“The Brazilian government will never fight against veronica. She’s too valuable. I fi do anything, it will have to be off the grid. Nobody can know.”
We entered the busy city, me still racking my brain for a solution. I reached into my back pocket for my wallet and found a slip of paper instead. I held the paper out and read the cryptic note. “Meet me in the forest where Veronica keeps her spare car. Midnight. Don’t be late.”
“Where’d you get that?” Stephanie asked. She slowed and pulled to the curb. “Suzanne?”
“When she hugged me.” I slapped the car’s dashboard. “She doesn’t want to fucking stay there. She wants the fuck out! Turn around!”
“Wait,” Stephanie insisted. “If we don’t check-in at the boat, Veronica will know something is up.”
I smiled and gave Stephanie a painful kiss on the cheek. “You’re fucking amazing.”
“Yeah, a little,” she said.
“We’ll take you back to the states with us and help you start a new life. I know people who can help you.” I looked at the road. “What are you waiting for, drive!”
Stephanie pulled from the curb and carefully drove back through the city. Neither of us knew if Veronica had the local police in her pocket, so we had to be careful and not draw attention. When we got to the boat, we found that the attention had already been drawn.
Sitting on the back of the boat, having drinks, and laughing were the five women who Veronica had “introduced” me too.
“What the hell do they want?”
Stephanie put her hand on my leg. “Wait here.” She left the car and approached the boat.
I looked to see if the captain was in the cockpit. The door was open, but none was inside.
I couldn’t fucking believe Suzanne had another child. Worse, it belonged to Veronica. Be careful what you go looking for because you might not like what you find. I was beginning to think that it would be my motto for the rest of my life.
It had floored me the things Suzanne had said before I left. Things she obviously didn’t mean but had to say because Veronica was standing there. If I got Suzanne and Dekk and Alana back, all bets were off. Veronica was a drug lord, and as long as she were alive, my family would always be in jeopardy. And as I watched the women on the boat, I understood that Veronica and her goon squad could very well be on their way. I was a stranger in a strange land being helped by a woman who answered to my sworn enemy.
Stephanie stepped from the boat and headed back in my direction. I could not read her face and had no idea what was going on. She got back in the car and shook her head. “What a fucked up mess.”
“They going to let Veronica know we’re here?”
“No, that’s the captain’s job. He’s supposed to call in when you arrive.”
“Has he?”
Stephanie chuckled, which really annoyed me. “I will let them explain.” She pointed ta the waving women. “They want to talk to you.”
“Bullshit. What the fuck about?”
“You’ll have to ask them.”
“Veronica owns their asses.”
Stephanie chuckled again.
“Would you fucking stop laughing? Wearing on my nerves. I’ll leave you behind.”
“I think you own their asses, not Veronica. Go talk to them. I’ll wait here.”
I sat there for a moment, watching the women and trying to figure out what game was being played. Veronica would have a fit if they turned on her. I opened my car door, and the five of them smiled. I shut the door and walked to the boat, dreading the shit I would take.
