“Take care of yourself, Leticia,” Maribella whispers in my ear as she hands me a bus ticket. We drove for seven hours before we felt it was safer for us to part ways. “I’m going to miss you.” Her hands shake as she reaches into her purse and pulls out a yellow envelope. “This has everything you’ll need to establish yourself.”
“Like what?” I ask as I reach out and gently snatch it from her.
“Your birth certificate, social security card, and all of the other records they saved on you that I could locate. Find somewhere safe and surround yourself with the scariest people you can find. Promise me, Leticia. Promise me that you’ll befriend protective people who’ll fight tooth and nail to keep you safe.”
“I’ll do what I can,” I lie. I don’t want to be around anyone who can use their brutality against me. But she doesn’t need to know that, she has other things to worry about other than me. “Watch your back, Maribella. Don’t stop unless you have to, you know they’re going to be hot on your trail.”
“I know,” she murmurs, leaning in for one last hug. “We’ll stay safe. We’re about to meet one of Matteo’s friends, a few townsover, who’s going to switch out cars with ours. We’re buying new identities from him that we’ll use until we feel it’s safe to reclaim ours. He’s offered to help you too. His card is in that file folder, use it, Leticia. His name is Dominik Jimenez, he’s doing this pro bono due to the extenuating circumstances and his long term friendship with Matteo. Become somebody new and start over, prima.”
That I can do so I nod, fresh tears threatening to release from my ducts. I watch them pull away as I look down at my bus ticket. The next bus to East Texas doesn’t leave until tomorrow evening so I sit down on one of the hard plastic chairs and begin going through the articles in the envelope she gave me. When the man, Dominik’s, card is situated between my fingers, I woman up and use the prepaid cellphone Matteo handed me before they left, dialing his number. We agreed to meet in the morning, he’s heading my way since I don’t have a set of wheels and little to no money. It’s going to be a long night since all Maribella could scrounge up without it being noticed was a few hundred dollars, money I won’t be wasting on a motel room, no matter the cost.
Since I had a bus ticket on hand, I was allowed to stay in the station overnight. It was uncomfortable and I didn’t get much sleep since I was paranoid that they’d either find me, or I’d be mugged so I tossed and turned, my eyes staying open more than they were closed. But in the end, the lack of sleep was worth the freedom I feel as I walk down the sidewalk to the destination Dominik gave me, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the sights of the stores as I pass them by.
I window shop along the path, thinking that one day I’d be more than a simple observer and dreamer. I meet with Dominik at the back of an alley behind a diner. The brick wall has a blue backdrop that he uses to take my photo. “I’ll have the new I.D. card ready for you in a few hours,” he tells me. “I’ll meet you back here two hours before your bus is set to leave. You’re heading to Canton, right?”
“Yes,” I say, showing him my ticket that’s been safely hidden in my jean pocket.
“I’ll have a room ready and waiting for you to check in under your new name. I’ll stick as close to the truth so you’ll instinctively answer when someone calls out your name. I also have a job interview set up for you with an old associate of mine. If things go well, you’ll be his interpreter. You being bilingual is what’ll give you this in with Cleo since he’s in desperate need of an interpreter.”
“Thank you for helping me when you didn’t have to,” I say with all of the gratitude I can muster. I’m still nervous and am having a hard time grasping the fact that I’m no longer locked up in a broom closet.
“If you follow the plan I’m helping you develop, you’re going to be fine. Canton has a motorcycle club that basically runs it, they’re good men, but are ruthless too so make sure you don’t piss them off. If you stay on your side of the road and use them as well as the town as a safety net, nobody will touch you. They wouldn’t dare cross the Kings, because nobody fucks with them. That’s a well-known fact.”
“So I can use them as a shield without having to befriend them or hang out at their headquarters. Am I understanding you right?” I ask, wanting that clarification.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Dominik remarks before tacking on one last piece of advice, “and don’t call it their headquarters if you ever cross paths with one of them. It’s a clubhouse. They’re bikers, not businessmen in suits and ties.”
As he walks away, I whisper, “This should be fun.”
I’ve always been fascinated by motorcycle clubs and their bonded brotherhood. A longing for acceptance, without wearing a mask, strums through me. Maybe one day I’ll find something close to that steadfast brotherhood for myself. I cross my fingers as I head into the diner, they’re having a four dollar breakfast special that I plan on taking advantage of because who knows when the next time will come that I can afford to eat.
“Let the good times roll.”
CHAPTER
FOUR
Icer
I’m sittingat the bar with my phone in hand, waiting for my princess’ mother to text and let me know when I can bring over the newest toys I purchased for Elodie. Zoey huffs and puffs whenever I do this, accusing me of going overboard and spoiling her rotten, but I can’t seem to help myself. I want her to have everything I didn’t and it’s become an obsession.
As I sit here feeling antsy, I eavesdrop on a conversation that’s taking place between Riptide and Slayer. “Dominik called me earlier this morning. He’s sending one of his strays to our town,” Rip states. “We’re not supposed to make contact, he says it’s not needed, and according to him, we don’t have to watch over her or provide her with any sort of protection either. He stated our presence alone will keep whomever is after her far away.”
“Good to know, we have enough on our plate as it is,” Slayer returns.
I roll my eyes at his ridiculous statement because things have been boring as hell around here. Exceptionally so. There’s beenno excitement outside of club parties for too damn long, and seeing as I’m not a people person, for obvious reasons, those frat-like parties don’t do jack shit for my pent-up, unfiltered frustration. I need to pound some flesh to get that under control and since we haven’t had any run-ins with anyone needing to be taught any lessons, I’m a strung up ball of rage with no outlet. That’s not a good combination when it comes to me.
“Do you know something I don’t?” Riptide asks, leaning over the table and zeroing in on his vice president.
“There’s rumors floating around. Ones that are causing me real concern, Rip,” Slayer confesses.
“Like what?” Riptide inquires, causing me to drop my phone and lean in their direction. Not because I’m a nosy fucker, but because it’s my job as the enforcer to know what the club is up against and those two tell me things on their own time which is usually too late for me to prevent anything from touching them. The two men who are my top priority and who I’m in charge of keeping safe. How do they expect me to do my job diligently if I’m not informed of potential threats before they have the chance to rear their ugly heads?
“The sheriff’s son, Jerome, is spearheading a gang alongside Patrick, the town council woman’s kid. They’ve already been hitting up the community shopkeepers wanting ‘protection’ and ‘rent’ money since their businesses are ontheirstreets while making bullshit threats about what will happen to them and their families if they don’t comply. It’s a scare tactic, one that may work against us if we continue to let it happen since we promised to keep bullshit like this away from them,” Slayer announces.
“Then it’s time we start making some noise,” Riptide states.
Yes! I internally do a fist bump because it’s high time we had something for me to do outside babysit my brothers when they get their drink on.
