start asking questions and that might mean I'd learn some things I don't wanna know.”
When I'd called her, before I'd given her any information, I told her that my one deal breaker was that Arturo had to leave with me and had to be off her radar. She reiterated it wasn't a battle she was looking to fight. I'd been leery about trusting her, but I didn't think I had any other options to make sure everything went down safely. I'd agreed and she was coming through.
I nodded at her. “Got it. We're on our way.”
She nodded again at Arturo, then looked at me again. “Pleasure working with you, Braddock.”
“Same.”
“Welton said you could be a pain in the ass, but glad I didn't have to see it,” she said, that corner of her mouth twitching again as she headed
towards Aidan, Sabrina, Sloan, and her agents. “Maybe next time.”
FORTY FOUR
“I feel good,” I said.
It was the next morning and Carter and I were finishing breakfast at Don Bravo's in Bird Rock.
Carter lofted his second burrito filled with eggs and chorizo. “You should. I don't, though.”
“Why not?”
He took a bite and smiled at me with food in his mouth. “Didn't really get to hurt anyone.”
“What do you mean? You got to put down two guys.”
He frowned. “Was a light workout. Not much of a challenge.”
I laughed and shook my head.
Arturo and I left the mall after Standish walked away from us. I managed to explain to him the details of what had occurred and assure him that he wasn't going to be arrested as we drove back to Valley Center. He continually looked over his shoulder as we drove. He thanked me profusely and offered to pay me multiple times. I told him it wasn't necessary.
We'd stopped at Henry's house and Henry seemed astonished that I'd been able to get him back without much trouble and genuinely shocked that Marcus Sloan had played a role. I explained to him what happened. Arturo apologized to him for causing trouble, and Henry told him over and over he was sorry that he'd let it happen. He explained to both of us that he'd already started upgrading the security on the ranch so that everyone would feel more secure, but he couldn't stop muttering Sloan's name any time there was a lull in the conversation.
I drove Arturo down to Beto's home and Beto hugged me when we got out of the car. He, too, tried to pay me and I refused. Arturo cried when he hugged his brother and then hugged me. They chattered nervously in Spanish and I told Beto that they didn't need to worry about I.C.E. They weren't coming for them, at least not as a result of this. Beto said he understood, and he also apologized for his kids. I told him that his kids were largely responsible for getting Arturo back. He said he'd think about that.
The whole thing had given me a clarity I hadn't felt in awhile. I'd done my job. No one had gotten hurt. I hadn't pissed off anyone. I'd done my job well. I'd gotten Arturo back, and I was happy to have helped his family and Henry. I couldn't remember the last time that a case had ended like that.
And it made me feel good in a way that I hadn't felt in quite some time.
Carter finished the burrito and wadded up the foil, shooting into the trashcan to my left. “So now what?”
“I got a couple things I want to do today,” I said.
He studied me for a long moment. “You seem...different.”
“I feel good, man. That's it.”
“That's what I mean,” he said. “You look...I don't know. Like a millions pounds are gone from your shoulders. I haven't seen that in a long time.”
I nodded. “Sort of feels like that, yeah.”
“I don't want you to kiss me or anything, but that makes me happy.”
“I'll kiss you.”
“You're not a good kisser.”
“How would you know?”
“People talk.”
I laughed and shook my head.
I felt like me.
“Do you need me today?” he asked. “For those couple things?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I'm good. Take the day off.”
“Surf report said good waves but later in the day,” he said. “Dinner time. Back by then?”
“I think so.”
“Bueno,” he said, stretching his massive frame. “I'll try to keep myself busy until then.”
“With what?”
He grinned and stood. “Maybe go hurt someone for real.”
FORTY FIVE
“This will pull a pretty penny,” Sheila Brusko told me, then smiled. “When you're ready.”
We were standing in the living room of Liz's house on Coronado. I'd called the lawyer who'd handled the transfer of ownership of her house to me after she died and asked if he could recommend a real estate agent. He'd given me Sheila's name and she'd agreed to meet me right away when I told her where the property was located.
I looked around the living room. “Right. And, again, just to be clear, I'm not sure what my plans are yet. I just wanted to get your thoughts. I'm not looking to put it on the market yet.”
Sheila was in her early fifties and right out of the back pages of the local magazines that advertised the best real estate agents in the county. Stylish blonde hair, Hollywood makeup, blinding jewelry, and a very agreeable manner.
“No rush,” she said, smiling. “As I said earlier, houses like this rarely hit the market on the island. So it doesn't matter where the market's at.” She glanced up the stairs again. “I'll be able to sell this in ten days when you do list, probably over asking.” She smiled at me again. “So whenever you're ready.”
I took a couple of steps into the kitchen.
“The light in here is really nice,” Sheila said.
It was. I remembered a lot of mornings in the kitchen. Eating, cooking, talking. In my mind, the sun was always shining in through the back window.
“There's a chance I'll keep it,” I said in warning. “Again, I don't want to mislead you. I haven’t made up my mind.”
“Completely understand,” Sheila said. “I'm happy to talk about all your options. And if you have any interest in leasing it, we could certainly do that. It would bring you a good return, depending upon how you wanted to lease it. By the week, the month, whatever you might be interested in.”
The thought had crossed my mind to rent it out. I knew that it would be in high demand as a rental property, particularly during the summer months. Coronado had strict rental regulations, so there weren't many houses that came up for rent. I knew that I could overprice it and probably still have people fighting to get into it.
But I wasn't sure I was comfortable with anyone else being in the house when I still owned it. I felt like it either had to be mine or I had to let go of it completely. In my head, I was sure that Liz would've turned up her nose about renting it and I didn't want to disappoint her or have that image haunting me.
“Okay,” I said. “Not sure I want to go that route, but I'll think about it.”
“I can run some comps for you later today,” Sheila said. “I didn't have time to pull much since we were meeting so quickly.”
“That would be great,” I said. “And I do appreciate you being available on such short notice.”
She smiled and took another look around the kitchen. “Absolutely. It's not often that you have the opportunity to see a property like this, so I was happy to come.”
We walked outside and I turned around to take another look at the house.
Finding Arturo and returning him safely had put me in a good place. Like Carter said, I felt like me again. I wanted to seize on that and keep the wheels moving in the right direction. Part of doing that felt like moving forward with Liz's house in some way or another. I didn’t have a plan, but having Sheila come out and start the conversation at least felt like a starting point. I needed that.
“You just let me know what your timetable is,” Sheila said. “I'm happy to work with you, whatever you decide.”
I looked at the house again and took a deep breath, thought of Liz, felt her inside me.
I smiled at Sheila. “I'll be in touch.”
FORTY SIX
I walked on the beach in Coronado for awhile, just to clear my head. The sun was high, the water was green, and the gold flecks in the sand were sparkling in the late afternoon light. The air was heavy with the ocean, a smell that never failed to relax me. I couldn't recall the last time I'd walked the beach just to walk it, to enjoy it.
After a couple of hours, I left the beach and stopped at a small market on Orange. I grabbed a bottle of red wine and a couple of small deli sandwiches. I got back in the car and headed to Sarah's.
The traffic was heavy as the workday was ending, and it was slow-going on the freeway. But the tension that had seemingly been with me for years was eb
bing away and I didn't mind the stop and go movement.
Going to Sarah's felt like the right way to culminate a good day. I'd been trying to be open with her, but I knew that I'd still been keeping a safe distance and that was my fault. She'd told me it was fine and I appreciated that. But my head was clear, I liked Sarah, and I thought that after putting up with my absence and reentry into her life, she deserved to spend some time with a version of me that wasn't so damn guarded.
I wanted to be that version of me with her.
I'd texted her but hadn't heard back. For once, though, I wasn't using that as a reason to pull away. I decided to gamble instead and see if she was home.
Her apartment was down in Mission Valley and I followed a BMW in when the gates opened. I found an empty parking slot, gathered up the wine and sandwiches, and took the stairs up to her second floor unit. I'd only been there once, the night we'd spent together earlier in the week, and I had to double check to make sure I had the right unit. But I recognized the flowery welcome mat beneath the front door.
I took a deep breath and knocked.
Twenty seconds later, she opened it and looked generally stunned to see me. “Noah?”
“Hey,” I said. “Surprise.”
She blinked several times, like she was still trying to process that it was me. “Hey.”
“I texted you,” I told her. “But I didn't hear back so I took a chance.” I held up the wine and sandwiches. “Figured we could celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
My gut started to twist. “Yeah. I guess you didn't talk to your dad yet. I found the girl and Arturo. That's why I left your office so fast when your dad called?”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh, right! Sorry. I haven't talked to my dad yet. That's fantastic.”
We stood there awkwardly for a moment.
And then I started to get a clearer picture.
Her face was flushed. Her hair just slightly disheveled. She wasn't inviting me in, and she was only half-paying attention to what I was telling her.