“No,” I said, stopping him.
Adam gave me an incredulous stare. “Have you lost it? Mendoza is right there. Do you know how fortunate we were to locate him?”
“Yeah, and I don’t believe in luck,” I countered. “This looks more like a setup to me.”
“A setup for what?”
“I don’t know. Besides, I want to catch Mendoza with his hand in the cookie jar. Not with a gun in his pocket, for which he probably has a license, or his goons parading around like headless chickens.”
Adam raised his hands in defense. “You’re taking the fall for this, pal.”
“I am. Jordan, contact the informer.”
Sadly, my hunch proved to be correct. Our informant was found dead in an alley behind a casino on Roswell Avenue. Mendoza and his goons left the hangar without a shot being fired. After they left, we joined Maddox and the rest of the team in front of the hangar. We called for the bomb squad after Maddox became suspicious that Mendoza had left us a present there. As it turned out, he was correct. A big, fat block of C-4 was attached to the front door, waiting to blast us to kingdom come, which told me two things. First, Mendoza was on to the fact that we were on to him. Second, Maddox was one smart, skilled, and dangerous S.O.B.
Another person of such description waited for me at home, and he was more dangerous than the ex-mil who liked to playwith knives. It was the crux of my problem. What to do with Luz? Should I find him another place to stay? Tell him the truth about my connection with his father? It would most certainly make him leave on his own, but it would also endanger him. Should I remind him of what happened to him and use his fear against him? Or just fuck him and just be done with it?God, no.I wasn’t even swinging that way, so why did it even cross my mind? Because I was losing my sanity.
After I parted ways with Jordan and Adam, who left by van, I headed toward the police car Jordan drove us in. I sat in the driver's seat, only to feel something cold pressing against the back of my head. I froze on the spot because I knew exactly what it was. I looked in the rearview mirror, only to spot a person with a ski mask sitting in the back seat and pointing a gun at my head.
“Mr. Mendoza sends a message.” A muffled voice said. “Go back to New Mesa, or there will be consequences. Your business with Mr. Mendoza ends here and now.”
“Or else?” I said, without moving a muscle.
“Or else the people you care about start dying.”
I snorted. “Good luck with finding those.”
“Mr. Mendoza expected you to say that and told me to remind you that you have a very cute, blond boyfriend.”
“I don’t have a boyf…” I didn’t finish the sentence, because what would be the point? Luz, the trouble magnet, worked like a charm.
“You have twenty-four hours to leave Smitsville.”
He hit me with the hilt of his gun so hard I saw stars. When my vision cleared, I scrambled out of the car. With my gun raised high, I circled the parking lot, only to hear the motorcycle in the distance. After it sped off, I headed to the station and told Chief Bibb what had happened. I expected a blowout, and I got it. He ordered me to take a day off, and he was still shouting on his phone when I left his office.
After I finally parked in front of my building, I seriously considered sleeping in my car. I just needed a few hours of peace so I could think. Concentrate. Figure shit out. One thing was sure, though. I wasn’t returning to New Mesa with a tail between my legs, not tomorrow or ever. If Mendoza thought he could threaten me, he had another thing coming.
Finally, I decided to go to my apartment, mostly because I wanted to check in on Luz. I entered the dimly lit room, only to spot Luz sitting behind the bar with a book in his hand. He seemed like a normal human being, if you disregarded the apron that he wore, which said Suck the Cook.
When he saw me, he yawned.
“We have leftovers from lunch,” he said, standing up. “I’ll warm them up for you.”
Only then did I realize I was famished.
So far, so good, but I wasn’t getting my hopes up. He was too calm. Or maybe I was being paranoid?
After I washed my hands and returned to the kitchen, a plate filled with steaming food waited for me. Luz was back in his chair with a book in his hand. Calm. Quiet. Almost uninterested in me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked me after I felt the back of my head where that bastard had hit me.
“Yeah, just a headache,” I replied, taking a mouthful of food. “This tastes delicious, by the way. What is it?”
“Chicken meatballs in a curry sauce.”
I glanced at the book in his hands titled Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. After I noticed he held the book upside down, I was done being quiet.
“Okay, let’s get one thing out of the way,” I said, pushing the plate away from me. “I have no idea what the fuck happened between us today, but it will not happen again. It will notcontinue in any way, shape, or form. It will not repeat itself. Never. Not ever. Not today, not next year. Do you get what I’m saying?”
