Something told me it would’ve been quite a scene.
“Allo, Lonzo.” Another woman called out to us, peering curiously at us from the stairs near the door Lonzo was headed to. She looked young. Well, she was probably near my age. Her hair was dark, curly, and fell below her shoulders. Her makeup was thick with dark filled in brows and black eyeliner that made her shiny black eyes stand out against her perfectly smooth skin. It was a golden brown and flawless. Her tight, red spaghetti strapped dress hugged every inch of every curve she owned. She was gorgeous, and it appeared, she knew it.
“Hello, Leti.” Lonzo’s tight frown made me wonder who this woman was. “I didn’t know you were in town.”
“Is Emilio with you?” Leti asked, pouting her full red lips at us.
Lonzo shook his head, trying to push forward to the store room. “No, he’s not with me today.”
Her childish frown made me want to rip her cherry red lips from her face.
“He said he was bringing me something special today.” Her eyes raked me from head to toe, looking lustful. “I thought you were early.”
What the fuck?
Lonzo gave my hand a painful crush, causing me to look away from Leti to throw him a devilish glare. I’d inadvertently stepped forward toward the Latin beauty. Another squeeze ensured I kept my mouth shut.
“No. He’ll be along, I’m sure.”
She sighed with excess drama, making me want to reach out and choke her out while she was letting all the air out. If what she was to Emilio was what I was thinking, everyone had some explaining to do.
“Oh well, I was hoping he’d be here soon. He’s always off doing his thing.” She flitted her hands in the air, rolling her eyes as she spoke in her thick accent. “Mariana! When’s dinner?”
“Come on.” Lonzo pulled me along and around into a doorway around the corner from the staircase. I could do nothing but follow.
“Lonzo…what is…?”
“Shh…wait.” He pulled out a key and fitted it into the knob, turning it and shoving at the door. Pulling me inside, he shut it with a swift click.
My face felt hot, like all the blood in my body had flooded it. I wasn’t even sure if my heart was functioning right; it kept jumping in my chest as a mix of rage, hate and confusion overwhelmed me.
“I need some answers, Lonzo.” My voice was calm, though the rage behind it was about to boil over.
He nodded, heading toward a bed that I hadn’t even noticed in the middle of the room. He switched on a bedside lamp, illuminating the dimming light from outside. I took that moment to flick my eyes around the room, studying its simple décor.
“You live here,” I stated. I just knew, not knowing how I’d come to the conclusion. “But not all the time.” The bed was untouched, and there was a thin layer of dust on everything.
“You’re correct, Miss Westing.”
“Answers?” I rushed toward him, stopping just inches from him. “Now. Spill it. Why am I here?”
“You already know.”
“Who is that woman?”
“That woman…” Lonzo pulled off his hat and placed it on the side table. “…is Emilio’s wife, Leti.”
I felt my lips quiver and my knees turned to mush. I sank down onto the bed. Old springs creaked under my weight, but I hardly noticed.
“Wife?”
“Yes. He brings her when he’s stateside and keeps her and her sister, Mariana, well taken care of. Marina stays here full time and boarders the Cartel’s members when in town.” He tilted his head and studied my profile. “When we don’t stay at the Hacienda with Jonas and Emilio, we stay here. Otherwise, our home is in Mexico.”
He pulled off his gun holster, looking like he was getting cozy for the night. I flew to my feet.
“So this is what you wanted to show me? What the hell, Lonzo!” I seethed and paced the floor, tears of rage burning in my eyes until I spotted a picture on the wall by the door. It was one of many, all filled with faces of some of the men I’d met from the Cartel. Most I didn’t recognize, but these were definitely taken somewhere south, and the men appeared more relaxed than they did here.
“Don’t yell. They’ll hear you. There’s more than just us, Mariana, and Leti here, you know.”
“Like I give a fuck,” I retorted. I was preoccupied with a neatly framed picture of not only Lonzo and Emilio, but of Leti with Emilio’s arm snug around her waist. Right in front of them stood two children, a girl and a boy, with dark black curls and the same golden brown skin Emilio owned.
My heart cracked. I could hear its fine fissure widening as the moments ticked by.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” My voice roughened, like I’d been screaming a thousand years. I was choking on my breath again, but somehow the words made it out. “How long?”
“They’ve been married four years. The children are theirs. Alejandro and Marlena. They’re just four years old. Twins. Luckily, they don’t bring them here.”
I heard something crash in what sounded like the front room, but paid no mind.
“How could he do this to me?” I turned toward Lonzo, my legs weakening.
He shrugged, working off the long sleeved shirt he was wearing. He tossed it to the side and stood up, staring at me without pity, without any kind of heart. The black tank he wore underneath was snug to his body. I was afraid to look him in the eye and find something I wasn’t prepared to deal with.
Only monsters feel nothing.
I already knew a couple of them.
A knock at the door saved me from saying or doing anything further. I was behind the door and the person whispering toward Lonzo, who held the door cracked opened enough to speak through but not enough for anyone to enter, wasn’t visible to me.
“Emilio is here. Upstairs with Leti.” I thought it sounded like Mariana, but she was whispering.
“Don’t tell him we’re here.”
“I didn’t. Jonas just called too.”
At this, Lonzo shifted on his feet, looking somewhat surprised. A first for him.
“What for?”
“He’s coming here any minute. He said Emilio took something from him and he’s through with him.”
“Are you sure?”
The person must have nodded, but I couldn’t see what they were doing. I couldn’t move from my spot, and I feared if I did, it would be detrimental to my wellbeing, in more ways than one.
“Don’t tell either of them about us. Oh, and…be careful. Hide if you must.”
The person must’ve nodded and left because Lonzo shut the door quietly and locked it. Not just one lock, but a bolt and an extra slide lock on the top and bottom of the door.
“Mierde,” he cursed. His breathing quickened as he straightened and looked at me. “They’re both here. And they know about you.”
My eyes widened. “They know I’m here?”
“No, not yet. Mariana won’t breathe a word about you, but Leti might. She’s upstairs right now with Emilio. When Jonas gets here, he’ll get it out of her and come looking for you, if he doesn’t kill Emilio first.”
“Shit. I have to get out of here!” I went for the locks on the door, but he just as quickly slapped my arms away from it.
“You go out that way, you’re dead. Don’t underestimate Emilio’s ability to kill you too. He would, for Leti, if she asked him to.”
I backed away. What? I didn’t want to die here. Not here.
“What the hell, Lonzo? How could you bring me here? Whose side are you on, anyway?” My back pressed against the wall, and I wanted to sink into its boards and fade into oblivion. I sure knew how to pick men. I hated every second of this panic, this despair creeping into my soul as I listened to the movements inside the house. They didn’t yet tell me anything, but soon enough they would.
Lonzo stepped forward, reaching out to cup my cheek.
“I’m on my side. Don’t forget that. For now, I’m on your side too.”
I shook my head. I was afraid he would
say that. “I need to get out of here.” My whisper caught in my mouth, like a jawbreaker sliding down my trachea. “Please. Don’t let me die here. They’ll kill me. Jonas already suspected and told me to stay away from Emilio. If he knew…if he finds me here…he won’t care if I’m with you or Emilio. He’ll kill me.”
My body shook, a tear spilling down my cheek. My body was frozen, though I took stock of my options: the door…already a no, the window...barred with wrought iron. I knew I was stuck.
Lonzo stood at the door. His neck muscles tensed as he listened to shouts now coming from either the living room or outside in the front. This made me snap back into myself, and I stepped forward toward the window. Bars, bars, bars. They were installed prior to the safety ones that have an unlock option on them. These were not meant to be moved.
“Emilio! Pendejo! Come out here and face me. You stole her from me…” Jonas yelled into the house, sounding more drunk than I’d ever heard him, or possibly just really mad for he was slightly slurring his words.
Crap, crap, crap.
I walked closer to the window, hoping I could maybe shove my way through an opening. Lonzo grabbed my wrist and twisted it painfully as he yanked me toward him.
“You wanted to know who you’re dealing with, didn’t you, Liz?”
I shook my head, afraid to speak…to scream…to do anything.
“Wait. Just wait. I told you to run away from them both, but you never listen. You never listen to your sister either. You should. It would’ve saved you so much pain.”
“The good that does me now!” I hissed. I wanted to slap him. He wasn’t making this any easier for me.
He smirked and let me go. I cradled my arm and gave him a deathly glare. He watched me pensively before shaking his head and giving me a disapproving frown.
“Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?” I asked, ready to slip to the floor and give up.
“I don’t need payment.” He cracked his knuckles and looked away. “You never learn, Liz.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Audrey
I stuffed the last of the boxes into storage, my body aching and stiff. I could use a nice hot tub with jets and a dose of ibuprofen right about now. I rubbed my lower back and shoulders, burning from the effort of stacking the heavy boxes. Times like these I wished I hadn’t let my book fetish go overboard when living at the house. Having a more permanent place had me acquiring a lot more things than I’d ever done before. Especially books. Lots of them.
I sighed as I reached up to grab the rope hanging from the edge of the rolling door and gave it a good yank, letting it slide down until it slammed to the ground where it threw up puffs of dirt. Slipping the lock into place, I gave it a good pull before I stepped back and dusted off my hands on my jeans.
“Well, that’s that,” I said to no one in particular. The sun was now dipping under the horizon, and the emptiness of the rows of storage buildings was starting to turn creepy. I jumped back into the station wagon, locking the door as soon as I was in the seat. It never hurt to be cautious, but the night wasn’t feeling friendly, though I couldn’t point out why.
I checked my phone for any calls from anyone, secretly wishing I’d hear from Saul again, but there were no texts, no missed calls. Groaning, I cranked the ignition and let out a slow disappointed breath. Now back to my dark, lonely house to wait for my sister. This time tomorrow, I was hoping to be on a plane back to New York City. Back to Saul.
Driving through the neighborhoods reminded me of so many good times spent here. It warmed my heart but made me miss Saul even more. What if he didn’t want anything to do with me after all? What if he wanted to just talk about being amicable for the band and that was it? I didn’t think I could stand to see him every day at the studios or in concert and not be able to touch him, to love him the way I wanted to.
But I deserved every infliction I incurred. Every last bit of it and more.
By the time I made it back to our house, I’d already begun weeping, letting the tears trail down my cheeks and spotting my shirt. I hated this separation. I hoped he would be able to get past this infarction and forgive me. Nothing would be short of a miracle to have him by my side again. I’d never hurt him like that again. The loss of him was too much to bear, and living through each moment without him was as unbearable as drowning.
I jumped out of the car and hurried into the house and toward the bathroom. After splashing my face with cool water, I stared at my somber reflection in the mirror. Puffy eyes and blotchy face made me wonder who the woman in the mirror was. I hated to admit it, but my actions of late had left me reexamining the person I was. I could change the bad things, I was certain of it. It was the past that haunted me, dug its fingers in, and accused me of not being good enough for Saul, or good enough for anyone. I deserved none of that sort of happiness.
I shook my head and slammed the faucet off. Grabbing a towel, I furiously wiped the droplets away.
I quickly dropped it back on the sink when I heard the familiar chime of my ringtone. Running back into the living room where I’d dropped my purse on entry by the door, I dug through it in the dark.
Finally finding it, I checked the screen, seeing I had missed a call from Liv. I wondered what she needed. She almost never called me, so this was concerning. I hit redial and waited, but it cycled through to voicemail immediately.
At the beep, I started talking. “Hey, Liz, it’s Audrey. You called me? What’s going on? Call me when you can. Bye.”
I swiped the screen to hang up and sighed, hoping my sister was okay. She’d call me back if she needed something. I was sure of it. I stood up and flicked the light switch for the living room and the porch. Peering out the curtains, I watched a few cars drive by and disappear down the road. People had already retreated into their homes for the evening, and the smell of dinner cooking wafted in the air, seeping through the cracks of the windowsill. It reminded me I was starving, especially after moving all our crap to storage.
It was time to start dinner. I hoped Liv would be home soon, because if anything, I didn’t want to eat alone. Not tonight.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Liv
“Lonzo…please, help me get out of this alive,” I begged as I pressed my back against the wall.
He pulled a gun out of the holster he’d dropped on the bed and checked the chamber. Loading it, he cracked his neck side to side before landing his gaze on me again.
“You don’t want to face them? They both broke your heart. I’d be one angry woman if I was you.” He cracked a smile as if we weren’t in a life and death situation. It wasn’t comforting.
“I don’t want to die. That’s all. I want them to leave me alone, to leave us alone, my sister, Saul…all of us.”
Lonzo narrowed his eyes as he listened. “You know, every person I’ve ever seen come through this family never gets out alive.” His eyes darkened. “Sometimes it’d be nice to shoot them all.”
My face paled. “What do you mean?”
He sighed as he listened for more movement. There were steps above us, like people pacing above our heads. I wondered what Jonas was doing and hoped he wasn’t heading this way.
“You see, you’re not the only lover Jonas ever had.”
My eyes widened. “I know. I wouldn’t have expected him to just have one.”
My gut twisted as I wondered if Lonzo knew about Emilio’s past love, the one Jonas stole from him. At this point, I didn’t even know if it was even a real story. He could’ve told me it to keep me on his side this entire time.
Lonzo let out a haughty laugh but kept it quiet enough it wouldn’t escape the room.
“I know everything about the Esperanza brothers. I know Emilio’s vendetta against Jonas for stealing his girlfriend so many years ago. I know about you and Emilio’s love affair behind Jonas’ back. I know every secret.” He waved the gun as he spoke, making me flinch each time it came to point in my direction.
“Lonzo, what t
he hell do you want from me?”
He froze, his arms in midair as his eyes widened. Footsteps. Coming down the hall.
“Shit!” My harsh whisper slipped out as I panicked and headed toward the bed. Bending down, I examined the space beneath. It was tight, and I doubted I would fit under it. “Crap! What do I do? What do I do?” I stood up and rammed into Lonzo, grabbing his black tank and attempting to shake him as the panic overtook me. He grabbed my wrists, giving me a shake.
“Shh…” He placed a finger to his lips. I listened hard to whatever it was he was hearing but failed to hear it. That was until I heard the footsteps stop by the door and saw the knob turn.
I gasped, but Lonzo’s hand was over my mouth before we could give ourselves away.
A shout echoed down the hall, and the person outside the door let go of the knob and began to run toward the shouting.
I let go of the breath I was holding, as did Lonzo. He released me and ran toward the window. Instead of opening it, he reached down and pulled out a small piece of the panel near the bottom of window. It wasn’t noticeable to anyone unless you were looking for it.
I wiped tears from my face, barely realizing I’d been crying.
“What are you doing?”
He turned toward me as he hooked a finger into a small hole in the floor and pulled at something.
“Come here.”
I didn’t move. I was afraid of doing anything.
He frowned as he pulled the panel off the wall and set it to the side. Getting back to his feet, he walked toward me and grabbed my arm, not painfully but firm enough I could feel the bones of his thick fingers.
“You asked me what side I’m on. I told you I’m on my own side. That and the side of anyone who Jonas wants to hurt whom I’m close to.”
I stared hard into him, not knowing what he meant or what he was telling me.