ONE WEEK LATER

On a warm evening back in El Paso, Texas, Bro and Sis headed to Amigos Taqueria for excellent tacos and frosty Margaritas. While seated at an outside table, they ate and drank to the good times. 

“Oh my god, these tacos are amazing!” Sis cried, resting a paper plate on her hand bandage.

“Heck yeah. And the Margarita is sending the painkillers into overdrive, aww buddy,” Bro replied, waving the plastic glass.

“You drug addict! You’re not supposed to drink after taking those pills!” she poked the cast on his knee.

“I swallowed them before you decided to take us here,” he took another sip and glared at her. 

“Yeah well, don’t get all messed up. Because even with your one foot, you still have to help me drive back to New York tomorrow,” she quipped. 

“I got you, Sis.”

“Mhm,” She tilted her head, “Bro?”

“What?”

“You know why Angel shot you right?”

“Ok, weird topic shift as you keep drinking. And yes, I do know why she came after me with violence.” He pointed at a dark bruise on his chest. “See here, each bullet is Angel's damaged ego. The first shot was for telling her about the snitch. And the second shot-”

“Was for saving her life, right?” Sis said, shaking her head, “Tsk tsk, you hurt her pride with that one, so she punished you, haha!” 

“Yeah, well, all of you Rifle Girls are full of bluster. You, mom, Angel. All pains in the ass.”

“You mean a pain in the chest, right? Hahaha!” 

“Shut up.”

“You shut up, Bro. You’re the one saving all these damsels in distress, so you got what you deserved, hmph!” she sipped more Margarita, while Bro squinted at her. 

“Speaking of which, did Mike text you about Lupita?” he asked. 

“Oh yeah,” Sis smiled, “He did....” 

 

REWIND: 11:32 AM: Just Before the Parritas Gas Station

Lupita rode in the back seat of the Bronco applying Sis’s makeup. Again, she marveled at the bounty huntress's beauty. 

“You’re so pretty, Sis. I’m sure those guys will want you when they see you!” Lupita said.

“Ha, thanks. But trust me, boys are stupid,” Sis replied, “I could show up in a hoodie and sunglasses and they’ll still make a play.”

“Not for me!”

“Lies!” 

The girls laughed while they pulled within sight of the Parritas Gas Station. Mr. Ortiz, who drove ahead in his pickup truck, rode past the location. Once Mr. Ortiz reached a safe distance, he stuck his hand out the window of his truck to signal that the three Romero guards were still parked. 

“Ok, those dudes are there. Sis, you ready?” Bro asked.

“Always!” she said, checking her lipstick before exiting the Bronco to walk to the gas station. 

Once Sis left, Bro turned to Lupita, “Alright, remember the plan. Count to twenty and then pull the truck in. And no matter what happens, you just start pumping gas.”

“Right!" She understood what he meant. The twins were going to kill the three men at the gas station, “I’m ready.”

“I know you are,” Bro patted her shoulder before shuffling after Sis. 

Last Shot

When the twins departed, Lupita counted to twenty before driving the Bronco off the side of the road and pulling into the gas station. When she arrived, two men laid dead on the ground while the siblings stomped the life out of a third man. Lupita inhaled. She would never get used to the violence, nor did she want to. But she understood survival. She drove in and parked next to the pump. 

As Lupita got out and fueled the truck, Bro ran to her while Sis tortured the last gunman.

“Go back in and prepare the mannequin,” he said while taking the pump.

“Ok!” 

Lupita climbed in and placed the arms on a mannequin they’d borrowed from the Ortiz home. Seconds later, the twins leaped in the truck and peeled away from the Parritas gas station. The three Romero guards sent to intercept them were all dead or dying. Lupita felt no remorse for them. 

Exchange 

Less than a mile from the gas station, Bro stopped the truck near a drive-through supermarket. There, Mr. Ortiz sat in his pick-up waiting for Lupita. 

“This is where we say goodbye,” Bro said, but as he turned around, Lupita was a mess of tears. 

“Please forgive me. I am sorry about all of this,” she bawled. 

“Hey, hey! We’re the ones who got you into this, remember!” Sis joked. “But we ain’t got time for this. Now, you have Mike’s phone number right?”

“I do!”

“Good, Mr. Ortiz will drive you south to Chihuahua, but in an hour Mike will call you. Don’t get spooked when he shows up with a bunch of American goons with badges and guns.”

“I’ll try not to. But you do trust him, right?” Lupita asked with worry.

“Mike? Oh please, he’s one of the good guys, now go!” Sis said. 

“Ok.” 

Lupita sat the mannequin upright and locked it in place with the seat-belt. She then kissed Sis on the cheek, “Sis, thank you for saving me,” and when she turned to Bro, she grabbed his face and said to him, “I don’t know your real name, but for as long as I live I'll never forget you,” and kissed him square on his lips for well over a second. She then exited the Ford and ran to Mr. Ortiz’s pick-up truck. Her adventure with the twins came to an end. 

One Hour Later

On the ride to Chihuahua, no gunmen followed Lupita and Mr. Ortiz. This gave her hope. But one piece of business needed her attention.

“Tio, I have something I can’t hold on to.”

“What is it, my child? I’ll take care of it.”

Lupita nodded and carefully retrieved a nickel-plated forty-five from her bag.

“Oh!” Mr. Ortiz said, “Is that yours?”

“No, it was Fernando's. He defended us with it.”

“Ah, I see. Is it loaded?” 

She shook her head, “Sis took the bullets.” 

“Ok, put it under the seat. I’ll take care of it.”

As Lupita hid the gun, her phone rang. She trembled since she had it off while riding with the twins. She knew the Romero’s had her number and would call and harass her. But a U.S. area code flashed on her screen. 

“Hello?”   

“Hi, is this Lupita?” An American asked in Spanish.

“Yes?”

“My name is Mike Latty, I’m with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. I’m an acquaintance of Sis.”

“I know, she told me to give you a test question to be sure it’s you,” Lupita said. 

“Did she?” the man asked, surprised, “Ok, what’s the question?”

“What did you bake for your grandmother on Thanksgiving last year.”

“Thanksgiving?” the man said before laughing, “Haha, Sis is the only one I told that story. And the answer is a sweet potato pie that I baked from scratch. And I’ll have you know I ground the cinnamon myself.”

“Yes, she told me that too!” Lupita smiled, this was the man Sis spoke of, “Now where can I meet you, Mr. Mike?”

“We’re already here.” 

As Mike spoke three black SUVs drove alongside Mr. Ortiz’s pickup. Mr. Ortiz pulled to the curb of the road with the strange vehicles. A second later, as Sis promised, a bunch of American goons with badges and guns hopped out. The man in charge was a tall handsome black man in his mid-twenties. 

“You’re Lupita, right?” he asked.

“And you’re Mike?” she responded. 

“That’s me. Now come on. Let’s get you processed and over the border. I hear you have a lot of information on the Romero cartel.”

“I have all of their books,” she said, “Is that enough to get you promoted?”

“Haha, I hope so. But forget about that, let’s get you to safety.”

“Thank you.”

After thanking and saying goodbye to Mr. Ortiz, Lupita rode with Mike to the DEA headquarters. And in time, based on her testimony and the information she provided, she remained in the United States where she later married and became a citizen. As time passed she shared with her children the riveting story of meeting a strange pair of American twins who shot it out with a cartel and helped her escape into the desert. As more time passed, she would share the adventure with her grandchildren. But as for the bounty hunter twins, who saved her life that fateful night and gave her a story for the ages...alas, after her final goodbye…

 

 

 

...she never saw them again.