"Didn't you guys see it?" Kayla asked, running up the stairs behind Carlos and Ramon. "Didn't you see it?"
"See what, querida?" Ramon asked.
"That woman, Shari!"
"I've met Shari before," Carlos said grimly. "And her employer, Nate Shea. We are in worse trouble than we were before, Ramie."
"But doesn't she look just a little . . . weird . . . to you? I mean, you saw it, right? Her face? Her eyes? Her ears?"
"Stop talking nonsense, girl," Carlos said. "Her ears are just like the rest of her. We have serious business to talk about now."
They didn't see it, neither of them saw that she isn't human. Kayla stopped for a moment on the stairs, staring at Carlos and Ramon. How could they miss it? She's got bigger ears than Mister Spock! Maybe she got those eyes from a fancy pair of contact lenses, but those ears were real! Come on, guys, I know you're not blind!
Maybe there's something else going on here. She recognized me the minute she saw me, she knew what I can do. Maybe this is some kind of thing that most people can't see, something to do with magic. I can see her for what she is, but no one else can.
This is too weird for words!
Kayla followed them back into the apartment. Roberta was all over Carlos a half-second later, crying and hugging him. He said something gentle to her in Spanish, and she went back to the couch, picking up little Juanita, who had started to roll toward the edge of the sofa.
Carlos sat down heavily next to Roberta. For a moment, he played with baby Juanita, letting her tug on his fingers, before he spoke again. "I don't know what to do, Ramie. This is an impossible situation."
"What's so impossible about it?" Kayla spoke up. "Seems like it's the perfect solution, everything works out great for everyone."
"It isn't that easy, bruja."
"Why not?"
Ramon explained quietly, as Carlos stood and paced the room. "Nate Shea, that is why. He is a major drug supplier to most of Los Angeles, a very dangerous man. Our fight with the T-Men is bad, but not as bad as angering Nate would be. At least in the war with the T-Men, there's a chance we could win, or force them to quit."
"But what she talked about was terrific! It could work!"
Carlos whirled to face her. "But what if it doesn't? Then we are in a war with not only the T-Men but also Shea, who owns his own private army! We can't win!"
"But you don't have to fight!"
Carlos sat down on a chair across from her. "Bruja, you know that the T-Men are trying to kill all of us. I think they might kill you, or worse, if you go with them. We can't trust them. Perhaps we can trust Nate Shea, but I don't know. The T-Men are a lot of business to Nate, millions of dollars a year, and he may decide to go along with what they want rather than lose their business. We're nothing beside that. And next to that, what are you?" He shook his head. "No. I won't risk it."
"But don't you see, it could stop this war! I'm willing to take the risk," Kayla said, trying to keep from getting angry.
"And why are you so willing to take this risk for us?" Carlos asked. "You're not one of us, you've said that yourself. Call 911, you said. Why have you changed your mind?"
Kayla flushed, and glanced at Ramon across the room. "I don't want anyone else to die. That's all. If I can make a difference, then I want to give it a try."
"She has a point," Ramon began. "I agree that it's dangerous, but it could be worth a try."
"But how do we know?" Carlos paced to the window, looking out. "How do we know?"
"It's a leap of faith," Kayla said. "There isn't any way to know. Ramon . . . Ramon could go with me, make sure that they don't do anything bad to me. They ought to agree to that."
"Eh, I like that idea," Ramon said, smiling at her.
"Be quiet!" Carlos snapped at him. "Can't you see that all of this could be a trick? They'll take the bruja away from us, and then there'll be nothing to stop them from killing all of us! Can't you think for once with something other than your pene?"
Ramon's face flushed suddenly. "At least I'm not afraid to admit that I care about someone," he said, looking down at his shoes.
"No," Carlos said. "And that's final. I'm going to call this Shari woman and tell her that there is no deal. And you, girl, go pack up your clothes. We're taking you to another house, a safer place. Roberta, you too. I want you to call Luisa and your cousins at work, tell them not to come home for a few days. The T-Men know that you live here, and I think they'll be back."
I don't know if we'll be safe, even here, Carlos thought, walking with the bruja into Luis' home, an old house several miles away from Roberta's apartment. It was plainly furnished, but clean and neat. Luis and his wife showed Kayla to a small spare bedroom, as Carlos and half a dozen of his homeboys set up chairs in the living room, carrying in pizza boxes and six-packs of beer.