by Kara Hart
The SUV was near us now, maybe even 50 feet away. Who could be sure? I looked into what seemed to be the barrel of a gun, when suddenly—BOOM! CRACK! BOOM!
Three mini explosions detonated underneath the vehicles sending them skyrocketing…towards us!
“RUN!” Adam ditched the bike and picked me up from the ground. It was our only attempt at escaping the explosion in front of us.
Flaming balls of wreckage rained down the sky, just barely missing us. We lay on the desert sand, covered in stickers, dirt, and other dangerous crap. “Holy shit!” I yelled.
“WOO-EE! How ‘bout that! Thank the lord…” Adam said.
All of a sudden, a high pitched voice sounded from a few yards away. “Fuck the lord. Thank ME, homes.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. There he was! Jorge was standing on a rock opposite us with a whole arsenal behind him. The men walked forward with their weapons. “Guess those SUV safety ratings don’t count against no grenades. Huh, bro! WOO!”
Adam ran in his direction. “JORGE, YOU MOTHER FUCKER! COME HERE!” He yelled, grabbing Jorge’s hand and pounding his back in good nature. Jorge was surrounded by 20 or so other men, sporting all kinds of body ink. Adam look winded and surprised, like he didn’t have a clue any of that would happen. I turned to him and asked, “You called him on that clicker thing, right?”
He looked at me and ran his right hand through his hair. “You know, Rose…I’m going to let this one be a mystery. Because if you knew the truth, you might go ahead and kill me.” I punched his arm, cursing under my breath. What a bastard. I thought.
Of course, I couldn’t leave him. Despite it being an utterly insane few days, I enjoyed the adventure this life provided me. I looked at Adam, Jorge, and the men surrounding them and thought to myself,
This is my family. This is where I belong now.
Chapter Eleven
We didn’t waist any time standing around. Jorge and his men shuttled us out of the area completely. I didn’t bother looking out the windows of his truck, but it was somewhere far. We drove almost three hours in the desert with our lights off.
When we finally did get to our destination, I turned to Jorge and Adam angrily. “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?” I demanded. I wasn’t going to be treated like a child any longer. I at least earned that much respect. Adam looked at Jorge. Jorge looked at Adam. The rest of the guys looked at Rose, as if thinking to themselves, who the fuck is this Gringa?
Jorge laughed a little to himself, staring at Adam. “What? You didn’t tell her?”
I lunged towards Adam. “Tell me what?”
He pushed my head away and stared Jorge down for a hot second. “No. I didn’t tell her.” He said.
“What? You didn’t tell me what, Adam?” This was beyond unreal. “First I witness my first big drug deal. Then I find myself in a deadly car chase. Then, we’re almost killed by your own stupidity! What the fuck is happening here?” I was screaming. One of the men behind Jorge spit out some of his beer, laughing, “Damn! This girl’s crazy, homie!” He said, wiping his face off.
Adam turned to me looking apologetic. “Uhh…” He stuttered. I stomped my feet, turning red with anger. I waited for his explanation. “I had known for a little while, that…uh…well, that Agent Brianna Baxter had discovered my whereabouts with some intel she got. I knew it was a matter of time until she found me. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”
I fell to the floor in an anxiety-induced stupor. I put my head in my hands, feeling my greasy hair slide through my fingers. I was overcome with dizziness. Sweat ran down my forehead. Memories of my old life and home clouded my thoughts. They were all gone now. They were subjected to time and its misfortunes. I shed a tear and looked at Adam. “I want to go home.” I said.
Jorge walked up to me, kneeling down. He put his hand on my shoulder. “You are home, little girl.” I had seen too much. I knew that. But I longed to see my parents’ faces more than anything on this earth. I longed to be in their arms, to feel their kisses on my head, to eat dinner with them and talk about how boring school was, to get mad at them and storm off, to…oh, it was no use. This was my family now. My unfortunate little family. I would have to make the best of it.
Nevertheless, I got up and wiped the tears off my face. That's when I started swinging. I punched Jorge in the stomach three times. Then I turned around and kicked Adam in the shin. “You both ruined my life!” I screamed, walking out of the room. I felt the cold desert air wrap around my face.
“You ruined it yourself!” Jorge yelled. “Damn puta…” I held my ground and kept walking.
Adam restrained Jorge from chasing after me. He was clearly angry with me for challenging his authority. It was a bold move on my part, but one I had to do. “Come on Jorge. Let her go. She’ll be back.”
Jorge turned to him, face sweating and turning red. “You're damn right she will. She has nowhere to go. But what's going to happen once you're little crush goes and calls the FBI on us? Then what?” He screamed, pushing Adam away.
“Woah, woah. Settle down there, partner. She ain't going to turn us in.” Adam said confidently.
“Oh, yeah? And how do you know that, big man?” He stuck his chest out, displaying his dominance.
“I know because I'm going to marry her.”
There was a long pause of silence in the room. I found a nearby boulder and sat down, listening attentively. Tears were falling from my eyes, hitting the smooth dust below. All seemed barren and empty to me at this point.
Jorge paced around the room. “You're going to do what?!” He screamed, losing all control. He punched the wall, leaving a large hole in the drywall.
Adam walked up to Jorge and stood his ground. “I said I'm going to marry her.”
He burst out laughing, proudly displaying his gold tooth. He looked like he was completely out of his mind. “Adam, man. You never cease to amaze me. Does he boys?” He looked at his men and they began laughing with him in solidarity. “Well if a wedding is what you want, a wedding is what you'll get. Hey Louis, you were the officiate at your sister’s wedding, right?” A very buff man wearing sunglasses and cut off sleeves nodded his shiny bald head. “Well that settles it then. Time to play dress up, boys! We’re gonna’ have ourselves a little wedding.”
Jorge smiled and the light reflected off his jewelry and teeth in a way that made him look like pure evil. I walked back into the room. This time, I didn't have any tears on my face.
“Speak of the devil!” Jorge yelled.
I didn't smile. I didn't frown. I simply stood still and waited for his next grand display. He lifted his button down shirt above his tattooed stomach. The words “LOYALTY OR BLOOD” were marked in black ink. And below his stomach, next to his hip, sat a silver pistol, begging to be used. He grabbed it and pointed it at me. Oddly enough I wasn't even afraid. I didn't flinch a centimeter.
He pushed it against my lips and I felt the cold steel of death hit my teeth. I welcomed it. Nothing could touch me. Not after tonight’s events. I felt more powerful than ever. Adam pulled out his 9MM pistol and pointed it at Jorge. His men were quick to pull out their weapons too, eager to fire.
Adam looked concerned. “Jorge, come on man. Put the gun down. You don't want to do this.”
“Oh, so now you're in the business of telling me what I want and don't want? Typical gringo bullshit. What do you say, boys?”
“I say we kill him and take the girl for later!” One of the men, Hector, yelled.
“She's awfully pretty…” One man grunted.
“We could rob him blind!” Another one yelled.
Jorge laughed and lowered the gun, “Nah. We gonna’ be cool. You know why?”
I cleared my throat and opened my eyes. “…why?” I found myself asking.
“Because we go down with our family.” He looked me directly in my eyes and squeezed my cheeks hard. “You got that, little one?”
I nodded, still under the strong clench of his hand.
“Hey, Adam man.” Jorge whispered. “I’d be careful going to sleep tonight. My crew’s anxious for some action.” He slapped his back and laughed, as Adam stared him down. Jorge turned and walked out the room, shaking his head with laughter.
He turned to me and sighed. “We have to be careful now. We could be attacked at all angles. Its us versus everyone.”
I wrapped my arms around him and felt myself grow warm with trusting love. I couldn’t help how I felt about him. Even if he did get me into trouble, he showed me a new way of living. He protected me, even against his business partners. For that I was grateful toward him. “Hey Adam, I just wanted to tell you that…” He looked at me, eyes creased with sadness.
“Save it for tomorrow.” He said coldly. “Let’s get some rest.”
He walked away, leaving me alone. I felt the cold despair of the desert landscape envelop me and I felt like I was at a loss. This was where animals went to die.
“…I love you…” I whispered to myself. I suppose it was just too good to be true. I had thought I met the man of my dreams. Instead I had just met a hardened criminal.
Chapter Twelve
“…I love you…” The words echoed in my head. I got up from the hard ground and stretched my back. I saw Adam sitting at the edge of the room, staring into the night sky. He looked contemplative, as if he were rethinking his whole life, over and over again. I knew that look and knew how that felt.
“What time is it?” I asked him, adjusting my eyes.
“No clue.” He muttered. “I’d say probably around 4 A.M.” He pulled out a cigarette and lit the end, sucking in a long drag. There was an extended, awkward pause where we both didn’t know what to say. I tip-toed next to him and sat down. I took a cigarette from his pack and lit my own. He looked at me quizzically.
“I’m sorry Adam. All this…it’s all my fault. I know it is. But I’ll make it up to you. I promise you that.”
He took another drag and looked me in the eye. “Listen to me, kid. It ain’t your fault. Look around you. You see this madness? This is the life I chose. It’s who I am. Must be in the blood or something.” He spit out into the dust.
“Why does it all have to be so hard?” I asked him, hopeful he could give me an answer. Of course, there was no real way of knowing. There was only the road forward. No use in knowing the past.
“Who knows? I sure as hell don’t. I just know I have to continue. If I don’t, they’ll kill me. It’ll either be Jorge or Brianna. But it’ll be one of the two. Maybe both. Hell…it’s complicated ain’t it?” He laughed, coughing slightly.
“Sure is.” I laughed with him.
Again, there was the silence that accompanied the ‘knowing.’ It was the feeling that nothing else needed to be said. Still, I had to ask him one more thing. “Hey, Adam?”
“Yes, Rose?” He looked at me oddly.
I coughed as I inhaled a drag of the cigarette. This seemed to cheer him up a bit. “Are we really getting married?” I gulped down my saliva, feeling heavy hearted and weak in the stomach.
He chuckled. “Do you really want to get married to a guy like me?”
“Well I sure as hell don’t want to be without you. Last night, I felt so empty sleeping alone. I never want to feel like that again.”
He inhaled his last drag and threw the cigarette butt in the desert. “Then I guess that means we’re getting married.” He smiled big and ruffled my hair. I kissed his cheek and blushed. Suddenly he grabbed around my waist, holding me close. He wrapped his lips around my mouth and I quickly felt his tongue circle around mine. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. And for a split second, everything felt okay.
He released me and stood up. “Come on. We’re going.” He said, without any warning.
“Excuse me?” I quickly responded, feeling flustered. I fixed my hair and looked at him with annoyance.
“I can’t trust Jorge anymore. Not after last night’s antics. We need a signal.” He said.
“A signal?” I asked him, slightly confused.
“Yeah. In case one of us gets compromised. If that happens, we need a code or phrase.”
“How about ‘I love you, lucky devil.” I shrugged. Adam couldn’t help but laugh.
“I love you, lucky devil? You know, that’s just weird enough to work. Okay, let’s remember that.”
“I love you, lucky devil!” I repeated.
“Good. You ready? It’s like I said earlier. We’re on our own now. So let’s get to it.”
I had no choice but to obey. I didn’t want to leave, but I also knew Jorge wasn’t exactly on my side either. I didn’t have a better plan than to follow Adam to the ends of the earth, so I gave in.
“Okay. Lead the way.”
We walked outside, into the cold desert air, toward Jorge’s SUV. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of keys. “Grabbed these last night during our little standoff…” He grinned wildly, quietly getting into the vehicle. We shut the door and started the engine. In the distance I could see the sun peeking its head from behind the mountains.
“Hey!” There were screams coming from behind the car.
“Shit. We have to leave. NOW!” He pressed his foot on the pedal. Dust flew up around us. I heard the sound of gunshots come from all around us.
“Adam, go! Faster!” I cried.
“Going as fast as I can…” He muttered, gritting his teeth. “Ah, shit!” At that moment, two bullets collided into the side window of the vehicle. I ducked, trying to avoid getting shot at all costs, but it was impossible to see where they were shooting from.
Eventually I peeked my head up over the seat and saw Jorge standing tall in a cloud of smoke and dust. He was holding a long rifle, aiming it right at me. He smiled that famous smile of his and whispered, “Boom.” Then he threw the gun on the ground. I knew what that meant. It was his message to me. This wasn’t over. Not yet at least.
I ducked behind the leather seat again, frantically breathing. My heart was pumping at a million miles per hour. I could barely keep conscious.
“You okay, kid?” Adam yelled out, driving 130 miles per hour. The engine felt like it was about to explode. “What did you see?”
“I’m okay. It was Jorge, Adam. He had me in his sights, but he let me go.”
“Fuck. Okay. Give me a second. I’ll think of a plan…”
“You don’t understand. He’s going to find us!” I screamed, feeling completely irrational. I was clawing at the door, holding on for dear life.
“Yeah, it’s possible. But I won’t let him hurt you if he does. Look, this is going to be a tough few weeks of hiding out. Can you handle that?” He looked at me with a concerned look in his eyes.
“Yeah. At least I think I can. I’ve come this far, haven’t I?” I tried to fake a smile.
“You sure have, kid. By now your parents have probably gotten our little letter. They’ll most likely be looking for us. Luckily we sent them in the opposite direction. But it won’t be long until they come at us from the other side. We have to stay prepared. Here. I want you to have this.” He tossed a loaded automatic rifle into my lap and smiled.
“For me?” I asked him, feeling the cold metal body.
“Consider it an early wedding present. Go ahead. Try it out.”
I looked at him reluctantly. “Here?!”
“Why not? We’re in the open desert, sweet peach. Ain’t no one gonna’ tell you what to do out here.” He rolled down his window and took his pistol out. BANG! The sound ricocheted off the inside of the car and I jumped in surprise.
“Your turn!” He cried out.
I stuck my small body out the window and aimed at a tall saguaro cactus. “Bye, bye…” I whispered. I pulled the trigger and BOOM – BOOM – BOOM! Three bullets fired at ease. The kickback from the g
un nearly sent me flying onto Adam’s lap.
“WOO!” I screamed, feeling exhilarated, ears ringing and all.
“I’m going to have to teach you how to use that thing when we reach our destination.” He laughed.
But with those words, carried a darkened mood. I looked out into the sunny wilderness and saw nothing I could hold onto. I felt good with Adam, out on our own like this. But there was a lingering feeling that seemed to haunt me. It was as if “just us” wasn’t enough. The truth was, I wanted to get married. Like, for real. And I wanted a family. A life of crime worked for a little while, but what were we going to do in five years? I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Where are we going, Adam?” I solemnly asked him.
“We’re going to meet a friend.” He said without looking at me. He simply squinted at the coming sun. Eventually we came to a clearing and a small road appeared in front of us. “The highway is just ahead…” He muttered to himself, trying to stay awake.
“Another friend, huh?” It wasn’t even a question. I knew that meant trouble. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to see it through.
“No need to worry, Kid. This time it’s family.”
I shrugged, turning on the radio. An old Elvis tune came on, something about a burning star. He sang in a deepened voice. It was a tune that reminded the listeners of their own demise. The words told a dark tale of life and death. Imagery of skulls, flaming stars, and a man walking into a trap, came to mind. Upon hearing this song, I couldn’t shake the feeling of my depression. The situation I had gotten us in… it was all too much.
Adam looked over at me, noticing the tears in my eyes. “It’s a good one, isn’t it kid?” I simply nodded my head, watching as our SUV merged into the highway, becoming one with all the other cars in the big world we found ourselves in. I figured they’d be looking for me by now. I closed my eyes and prayed they wouldn’t find me.
