by Ethan Cross
Liana had, unfortunately, awakened halfway between the trading post and the casino and had required rope and a gag before proceeding. He had never imagined such things coming out of the mouth of his sweet, little subordinate.
She bucked and fought with every step, anything to make it more difficult for him. She didn’t realize, however, that he liked it rough. The thought conjured mental pictures, which brought a smile to his face, but first, he needed to collect his sister and his nest egg before Frank found his way here.
The service elevator smelled like fresh linens. The maids must’ve already delivered Reyna’s fresh towels and sheets. He didn’t expect his sister to be awake at this hour. Still, she—just like their mother—was accustomed to being up all night.
The service elevator opened into a long pantry behind the penthouse’s kitchen. With Liana still over his shoulder, Xavier made his way through the kitchen and into the great room. It was an open floor plan, twelve foot ceilings with exposed rafters. The interior stucco walls were various shades of tans and warm reds, and the outer walls were lined with massive windows. The place spoke of opulence and smelled of creosote and sage, like the desert after a rain.
Xavier knew, however, that none of this beauty was because of his sister’s good housekeeping or taste. Instead, it was interior decorators and maids who deserved the real credit. Or perhaps himself for providing her with a lifestyle like this. It was a far cry from the pervasive scents of sweat, sex, and soiled sheets that had marked their childhood. Of course, she didn’t appreciate all he’d given her. All she seemed to care about these days was her next fix and her bed.
Liana seemed to have given up fighting for the moment, likely realizing that it merely gave him the opportunity to grope her rear under the pretense of restraining her. Not that he needed pretense with his young beauty any longer. She was now his to do with whatever he desired, but he enjoyed the game.
With his free hand, he opened the French doors that led out onto the balcony of the 13th floor. He took a deep breath as he did. The air always smelled so clean here. Up high, away from the smells of man, where only the wind and the birds were supposed to live.
Kicking out one of the chairs from the balcony’s stone patio set, Xavier dropped his prisoner into the chair. Liana looked up at him with contempt. He could almost read what she was thinking with that look alone. Something about betrayal and that she had trusted him and looked up to him and blah, blah, blah. He didn’t really care to hear her admonishments, and so he left the gag and restraints in place.
Ignoring her piercing gaze, he looked out over his land one more time. He didn’t own any of it. After all, no man could truly own the land and the sky, but he controlled it all. John Canyon—as he had slaved away on his farm with his neck deep in sheep shit—had believed that he ruled this kingdom, but like other hidden figures throughout history, Xavier was the one who truly had the control and reaped all of the rewards. Like a good figurehead, Canyon would play his part perfectly. If he lived through the debacle at the trading post, he would still have to answer to federal authorities regarding his drug smuggling business. While Yazzie escaped south of the border with Canyon’s wife and their money.
Turning away from the view, he noticed Reyna standing by the door and staring wide-eyed at the bound police woman in the chair. Meeting his gaze, his sister asked, “What is this?”
She looked beautiful, even though the two-hundred dollars a day that she snorted up her nose had started to cause her features to go slack and gaunt.
He said, “I’m glad you’re up. Was it an all-nighter or did you just hear us come in?”
She merely looked at him with the same question in her eyes.
“Doesn’t matter. You need to get the essentials packed right now. We’re getting out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You’ll do as I say, just like you always have, just like you always will.”
“I’m not going anywhere without my son.”
Xavier rolled his eyes. “He’s fine. He’s safe. He’s not the one who’s going to be in trouble. There are a couple of federal agents coming here.”
She snapped back, “What have you done?”
“Once we get where we’re going, I can buy you a new wardrobe and everything else you need. We’re traveling light. Now. We have to hurry.”
“I said that I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“We can send for Tobias once we’re safe.”
“And who is this girl?”
“You know her. Liana, one of my deputies. And now, I suppose she’s our insurance policy.”
“Insurance against what?”
“In case the devil comes calling.”
“The only devil I see is you, Xavier.”
“I would choose my words carefully if I were you, sister. You can either do as I say, or I can knock you out and take you with me by force. Your choice, but think quick. We don’t have much time.”
Her bloodshot eyes bore holes into him, and her breath smelled of whiskey. She reminded him so much of their mother.
She said, “I hate you. I wish that I would’ve let you die all those years ago. When you fell into that pit, I knew exactly how to get back to those ruins. I know this land better than you ever will. The true spirit of this land. I took them around and pretended to be lost because I didn’t want to find you. But I guess I’m not like you. My conscience got the better of me, and eventually, I led them up there. I saved you, and it was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”
Xavier took a long step forward and said, “Don’t worry, little sister. You got your wish. Your brother died up there in that pit, surrounded by the spirits of the Old Ones. You didn’t save anyone. Your brother died and something else climbed up out of the pit when your weakness got the better of you! Now, if family therapy is over, I’m going to tell you one last time. Do as I say, or I will make you very sorry.”
With tears dripping from her beautiful brown eyes, she retreated in fear to do as he had commanded. Just as she had always done, since they were children.
As Reyna left, Liana began making noises in her throat to get his attention. With another roll of his eyes, he undid the gag and asked, “Yes?”
Her face was a mask of hatred and barely contained rage. She said, “He’s coming for you. You know that. And hell’s coming with him.”
Yazzie’s face remained like stone as he stuck the gag back in her mouth and stroked her cheek. He replied, “The trick to not getting dragged down to hell is to get out of town before the devil knows you’re dead. Your boyfriend won’t be able to find us once we’re down south with our friends from the cartel.”
Yazzie felt his phone vibrate against his leg. Pulling it out and looking at the screen, he saw that the call was coming from the casino’s security chief. Pressing the button to answer, Yazzie said, “Speak.”
The woman’s voice sounded tinny and muffled over the phone’s speaker. “We have an urgent situation.”
“I’m listening.”
“We just had someone call in a bomb threat, telling us that we have less than fifteen minutes to get everyone out of the building. What should we do? They said that they have enough explosives hidden to take down the whole place.”
He, of course, knew exactly who had called in the supposed bomb threat, and it made perfect sense. Frank knew that more of Alvarez’s men would be waiting at the casino, and he knew that’s where Yazzie would be headed.
The security chief asked, “Sir?”
“Go ahead and evacuate everyone. We can’t be too careful. Pull them back to a safe distance, and keep them there until I give the go-ahead.”
“Yes, sir.”
Turning to Liana, Yazzie said, “Speak of the devil. Your friend is closer than I thought. He thinks he’s smart by getting all of the civilians out of the way in order to avoid casualties. But his little plan is going to work out perfectly for us. We’ll let the cartel and the feds fight it ou
t while we slip out the back and melt away into the crowd of evacuated guests.”
The phone still in his hand, Yazzie dialed the number for Alvarez’s lieutenant, who was waiting with his men in one of the casino’s ballrooms. When the cartel team leader’s voice came over the phone, he said, “They’re coming. Get your men ready for war.”
97
Just as Marcus had hoped, the parking lot of the Grand Canyon Hotel and Casino was a mass of humanity, a few thousand people awakened before breakfast and told that they were about to explode. Marcus supposed it to be a fitting use of the term “rude awakening.”
The parking lot took up several more acres than was necessary, especially with the built-in parking structure, but it was definitely useful in situations like this. Marcus had stopped by the casino earlier and had been impressed by the extravagance of the place. It was comprised of several interconnected buildings of sandy-colored glass and concrete. The windows had been tinted with some kind of red reflective material, which gave the impression of a shimmering mirage. The most impressive feature Marcus had noticed, however, was the casino’s version of the Grand Canyon. A circle had been cut in the ground and covered with reinforced plexiglass. A portion of the glass surface was inside the building and a portion beneath valet parking.
When Marcus had walked through the place earlier, he had taken the tour, which included a viewing area adorned with plaques that had been inscribed with the story of the building of the faux canyon.
Marcus had to admit that the effect was realistic and dizzying. The plaques had stated that their canyon was only fifty feet deep, but as a result of some excellent artistry, the area beneath the glass, incorporating shading and optical illusions, made it seem that you were standing over the actual Grand Canyon. He imagined it was quite the tourist attraction and draw for the casino. A fact that was confirmed by the number of people who had flooded into the resort’s parking lot.
Marcus stayed back from the crowd, not wanting the Narco tank to draw too much attention. He wondered how in the hell the cartel members had gotten the thing across the border. But he supposed it was probably as simple as a few bribes to the right people to look the other way. Money had a way of opening doors, especially locked ones.
He pulled over to the side of the road leading up from the interstate after passing a gas station, fast food restaurants, and stores that had taken advantage of the influx of people the casino had brought with it. It was clearly a place that had sprung up from nothing, rather than a town that had benefited from an economic boost.
Marcus closed his eyes and pictured the pathway through the casino. He had walked the whole property earlier, just to get the lay of the land for future reference. So now, using his eidetic memory, Marcus traveled back in time and relived those moments, verifying the layout of the casino and his path through it.
He had no idea how many cartel gunmen were waiting for him, and he supposed it didn’t really matter. He wasn’t the kind of person that had ever enjoyed killing. He knew that every one of those men had a mother and a father, a family, a wife, kids. They were each someone’s loved ones, no matter how evil they may have seemed when viewing them through the snapshot of a few moments of their lives.
But there were times in life when it was kill or be killed. If it were merely his life on the line, maybe he would’ve looked at things differently, but it wasn’t just his life. And he didn’t have time for doubt or remorse. Whoever was left in that casino at this point—since he knew that there were no real police close enough to have responded yet—were either cartel members or Yazzie’s men.
He was fine with both groups, as long as they didn’t get in his way.
With the path through the casino laid out in his mind, Marcus pulled out onto the main thoroughfare heading up to the resort. Then he hit the accelerator and didn’t intend to let off until he had rammed the Narco tank right down the Grand Canyon’s throat.
What he was about to do reminded him of another incident at a hospital in Colorado Springs. At the time, he didn’t even know that he had a brother, and Ackerman was the dragon he had come to slay. Instead, Frank had pulled him from the fire, and the pair had begun a journey that had taken them both to some very unexpected places. All he had wanted back then was to live a simple life somewhere quiet, but the Director of the Shepherd Organization had shoved his way into Marcus’s life and altered it forever.
Now, the Director was dead, and the dragon he had come to slay in Colorado had become his brother and his best friend. He sometimes couldn’t comprehend how easily life could turn one hundred and eighty degrees and change completely within the blink of an eye, with one choice.
But then again, he was about to make the same idiotic decision that he had all those years ago, so he supposed the things didn’t change too much.
The steering wheel felt worn down against his palms. He could relate. He gazed toward the building and calculated the path of least resistance. He laid on the horn to clear the crowd and braced himself for impact. The front entrance of the structure was a giant pillar of glass that rose up the entire height of the building. He didn’t slow as the black beast broke through and rumbled into the building’s interior.
Smashing through the glass, the shards falling like a waterfall of knives, he saw the first of the cartel members. They were armed with AK-47s and were already opening fire on the narco tank’s tires. Marcus heard the bullets dinging off of the wheel wells, but he had also noticed earlier that both front and back wheels of the modified vehicle were protected by armor plating and equipped with dual wheels. Instead of having four tires, the narco tank rode on eight.
Shifting into a lower gear, Marcus plowed through the casino like a bull in a china shop. He pulled the emergency brake and yanked the wheel, sliding into the rows of slot machines that the cartel members were using as cover.
Following the path already laid out in his mind, Marcus plowed through the casino with reckless abandon, crushing everything and everyone in his path. He continued on this way until he reached the elevator for the south tower. Then he spun the tank in a tight circle, slamming into the high roller poker room, as he checked to make sure that he didn’t have any remaining pursuers. Satisfied that the cartel members were all handled in one way or another, he threw open his armored door and stepped down from the black monstrosity.
With one last look over his shoulder, Marcus patted the side of the armor-plated behemoth and said, “Good girl. I’m probably going to prison after all this, but if somehow I don’t, I’m gonna take you home with me.”
98
Xavier Yazzie yelled across the penthouse, “We’re leaving, Reyna.” Then, moving back to the balcony, he bent down and looked Liana straight in the eyes. He had replaced his glasses and hat with an extra pair he kept there. He had always loved the fact that when he looked a person deep in the eyes, all they saw was his cold unfeeling expressions and their own fear reflected back in the mirror image on his glasses.
To Liana, he said, “If I take out the gag and remove the rope from your feet, do you promise to be a good girl?”
Her eyes still telling a tale of defiance, she nodded nonetheless. Removing her gag and restraints, he stood and was about to yell another warning at Reyna, when he heard a large and powerful engine roaring to life nearby. Moving to the railing—to the view from which he normally admired his land—he watched in horror as the narco tank plowed into his casino like a black bullet. Then he heard the breaking of glass and the echoes of destruction.
Turning to Liana, he said, “Time to go.”
“I always knew you were a snake.”
He stroked her cheek and said, “And I always wanted to get up inside of you, in more ways than one. Now, are you going to walk or do I need to carry you again? I have to admit that I enjoyed holding you.”
Her eyes like daggers, she replied, “I’ll walk.”
99
Ackerman had always adored the shadows. In fact, if it were up to him, he would
seize every opportunity to be bathed in the warm and comforting feeling of total darkness. It wasn’t that a fear of the light or that he was ashamed and wanted to keep his dark deeds from the illumination of day. It was simply that darkness made it easier to block out the rest of the world and to go into his own mental universe. He had lived there most of his life, in one cage or another with nothing to occupy himself but his own mind. He had gradually begun to view the darkness as his friend. And now, he found it easier to see the light when he was in the darkness.
As he crouched within a niche in the service tunnel beside a series of electrical panels, Ackerman thought of something his brother had once said regarding darkness and light. That one could shine a light into the darkness but that the darkness could never shine itself into the light.
Even from his position at the very back of the casino, and on the lowest level, Ackerman plainly heard when his brother made his attack. He had to admit that he was a bit jealous that he hadn’t been afforded the opportunity to play bumper cars with the makeshift tank. But he also knew how fast Yazzie was with the gun. Too fast for either him or his brother to take on in a quick draw situation, especially with innocent normals in the crossfire. Mostly fearing for Liana’s safety, Ackerman had petitioned to his brother to be the one who set the trap, and so Marcus and Ackerman had once again assembled the portable two-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, which Marcus had used earlier to scout the ranch in search of Maggie. Ackerman had then circled around through the desert, following Canyon’s instructions, to find Yazzie’s secret entrance into the casino. Now, with his brother serving as the distraction and driving their prey into the trap, all that was left was to wait for the service elevator doors to open.