Haunted

But first things first. I place a finger over my lips and motion abruptly for her to follow me. We move slowly away from the door. At the doorway to the back room, I lean close and bark, “We’ll go out through the window.”

She nods, avoiding my eyes. She must hear the anger in my voice.

Good.

I drop down first, holding a hand up for Adelita to grab as she lowers herself to the ground. I keep hold of that hand and, snatching up the duffel, lead her into the brush and away from the shack. She comes along quietly. As relieved as I am that she’s unhurt, that’s how furious I am that she put herself in the position to be hurt in the first place.

When I think we’re safely far enough away, I draw her to a stop beside me. “I have to go back,” I tell her. “You stay here. Right here. Do you understand?”

“Go back? Why?”

“To help another friend.”

“Is it Max? If it is, I want to help.”

“No.”

She flinches, the word hitting her like a slap.

“You ca

Her jaw sets. “Do you know what my name means?”

The question comes out of the blue. I stare at her, then throw up my hands. “Fuck, Adelita. What kind of question is that?”

“Do you?” she insists, digging in mental heels. She doesn’t drop her gaze or look away.

I give in. “No. What does it mean?”

“Warrior.” She says it with pride. “I am not a child. I want Ramon to pay for what he did to me and to the two girls who died in that truck. You can’t stop me from going back.”

Her tenacity is admirable. Completely and ridiculously absurd, but admirable.

“How do you propose to get Ramon?” I ask. “You have no weapon. You are one against his army.”

She points to the guard’s gun, tucked into my belt. “I’ll take that.”

I’d forgotten the revolver. It was a reflex action to take it when the guard fell. “Do you know how to shoot?”

“Yes.”

But her eyes betray her.

I shake my head. “No. You don’t. I can’t stand here and argue with you, Adelita. If you want to help, please just be here when I get back. We may have to move fast. I promise, we will punish Ramon for what he did to you. He is being punished now.”

Her eyes widen. “You mean the snake? Do you think god sent the snake? Is it possible?”

That god sent the snake? Hardly. But if it will get her to concede to my wishes, I’ll play along. “Maybe. But I think it’s also a message that you need to protect yourself. You’ve escaped Luis twice now. You might not be so lucky the third time.”

I imagine the thoughts spi

“That’s it.” My skin is crawling with the need to get back to Culebra. To get Luis and Ramon away from the village before the men return with tales of the lost drug shipment. “We’ll get you interviews in all the newspapers. But right now, I have to get back to the village. You’ll be safe if you stay right here. I won’t be long. I promise.”

Finally, a solemn smile touches her lips. “I promise, too. I will wait here for you to return.”

I’m so relieved, I want to kiss her.

But then she follows up with, “Maybe you should leave the gun? In case someone comes looking for me?”

My eyes narrow. “Don’t fuck with me, Adelita. Stay right here.” I let vampire surface, just enough to make my eyes turn—slit like a cat’s and yellow. Threatening.

She gulps. And backs down. “I will wait here.”

This time I believe her.

I snatch the duffel, run back through the brush, blood hot with anticipation, eager to take my turn with Ramon and Luis.

CHAPTER 46

LUIS IS STILL CRYING LIKE A LITTLE GIRL AND RAMON is still squealing like the pig he is. Culebra has wound his heavy, sinewy coils around Luis’ legs and is spitting into his face with a tongue darting from a head as big as a Rottweiler.

I take a moment to enjoy Luis’ terror before I reach out to Culebra. I’m back. Looks like your snake act is making Luis apoplectic. He may stroke out before you have the chance to kill him.

There’s no response. It dawns on me that I’m not sure if our mental co

You could have stayed away a little longer. He hisses the words. Things are just getting interesting.

—or maybe Culebra is enjoying himself, too.

I step out of the shadows and go first to grab up Ramon’s gun before he remembers he dropped it. He looks startled to see me and I realize he hasn’t been in contact with Maria after all. For an instant, he forgets about his swollen ankle and stares, mouth open.

Then concern darkens his face and turns his mouth hard. “You. How did you get away?” Concern veers to anger. “Maria. Did you hurt her?”

“Not as much as she wanted to hurt me,” I snap back. “But I guess that was your idea, wasn’t it? To have her threaten to shoot me if I tried to leave.”

“What about Gabriella? If you did anything to hurt her—”

“Ramon!” Luis yells. “Cállate la boca!”

We both turn to Luis, the snake’s head now perilously close to his. He says, “¿Quién es esta mujer?”

Culebra swivels his head and I swear he winks at me. Then Ramon is explaining who I am and that Max and I are friends of Tomás.

At the mention of Tomás, Luis unleashes a torrent of Spanish, telling Ramon to go get the guard in Tomás’ shack and to bring the guard back here to shoot this fucking snake. And for Ramon to shoot Tomás while he’s there, the hell with what his brother wants.

Ramon hobbles off with a backward glance. I have his revolver dangling at my side but he doesn’t try to take it from me. He doesn’t seem to want to get any closer than he has to. Maybe he thinks I’ve forgotten I have it and if I remember, I’ll shoot him.

They think they’re still in charge, Culebra says with glee in his tone. I think I’ll go show Ramon how wrong they are.

Culebra begins to loosen his coils, drawing himself down from Luis’ body. I watch the process with interest. If I didn’t know the true nature of that huge reptile, I’d be scurrying up the nearest tree. As for Luis, he goes weak-kneed with relief when the snake untangles itself and frees him. He sinks to the ground, face pale with fear; his dark eyes stand out like black Chinese checker marbles on a granite slab.

Pathetic wretch. I have to stifle a laugh.

Culebra slithers off into the brush after Ramon. I get behind Luis before the asshole recovers his nerve, and prod him with the gun. “Levántate,” I say.

He’s looking around to see if the snake has really gone. Assuring himself that it has, he turns his head to squint at me.

“You are American?”

He’s speaking English. Doesn’t have much of an accent, either. Good. There will be no miscommunication between us.

I prod him again, this time in the kidneys, hard enough to make him wince. “Get up. Quick. Before Ramon comes back.”

As the fear ebbs, his confidence returns. “You think you can make me, girl?” he says. “A ski

Just what I hoped he’d say. I grab his right wrist, bend it back until he’s gasping with pain. To ease the pressure, he stumbles upright.

I don’t let go. I maneuver him like I’m pushing a cart until he’s near the well. The rope he used to tie Adelita still dangles from the crossbeam. I shove him against the well, grab his free hand and before he can resist, I’ve got both hands secured behind his back. I pull the knot tight.

Only then do I spin him around to face me.

He’s sputtering with rage. “Do you know who I am?”

“You’ve been watching too many movies,” I tell him, feeling the corners of my mouth curl in a smirk. “That line sounds ridiculous in real life.”