Summer by the River

by Debbie Burns

  Then he got a text.

  Hey, the service here is terrible. Tell Sam I couldn’t hear him. Give Zoe a kiss, and I’ll check in in the morning.

  Then, a half a minute later, another one came.

  I love you all.

  Carter sighed and pressed his fingers into the bridge of his nose. Hearing Zoe’s sniffles, he crossed over and sank into a squat, rubbing her back. “Hey, Zo, it was just a misunderstanding. Your mom’s fine, but she has bad phone service. She said to give you a kiss and that you should get to bed.”

  He looked pointedly at Myra who looked as worried as he felt. “Think you can start her bath, and I’ll be up in a bit?”

  Myra nodded and ran her fingers through Zoe’s hair. “Come on, Zoe. Let’s see if the dogs will follow us up.”

  As soon as they were making their way up the stairs, Carter crossed to his computer and pulled up Google Maps.

  “What are you doing?” Sam asked, coming to stand behind him.

  “Seeing how long it takes to drive to LA.”

  “She left before any of us woke up this morning. We’d never catch up in time to stop her.”

  “No,” Carter said calmly. “But I’m pretty sure I can catch a flight that, at the very least, will put me in the city at the same time as her.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “If Josie wanted to bring her little brother back into a war zone, she’d have woken you up before she left. You should stay here with Zoe and Myra.”

  “She didn’t wake you up, either, did she? Besides, you wouldn’t last five minutes alone in the hood. Hell, I almost took you down in two at a national monument.”

  Carter shot him a look. “Geez, you’re cocky, kid.”

  “So I’ve been told. But you need my help to find her, and you know it.”

  Carter had thought of that, but he also knew what Josie would do if he brought her brother back to the troubled neighborhood that almost took his life. Then again, she wasn’t exactly making herself available for consultation either.

  Suddenly it struck him to check the library where Myra kept the old Colt 1911 pistol stashed away. Not explaining himself, he took off with Sam following at his heels.

  “Look, the way I see it,” Sam said, “we’re getting two tickets on whatever flight you find, or you’re literally leaving here over my dead body.”

  Carter waved him off as he flipped on the library light and headed over the desk and opened the bottom drawer where Myra kept the gun hidden. Even though he wasn’t surprised, adrenaline flooded his veins to find it missing.

  “It’s not dead bodies in Galena I’m worried about, kid.”

  Chapter 36

  The panic in Sam’s voice gave Josie the adrenaline she needed to make it through most of the second night on the road. Earlier in the afternoon, she’d dozed while sitting at a truck-stop diner, charging Sam’s phone since Myra’s car didn’t have a charging dock. Now, nearly twelve hours later, she was passing Las Vegas and close to dozing off at the wheel. With Sam having put two and two together, she had even more reason to keep driving.

  Even though she cringed at the idea of giving herself over to the vulnerability of sleep on the outskirts of Sin City in the middle of the night, she knew it wasn’t safe to drive any further without a second nap. She got off the highway and parked in view of the front doors of a gas station that seemed to have more slot machines than brands of potato chips.

  Keys in hand, she curled sideways into the seat and fell into a doze almost instantly. An hour and a half later, she was jolted awake when a truck’s engine revved next to her. She winced and grabbed her neck, her head having pitched forward in sleep. It took a bit to orient herself, and once she did, she clambered out and headed inside the gas station. The women’s bathroom had an assortment of condoms and sex toys for sale in dispensers and a pink-and-gold slot machine. Because who wants to touch a slot machine that basks in bathroom aroma all its life?

  She splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth, then headed to the food aisle where she meandered around, choosing an early breakfast of a banana, string cheese, a large coffee, and a large bag of Gardetto’s. On the way to the register, she picked up a ceramic fairy figurine for Zoe.

  Even though it was still well before dawn, she became more energized and happier as the lights of Las Vegas faded into nothing more than color on the horizon behind her. This section of I-15 in the Mojave National Preserve was something to experience, even in the dark. The sky was blue black and star-studded, and the uninhabited dessert was expansive and seemed mostly barren with the exception of tumbleweeds and the occasional silhouette of a Joshua tree in the distance.

  She was looking over her shoulder at the stars when a movement in her peripheral vision snapped her attention back to the road. She slammed the brakes, narrowly missing a coyote that was crossing it. The startled animal scampered away, turning back to look at her as it ran. Josie stared, transfixed at its eyes; they glowed from the beam of her headlights. They were the last parts of the animal she could see as it disappeared into darkness.

  It certainly wasn’t her first coyote sighting; she’d grown up in LA where they’d become a carnivorous pest. But it was the first time she’d nearly killed one. She remembered Francie saying something once about how, in Navajo legend, a coyote crossing your path was a bad omen.

  What about almost killing one?

  It was no matter; there was no turning around now.

  At six thirty in the morning, with the sky lightening behind her, she found herself less than two hours outside of LA, and adrenaline was starting to kick in. Her hurriedly completed internet search had resulted in two addresses for Nico. One was for a house a few miles from the housing complex where they’d lived in their youth. The second was for a refurbished warehouse that was revamped two years ago into the after-school safe house that Nico was now associated with.

  She’d been thinking about him and the safe house a lot as she’d driven. And what she’d decided was, just because it seemed as if he’d turned a corner and was dedicating his life to a very worthy cause didn’t mean it wasn’t a front. For all she knew, the safe house was something to keep him out of the eyes of the law and out of jail again. And even if it was legit, and Nico was no longer traversing the LA drug world, that didn’t mean he didn’t want Sam dead. Or her either. Not after the way things had gone down.

  The closer Josie got to LA, the more her palms began to sweat. By eight thirty in the morning, she reached the outskirts of her old stomping ground. Strange as it was, parts of what she saw tugged at her, like the eclectic blend of architecture, the palm, citrus, and fig trees, and the bird of paradise flowers and jasmine bushes, so different from the nineteenth-century homes and non-coastal plant life in Galena.

  For a minute, she debated finding somewhere to sleep and heading in after it got dark, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. She’d be safest in broad daylight. And the earlier in the day, the better. If anyone still wanted her dead, odds were none of them lived lives that made them early risers.

  Realizing she’d not thought about a disguise of any sort, she stopped at another gas station and paid a ridiculous amount for a pair of oversized sunglasses and a too-big LA Dodgers hat. Back in the car, she knotted her hair into a ponytail and pulled it through the opening at the back of the hat, then slipped on the thick-rimmed sunglasses. The person staring back at her in the rearview mirror looked a bit ridiculous, but hopefully, it was enough of a disguise to keep from being noticed.

  Because Nico’s safe house was further from her old stomping ground than the house titled in his name, she decided to start there. Ignoring the missed calls on the silenced phone and not opening the texts from Carter in case he could tell they’d been read, Josie navigated to the address. Her palms were still sweating, and her heart was thumping wildly. With any luck, Carter had calm
ed Sam down and they would give her through this morning to explain herself.

  And with a bit more luck, she’d be able to, after she confronted Nico face to face. Assuming you aren’t dead.

  She did her best to shut the thought down. If Nico was intent on killing her—or any of them—he’d find the time and place to do it. She wasn’t going to wait around hoping that wasn’t the case. No doubt, it was something she’d learned from her mom. “You wanna mess with me? Okay, let’s do this,” had been her mom’s attitude from as early as Josie could remember.

  When she got to the refurbished warehouse that was the safe house, she circled once and saw that the building was dark. When she came around again, she parked a block and a half away, across the street from a neighborhood Latino market. It seemed far enough not to be seen, but close enough to be able to watch for anyone coming or going.

  Despite the extra adrenaline coursing through her veins, she felt calm and even-headed, which wasn’t something she’d have guessed on stepping into the lion’s den. Maybe it was because she’d chosen to find Nico on her terms rather than waiting for him to come to her, bringing along any Armageddon he might want to unleash. Or maybe it was one of the few good qualities she’d inherited from her mother.

  After rubbing her palms up and down her jeans, she popped the trunk release under the dashboard, got out, and went around to the back where Myra’s old handgun was hidden in a blanket underneath her other supplies. Maybe it was ridiculous to bring it with her. It wasn’t even loaded. But somehow, it seemed like it would be a comfort to know she had it. At the very least, she might be able to hit him over the head with it in a scuffle.

  “I’d be careful, shuffling around in your trunk like that in this neighborhood.” The voice was deep and guttural, and it came from directly behind her. “You don’t want people thinking you’ve got something worth hiding.”

  Josie froze with her hand on the bag of kitty litter that was covering the blanket. Whatever had made her think she could outsmart Nico on his own turf? Breath locking in her lungs, she turned, wondering if she was moving in slow motion or if it just seemed that way.

  Nico was six feet away, holding a to-go cup of coffee and leaning on the hood of a parked car directly behind Myra’s Victoria. How had she not seen him ten seconds ago?

  Josie’s strength leaked into her toes as she took him in. Like Sam, he’d aged. Become a man. Only he was so much bigger and stronger than the last time she’d seen him. Like a bodybuilder. He was in activewear with sleeves that were tight around his biceps, shoulders, and chest. His wavy brown hair was gone, shaved so short it was almost nonexistent.

  “You look like a fricking tourist in those big glasses and that hat.”

  Josie shook her head; her voice had abandoned her just like the rest of her body wanted to.

  His steady gray eyes pierced into her as he took a sip of coffee. “I’m not sure what I expected you to be driving, but it certainly wasn’t an old Victoria. It took you long enough to get here. Now I see why.”

  “How…how’d you know I was coming?” Her voice sounded thin and far away.

  “Same way you knew I was looking for you, I expect. Though I had a bit of confirmation from your brother in the middle of the night when he called and threatened to gut me like a fish if I so much as touched you.”

  “You talked to him?”

  “Can’t say I did much talking. After I tracked that hang-up last night to Cedar Rapids, I figured you were coming. Until he called, I didn’t know if you were alone or if one of them two jokers was with you.”

  So, Carter hadn’t talked Sam off that cliff. She hadn’t expected Sam to call Nico. Everyone back home was probably crazy with worry. She needed to call and explain herself. And soon. “What is it you want?”

  He cocked one eyebrow. “Same thing as you, I expect.”

  Her blood was going from cold to hot, and things didn’t seem to be in slow motion anymore. She suspected she might be able to outrun him with the adrenaline coursing through her, but then again, she’d driven all the way here to confront him, so that didn’t make sense.

  He reached into his pocket to click a remote, and the car underneath him blinked unlocked. It was a new model silver Dodge Charger. “What do you say we go someplace we can talk?”

  Josie gave a stern shake of her head. “No. No cars, Nico. We stay here. In public.”

  His smile deepened, and he walked forward so that he was mere inches from her. He was so close she could feel the warmth radiating from him. “Josie Pictures, if I wanted to kill you, you’d have been dead before you even parked that big boat of yours.”

  She collected herself, waiting out the space of several heartbeats before answering. “I’m still not getting in a car with you.”

  “Would you prefer to walk around the hood while we talk? Maybe rekindle some old memories. Personally, I suggest we hop in my car and get out of here for a bit. Clear some stuff up.”

  “What do you want from me?” she repeated, attempting to step back but prevented by the trunk.

  “I’d like you to take those ridiculous glasses off so I can see your eyes. And after that, I’d like to give you something I’ve owed you for a long time. So, how about getting in the car before somebody takes a shot at you just for looking like a damned tourist in the hood?”

  Josie looked around as his words sank in. For one reason or another, they had in fact drawn the attention of the half-dozen people in view.

  Refusing to take the glasses off, she stared at him for a full half minute. He wasn’t angry. And he wasn’t afraid. She caught a glimpse of the boy she’d known underneath the layers of muscle and the shaved head, the same one who’d shoved her to the ground and covered her when the bullets started flying, the one who’d tried to give her everything except for the one impossible thing he couldn’t—safety.

  She didn’t know she’d been holding her breath until she released it. She gave a single nod and walked around to grab her purse and phone from Myra’s front seat. She locked the doors even though she knew it wouldn’t keep out anyone who was intent on getting in.

  She sank down onto the passenger seat of Nico’s Charger and closed the door. Her palms were sweating again. The interior smelled like leather and Nico’s cologne.

  Nico took up every bit of the driver’s side; his shoulder pressed in against hers. Josie shifted to lean toward the door. There was a surrealness—a blending of past and present that made her feel as if she was losing herself.

  “Relax, Josie, this is going to be good. I promise.” He started the ignition and pulled away from the curb.

  “I get that you were monitoring Sam’s site, but how did you find us in Galena?”

  “It took a bit, but it wasn’t hard. I had a buddy in St. Louis who got a picture of the plates of that Mustang, and I had someone else trace them. They were registered to a New York address. That guy, Carter O’Brien—your man, it seems—he had his mail forwarded a couple months ago. So, I asked another buddy in Chicago to check it out. Took him a couple weeks to get there, but he did. And now here you are.”

  “Seems like you have a lot of buddies.”

  Nico huffed. “That’s one thing I’ve got.”

  “And Sam? How long did you know he was alive?”

  “I was searching for you when that site popped up. Believe it or not, the great state of California lets its prisoners have limited internet access. When I saw the name of the administrator, I couldn’t think of anyone else it could be but him.”

  “He figured you would know.”

  “Yeah, well, when I decided I wouldn’t get the kind of satisfaction I was hoping for by putting a bullet in his ass, I figured it wasn’t important where he was, so long as I knew he still hadn’t found you. I wouldn’t have given him credit for so much persistence. But he kept working town after town, putting ads in papers and monitoring that
site. It just took a weekly search of your name to know the towns he was covering. I had an IT guy break his ID and password, and I’ve been watching the email he receives for when someone real finally bit. It was surreal, how completely you dropped off the grid. Even the FBI couldn’t find you.”

  Nico made a series of turns that led to the interstate, and suddenly it occurred to Josie that it was the first time she’d been in a car he was driving. “Where are we going?”

  “You and I, all the things we did together, we never saw much beyond the asshole of the world. Thought I should take you to where I go to step away, to find myself. It’s not far.”

  Josie stared out the window at the houses visible from I-105. They were getting bigger and more elaborate the closer they got to the ocean.

  “You know, even before I had proof, my hunch was that you kept the kid and that was why you kept a low profile.” He shot a glance her way as he switched lanes. “Especially with her being Sam’s kid and all.”

  “Nico… He didn’t know. Not until the day everything blew up.”

  “I figured as much. But it doesn’t mean he didn’t disrespect me, does it?”

  Anger flared, sharp and hot. “Kind of like when you started fucking her? After what her friends did to me?”

  Nico fell quiet and stared at the road until more than a minute of silence had passed. “I spend a lot of time talking to donors now. When they look at us, at this place, from the outside, they try to solve our problems like a puzzle, like they’re solvable. Turn this, move this here, flip this over, connect these three pieces—look at that, all better. What they don’t get is how we can only take so much before we implode. Before life becomes as cheap as oranges in the year of a good crop.”

  Nico’s words settled in, stirring up a rawness she’d done her best to forget about, to leave behind on her long runs and her busy schedule and in a hundred different ways to blend tea. Life here was a knot so tangled, there was no way to unravel it. Who had wronged who first or worst? Sometimes all that was left was anger and sorrow and, like with her mom, the off chance to numb it beyond oblivion.