Chapter six #3
“Oh hey, Saban,” Her wave is hesitant and her gaze little wary. We haven’t seen each other since the night of the celebration of Angel defeating Rudy.
Stepping closer, she stops, her eyes raking over my face. Slowly she draws closer, concern and questions etched on her face.
“We have to leave here.” Biting my bottom lip to stop the onslaught of emotion threatening to break free, I manage to get out the words but barely.
Grabbing me, she pulls me close. “Shh,” hugging me she whispers. “Whatever it is. We can fix it. Angel and Snake will make it right.” Her promise breaks my heart all over again — for us both.
“No.” Snatching back I dash the tears away. “C’mon, we need to get out of here before they come looking for us. Kandie is waiting for us. Lock up.” My words are clipped. I can hear the mental clock ticking. The desperation in my voice is apparent in the harshness of my tone.
Easy, bless her heart, hurries to lock the library doors.
Together we rush to the back of the building, where I parked my bike. There is little chance people didn’t see me and will probably report back to Snake, but once we are on Love land, we will be safe.
Handing her a helmet, I get on front, and she takes the back seat.
In seconds we are eating up the asphalt down the road to Mimi’s house, where Kandie agreed for us to meet.
She said the shed behind Mimi’s house was their clubhouse when they were little girls. They hung out there until they went off to college.
Kandie says it’s mostly deserted now that no one has a new generation to take over yet. Still, it’s clean and well maintained when we arrive, looking at the lightly faded exterior. I care only that Snake knows nothing about it.
The door flies open before Kandy pulls us in and looks around outside anxiously.
“Did anyone see y’all?” she quizzes me.
“Probably,” I shrug. “It’s pointless anyway.
Angel de la Muerta runs these two towns and most of the southeast, let alone the state.
How do you think to stop him or get us out?
” The words are bitter, drowning in hurt and fear, even to my own ears.
Easy’s shocked gaze races between me and Kandie. “Wait. What’s going on?”
“You didn’t tell her?” Kandie asks, sounding both tired and accusatory.
“No time. Look, I know Angel is your husband. Hell, he was like a brother to me…”
Heaving a deep breath, I feel myself getting emotional, “I never would have thought—” I feel sick to even say it, choking on the words, I clamp my mouth shut. Afraid if I say anything else I’ll dry heave.
“Those motherfuckers dirty.” Unscrewing her flask, Kandie takes a fortifying swig before waving her arms in a large arc. “All of them. Angel, Snake, Rocco, that tall fine young’un, Pastor—”
“Padre,” Easy corrects looking like she is about to be sick too.
“Yeah, him and old funky ass Ulysses holier-than-swiss-cheese-ugly-ass Shelby,” she spits than man’s name out with venom only love betrayed can breed. I can’t say I don’t feel the same.
“They brought kids here, Ezekiel-Jane. Kids. Some of them like three or four. For nasty motherfuckers to fuck on.” Kandie tells her bluntly.
“Woah,” Easy raises her hands, shaking her head in denial.“No way. Angel told me to my face he’s never dealt in kids because of what happened to him.”
“That’s what I thought too, Easy.” Cringing, I press on with the truth.
“Snake and I had a big fight the night of the celebration. He’s been acting all fucked up after what happened with Rudy.
I don’t know.” I shrug, confusion giving way to realization.
He’s probably gaslighting me. “Like it was my fault.” Another shrug, this time stiff and angry, as I continue saying my piece.
“Anyway, I saw him leave and found him out at a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. You know they have scattered all over the place out here. When I got there. I saw Kandie. We waited until they left, and then we snuck in. We talked to some of the older girls. They told us everything. They said el Presidente of the el Diablos ordered their resettlement. That’s what they called it.
One of the coyotes had already raped one of the girls and beat her up to test her out. ”
Shaking my head, I try to erase the hollow look in the girl’s eyes. Looking as broken as I feel.
I see the moment disgust replaces doubt and rage ripples through Easy.
I can tell she trusts our words and takes every bit of it as truth.
“So what’s next?” She looks at us both, still looking stricken.
“I called the feds.” Kandie says, “You know we are always told to put our own work in as Loves, but there were over three dozen kids there. They are raiding their asses as we speak.”
On cue, Easy’s phone chimes. We crowd around as she looks down. It’s Angel.
Angel: Aye, don’t come home just yet. Hang out at the library for an hour, and if I don’t come to get you, go to Ma-Pete’s and wait for me there.
She types: Okay.
She shows us the text. “Now what? I don’t think even if they get arrested they will keep them. Unless they were there and can be identified, none of this can stick to them.”
I figured as much. I’ve been around el Diablo long enough to know of the countless unmapped compounds they have.
Snake, like Angel, has countless resources at his disposal.
He hasn’t used all these years at el Patron’s side for nothing.
Amassed unlimited wealth of his own. He has just as many bodies buried as his best friend, probably more.
“They are never going to keep them in jail. They aren’t going to be able to stop them. Ever.” The cold finality in Easy’s voice is jarring. None of us can reconcile the men we have gotten involved with compared to who they are in reality.
Yet I knew, Snake never hid who or what he was.
I just thought there was a line he wouldn’t cross.
I thought he had a code he lived by when it came to the innocent and the vulnerable.
I never thought he’d prey on people. El Diablo was thrust into my life as a cruel but fair savior.
I know what happens if you step out of line; if you betray the MC.
There will never be a safe place for me.
No matter what happens here. I will never be welcomed back, nor do I want to be after what I’ve learned.
Snake’s behavior makes so much more sense now. Maybe that is why he was constantly pushing me away — because he knows I would never countenance this evil.
Stepping away from us, Easy makes a call. For a minute I fear she’s calling Angel.
“The fuck you want?” A deep, thunderous voice growls across the line.
She has it on speaker so we can hear it.
“I need you to come get me,” she whispers, fear deadening her voice. Moving to her side in support, I listen in to the voice holding our fate in his hands
“What did he do to you, baby cuz?” The hard question cuts across the line. I can tell he doesn’t play about Easy. He’s a Love, and he sounds mean as fuck. I look to Kandie for answer but her focus is on her other two cousins’ conversation.
“Nothing.” She answers quickly, like it’s a knee-jerk defense of her husband.
“Bullshit,” he starts, then sighs so heavily. “I’m on my way. Takeda has an airstrip he lets us use. Do you know where it is?”
“No.” Easy looks to me and Kandie and we both shake our heads. I know nothing of the Japanese billionaire other than what I read in the Shelby-Love Chronicle.
“I’ll call him and have him send someone to come get you,” he says.
“No,” Easy, rushes in,”He’s really tight with Angel. He will see it as his obligation to tell him.” Her eyes getting wilder and wilder with fear makes me angry are even in this situation.
“Merdé.” I mutter, frustration eating at me.
“Fuck.” The harsh swear resounds in the room.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” parrots soon after in a cute baby voice.
“What’s going on?” We all turn to find Krie standing inside the door holding the small hand of Mateo, a frown puckering her brow as she looks from their littlest Love saying the bad words he’s just learned from his older cousin.
“We have to get out of town,” I say, cutting through anymore long explanations that will only delay us getting out of town.
“Wait a minute, who all is there?’ Oz’s dark question clearly indicates he doesn’t appreciate all these surprise developments.
“Me, Saban, Krie, little Mateo who just came in and Kandie.” Easy’s sheepish reply has him muttering curse after curse.
“Kandie? Fucking figures.” Another long-suffering sigh. “I guess all the news coming in about a raid on traffickers has something to do with this little gathering. Find a way out to the airstrip, I will find a way to get clearance—”
“I can get it.” Krie who still looks ravaged from losing her restaurant and the man she so obviously loves pipes up cutting him off.
“How?” Oz sounds hopeful yet doubting at the same time.
“Kiyoshi lets me bring in imports, so I don’t have to go all the way to Birmingham or face a lot of hassles. I doubt he’ll rescind it just because I’m not with him anymore.” Her voice is sure even though her eyes look like two open wounds.
“Y’all and these fucking guys. Y’all didn’t learn shit from Mama-Pete, on God.
Krie, keep your phone. The rest of y’all burn those, motherfuckers, or they are going to find you.
Hopefully, Angel didn’t put a tracker in your little simple ass, Easy.
I’ll scan you when I get there and take it out if he did. ”
“He didn’t.” The way she’s still defending him has me worried. He won’t kill her but me. Snake would do the deed himself.
“I’ll check when I get there.” He insists. “Saban, what about you?”
“I’m not sure.” Looking at my arms. I don’t know. Shrugging, he can check when he gets here. I would put anything past that unhinged maniac.
“Kandie?” He growls.
“No fucking way.” She hisses with a surety I wish I felt.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” comes Mateo sing song voice. We all huff out a laugh despite the darkness falling around our lives.