Page 26

LILIANA

“ I would say this doesn’t seem like a drug runner’s kind of place, but nothing about this has been normal,” Nacio murmurs as we watch someone place a bag of drugs underneath a park bench in the twilight of the day.

It took forever for el Tigre to respond back to me. And now, we’re going to stalk and extract intel.

“Be careful,” I murmur to him as he slinks away. I get a finger wave in return.

The cocky fucker.

Gazing around the open area for any sign of cops, I shove my hands into my coat pockets and begin to walk. I have kept a low profile in town despite the executions and disappearances of low life drug dealers and rapists.

I shouldn’t be on el Tigre’s radar. The phone I used was a burner, and I took a lot of precautions on the way here. Nacio and I parked several blocks away, had dinner at a cute eatery, then walked here at the agreed upon time.

We look like a couple out enjoying ourselves before heading to a drug pick up.

My lips twitch at how insane my life is now as I bend to snag a corner of the rolled up bag before continuing to move out of view.

Nacio is currently tailing the guy who brought us the drugs, while I’m walking to drop this off with one of my father’s men to test the drugs.

Also, any kind of evidence on the bags or markings will be helpful to track el Tigre. The man has to fuck up at some point. Now that I’ve made absolutely certain Maurice and his men aren’t dealing after some very intense interrogation, they’re very motivated to see me go.

“Miss Lili,” Maurice’s son murmurs, stepping out from behind an alley. After seeing what I was capable of and understanding who I am, his tune has changed. Maurice gave his son to me as my runner.

I also found out that the reason he was so cagey when I spoke to him the first time is because he was with someone he shouldn’t have been. Santiago is gay, not a spy or a traitor. His father is currently dealing with the realization, which is none of my concern.

Mr. Emil thought Santiago was the one selling the drugs because he’s been sneaking around to meet with his boyfriend and has been lying left and right to his father.

“You know where to get this to,” I say, jerking my head into the alley. “Open this in a well ventilated area, please, then catalog it all.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmurs. I think my youth is transcended by how fucking scary I am.

GHB at least won’t burst into a cloud like cocaine because it’s not a powder, which means no one can accidentally get high. I asked for both gum as well as liquid form. Maybe I’ll get lucky on the composition or even prints on the inside.

“Oh, please wear gloves when you open this,” I add with a wince, handing it to him. Nothing is ticking inside of the bag either. I already put it up to my ear to listen.

I’m feeling really fucking paranoid, but this could be a big help in tracking down el Tigre. Mr. Emil has people on staff who will test everything to find where he lives based on what is on the actual bag, as well as how he’s transporting the product.

It’s so damn complicated, but I really am hoping that we can figure it out. Santiago takes the bag and books it, walking quickly away from me to where his car is located at the end of the alley.

Nodding as I watch him drive away, I continue down the road, knowing that eventually, Ignacio will catch up to me. The shadows are creeping along the street, the streetlights on now. It’s now fully dark, the world beginning to quiet.

I really enjoy experiencing this part of the day, and tend to run in the morning or around this time. I already had my morning run, since my schedule was full today so I’m set.

I haven’t seen heads nor tails of the Kings in the past few weeks, and I’m pretty happy about that. Ignacio has more than paid any debts to them, they can fuck all the way off.

My ankle threatens to roll over an uneven section of the sidewalk, causing me to curse under my breath as I catch myself. Shaking my head, I glance up to find a girl running across the street barefoot.

“What the fuck—” I whisper, craning my neck to see her better. Her small frame, long dark hair, fuck even her hips are familiar and tears threaten to fill my eyes. “Why are you running…”

My answer is given to me as three large men in masks stomp after the terrified girl.

I beg your finest fucking pardon. Not today. Giving chase, I’m grateful for the fact that I never miss a run.

RACHELLE

The rattling of my door makes me swallow hard, but it’s when I hear their voices that I know I’m fucked.

“Rachel, Rachelle, who fucking knows who you are. You hurt your boss, and there are consequences to that,” Jared yells.

My door has two locks and a sliding bolt lock, but something tells me that won’t keep the Kings out. Breathing hard, I look down at my pajamas and grab the first things from the clean laundry that I find to change into.

As terrified as I am of going outside, the men out there are fucking feral. Cruel, callous, evil creatures. They almost killed me once, what is to keep them from doing it again?

My heart is pounding as my hands shake, and I pull off my pants to put on a pair of black leggings. Next, I pull on a sweatshirt as quickly as possible and pull on socks. Looking around in panic, I remember that my shoes are in my bedroom.

Fuck, this is what trying to be semi neat gets me! I recently finished a load of laundry in the basement of the building, I can’t imagine what would have happened if they had caught me coming back up.

I need to go.

The door’s locks are turning one by one, and I’m trying not to dissolve into a puddle of fear. They have no idea how much I struggle from day to day to function. Truthfully, it’s none of their goddamned business. Picking up my phone, I text my stepfather. I won’t be taking this with me.

Me:

911, flying the coop. Love you. Thank you for everything.

It may seem melodramatic, but I don’t know why they’re coming so hard for me. The guys said themselves that it’s because I attacked Elijah, but he scared the shit out of me. I reacted without thinking.

Turning, I shove open the window and force my legs out so that I can reach the fire escape. I’m going to need to walk along the siding and then jump. I’d rather take my chances outside than here.

Isn’t that a mind fuck?

My legs threaten to sag in fear, but I’m going to fall and break things if they do. Forcing myself to be strong, I think of Ignacio and Liliana. They’re both so much better than I am. They have always lived without fear.

I fucked up their lives. I’m the problem.

Holding onto the side of the building now that I’m finally out the window, I don’t bother to close it as I gaze down. The world would be better without me, but I’m not giving it the satisfaction of offing myself tonight.

Forcing my feet to shuffle to the right, I shiver as the wind whips along the street. The door opens only to get caught on the sliding bolt, and I gasp as I continue along. My vision is blurry as tears threaten to overflow my eyes, but I open them as wide as possible.

I can’t fall apart. I’m going to get out. Too many people have sacrificed their lives for me to be able to live. Too many are mourning a death I escaped.

Grabbing the railing, I climb up and over it without looking behind me before I’m running down the stairs.

“There’s no fucking way!” Elijah yells.

Something hits the steps, and smoke begins to surround me. Coughing, I keep moving, only being able to breathe and see because of the ventilation on the street. The breeze is blowing, and they wasted a fucking smoke bomb on me.

“Rachelle!” Elijah calls out.

“Polo, motherfucker!” I scream.

“See, I’m not losing it,” I hear him say before they turn and leave. I’m not stupid, it’s easier for them to cut me off, but I’m not going to let that happen.

I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I’ve been walking every day on a walking pad so I won’t lose muscle mass. It’s an easy way to study or do work. Emil actually came up with the idea, and it was easy to put together.

Jumping down the last stretch, my knees scream at me, but I catch myself and keep running. I choose to go left instead of right because I know the way that the building faces. Hopefully, I’ll escape being cut off.

“We’re coming for you,” Theo calls out, sounding closer than he should.

Sobbing out a breath, I run even faster, until the world seems to blur around me. Their voices feel like they’re everywhere, but I know it’s probably the wind surrounding me, pulling their voices closer. God, I hope it’s that.

Otherwise I’ll be fucked.

Coming to an intersection, I thank my lucky stars there’s no traffic as I race across. Taking a chance, I glance behind me quickly, and see skull faces chasing me. Shrieking, I turn and tell myself I won’t look back again. That’s how people turn into pillars of salt or trip and fall.

There’s only so long I can run. Maybe I’ll get lucky and run into a police officer. Except, everyone knows, there’s never one when you need one.