“What I am to him and what I am to you are irrelevant. Move,” I said, shifting my gun to the base of his skull.
We walked to the rear, and I nudged him to make him move faster. I had to be gone from here soon. He opened the door just enough for me to see Rio lying in the back. He was bound with zip ties, with a knot as big as an egg in the middle of his forehead.
“See. Alive. We good?” he said.
“Totally,” I replied as I pulled the trigger, sending my love through his brain.
Rio, semi-awake, must’ve heard my voice. He let out a shrill scream as Alejandro’s man fell over beside him. I hated when he did that. Shit hurt my ears.
“Boy, shut the fuck up,” I scolded as I yanked on him to sit up. “Once I get those zip ties off, we gotta move.”
My warning to my brother couldn’t have been more timely. As soon as I removed the ties from his wrists and ankles, I spotted a matching black Suburban coming up the 405 toward us. I doubted this one had only one occupant.
“Oh, shit! Rio, get to the Mustang.” I had my brother, but we were still far from safe.
Orlando
46
After my conversation with Paris, I was even more worried. It was a risk sending her into an unknown situation, and now both of them were in danger. I didn’t know who the dead guy in the hotel was, but the body count was racking up on both sides. It was already a foregone conclusion that LC was going to ream me out for keeping him in the dark, but he just might kill me if anything happened to Paris.
As I stood outside the bar, I stared at my phone, half expecting another call, another disaster, another fire to put out. But no call came, so I entered the bar to take care of another responsibility.
“You haven’t been answering your phone,” I said, interrupting Ruby’s conversation with some young punk who was getting too friendly. I didn’t bother acknowledging him.
“I’ve been busy too,” she answered, gesturing to all the customers around the bar. She’d been working there as a bartender ever since she left Remy and Maria. “You buying a drink?” she asked, her demeanor strictly business. She knew it would piss me off, and it did.
“Look. I didn’t come here for bullshit chitchat. We’re way beyond that. I need to talk to you.”
“You need to talk, or we need to talk?” She wasn’t about to give up the attitude she was giving me.
“We need to talk.”
Ruby rolled her eyes before fixing them on me in a deadpan stare. “Now you have time,” she said, overtly disgusted. “Maybe my life’s not as important and urgent as you and your ‘empire,’ but it’s something.”
“I’m sorry. It’s hard to explain, Ruby, but things are out of control. I’m just trying to keep my head on straight.” I wanted to tell her everything, but it was safer for her if she didn’t know.
“Then what you doin’ at a bar, bro? Go home,” busybody joked as he came way too far into my space. His breath didn’t reek, so it was more simple asshole than alcoholic.
“Look. Can you take a break?” I asked Ruby as I continued to ignore her patron.
“No,” she replied as she grabbed two chilled longnecks and popped their tops, plunging lime wedges into each. “Leave me alone.” She strutted to the other end of the bar to serve another customer.
“See, I think the lady asked nicely,” the man chimed in as he stood up from his seat.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into, so I suggest you butt out and sit your ass back down. Besides, she’s pregnant with my child. Being the big hero won’t benefit you,” I warned.
“You really slept with this asshole, Ruby?” he said loudly across the bar.
Ruby turned in embarrassment at the sound of his voice.
I shoved the man, and of course, he shoved me back. Fed up with the silliness, I swung on him and connected. Unfortunately, the boy was one of those wrestling types that liked to grapple and wear you down. He tried to bear-hug me before I did damage.