Ivy
If Carlos was just going to kill me anyway, he would have done it by now. He wouldn’t have bothered to keep me around this long if he just meant to get rid of me. I stood in his office, watching as he paced back and forth. What is he waiting for? Creed to come in here and sweep me off my feet?
As welcome of a sight as that would be right now, I doubted it was coming. Creed would come, save his son, then leave without even a glance in my direction.
Carlos must actually think I’m worth something. But that thought didn’t stop the rise of panic in my belly. My stomach was still twisted in knots as we waited.
I leaned back against the heavy, wooden desk in his office, trying to watch him without being really obvious about it. Not that I should have worried; he seemed to be so caught up in his thoughts that I could stare at him openly without him noticing.
He was pacing like a caged animal, his face still a careful neutral. I wondered what sorts of emotions were bubbling up under that stoic exterior. If I was him, I would be scared too; this cartel nonsense is no joke. The whole town would be wrecked from the fighting. And lots of people were going to suffer.
I hated this Kelly guy. I wished Creed and the other people at the Edge would just kick him out. If everyone refused to follow him, then he wouldn’t be in charge anymore. I couldn’t believe anyone inside the Edge would go along with this plan, no matter how selfish or stupid.
We waited for what seemed like an eternity in Carlos’ office. I studied the inside of the office over and over again, counting tiles and drawers and other odds and ends. It wasn’t a large office, but it was filled with boxes and glass cases filled with all sorts of objects. Carlos seemed to be a collector of all sorts of junk, from baseball cards to sports rings and other assorted sports memorabilia. It covered his office from top to bottom. Every sport seemed to be on display from signed hockey pucks to what looked like a Super Bowl ring, He even had some signed baseball cards from people even I recognized; I wondered how much these things were worth.
Noise filtered through the closed door, coming from the hallway outside. It must have been loud to get through his bullet-proof, inches thick glass window and these walls built like a bank vault. I was pretty sure this place could burn to the ground, and Carlos’ memorabilia would survive just fine.
Carlos didn’t react to the noises at all, so I ignored them too.
“Have you ever had any dealings with Christine Alvarez?” I asked, studying the bandages on my hands. She’d been the voice of the cartel in the Edge. I’d only met her the once, but I didn’t like her. I don’t think Creed or Josh liked her either.
Carlos whipped his head around to look at me, something startled in his black eyes. “What name did you say?” His accent was heavier when he was surprised like he had to work to keep it contained.
I suddenly regretted opening my mouth. “She was the cartel’s in-between with the Edge. I was just wondering where she came from, and how she ended up targeting Kelly for the move in.” I had a million other questions, too. Like why did they want our town so badly? It’s not like we were particularly rich or well-positioned. I just wondered at the cartel’s motivation. But Carlos’ expression gave me pause. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask any more questions about her.
I didn’t want to think about anything that scared Carlos Adams.
“Well, señora, you have my attention, if that is what you were after.” Carlos stalked around the desk, coming to a halt a little too close to me for comfort. But I couldn’t back down. My life might depend on it.
“It wasn’t. I was just curious. What is Christine to you?”
“Nothing at all.”
But he was lying. I could feel it, see it in the way the skin crinkled around his eyes. But it’s not like I could call him out on it. I might have found some courage deep in me, but not enough for something like that.
The noise outside escalated to new heights, but Carlos still didn’t seem to mind. He stared at the wall of his office, still pacing. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I couldn’t seem to find my voice.
Carlos came closer again, his eyes roaming my face. “What do you think of the deal with the devil that Kelly made?”
I frowned, folding my arms over my chest to hold myself together. “I told Creed it was a bad idea. I told him he was a fool for letting Kelly order him around when the situation was so dire.” I glanced up into Carlos’ face. For the first time, his face was wide open. It held a hint of curiosity, worry, and something suspiciously like hope. He patted my arm gently, like that was supposed to cheer me up somehow. Needless to say, it didn’t make me feel any better.
I really hope he’s not pinning all of his hopes on me talking Creed into anything. I winced away from the thought. I’d tried my hardest not to think of how little Creed thought of me, but Carlos seemed to be really good at rubbing it in my face without meaning to. I just wanted to get out of this and get out of here.
Creed wouldn’t come for me anyway.