Page 12 of Sold Blood
I increase my speed, my feet aching with each step I take. He guides me through a middle door down the steps of what appears to be leading to a basement. The closer we get to the bottom, the stronger the horrible stench grow and that's when I notice the sounds of cries and loud groans. We don't make it past the first step before he shoves me forward and my body hits the ground.
"Try not to get any bright ideas or I will chain you to the ceiling upside down until all the blood rushes to your head." He kicks at my legs with the heel of his boot. "Now get to that back wall and don't move until that door shuts behind me." He pulls out a gun, pointing it to my temple. "Or it will be the last move you make, got it?"
"Yes, sir." The words burn my throat as I force them out.
"Good. Any more of your ridiculous questions before I go?"
"Yes, how'd you get that scar on your face?"
He smiles wickedly. "Maybe someday I'll have the chance to show you."
"Or maybe I'll have you show me on yourself, making your right side match your left."
He throws his head back laughing on his way up the stairs. No one here takes me seriously and they find my threats harmlesswhich means they won't see it coming when I slit their throats and bleed them dry.Good.
Seven
Isaiah
I stare at Joey's picture on the dash and my heart squeezes tight. "I will find you, if it's the last thing I do," I whisper to the photo, ready to see his smile again.
It was taken the day Joey had begged me to take him to the ocean, wanting to lay out in the sand and watch the sun go down. It's what we’d spent half the time doing. The rest of it was spent making love on the balcony hammock and every piece of furniture in the hotel suite.
I swallow hard, basking in our last memories together, holding on to every kiss and touch we’d shared before he disappeared, hoping they won’t be the last. The day is almost over and I'm already beginning to worry I've failed him.
Carlos is the best guy for the job and there is no one else who could do it better. I believe that more than anything. Me goingafter Joey myself would only get us both killed. These people more than likely know who I am and they would expect it, but they won't see Carlos coming—no one ever does.
I pull over to the side of the road when my father's house comes into view. I park only feet away from the front gate. Is he inside this very moment? Is he sitting behind his desk and barking orders, or is Mateo now sitting in his place? I didn't want to waste any more time by bombarding Carlos with tons of questions earlier. Not when I could find the answers myself. I know my father did business with Santana in the past and I bet he still does, if only to keep the peace.
Sometimes you are forced to make peace with your enemies in order to keep them in your good graces, and not be considered their next problem. I need to know why Santana would be after Joey and if this means someone will be coming for me next. Maybe my father or brother could help put me in contact with the man people claim is impossible to find. If he saw us as a threat to his cartel business then he would have taken all three of us down and not just Joey.
One of the bushes near the fence shakes. On high alert, I slide my hand over my gun. My shoulders relax and a soft chuckle escapes my lips when a gray cat jumps out, running across the road. My dark and small car helps me blend in more with the night sky. Carlos was probably right, and I shouldn't have come alone, but it’s hard to trust anyone. What if the men who were supposed to protect Joey were the ones who took him? What if they had been a part of the plan all along? It’s better I do this alone.
I keep staring at the house, not sure what I'm hoping to see from this distance. I doubt I'd even recognize Mateo if I saw him now. He was only a kid when I randomly disappeared. Would I even recognize my own father? People typically change drastically in this life, both mentally and physically.
A loud banging has me jumping in my seat and when I roll down the window, a gun is being pointed at my head and a pair of familiar green eyes are staring back at me. "Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?"
My hands freeze on the steering wheel the more the man in front of me resembles my own reflection. "I didn't think it would be this easy to get you outside your castle. I was more than sure I'd be face to face with one of your men's guns first."
His nose flares. "Answer my questions or I will put a bullet in your head. Last time I checked; I didn't need my guards for that."
"You wouldn't dare kill your own flesh and blood, would you? Is that the kind of man you've grown to be?"
He takes a step back and his eyes grow wide. "What are you talking about?"
"I think you know." I pull my necklace free from my shirt. My father had bought me and Mateo matching ones long ago with a built in compass and a J engraved on the outside. He had told us if we were ever lost to let them help guide us the way back home.
"Looks like this finally served its purpose. I'm finally back home."
"Isaiah?" he gasps. "It can't be. You're dead and that necklace was supposed to be buried with you."
"I think you and I both know by now people who die in this life don't always stay dead. So are you going to keep pointing your gun at my head or are you going to invite me inside for a drink?"
He sighs, sliding his hand through his hair and his gun is now pointing to the ground. “Are you alone?”
I nod. “Yes. It’s better this way. I can’t trust anyone these days.”
“And you think you can trust me? Why show up now? Where have you been all this time? All this time …”
