“You’re telling me that. You’re telling me that Palo ain’t involved, so there’s a high level of trust involved here. I say yes, plus the letters they’re writing aren’t that sharp.”
“Okay, do you trust me or not? Look at me and say it,” she demanded.
I turned to her with my hands leaning on the sink. My eyes pierced through hers. “Yes, I’m saying that I believe you. I do.” I smiled at her.
“Your chapter and my brother’s chapter are for the people of Merced, right?”
I pulled out plates and set them down in front of us. Her feline eyes in the morning made me want to pounce on her. Instead, I bent to her and landed a soft kiss on her swollen lips.
“Yes.” I drew back. “I would say so. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking you both have the same cause. We all want to catch these suckers and get them off the streets. Why don’t Las Balas and Outlaw Souls team up? You could patch up the bad blood between you both and forge alliances. Doesn’t have to be like you’re best buds, but if these guys are only two-deep, you should be able to take them.”
I scoffed as the water boiled and I poured two cups of coffee for us. “Baby, you serious? I was thinking about it. But they have to have more people behind them because to make the threats they’re making is career suicide and a death wish wrapped up together. You wanna know what I think?”
“Go, tell me. But you should think about what I just said.”
I handed her coffee over to her.
“They were trying to get us to start a war with Las Balas. I’m unconvinced that they want money. They put Las Balas at the bottom of the letter the first time, but we didn’t direct the heat to Las Balas, so maybe they are trying to solely get the money now.”
“I can’t go to school like this. When is the drop?” Her hands shook as she drank her coffee.
“Baby, yes you can. I told you we're gonna handle this. Drop is tonight. I gotta talk to Ryder to see which way he’s gonna swerve. I want him to go this route where I pretend to drop the money off so we can at least catch these suckers. That’s the way I think it should go. We got a new sign-up who’s in security.” I sipped on my coffee as the toast popped.
“Okay, okay. Maybe I should have let my brother come see you. Both of you are reasonable men, maybe you would have sorted it out then and there,” she mused.
“Maybe, maybe not. But we’re here now. Go to school. I mean, what are you going to do? Sit around twiddling your thumbs? I’m keeping you outta this.”
Her face blessed me with a small smile. “Okay. I’ll do my best. Are your boys staying here ‘til it's over?”
“Yes. They are.”
She ate her toast in silence as I collected the two phones from my room and brought them to the front. By the time I got back, she was finished.
“Papi. I gotta go. Call me when you hear what’s next. Please be safe. I love you.” Her fiery Spanish eyes pleaded with me.
“I will. I’ll be in touch.” I kissed her with all of the fervor in me. I let her feel the depths of my love for her as I crushed her lips beneath me. I released her, breathless.
She packed up her bags and headed out to the car. I watched carefully as she got in and drove off. As soon as I saw the wheels in motion, I called Rick.
“Hello, Rick’s Security Services. How can I help you?”
“Yo, Rick, it’s Diego. I need your services.”
“No problem. What are we talking about?”
“I’m dropping off a fake ransom amount tonight at Fahrens Park. I need your crew to be in place in case anything goes down. Can you work something out at short notice? What can you do?”
Rick didn’t skip a beat. “Meet me at the warehouse in one hour.”
I turned my phone and looked at the time: nine a.m. on the dot.
“Okay. Done.”
“I got you. I’ll bring gear and a few fellas. Ryder called me last night too. He gave me the four-one-one. I will be there and we’ll set these bastards on fire.”
“My man.” The phone clicked dead. My stomach, as it had been the last few days, was rock hard from tension. I left the kitchen and jumped in the shower, letting the hot water wash away any thoughts of doubt. I felt almost certain we were going to war. As I dried off, I assessed the next steps. Warehouse. Strap up. Strategy. Timing.
