Bedlam Boyz(12)

"Mama is saying that county jail is like your home away from home, Carlos," Manuel joked.

"Heh, they haven't arrested me for at least a year!"

"Until last night," Ramon observed from the front seat.

"Ramon doesn't mind, since he could make time with Roberta at the party last night." Manuel smiled, then his smile faded at the cold look Carlos gave to Ramon.

"Is this true?"

The young man shook his head. "Roberta is your girl, Carlos, and everyone knows that. Maybe someday I'll meet a girl that I like, someone who isn't already in love with my handsome oldest brother." He grinned. "Maybe she won't even like you! Wouldn't that be a wonderful joke!"

"Heh." Carlos sat back in the seat, glancing out the window at the city. Ramon was driving carefully, even sedately, probably not wanting any more trouble than they'd already had. Soon they'd be on the 101 Freeway and out of Hollywood, which was good. He would never have admitted it to his brothers, but he had been afraid after being arrested in Hollywood. Outside of Van Nuys and the San Fernando Valley, and away from his own barrio, any other city gang boy could've tried to make points by cutting or killing him. That would've started a war, which he didn't want at this point—everything was going too well for his homeboys, and he didn't want anything that could cause trouble now. Especially not now, with what he'd heard from the madman in the jail.

"I have some work for you, Manuel," he said. "There is a young girl I want to find. I only saw her for a few moments, and I don't know where she lives. . . ."

"Isn't Roberta enough for you, Carlos?" Manuel asked. "How many other women do you need?"

Carlos considered hitting his brother, then decided against it. Manuel would always be a joker, no matter how many times Carlos bruised his fists against him. "This girl is different, Manny. She was at the jail and is staying with a black woman who might be a policewoman. The girl's first name is Kayla, I don't know her family name. The black woman's name is Elizabet Winters. You will find out where she lives today."

"What, today?" Manuel's voice held surprise and a hint of laughter. "You'll give me one day to find this girl in the entire city of Los Angeles? That's very generous of you, brother!"

"Why do you want this girl so much?" Ramon wanted to know.

Carlos thought about it for a moment, then decided to tell them. They were his brothers, after all, and there was no one in the world he could trust more than them. "She may be a bruja, a witch," he said at last. "At least, that is what a crazy man in jail told me. If we find her, I will be able to know for certain." He smiled. "If she is a witch, she could be useful to me. To the homeboys. We've had trouble with those bastardos from the city, trying to take over the drug selling near our barrio. With a bruja, maybe they would be more afraid of us."

"I think Carlos just wants another woman, a girl who is a bruja in bed," Manuel said. "I can't wait to tell Roberta that she isn't enough for him anymore!"

"Carlos, what if this girl doesn't want you?" Ramon asked.

"What do you mean?"Carlos said, surprised by the question. "She'll come with us, whether she wants to or not. She's just a girl."

"But that's—"

"That's what? Survival, that's what it is! Ramie, it's us against them, our family against the T-Men, the bastardos that would ruin our business. You know that!"

Ramon glanced at him. "Carlos, I don't like this. You know I've never liked what we're doing, but this is even worse. It's changing you, changing all of us, making us into . . . into something I don't like."

"So, what else are you going to do?" Carlos asked. "The money's good, I know you like that. Are you going to work at McDonald's for a handful of dollars a day?"

Ramon shook his head, his eyes on the traffic ahead of them. "I . . . I talked to Luisa this morning. She says they might have work for me at the store. I could do that during the day, go back to school at night. . . ."

"Heh, you couldn't even finish high school!" Carlos laughed.

"I couldn't, because you made me quit! You made me quit and help you sell drugs!" Ramon said angrily.

Carlos glanced at Manuel, who was being very quiet in the seat next to him. He leaned forward, speaking quietly to Ramon. "Ramie, Ramie, I need you. We've built a business, but I can't hold it all alone. Not with those bastardos from downtown trying to cut into our territory. Do you forget, Rey's in the hospital because of them? They want our territory, and who knows what they might try next? No, you can't go back to school now, I need you too much. Our family needs you too much."