Dirty Deeds(41)
“And how are we supposed to get away in a hurry?”
“We won’t be doing that in a hurry,” he said. “We’re being extra cautious, extra safe and staying one-step ahead. At this point, they’ve lost us. If they’ve found us, then we’d be dead. Now we figure out what our next moves are.”
“You’re awfully good at this.”
“I watch a lot of spy movies.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I was in the army.”
“That I know,” I said, and went back to sucking on the straw, feeling like a confused little child. Derrin did know a lot, about everything, it seemed. But it was still making sense for the time being. And the fact was, he was saving my life and I trusted him more than anything.
“Can I call Luz and Dominga?” I asked hopefully.
He shook his head. “No,” he said. “Not yet.”
“Not ever?”
He sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “I’m tired. Let’s get a hotel room.”
“Do you think that’s safe?”
“For now it is. They don’t know who I am.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.” He shrugged and thumped his fist against the steering wheel. “You’re the bigger problem. But don’t worry about that. I know a lot of people here who can get us fake IDs. They don’t ask questions and they don’t talk.”
“Do any of these people work for the cartels?” I asked suspiciously.
He gave me a look. “Everyone in Mexico works for the cartels, in one way or another.” He paused. “Isn’t that right?”
“No,” I told him, just to be difficult. “In the morning, I want you to take me to see my brother.”
He wiggled his jaw uneasily. “That wouldn’t be wise.”
“Are you scared?” I had a hard time imagining he was scared of anything.
“I’m not scared but it wouldn’t be good. People just can’t meet drug lords. It doesn’t work that way.”
“I’m his sister.”
His face turned grave. “You are. And he had more sisters. I’m sorry, but I have no reason to believe that Javier is going to protect you.”
That stung even though it was the truth. “He’s all I have.”
“You have me.”
“I don’t even really know you.” It just feels like I do. It just feels like I don’t need to.
“And yet I’m still here, saving your tight little ass today. Where was your brother when you were in the hospital? Did he ever come to visit? What about after? Do you think he’ll be here for you now?”
The lashes kept coming. My nose felt hot and I blinked a few times, trying to hide the disappointment. “This time it’s his fault.”
“It’s always been his fault, Alana. You never asked for this.”
“It was my father’s fault before then.”
“And still, you never asked for this. Your father is dead. Your brother is not. You’re alive and I am here with you.”
“I need to see Javier.”
“Then get him to meet you somewhere. I’m not taking you there, wherever he lives. That’s like walking into the lion’s den. A gringo like me … he’d never let me out of there alive.”
I glared at him. “Oh, he’s not that bad.”
“I know what he did to Salvador Reyes and his men, the way he swooped into the Sinaloa Cartel the way he did to Travis Raines’. That made the news back in Canada too. I’m not taking my chances. Tomorrow, you call him from a payphone, I’m sure there’s one somewhere, and you tell him what happened and you tell him to meet you there. Tell him to bring his wife too.”
“Luisa?”
He nodded. “Yes. From what I’ve heard, she keeps things civil.”
“I think you’ve heard wrong. You can’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
He went on, not hearing me. “I’ll be waiting with a gun trained on his head just in case anything goes wrong.”
I slapped his leg in protest. “No you won’t! Jesus, Derrin, he’s my brother. He’s not out to get me. He’s not the one who ordered me taken out. For all I know, he might be behind the vigilante killing.”
He shook his head ever so slightly and stared out at the fluorescent lights of the parking lot. In the distance, the sky was completely black now. Only the lone headlights blinded our eyes as they passed.
This was a lonely, lonely place and I was suddenly aware of how alone I was.
But I wasn’t, was I?
I stared at Derrin’s profile, the strong, hard features of his face, the way his chin dimple was only visible in a certain light, like now, the way his hair was starting to grow-in more, a light brown color. He still had the perfect head. He had the perfect everything.