Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
MALO
I stuff a few items of clothing into my bag, filling it up quickly. We’re leaving in less than two hours, and I’ve left it to the last minute to get ready for this trip we’re about to take.
But, with everything that happened with Rayo and Maria, it’s not as though I don’t have good reason. I can’t stop thinking about what I overheard through her wire, the way he spoke to her, how he threatened her. If anything, it’s made me even more certain that we need to bring them down for good, make them pay for everything they’ve done.
But first, I have a trip to Mexico to get Maria’s father out of captivity. Beast has already made it clear he doesn’t exactly think it’s a good plan, but he knows that when I get an idea in my head, I’m not going to let go of it. And this is what Maria needs from us—this is what she’s asked for, what she wants. After everything she’s done, the risk she’s put herself in for us, I think it’s what she deserves.
She’s brave. Braver than I thought. The way she talked to Rayo before, the way she lied to him so convincingly, she’s better suited to this life than she probably wants to admit, even to herself. She knows how to handle herself in a tough situation, and she’s managed to hand us Rayo on a silver platter.
He’s being held by the other Kings right now, in our lock-up, and I don’t envy the guys who have the task of getting the information we need out of him. I get the feeling he’s going to make it difficult for us to find out what we need. Some misplaced sense of loyalty to El Serpiente, for whatever reason. He must be paid well to keep his mouth shut.
It’s only a matter of time before someone notices that he’s missing, and, with the information that Maria has been feeding to Las Rosas Negras, they’re going to know we had something to do with the kidnapping. I wouldn’t be surprised if El Serpiente has already sent down a cabal of his men to get in our way, cause us some real trouble. Luring them away from Mexico will make my job easier, but I can’t help but worry about Beast and the rest of the Kings down here. Will they be able to take the fury of whatever El Serpiente has to throw at them?
I can’t think about that right now, I have to keep my focus. What matters is following through on what I’ve promised to Maria. She was asking me about the plan to get her father back earlier today, and when I told her that we were leaving this afternoon, her eyes lit up with excitement.
“Really?” she blurted out, a smile spreading across her face. I didn’t see her smile much, and there was something warm and sincere in the way she grinned at me. I nodded.
“Yeah, really,” I replied, turning my attention back to our plans.
Blue and I are heading out later this afternoon, meeting some of our contacts in Monterrey, after we fly out on a chartered plane Blue managed to talk our way on to. We still have to figure out what we’re going to do when we actually get there, but once we’ve had a chance to scope the place out a little, we’ll be able to put together a plan to get Maria’s father to safety.
There is a knock at my door, and I look up to see Maria standing there, leaning on the frame, a strange look in her eyes.
“Maria?” I mutter, straightening up. “What is it?”
She inhales deeply, flicks her tongue out over her lips, and then speaks. “I want to come with you.”
I stare at her for a moment, and then snort with laughter. “No,” I tell her. “No way. You have to be crazy. You’re staying here, where it’s safe.”
“No, listen to me,” she pleads, as she takes a step into the room, hitting me with those big, beautiful brown eyes that I have a hard time resisting.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I really think it makes sense for me to go with you,” she explains. I cross my arms over my chest. I know she isn’t going to let me get away with this without hearing her out, so I figure the least I can do is let her tell me what’s on her mind. So I can tell her that there is no way in hell it’s enough to justify her coming with me.
“I know the area better than you guys. I grew up in Mazamitla but lived off and on with my father in Monterrey before this happened,” she explains. “And, with Rayo gone, it’s not as though there’s any reason for me to stay here. They’re not going to be looking for me or keeping tabs on me the same way.”
“You’re safe here,” I remind her. “At the compound. There are way more people who can keep an eye on you, and?—”
“And you know as well as I do that Las Rosas Negras will be sending their men here soon enough, based on the information I’ve been giving them,” she cuts me off, taking another step toward me. “I’m as safe with you out there as I would be down here.”
I frown. She had a point, as much as I didn’t want to admit it.
“Why do you even want to go?” I ask her. “You know how dangerous this is.”
“That’s why I want to go with you,” she pleads with me. “Because I don’t want to send you or anyone else out on some death mission that I wouldn’t be part of myself.”
She pauses for a moment, biting her lip.
“And besides, this is my father we’re talking about,” she points out. “I need to know that I did everything I could to get him out of there alive. I can’t do that here, I just can’t.”
I rub my hand over my face. There is going to be no talking her out of this. I can tell from the way she is looking at me that she isn’t going to drop this anytime soon. If I don’t agree to bring her with us, she might just find a way to sneak along anyway, and I would much rather know where she is than have to guess at it.
“Fine,” I mutter. “You can come with us. Pack some things. We’re leaving in a couple of hours.”
She dives toward me, and, much to my surprise, pulls me into a hug. The scent of her shampoo fills the air for a moment, and I’m reminded, all at once, of our hook-up behind the bar—the night that started all of this, for better or for worse. I pull back quickly.
“Thank you, Malo,” she tells me, a smile spreading over her face. “I promise you won’t regret this.”
“I better not,” I warn her, but I can’t help but smile back. There’s something about her grin that’s infectious, even in these dark circumstances.
She hurries out of the room, presumably to pack, and I try to figure out how I’m going to explain her presence to Blue. I’m sure he’s going to have plenty of protests with it, but we don’t have time to sit around and hash them out right now.
I meet Blue at the main door to the compound an hour or so before our flight, and Maria bounds down the stairs to join us, a bag slung over one shoulder.
Blue frowns when he sees her approaching. “What’s she doing here?” he asks, lowering his voice and tipping his head in her direction.
“She’s coming with us,” I reply. He parts his lips, clearly about to protest, but I lift a hand to stop him in his tracks.
“I know,” I tell him quickly. “But she knows the area well, and she’s not going to be of any use to us sitting around here.”
Blue cocks an eyebrow, and I can see on his face that he’s not exactly impressed, but he knows better than to argue with me when we’re on such a tight schedule. Maria arrives by our side, her cheeks a little flushed, as though she’s so excited she just can’t restrain herself. I guess, in her mind, this is the beginning of the journey that will bring her father back. Anyone would be excited, looking at it like that.
“You ready?” I ask her, and she nods.
Blue greets her with a jerk of his head, clearly not entirely impressed that she’s here. I’ve left a message for Beast to let him know I’m going to be taking her with me, and no doubt he’s going to chew me out when I get back.
If I get back.
“I’m ready,” Maria agrees, and we head to the car we’re taking to the airport. I don’t know exactly what’s waiting for us out there in Mexico, but I know, if Maria’s the one asking for it, I’m willing to do anything to take it on.