Chapter 30
30
BLOOD
“After a little drive out to the desert, Hector Rodriquez will be a distant memory.” Smoke taps his fingers against the steering wheel then reaches for the cigs on the dashboard. He pulls one out with his teeth, then offers the pack to me. “In a way, we’re doin’ Mexico a favor, getting rid of these cartel bastards.”
I push in the lighter on the dashboard, and when it pops out, I touch the tip of my cig, then hand the lighter to Smoke.
“Hmmm.” My brain’s stuck on Hector’s last words before I laid him out.
“What’s with you?” Smoke turns to me. “I thought you’d be planning a victory party.”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t let that fucker get in your head. He was just spitting bullshit to mess with you.”
I look through the plexiglass into the back seat where Hector is still unconscious. “Maxine told me some of her backstory, but . . .”
“If all the shit you told me is true, Maxine waded through her past and managed to come out on the other side. Not fuckin’ easy to do on her own.”
“I know, but I’ve suspected there’s more to her story, way more, and him sayin’ shit put me on edge.”
“Just don’t go over the edge.” Smoke shoots me a look. “Not until we get this job done.”
MAXINE
I lie against the metal flatbed of the truck as it rumbles along the road, staring into the dark night. Once we are out of the city, the jet-black sky opens up with a sparkling array of twinkling stars. Some clustered together, others spaced wide apart, forming odd angles and designs. I’d never noticed how beautiful the Mexican sky glowed after dark, but from now on, I’d be enjoying the little things in life. The things most people take for granted.
My mind drifts to my childhood in Oklahoma and the horror of my parents’ rule and repression. Over the years, I’ve made excuses for their abhorrent behavior, but no matter how hard I tried, there was no way to justify such cruelty to a child—their only child.
For years, I blamed myself for what happened to Tiffany, but I now believe we were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I suffered the guilt of me surviving and her dying, but I’ve reasoned cruel fate intervened, resulting in her death and my abduction—nothing more.
Now, finally, the nightmare would cease. I had no illusions about how this ride would end for Hector, and although I know murder is wrong, I wouldn’t do anything to stop it. I would love to pull the trigger myself, but I’d be satisfied with watching and confirming with my own eyes the monster’s demise.
The truck slows, makes a right turn, then continues on a bumpy road, so I flip onto my stomach to keep from bouncing against the metal flatbed. Smoke maneuvers over rougher terrain, and we drive for another few minutes.
I rise up an inch at a time, clearing the window separating the back seat from the flatbed where Hector lies sprawled out in the seat unconscious. I rise a few inches higher and look into the front seat. Blood and Smoke are talking, but of course, I can’t hear them. Then Blood shifts in his seat, pulls out his phone and swipes at it. Three seconds later, he slams his hand on the dashboard.
“Fuck!” Blood yells so loud, even I can hear him in the flatbed.
BLOOD
“I give him one damn job to do, and he fucks up.” I smash my hand against the dashboard again. “I don’t fuckin’ believe it.”
“What?” Smoke turns up the high beams, but it doesn’t help navigate the pothole-filled back road.
“Diesel and Bolt lost Maxine.”
“Lost her? How the hell?—”
“Don’t ask me. Some bullshit story about her having cramps and going into the ladies’ locker room, then disappearing. Bolt doesn’t go in and check on her ‘cause apparently he’s scared of women with their period.” We bounce around another pothole, and I grip the console. “I think he’s the one with the pussy.”
“Gotta hand it to her,” Smoke laughs around his words, “she played them fuckin’ perfect.”
“Only problem is, the place is crawling with Hector’s goons. Sure, we took care of his two bodyguards, but you know as well as I do he had others lurking around. Main reason we hustled him into the alley before anybody got wise.”
“Where do you think she went?” Smoke asks.
“I know exactly where she went.” I flip up my phone for the time. “Right about now, she’s probably flashing her fake passport at the border patrol in Otay Mesa.” I slam my fist against the console. “And I gave her the damn passport.”
Smoke grips the wheel tighter as he navigates the road. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
“‘Cause I wanted her to trust me. I wanted her to know I trusted her.”
“Shit, that’s what happens when your dick starts talking to you.”
I shoot Smoke an evil glare. “Thanks.”
“Nothing we can do about it now.” Smoke slows the truck then angles it behind some scrubby bushes. “We got a job to do. When we get back to Tijuana, I’ll put some calls out to our contacts in Imperial Beach. We’ll have her back before the sun rises.”
“What the fuck good is it if she wants to leave? It only means she’ll run again and—” I ball up my fist. “When I get my hands on Diesel, he’s gonna be drinking Jack outta a straw.”
Smoke grabs my biceps. “You gotta shut this down for now. I need you on point and ready to get this done.”
I suck in a few deep breaths. We’d been together long enough to know how to get a job done no matter what else is going on.
Reaching under the seat, I grab the .45 I stored there earlier, then I whip the back door of the cab open, drag Hector up by the front of his shirt, and slap his face a few times. “C’mon, fucker, wake up.”
Hector’s eyes search mine, disoriented until he focuses on the .45 in my hand. I roughly pull him out of the truck, then push him over the rough terrain of pebbles and sand at gunpoint. We stop about twenty feet from the truck behind some low-growing bushes at the foot of a steep hill. Smoke wheels him around, and I level the gun at Hector’s chest.
“You’re making a big mistake.” Hector’s vicious dark eyes glow under the moonlight.
“That’s your problem, Hector, you underestimated me and my club.” I grip the gun tighter. “Thought you could get over on some dumbass bikers, but that’s the thing with guys like you. Your ego gets in the way of good sense. We told you setting up shop in Tijuana was a hard fuck no, especially since it got in the way of business—our business.”
Hector’s eyes dart between me and Smoke. “You realize killing me will bring the rest of the cartel down on you.”
Smoke barks out a laugh. “That’s what your buddy Rico said too, but here we are taking another piece of shit out. So, we ain’t worried about ending your miserable life.” Smoke nods to me, and I raise my gun higher. “Also wasn’t smart you trying to get Maxie to take a dive tonight.”
Hector turns his gaze to Smoke. “I’m sure you think your VP is doing this for your club, but I know the real reason I’m out here at gunpoint.”
“Save the bullshit,” Smoke warns.
“Just thought he’d like to know before he pulls the trigger exactly how close Maxine and I are.”
I squeeze the butt of the gun, itching to pull the trigger. “She told me everything you did to her, you sick fuck.”
“Everything?” Hector’s lips curve into a sneer, and a chill slithers down my spine. “Maxine and I had a very special relationship, especially because she was so young. She trusted me, and I guess you could say I taught her everything she knows.”
“Shut the fuck up.” The gun wavers slightly in my tight fist.
“I’m sure she never bothered to tell you, but I was the one who popped her luscious cherry.” Hector waggles his tongue. “Along with numerous other . . . firsts.”
My heart slams against my ribs. Like watching a car accident unfold in front of my eyes.
“In words you can understand—I fucked her first. I experienced all her firsts.” Hector bares his teeth in a feral grin. “So, whenever you fuck her from now on, you can remember I was there?—”
“Stop,” a voice cries out behind us.
I whip around to see Maxine hoisting herself over the side of the tailgate, then charging toward us. “What the fuck?”
“Well, isn’t this convenient? She can tell you herself.” Hector’s lips twist into a satisfied sneer. “Tell him I’m wrong, Maxine. Tell him I wasn’t your first.”
MAXINE
The air in the dark night stills like even nature is taking a breath, anticipating my answer.
I flank Blood and glare at Hector. “This ends now.” I’ve seen Hector’s self-satisfied expression too many times in the past.
“Not until you admit we know each other intimately,” Hector taunts, daring me to contradict him. “Isn’t that right, Maxine?”
My heart bangs inside my chest as I fight against the fear he’s instilled in me over the years. His boundless control cured over years of intimidation is omnipresent, chilling me from the inside out.
“Tell your new lover how you worked him on my orders and how you even fucked him on my?—”
Blood’s gaze flits from me to Hector. “I said, shut the fuck up.”
“I think you have a right to know,” Hector continues.
“Only because you forced me.” I charge forward, and Blood grabs me. “Only because I wanted to live another day.”
“Ahhh, but the way you moaned. The way you?—”
“You can’t control me anymore,” I yell, drowning out his painful words, forgetting anyone else stood behind me in the dark night. “I won’t allow it.”
“Easy to say now because your protector has me at gunpoint.” Hector grins. “But by the look on his face, I’m guessing he doesn’t know about you and me.”
“There is no you and me. There was only you taking advantage of me.”
“The way you gave yourself to me. The way?—”
“Shut up,” I scream, my control slipping with his every word.
I glance at Blood, but his focus remains on Hector. He’s fighting his emotions and throwing up his outlaw facade to ignore Hector’s words, refusing to give him the reaction he craves.
I ease into his side and gaze up at him, then cover the hand holding the gun with mine. I slip my forefinger through the trigger, and his eyes meet mine. “No, I won’t let you.”
I lean into his ear. “This isn’t about you and me; this is about your power in Tijuana and my freedom.”
“I won’t let you be a part of this,” Blood whispers.
“Too late.” I brace my other hand around his wrist. “For my freedom, I’m willing to risk anything—even you.” I grip Blood’s hand tighter. “Don’t let your feelings for me influence what needs to be done.”
“He probably won’t be able to stand the sight of you,” Hector’s words cut into our standoff.
A low growl rumbles in Blood’s chest. He shifts his deadly gaze to Hector, and we squeeze the trigger—together.
My hand jerks against the pressure, then the gunshot rings out, pealing into the quiet night. Hector’s body flinches, then collapses to the dusty earth. An eerie silence fills the air, and I focus on Hector’s crumbled body, knowing he can never hurt me or anyone else ever again. I draw in the warm night air, and for the first time, my lungs expand without the shudder of anxiety.
The sound of motorcycles in the distance grows closer. Bolt and Diesel drop their kickstands and dismount their bikes. Smoke waves them over, but Blood remains quietly staring at Hector’s limp body.
His silence surrounds me. It frightens me.
Suddenly, he turns to Diesel. “Get this shit cleaned up.” Then he stalks toward the truck and slams himself into the passenger seat.
Smoke rests his hand on my shoulder. “He’s just pumped up.” He leads me back to the truck. “He’ll come around.”
I slowly shake my head. “No, I don’t think he will.”