5:00 AM- Ortiz Home

Raul Ortiz, a stocky man in his late-fifties, pulled the twins' vehicle into the backyard garage using his pick up truck. From the moment he spotted Lupita at the door, Mr. Ortiz’s paternal instincts kicked into overdrive to aid the young girl he considered a niece. Once the twin’s truck rolled inside, the older man closed the door. 

“There, now nobody sees anything!” Raul said smiling at Bro and Sis. 

“We can’t thank you enough. But we promise to get out of your hair as soon-”

But Raul raised his hand, “I am not hearing any of this. You saved Lupita from that asshole cartel, that makes you our guests.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ortiz!” Sis said and jumped on him, hugging him tightly.

“Oh!” the old man blushed as she kissed him on his cheek. “Call me Raul, young lady, heh heh!” he cackled.

“Raul, how far is the nearest gas station?” Bro asked. 

“Half a mile east. However, that station is on a major street leaving Parritas. So if it is like you said, then those cartel men will be checking that place for you, young fellow.”

“I’m aware,” Bro said. 

Mrs. Vera Ortiz and Lupita then stepped into the garage from the house. 

“Raul, they have to eat, they have to rest! Don’t keep them out here,” Vera scolded her husband while caressing Sis’s face. “My God, these children have seen too much! Come, come!”

“Ai, Vera, stop fussing,” Raul waved her off, and turned to Bro and Sis, “Listen, go with her or she won’t stop nagging. I have two liters of gas left in a can. That’s enough to get your truck started.”

“Mr. Ortiz, please, you’ve done too much,” Bro pleaded with guilt in his heart. 

“No, no! You eat, you rest, we’ll talk later.” 

Vera whisked the young trio in the house while Raul reached for an old gas can in the garage. 

 

My Other Baby

The Ortiz family owned a two-bedroom ranch house on a half-acre of land. Their nearest neighbor lived far enough away for optimal privacy. A good spot to recoup, but Bro didn’t want to overstay the welcome, nor put this family in danger. However, the scents of Mrs. Ortiz’s chicken fajitas and yellow rice ended all rational thought. When the lady set the warm plate for him at the table he fought the urge to swallow it in one gulp 

“Tia, your cooking is always the best!” Lupita said. 

“Bro, this is real Mexican food, it’s so good!” Sis said.

“Um-hmm!” he agreed with a mouth full of rice.

During the meal, Ms. Ortiz shared stories of baby-sitting Lupita. Bro learned that Lupita’s mother died when she was young and that Mr. Ortiz and Lupita’s father were childhood friends who grew up fixing cars. The warmth of the Ortiz family showed in Lupita’s kindness. She was raised right. 

Afterward, pressured by Vera, Lupita and Sis went to the bath area. Vera bragged about the new electric water heater. “Before I used to have to heat up the water in a big pot, but now you can take long showers!”

Bro went to the guest room to wait for his turn. In the mid-size room lay a full-size bed up against a wall, a sewing machine, and seven or eight life-sized mannequins wearing knock-off designer clothes. 

“Heh, heh,” he chuckled at the big tits and round asses on a few of the dolls. "Mrs. Ortiz must be a seamstress." 

However, the fashionable clothing throughout the room gave him a sharp reminder that he had to call Angel. How troublesome, he thought. He sat back on the bed thinking of their next move. But soon his eyes grew heavy, so he decided to rest them. Just for a moment. 

 

8:00 am- Three Hours Later

“Eh? What?” Bro awoke startled on the bed. For a good few seconds, he’d forgotten where he was. But when he glanced over, Sis and Lupita laid asleep next to him. He rubbed his eyes and checked the time, “Crap.”

Bro got up and stepped out into a sunlit kitchen. Vera was cleaning up and spotted him. 

“Ah, I’m sure you’ll want a shower, but I can make you a cup of coffee first,” she offered. 

“That sounds wonderful. But would you happen to have a phone? I promise the call will be free.” 

“Of course!” Vera led him to a laundry room with an old school land-line telephone, “Your sister said you had underwear to change into, but I’m going to give you a towel. Oh, Raul put some gas in your truck, then he went to town to run errands, he’ll be back soon.” 

“Thank you so much.” 

“My pleasure.”

 

Devil May Call

When Vera left the room Bro pressed zero, “Operator, please get me the U.S. switchboard.” Once on the line with a representative, he placed a collect call to Angel. This way the signal was routed through an American server, and couldn’t be traced in Mexico. Soon the phone rang and she picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hello, this is the operator with a collect call from Cowboy, will you accept the charges?”

“Yes.” The operator hung up, “I see you haven’t paid for a call yet,” Angel said. 

“Yeah, the situation is touchy,” Bro answered. 

“I bet. I wondered if you were still alive.”

“Choking me out didn't help, but thanks for your concern.”

“I told you to wait.”

“Yeah, you did, but umm, before we continue, did you take care of that snitch problem of yours?” 

“You have my assurance that the Romeros are blind to my activity,” she answered. 

“Alright,” Bro smirked, positive that Angel dealt with the leak, but wouldn’t share the details with him. “So, what’s our next move?”

“We’ll meet to exchange Lupita for the money, but I won’t have it till noon today.”

“Did you have to convince your employer to give it to you?”

“Not really. But even down here one-million in a duffle bag takes a moment to gather.”

“Right, and about the place to meet?”

“Don’t worry, Cowboy. It’s a private space in the middle of nowhere. A spot where I can see you and your partner coming for miles.”

“Someplace easy to shoot us.”

“It is! But in your defense, you’ll be able to see me as well. I’m transparent, and my cards are on the table. All you have to do is show up with Lupita and the drive, and the money is yours.”

“Right,” Bro didn’t believe Angel for a second, but his options were limited. “I’m sure you and your boys will be locked and loaded when we arrive.”

“Absolutely, given you and your sister’s penchant for violence.”

Sister!? Bro’s eyes widened, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that last part.”

“Oh, yes you did. And I did my homework on you.”

“I told you, I’m no one.”

“So you claim. But after my team photographed you walking into that rest-stop, I ran a background check. And imagine my surprise when that check led to a crazy story I had only heard about.”

“A story?”

“Oh yeah,” she purred, “The assassination of Guillermo Gomez last year. Boss of the Gomez Cartel out of Jalisco. Anyway, the story goes, Gomez convened a meeting of his captains, with his best soldiers as Security. But in the morning before first light, he, and twenty of his men were murdered in that villa. When a forensics team was sent to piece together what happened, they found that Gomez’s men were shooting in all directions, as if trying to kill ghosts they couldn’t see. The police speculated a rival crew ambushed them, but no proof supported that. The only evidence on the scene were the spent casings of Remington 7.62×51 Full Metal Jackets. Fired from two rifles.”

“I see,” Bro paused, “That’s a cool story-”

“Even cooler when you note that it was the same brand of ammo fired from two rifles that killed the Romero men at Fernando’s house last night.”

“It's a common bullet, just a coincidence,” Bro said.

“Oh no, Cowboy. It stopped being a coincidence when the clues pointed to a pair of contract-killing twins who match you and your sister’s exact description. A raven-haired Rifle Girl and her Merc brother, who specialize in ambush tactics.”

“Huh,” Bro closed his eyes, “Angel?”

“Yes?”

“Like I said, cool story. But you’ve met me. Do I look like I specialize in anything?"

“No, but with that same logic, do I look like a girl who could've choked you out at a gas station?”

“Do you want the honest answer?”  

“No, what I want is for you to take these map coordinates down.”

“Oh, right!”

As Angel spoke, Bro typed the information into his phone and repeated it back to her. 

“So noon, at this spot, in the desert?” he asked. 

“Yes, you won’t have trouble locating it. It's an abandoned old west town from the Hollywood studio days. I’m sure you’ll find it charming.”

“Ok, sounds like a date.”

“Heh heh, you’re still a rascal, I see.”

“If you say so, but I’m telling you. I’m not the guy you think I am.” 

“Are you still lying about that? Fine, then please allow me one question.”

“Go for it,” he said. 

“Do you know the greatest trick the devil ever pulled?”

“No, what was it?”

“It was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.” 

“Huh.”

“That means I'll see you at noon, Mr. Lee.” Click!

"Hmm." Bro hung up and shook his head at the sound of the name, Mr. Lee. What a troublesome girl you are, Angel. 

Soon after, the smell of fresh brewed coffee emanated from the kitchen. And all thoughts of despair vanished.

...