I snatched the box from his fingers and didn’t even tell him thank you.
“I’m sorry if I offended you, Audrey.”
Bewildered, I craned my head toward him, peering through my locks to see him looking serious. I wondered why he was apologizing. It was against his usual nature.
“What?”
I straightened, feeling my bones creak from all the lifting of boxes and not using my proper body mechanics as much as I should. Tomorrow was going to be excruciating.
“I said, I’m sorry…for everything.”
He took a moment to let it sink in before he headed back into the house. Only the slam of the screen door broke my quantified daze.
“What was that about?”
I shook my head, baffled. If anyone could still leave me confused and blindsided, it was Lonzo. He even topped Liz. I couldn’t for the life of me figure him out. He was as transparent as a wall.
I shut the door to the station wagon and huffed out a long, relaxing breath. Soon enough, we’d be free from Lonzo and Jonas, from Emilio and all of their psychotic entourage that held a frightening edge to our lives. I couldn’t wait for that day. Couldn’t wait another second.
Heading back inside, I found Liz pulling on a faded black denim vest over her fitted black camisole. Form fitting ripped jeans that showed off more skin than they covered hugged her long legs. Black combat boots finished off her look, including some last minute makeup to keep her from looking as tired as I felt. She looked stunning, like a young Joan Jett. I gave her a loving smile.
“Heading out now, Sis?”
She returned my smile, but hers looked much brighter and less jaded than mine.
“Yep. Lonzo and I are heading out.” She pressed a small folded paper into the palm of my hand before pulling me in for a tight hug. “This is the address if I’m not back soon.”
Her words terrified me.
“Be careful,” I whispered.”
“I will. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Okay.” I watched her as she stepped away. The loss of her warmth and familiar scent, like a faded perfume mixed with a sweet laundry softener smell, left me feeling cold. I hoped she knew what she was getting into. Sometimes morbid thoughts crossed my mind at times like these. What if that was the last hug I’d get from her? What if when she walked out that door, she’d never come back, like our father?
She reminded me of our father in so many ways. What would our mother say to that?
I gulped and waved goodbye to her, and even gave a small wave toward Lonzo, who tipped his vaquero hat toward me and winked. They clunked down the steps of our humble home and stuffed themselves into Lonzo’s rental SUV.
As they turned down the road and around the corner, off on a new adventure, I hoped our lives would come to a nice, calm mode soon. There was just so much we could take, and I was at the bottom of my bottle. I hoped I wouldn’t be needed anytime soon by anyone but Saul, for I was empty and my soul was in dire need of filling back up.
I watched their vehicle until it faded away and I could no longer hear the engine. Shutting the screen door behind me, I stood in the middle of the living room and peered around.
This fork in the road was looking more like a devil’s crossroads with every second passing.
Chapter Fifteen
Liv
The quaint Los Angeles house Lonzo brought us to reminded me of the nice older neighborhoods in the area, the ones that sported peeling paint off the sidings and stood elevated up on stilts, with creaky stairs and sunken backyards in the rear of the homes. It looked pretty classic for the time period, but was larger than the other houses lining the hill of a street. Wrought iron crowned the breezeblock walls and matched the design throughout the alleyway where the houses faced and ran down a hill toward a busier road, out into the open traffic of the L.A. rush.
Several cars were parked along the curve where the house sat, right in the middle of a sharp turn. It got me wondering how many times cars had crashed while trying to make the curve before jumping onto the steep drive that ran all the way down the hill. I shuddered as we walked past it toward the towering house.
“Liv?”
“Yeah?” I crossed my arms, feeling a slight chill run through me.
“Remember what I said. You’re just a girl I’m seeing. Don’t ask about Emilio. Don’t say you know him, or it’ll blow your cover. Don’t even say your name.”
“Well, shit, Lonzo. What sort of place are you taking me to?” I whispered harshly as I reached out and grabbed his arm. He just as easily grabbed my hand and wove it roughly through his fingers, then dropped it so we were walking like a couple. I gulped. I didn’t like this one bit, but we were at the door already and he was knocking on it hard.
No turning back now.
Hurried footsteps approached before they paused, obviously peering through the peek hole. A tense moment passed, and I consciously made an effort to come off as relaxed. Anyone would be able to see through the tension building from the throbbing jugular vein that liked to pop out of the side of my neck when I was stressed. I shook out my hair with my free hand to cover it just as the door creaked open.
“Alonzo, querido! Que estas aciendo aqui?”
The Spanish was beautiful, but I didn’t understand one tiny bit of it. Already, the little that Emilio had tried to teach me had slid off my brain cells like beads of water.
“Hola, Mariana. I’m just stopping by to pick up some things for Emilio.”
“Sí, sí.” Mariana bobbed her head up and down before landing her eyes on me. “And your Amiga?”
“This is my girlfriend, Lisa.” He held out his arm to introduce me, and I gave her a shy smile, not knowing what to say.
“Hi,” I eventually said.
“Come in, please. So good to meet you, Lisa.” Mariana’s warm welcome with a thick Spanish accent made her harmless in my book. She continued to smile as she dragged us in, locking the door behind us. I was somewhat reassured, but my apprehension still lingered.
I took in the quaint living room, large for a house in this part of L.A. It had modest décor, two overstuffed dark green sofas in an L shape along one wall, across from a moderately sized flat screen TV and wooden coffee table. A long dining table in the next room over was lined in mismatched chairs with seating for what looked like ten or more. Colorful walls filled the place with a homey lived in feeling, a lot more authentic Hispanic décor throughout—more than I’d seen in any house I’d ever been in.
“I’m heading to the store room. Please let me know if anyone stops by.”
Mariana nodded toward Lonzo. I wished I knew what that pregnant look passing between them meant.
“I’ll fix you guys a plate. We’re having dinner soon.” Lonzo nodded and turned toward the rear of the long hall before us as Mariana headed off toward the kitchen past the dining room.
“Come on.” He squeezed my hand and tugged for me to follow. I swore my feet felt like lead. There was something going on that I wasn’t aware of, and I wondered what would’ve happened if I’d come here alone, saying I was Emilio’s girlfriend and all.
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 Sixteen
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.