by Vivian Gray
“She knows he was after us though?” Crusher asks.
I shake my head. “No, that’s the thing. She says she had no idea he was after us. But she figures it has something to do with our having a traitor in the organization.”
Crusher sits back in his chair and lets out a deep, broad sigh. “You know, this could be a setup by the bitch, right?” he asks, eyeing me suspiciously. “Don’t you think she might be playing us off each other, trying to drive doubt and suspicion into our ranks?”
I nod very, very slowly. “I admit, that could be what she’s up to, but something tells me it’s not. I mean, how did the goons know where I was going to be and when I was going to be there?”
“Well, it could have been a coincidence. After all, that’s kind of how you ended up grabbing Miss Espinoza, isn’t it? Coincidence, I mean.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s true... I don’t know, boss. I feel like this might be right. I don’t think that she’d just up and lie about this sort of thing.”
“Why not?” he asks, a grin coming to his face. “She’s got you, hasn’t she? Been working her pussy magic on you.”
“What? No, not in the slightest.”
“Oh, I think she has. I think you got a little thing for your prisoner, Blade. I think you want to believe her, whether or not she’s telling the truth.”
I don’t say a word in response to this. The truth is, he’s probably right – I do want to believe her. I want to believe that everything she’s saying is true. Partly, this is because I don’t want to see anything bad happen to her, and if she’s lying, bad shit is definitely going to happen to her. But there’s another, more deep-seated reason, too: I like her.
I feel like I might be falling for her. The fact that I can recognize it should make me instantly suspicious of anything she says. After all, she could be bullshitting me blind, and I would be blind to it because I’m confusing truth with fiction. But Maria doesn’t come across to me as the type of girl to do that. Either she’s really, really good at playing me, or she’s not lying, and there’s something to what she’s told me. Whichever is the actual truth, I realize there’s only one way to get Crusher to listen to her.
“Come over to my place,” I offer to him. “Talk to her. See what you think. If you think she’s lying, we can dispose of her tonight, if you want. But if you think she’s telling the truth, the way I do, then we may have to do something about it.”
“Agreed.” Crusher nods. “That’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Look at you, smart guy! You know just what to do in a cooked situation. All right, let’s go see your houseguest. See what she has to say for herself.”
Suddenly, I realize that I’ve let her out of the handcuffs, and Crusher may not take too kindly to that. It sure won’t look good for me, at any rate. Good thing I still haven’t given Maria her clothes back.
“I’ll ride on ahead,” I tell him, “and I’ll meet you there whenever you’re ready.”
To my relief, he answers, “Sounds good. See you in a few, boy.”
I get on my bike and ride home. The first thing I do is run down the stairs and go into the room. Maria looks like she expects me to take her, but at this moment, fucking her is the furthest thing from my mind.
“You’ve got to put the cuffs back on Maria,” I say hurriedly. “My boss, Crusher, is on his way here. If he sees that I’ve let you out, he’s gonna have a fucking conniption. Come on.”
I motion towards the handcuffs, which have been sitting on the floor for the last day or so. I don’t really want to keep her restrained, at least not right now – maybe later – but with Crusher coming over, I don’t really have much of a choice.
“Why... why did you let me out in the first place?” she asks. “Not that I mind, of course.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Just put these on now, okay?”
“Okay, okay. Jesus, when did you get so high-strung?”
“Crusher is coming over to talk to you,” I say as I place her hands behind the headboard and click the handcuffs shut. “He wants to see how credible your story is for himself. Maria, you haven’t been bullshitting me, have you?”
“What?” she asks, seemingly horrified by what I’ve just said. “No! Blade, I’ve been telling you the truth. At least, as far as I can see it. What did you tell him I told you?”
“I told him exactly what you told me, no more, no less. I told him about the three guys at your dad’s house and the connection you made to the day I got stabbed. And I told him that you think it means there’s a mole in the Blood Ravens.”
“Oh, shit, Blade, I don’t—”
Just as I’m about to ask her what she means by saying that, I hear a rapping at the door, cutting off both her thought and my own.
It’s Crusher.
“He’s here,” I say. “Look, it’s going to be fine. Just tell him the truth, and I promise you there isn’t a goddamn thing you have to worry about.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she says as I head out the door and upstairs to let Crusher in.
“I haven’t been here in ages,” Crusher says. “Forgot how nice and clean you keep your place. So where are you holding the bitch?”
“Downstairs,” I reply. “In the basement. It’s the securest location. Sound-proof, locked door, and I’ve got her chained to the bed.”
“Nice.” Crusher laughs. “That must be... a lot of fun.”
“Oh, it is, boss,” I agree. “And she’s been mostly compliant. Which is another reason I’m pretty sure she’s telling the truth.”
“Well, we’ll see about that. Let’s have a talk with our houseguest, shall we?”
We head down to the basement. I open up the door, and there, laying on the bed, in her fully beautiful and naked glory, is Maria Espinoza. I’m almost a little protective of her at this point; I wish I had thought to put her under the blanket so she wouldn’t be so opened up to my boss. But still, this is how prisoners are meant to be held, according to everything Crusher has taught us. So at least he won’t be pissed off about that breach of protocol.
“So, this is the infamous Miss Maria Espinoza, is it?” he asks, looking her up and down lecherously. “Miss Espinoza, it is a distinct pleasure to meet you. My name is Crusher.”
“Crusher?” she asks in a funny voice, and I shoot her a look to silence her. No sense getting on Crusher’s bad side right off the bat. She takes my meaning and adds quickly, “It’s, um, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Crusher, sir.”
He laughs at that. “Crusher will be just fine, Miss Espinoza. Now, I’m hoping you can recount for me exactly what you told Blade here about your father’s goons and the incident a couple of weeks ago.”
Maria takes a deep breath and begins, “Well, I was in my room, as usual, waiting for my dad to go out so I could have the place to myself. He’s a real son of a bitch, in case you were wondering.”
“Ah, so you don’t get along then?” Crusher asks bemusedly.
“We coexist,” she replies without humor. “We live in the same space. He wants me to take over his business, you see.”
“But you don’t want that?” Crusher inquires.
“I... I want to be my own woman,” she murmurs, and I silently thank God she didn’t say anything about wanting to become a lawyer.
“I see,” Crusher says, stroking his chin. “All right, Miss Espinoza, go on...”
“Okay, well, like I said, I was in my room,” she continues, “and I hear a knock at the door. I was expecting a girlfriend to come by, so I thought maybe it was her, but I open up the door, and it’s these three guys I’ve seen maybe twice or three times before. They work for my dad. So my dad comes to the door and lets them in – I sure don’t, because they’re big, they’re ugly, and God knows what they’d do to me if my dad weren’t there.”
“Probably nothing good, I’d imagine,” I mutter.
“They go to the kitchen, where my dad does most of the planning, and they start talking. My dad is really agitate
d about something, though I can’t tell what. He seems really pissed off that they didn’t get some information or something like that. But they did get some info, apparently, which makes my dad happy. He tells them that they had better get going if they’re going to ‘do it’, and then, he says, ‘Get that son of a bitch.’”
“And tell me, Miss Espinoza,” Crusher says after she finishes her story, “why do you think your father would be so damn interested in the Blood Ravens? Why are you so certain that’s who he was talking about?”
“I’m not,” she replies, and I start to break out in a cold sweat. This is not the answer Crusher wanted. Thankfully, she continues, “All I know is that my dad wants to expand the Espinoza cartel. He’s looking to move in on areas that we – they – don’t control.”
“He’s told you about this?”
“Yes,” she answers, making me feel just a little bit better. “He figures all the big gangs are a threat to his dominance – the Blood Ravens, the Caps, the Skulls, all of you.”
“So why do you think these three who attacked Blade are the same three who were in your house?”
“Because the timing makes sense, doesn’t it? And quite frankly, it makes even further sense because Blade is exactly the guy my dad would pick to send a message to. He’s not attacking your top leadership, but he’s attacking a guy who now might think twice about heading to the area by 16th and Main. That’s a neighborhood that’s right by where the Espinoza territory is. Why wouldn’t he start there?”
Crusher strokes his chin thoughtfully yet again. He seems to be in the habit of doing that these days. “You bring up an excellent point, Miss Espinoza. I’m going to have to think on this. Yeah. I’m going to have to think on this really hard. What you say makes sense. You’ve got a good strategic brain between your ears, Miss Espinoza. But now... tell me one last thing, would you? Blade here says you think there’s a mole in our organization. Do you know who you suspect it is?”
“No. I don’t know anybody in the Blood Ravens besides Blade and now you. And I don’t think my dad has ever had one of you guys over to the house. I could be wrong, but this seems like something he would have arranged in an undisclosed location. But think about it: it makes perfect sense that there would be a mole in your gang. I mean, how else would they have known where Blade was going to be at that time?”
“That’s pretty much what Blade said to me, too. And I agree, it is rather... coincidental. Like I said, I need to think on this. Until then, Blade, you’re still on... ‘guest duty’. Please keep an eye on Miss Espinoza until our meeting tonight. I’ll make my decision on what to do next by then.”
Chapter 4
Maria
After my meeting with Blade and Crusher, Crusher leaves, but Blade stays. He tells me I did a good job and unlocks the handcuffs again. We sit in silence for a little bit of time, during which I wonder what is next for me. Will Crusher believe me? If he doesn’t, what will they do to me? All I was able to be was honest, and I feel like I did that. So why do I now feel so uneasy?
My stomach rumbles audibly.
“Are you hungry?” Blade asks quietly. “Do you want, like, a sandwich or something?”
I nod. “I’m starving, actually. A sandwich would be great.”
He goes upstairs, leaving the door open behind him. For the first time, I realize that he’s left me completely unguarded. Even though I’m naked, I could leave this place right now if I wanted to. But weirdly, I don’t want to. I know what I’d be running from – a generally good person and some of the hottest sex I’ve ever had – but where would I be running to, anyway? To my father, and his repressive, oppressive rules and regulations? To a life where I couldn’t be what I wanted? No. I don’t want that. I want to be free to be myself. And weirdly, I feel more like myself locked away in this basement than I ever have in the past at my father’s house.
Blade comes back with a ham sandwich and a glass of water. I eat, and as I do, I begin talking. Not about anything in particular; just talking, generally. It’s kind of intense, the relationship that we’re beginning to form. And it has taken on such a weird pattern: days filled with discussion and even laughter, nights filled with passion and me being more submissive than I’ve ever been in my life to his utter and complete dominance. But it’s a pattern I have come to like and almost appreciate.
“What will you do with my father’s cartel now?” I ask him, abruptly changing the subject from growing up with my weird-ass family.
Blade takes it in stride. “I honestly don’t know, Maria. That’s gonna be up to Crusher and the rest of the leadership. I’ll have a say in it, but ultimately, what Crusher says, goes.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
“I don’t know,” he responds honestly. “Maybe. Frankly, it’s very likely that’s the outcome.”
“I see.” There is a touch of ferociousness in my voice that I hadn’t expected. I’m not Daddy’s little girl by any stretch, but I know what my father has done, and it’s just wrong. I’m so tired of being bound by his expectations of me, only being able to be what he wants me to be instead of what I want. I’m fed up with being his special little project, which is all I’ve been to him since Carmen left. It’s my turn, goddammit.
I finish the sandwich, and Blade takes the plate upstairs, leaving the door open again. I don’t move – partly out of fear, and partly out of desire. I don’t really want to leave. Again, where would I go? But I also notice that he seems to be testing me. Blade doesn’t seem like the kind of person to be forgetful, but this is twice in the last twenty minutes that he has just left the door wide open for me to escape. I want to show him that he can trust me. I want to show him that I’m not afraid anymore.
I want to show him that I care.
He returns downstairs again, and I lay down on the bed.
“It’s been sort of a long day for you, hasn’t it?” he asks me gently.
“Yeah,” I reply, nodding. “That meeting with Crusher really took a lot out of me.”
“Crusher has a tendency to do that to people,” he agrees, adding, “He did that to me the first few times I had encounters with him, back when I was just a kid looking for a job.”
“How did you learn to deal with it?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I just sort of... did. Crusher is a good man, Maria. A fair man. He’s not going to mistreat you, so long as he thinks you’re telling him the truth. That of which, I think he’s going to believe you. But I’m on my way out to find out now.”
“You’ve got a meeting?”
“Yeah. We’ll figure out what to do from there. The thing that has me worried is what happens if this mole you talked about turns out to be a part of the Blood Ravens’ leadership.”
“What will you do if he does?”
“We’ll deal with it,” he says curtly, seeming to not want to entertain the notion. “We’ll deal with it the way we deal with everything else – as brothers.”
“Fair enough.” I yawn a bit and lay down in the bed. “I think I’m going to take a nap while you’re gone. Let me know how it goes, would you?”
I’m shocked to see a genuine, honest to God smile come to his face. “You bet,” he replies, in a voice that I’m not used to.
He sounds almost caring. Maybe he’s starting to feel something for me, too. I can’t be sure, but it certainly seems that way. With the way he’s been talking to me lately, opening up, and the way he acted around Crusher, making sure that I was safe seemed to be high on his list. I wonder... could he be feeling the same way I’m feeling?
I WAKE UP A FEW HOURS later to the smell of some kind of dinner – chicken something and pasta sauce. I hear the familiar thumping down the stairs, and into the room comes Blade, bearing a bowl of pasta with chicken and green peppers. It’s not necessarily my favorite dish, but I’m more impressed that he could even cook as simple a dish as this. I’ll have to make him some tamales sometime.
“I have some good news for you,” he sa
ys in his gruff tone.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I dig into the food. “Did Crusher believe my story?”
“You’ve made a believer out of him, if that’s what you’re wondering. But I have to know, Maria: are you still okay with us taking your old man down? Because ultimately, that’s what this is going to take, you know. That’s where all this is heading. And that’s especially true if he’s put a spy into our ranks. If he has turned somebody – if that turns out to be true – he’s going to have to pay even more than if he were just infringing on our territory. So I have to know: why are you doing this? Why are you betraying your own father?”
I stop eating and stare at him. He’s really asking me this. I suppose now is as good a time as ever to tell the truth. Between bites, I begin by telling him my past.
“Let me tell you a story, Blade. It’s about a little girl who learned from her mother and from her religion that there’s a fine line between good and bad, between heroes and villains. A girl who learned from a very young age that her father was not one of the good guys. I knew my dad had his problems. But I also knew that I wanted to stop those problems from arising. I don’t want to see people hooked on drugs, and I hate people who make a profit off of them. People like my father.”
“And me, Maria,” he says softly. “I’m one of those people, too.”
“But you’re not, Blade,” I reassure him. “I’ve seen how you act with me. You may not be perfect, but there’s a huge difference between being a sinner and being evil. You might not be a saint, but my father – he’s evil. Or, at least, the things he does are evil.”
“What’s the difference between him and me though?”
“You have the capacity to be kind, to see beyond yourself. I’ve seen it. My father... he’s never loved anything in his life more than himself. That’s why he drove my mami to tears almost every night. That’s why he started first on Carmen, then on me, to take over his business. It’s not because he wants the best for us or cares what we want for ourselves. He only cares about one thing and one thing alone: himself. That’s why from a very young age I wanted to become a lawyer: I wanted to take down gangs like his.”
