“Please?” Roxy begged.
Skip asked, “Why?”
Rudy turned his gaze toward the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. “My brother. He’s determined to get himself killed. He always wanted to be a gangster. Ever since he was a little boy, he was always asking Uncle Mateo questions. And our uncle was always happy to tell tales.”
“Your grandmother said your uncle was dead to her.”
“His gang connections infuriated her because that’s what led to my father’s death. She told Uncle Mateo to stay away, so he stopped going to the house and became a regular here. My mother was always struggling with money, and he was a good tipper so she never turned him away.”
“I understand,” Skip said. “She felt like she had to take the money to survive.”
“That’s part of it. We were living under Grandma Daniela’s roof. My mother was three months pregnant with us when my father died. She felt forced to take over the bar. It was all she had. Lorenzo and I grew up here, but my brother was always more interested in Uncle Mateo’s stories than working.”
“That doesn’t explain why you say you can’t help us,” Skip said.
“Because I made two promises to my mother on her deathbed. The first was to keep this bar and run it in my father’s memory. The second was to never be like my brother. He’s living with my grandmother, and I keep hoping that will turn him around. But when he came here tonight and asked me if I wanted to make some quick money, I told him I wanted nothing to do with him or his friends. I don’t know what he’s involved with. Honestly, I don’t want to.”
Roxy leaned sideways on her stool and buried her face in Skip’s sleeve. He pulled her closer as she pounded her fist against his shoulder. Her voice was only a hoarse whisper.
“I will not give in. I will not…”
He held her in his arms, hoping it would soften the determination he saw on Rudy Neri’s face. But the determination held and when Rudy backed away Skip knew there was nothing he could do to change the man’s mind. An appeal hadn’t worked, he suspected threats would be equally useless. Bribery would be another waste of time—he doubted if Rudy was a man whose loyalties could be bought at any price.
Skip kept his arms around Roxy, but she pulled away suddenly when an old man with thinning hair shuffled through the front door.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Roxy
I KNEW THE power the dead held over the living all too well. Rudy Neri’s refusal to help was just one more confirmation of that power and one more reason to believe I’d never see Lily again. Though she wasn’t my biological daughter, she was me. We were kindred souls. Both broken by life, but together strong enough to be whole. So when I saw P.T. Richards staring at me, I lost my last ounce of dignity.
“What are you looking at?” I snapped.
“Miss Tanner?”
“You two know each other?” Skip asked.
I glared at Richards, then sucked in a breath and turned to Skip. “Tell him about Lorenzo.”
Skip screwed up his face, but did as I’d asked, explaining in measured tones what we’d learned. As he delved deeper into the story, the expression on the old man’s face darkened. When Skip finished, Richards contemplated me with sad eyes before turning to Rudy. “And do you know where Lorenzo is?”
Rudy rested his hands on the counter, looking much like a man steadying himself against an oncoming gale. “All the old demons are coming back, P.T.”
“Then you must fight them, Rudy. It is what Maria would have wanted.”
I swallowed hard and peered at Richards. Had I misjudged him?
Rudy made the shape of a cross over his heart. “I made a promise to her. I will not break that promise.”
Richards inched forward and gazed intently into Rudy’s eyes. “I am not asking you to violate your oath. I would not think of it. However, did you not make two promises that day? One was to honor your father’s memory, but didn’t he die because he fought the hold of the Panamans? You know as well as I he was not cooperating with Bruno Panaman the day he died, but trying to keep him away. I ask you, Rudy. Consider that you might do more to fulfill your promises by helping to find this little girl than by avoiding the past.”
Rudy stared at the old man for several moments. “You’re asking me to betray my brother.”
“There are no good choices here, Rudy,” Richards said. “You know all too well how difficult it can be when you must choose between right and wrong.”
Rudy turned in a full circle as he gazed up at the ceiling. When he faced us again, his jaw was tight and his crystal-clear blue eyes clouded with moisture. “Right and wrong? What are those, P.T.? Who gets to decide what’s right? And who chooses what’s wrong?”
“Think this through, Rudy. If Daniela sent these two here, wasn’t she telling you she wanted you to help? If you’re not sure, call her. See what she says.”
“I’m a grown man, P.T. I don’t need my grandmother’s permission to speak to people.”
“Then are you choosing to let Lorenzo commit murder in hopes of assuaging your conscience?”
“And what about you, P.T.? Didn’t you do the same? Are you suddenly trying to make up for your bad choices?”
Richards paused, licked his lips, and turned his unblinking gaze on me. “I made yet another bad choice when Miss Tanner was here before. To be truthful, I’m not trying to make up for anything, Rudy. I’ve made more than my share of bad choices. I must live with the consequences of those actions every day. I beg you to not make the same mistakes I did. Please, do what is right. Do not make your choice based on what is most easily justified.”
“That doesn’t change the facts, P.T. I have no idea where Lorenzo has gone. Even if I wanted to help, there’s nothing I can do. He came in here, said he needed me to go with him, but I told him I wouldn’t help. When he wouldn’t let up, I threw him out.”
The old man smiled, and the wrinkles on his face deepened. “Talk to your grandmother, Rudy. I am certain she knows where your brother is. Convince her to help.”
There was a long sigh, after which Rudy pulled a cell phone from his back pocket and dialed as he walked away.
“Do you think he’s calling her?” I asked.
P.T. smiled at me. “Yes. Rudy’s a good man, but sometimes he needs a little coaxing.” He paused and reached out to clasp my hand. “Have faith, Miss Tanner. And when this is all over, I’d love to meet this child who inspires you so.”
I sniffled, wanting to like this kindly old man, but unable to forgive him for wasting my time earlier. “I don’t see that happening, Mr. Richards. I’m sorry, but your advice is stronger than your actions.”
He winced, nodded, and lowered his gaze to the floor. While Rudy was on the phone—alternately nodding, talking, and shaking his head—Richards introduced himself to Skip.
“Mr. Richards is the man I told you about,” I said.
Skip nodded. “How did your goddaughter die, Mr. Richards?”
The old man sighed and glanced at me. “I believe Miss Tanner has heard quite enough about my family.”
“No, Mr. Richards. I would like to know. You said Bruno caused the death of Remedios. Exactly how did he do that?”
“Very well. She died in childbirth in December 1987. It was two days before Christmas and the stress of what she’d done caused several complications in her pregnancy. Had she not been heartbroken and overstressed, had she not been so consumed by hatred, she might have had the baby and survived.”
“You’re speculating, Mr. Richards.”
He sighed and again raised a hand. “I agree, Miss Tanner. However, it’s what I’ve believed for thirty years.”
“Even if you’re correct, how does that make Bruno responsible?” I asked. “Lovers break up all the time.”
“You are correct. And, honestly, Jack Carter was not a bad man, but he was bad for Remedios. Over time, she grew more and more frustrated with the arrangement. I hadn’t heard from her in six months when she called a
nd asked if we could meet for lunch. Remedios was also a woman with a flair for the dramatic, therefore she did not tell me she was five months pregnant until we met. I must say she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the look of shock on my face.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Rudy’s conversation had become more animated, and he was now pacing behind the bar. I turned back to Richards. “So she’d worked things out with her husband?”
“It was a child of obligation, Miss Tanner. Remedios called it an unfortunate consequence of unrealistic expectations. But she was angry and hurt. Bruno Panaman turned her life upside down, and she wanted revenge for her unhappy marriage—and for becoming the mother of a child she did not want.”
I felt a strange connection with Remedios, for I had also become a victim of another’s actions. In my case, it happened when I was eight. More than twenty years later, I still felt as if I might be finding my way past that event. I cleared my throat. “What did she do?”
Richards gave me a rueful smile. “She told me she had been in contact with Bruno.”
I sat back on my stool and laughed. Of course she’d contacted him—she’d wanted her final bit of revenge. But Skip apparently didn’t get it and was frowning at Richards.
“Why would she do that if she hated him?” he asked.
“To toy with him,” I said.
Richards gazed at a spot on the floor for a moment and smiled. “Yes, Miss Tanner. To do precisely that. You see, the day after she found out she was pregnant, Remedios contacted Bruno. They met, she led him on, and when she had him convinced she still wanted him, she told him she thought he was despicable and said she never wanted to see him again. Her deception infuriated him. One moment he believed he would get her back, the next she rejected him publicly.”
“I still don’t get it,” Skip said.
“Remedios was troubled, Mr. Cosgrove. It took me many years to fathom the depths of her pain.” Richards looked past me and to his left. He raised his eyebrows. “What did Daniela say?”
Rudy approached, wearing a grim expression. “Lorenzo wouldn’t tell her where they was going, but he did say it was time to settle the score with Bruno Panaman.” His gaze locked onto that of Richards. “He left with Juan Castaneda.”
The old man winced and leaned against the bar, his posture slumping as he spoke. “A very bad sort. If you need something to happen to someone and don’t want to get your hands dirty, Juan’s your man. He runs with Jackie Fontanal’s crew sometimes.”
My hand went to my throat, and I couldn’t suppress a weak laugh. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Why is that?” Richards asked.
“Because I double-crossed one of Jackie’s crew just a short time ago.”
Richards frowned at me. “You continue to surprise me, Miss Tanner. I would never have expected you to deal with the likes of Jackie Fontanal.”
“It was an act of desperation,” Skip said defensively.
I shrugged and gazed at Skip. “It’s okay. I deserve it. Got any brilliant ideas on how to save me this time?”
He shook his head. “I wish. Unless maybe the guy you tasered is still incapacitated.”
“I doubt it. He’s strong, resourceful, and likes to improvise. I’m sure he’s loose by now. And since I let the other guy go, Jackie’s probably got his entire crew looking for both of us. Jackie doesn’t like loose ends.”
Richards sighed and sat on the barstool next to mine. In his eyes, I could see a fond memory.
“You are very much like Remedios,” he said. “Both, very much the fireball.”
Skip ignored Richards and looked at Rudy. “You said Juan Castaneda only runs with Jackie’s crew some of the time?”
“He’s a mercenary. Hires out to whoever needs work done. He and Lorenzo met in prison. Juan won’t care about going back inside because he knows how to survive.”
“If he’s working for Carli, he won’t be helping Jackie,” Skip said. “Where could we find him?”
I grabbed Skip’s hand and clasped it between mine. “You need to stay away from these guys, not make contact.”
“She’s right,” Rudy said. “Juan’s one bad dude.”
Skip winked at me and smiled. “I have no intention of making contact. Not in person, anyway.”
Rudy regarded Skip with creased eyebrows, but I had a good idea of what Skip meant. My heartbeat picked up.
“Baldorf’s…toys?” I asked.
“Hey, don’t demean my business partner’s inventions by calling them toys.”
“Business partner?” I snickered. “Since when have you made this decision?”
He put a hand under my chin and gazed at me. “I need a new line of work. Entrepreneuring sounds like a nice change.” He glanced around the bar. “The same family has run this business for three generations. Maybe it’s time I got into something I could pass down—someday.”
“I see,” I said slowly, then looked at Rudy. “Where does this Juan Castaneda live?”
Rudy wrote down an address on a napkin and handed it to me. “You two are crazy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Skip
THE ADDRESS RUDY Neri had given them was on a street lined with boxy houses straight out of the 60s. The architectural style was a familiar one for this area, popular a half century ago when the economy boomed and families flocked to Southern California from all over the country. Thousands of small, identical, and cheap homes had cropped up everywhere, bringing with them neighborhoods where everyone knew each other, kids played in the streets, and weekend barbecues drew friends together.
This neighborhood, however, now felt ignored and dated. Some of the homes had nice landscaping—others had a different appearance—discarded toys strewn about, a car with no wheels on blocks, an abandoned armchair with torn cushions.
Cars overflowed from the driveways and dotted both sides of the road. The address Skip and Roxy needed had a pickup in the driveway and lights shining through the blinds in a front-facing window. The property was fenced, but the opening for the gate was open, the gate itself apparently missing. Three queen palms were clustered in the middle of the yard. What might have been a lawn at one point was now only a raggedy remnant of better days.
Skip’s heart pounded as they drove by slowly. At the end of the block, he turned around and doubled back to a parking space two doors away from the house. He turned sideways in his seat to face Roxy.
“If this guy is as bad as they say he is, we need to keep as much distance as possible. You should stay here. If anything happens to me, leave as fast as you can.”
“No way. I have a gun and a Taser. You need backup, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“The cops could trace the Taser confetti back to you.”
I shook my head. “No, they can’t. I’ve reloaded and I have two black market cartridges left.”
Skip blew out a slow breath and shook his head. “Roxy, this is still dangerous and you…”
“Don’t even go there with me. I’ve taken enough of your macho crap. Whether or not you like it, we’re in this together, so you’ll take my help or I swear I’ll…I’ll… shoot you myself.”
Skip leaned across and kissed her. “With the Taser, I hope. I’d rather have that than another bullet hole.”
Roxy’s breathing stopped; her eyes misted over. “That’s not funny, Skip. I thought you died.”
“Shhh.” He pressed his fingers to her lips and nodded. “You’re right. Together. It’s the only way. If all goes well, neither of us will need a weapon. Now, let’s see what the mothership can do.”
“The mothership? As in space invaders or aliens or whatever that is?”
“Come with me.”
He exited the car, walked to the trunk, and lifted the drone from its cradle.
Roxy chuckled as he placed it on the roof of Baldorf’s car. “It looks like a miniature version of one of those fancy vacuums, but with helicopter blades on the top.”
Roxy laughed again as she eyed him. “That’s your entrepreneurial venture? Electronic voodoo crap? I think you’d better learn the lingo before you make your first marketing presentation.”
“Anyway, inside this drone is the MD-1. It’s the size of a mosquito and it can fly for a limited amount of time. It can also…”
“Please, spare me. One Baldorf is enough. Tell you what, I’m good with electronic voodoo. Now, how does this toy work?”
Skip arched his eyebrows a few times. “For that, we need this.” He reached into the trunk and pulled out the laptop and the controller. “Come on, let’s get back in the car.”
The vibration on the roof began as a low hum, but gradually increased in intensity and pitch, then stopped altogether. “Lift off,” Skip said as he tapped his earpiece to bring Baldorf into the conversation.
“Dude, I see we’re going airborne again. Rock and roll time.”
“I have Roxy here. Can I somehow plug her into this conversation?”
The upper left corner of the laptop screen lit up with a small window that showed Baldorf’s face. He grinned and said, “Hey, Hot Rox.”
Roxy gave the laptop a mock glare. “I told you not to call me that.”
“I remember, dude. But it’s such an awesome name. So, what’s up?”
“We have another house to infiltrate with the MD-1,” Skip said.
“Awesome.” Baldorf turned away from the camera and began typing on a different keyboard. As he gazed at a monitor before him, he said, “Let me run a quick systems check.” About thirty seconds later, he flipped them a thumbs-up. “All systems go. Mothership has a full charge; MD-1, ditto. Who are we doing surveillance on?”
Skip explained who Juan Castaneda was as he guided the drone vertically to an altitude of fifty feet.
“Keep the MD-1 in its dock until you’ve got a secure point of entry,” Baldorf cautioned.
“Got it.” Skip piloted over the rooftop and stopped when he was looking directly down at the house with the number corresponding to Juan Castaneda’s. He bit his lip, his confidence quickly eroding. “Maybe you should do this, Baldorf. I’m still a novice.”
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