Chapter Thirty-Eight #2
The power wasn’t out yet in the prison, and the servers are on their own power supply, even more secure than the backup power for the prison itself, meaning the servers are supposed to work without fail, no matter what.
If they’d stopped working, it was due to something else…
Like our very own hacker fucking them up. .
But I didn’t know that was the reason at first. So my initial response was, let’s go ask Luthor what he thinks is wrong.
Imagine my surprise when I got to his cell, and it was empty.
I went straight to the East and found him and Warren Xavier together, post-coital, cuddled up and discussing their exit strategy. It was cute, and for a moment, I considered just leaving them be.
April fools.
Dios, can you imagine??
Anyway, I had the Martinez twins bring Lexington to the Box for some attitude adjustment before hauling him off to his death, locked an unconscious Warren up in solitary, and brought the homemade computer to the East Wing control room so we could attempt figuring out what the hell had even happened.
That was when Carlos mentioned the girl.
“I don’t trust that kid Carson or whatever,” he was rambling in the background of my struggling to comprehend anything about the software of my own goddamn servers. “He’s been down to visit Ren a few times. Plus, that whole thing with the girl…”
My ears perked at that, face springing. “What girl?”
“The girl in the Box…” He blinked at me, bemused. I mirrored the look. “Remember? The one who was sneaking around in the prison a few weeks back…”
My eyes were practically bulging as I gaped at him, with no earthly clue what he was talking about.
Carlito was visibly nervous. “I told you about her…”
“You told me what??” I gasped.
“About the g-girl…” He faltered. “You don’t remember?”
“Obviously not!” I snapped, standing up and striding up to him. He backed up into the wall. “Who is this person?? Tell me her name!”
“I d-don’t know her name,” he stuttered. “She’s just some girl!”
“What does she look like??” I barked, losing my damn mind over the sheer insanity of this.
“I don’t know, um… pretty. Probably Latina. Light brown… hair,” His breathing grew labored from how close I clearly was to freaking my shit out. “Sort of… androgynous, I guess… Fuck, Jefe, I don’t—”
“You couldn’t have put her in the Box, Carlito.” I rubbed my face hard. “The Box is outside of solitary, and it’s not a cell. It’s for fucking torture. The twins are using it as we speak!”
He face fell. “Oh… shit.”
“Yea. So where the hell did you put this person??”
I would have laughed if I wasn’t so utterly irate.
The poor kid doesn’t know where anything is.
His expression was befuddled until I barked, “Where?!”
“The East!” He choked, “She’s in the East! In the cell with no window…”
The words were barely out of his mouth and I was off.
Racing out of the room, I headed for the back corridor. Of course, I knew which cell he was referring to. We call it the Tomb because that’s what it is.
It’s where you’d put someone if you wanted them to literally rot.
And the mystery girl was in there…
A girl I suspected might have been Avianna Alvarez.
Jesus fucking Christ, if I unintentionally put Angelito’s twin sister in the Tomb, I will be in such deep shit.
A few weeks earlier, I’d seen a flash of a mystery girl on the camera feed. It was brief, but from the back, she did look like Avianna.
Naturally, if it was Avianna Alvarez, my first inclination was to use her as bait… To lure my pajarito back.
I’d even had Kent stock clothes for her in the birdcage.
But when I asked Nestor to look into it, he told me the girl was gone. That was a party guest lingering after the lockdown. And I was so distracted by everything happening with Jonathan, I didn’t think twice, or check the feeds for more appearances.
If she is here, then it seems that my private security officer is either lying, or so incompetent he didn’t really check.
Neither option makes Nestor look very good.
Rushing to the cell, I could already see that the door was open. Luthor’s device did that.
She’d escaped, and was roaming the island once more.
Catching my breath was difficult, knowing that I needed to find this person. I wanted nothing more than to scour the camera feeds for any sign of her, to see if it really was Avianna. But I didn’t have time.
I needed to get back to solitary, to be there when Warren woke up. It was even more imperative now that he fathom just how deeply he and his hacker boyfriend had fucked up.
“Jefe?!” Voices call out, and I jump, yanked out of the memory of earlier tonight, face flinging in their direction.
Shit.
“Jefe?? Is that you?? He’s here!”
God dammit.
Closing my eyes, I pull in one more breath of freedom, before spinning to face them.
Equino and Dominguez are rushing over to me, clamoring about if I’m okay and what happened, and blah blah blah. But I can’t stop peeking over my shoulder, into the forest.
If he’s here, I will find him.
Or… her.
If Angelito came back for me, again, that means my little bird is far more determined than I thought. It’s been years since Club Edge, after all. To go through everything he must have gone through to find me here…
Mi pajarito es hambriento.
And despite what he’ll allow himself to believe, he’s hungry for more than just the revenge that’s driven him all this time.
Fuck, I can feel him under my skin already.
Go on. Fly, little bird…
Right into your ready-made cage.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I brush off their fussing. “Calmate, I’m fine. Where’s Jonathan…?”
They share a look, and my brow furrows.
“Spit it out. Was he in the prison??” My eyes fling to the wreck.
“Uh… si,” Equino mutters. “Most of them were.”
“Okay… and?”
“They’re… in the armory,” Dominguez says uneasily.
“They…”
“Velle and Rook.”
“Okay…”
“And they won’t come out.”
A scoff actually bursts out of me. “Perdóneme?? You said they won’t come out… of the armory?”
They both nod and gulp visibly.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I release the most exasperated sigh of my life. “I can’t believe I have to say this out loud to you pendejos, but fucking make them! Believe it or not, you don’t answer to those ratas!”
“We t-tried, sir,” Dominguez is shitting himself. “They shot Lopez.”
My jaw tics.
I swear to God… What is even the point of running the cartel?!
Reaching out, I grab the Beretta off of his belt and cock it aggressively. “Fine. If I really must do everything myself…”
Storming off, I follow the road that leads around the prison, from back to front, taking the long way to avoid having to climb over or go around the goddamn guard tower wreckage. I hear my men scurrying after me.
But a loud pop brings us all to a screeching halt. It’s distinctly different from the gunfire I’m expecting.
Shimmering blue and green fireworks are bursting above our heads.
“What in the hell?” I murmur, watching on, dumbfounded. But also momentarily transfixed, because fireworks have a way of hypnotizing you.
Unfortunately, there are only three of them, which has me pouting as I resume my march.
Why do I feel like that had something to do with Warren Xavier…?
“Get me a walkie,” I bark at whoever is closest. I don’t have the time or brainpower to think about the arsonist right now.
“And my satellite phone. Tell the others to have theirs on at all times. And keep the goddamn lines clear. We’ll be on phantom.
I don’t want them hearing anything we’re doing. ”
A few voices rush out yes, sir, but I’m not paying any attention. I’m on the march. Hoping to get into the prison easier via the west, so I can sort this out with my protege and get back to my searching.
Yes, I realize I replaced Jonathan and kicked him out of his home, and was planning to lock him up until he apologized, but still… I cannot believe he’s pulling this shit right now.
Hijacking the armory? Really??
It’s so predictable I could gag.
Although… I didn’t have anyone covering it, did I??
Ugh… Jesus! No wonder my staff are slacking. Look at how scattered their jefe is!
I’m all over the place and it’s embarrassing.
In truth, I’ve been distracted for a while… Maybe since I lost my little bird, or even before. Since my guard dog started growing more and more disobedient.
I was so distracted, I actually allowed one of the Alvarez twins to be locked up in the East for weeks because I apparently wasn’t paying attention when Carlito told me about it.
Loco.
That an intruder could even be on this island for weeks without me knowing proves that my machine is nowhere near as well-oiled as it once was.
Am I losing my edge? Seriously, I must be going too easy on these assholes…
Jonathan, the prisoners, all of them. They’re far too comfortable disobeying me, which means they aren’t as afraid as they should be.
That needs to be rectified right the fuck now.
I’ll put the fear of God in them.
As we walk around the prison, I’m glued to the walkie Equino is holding up between us. Scanning channels, I’m listening for any indication of what the fuck Officer Chevelle thinks he’s doing right now.
“Hang on,” I bark when I hear something. “Go back.”
He flips back until it comes in clear.
“…bet he didn’t anticipate this. Did you, sir?”
My every muscle bunches. My teeth set. I’m fucking tight with rage in an instant.
Oh, you sweet, arrogant fucking bitch…
You are so dead.
“That’s fine. I like it when people underestimate me, too. The walls are down. The prisoners will fight. We’re ready for you, Papi. So make your move.”
I’m fucking simmering, but I keep myself calm, and let it wash over me.
I can tell my men are watching me for a reaction, and that’s exactly why I swallow the wrath down like a huge pill.
This is what he wants—to get a rise out of me—and he’s counting on the anger making me stupid. But that’s not my style, and he knows that. It’s bait he knows I might not take, but he’s going to shoot his shot, which leads me to believe their plan isn’t completely solid.