“Give me what I want, I’ll leave, and you two can have wild monkey makeup sex.”
“Shit!” Eduardo ducks as a stiletto shoe barely misses his head, then escapes into the bedroom, returning a heartbeat later with my passport.
I grab it from him before he changes his mind, then he grabs Miss Naked from behind, pinning down her arms.
“You better get out of Tijuana now,” Eduardo warns as he spins Miss Naked in his arms. “‘Cause when Benito finds out you can’t help him with the Bastards, he’s gonna come looking for you.”
“Don’t worry. My next stop is Otay Mesa and over the border.” I tuck the passport into my leggings pocket.
By the time I reach the door, my brother has Miss Naked’s legs wrapped around his hips.
Typical Eduardo, the guy has nine thousand lives.
I slam the door behind me, make my way out of the building, through the throng of men and women crowding the street, and bump into two people I never expected to see again.
DIESEL
I leave The Tropics with one thing on my mind—finding Martina.
I throw my leg over my Harley and head for the Zona Norte. Between what I have to go on and our connections there, I have no doubt I’ll find Eduardo, who may know where Martina went.
I’m five minutes into the ride, and my cell buzzes with a call. I hit the button on my bike, and it sends the call into my earbuds.
“Yeah?”
“Diesel?”
“Who’s this?”
“Eduardo.” Long pause. “I don’t know if Martina told you, but I’m her brother.”
“Yeah, I know. I was just heading out to see you. You got any info on where she might be?”
“Yeah, but I don’t wanna talk over the phone.” His voice lowers. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but she’s in some deep shit with Benito, and she’s gonna need your help.”
“Is she with you now?”
“Look, I don’t wanna say too much. I think my phone is being bugged. Just come to my place, 200 Calle Coahuila, in the center of the street. You can’t miss it; it’s a pink building.”
“Of course it is.”
“Just get here quick.”
I consider going back to The Tropics for backup, but I don’twanna waste the time. I also consider calling Smoke, but maybe I can get this done on my own, especially since it’s my fault she ran in the first place.
When I hit the Zona Norte, I have to slow down with all the people crowding the streets. Late afternoon, yet the place is packed like it’s midnight. College kids on Spring Break, businessmen, lowlifes and everything in between. Music and loud laughter pour out of the bars and onto the sidewalk.
Crime in this part of the city is crazy. Pickpockets, assault and annual murders top any other Mexican city. The Red-Light District in Tijuana is kinda like Disneyland for adults. Every kind of sex show, sex act or drug of choice could be found on this street and the surrounding streets.
Not surprising that Martina’s deadbeat brother would live here, but I sure didn’t like the idea of Martina coming here. And, yeah, I know she can defend herself, but I didn’t want her put in that position. My heart jacks up at the thought, so I concentrate on finding Eduardo’s building.
Finally, on the next block, I see a five-story pink building. I pull in front and eyeball the place. Fuckin’ dump. I’m not thrilled about leaving my bike on the street, so I pull to the corner and into the lot of a bar where we know the owner. I give the kid in the kitchen fifty bucks to keep eyes on my bike, then walk the half block back to Eduardo’s building.
I elbow through the crowded sidewalk, then head to the back apartment he indicated. I raise my fist to knock on the door, and something heavy lands on my shoulder. I instinctively crouch and spin around to a fist in the gut, followed by a sharp blow to the back of my head.
I stagger forward, and I’m hit again, only harder, then everything fades to black.
CHAPTER 21
