Leanna swallowed a gasp, glad that she had her sunglasses on. Her heart took a flying leap, and her stomach dropped at the same time.
Carmelita was real, and she was missing.
Leanna stopped in front of the car. “Do you go to school with her?”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t like me.” The kid eyed the money.
“What’s your name?” Leanna gave him the bill. “How about we go somewhere we can talk?”
“Gabriel Espinosa,” the kid said. He wiped his long bangs from his eyes. “Can I take that car for a ride?”
“My husband won’t like that,” Leanna said, remembering she’d be better off if the kid thought she had male protection. “Let’s get something to eat. My treat.”
“Sure. Let me get my bike.” He ran back and rolled his bike with the flat tire. “You seriously Carmelita’s mom?”
Leanna lowered her sunglasses. “See the resemblance?”
“Yeah. She’s got your eyes. How come you’re here? Didn’t she find you?”
“No. That’s why I’m here,” Leanna said. “How long ago did she go?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Not too long. She up and ran away. Said her parents weren’t her real parents. Told everyone at school she was going to America.”
“We need to find her. Do you know where she went and who she took off with?”
Gabriel rubbed his forehead, scratching at a pimple. “In this neighborhood, you don’t give names. There are hawks out here, flying around.”
“Hawks?”
“Lookouts,” Gabriel whispered.
Leanna resisted the urge to scan her surroundings. The houses were neat and all set in a row. Identical floorplans, each with the driveway, the arch over the entrance, and an overhanging balcony which shaded the front door. Large sliding glass doors led from the balcony to what was presumably a bedroom where someone could keep watch behind the curtains.
“Then let’s pretend we’re good friends,” Leanna said. “Where do you want to eat?”
“I know a place.” Gabriel shrugged his shoulder toward the boulevard bordering the subdivision. “Follow me.”
“Sure.” She walked alongside the kid who was constantly watching the cars driving by. “Why are you scared?”
“I’m not scared of nobody.” Gabriel puffed out his scrawny chest. His hair was in his eyes again, but he seemed to swagger. “I see things, but I know how to keep secrets.”
In other words, he would talk only if it paid.
“Maybe I should go to the police,” Leanna said. “If a thirteen-year-old girl is missing, isn’t that cause for a search?”
Gabriel tossed his head back and laughed, shaking some of his hair from his eyes. “You think the police around here will help? They’ll hand you over to the cartels unless you pay.”
“For what?” Chills snaked down Leanna’s arms, despite the muggy heat.
“Protection. They’ll take your passport and then where will you be?”
“Okay, no police then.” Leanna opened the squeaky glass door to the taqueria. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
A woman made tortillas behind the counter, and another one refilled the sauces in the condiment bar. The interior was dark, and Leanna could feel the eyes of several men sitting around a corner table.
Gabriel went over to the young men, and they gesticulated and slapped hands.
Leanna tapped her foot and stared at the menu above the counter while keeping a side eye on Gabriel. After cracking jokes and bragging about conquests, the kid returned to Leanna’s side.
