Cupcake Explosion

by Bethany Lopez

  “That’s the guy with the video of the crash. Maybe he’s seen or heard something else,” I told her.

  I took one last look at Cade’s bike, my chest contracting painfully, then went to see what Junior wanted.

  “HEY, JUNIOR, WHAT’S up?” I asked as we followed him around the back of the gas station.

  He looked at me, then slid his eyes over to Carmen, before bringing them back to me.

  “This is Carmen, she works with me,” I told him.

  “Not a pig?”

  “No, she’s a civilian, like me,” I said, resisting the urge to throttle him.

  He gave her one more suspicious look, then whispered, “They came back.”

  “Who? The MC? My fiancé?” I asked, keeping my voice low as well. I wasn’t sure who we were afraid was going to overhear, but if Junior was paranoid, then I’d go with it.

  “The ones who took your man and set the explosion.”

  “Did you get a name? Find out where they’re keeping him? Anything?”

  Junior looked around, so I did too. There was no one else there, so he leaned back in.

  “They’ll be back tomorrow night with a tow truck. After dark, when the cops aren’t around. The guy I talked to had a name patch, name’s Scam, he’s the one who I talked to before. I bet he knows where your man is.”

  “Did you notice any other patches, maybe one with their MC name on it?” Carmen asked.

  See, I knew having her on my team was a good idea.

  “Uh, yeah, Diablos Rebeledos, or something like that . . .”

  “Diablos Rebeldes?” she asked.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Junior said with a creepy smile.

  “Diablos Rebeldes?” I asked her, never having heard of them before.

  “Devils Rebels,” Carmen explained. “I did a piece on them a couple years ago, after they blew up some warehouse a couple counties over. There was chatter about them scoping out Greenswood.”

  “Yup, thems the ones, the guys I told you about.” Junior looked pleased with himself, then turned to me and asked, “You gonna give a reward or something?”

  “Junior, if we come here tomorrow, follow this Scam person, and find my fiancé, I will definitely come back and compensate you for your assistance,” I assured him.

  If I got Cade back, I’d give Junior anything in this world that it was in my power to give.

  Junior let out a little maniacal giggle, which caused my blood to turn cold, then did another sweep of our surroundings before turning and walking away.

  “’Member, come after dark. And . . . no cops,” Junior called over his shoulder, then disappeared inside the station.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Carmen said, giving a full-body shiver.

  “Yeah, Junior is creepy as fuck,” I agreed.

  We drove back to my place and formulated our plans. We would both do some digging on the Diablos Rebeldes. I would look online and Carmen would go back through her old notes and see if she could contact her old source.

  Tomorrow, I’d pick up Cade’s family, drop them off, take them for groceries, see if Lena and Elin could hang with them, etc. I’d meet Carmen back at my place at seven at night, so that we could roll out and hopefully tail them to wherever they were keeping Cade.

  “Thanks again for coming out, Carmen, you were great today,” I said once we were at my place and she was getting ready to leave.

  “It was so much fun,” she exclaimed, then looked guilty again. “I mean . . . ugh, you know what I mean, right?”

  I chuckled, thinking it was great to have a friend like Carmen, who could make me laugh when I wanted to fall into a helpless ball on the floor.

  “Got any big plans tonight?” I asked, looked back at my dark house and realizing I didn’t want to go inside.

  “Yeah, actually, I’m going to Bran’s for dinner again,” she said, a slight blush infusing her cheeks.

  “Really?” I drawled. “How many times is that now?”

  “Five,” she whispered.

  “Five?” I almost yelled. “What, have you been over there like, every night?”

  “Almost,” Carmen admitted, then her smile got so big, it practically tipped her over.

  “You’ve done the deed, haven’t you? Oh my God! I can’t believe you’ve been with me all day and didn’t say anything. How was it? Magical? Does he see to your needs? Is he fantastic? Tell me all,” I said quickly, sounding just like Carmen when she got excited about something.

  She laughed.

  “All I’m going to say is, I’ve never been with anyone like him before, and I’m extremely happy.”

  When she started toward her car, I yelled, “Wait, that’s it? You’re not going to share details?”

  “Nope.”

  I wished Amy May were there, no way would she allow Carmen to walk away without giving the goods.

  “But, he’s the best you’ve ever had?” I called out as she ducked into the car.

  “Jeez, Lila,” she said, looking up and down my street, embarrassed.

  “Come on, you can at least tell me that,” I argued.

  “Fine. Yes, okay, he’s the best I’ve ever had,” Carmen said, then shut the door.

  As she pulled out of my driveway and drove past me, I did a little jig in the street, and I could see her laughing at me.

  I danced until her taillights faded, then looked back toward my empty house and my smile dropped.

  I sure hoped the kids got home soon. I didn’t think I could handle being alone in my house again.

  “HEY, GUYS, I missed you,” I said to my kids as they walked inside the house. “Dinner’s in the oven.”

  Lena walked past me and toward her room without a word, but Elin stopped to throw his arms around my waist, before heading to the food.

  “How was everything?” I asked Eric, my ex, who was standing in the entryway.

  He sighed.

  My ex was a good-looking man. Lean and fit, with dark-blonde hair and a classically handsome face.

  But right then, he looked exhausted.

  “It was a rough one,” he admitted. “Elena got her period today. I would have called, but it happened not long before we were due to leave, so I figured I’d just tell you in person. She’s been a bit moody all weekend, but that’s not unusual lately, so Mary and I didn’t think anything of it. She went to Mary when it happened, not to me, which is understandable.”

  I looked up at the empty stairwell where my daughter had been and felt a pang in my chest.

  My little girl is becoming a woman.

  “I wish they were five again,” I said softly.

  “I know,” Eric agreed with a chuckle. “They were definitely easier then. It’s hard to know they’re growing up, and soon, won’t need us anymore.”

  “Bite your tongue,” I told him, and gave him a small smile. “Thanks for letting me know, I’ll go talk to her.”

  “Sure thing, have a good night,” he turned to go, then stopped, “And, Lila, if I don’t see you, have a great wedding, okay?”

  “Thanks, Eric,” I said, and let him out.

  I looked at the stairs again, went to my office and got out a box I had hidden away, and took it up to Elena’s room.

  After two knocks, I opened it a crack and asked, “Can I come in?”

  “Not like I can stop you,” Lena replied, and I took a calming breath before opening the door and stepping inside her room.

  I shut the door behind me, then walked to her bed and sat next to her.

  She was laying down, looking at her phone, but she must have clocked the box, because her gaze shifted to it.

  “What’s that?” Elena asked.

  “Open it,” I said, passing the box to her.

  She opened it and took out the contents, laying them all out on the bed between us.

  There were two pamphlets, one for her and one for me. A box of ultra-thin pads, a box of liners, a pack of Kleenex, two hair ties, face wash, lip balm, a bag of fruit chews, a small pi
nk travel bag, and a bracelet.

  “I bought this for when you started your period. I’ve been saving it, even though I wanted to peek inside. Here,” I said, picking up her pamphlet and holding it out. “You read yours, and I’ll read mine.”

  Lena nodded and took the brochure.

  Mine talked about being open and sharing my experiences with her, answering any questions she may have, and making sure she knew I was there for her. Hers was a bit longer, with more information, so I waited patiently while she read it all.

  When she was through, Lena closed the pamphlet and put it on her lap.

  “I had to talk to Mary,” she said quietly.

  “I know.”

  “It was so embarrassing.”

  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Mary has gone through what you’re going through, just like me and every other girl in the world. It’s perfectly normal, and I’m sure you were surprised and maybe a little worried when it happened.”

  Lena shrugged.

  “I know about it from school and my friends and stuff. I just didn’t want Mary to tell Dad.”

  “Lena, your dad has been married and lives with Mary, he knows what to expect. Don’t worry about your father. He’s here for you, too.”

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything else, so I asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”

  She shook her head.

  “Okay,” I said, remembering that I didn’t want to talk to my mom about my period either, or anyone else for that matter. “Well, do you want to go have dinner? Maybe watch a movie and eat popcorn and M&M’s?”

  Lena cracked a small smile and said, “Okay. Just let me change into my pajamas.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll go change, too. Is it okay if I invite Elin?” I asked.

  “Sure,” she replied, then looked up at me and said, “And, Mom, thanks for this.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie,” I said with a grin.

  I left her alone to handle her business and went to go get changed.

  When I got downstairs, Elin was putting some work in on the lasagna I’d popped in the oven.

  “Hey,” I said as I walked in, “Leave some for me and your sister.”

  He snorted out a laugh, but kept shoveling the food in.

  “We’re going to watch a movie, you want to join us? I’ll make popcorn.”

  “Sure,” Elin said, then asked, “What time do Tutu, Pops, and Alani get here? Is Cade going to be here to pick them up?”

  My throat threatened to close, but I pulled it together and replied, “No, honey, Cade will still be away for work, but you can come with me to pick them up.”

  “Awesome,” my son said, and I was thankful for his easy acceptance of my reply.

  “ALOHA, KEIKI!” I heard Cade’s mom call, and turned from looking right, to where Cade’s family was heading toward us from the left.

  Elin and Elena were already running to them, Elin heading for Cade’s mom, and Lena going for Pops. By the time I made it to them, they were hugging each other and passing the twins to each other.

  I walked to Alani and embraced her.

  “How was your trip?” I asked, pulling back to look down at her.

  She was as beautiful as ever. Maybe even more so.

  “Not too bad,” Alani replied, then rolled her eyes toward her parents and said, “Although Pops was snoring, loudly, and Mama kept asking for more pretzels.”

  “They only give you those tiny little bags,” Cade’s mom complained. “No real food anymore. What good will four pretzels do?’

  Alani grimaced and said, “See!”

  I chuckled and put my arm around her shoulder as we all started walking.

  “We can go grab some food before we head to the cabin, if you’d like,” I suggested, thinking they must be hungry if they’d only had tiny pretzels to snack on.

  “I vote for food,” Elin said.

  I gave him a look that said, I wasn’t talking to you, but he just grinned at me.

  “Me too,” Pops said.

  “I could eat,” Mom agreed.

  “Food it is, then.”

  We loaded up the van and headed into town. I wanted to go somewhere with fast service, but still yummy, and local, so I pulled into Jake’s and called it good. Jake’s had something for everyone, plus, booze. How could we go wrong?

  I tried to keep my focus on the present and be in tune with the conversation around me, but my mind would drift sporadically, and I found myself thinking of meeting Carmen that night and hopefully finding Scam.

  “Is everything ready for the wedding, Lila?” Cade’s mom asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Yes,” I replied. “They’ll be coming by this week to finish up landscaping and will have everything set up by Friday. There may be a couple times when I ask one of you to be there at the cabin for drop off, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course, anything you need. I just need you to point me in the direction of the supermarket, so I can get what we need for the food. Alani and I want to prep as much as we can.”

  “My friends offered to help, if you need anything, as well.”

  “Oh good, I’ll get their information from you. How about the dress? Did you pick one?” she asked.

  I thanked the waiter for our drinks, then turned to my soon-to-be mother-in-law with a smile.

  “Yes, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Oh.” Cade’s mom brought her hands to her mouth. “I cannot wait to see it on you, as you walk toward my boy and become his wife.”

  We both started to tear up.

  “Oh, boy,” Elin said to Pops. “What is it about weddings that turns girls into crybabies?”

  Pops looked at Elin in surprise.

  “Seeing two people in love commit to spending their lives together is a beautiful thing,” he informed my son. “Especially when it’s your child, and he’s marrying a wonderful woman like your mother.”

  Elin looked down, upset at being chastised by a man he looked up to.

  Pops put his hand on Elin’s shoulder and said, “You’ll see, Mo‘opuna, when you stand up with Cade and agree to allow him to not only cherish your mom, but you and your sister as well . . . It’s an emotional thing. Don’t be afraid to feel it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

  “Okay, Pops,” Elin said softly, playing with the wrapper from his straw.

  I smiled at Pops, even more choked up than before.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, managing to keep it together. At least for now.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, then clapped his hands together and added, “Now, tell me who it is I need to contact about my pig.”

  “Cade’s VP, Slade, is the one who’s supposed to take care of that. I can text him for you or give you his number.”

  “I’ll take the number, you have enough on your plate.”

  Oh, thank goodness, I thought. If I talked to Slade I probably wouldn’t have been able to hold my tongue about Cade and the Diablos Rebeldes.

  I gave them both the contact numbers they’d need while here, then we all dug into our food while Lena and Elin caught everyone up on the last few months.

  “What about you, Alani? What have you been up to since graduation?” I asked.

  Cade’s mom cleared her throat and muttered, “Not school,” under her breath.

  Alani shot a glare and her mother.

  “Not much. I’ve been hanging out at the beach a lot, I got a part-time job lifeguarding,” she said.

  “I was going to say . . . your tan is lovely.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, then slid her eyes to her parents before bringing them back to me. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you and Cade about coming out here and going to school. I could stay with your guys, or at Cade’s cabin, to save money. I’d promise to get good grades and attend all my classes . . .”

  I looked at her in surprise, then at Mom and Pops, who didn’t look too thrilled with their daughter’s requ
est.

  “So, you’ll go to school here, but not at home? Why? Are you so eager to get away from us?” Mom asked, her tone hurt. “Why would you put that on your brother and Lila when they’re newlyweds?”

  “I’m eighteen,” Alani countered. “If I want to move, I should be able to, and I don’t think Cade will mind.”

  “How about we get through this week, then Cade and your parents can sit down and talk about it,” I suggested, trying to diffuse the situation without pissing anyone off.

  They all nodded, Alani a little reluctantly, but seemed to agree to tabling the conversation. At least, for now.

  WE GOT GROCERIES, Cade’s family settled into the cabin, and Elin and Lena, along with Rufus and CB, happily joined them for a sleepover.

  Okay, a couple of sleepovers.

  I was eager to meet up with Carmen and get out to Junior’s gas station, but since I was passing Amy May’s bakery on the way anyway, I figured I deserved to stop and pick up a dozen sorted cupcakes.

  After the week I’d been having, I needed them.

  I walked into the bakery, happy to see Amy May herself behind the counter, then I realized what time it was and asked, “Why aren’t you home?”

  “I’ve been my most productive in the evenings, so I’ve adjusted my schedule so I can sleep in and be home when I’m feeling queasy, and get work done in the evenings when I’m not. It’s been working out so far, except Jason says he misses having me home for dinner. Which actually translates to, he misses me being home to make dinner.”

  I ordered my cupcakes, leaving the assortment up to her.

  I was salivating over a custard filled when I looked up to see Amy May glaring at me as she filled my box.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You haven’t called me or texted me yet . . . about the research.”

  The last she said with a whisper and shifty look around the mostly empty bakery.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve been busy with Cade’s folks, but I do have a name for you to look up. But, remember what I said . . . if you uncover something that feels dangerous, let it go. Okay.”

  “Yay!” Amy May exclaimed, boxing up the cupcakes and leaning over the counter conspiratorially. “What is it?”