by JA Huss
Angry, mostly.
But also ashamed. Why I’m ashamed, not quite sure. But it’s probably because my best friend accused me of selling children. She actually thought I was capable of that.
Sad. Because after Madrid left, Zach explained why Johnny was here and what he was up to, and fuckin’ A. It makes so much sense. I had this… hope. I had hope that we’d plot our way out of this FBI mess, save my kids, save the girl he’s after—another Creepy Wendy, from the sound of it. I was gonna explain Diablo to Tara, tell Belinda the truth about her mom, and everything was going to be perfect.
And now… now nothing is perfect.
Everything is fucked.
My front door opens behind me. I whirl around, hoping it’s Tara coming back to apologize one more time.
But it’s not. It’s Jesse. “Dude,” I say. “Not now, OK? I can’t deal with you. I’ve got too much on my mind.”
He puts up his hands. “I get it. You fucked up. But we can fix it. I told you. I’m the PR king. OK? All you gotta do is apologize exactly the way I tell you to.”
“Me?” I guffaw. “I’m not apologizing! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Well.” He laughs, then winces. “Lonz, my bro. You’re a kid smuggler. OK? You don’t get to claim innocence.”
“I smuggle Third World orphans into the United States, Jesse. We find them families!”
“I understand that. But it’s still very much illegal.”
“Fuck that! I don’t care! They’re just kids! I’m not going to apologize for helping kids! And if Tara wants to hate me for that, fine. That’s fine. It’s her life.”
“And yet… you didn’t even give her a chance to hate you for it, Lonnie.”
I make a face at him. “Do not call me Lonnie. Only one person gets to call me Lonnie.”
“Right. One girl. The only girl who matters. But you still don’t get it. You know, when you told me you didn’t need my help, I almost believed you.”
“What?”
“Yeah. You’re right. You’re a huge, six-foot-four, tatted-up, hot-as-fuck fisherman. Girls follow you around begging you to fuck them. But you know what? None of that matters when you’re a douchebag on the inside. Trust me. I know this better than anyone. I learned my lesson the hard way too.”
I scowl at him. “What the fuck are you talking about? You were a drugged-up, skirt-chasing asshole. I’m saving kids!”
“God, you’re really dumb, you know that? When Miles asked me to help you I thought he was crazy. But clearly, you need more help than I can offer. Because none of this has to do with your hidden altruistic side, Alonzo. And it’s got everything to do with seeing Tara as a partner. Not something you can just keep at home for the sexy fun stuff after a long day of living dangerously.”
“That’s not what I was doing. I was protecting her.”
“You know, you and I have something in common.”
“Aside from my sister?” I sneer at him. “Not likely, Jesse.”
“Yeah, really. When I came down here I didn’t know what Johnny was up to. Hell, I spent most of my life ignorant of all the things he was doing behind the scenes. I thought he was pretty much the biggest dick in the world until last summer. He’s got some pretty dangerous secrets, Lonz. Most of them are not beautiful, like the ones you’re keeping. And maybe, for a little bit, it pissed me off that he kept those secrets for himself. I could’ve helped, ya know. I’m really not as dumb as people think. It’s just a part I’ve been playing for so long now I figure—eh, who cares what people think of me? Emma gets me. And her opinion is the only one that matters. But here’s where you and I are different. I never wanted to keep secrets from Emma. I mean, even if I did, she would not stand for it. So why bother, ya know? But when something new happens to me, or I discover something old, even, and fit it into the puzzle that is the Boston family, she is the first one I want to tell. She is the first one I go to. Because your sister, Lonnie? She’s a pretty amazing woman. She would never want to sit on the sidelines.”
And for the first time ever I see Jesse Boston smile in a different way. Not a charming way. A… sad way. “So here’s my last point. And then I’m gonna go over to Zach’s house and help Johnny, Chek, and Creepy Wendy figure out how to save their little creepy kid on that boat of kids you’re smuggling now that the FBI is on to them. Are you ready?”
I flip my hand at him. “Fuckin’ whatever. Say your peace.”
“Did you ever, just once, ask Tara if she needed your protection?”
“What?”
“Ask her, Alonzo. Just once. And see what she says. She might surprise you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - TARA
News travels fast on Dumas Street. Here’s how I know that. I’m in Lonnie’s cottage fighting with him for maybe five minutes and by the time I get back over to Belinda’s cottage Tony and Mr. Dumas are both there with Johnny, Diablo, Chek, Creepy Wendy, and Jesse. Mr. Dumas is talking to Belinda in the kitchen while Tony is sizing up Vann like he’s about to kick his ass.
Johnny stops me with a hand up as soon as I enter the cottage. “What’d he say?”
“What did he say?” I laugh. “Fuck him.”
“No. Listen to me, Tara.” Johnny has a thing for sneering my name. And you know what? I’m kinda getting tired of that. “We need him to pull this job off. He can’t just go pout like a fucking idiot.”
At which point Jesse offers to go talk to Alonzo. Make him see the light.
I have zero fucks to give about Jesse Boston any more. In fact, I’m done here. “Vann,” I say, walking over to him and getting in front of Tony. “Are you planning on going home any time soon?”
“Uh….” Vann starts looking around like these people control his decisions.
This kinda pisses me off too. “Don’t look at them, Vann. They’re not in charge of when you leave.”
He grabs me by the arm and pulls me into one of the bedrooms. His, I presume. He even closes the door. “Listen, Tara. It’s not them. It’s Belinda. I’m not leaving without her.”
“What?” I do one of those blinky head shakes to let him know I find this to be absurd. “Vann. This is her home. She’s not going back to Colorado. And she’s not interested in you, OK? We both think you’re too young.”
“I’m not even young. I’m twenty-five.”
“It’s not even the point anymore. She met you as a nineteen-year-old kid. And I met you as a twenty-three-year old. That’s the age you’re always going to be.”
“That’s not even fair.”
“Boo hoo.”
“Jesus Christ, Tara. What crawled up your ass? Even if Belinda feels this way—and I’m not convinced—I’m not leaving her here. We’re like… best friends.”
“I’m her best friend, not you.”
“So you should stay.”
“I’m done here. I’m done with all of it. I want to go home.”
He shrugs and opens the bedroom door. “Well, I’m not leaving without Belinda.” Then he walks away.
I stand there in the doorway chewing on my thumbnail. Then Zach whistles loudly. “I just got a text from Luke. He’s on his way home.”
Tony opens the front door. “Let’s take this over to my house, people. Zach, you go next door and handle Luke. And whatever you do, you do not tell him anything.” Tony growls that through his teeth. “I’m fucking serious. He stays out of this.”
And then everyone is on the move. I glance at Belinda, wondering if she’s getting involved in this insanity. But she’s hugging Mr. Dumas. When they part, he’s smiling down at her and she’s wiping a tear from her eye.
Yup. She’s staying. And I don’t blame her.
Mr. Dumas leaves with his boys and the Bostons, but Belinda stays behind. Once the screen door closes and everyone makes their way across the street, the whole cottage instantly goes quiet.
“So,” I say. “I guess that was good news.”
Belinda nods. But it takes her a moment before she speaks. “H
e showed me where my mom is living, Tare.”
“She’s OK?”
“She’s OK.”
“That’s great. I’m so happy for you.”
“I can’t see her yet. There’s too much going on. And she’s safe where she is. If I show up now, I could fuck it all up.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s OK. She’s better than good, actually. The Dumas family bought the Conch Shell and then helped her buy another, better motel up near South Carolina.” Belinda shrugs. “They wanted her well away from the drama when I had to leave. The FBI isn’t who we think they are. There are dark things happening in that organization. Bad things, Tara. I guess the Dumas family has had some kind of arrangement with them for decades. They look the other way when they bring the kids in, but every once in a while they sneak in an extra kid. Not an orphan from some third-world country. But a highly-trained… weapon. Like that little Wendy girl. That’s what you walked into two years ago with Diablo.
“What?”
“That’s what I walked into eight years ago with the Dumas family. Tony told me that was the first time an extra kid appeared. Last time, too. It was just a freak coincidence that I saw it go down. But tomorrow night it’s gonna happen again. That’s why Johnny is here with the man with the little girl. They’re picking this kid up to keep her safe because someone is trying to kill her. But Quint said that the FBI is here too. And they expect Alonzo to pick up this kid and hand her over to them.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know. It’s crazy. But Alonzo and his family—and even the Bostons. They’re not involved in what we thought. The FBI sent me to Fort Collins, but the Dumas family took care of my mom after I had to leave. They were afraid the FBI would target her because she saw too much that night too. She knows I’m alive. And maybe one day we’ll see each other again, but it’s enough for me to know she’s safe. Ya know?”
“I get it.” But I don’t. Not really. Because I have never worried about someone like that. I never had anyone to worry about like that.
Just Lonnie.
And now… well.
“He’s not a bad guy, Tara.”
I know this. I know he’s not. But I’m not ready to admit that yet. “You said he was.”
“I was wrong.”
“He lied to me.”
“You lied to him. And both of you had very good reasons to lie.”
I sigh. Because he’s not the problem. I’m not really mad at him. He’s mad at me. “I accused him of something pretty terrible.”
“You didn’t have all the information.”
“I know. But I should’ve known better. Lonnie isn’t capable of the things I accused him of.”
“No. Probably not. But you weren’t talking to Lonnie. You were talking to Alonzo. And let’s be honest here, you don’t have any idea who he is.”
“That’s a good point. I should’ve used that in my argument.”
“There’s still time.”
I shake my head. “No. He’s made it pretty clear he’s done with me.”
“Really?” She cocks her head at me. “Then why is he on the porch, looking in here at you like a very sad puppy?”
I turn around and see him, still on the other side of the screen. He’s got his shirt off, all those beautifully dangerous tats on display, and his hands in his jeans pockets. Kinda shrugging his shoulders like he’s not sure what to say.
Belinda squeezes my arm as she passes me. “I’ll be over at Tony’s if you need me. I hear there’s a bunch of kids who could use a good rescue.”
She opens the screen door and pushes past Lonnie.
But he doesn’t come in. Just lets the screen door smack closed.
And looks at me like… like the way he looked at me when I first showed up a couple days ago.
He looks at me like I’m a siren calling him to the rocks. And he’s a sailor heeding my call.
He looks at me like I’m his dying wish.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - ALONZO
I pull my hand out of my pocket and rap my knuckles on the screen door. “Uh… hello?”
Tara cocks her head at me. “Hello.”
“Yeah. So…” I hike my thumb in the direction of my cottage next door. “I live next door and noticed you just moved in. So you know. Yeah. I wanted to come over and introduce myself.” She smiles—that’s a good sign—then walks a few paces closer to the door, biting her lip. “I’m Alonzo Dumas. My parents, Silvia and Jack Dumas, they live at the house at the top of the street. I have a sister, she lives in the city with my new cool brother-in-law, Jesse Boston. You’ve heard of him, I’m sure. He’s kinda famous for being… smart.”
She laughs.
“And I know this is weird, but… my brother Luke lives over in that cottage with his boy toy, Zach Boston. Yes, same family. And my brother Tony lives across the street. Right next to my sister’s place when she’s in town. We’re kind of a close bunch because… well, there’s this insane curse on my family. Put there by a siren, of all things.” I point to my bare chest. “Hence my ink addiction to weird ocean warrior creatures. Anyway, I think you’re pretty. And I’d like to get to know you but… I come with some baggage.”
She walks to the screen door and places her palm on the wire mesh. “Everyone has baggage, Alonzo.”
“I know. But mine is beautifully dangerous. And I wouldn’t want to drag you into something that you didn’t think you could handle. So…” I shrug. “I dunno, Tare. I think you’re the love of my life, woman. I want to protect you and keep you safe. And if it was up to me, I’d lock you up in my bedroom and never let anything bad touch you ever again. But a wise man just told me it’s not my decision to make. So, before I really make a really bad decision for both of us by letting you walk away from me, I just want to know one thing.”
“OK.”
“Do you need saving?”
“What?” She chuckles.
“Do you need a prince, Tara? Because if you do, sunshine, I’m here. But if you don’t, then just tell me you got this. I love you. I want to marry you, and put my babies inside you, and be your best friend forever. And most of all, Tara, I don’t want to be Lonnie with you anymore. I just want to be me. And I want you to be you.”
And that’s it. That’s all I can say. The rest is up to her.
“OK.” She places her other hand on the screen door too. “First, I’d like to apologize for what I thought of you.” She shakes her head when I start to protest. “Just hear me out, OK? I know Lonnie would not sell children to bad people. But for about twenty minutes, during which time I didn’t have all the information I needed to make a good decision, I let my imagination run wild and thought the worst of Alonzo Dumas. And… I’m really, really sorry, Alonzo. I really am. I should’ve known better.”
“Can I come in?”
She backs away and I pull the screen door open. I stand in the doorway, unsure exactly what to do next. But I am very sure that she needs to know the entire truth before she signs on the dotted line.
“Tara, we smuggle orphans into the United States. And my family has been doing this for decades. My father made a deal with the FBI a long time ago and they’ve been protecting us. But I have to be honest here, we’re caught up in something that isn’t good. And the FBI is part of it. So before you make up your mind—”
“I do,” Tara blurts.
“What? But you didn’t hear—”
“Belinda explained. So I do. I get it. And look, I’m not gonna turn down a prince, Alonzo. I’ll be your princess. But I don’t want to sit at home and wait for you to come back to me like some siren stuck on a rocky island. I want to go with you, Lonnie. I want to do things. I’m tired of running. I want to fight big battles, but I want a family too. I don’t want to choose. I want it all.” She pauses to take a deep, deep breath. “I want you.”
I nod. And I’ll be honest, it makes me a little sick to my stomach to think of taking Tara on that smuggling run tomorrow night. But she’s h
er own person. This is her choice. “Hey, Tara?”
“Yes?” She blinks her eyes and smiles at me.
“Would you like to be my partner in crime?”
She giggles and wraps her arms around my middle. Then she rocks up on her tiptoes and kisses my chin. Because she can’t reach my mouth. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I lean down and kiss her back. On the lips.
She pulls away for a second.
“There’s a catch?”
“Isn’t there always a catch when you’re a fisherman?”
“Point.”
“Yeah. There’s a catch.”
“Name it, sunshine. I’ll do anything. Whatever it takes for you to reel me in and take me home.”
“Can we still… phone-fuck every once in a while?”
I laugh. But I point at her. “I’m good at it, right?”
“So fucking good. You’re the hottest dirty-talking accountant ever, Lonnie.”
I kiss her properly. And I really want to back her up, kick the door closed with my foot, and fuck her right now.
But I can’t. Because our happily ever after won’t be real until tomorrow night is over and none of us are in prison for human trafficking.
CHAPTER THIRTY - TARA
The sun hovers over the ocean like a low-hanging fruit when Alonzo and I part ways on the dock the next evening. He kisses me, but I don’t kiss him back.
“Why are you being so difficult, Tara?”
“You know why. I want to go with you. Wasn’t this the point of that conversation last night? Did you ever ask yourself if that stupid siren would’ve gone around cursing people if she wasn’t stuck on some fucking island, bored out of her mind?”
He smiles at me. It’s one of those patient smiles. The kind of smile someone aims at you when they love you, but you’re about to plunge headfirst into a big ol’ pool of desperate pleading.
“I just want to go with you. I thought we worked this out?”
“We did work it out.”
“No. You, and Johnny, and Chek, and Tony came up with a plan. And I’m not anywhere in that plan.”