Chapter Nineteen
“Do we really have to meet Abdoul tonight?” I whined sounding like I was ten years old and asking for a later bedtime. I knew I was being unreasonable but I didn’t care. I was dirty, hungry and my arm hurt. I know it was supposedly just a scratch, but it still was painful. Besides being almost murdered had frazzled my nerves and I just wanted to curl up on my sofa, eat candy and fry my brain watching reality shows.
“If we don’t, you’ll never be safe.”
“Am I ever?” Who were we kidding? It wasn’t like this was the first time I’d ticked someone off.
Manuel’s face tightened. “This is different.”
I sighed. He was right. I’d bothered people before, but no one of Abdoul’s criminal calibre.
“Goldie, sneaking off tonight wasn’t smart.”
“He told me I had to come alone,” I explained. “Otherwise he’d hurt Hector.”
“Don’t do it again.”
I suppressed a shiver.
I knew Manuel would never hurt me, but after what I saw tonight I was a little scared of what he was capable of.
“What did he mean when he said in the old days?”
I could tell he knew what I was asking about because his expression changed.
“It’s something you don’t need to know.”
“I don’t need to, but I want to.”
“Don’t go there Goldie,” Manuel said. His voice was stern with a touch of scary.
I looked out the window wishing this night was over.
I wanted to ask more questions, but thought better of it. It was obvious there was a past between the two of them. It was also obvious he wasn’t going to talk about it. I felt relieved Ortiz was dead but I also felt sick to my stomach every time I pictured him dead on the ground.
Just as we turned onto Sunset lights flooded the car. Manuel looked into the rear view mirror. “I’m guessing your boyfriend wasn’t happy the way you ditched him,” Manuel said.
I turned around and was blinded by the obnoxious glare.
“Bryan?”
“He’s in the car with the cop from the party.”
I sighed. My reserve energy tank was on low, close to running on fumes and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to deal. Unless…
“Do you have anything sugary to eat in here?” I asked.
“No,” Manuel said.
I put my head back on the seat and shut my eyes. I should have known Mr.Hardbody wouldn’t have anything good. There wasn’t even a stray water bottle rolling around on the floor.
“I need chocolate. And I need it now.”
“Goldie I’ve seen crack heads less strung out than you are.”
I sighed, resolved to my fate. I think I would have done anything for a candy bar short of selling a body part.
A siren blared behind us.
“We have time. What do you want me to do?” He asked.
“I’ll talk to him.”
Manuel pulled into a gas station. We both got out but Manuel stayed behind leaning against the driver’s side door. How could he look so relaxed? He just killed someone and was ready to trap one of the world’s biggest drug dealers. I was a wreck and on the verge of begging to be dropped into a vat of chocolate where I could self-medicate into a sugar induced high.
When Bryan got out of the car my stomach flip flopped at the sight of him. He was still wearing his tuxedo, but had discarded his jacket and tie. A primal urge came out of me. I wanted us to find a tree, haul ourselves against it and be like jungle animals.
“What the hell is going on?” Bryan shouted storming past me towards Manuel. “What went on in the canyon?”
Manuel barely glanced in his direction. “You tell me.”
I could see Bryan’s temper rise to where a vein in his neck possibly bursting by Manuel’s answer. “Don’t bullshit me. Who do you work for?”
Manuel didn’t answer.
“I’m going to find out who you are,” Bryan said narrowing his eyes.
Bryan didn’t make empty threats. If Manuel was hiding something he would find out.
“I wouldn’t go hunting for something that’s none of your business.” Manuel’s tone left nothing to the imagination.
“Stevie is my business,” Bryan said.
This is where I needed to step in. I could see it was starting to go in the direction of my dick is bigger than yours.
“You’ve got this all wrong,” I said to Bryan. “Manuel is helping me.”
“How? By getting you kidnapped. Even in your warped world that can’t be considered helping,” he countered.
My blood started to boil at the warped comment. “Well in my world we’re leaving.”
I walked away. Bryan grabbed my arm. “Stevie what the hell is going on?”
“I’ll be okay Bryan,” I said trying to reassure him. There was no point in telling him the truth. It would only get him upset.
“Don’t go. I have a bad feeling,” he said locking eyes with me.
My anger deflated when I saw the concern in his eyes. “I’ll be okay.”
“Do you want me to cuff her?” Kevin chipped in.
I peeked around Bryan’s shoulder and glared at him.
“It’s nothing personal Stevie,” he said then looked at Bryan to check what he should do. I was relieved to see he signalled him not to.
I glanced at Manuel who was watching everything unfold with a look of cool detachment. But I had a feeling if Kevin would have tried to cuff me it would have gotten ugly.
Bryan came over and gave me a hug then whispered in my ear. “Be careful.”
That was it? No lecture?
I knit my eyebrows together. “Aren’t you going to try to convince me to stay?”
He sighed. “Could I make you change your mind?’
I thought about it. “No.”
“That’s what I thought,” he said.
I started to walk away when Bryan called out to me.
I knew I couldn’t get away so easily.
“Hey you wouldn’t happen to have had anything to do with a break in at Mrs. Howard’s house tonight?”
Between trying to trap a drug lord and almost getting kidnapped who had the time?
I shook my head. “Is she okay?”
“She’s wasn’t there, but her house is trashed.”
“I swear I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
For once I could truthfully claim all ignorance.
“I can’t believe he just let me go,” I said to Manuel once we got back in the car.
I still couldn’t believe Bryan just gave up. It wasn’t like him.
“It was the smart thing to do.”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, but it just feels strange.”
“Maybe he was too tired to argue,” Manuel said with a straight face.
I pursed my lips together. I knew perfectly well what he was referring too. “I doubt it.”
I knew Bryan and one sexual encounter was not enough to exhaust him. Three maybe. But one? Never.
“Have you thought of a way to get Abdoul to tell you how he got the list?” Manuel asked.
“Not yet,” I said.
Men usually loved to brag about how clever they were. I doubted Abdoul would be any different. I was thinking I’d just ask him.
“No plan?”
“I’m not really a big planner type of girl.”
Manuel half smiled. “I would never have guessed that.”
I could tell he was making fun of me.
I made a face. “It’s worked for me so far,” I said.
Manuel was smart enough not to comment. I looked out the window at the mixture of tourists and locals on Hollywood Boulevard and tried to ignore the tightness of my stomach as we got closer to Union Station.
“Do you think Abdoul will try anything tonight?” I asked.
“If he’s smart he won’t.”
Just then I remembered what Ortiz
had said in the car about not killing me. I told Manuel what he had said about Ali.
“Is what he said a good or bad thing?” I asked. At least I didn’t have a death target on me anymore.
Manuel didn’t answer. Instead he pulled out his phone and made a couple calls. I tried to figure out what he was saying but he spoke in Spanish.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Silence.
“I want to know.”
“You’ll be safe,” he said. “You trust me right?”
“Yes,” I said not hesitating.
“Then you don’t need know.”
I let out a groan. I knew badgering would be futile so I decided to change the subject.
“Why did Ortiz call you Coli? What does it mean?”
“Hector didn’t lie about your questions.”
I ignored his attempt at distracting me.
“Is that your real name?”
I could see he was debating whether to answer me.
“I was called Coli because I’m from Columbia,” Manuel said.
“How come Hector doesn’t call you that?” I jumped in surprised he answered.
“Because he didn’t know me then.”
“But Ortiz did?”
He nodded.
“Were you a….a,” I was stumbling over the words not sure now I wanted to know the answer. “Like him?”
“No.”
I exhaled with relief. I knew Manuel wasn’t the law abiding citizen Bryan was but it would have been hard to stomach him on the same level as Ortiz.
“Then what did he mean about the old days?”
Maybe if I asked him enough times he’d eventually answer.
“Does it really matter?”
“Yeah it does,” I said. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to believe he was a good guy. My gut told me he was but the way he shot Ortiz without giving it a thought was a shock.
“It doesn’t to me.” His voice was flat and cold and left no room for any further questions.
We drove the rest of the way in silence both of us at a loss what to say. I knew he didn’t owe me any kind of explanation. Who was I to him? A friend of Hectors? When we neared Union Station he pulled over to a side street, reached into the back and pulled out a briefcase and opened it. Inside was a headphones and what looked like a bunch of wires.
“What’s that?” I asked peeking over the top of the briefcase.
“Your wire,” he answered taking out some utility tape. He held up a round flat thing.
“I’m going to need to attach this to you,” he said looking down at my shirt.
Yikes. I knew from the movies it would be going around my chest area.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Why?”
“The color just drained from your face,” he said.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
Considering I was trying to trap a notorious drug lord I was surprisingly calm.
“You ready?” He asked holding up the wire.
I nodded.
He rested the briefcase on the dashboard then reached across putting both of his hands on my waist. I leaned forward almost resting my head on his shoulder. He eased his hands from my waist feeling around for the right spot to put the wire. His fingers brushed against my skin while he taped it just below my breasts.
“Does that feel okay?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“You’re sure?” He asked with his hands still around my waist. “It’s not too tight?”
“No, it’s fine.”
When he pulled his hands away I swallowed hard ignoring the heat that still lingered.
“I could try to find a better spot for it if you like,” he asked with a grin.
“It’s good,” I said trying to sound like I meant it.
When we got to Union Station Manuel parked in the lot around the back. It was almost deserted except for a few stragglers. In LA the commuter trains stopped before midnight. The city wasn’t exactly mass transit friendly.
“Think of a code word you can blend into the conversation if you feel uneasy about anything,” Manuel said.
My mind went blank. “Like what?”
“Anything.”
“Give me a suggestion.”
I knew I was being a pain in the ass, but it’s not like I was the expert or anything.
“Drop off,” he suggested. “That wouldn’t draw his attention.”
“Don’t like that.” That was too easy for me to say without intending to and then I’d blow the whole thing.
“How about coffee?” Who doesn’t like that? I could easily weave that into the conversation. In fact I was dying for a mocha.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to be subtle with that code word?”
“Yep.”
Manuel didn’t look like he believed me, but since we had a timetable there wasn’t time to debate about my choice. He handed me a USB drive for the exchange.
“Don’t worry Goldie,” he said. “You won’t see us, but they’ll be people watching your back.”
It sounded like he was saying it more for himself than for me. I wasn’t worried from what I’d seen I knew Manuel would have all the angles covered.
I took a deep breath and headed into the station. I was supposed to meet Abdoul at the south east corner by the benches. I didn’t want to tell Manuel I was never good at directions. I figured I would just go wherever I saw Abdoul. It wasn’t like he was going to be hard to spot. But I didn’t see him. Which way was south east? It couldn’t be that difficult I told myself. Where was the beach in relation to the station? I started to panic and kept turning around in each direction trying to figure it out. I saw out of the corner of my eye a homeless man who had been watching me inch away from me. Great. I was looking so nutty I even was scaring him away.
I was ready to go ask the old lady with a grocery cart for advice when I saw Abdoul standing in the back left corner. He had his arms crossed in front of him and looked like a three year old who had just had his lollipop taken away.
I gave him a wave. He looked at me like I was going to be dead in response.
Someone was definitely in a pissy mood. I glanced up at the walkway that rimmed the station looking for anyone that might be part of the gig tonight. There were railings with doors that led to offices. But nothing. The only two people around was the homeless guy I freaked out and the cart lady.
“Hiya,” I said to Abdoul.
He looked me up and down and let out a disgusted sound. “This is what my son cannot live without? You are a crazy girl.”
What happened to his manners? “I’m crazy? Your son tackled me to the ground.”
“That is a compliment,” he said.
What? I was ready to lay into him about how women should be treated, but remembered I still needed to do find out who his source was and make the exchange. I could yell at him later.
“Interesting…” I said trying to diffuse the situation.
“You say that sarcastically?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. Sometimes I do like it when a man takes charge,” I said giving him a smile while wanting to shove my knee in his weak spot.
His face relaxed. “Maybe you won’t be so much trouble after all.”
I gave him my best “I had braces” smile. “Why should I be any trouble? I know you’re the boss.”
“That’s what I told my nephews. Just demand to be in charge and people will listen,” he said.
“I so agree.” He was so easy.
“Do you have the USB drive?”
I nodded and patted my pocket.
“You have the money?”
He nodded and looked down at a briefcase on the floor.
“Show me,” he said holding out his hand.
I raised an eyebrow. “You first,” I said softening the demand with an eye flutter and a bashful smile.
“Of course,” he said.
He l
eaned down grabbed the briefcase and opened it. Wow. I had never seen a million dollars before. I leaned down closer sucked in by the aroma of dirty cash. But Abdoul slammed it shut and almost got my face caught while doing it.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said sounding like he was playing truth and dare.
When I took out the USB drive Abdoul practically had drool coming out of his mouth. I handed it over.
“For your sake I hope this has what I need.”
Me too.
He took some kind of computer device out of his pocket and put the USB drive in it. My pulse raced hoping Manuel didn’t make his first mistake. I watched as Abdoul broke out into a creepy smile.
“Wonderful,” he cooed.
Manuel was definitely a pro.
“So how did you get that anyway?” I asked. “It must have been really hard.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Money makes everything easier.”
I wouldn’t know. “It must take more than that. You must have been smart enough to make the right contacts.”
He looked up with pride in his eyes. “It was a little difficult at first. I found out very easily torturing agents only gave me a few local names. But making contact with some low level computer hack worked infinitely better.”
“Really? How?” I urged.
“I hired a girl to seduce Davidson. After a couple of months he was like a pathetic dog. He sold out his agency because he thought she needed money to help her sick mother and he believed every word.”
Bingo. “Did you come up with the idea yourself? To hire the girl?”
“Of course.”
As Abdoul rattled off more details of his brilliance I could have sworn I saw Herman creeping near cart lady. Then again it could have been just another old guy wearing grandpa pants that were hiked up to almost nipple level.
When Abdoul finished bragging I leaned down and pick up the briefcase surprised everything had been so easy. I felt a handcuff snap on my wrist and shot my eyes up to him.
“What are you doing?”
He shrugged. “Ali asked for a present. And I’m going to make sure he gets it.”
I stood up and glared. “Really? Haven’t you heard spoiling a kid is not the answer?”
“No.”
I remembered the wire. “I’d really love a mocha.” I asked trying to sound as natural as possible.
Abdoul narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“Before you kidnap me could I please get a mocha?” I said emphasizing the word mocha.
“No. You made an error in judgment Miss Stone.”
I cringed. The gig was up. No wonder I hardly ever booked acting jobs. I had one line and I blew it. I went into panic mode and started screaming, “Mocha. Mocha.”
Abdoul quickly started for the back door of the station yanking me along the way. I grabbed onto a bench and held on. He pulled but I wouldn’t budge. Abdoul reached into his jacket and showed me his gun.
He won. I let go.
Just then I heard a shot. Abdoul cried out in pain and grasped his chest. Blood began to seep through his shirt. I turned to look where the sound came from and was shocked to see Herman and the cart lady wrestling over a gun.
Why was Herman shooting at us?
My arm was being pulled to the ground. I glanced down and saw Abdoul collapsed on the floor in a pool of blood. I grasped the cuff as hard as I could and tried to pry it off. I wanted to be anywhere, but tied to a dying Abdoul. I groaned realizing it was hopeless.
I heard a crack of a gun and dived down to the floor. I peeked up from under the bench. The cart lady was on the ground and Herman was taking aim ready to fire the gun at me again.
Where was Manuel?
I tugged at Abdoul trying to move, but he was too heavy. I was ready to jump behind him and use his body as a shield when another gun shot rang out. Herman was on the floor clutching his leg. The cart lady had obviously recovered because she was whacking him on the head with an umbrella.
A bullet whizzed past me. I dove down and clutched my head. Gunshots were ringing out everywhere. I peeked out and saw there were men in every corner of the station firing at each other. It was like the Wild West and I was the stuck in the middle. I had to get out of there. But how? I had a dead guy tied to my wrist, not exactly a small obstacle.
I felt around for Abdoul’s gun there was so much blood I didn’t want to look. I was patting down his jacket when I felt pain rip through my leg. It felt like a pack of bees had stung my thigh. I winced afraid to look down. I was ready to suck it up when I felt a hand on my back. I raised my arm ready to smack whoever it was. But someone wrapped their arms around me pinning me down before I had the chance.
“Stevie stay down.”
I snapped my head around shocked to hear Bryan’s voice.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Trying to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”
A bullet cracked into the bench. Bryan pushed me down covering my body with his.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yeah,” I answered trying to be brave and ignore the pain
He pulled out a gun from the back of his jeans.
“I want you to run over there,” he said pointing to the hallway behind us. “I’ll cover you.”
I dragged my arm up along with Abdoul’s and showed him the handcuff.
“Damn” he said.
We both ducked down when a bullet smacked above us.
“Hold your arm out,” he said taking aim.
I did what he said shutting my eyes not wanting to look. I heard the gun go off and I yanked my hand up relieved to be freed from the albatross that was Abdoul.
Bryan motioned for me to move. “Go.”
I hesitated. I could feel the blood seeping through my pants.
“You have to get out of here,” he said motioning around us.
I pointed to my leg. Bryan’s eyes followed.
“Can you walk?” he asked. I could see his eyes fill with worry.
“I don’t know.”
Just then a guy fell over the second story railing and landed with a thud on the ground in front of us.
“You’ve got to move,” he said nudging me forward.
I gave him a quick kiss then crouched down and ran as fast as I could ignoring the sharp pain stabbing throughout my upper thigh. I hid behind a trash can and motioned for him to follow. Just as he was getting ready to run everything went black. The power must have been cut. I screamed out for Bryan when what felt like a wall fell on top of me.
“I gotcha Goldie.”
Hector?
“I can’t breathe,” I said and tried to push him off. My leg screamed out in agony. I kept trying to move, but it was hopeless. It was like trying to move a beached whale.
Hector kept telling me to keep down. From under a wall of blubber I lifted my head gulping for air, while cursing myself for my part in Hector’s expanded waistline. Why did I help him get those donuts? I was beginning to accept the fact I was going to die, smothered to death by Hector’s girth when I heard him yelp out.
“Damn. That was motherfucker,” Hector grunted and rolled off me. “Someone kicked me in the ass.”
“Hector?” Bryan’s voice carried through the darkness.
“Cop lawyer dude?”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell,” Hector said. “Why’d you kick me?”
“Cause you were crushing me,” I chimed in.
“Oh…sorry,” Hector said.
I felt Bryan’s hand around mine then leaned against him. There was sporadic gunfire and shouting in languages I didn’t have a hope in hell of understanding all around us. Bryan pulled at my shirt trying to direct me away from it all when a rain of gunfire burst out so loud I stopped moving and covered my ears. I felt Bryan pull me close enveloping me into him. Then just as soon as it started the gunfire stopped.
Are you okay? Bryan asked.
&nbs
p; “Fuck no,” I heard Hector say.
“Stevie?”
“I’m fine.” I said.
He kissed my head and let out a sigh. I let myself enjoy the feeling of being next to him for a minute before calling out, “You good Hector?”
“No. Considering I just got kicked in my swollen stitched up ass.”
Hector was okay.
The lights came on. I flicked my eyes around. There were at least twenty bodies skewed around the floor. Manuel was standing by the entrance with night vision goggles around his neck and was holding what looked like two big machine guns. His eyes met mine and he gave me a questioning look.
I waved that I was good.
His buddies from the party started coming out from the corners patting each other on the back and doing that tricky hand shake thing.
“Damn,” Hector said shaking his head. “This looks like a war zone.”
I glanced over at Hector. He was still wearing his tuxedo only now his butt looked even bigger. Must be bandages from the gunshot. Boy was he going to be in trouble with Yolanda.
Bryan leaned over and examined my thigh. “You need to get to this looked at.”
I didn’t need to look to know it was bad. My pants were soaking and I could tell Bryan was trying to hide how freaked out he was.
Hector peeked over. “Damn. That is a lot of fuckin’ blood. Is she going to be alright?”
“Go get your car,” Bryan said in voice that said he’d better move now.
I was starting to feel lightheaded.
“Let me have a look,” Manuel said.
Bryan said something in Spanish to him and they had a heated exchange that ended with Bryan stepping back.
“We don’t have time for this,” Bryan growled. “She needs to get to the hospital.”
“She’ll bleed to death before she gets there,” Manuel said after examining my wound.
I could hear what they were saying but was feeling too weak to participate.
Manuel shouted out some directions to his men. One of them came rushing forward with a first aid kit.
“Shouldn’t we be calling an ambulance and shit?” Hector asked sounding worried. “Goldie ain’t looking so good.”
“We can’t do that,” Manuel said.
I could feel him cutting my pants. Bryan reached over and held my hand. I bit my lip trying to ignore the pain when he tied something tight around my leg.
“Why the fuck not?” Hector said sounding irritated.
“Because this never happened. Isn’t that right?” Bryan said to Manuel his voice thick with anger.
“Yes,” Manuel answered without looking up or breaking his concentration. He was frantically trying to stop my leg from bleeding.
“What the fuck are you two talking about?” Hector said.
“If she doesn’t make it you’re dead,” Bryan said to Manuel.
Their voices started to get fainter and all I could see was black closing in. I heard voices calling my name as I drifted off.