Page 34 of Lethal Vengeance

ZANE

The second she buckles the seatbelt, I stomp on the gas. “We’re going to be late picking up Eduardo.” Maybe I can shave off a few minutes. “Did you oversleep?” Although the dark circles under her eyes indicates lack of sleep. The street sign catches my eye and I automatically jerk the wheel to the right, sending us careening around the corner a little faster than normal.

She flicks her eyes at the speedometer and raises an eyebrow. “Rodrigo’s leaving town for a couple of days. Wanted to say bye.” The whole time she’s talking, her thumbs never stop moving.

“Are you texting Armando to let him know?”

She stops for a second. “No, I’m texting a contact. Rodrigo’s planning something. Since he stopped by my place on his way out of town, I can’t help but think his trip is about me.” After a second of deep thought, she continues texting.

“One minute out,” I inform her. “How much have you let slip?”

Her brow furrows. “Absolutely nothing,” she spits out. “Why would you think I had?”

I slam on the brakes and look at my watch. “Two minutes late,” I state, satisfied with the three minutes I’d made up. “Let’s go.”

Her mouth opens, but something in the side mirror catches her eye, and it snaps shut. The door slams behind her.

I chuckle when I get out and follow her to the man standing in the doorway of a shop.

Quinn is holding his wrinkled hand in the crook of her arm. “Eduardo, this is Zane, my… friend. He’s going to drive us to Saltillo this morning.”

Eduardo releases Quinn and holds out his hand. Dark eyebrows shoot up when I place my hand in his. “Zane. Mucho gusto.” He leans into Quinn and whispers something that makes her laugh.

She squints up at me. “He’s definitely big. About six foot, three inches, muscles everywhere, legs like tree trunks, shaved head, tan complexion, scar on his cheek.” Her lips twitch with laughter. “Are you ready to go see your son?”

“Si,” he replies, taking her elbow again. They walk past, and he throws a thumb over his shoulder.

Wily old goat. “I’ll get the bags,” I call out, laughing. It dies when I see the three small bags sitting in the corner. That’s not much for the long life he’s led. I pick them up and carefully stow them in the trunk.

Quinn puts Eduardo in the front passenger seat. It reminds me of what you would do for an elderly relative and makes me smile.

On the hour drive to Saltillo, Eduardo regales us with stories from his life with his children and wife in Monterrey. The sadness in his voice when he speaks of Lupe is heartbreaking. It’s apparent how much he’s going to miss her and his home.

“Take a right here,” Quinn instructs from the back seat. “It’s the third house on the left.”

I turn into the driveway and shut off the car. “It’s a nice house. White and tan. Modern. A bike is lying in the front yard. A family neighborhood. It looks safe.” I don’t specifically address Eduardo, but if I were blind and moving to a new place, I’d want a little reassurance.

“Gracias,” he replies softly. Wrinkled hands glide over the side of the door until he finds the handle. He gets out and stands by the side of the car.

Quinn pats my shoulder and steps out to help Eduardo.

“I’ll get the bags,” I call out, making the old man chuckle.

The front door opens, and a young boy runs out of the house. “Abuelo.” His thin arms wrap around Eduardo’s waist.

Eduardo hugs him tightly. “Hola, Antonio.”

A man and woman walk out of the house. After greetings and introductions, we hand them Eduardo’s belongings.

I take a quick second to shoot off a text to Raider.

Eduardo grabs Quinn’s arms when she gives him a hug goodbye, his face serious, and says something that puts a look of fierce determination on hers.

In response, she takes his hand and places his palm on her cheek. “I promise.”

Satisfied, he pats her cheek and says goodbye.

On the way back to Monterrey, she turns to face me. “Why would you think I would let something slip to Rodrigo?”