Chapter 27
27
A fter a simple breakfast of coffee and pan dulce , Camila and Alejandro returned to their room to pack. As Camila was putting her toothpaste in her toiletry bag, she reminisced about the day before.
They had spent most of Thursday at the beach and then went to the village of Puerto Nuevo, a world famous location known as Lobster Town. With a beachside view, they ate halved lobsters served with soup, rice, beans, and warm tortillas while being serenaded by mariachis.
She wished they could have spent more time in Mexico, but she needed to return to Las Vegas. She had promised her boss at the magazine that she would return today. He wanted her to attend the Food Truck Festival and report on the diversity of food available and the rise in food trucks across the city.
She heard Alejandro moving around in the room as he packed his own bag and wondered what his plans were. Since Shapiro and Reyes’s evil empire was about to crumble, when would he be leaving, and when would they see each other again?
After they finished packing, they called a taxi to take them to the airport. They mostly had an uneventful flight, choosing to avoid talking about the raid at the clinic.
When they arrived in Las Vegas, Alejandro picked up the car and drove them to her parents’ house. She hadn’t arranged for anyone to clean up the blood at her house yet, and Alejandro insisted they stay at her parents’ place since her home was more than likely under surveillance.
They entered the house, flipping on lights as they went. Upstairs in the bedroom, Camila placed her suitcase at the foot of the bed and sat on the mattress, too tired to do anything else.
“Are you hungry? I’m starving,” Alejandro said.
“I could eat. We should have stopped to get food on the way from the airport.”
He nodded his agreement. “I’m craving the soul food you bought the other day.”
“Mmm, me too,” she admitted.
“Do you want to head over there?”
She groaned. “Do you mind going without me? I’m bushed.”
Alejandro walked over and kissed the corner of her eye, then her cheek, then her lips. “I can do that for you. What do you want?”
“Same as last time.”
“All right. I might try something different.” He kissed her again and headed toward the door.
“The meatloaf is good. So is the fried chicken,” Camila called after him.
“Maybe I’ll get both.”
She smiled, knowing he had the appetite to eat both meals. She plopped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the garage door open and close as he left.
Spending time with Alejandro was so different than spending time with Emilio. They had been content, for lack of a better word. With Alejandro, she was more than content. She was euphoric, and the sex–well, the sex was toe-curling good with a rawness she hadn’t experienced before. The difference between settling for ‘good enough’ versus being with the man you loved.
She dragged her body off the bed and went to use the bathroom. When she came back out, her phone beeped from a notification coming through. With a quick glance, she saw a short text on the screen from the owner of the magazine: Sad news . The text included a link, which she clicked.
Disbelief crashed over her. Stunned, she blinked—once, twice—hoping she had misread the article, “Beloved Local Clinic Doctor Found Dead in His Home.”
As she continued reading, a freezing chill snaked down her spine. Dr. Shapiro was dead.
His wife had been the one to find his body in their home after returning from a trip to New York. According to police on the scene, Kathleen Shapiro had been hysterical.
Camila’s hand covered her mouth. Poor Kathleen. What a shock discovering her husband’s body must have been.
She quickly dialed Alejandro’s number.
“I already put in the order, so if you changed your mind, you’re out of luck,” he said upon answering.
“I didn’t call about the food. Alejandro, you’re not going to believe this.” She told him about the article and finished with, “He killed Dr. Shapiro so he wouldn’t talk and implicate him. It has to be him, and he’ll walk away from the consequences.”
“I was worried something like this would happen. Men like Javier Reyes don’t go down easily,” Alejandro said in a grim tone.
“What can we do?”
“Nothing, for now. What about the Community Care Center? Do you know if they’ve been raided?”
“Hang on.” Camila searched and found several articles reporting the FBI had indeed been to the clinic. She read the details from one of the top stories to Alejandro. “Reyes will probably deny knowing about the illegal organ harvesting. He needs to be stopped. He can’t get away with this!” Camila said angrily.
“We will figure out how to stop him,” Alejandro said slowly.
The steady determination in his voice calmed her. “I know I need to settle down, but I had hoped he was caught once and for all.”
“He will be, eventually. We need to see how the FBI raid plays out.”
“Right.”
“He will pay for his crimes, if I have to make sure of it myself.”
She smiled. She didn’t doubt him for one minute. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”
“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
Camila hung up and took a calming breath.
As Alejandro had suggested, she should wait to see how the charges played out with the FBI investigation. There was also the collaboration between the governments of Mexico and the United States in Tijuana. Surely, between what was happening there, and the raid in Las Vegas, there was enough evidence to tie Javier Reyes to the crimes.
Of course, wealthy people never seemed to pay for their crimes. They hired the best lawyers and somehow weaseled their way out of consequences. She hoped this wouldn’t be one of those times.
Her phone rang and made her jump. She didn’t recognize the number. She hesitated, but on whim, answered. “Hello?”
“Camila, it’s Kathleen Shapiro.”
“Kathleen. Hi. How are you?”
She didn’t know Kathleen well, but she’d interacted with her at the clinic on a few occasions.
“I’ve been better.” She didn’t sound good at all, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Which it very well might be, considering the developing mess surrounding her husband’s businesses. “I hope you don’t mind me calling. I didn’t know what else to do. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the clinic has been raided by the FBI, and David...” Her voice cracked.
“I’m sorry. Yes, I heard about David’s passing and what happened at the clinic.”
“I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what to do. They’re saying terrible things about David and the work he did.” She sniffed.
Camila didn’t know what to say. “How can I help you?” she asked gently.
“I know you’ve done a lot of work with the homeless and volunteered at the clinic. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a bit.”
“Sure. When would you like to meet?” Camila tucked her hair behind her ear.
“I could talk right now, if you’re free. I’m outside.”
“Outside?” Camila hadn’t heard a car drive up.
“Yes.”
“How did you find me?”
“Remember when you and your mother came to help at the clinic? The volunteer paperwork you filled out included this address. I hope you don’t mind me popping over unannounced. With everything that’s been going on, I guess I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s not a problem. Um… I’m just surprised.”
“Do you mind if I come in, to talk for a little bit—unless you have company. I don’t know who else to talk to.”
“There’s no one here but me. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Camila hung up and hurried toward the door but paused. She turned out the light, crept over to the window, and peered outside.
Kathleen was standing beside her black Mercedes in the driveway, her short blonde hair almost iridescent in the night. Like always, she looked wealthy and well put together, tonight in a cream pantsuit and heels.
Biting her bottom lip, Camila hesitated. Kathleen was obviously alone, yet she removed the pepper spray from her purse. The few times she had met the other woman, she had never been uncomfortable around her, but with everything going on, she felt the need to take the extra precaution because Kathleen’s unexpected appearance made her a little uneasy. How much did she know about the clinic’s operations? Better to be safe than sorry.
Camila went downstairs and opened the door, hiding her hand with the pepper spray behind the door. “Hi, Kathleen. Come on in.”
“Thank you.”
Camila saw a subtle shift of Kathleen’s eyes. Then she caught the quick movement of someone to her left. A man sprang from the darkness, and she swung the door to shut him out, but he wedged his foot in the way and shoved his way inside.
She whipped the pepper spray toward him, but he moved with lightning speed to snag and twist her wrist. She hissed when sharp pain shot up her arm.
“Nice try,” he said in a gruff voice, which matched his appearance.
He had a full beard and dark eyes that glittered down at her with menacing intensity. He yanked her out the door, and she struggled, twisting toward him and bringing her knee up to his balls.
She didn’t hit him nearly as hard as she wanted to, but it was enough to elicit a cry from his lips and force him to double over in pain. She shifted away to run but slammed into the chest of another man who had come up behind her.
She stumbled back and blindly fired a punch, which he easily blocked. He spun her away from him and twisted her arm behind her back. Stomping on the bushes right outside the door, he shoved her hard into the wall of the house.
“Help!” she screamed.
His free hand covered her mouth, and she bit his fingers. He grunted but didn’t let go of her arm.
“Hurry up before someone sees us!” Kathleen hissed.
“Fuck this,” the man said.
His closed fist landed with brute force on the side of Camila’s head. The blunt blow rattled her brain, and then everything went dark.
Alejandro pulled around the corner toward the house. As he approached, he saw the front door was ajar.
What the…?
He sped into the driveway, hopped out of the vehicle, and rushed into the house.
“Camila!” he bellowed.
He hoped she’d answer and demand to know why he was yelling, but deep down knew no reply was forthcoming.
Stillness was his answer.
He raced through the house, checking the rooms and calling her name. He knew it was futile but went through the motions anyway. Her purse and phone were on the bed. She wouldn’t have gone anywhere without them.
He rushed downstairs to the living room. Nothing looked out of place. No sign of a struggle.
Stepping outside, his eyes searched the area and zeroed in on the trampled bushes near the door. His heart thudded out of control.
Someone had definitely been there, and they had taken Camila.