Age of Blood

17

It was Juan Carlos who spoke next. “It’s about the girl, isn’t it?”

Laws smiled broadly as he sat in his chair, legs crossed, drink in his hand. “Isn’t it always about the girl, J.C.?”

The Gulf Cartel man didn’t smile, nor did he indicate that he thought the comment was even remotely funny. Instead he shook his head. “This is a mistake, you know.”

“A mistake to take the girl, or a mistake to know about it?” Laws leaned forward. “You see, I don’t think you took her. None of you. But what I do know is that you’re all wired so tight into the day-to-day activities of this town that nothing passes through Cabo without your knowledge.”

Juan Carlos’s eyes flicked to Ramon. “Did you ask this one?”

Laws glanced at Ramon, whose face remained placid in the creeping shadows of the night. “He’s the one who helped us find you.”

Juan Carlos sneered. “Of course he did. I wouldn’t expect the likes of him to do anything else.”

“But you know about the girl. You admitted it.” Laws uncrossed his legs and stood. He handed his glass to J.J., who took a sip and made a face, expecting to taste liquor.

“We all know about the girl,” Juan Carlos said.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

Juan Carlos and Jaime closed their eyes.

Laws stepped closer. “Come on, Mike. Talk to me.”

“Dude, you know what El Diablo right here is going to do to us once we talk, right? That fucker is going to kill us as sure as I’m hanging here.”

“You mean, Ramon?” Holmes glanced at the man. “No, he won’t.”

“Yes, he will,” Jaime said with absolute conviction.

“No, he won’t, because he’s going to travel with us to wherever the girl is, which will give you time to pack up and get out.”

The others opened their eyes and seemed to exchange some unspoken agreement in their gazes. It was Juan Carlos who spoke for them. “Leprosos.”

“What?” Laws creased his brow. “You’ll have to excuse my Spanish. It’s a bit rusty. Did you say leprosos?”

Juan Carlos nodded.

Laws turned to Ramon. “Does he mean lepers?”

Ramon stared hard at Juan Carlos. “It’s what it means, but I don’t understand it.”

Laws made a face. “Lepers as in their skin rots and their fingers fall off? Lepers like in the Bible kind of lepers? Those kind of lepers?”

“Are there any other kind?” Holmes asked. “Find out where they took her.”

“Where’d they take her?” Laws asked, rounding on Juan Carlos.

“The mainland. They took her by boat.”

“Yeah, but where?”

It was Jaime’s turn to speak. “They came from Alamos. We tracked them as they left, but didn’t think nothing of them.”

“What do we know about Alamos?” Laws asked Ramon and J.J.

J.J. shrugged. “Old city. Colonial.”

Ramon nodded in agreement. “About six hundred klicks.”

“And the giant fucking fish?” J.J. asked. “Ask him about the giant fucking fish that doesn’t exist.”

Jaime tilted his head. “Lots of strange fish in the Sea of Cortez. Could be anything.”

They were interrupted by a strangled cry from the roof.

Holmes leaped up and ran to the front gate, where he immediately began to open fire with an HK.

J.J. tied off the hostages to keep them from drowning, then ran to help. Laws grabbed his rifle and checked the rooms to make sure no one was breaking in through the barred windows. Ramon stood staring at the three dangling cartel members.