Page 9 of The Final Deal

I could bitch at him for a thing or two, anyway.

It’s not until I search the huisache directly in front of my window that I find it: the barred owl sits on a limb about twenty feet away from my window, staring at me with eyes as black as the abyss I’ve always imagined I’ll disappear into when my time on earth is up.

Chapter 4

Help

–Papa Roach

The only vehicleparked on the side of Botanica Ramos is a bright orange SUV. I swallow the growing apprehension with each step closer to the glass door; reassuring myself that setting aside my pride is for the best seems like a lie as I meet the exasperated gaze of Sunny Ramos’s sister.

I’m not sure if Tia Rosa has ever liked me. I think she barely began tolerating Shannon when he let on that he picked up on Spanish and could understand when she was talking shit right in front of him a few years ago. While Kris doesn’t speak up against her in defense of Shannon too often, Zak and Adrian have always been pretty vocal. Probably because they’re the babies of the family—and boys—are spoiled rotten, and can get away with murder.

But they aren’t here to defend me against the dragon today. Now, it’s only me and Tia Rosa in the botanica with Selena playing a little too loudly over the speakers.

She’s curt with her greeting. “Los gemelos are off today.”

God, I could backhand her over her tone. But in the blink of an eye, black orbs staring into my room from the trees remind me to set pettiness aside. “Is Kris still in town?”

That earns a response: her thin brow shoots up. “I’m not sure. And I think you’re the last person she’d want to speak to, anyway.”

“I don’t want to talk to her, exactly.” I cross my arms and pick at the skin around my nails. “I think she might be comin’ after me again. In her lechuza form.”

Sighing, Tia Rosa sets aside the notebook and pen in her hands, gingerly setting it on the glass case countertop. “White barn owl? Long black hair?”

I chew on my lip for a long moment. “Actually, no. This time it’s a barred owl.”

She crosses her arms and frowns. “Huh.”

The silent stare down is annoyingly unhelpful, so my arms fall to my sides and I pivot toward the door. “I guess it’s just a regular owl, after all.”

I reach to push the door open, but Rosa pipes up, “Do you know how Andrea is doing? Shannon isn’t answering our phone calls, so we’re getting worried.”

The crease between my brows deepens. “His wife just up and disappeared without a trace—he’s taking it pretty hard and is treading water trying to keep himself going for his daughter. But,” I sigh, facing her once more, “it’s really tough on him when Drea keeps asking for her mother. She’s missing her somethin’ awful and needs her. I think helping her work on her abuela’s recipes will help channel that worry, though.”

Confusion intensifies on Rosa’s face and creates lines on her forehead and around her lips. “How does she know her abuela’s recipes?”

“She doesn’t,” I respond. “Not yet, anyway. I found her recipe box and promised I’d help her learn a few so she can show off to Kris.”

The severity of her features soften so much I think she’s turned into a completely different person and left the room entirely.

“In retrospect, maybe that’ll make Kris hate me even more?—”

“Just save the salsa roja for Kris and I think she’ll be okay with it.”

I snort. “Fair enough.”

We both chuckle lightly. The humor dies down quickly, though, despite the chipper repetition of “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” bouncing off the walls.

“Don’t keep Drea’s hopes up,” she warns quietly. “Lechuzas tend to distance themselves from others and become solitary, unless they form a coven. As for the barred owl… I’m not too sure. Lechuzas are barn owls, and horned owls are sometimes brujas, too, so it probably is a normal owl. But if it’ll make you feel safer, keep salt handy to toss at it and curse at it to make it go away. Do you know any?”

“Un poquito.”

As weird as it is for Tia Rosa to smile at me, I return the gesture.

“Could you ask Shannon to call us? We’d really like to check in on them.” She pauses for a split second. “And maybe Drea can show us what recipes she’s learned.”

That earns a genuine beam from me. “I can do that.”

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