Chapter 23 #2
Steel gave her a reassuring nod.
“He visited often. When he did, it would start with a meeting with my father. He’d have dinner with us that night, and he’d stay in our home.
In the morning, he and my brother would leave after breakfast, followed by several large trucks.
I always assumed they were going to pick up shipments of drugs. ”
“What kinds of trucks did they take, Daleyza?” Steel asked.
“Flatbed semis.”
“Empty or full?”
“Most of the time they arrived empty, and when they left, they had shipping containers aboard them. Why? Does it matter?”
“It matters,” TB answered. “Waters was involved in disrupting a sex trafficker a couple of years before Tribe formed. Then later, as a group, we intercepted another shipment. When we ran that group to ground, their method was to put shipping containers onto flatbeds. At the time, we thought it was just your average slave trafficking scum. Only recently did we find out that the shipment we intercepted belonged to the Salieri.”
Inside her head, an array of disjointed moments began to coalesce into a larger picture. She didn’t condone drug trafficking, but what she was beginning to understand now was far worse.
The expression on Steel’s face communicated that his mind was putting the same puzzle pieces together and forming the same picture.
He gripped her hand in support. “Midas, go back into the reports. We would have logged container numbers, license plates, as well as the identities of the men we captured before disposal. I’m willing to bet we’ll be able to trace both of those shipments back to Daleyza’s father. ”
“And if you’re willing to bet on it,” Midas replied, “I’m willing to accept the odds. Give me a minute.”
“Ildefanso—”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself, Leeza. There’s no way you could have known. The only ones at fault here are your father, your brothers, and those who knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it.”
“I was there. Doesn’t that still make me complicit?”
“It’s not like you drove the trucks or ran any part of the business. So no, you’re not part of it. How could you be if you knew nothing of what was going on?”
“But I knew, even early on as a child, that he did horrible things to make a living. I am complicit, at least in some way.”
“I’ve got it!” Midas came back online. “The container Waters intercepted was labeled PHTU 073124 5 25G1. It belonged to a company named Pale Horse Transit. The manifest claimed the dry container held stock of infant carriers bound for Los Angeles. Well, there’s irony for you.
” The sarcasm in his voice wasn’t just dripping; it was a waterfall.
Midas continued. “It will take me a little longer to confirm whether Daleyza’s family is connected through ownership or use. I’m going to have to dig deep.”
“How long will you need?” God asked.
“Not sure, but I’m already back channeling as we speak.”
“You should be able to find it quickly,” she said. “The logo on the mud flaps of the trucks my father used. They had a green horse on them, and the rider on the horse had a scythe.”
“No. It can’t be that easy.” God’s voice was filled with both understanding and horror. Like a general giving orders, he returned to his normal, cranky, abrupt self. “Loki… Gilgamesh… Get this information to Cerberus and Medusa. I think we’ve found the missing link we’ve been looking for.”
“On it.”
“Daleyza, have you seen any other horse emblems in your family’s business dealings?”
“I… I don’t know. Although, we did have a lot of artwork around our home centered around horses.
” She looked at Ildefanso. “My father didn’t talk about business with me or any of the other women, to my knowledge.
We weren’t considered capable of that sort of thing.
It wasn’t until I met Ildefanso that anyone thought I had worth beyond the marriage bed. ”
The arm that had been stretched across the back of her chair moved, bringing his hand forward to smooth the back of his index finger down her cheek. Their gazes lingered on each other’s faces.
“But you don’t remember seeing anything?”
“I’m sorry, no. Not consciously.”
“Too bad Midas isn’t here to do his voodoo,” TB said. “He could hypnotize her, and maybe she’d remember something that way.”
“Well, he’s not here, so there’s no point wishing for it,” God snapped. “Daleyza, if you think of anything, I need you to tell Steel or one of us. That goes for everyone. If any of us sees anything to do with horses, I want to know immediately. And I want pictures.”
“What’s the big deal with horses?” Nemo asked.
Her breath quickened. “The horse was green.”
Steel murmured, “‘And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.’ Revelations.”
“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Those Revelations?” TB asked.
“That’s right. Any horses right now, but I’m guessing if they show up in this mess, you’ll see them in either white, red, black, or green.”
“And Daleyza’s family lives in a converted mission.” This reminder came from Demon. “Ancient biblical verses. A Spanish mission. How do those connect to the Cult of Dionysus and the Salieri?”
“For Tribe? Maybe not at all,” God said. “But for Mythos? It could mean something a whole lot more. Just keep your eyes open and let me know if you see anything.”
“We’ve exited the cable car,” Nemo informed them. “They’re headed for the parking area. Howard got into a rideshare, and the other guy is walking toward town. What do you want us to do?”
“Follow them. TB and Demon will take our new friend. You and Gem take Howard. Report every fifteen minutes to Midas. Your trackers are activated, so if we don’t hear from you after twenty minutes, we’re coming after you.”
Demon alerted them. “Medusa just pulled up and is taking the happy couple with her to follow Howard, who’s heading west by vehicle.”
“Medusa, follow him, but stay far back. If we lose him, we at least have a point of origin. The rest of you, continue with the plan to go back to the hotel. We’ve secured additional transportation for us in case, at any point, we need to split up or be on the move quickly, so check in with me for keys and locations. ”
A chorus of agreements came over the line as people muted their comms.
There was a subtle pause, and then the back of a finger smoothed down her cheek. “You have always had worth, belleza. Some people may be blind, but you have never been less, no matter what they failed to see.”
The smile that bloomed was slight, but his words warmed her heart. One of the things she had always loved about him was that praise came readily, along with compliments. As if he knew she’d suffered from a lack of both and wanted to build her up.
His hands covered hers on the table, and he spoke softly, so no one around them could hear. “I bungled things horribly the other night. My words weren’t meant to make you believe that I was rejecting you.”
She didn’t want to talk about this. Not now.
She was too overwhelmed. However, she didn’t think she’d ever want to talk about it, so they might as well get it out of the way.
“Nevertheless, they were a rejection. Your words about relocating me have made it clear you have no intention of trying to be part of my life when this is over.”
“I didn’t think I would be welcome back into your life.”
The look in his eyes was genuine. He truly believed she no longer desired him in her future.
She wanted him still. The other night proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt, especially since she initiated their lovemaking.
He’d responded with the fire she remembered from their marriage.
If anything, it had felt even more desperate, as if he worried it would be the last time between them. So he wanted her as well.
But was chemistry enough? Was it even enough as a foundation on which to build?
More importantly, did she trust him enough to let him back into her heart?
Up until the night in his apartment, she’d been certain his emergence back into her life was a sign they were meant to be together. But that night, his words and actions, or lack thereof, made her question that belief.
“I… I guess I don’t know,” she said honestly.
“There’s been so much pain, Fanso. Even before we lost Tobias, I sensed you slipping away from me.
I was already grieving, so when you left to go back to the Navy, it nearly broke me.
If I hadn’t needed to care for Livia, I’m not sure I would have survived.
Then you were ‘dead,’ and I mourned for so long.
It was like I kept discovering new ways to lose you. ”
“And then Madre worsened,” he finished.
“Sí.” And here came the most difficult truth of all.
“It’s clear you could have someone in your life, since all your friends do.
But you made no move to come for me. To right what was wrong.
What do you think that says to me, Fanso?
How can I not think that if I let you in, you could vanish again? I honestly think it would kill me.”
Raising her hands to his lips, he kissed her fingers.
“Now is the worst time in the world to be worrying about this. We both need to focus. We’ll be in a great deal of danger, and while I’ll do everything I can to protect you, things can always go wrong.
Let’s get through this. Then, when we’ve rescued Ka-Bar and Waters, when they’re home, and this is all behind us, we’ll deal with it. ”
What he said was probably wise, but she would be lying to herself if she didn’t feel as if she was being brushed off by him again.
“Your wheels are spinning again.” The man knew her too well.
Of course he’d sense her uncertainty. “Belleza, I promise. We will deal with it. I promise on Madre’s life, I’m not putting you off, shutting you out, or plotting how to leave you again.
” He kissed her hand again. “Trust me, Leeza. One more time. Like you used to.”
She did. Absolutely. He meant it. At least, he did right now. But what was to say that something wouldn’t happen in the future that would cause him to abandon her again in a misguided effort to protect her?