Haunted (Anna Strong Chronicles #8)

Haunted (Anna Strong Chronicles #8) Page 17

Chapter 48

IT TAKES LONGER TO CONVINCE ADELITA TO LEAVE Culebra and me with Ramon and to go on with Max and Luis. She argues that she has a reason to want Ramon dead, too, and should be allowed to witness his execution. Her voice is low and urgent.

She appeals to me rather than Max or Culebra and I know why. She saw me with the driver in the truck. She knows my taste for vengeance is strong.

But as much as I understand her feelings, as much as I sympathize with her, she has seen enough death in her short life. Her nightmares will be riddled with blood and terror as it is. She has had no control over what happened to her up to this moment. Time alters perspective. If she participates in killing Ramon, consciously or unconsciously, she may come to feel responsible for his death. She has been abused, but she's not a killer... yet.

That's a burden she doesn't need.

That's a burden best shouldered by me.

That's a burden I've already accepted.

Max lets me talk with her and after a time, when Adelita reluctantly accepts that she should go, I nod to him.

He approaches, dipping a hand into his backpack. "I almost forgot. I brought something for you."

He pulls a clean, white T-shirt out of the bag and hands it to me. "Figured you were ready for a change of clothes."

I glance down at my blouse, frayed around the arms where I tore off the sleeves, covered with blood, so dirty it's hard to imagine it's original pristine whiteness. Wonder if Gabriella wants it back?

I take the T-shirt, smile a thank-you and slip the tee over my head, working the blouse off and letting it slip to the ground. Then I work my arms into the sleeves and tug it into place.

I feel better already.

Max motions to Adelita, then crooks a finger at me. "You'll follow?"

"We'll be right behind you."

Max leads Adelita into the brush, staying close in case she takes a notion to change her mind. Luis, tethered by a short length of rope, walks ahead. He has been quiet during the exchange. Perhaps afraid if he says anything, he will meet the same fate as Ramon.

Ramon, for his part, is quiet as well. It's as if he's no longer in the present, but gazes unfocused at a scene only he can see. Culebra and I wait until we can no longer hear Max and Adelita. Then we approach.

Culebra prods Ramon with the barrel of his rifle. "I heard you," he says.

Ramon raises his head, his eyes clear. "You heard what?"

"I know the part you played in the death of my family. I know you tried to kill me."

Ramon looks away. "It was a long time ago."

"You did it to take my place with Santiago."

A shrug. "You would have done the same."

"And now?" Culebra asks. "What do you gain from my death now?"

Ramon is leaning heavily against the well, trying to take the weight off his injured ankle. I don't let him, leveraging my own body against his so he stumbles onto both feet again. He winces and whistles with the pain. "Puta," he hisses.

"Answer Culebra's question."

"I needed someone to serve up as Rojan's killer. Someone Santiago would believe still held a grudge."

"Why would Santiago believe Culebra killed Rojan?" I ask. "He's been gone fifteen years."

"We killed his family. Blood vengeance runs deep." Ramon sniffs. "Killing Rojan wounded Santiago where it hurt the most. He lost money. And Santiago would believe me because I said it. Especially when I confirm his suspicion that Tomas had worked with Julio to set up that gun deal. Twice he has cost Pablo Santiago money. Your friend Culebra would be dead so he could not dispute it. I would have killed him as a show of loyalty and been back in Pablo's good graces." His voice drops. "I would have avenged my son."

"And assuaged your guilt?" I think back to what Gabriella told me. "Your own daughter holds you responsible for Antonio's death. Did you know that?"

"She is a girl. She does not understand how it is with men. They have to be strong. To stand up for themselves. Antonio was weak."

Something in his tone sends an icy finger up my spine. "Was any of the story you told us about your son true?"

Ramon blinks over at me. "What difference does it make?"

Culebra catches the meaning of my question. "Did Rojan do any of the things you accused him of?" He speaks slowly, coldly, deliberately.

Ramon's eyes shoot fire. "He pissed on my son. Pissed on him. It was an outrage and Antonio should have killed him for that. He wouldn't. So I did."

Culebra and I look at each other, understanding dawning with brutal clarity. Ramon made up a story designed to suck us in. And it did.

Culebra opens his thoughts, his mind a black void of despair. Do we need to know anything else?

Do you think he knows where Santiago is hiding?

Culebra shakes his head. I think Luis is the only one who knows. Ramon has not had Pablo Santiago's trust since he killed Rojan. I doubt Pablo was so quick to accept Ramon's version of what happened. But when Ramon cooked up the story that I killed the boy to get even with Santiago for killing my family, and the finance minister was demanding blood for blood, I became the perfect scapegoat. He sweetened the pot by reminding Pablo of the gun sting. I told you, money is more important than blood to Santiago. He didn't really care who to sacrifice now, as long as the finance minister was satisfied and the money exchange houses were back open.

Ramon is watching us now with more interest. Perhaps he senses there is something passing between Culebra and me.

How do you want to do this? I ask Culebra.

He hesitates only a moment. I think I would like to watch. See him suffer. Are you hungry?

Yes. Please. Vampire purrs.

Culebra takes a step back. "Good-bye, Ramon."

I take a step closer.

Ramon looks puzzled. I have no weapon to threaten him, yet he feels threatened. His eyes are shadowed with fear. He looks past me to Culebra. "You don't have to do this. Let me go. I will make things right with Luis and Pablo. I will tell them the truth."

Culebra shakes his head. "It is too late. You killed my family. You were willing to sacrifice me for a lie to save your own skin."

"Not for me. For my family. For Maria and Gabriella."

I sidle closer. "And where is Maria? She did not try to warn you that I was free. Why do you think that is? Do you think she found out what you've been doing for Luis? About the girls whose lives you've ruined?"

"I had no choice." But there is no remorse in Ramon's voice. No trace of guilt.

"Do you know who Adelita is?" I ask, keeping my voice as low and human as possible.

His eyes snap to me. "That crazy bitch? I've never seen her before."

I'm right beside him now, so close my lips nuzzle his chin. "Are you sure?"

Ramon begins to see and feel and hear the changes taking place in me. The heat from my skin, the teeth at his neck, the timbre of my voice morphing from human to animal. "I don't know her. What are you doing?"

I take a nip, right at the jawline, let the blood trickle onto the collar of his shirt. "Sure you do," I manage to say. If I don't get this out quickly, I'll miss my chance. Vampire is clawing her way free. "You took her from her village with two other young girls. Promised them jobs. Promised to return them home. You did neither. Two are dead. You have to answer."

He looks into my eyes... vampire eyes, golden, slit like a cat's. "¿Dios mio, que eres tu?" he whispers.

I glance at Culebra, give him one last chance to intercede on Ramon's behalf.

Culebra stands stiffly upright, his face rigid in its resolution. He gives a tiny shake of his head.

"What am I?" I whisper then. "Vengeance."

Anna is gone. Vampire rips into his throat, cutting his scream short. He struggles, but he's already weak from the snakebite and it takes only one hand to hold his head while steel jaws clamp down, seek the carotid artery, sever it with teeth that saw back and forth until the blood is freed.

Will his blood taste of the snake?

Vampire lets it flow into her mouth, sampling. It tastes like any other human blood... full of warmth, vibrancy, life. It flows like sweet, fresh water drawn from a well. There's no hint of evil beneath the skin. No hint of death and treachery. I put both arms around him as his body slumps into mine. Hold him up, shake him, make sure he's conscious. I draw my head away to look into his eyes. He sees. He's aware.

He's afraid.

I glance back at Culebra.

His face is stern. He meets my eyes and nods.

Vampire smiles at Ramon. In a dim corner of the human Anna's mind, a picture of a son driven to suicide and two dead girls lying in the back of a truck comes into sharp focus. It's all vampire needs.

She turns snapping jaws back to his throat to finish the job.

Chapter 49

RAMON SAGS AGAINST ME, DEADWEIGHT, THE LAST flutter of his heart going still. I step back and let his body drop.

Vampire is reluctant to relinquish control, but Culebra is close and his urgency comes through.

We have to go.

I let my head fall to my chest, shake it to clear away the animal and look up at Culebra with human eyes.

"Thank you," he says.

"It was for your family. And Adelita."

"I know."

Culebra hands me a rifle and we start after Max. There hasn't been a sound from the villagers, not a light has gone on in any of the shacks. It's full dark now, and as I glance back at Ramon's body, a shadow among shadows, I wonder if anyone will venture out to see if he's really dead.

Or maybe no one cares.

I stop to pick up the duffel, thinking it's beginning to feel like an extension of my arm.

But thanking Max for packing it.

Culebra and I move quickly and quietly through the brush. He doesn't seem to have any trouble seeing in the dark or keeping up with me. It's not long before I hear footfalls ahead and know we've almost caught up to Max.

From the direction of the road, the sound of an approaching vehicle moving toward the village. I tilt my head.

"I think Luis' men are returning. We'd better hurry."

We pick up the pace, trotting through the underbrush, oblivious to the growls and hisses that rumble around us as we disturb other night predators on the prowl. We are not challenged and in minutes, we see Max ahead.

He hears our approach and peers into the darkness. "Anna?"

"Right here. Luis' men are at the village. I don't know how long it will take them to learn what happened from the villagers. They don't know who we are, but they know we have Luis. They'll come looking for him."

Luis has been listening. He looks behind us. "Where's Ramon?"

"Dead," Culebra says.

Luis spits at the ground. "He was a traitor. He lied to you. He brought you here to die. Let me go and Pablo will reward you. You were a good soldier once, Tomas. You could be again."

I think Culebra is going to ignore Luis. He stares at him, no expression at all on his face. Then, with a single, quick thrust, he slams his rifle butt into Luis' gut.

Luis doubles over, unable to draw a breath as the air rushes from his body, gasping until his face is blue from lack of oxygen.

Culebra grasps a handful of Luis' hair and yanks him upright. "Your brother called me a traitor once, too. And had my family killed. Ramon told you lies about me and you believed him. When I left the cartel, I left this life behind. I took my vengeance in my own way. I never came after you or your brother. You and Ramon should have left it alone, Luis."

Luis struggles to breathe, his chest heaving. Culebra shoves him away and he collapses on the ground, rolling into a fetal position in an effort to force oxygen into his lungs.

Max takes Culebra aside. "We don't have time for this. When we get to Ramon's, you can beat the shit out of him. Hell, I'll help you. But we have to get there first."

Culebra's eyes are still on Luis, but he gives in with a grudging nod. He reaches down and hauls Luis to his feet. When he prods him with the barrel of his rifle, Luis moves. Unsteadily, at first, but faster as he catches his breath.

Adelita trots beside me as we resume our trek. "Is he really dead?" she asks.

"Yes."

"Did you kill him?"

"Yes."

"The way you killed the bastardo in the truck?"

I let my eyes find hers in the dark. Her expression is neutral. No fear. No unease. "Do you know what I am?"

She hesitates only a moment. "I think so. ¿Eres vampira, no?"

"And that doesn't scare you?"

She raises her shoulders. "You have not hurt me. You have protected me. The evil in this place resides in the souls of men. Like Ramon and Luis."

"They can't hurt you anymore. Max will see to that. If you want, he can get you into a program across the border."

Adelita's expression sobers. "Then who will stay to protect other girls? To tell the world what is happening here?"

I remember the conversation we had when I convinced her to stay put while I went back to help Culebra in the village. "You can do both," I tell her. I think of Stephen. "I know just the person who will help you."

She lapses into silence, perhaps considering if such a thing could be possible. I'm silent, too. Wondering if introducing Adelita to Stephen is the last conversation Stephen and I will have.

Chapter 50

THE FARTHER WE GET FROM THE VILLAGE, THE SAFER we feel, and the mood of our little group lightens. Max and Culebra talk softly between themselves. Adelita strides with quiet confidence beside me, her eyes on Luis' back. I have a feeling if he tried to make a break for it, she would be on him before any of us.

I glance at my watch. It's almost three a.m. We've been walking for four hours. I don't recognize the terrain around us, but when I last came this way, I was following a scent, not noting the landscape.

"Max? How much farther?"

He stops and we gather together. "Should be close. Anna, you and I will go ahead. We saw the location of the security cameras so we know how to avoid them. Culebra, you stay with Luis and Adelita until we know it's safe. I don't want to walk into a trap. If Maria got out, no telling who might be waiting for us."

Culebra yanks Luis to a tree and secures the handcuffs around the trunk with a piece of rope. He pulls it so tight, Luis' cheek rubs against the trunk. He yelps as his already bruised and battered face presses into the rough bark.

Adelita and Culebra smile at each other.

Max and I start out, Max scoping the tops of the trees with a flashlight, searching for the hidden cameras. I spot the first without needing a flashlight. I point it out to Max. From its location, it's easy for us to determine the location of the others. We quickly move forward, keeping low to the ground, until we get to the clearing.

But at that point we have to stop. There is no way to cross the clearing without being picked up by the cameras.

No way for Max, that is.

I take a look around.

The cameras are positioned to catch movement on the ground in the front of the cabin. Only one door, no windows. The place looks as if it's about to fall down, leaning precariously to one side. Designed to look unsafe, to discourage anyone from coming too close. There is a small gap up at the apex of the roof, caused by the uneven settling of the cabin's foundation.

I gauge the distance. If I can get up onto that roof without detection, I will be able to see if Maria or her daughter are inside keeping watch.

When I glance at Max, I see he's been following my roving eyes with his own. I point to the roof and he nods. Then I move into position so I'm out of the line of sight of the door.

I realize when faced with a challenge like this that I've yet to figure out all that I'm  - that vampire is -  capable of. It takes a situation like this to test the boundaries. I've scurried up walls and the sides of buildings and leapt from roofs. But I've yet to leap onto a building. I call forth vampire with a little thrill of anticipation. This will either be a spectacular success or a bone-jarring failure.

I gather myself to leap, muscles tense, tendons tight, feet flexed. When I launch myself into the air, there's a moment of exhilaration. A feeling of escaping gravity, of leaving the confines of the Earth. I hold my arms to my sides and look toward the spot I'm aiming for. When I'm above the roof, I straighten, head up, feet down, and float to a landing just above the gap.

It's magic. I feel like Superman. I'm so excited, I forget for a moment why I'm here. Even Max, when I look for him in the bushes, has a look of astonishment on his face. He smiles when he catches my eyes and gives me a thumbs-up. He mouths, You can fucking fly.

I have to force myself to push the excitement down and think about what I need to do next.

I lean over and peek into the cabin. The table has been levered down to expose the stairway. But no one is in sight. I listen carefully for noise from inside. I can't hear anything, but that may be due to the thickness of the cave walls, not the absence of humans. From this vantage point, I can't tell if the door at the bottom is open or not.

Only one thing to do. I gesture to Max to stay put and lower myself carefully into the cabin. There's not much room to maneuver and no way to escape being seen if anyone's standing at the bottom of the steps. I lay on my stomach and creep to the open trapdoor.

When I look over the side, the stairwell is empty.

The entrance to Ramon's secret hideaway stands open.