“Okay, then. Get me on the path. What does it take?”
“Be one of the migrants yourself. I’ll say you’re Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nepali, or Indian, so you don’t have to speak Spanish. I’ll tell them you paid, and you need to get to McAllen, Texas—rush job.”
“Is that where they’re going?”
“I think so. It’s easier to get across the Rio Grande up that way. Got some wildlife refuges, farms right up to the river. Cattle wading across some places.”
“Okay, then let’s get started. What do I have to do?” Axe bunched up his muscles and pumped his fists. The adrenaline running through his veins needed action, and the rage at losing Leanna could only be tamed by busting heads.
“Lose the sunglasses,” Pablo said. “Pakistanis don’t wear any.”
Axe threw his sunglasses on the bed. “Great, let’s go.”
* * *
Leanna turned her face away from Scabby’s smelly breath. “What do I have to do for you to let me go?”
“Be my woman.” The icky man puckered his chapped lips.
“You don’t scare me,” she said. Whirling herself away from him, she followed Blue Skull who half-carried Maria into the convenience store next to the gas station. It had bars on the window; the stucco was chipped and peeling, and a windowpane was patched over by cardboard.
“I don’t want you to be scared.” Scabby hooked his arm around her. “I want you to have fun.”
“I’ll have fun when you let me go,” Leanna said. “You’re being shortsighted. My husband’s a big man. He’s friends with El Bardo, the big boss.”
“El Bardo? Wooo, we’re so scared.” Pimply Toad huffed and puffed, wiping sweat from his florid face. “That creep’s a poseur. Dresses all fancy and thinks he’s some bigshot. He’s lucky he’s still alive.”
“Why? What does he do?” Leanna asked, eyeing the attendant at the cash register. Could she possibly ask for help? Maybe have the lady call the police for her?
“El Bardo is a two-bit informant,” Scabby said. “Rips off tourists with false information. Your husband will never find you.”
“Too bad because my husband is a rich man,” Leanna said. “There’s a reward out for Carmelita’s safe return.”
“Oh yeah?” Scabby hooked Leanna tighter to his side. “Why didn’t you say that before?”
“Der! I did. Why do you think I was going to pay you guys to take me to her?” Leanna tipped her chin up and smiled. “But now, I’m thinking of hiring El Bardo or someone else who knows what’s really going on. Maybe one of your police contacts?”
“Sorry, you’re with us now. Specifically, me.” Scabby frosted his fetid breath over Leanna.
“Don’t be too sure,” Blue Skull said. “She might like me better.”
Blue Skull propped Maria against the wall next to the women’s room, and she slowly oozed down to the floor like gelatinous gel.
“Hey, I thought we all get dibs on the girls,” Pimply Toad wheezed, barely able to catch his breath.
“Not me,” Patricia said. “I’m Catholic, and I paid good money. Where’s our breakfast? We were promised three square meals, luxury transportation, showers and amenities, not this dingy dump with stale churros and cold coffee.”
“We lied.” Scabby laughed and scratched his head, letting loose a cloud of dandruff.
His itchiness allowed Leanna to slip from his grasp. She paraded up to Pimply Toad. “You seem like the smartest one here. Computer guy and all that. If you want more business, you’ll need to be nice to your customers so they’ll give you nice reviews on social media.”
“That’s right,” Patricia said. “Word gets around these days. Everyone knows everyone. I’m hungry, so we’d better stop at a diner next.”
“I also need to brush my teeth and shower,” Leanna said. She put one hand on the door to the women’s room. Maybe it had a back window, like in the movies.
“Oh, I’ll gladly shower with you.” Scabby sidled up to Leanna and propped his arm over her shoulders. “Even if I have to go to the ladies’ room.”
“Actually, I prefer him.” Leanna disengaged Scabby’s thin arm from her shoulders and sidled up to Blue Skull. “He doesn’t have a skin disease. Look at you, you’re flaking all over.”
