Page 2 of Tango

I scanned the street ahead, and the guy must have caught my uneasiness.

“Take your problems somewhere else dude.” I didn’t like the look he gave me, and I backed off. His other friends seemed to be picking up on the uneasy vibe. Great, just what I needed right now, a scene. I swallowed hard as I felt Lexi’s blood soaking into my t-shirt. I didn’t dare look down and give them a reason to follow my gaze.

“I mean no harm. I’ll ask a local for help.” I stepped back. Just then I spotted Filippo as he raced around a corner and more police lights lit up the building in front of us. They were closing in. It was now or never.

“Let’s bolt. This shit is getting nuts,” one guy called to his friends, and they all started to walk away.

Normally, I was more resourceful, but given that my head was stuck in a loop, and my brother’s dead wife was in my arms, I found it impossible to get a clear thought.

I whirled around and ducked under an awning to get out of sight.

“Eric.” I couldn’t miss that smooth, whiskey, billionaire voice. “My friend, you look like you could use a hand.” Damn. I wondered how long he’d been watching. “You look like shit,” he added. Grim’s eyes darted to Lexi in my arms then back up to me. The tattooed cross just below the corner of his eye twitched. It was obvious he knew shit was going down.

“Grim—” I started to speak, but he shook his head and pressed the button on a key fob. I saw the lights flash on a car. Then he stuck his fob into my jeans pocket, as both my hands were locked around Lexi’s body.

“Black Lincoln across the street.” He turned his back and walked inside the building without even so much as a hesitation.

I didn’t miss a beat either and bolted in the direction of the car. Shouts came from down the street, and I worked quickly. Carefully, I lay Lexi on the back seat, jumped in the front, and, against all my instincts, eased slowly onto the street, thankful the windows were tinted as black as night.

I watched as two police cars rolled up to the building Grim went in, and officers raced inside. I let out a heavy breath and glanced back at Lexi. I knew I just saved the both of us in very different ways.

I drove to the outskirts of town, constantly watching my mirrors. I needed to pick up the pace. It wouldn’t be long before the entire Cartel would realize Lexi and I were nowhere to be found and would be on our trail. I wondered how Castillo would take the news that he’d been working with a former Blackstone agent for over a decade. There was a part of me that wished I could have been a witness to that moment. I’d have liked to have watched as his reputation was ripped away from his nasty hands and watched how others turned their backs on him.

The sun was just up when I pulled into a gas station. I looked around at Lexi. She was as pale as paper, and I reached back and gently brushed my hand down her arm. Once again, I apologized for not being able to keep my promise to her.

I turned the engine off and pulled the blood-soaked blanket out of the suit jacket and folded it over Lexi as though she slept then stepped out of the car and took a quick scan of the place. A chicken truck was parked in front of me. Perfect. I pulled out my phone, cleared the call log to Frank, and tossed it in among the clucking hens.

Years ago, before I left for Mexico, Frank had given me some advice. Find myself a safe place to hide what I might need in case I ever needed to flee. I thanked him internally as I went inside.

The owner of the gas station barely looked at me as he dropped a ring of keys on the dusty old counter. I headed without comment toward the back stockroom and unlocked the door. I’d chosen this place for a good reason. Most people would take one look at the place and want to get in and out as fast as possible. The old guy and I had made an agreement years back, and I had a fancy safe installed under the floorboards that could only be opened with my fingerprint.

After the door was locked behind me. I grabbed a book bag that was slung on a chair and emptied out the contents on the floor. Very aware I’d left Lexi out in the car, I tried to hurry. A sweatshirt hung on a hook nearby, and I pulled it on over my t-shirt. It was small, but it would do. I glanced around. I wanted to be careful not to leave anything behind that could connect me to the old man outside, and that included fingerprints. I ran my stained fingers under the rusty tap and did my best to wash the tacky blood away. My fingernails were a dead giveaway, though, and showed I was deep into something bad. I grabbed a rag and made sure to wipe everything I touched.

I strained to listen in case there was anyone around. Satisfied, I pushed the deep freeze over a few feet, then used the heel of my shoe to jimmy a floorboard to loosen the old nails. I flipped open my pocketknife and popped the nails free. The safe was exactly how I’d left it. I thumbed at the protective flap that hid the screen and placed my middle finger against it. It scanned my print, and a satisfying click vibrated under my finger. With a sigh of relief, I reached inside and pulled out four passports and four stacks of cash that went with each passport’s country. I was even happier when I removed the weapon and two magazines of ammunition. I took out the burner phone. I knew it was already programmed with a single number. Underneath that was a small, square, black box.

I stuffed everything into the bag, tucked the gun into my waistband, and pushed the freezer back in place. I quickly wiped everything with the damp, greasy rag. I hoped it was enough.

Slowly, I opened the door a crack and looked around. The place was quiet. I made eye contact with the owner as I walked through the office, and he gave me a slight nod that the coast was clear.

“Gracias.” I grabbed a power bar, a battery, and a couple bottles of water and placed some money on the counter along with the keys he’d given me. “I’ll send my last payment next month. Stay safe.”

“You too, mi amigo.” He tucked the money in his shirt pocket and went back to watching his game.

I got back in the car after a quick scan of the area and headed north toward Nueva. The power bar and water helped clear my head, and now I just needed to make sure I got Lexi into the right hands before anything else happened.

“Jesus, if the Cartel got their hands on you…” I muttered like she could hear me. “They’re ruthless creatures. It wouldn’t matter you’re already gone.” I shuddered at the thought and was even more determined to get her body home or die trying.

I rolled the window down, and the cool air brushed my face. I rubbed my temples to relieve the headache that had settled behind my eyes and let my mind drift into a memory.

Everything hurt, and I wanted to stay in my black bliss, but faint voices forced me to the surface...

“Paul, I need you to open your eyes.” Two Franks stood over me, but soon they morphed into one as my eyes focused. I was in a room with gray walls. “We don’t have much time, Paul. I need you to tell me if you can understand what I’m saying. Who’s Cole married to?”

“Savannah. One child, Olivia.” I choked on the sandpaper in my throat.

“Good.”

A memory surfaced. “Who the fuck shot me?”

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