We entered the children’s section. Little kids were scattered around the room, reading colorful picture books. In the back corner, a librarian was reading aloud to a small audience.
“How come you didn’t bring your sister here? It seems like the kids are having a lot of fun.”
The man frowned ever so slightly before he painted a smile on his face, running his fingers through his thick hair. “She’s shy. Rather read at home.”
“I see…” I said, not entirely convinced by his story. If I wanted, I could probably probe him for answers, but his sister seemed like a touchy topic and I didn’t want to offend him. “So, what does she like to read?”
“Anything about animals. She loves them. Been asking me to take her to the zoo for a while now.”
“Why haven’t you?” I asked, looking through the various books, trying to find something his sister might like.
“Just haven’t found the time. Besides, zoos aren’t very affordable anymore.”
I could tell he was lying.
“You know, officers get a discount. If you want, I could get you a voucher.”
“Maybe. Maybe. But only if you’re willing to come with us. I’m deathly afraid of pandas. I might need someone to protect me.” He winked.
I glared at him, my hand on my hip.
He burst out laughing.
“Can’t blame a man for trying.”
I shook my head. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”
“By the way, I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself. Name’s Hector.” He held out his hand.
I took it, squeezing it firmly. “Alicia.”
Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me, trapping me in his embrace. For a second, I didn’t quite know how to react. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating, putting my mind in a haze. The feel of his muscular body against my own was exciting.
Before long, however, I pushed him away. The second I was out of his grasp, I punched his arm as hard as I could.
“Ow!” he yelped, jumping back, holding his injured arm. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“Shh!” a librarian glared at us, giving us the death stare over her reading glasses.
“Sorry…” I mumbled, feeling like a little kid who had just been chastised and put in a time out.
“See what you did? You’re going to get us in trouble,” Hector whispered frantically.
“It was your fault for hugging me!” I whispered back.
“It was just a hug… it wasn’t like I was trying to grab your butt or anything… although that would’ve probably been my next move.”
I hit him again.
“Ow! Will you stop that already?”
The librarian cleared her throat, warning us once more.
“Here.” I shoved a picture book into his chest. “I read this when I was a kid. It was one of my favorites.”
“Geez. Do you have to be so violent?” He shook his head, looking down at the book. “Animal Crossing, huh?” He flipped through the pages. “Looks good. Thanks.”
I could sense that things had gotten awkward between us.
Hector walked up to the checkout desk, sliding the book toward the librarian who still had a sour expression on her face. “Hector,” she finally said, holding out her hand, waiting for his library card.
“Oh, right, right. Sorry, Maggie.”
The older woman snatched the card from his hand. “Next time, don’t bring your girlfriend in here if you two are going to act like a couple of spoiled children.” With this remark, she handed him back the book. “It’s due back in two weeks. You know the drill.”
Hector nodded before he stepped out of the reading room, dragging me along with him. “Did you hear that? Maggie thinks you’re my girlfriend,” he smirked wildly. “I think that means I should get your number so we can make it official.”
“In your dreams,” I laughed. “I’m not that easy to swoon.”
He frowned, giving me a puppy dog face.
“That’s not going to work on me.”
“Wow. I knew officers were tough, but I didn’t think they had hearts made of stone.”
“When you’ve met every creep on the planet, you learn not to fall for their tricks.”
“Are you calling me a creep?” he asked, feigning offense.
“Maybe, maybe not.” With that, I turned on my heels and headed up the stairs. To my surprise, Hector didn’t follow me. I was actually a little disappointed.
I guess he finally got the message that I wasn’t interested.
Good. It was better that way. One less relationship for me to screw up.
Chapter 4
HECTOR
“Hey, kiddo.” I smiled when I saw my sister sitting in her chair. “Are you feeling better?”
She nodded, “The nurses said I can go play after lunch. I just have to wear a mask.”
“Which one are you going to wear?”
“I’m not sure…” she rubbed her chin like it was a life-changing decision. “Maybe the zebra one… I haven’t worn that one in a while. Or… the tiger one! Or… or… maybe the mouse…”
“How about the elephant mask?”
“I wore that one last time,” she pointed out. “Don’t be silly.”
I laughed, “But last time you didn’t have your trusty finger puppet!”
“Hmm…” She thought this over for a minute. “Nope! I have to wear something different. I think… the lion… no, wait… the panda… penguin?”
I laughed again, “At this rate, you might spend all day trying to decide and never end up playing with your friends.”
Caroline frowned slightly.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Everyone is leaving.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, everyone seems to be getting better. Jake. Lisa. Billy. Yasmine.”
“You’ll get better too. Just give it some time,” I said, trying to sound convincing, but after a quick chat with the head nurse, I knew she would be cooped up in this place for quite a while. She would probably have to miss yet another year of school.
“You promise?” she asked with great big eyes.
I hesitated. “I promise.”
“You’re lying,” her frown deepened. “I hate it when adults lie. Debbie keeps lying to me too.”
“Caroline…” I reached forward to caress her cheek, but she refused to look at me. I knew I had probably upset her by hiding the truth, but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her that she was stuck in this godforsaken place.
Silence fell between us.
Before I could say anything else, Debbie walked in with her lunch. “Good afternoon, Caroline. I hope you’re hungry because it’s your favorite. Mac and cheese!”
“Good afternoon, Debbie,” she answered in her usual polite manner, but she didn’t bother to say anything else.
“How are you feeling?”
“Okay, I guess.” She crossed her arms over her chest, signaling that she didn’t want to talk.
“That’s better than yesterday, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s good. If you keep getting better little by little, you’ll be out of here in no time.”
Caroline mumbled something under her breath that I couldn’t understand.
“Will you be helping her with lunch or should I stick around?” the nurse asked.
“I think I can handle it. Thanks, Debbie.”
The woman nodded before leaving the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a tray for Jake.
“Are you hungry?”
“No.” Caroline still had her arms crossed.
“But you have to eat. It’s the only way to regain your strength.”
“I’m not hungry,” she repeated, her stubbornness coming to the forefront. She got that from our father. He had always been as stubborn as a mule. Even if he wa
s wrong, he would argue and argue until the other person was no longer sure about their own position. He was very manipulative like that. Incredibly smart. Cunning. Maybe that’s why he made such a good hitman.
But, then again, he couldn’t have been that smart because it was due to his negligence that Caroline became an orphan.
“Come on, Caroline, you have to eat.”
She shook her head.
“It’s your favorite. Mac and cheese. They even brought you chocolate milk. Come on, it’ll make you feel better.”
“You always say that, but it’s never true,” she spat at me. “I always do as everyone says and it never helps… I’m sick of it here… I want to go home.” Suddenly, she collapsed into my arms, crying into my chest. “I hate it here. Please, take me home.”
I could feel my heart shatter to pieces. All I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and never let her go. “I know… Caroline… I know,” my voice cracked as I ran my hand up and down her back, trying to console her. “I’ll get you home as soon as I can… I’ll do whatever it takes.”
***
It was hard to leave the hospital, but when she eventually fell asleep, I thought it would be best to let her get some rest so she would have the strength to play with her friends.
In the car, all I could think about was her heart-wrenching request.
Please, take me home.
Her words echoed through my mind as I drove, taking the back roads toward my destination.
If only there was something I could do to help her…
By force of habit, I glanced in the rearview mirror. There was a black Maserati tailing me.
Raul.
Great. This was exactly what I needed...
With my fingers tightening around the wheel, I pulled over.
The Maserati did the same. As soon as it came to a stop, a tall man in a dark suit got out, opening the back door. An even taller man with slicked-back hair emerged, a cigar between his fingers. He blew a puff of smoke in the chauffeur’s face before sauntering up to my car, tapping on the tinted glass.
For a split second, I thought about driving away, maybe even running over this man’s toes, but if I did that, Caroline would be as good as dead.
With bile forming in my mouth, I rolled down the window.
“Fancy running into you,” the man said with a thick accent. Even after working for him for nearly a year, I had never learned much about his origins. He was a very secretive man and to be honest, I didn’t want to get involved any more than I already was.
“You act like it’s a coincidence,” I responded, trying to keep the venom to a minimum. Crossing this man was the last thing I wanted to do.
He cracked a grin. “I like to make sure my employees are abiding by my rules at all times.” He leaned forward. “I see your sister is going to be stuck in the hospital for a while.”
I nodded.
“Looks like someone will need to do a bit of overtime for me.” He placed his hand on the side of my car, his diamond cufflinks sparkling in the mid-afternoon sun.
“What do you need?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Oh, nothing you can’t handle. A few simple hits. Mostly old enemies of mine. People who are asking too many questions. If you make quick work of them, I’ll make sure to reward your efforts,” with that, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick envelope. “I don’t care when or how you get rid of them, I just want them terminated by the end of the month.”
I nodded, my fingers twitching ever so slightly. Usually, I had nerves of steel, but there was just something about this man that was so… unnerving. I guess that’s why he was the deadliest mafia boss in the city and why no one had ever come close to catching him.
“Have a good day.” He flashed a devious smile before throwing his cigar to the ground, snuffing it under his expensive loafer. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” His eyes darkened. “Always remember that.”
And then he was gone.
***
I pulled into the parking lot of my favorite hiking trail. For the most part, it was deserted. One lone car was parked a few spaces over. For whatever reason, it looked rather familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then again, after my encounter with Raul Johnston, my brain wasn’t exactly fully functional.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the envelope, looking through various pictures inside.
Maria Vasquez. Owner of Missy’s Bar on 2nd street. $200,000.
Henry Whitewater. Bouncer at Mesa 21. $250,000.
Antonio Louis. Mechanic at JJ's Auto Body Shop. $250,000
Fredrick Quinn. Head chef at Penny’s Bar and Grille. $375,000.
Nina Gabrielle. Exotic dancer at King’s Palace. $550,000.
I had no idea as to why Raul wanted any of these people killed. All I knew was where to find them and how much money I would make by getting rid of them. Quickly, I did the math.
1.6 million. Give or take a few thousand. That’s how much I would make if I killed these five people.
Sometimes, I asked myself whether it was all worth it, but then I thought of my little sister and I knew I really had no choice in the matter. It was the only way I could afford keeping her alive. So, if I had to sell my soul to the devil to save her, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I shuffled through the photos one more time before I stuffed them back into the envelope. I’d come up with a plan later. For now, I needed something to clear my head and calm my nerves.
I stepped out of the car and opened the trunk, grabbing my camera bag. I snapped on a superzoom, knowing it was the best lens for some quick and easy pictures. Already feeling better now that there was a camera in my hands, I closed the trunk and headed for the trail.
The second I stepped onto the dirt path, I was met by the beautiful, tranquil sounds of nature. Twittering birds. The soft babbling of a nearby brook. Leaves rustling in the wind. There was nothing quite like it.
As I walked, twigs snapped underfoot. The wind whipped through my hair.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air.
Ah. If Heaven existed, this is where it started.
***
“Look! Look!” Caroline jumped up and down in excitement, pointing at the Red Cardinal perched on a nearby tree branch. “Take a picture! Take a picture!” she squealed, tugging on my pant leg, frantically moving around. “Before it flies away.”
“Okay, okay. But I can’t take a good picture if you keep shaking me like that.”
She quickly let go, folding her hands in front of her, trying to be patient.
I kneeled, wanting a low-angle photo of the bird.
Caroline watched eagerly, standing so close to me that I could feel her breath on my neck.
“Do you want to take the picture?”
Her eyes widened. “Really? Can I?”
“Of course you can, sweetie.” I ruffled up her hair affectionately. “Just as long as you promise not to drop the camera.”
The five-year-old eagerly nodded. If she had done it any harder, her head would’ve probably fallen off.
“What do I do?” she asked once the camera was in her hands.
“Not much. This is just a point and shoot camera,” I explained.
She nodded again, even though she probably had no idea what I meant.
“So, all you have to do is look through this little hole. When you see the bird and you think the shot is lined up perfectly, all you have to do is press this button.”
“This one?” she asked, wiggling her finger over the shutter.
“Yep.”
Wanting her to have some independence, I stepped back, leaning against a nearby tree as I watched my little sister struggle with the hefty camera. Her little tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth as she focused real hard.
“Hector…?”
“Yeah?”
“Where’s the bird?” She was moving her head this w
ay and that, looking through the viewfinder, but she couldn’t spot the red-feathered creature.
I chuckled, “He’s still on the branch, pumpkin.”
“Where?”
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