by Sloan, Molly
Inside, the vibe was completely different. The interior of the club had been totally transformed. Large pink and green helium balls floated above the room. She’d even managed to get a trapeze safely installed, and a performer was up there swinging and blowing bubbles that floated down to the crowd.
Onstage, Astrud was singing, decked out in a skintight silver bodysuit, and her long brown hair seemed even longer than usual. The thumping bass added an animalistic feel to her rhythmic dancing and singing.
Mariah was handing out pink and green glow stick necklaces and drinks in neon plastic cups that glowed in the black lights that had replaced some of the spotlights.
Later, the faux bonfire would be “lit” and the dancers would lead a conga line around it.
Ramon was being his usual charming self, and was circulating and greeting guests. Because it was a masked ball, the music was punctuated with squeals of recognition as partygoers lifted their masks to reveal their identities to friends.
The additional security guards were disguised as guests. The staff could identify them because they were all wearing distinctive masks. But, as far as anyone could tell, they were just regular guests having fun at Carnaval.
The only thing missing was Caleb. Ava’s phone was locked in her office, but she made an excuse to go back there every few minutes to check to see if he’d texted. So far, nothing.
With that one exception, though, Ava was thrilled at how smoothly everything was going.
* * *
Look at her over there, so smug, the man thought. Making his way through the crowd, he turned down the drinks that were being offered by the costumed servers. He wanted to be clear and sober as he watched that bitch get what she deserved. What they all deserved...
* * *
“Where’s Caleb?” Salima asked as she slipped inside to grab a drink. “I haven’t seen him.”
“Well, it is a masked ball.” Ava said grinning. “In fact, how do I know I’m really talking to Salima?”
“I could tell you that story about the time when you and I were doing shots of rum on the beach with those Australian tourists…”
“Okay! Okay! Identity confirmed.”
“There you two are,” Michele said as she slipped on her mask.
“Some masked ball this is,” Salima teased as she took a shot from some neon shot glass that was being passed around on trays. “These are delicious. What are they?”
“It’s a drink Mariah created called Smoke and Fire.”
“So, Ava. I wanted to ask you something.” Michele looked so happy to be out and having fun. Ava had missed her.
“Shoot.”
“I know that everything is rehearsed down to the second, but maybe if Astrud is okay with it, maybe she and I could sing together? I really miss being on stage.”
“That is a genius idea. I love it. Let’s ask Astrud when she takes her break.”
* * *
Looking at the watch he had hidden under his sleeve, the man saw that it was almost time for the party to start. But, first, he needed to initiate Phase One: Distraction.
Slipping out the door through the noisy crowd, he thought, Have fun while you can, because in one hour your screams of joy will become screams of terror.
* * *
Ava was just starting to get concerned about Caleb when she saw a tall, lanky man walk in the door wearing the staff mask. It was Caleb, and he was with a woman, and she was wearing the staff mask, too.
Could that be Gabriella? she wondered.
Making her way over to the door, she had to shout over the din. “Caleb. Come this way.” He grabbed the woman’s arm, and they followed Ava to her office.
Unlocking the door, she opened the door and let the duo in. The din suddenly vanished. Caleb and the woman took their masks off, and Ava could see that it was, indeed Gabriella. She didn’t remember meeting the woman, of course, but recognized her from photographs.
Gabriella, on the other hand, seemed to recognize Ava. “My god. You are beautiful. You were a lovely child, but now…you look just like your mother.”
Hearing that, Ava burst into tears and hugged the woman. “Gracias. Muchas gracias.”
Ava dried her tears and said, “I have to get back out there. But, I’ll find Ramon and send him here. Put your mask back on, Gabriella. It’s just a few more minutes.”
* * *
The man could hear the horses whinnying as he tiptoed toward the office. I’m not a monster, he told himself, as he broke in. I’m not trying to hurt any animals. Just people.
Walking over to the desk, he picked up the office phone and used his gloved fingers to dial the fire department. Disguising his voice, as they answered he said, “I’d like to report a fire.” “Where is the location, sir?” “Callo de Caballos.”
The man then hung up the phone, and then lit the crude, homemade fire bomb, and threw it into a store room that was filled with boxes of files. Watching in pride as the flames engulfed the room, he quickly ran out and passed the fire trucks as he headed back to Bobo Flamingo’s.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Fire and Ice
Ava made her way through the wall of bodies as she crossed over to the bar area. “Have you seen Ramon?” she shouted to Mariah. The bartender just shook her head no.
Heading over to the front door, she saw Joey. “Have you seen Ramon?” “No, Boss. Sorry.”
Making her way to the kitchen, Ava was happy to see that Michele was onstage with Astrud, and they were singing her club version of Girl from Ipanema. Michele looked so happy.
Just then, Salima bumped into her. “Oh, hi!” Salima said.
“Have you seen Ramon?”
“Yes,” Salima shouted. “He’s in the kitchen teaching Michele’s and my kids how to make an ice cream sundae.”
That made sense. Someone had to watch them while Michele was onstage, and judging from the neon drink in Salima’s hand, Ramon was probably more sober than she was at this point. Ava made a mental note to get them into one of the Bobo Flamingo’s-sponsored Ubers at the end of the night.
Making her way back to the kitchen, she was glad that she’d moved the food prep area outside for the party. While the kitchen was plenty large on a regular night, for Carnaval they had four times as many people as usual. There just wasn’t enough space.
Ramon was at the counter with the five children, and they were all counting out the scoops of ice cream into their bowls. “Uno, dos, tres…” It gave Ava a flashback to her childhood to when Tia invited him over for movie night.
Ava frowned a bit as she heard the fire trucks race by the outside of the club. I hope it’s nothing serious, she mused.
“Ramon. Caleb needs you in the office.”
The older man stood up, and said to his charges, “Never fear, I shall return, and then we will top our sundaes with Bobo Bananas!” The children giggled, as Ramon wiped his hands on a dish towel and headed down the hallway toward the office.
Ava could hear the conga music starting, and she imagined that the fake bonfire was about to be lit up with spotlights. They’d worked tirelessly to create an artistic rendition with crepe paper and creative lighting and a smoke machine.
“Miss Ava, we are out of chocolate ice cream.” Judging from the chocolate all over their faces, she could imagine where it all had gone.
“I’ll grab some from the walk-in freezer. You guys stay put.”
* * *
It seemed to take forever for Ava to find Ramon. Caleb had tried texting her, but her phone just buzzed from inside the desk he was sitting on. It was hard to be patient when you were waiting to reunite your parents who’d been apart for almost a quarter of a century.
Finally, there was a gentle tap on the door. “Come in,” Caleb said. As the door opened, he looked at Gabriella, who was holding her breath. She was wearing a mask, and a huge smile.
It was the moment of truth.
Ramon walked in and closed the door behind him. “Hey Caleb. Ava said you needed…”
/> Gabriella stood up.
Ramon was frozen in one spot. His eyes bore into Gabriella, as it dawned on him what was happening.
He burst into tears as one word came out. “Gabriella?”
Raising her mask, she had tears streaming down her face. “Yes. It’s me.”
Caleb cried as he watched them run to each other and embrace. Holding each other fiercely, it was clear that they never wanted to let go.
“How did you get here?”
“It was Ramon… I mean Caleb. We found each other through the adoption agency.”
There was so much to say. So much to catch up on. So many years had been missed. But, fortunately, they had a lifetime to do it. And the little family sat down, figuring tonight was a great night to start.
* * *
Standing in the dark recess off the kitchen, the man looked at his watch. Three minutes to go. He just had to find that bitch Ava before it started. Astrud had done him a favor by bringing Michele on stage with her. She was so stupid she’d unwittingly done his work for him. I’ll kill two dumb birds with one stone, he thought.
Just when he thought this night couldn’t get any better, Ava walked right by him on the way to the freezer. Oh, perfect. Everything is falling into place.
* * *
Astrud leaned over to Michele and in a stage whisper said, “Now the bonfire is going to light up, and the smoke machine will activate, and the dancers will lead the people on a conga line around it.”
Above their heads, a huge paper ring lowered to the middle of the dance floor. The music turned up, and the spotlights hit the paper ring. Astrud shouted into the microphone, “Come on, Bobo Flamingo’s, let’s conga!”
As the people began to form a conga line around the bonfire, it exploded into real flames. Michele shouted to Astrud, “Was that supposed to happen?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe they found a way to use a real bonfire?” She looked to see if she could catch Joey’s eye. Everything is under control, she thought nervously as the partiers danced around the flames.
* * *
Ava walked around the corner to where the walk-in freezer was. As she unbolted the latch, someone grabbed her from behind and shoved her in. Closing the door behind them, Ava couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch black and freezing cold.
Her first reaction was to scream. As the first sounds came out of her mouth, a gloved hand clamped over it, and a voice said, “Shut the fuck up or I will slit your throat.”
Ava could feel something sharp at her neck, so she stopped screaming and thought about what to do. Who was this, and why did they have her trapped in the freezer?
* * *
Ramon and Gabriella were exchanging stories and memories while Caleb listened. There was so much family history here that he couldn’t help but miss Gordon. What he wouldn’t give for one more day with his adoptive parents like this.
Suddenly, right outside the office door, something exploded. It made a loud boom, and after a moment, someone screamed, “Fire!”
Caleb ran to the office door, but the handle was scorching hot. Whatever had exploded was evidently right outside their door.
Just then, a second explosion happened, and it sounded like it was coming from the main stage area. He could hear screams as people began rushing out of the club.
“Oh my god,” Gabriella said, as fear spread across her face. They were all remembering what happened to Ava’s parents.
“Call the fire department, son. I’ll break the window.” He had the calm command that one would expect from a retired firefighter.
“I’m calling to report a fire.”
“Where is the location?”
“Bobo Flamingo’s night club.”
“Okay, I’ll dispatch the truck as soon as possible. I do have to warn you that there may be a delay. There’s another fire nearby, and all available units have been dispatched there. I’d recommend evacuating as soon as possible.”
* * *
From inside the freezer, Ava could hear the explosions and screams. “Who are you? Why are you doing this? Please, let me go. There are children alone in the kitchen.”
There was nothing but cold, dark silence. Ava could feel the leather gloved hand squeezing her arm and the sharp tip of the knife digging into the flesh near her carotid artery. She would engage in defensive maneuvers to escape, but one wrong move from that knife would kill her. So, she decided to attempt to engage her captor in conversation.
“Can you at least tell me why you did this? Why me? Why Bobo Flamingo’s?”
Her questions were met with silence.
* * *
Ramon and Caleb worked together to lift a large filing cabinet and use it to smash the office window. “That was just in time, it’s getting smoky in here.” Wrapping Gabriella in the towel that Ava hung behind her office door, the men hoisted her out the window.
“You go next. Take Mama around to the front. I’m going to go find Ava.”
Ramon slipped out the open window and then extended a hand to his son to help him through.
The screaming and yelling could be heard all around. Where would she be? thought Caleb. In the darkness, he ran the opposite direction as Ramon and Gabriella. Something told him she was this way.
* * *
Ava was starting to shiver in the freezer. She had no idea whether or not the kids were safe, what was going on in the club, and how many people had been killed.
“So, now you know how it feels to be left behind, don’t you Ava?”
She recognized his voice. It was familiar. Who was it?
“What do you mean?” She needed him to speak again so she could identify his voice.
“The last time you were in a fire, they got you out.”
Oh my god. It was Humberto’s voice. “How do you know about that, Humberto?”
“I know everything. I know about the fire. Your parents were killed. But precioso Ramon saved you. And then he got Fidel Castro to give two of the spots for people who needed to leave Cuba to his family. His family! What about my family”
Realizing that her only chance of escape was to keep Humberto talking, Ava asked, “What happened to your family, Humberto?”
“They didn’t make it out. They were killed. And while you were getting your college education and the money to start this club, and the money to loan to other women…” he laughed maniacally…”Yes, I know about that too. While you were living the privileged life, I was an orphan, living on the street.”
“So you set fire to Bobo Flamingo’s.” It was almost time for her to make her move.
“Yes. But I made sure that the fire department was otherwise occupied.”
“How did you do that?” One…two….
“By setting fire to Callo de Caballos. Yes, Ava. Your investment was for nothing. I burned it to the ground.”
Three. Ava dipped her head away from the knife, and swung her elbow out, jamming it in his throat. She could hear the knife clatter to the ground.
Taking advantage of the few seconds Humberto was laying breathless, Ava felt for the door to the freezer, found it, opened it, and slipped out. Locking him in the freezer, Ava ran to the kitchen to find the children.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Escape
Ramon and Gabriella ran toward the entrance to the building. The fire department had just shown up, and he could see Marco guiding the men into the club.
Stopping to kiss Gabriella, he whispered hoarsely, “Lo siento” “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
With tears in her eyes, she said, “I know. Just, please, be careful. I just got you back.”
“I will.” And with that he ran toward the flashing lights to help his firefighter friends as they escorted survivors from the building.
* * *
Caleb was running around the back near the kitchen, when he heard screams coming from inside. It sounded like children. “Help! Help us! We’re trapped!”
Stepping up on the low brick wall, he was able to see in. Five k
ids were hiding under the workbench in the restaurant’s empty kitchen. He was looking around for a rock or something to smash the window with when he saw Ava run in.
“Ava!” Yelling through the window was difficult. “Ava!” She looked up and saw him.
They began to work as a team. She smashed the window with a metal kitchen stool, and then used a meat mallet to break the rest of the glass. Caleb took his shirt off and used it to cover the broken glass so that the children wouldn’t be cut as they climbed through. One by one, the kids climbed through the hole. “You’re doing great, sweetheart,” she said to them. “Everyone is going to get out just fine.”
After the kids were safely out and huddled together by a tree, Caleb helped Ava through the window. They hugged fiercely, and then ran to take the kids to the paramedics out front so they could be treated for the minor cuts they’d received.
* * *
It looked like a scene from a movie as Caleb and Ava walked to the front of Bobo Flamingo’s. Huge streams of water arched over the building as flames engulfed it. Ava told Marco that someone was in the freezer, and two firefighters went back the way Ava and Caleb had come to get Humberto out.
Michele and Selima were wrapped in blankets, holding their children. Joey was running from group to group, making sure everyone was accounted for. Astrud and Mariah were sitting inside a paramedic van with oxygen masks on.