Page 42 of Etched in Stone
“Ray went to go meet him. To do an exchange. We’ve got to warn him that you’re okay.”
Jesse dialed Ray’s number. No one picked up. She decided to change tactics. She called 911 and gave them her apartment address.
“Oh, my God. There’s like this creepy Mexican guy standing in the lobby of my apartment. I think he’s just pushing random call buttons to see if someone will buzz him in. I’m pretty sure he’s got a gun. I think he sees me.”
She hung up the phone.
Luis stared at her. “I’m not Mexican.”
“I know that. I was talking about Pablo, even though I’m pretty sure he’s not Mexican either. I’m hoping playing dumb white blonde will decrease their response time.”
“That’s cold, man.”
“Desperate times, desperate measures,” Jesse shrugged.
Jesse didn’t hear any sirens, but hopefully, that was because they were going with the silent approach. Maybe bringing a SWAT team. Probably not, but she could hope.
Luis was fingering his baseball bat.
“You shouldn’t get involved.”
“He stole my phone! And used it to commit a felony.”
“I’ll see what I can do about getting it back.”
Jesse ran out the door before Luis could convince her otherwise.
She hadn’t gone more than twenty feet before she spotted Pablo waiting on the street outside her apartment. Ray was nowhere in sight.
“Did you think that would work?” Pablo called. “We’ve had years to develop ways of subduing…
him.” He said, looking around as if the muggles would catch on that they were talking about an alien.
“Where is he?”
“Safe and sound until you give us what we want.”
“What do you want?”
“The real beacon.”
“Well, good luck with that, because Mr. Wingman put it somewhere out of reach of anyone without wings.”
“Where exactly?”
“I don’t know. He flew off and stashed it in some hidey hole.”
Pablo squinted, apparently buying her story.
“Then I have no further need for you.”
Despite there being a large number of people out and about, Jesse got the impression that Pablo didn’t care. He was going to shoot her in broad daylight as if he were immune to any and all prosecution.
There was nowhere to hide, just hope that Pablo was a horrible shot. But then something miraculous happened. The police actually arrived. Someone in the crowd yelled, “He’s got a gun!”
People scrambled out of sight and Jesse took that moment to duck behind a car. When she next looked, Pablo was screaming like a stuck pig and there was a cop kneeling on his back.
Jesse turned and headed back to the bodega. Luis was not there. He had probably been the one to get the crowd moving, now that she thought of it.
