CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“We’ve been sitting out here in this piece-of-shit trailer, in the middle of the fuckin’ desert, diddlin’ our dicks, and dealing with these whiny-ass girls.” Rios was doing some whining of his own. “And we still don’t know what our next move is. I thought you wanted to grab another kid.”
Rodrigo had waited to call him until he’d determined what their next move would be.
But Tamarin Rios was proving to be more impatient and vulgar than he was reliable.
“I didn’t call earlier because I needed time to check out Lucia Santos’s house before making any final decisions.” Rodrigo had been hoping to catch a glimpse of Calabretta. “She was not there, nor was her child. There were only some men who appeared to be installing a security system.”
And one very unsettling canine.
“Eddie must be hiding her somewhere,” Rios said.
“Your acute deduction skills continue to amaze me.” Half-wit. Rodrigo’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I have an idea where they might be and will require assistance.”
“I’m ready to—”
“No, I am taking Martín with me.” He no longer trusted Rios to get the job done. “I spoke with him earlier, and he should be arriving at my hotel soon.”
“Son of a bitch,” he growled. “He told me he was going to get some food.”
“Yes, I am aware, since I’m the one who told him to say that.” It was the only way to avoid a confrontation between the two men.
If Martín had killed Rios—which he no doubt would have—then Rodrigo would have been left with Jaime Ortega, who was near death, watching over the girls.
Bottom line, he needed Rios alive for now.
“There is something I must do tonight, and it will require some assistance. And since you are so deeply concerned about your friend, I naturally assumed you would want to stay with him. And not to rub salt in the proverbial wound, but it was your friend’s incompetence that resulted in him getting shot and thus, failing to secure the child. ”
“Well …” Rios stammered. “At this point, there’s really not much more I can do for him. So why don’t you send Martín back to watch the girls, and I’ll go with you tonight.”
And just that quickly, his deep concern for his friend evaporated when faced with the likelihood of losing standing with Rodrigo.
“No, no, I could not possibly pull you away from Jaime.” With that dismissal, he was sending a powerful message that, from this point forward, he was nothing more than a babysitter. “Do not worry, Tamarin. Martín has assured me he is up to the task.”
“What the fuck, Rodrigo.” There was a pounding sound in the background. “You know that guy’s a fuckin’ psycho, right? You can’t trust him.”
“I am fully aware of his lack of discernment and questionable ability to control his actions. Which is exactly why he will be assisting me this evening.” He needed someone who was totally devoid of a moral compass.
“Because, as the old saying goes, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’” Rodrigo decided it would be wise to stroke Rios’s ego a little, so he lied and said, “Keeping an eye on those girls is much more important than what I’ll be doing tonight, and I only trust you with that responsibility. ”
“I appreciate your trust in me, but I’m going fucking stir-crazy out here with nothin’ to do,” Rios said.
“I have a task for you, something that will help me greatly,” he said. “Someone has created a social media site for the missing girls.” He gave him the name of the site. “I want you to set up a fake account, to take photographs of each of the girls, and post them on that site.”
Proof-of-life photos would give their families hope that their children would be returned to them. And false hope was better than no hope at all. Because Rodrigo had no intention of sending them home.
“But … I’m pretty sure I saw something on TV once about them being able to trace stuff like that, and I don’t want that shit blowin’ back on me.” Rios sounded panicked.
“Even if that were true, by the time they figure out who did it, we will be safely back in Colombia.” At least, Rodrigo and Martín would be.
He had already decided Rios and his mentally challenged friend had outlived their usefulness and would be dealt with accordingly.
That was where Martín came in. He likened the man to a rabid dog kept on a tight leash. After tonight, he would be freed from his leash to deal with the other two men and the girls in whatever manner he chose.
No loose ends.
Rodrigo’s ultimate goal had not changed—kill the man responsible for bringing shame to his family. He could easily delegate the task to Martín, but this was personal, and he wanted to see the look of fear in Calabretta’s eyes when he pulled the trigger.
Then, Rodrigo would make sure the whole world knew those girls died a horrible death because of Eddie Calabretta. His family would be left to deal with the shame, just as Rodrigo was left to restore his family’s tarnished reputation.