Bedlam Boyz(44)

"He's not here," Ramon said. He walked forward from behind a parked van, matching gazes with the strange woman. Kayla wanted to scream. No, Ramon, please, don't get yourself killed, not over me. . . .

"We need to talk," Shari said. "Tell him that I work for Nate Shea. He probably will recognize the name—Nate is one of the major drug suppliers for downtown L.A. We don't supply the Tyrone Street Boys, but he should know the name. I need to talk to him . . ."—her eyes drifted to Kayla, who felt like a rabbit caught out in front of a hawk—" . . . and that child as well. We'll wait in the car until Carlos arrives." She turned and walked back across the street, as elegant as a princess.

<W1%-12>"<|><D%0>'Berta," Ramon called quietly, and Roberta edged forward from the side of the building. She looked like she was close to tears, holding Juanita protectively in her arms. "Go upstairs and call Carlos," Ramon instructed Roberta. "And don't come back down here, no matter what happens."

"Ramie, they might kill you!"

"I know, I know. Just go now, quickly. Kayla, you go with her."

"I want to stay with you!" Kayla protested.

Ramon gave her a sad smile. "Please, querida. You are a brave girl, but you shouldn't be here. Go upstairs now, please."

Kayla glanced at the woman—she could see her face, serene and inhuman, through the window of the white Mercedes. "Okay. Okay, I'll go up." She walked with Roberta to the entrance of the apartment building and up the three flights of stairs. Roberta set baby Juanita down on the couch and picked up the phone, dialing quickly. She spoke into it for a few minutes in Spanish, then hung up. As she picked up Juanita again, Kayla could see the tears in her eyes.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Kayla said, wondering if her words sounded as empty to Roberta as they did to her.

Roberta held the baby very close to her, tears falling down her face and soaking into the baby's shirt. Kayla sat next to her on the couch, not certain what to do. Hesitantly, she put her arm around Roberta's shoulders. "It'll be all right, you'll see."

The young woman shook her head, not answering.

The next half hour was the longest of Kayla's life, as she wondered who was going to come through the door next. Ramon and Carlos, to tell them that everything was okay? The woman and the T-Men, planning to kill them?

That woman, Shari . . . Kayla still couldn't believe what she'd seen. She knew the woman wasn't a normal human being, but what else could she be? It didn't make any sense. There just weren't people with pointy ears walking around in Los Angeles—she couldn't be real. Except that she was downstairs in the street right now, sitting in a white Mercedes.

She wanted to ask Roberta about it, but Roberta was obviously not interested in conversation. She sat nervously on the couch, waiting for something to happen.

Eventually there was a knock at the door, and when she saw that Roberta wasn't going to get up to answer it, Kayla walked over and opened the door. It was the homeboy who had been guarding Kayla. He spoke to Roberta in Spanish.

"You need to go with him," she said. "Carlos is downstairs, talking with the woman, and they need you there as well."

Kayla followed him down to the street. Carlos and Ramon were standing on the sidewalk, talking with the woman. "Bruja," Carlos said, "this woman has questions for you."

"Tell me about your magic, girl," Shari said.

Feeling very self-conscious, Kayla explained what had happened to her in the last two weeks, ending with walking into the warehouse after the gunfight last night and what had happened there. The woman nodded as she finished, and spoke quietly. "I believe I may have a solution to the problems between the T-Men and the Tyrone Street Boys. Nate is interested in you, girl. I believe he could end this war by paying off the T-Men, convincing them to pursue other ventures . . . if you will agree to work for him. He could make this financially lucrative for Carlos Hernandez and his Tyrone Street Boys, as well."

"I'd be willing to help both groups, anybody who needs it," Kayla said. "Just so they stop killing each other. That's all I'm asking." She glanced at Ramon. "I don't want anyone else to get killed, y'know?"

"We'll think about it, after you leave," Carlos said. His lips were very tight, and he was watching the guys in the parked cars very closely.

"That would be fine." The woman removed a business card from her purse. "Call me later today, if you would. I'll talk to Nate immediately to work out the details."

Carlos took the card from her. She walked back to the white Mercedes. A few minutes later, the convoy of cars left, following the Mercedes. Carlos stood watching until the last car disappeared around the corner. "Upstairs," he said abruptly. "We have to talk about this now."