Chapter nineteen #2
“Yeah,” I say, turning to watch as Saban tidies up the kitchen.
This will be the first time we’d be seen together outside of el Diablo territory.
I’m not sure if she’s ready to have her name linked with mine.
I sure as hell don’t want her marred through any association with me, many in the town see us as criminals and outsiders — which is not far off the mark though nothing we have done is even close to some of the stuff many of the denizens of this fine town get up to.
Still, I don’t want to make her life harder here than it has to be.
The Picnic
“I’m Mathias Shelby, running for US Senate for the state of Alabama, and I don’t deserve you vote.” The crowd gasps. Murmurs fill the crowd as they look from one another as the words of Angel’s oldest friend sink in.
“No. I don’t deserve your vote, but I’m going to ask for it, anyway. This is not about who is more deserving. It’s about who can deliver. Who cares. Who owes a debt to this community the most and is ready to serve.That is me. Story time, as they say on the clock app…”
Impressed, I listen to the rest of the speech of the man who will definitely be our next senator from the great state of Alabama and maybe even president one day.
By the time Mathias is done, there is not a dry eye in the crowd. Even among the most cynical of the bunch, there are surreptitious wiping of eyes.
I keep Saban pressed id closed to my side with my arms draped loosely around her shoulders. As the crowds disperses after the speech.
“Hi,” Saban waves to a demurely dressed woman dressed rather modestly for the summer heat.
“Alo,” comes the lyrical response coupled with a beautiful dimpled smile as she approaches us.
“How do you like the little get-together so far, Peace?” Saban asks, leaning in to give the novice a hug.
“It’s been very nice, and the people here are so friendly.” She answers, but her gaze strays to me, the question evident in them.
“Oh, let me introduce you two. Peace this is Hadrián.” She supplies before turning to me. “She’s the new novice at the Catholic church. We met the other day.”
Reaching out I shake the woman’s hand. She reminds me so much of the women we had to leave behind that night.
So many of them couldn’t be saved, and I have often wondered about their fates.
Though I know nothing good could have come out of that night in the forest. Saban and I — to no lesser an extent are both still haunted by the experience.
My phone buzzes with an alert from the security team.
ALERT NICCOLETTE SHELBY IS MISSING. DESCRETELY SEARCH THE PERIMETER OF THE PARK. TRY NOT TO ALARM GUESS MEET OVER BY THE CAMELIA’S PAVLION IN THIRTY MINUTES.
Excusing myself from the women, I aid in the search, which proves to be fruitless, leaving us to gather at The Camilia’s pavilion as instructed.
Soon we are joined by other members of the Love and Carrington families, Angel, Rocco and Padre.
Using ATV’s we take the east side of the park, which takes up more than ten acres, though we’re only using a small section for the barbecue.
Santiago put up his guitar, falling into step with Mathias, Angel and Kiyoshi, taking the west.
“You lost my sister?” Kandie yells, running up to Mathias shoving him so hard in the chest he stumbles a little. His arms pinwheel before he whips around just in time for Ulysses to rush up and stand in front of her.
“What’s going on?” The sheriff demands at the group at large, but his eyes are locked on his own little troublemaker.
“None of your business,” she yells at him, already spiraling, “I told you to keep that crazy bitch locked up, that she has some kind of weird fixation on my baby sister, but you let her go.”
“Who?” Cold dread seems to drop over Mathias like an avalanche.
“Joi, that’s who.” Kandie says, hugging herself as she shakes with gut-wrenching sobs.
“I-I remember her getting me to drink and grilling me about Nikki’s business.
I didn’t know anything about y’all, but she wanted to know all about how she grew up and who our mom was.
Like she was writing a book or something.
Then, when all that stuff was coming out, I caught her going through my stuff taking pictures.
Then, when the thing about the birth certificate happened, she came back to steal it for evidence, she said, talking about how she was saving Nikki from you.
” Looking defeated, she shakes her head.
Turning away from us, she heads in the opposite direction to look for Nikki.
“We’ll take the south.” Ulysses says, his eyes following her with a troubled expression.
Another half hour passes with still no sign of her. Folks are taking a break, drinking water and trying to recall the last place they saw her.
“I thought I saw Joi lurking around, but I can’t be sure.” Mimi says, handing little Mateo a bottle of water. “I was too busy in the medical tent. But I could have sworn I saw her.”
“She was here.” Kandie says, pulling out a flask, taking a fortifying nip before sliding it back into her jeans pocket. “I looked her dead in the eye. If I didn’t have a double line, I would’ve walked her tail down.”
Seconds a later, Mateo points west in the direction but farther than any of us searched. “Pire, PIRE, mommy.”
We all look at the billowing black smoke coming through the trees.
Running like hell is at our backs, we all set out in the direction of the blaze.
Ulysses is on his walkie call all available volunteers to the fire station.
Soon alarms are sounding. We cut through the field, coming up upon an old barn.
It’s old but obviously a working barn or at least used for storage of hay, which as highly incendiary. The whole building is a loss.
We all stand back, then Mathias bolts towards the blazing building only to be knocked down right before the front collapses.
“Let me go.” He screams above the din of people milling around, helpless as to what to do as the flames eat up the dry wood.
“It’s too late.” Angel says soothing trying to soothe him, still holding him tight so he won’t charge into the flames.
“Let me go, motherfucker.” He bucks and swings. Catching him on the side of his face. Angel takes it all, never flinching. “She’s gone.” He says just as another side of the building collapses in burning timber and ash.
“No,” he sounds so broken.
A bloodcurdling scream has us jerking around. Two figures obscured by black smoke are at the barn window.
We scramble up, racing to that side. Nikki thrusts Joi out the window and then hurls herself out just as the back part of the barn collapses much like the first.
Mimi pushes through just as the ambulance arrives. Still, we all watch helplessly as two of our own are carted away.
I feel the soft brush of her against me. Realizing then that she saw it all. Looking down into the hollowness of her gaze as she watches the ambulance speed away, I can’t help but worry how this will manifest later in her dreams.