Dalila
When the morning sun shines through the windows, we know it’s time to leave. As much as I’d like to stay in this cabin, I know we have to keep moving and cover our tracks.
After packing up our stuff, we trek past the grassy plains near the cabin and enter the harsh, rocky landscape. “You haven’t talked much this morning,” I say to Ryan. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. Not at all. I just wish things were different.”
“Me too.” I manage a small, tremulous smile.
“I hate seeing you so sad.” He takes my hand and pulls me into the circle of his arms. With a dip of his head, he kisses me tenderly and my heart turns over in response. “We’ll get through this. I promise.” After kissing me on my nose, Ryan points to a hill in the distance and is back to the task at hand. “Let’s head that way to avoid the main road.”
I nod. “I agree. Staying out of sight is best.”
Ryan takes my hand and we continue our trek toward Abuela Carmela’s house. The strength of his grip gives me an amazing sense of calm.
It isn’t long before I hear a car in the distance. It’s coming closer and I tense up. “Ryan . . .”
As if he knows what I’m about to say, he leads me up a dirt hill and we hide behind a big spiky bush. He shields me as the car passes.
Ryan’s face is tense as he takes my hand again. “Come on, we better keep movin’.”
We rush through the mountains, stopping each time there’s a boulder to hide behind and looking into the distance for any sign of trouble. I can feel the stress of today radiating off him.
I sense his hesitation. “There’s somethin’ I haven’t shared with you.” He stops and pulls me back to face him. “I stole money from my stepfather. A lot of it.”
“When?”
“A few days ago. I’m almost certain it was bribe money.” He combs his hand through his hair as his face turns stoic. “Or maybe it was to turn the other way when there was a hit on one of the border patrol cops in Loveland.”
“Wow.” I step back, because my brain needs time to process this. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t know how to tell you. I took a little for emergency cash and the rest is being divided.”
“Divided?”
“Remember my friend Pablo? You met him the night of the Shadows of Darkness concert.”
I nod.
“Well, I left Pablo instructions. Most of the money goes to Max Trieger’s family. He was investigating Las Calaveras and died because of it. My stepfather is taking bribes from Las Calaveras so it’s only fair his family receives some of it.”
“And the rest of the money?” I question.
“Let’s just say it’s called a power play. In boxing, if you’re not the favorite you have to figure out a way to beat your opponent even though the odds are stacked against you. And make no mistake about it, Dalila, the odds are stacked against me. Come on,” he says. “Let’s keep movin’.” He hesitates, then takes Mateo’s cell phone out of his pocket. “Unless you want me to call the cops and turn myself in. I’ll do that for you.”
“No! You’re not calling the cops. We’ll figure something out, Ryan. I promise.”
He doesn’t seem convinced, but I’ll come up with a plan to right all the wrongs.
We keep winding through the mountains, hoping there’s no way anyone can spot us. Ryan doesn’t seem concerned for himself, even as sweat soaks his T-shirt. He keeps asking me if I need a break or if I’m hungry.
We’re both highly sensitive to every sound and movement to make sure we’re not spotted or followed.
The sound of an engine startles me and Ryan immediately pulls me down. “Someone’s comin’,” he says as he helps me crawl to the nearest boulder. We stay silent and still as a white truck drives across the barren land, dust kicking up behind it.
The truck stops and two guys get out. They scan the horizon as if they’re looking for something and I hold my breath and pray.
What if we’re caught?
I can’t lose Ryan, not now when we’ve just found each other. Our connection is getting stronger every minute we’re together. He must feel it too. I can sense the emotions he’s experiencing like they’re my own.
The guys focus their attention on the ground. “They’re checking for tracks,” Ryan tells me.
The sound of a rattle startles me. I look down. Right next to my shoe is a rattlesnake.
“Stay still,” Ryan instructs. He slowly bends down and grabs a long, forked stick from the ground as I hold my breath. “Now back up slowly.”
I do as instructed, careful to keep the boulder between me and the truck. Ryan holds down the snake until we move away from it. Finally the snake slithers away. We stay hidden for a long time, even after the truck and the snake are out of sight.
I can tell there’s a change in Ryan’s demeanor. He’s completely silent and when I ask him questions he gives me one-word answers.
As the sun starts to set, we head out once again.
“What’s wrong, Ryan?” I ask. “You haven’t said a word for the past two hours.”
“What’s wrong is I let you come with me. Look!” he says, holding his arms out wide. I can feel his frustration. “Look around us, Dalila. I put you in danger and I’ve set you on this course that could only lead to us runnin’ like animals for the rest of our lives. You don’t deserve that.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go, Ryan. I can handle this rough spot in our lives.”
“Rough spot? Baby, you’re delusional. Havin’ an argument about what movie to go see is a rough spot. Forgettin’ a birthday or anniversary is a rough spot. This . . . this is a nuclear attack on your life! What happened at your house is a complete and utter breakdown of everything you know and everything that you are.”
The truth hits me hard, but it’s not because of what Ryan just said. It’s what he’s not saying that makes me love him more. “You haven’t asked me to fix this,” I mumble.
“You can’t fix it.”
But I can. “The only person who was with you when the shots rang out is me. I’m your alibi. You could ask me to go to the police to tell them the truth about everything.”
“You can’t do that.”
He doesn’t say it, but I have to. “Because it’ll make me implicate my father as Rico’s murderer.”
“They probably wouldn’t believe you. They’ll think I’ve somehow brainwashed you. I’m a foreigner here and your father is very powerful. I’ll figure out somethin’.” He gazes across the horizon. “But first we need to get you food and water. I’ve got enough money if we find a place to eat.”
Walking all day is exhausting, and tripping on rocks in the dark isn’t pleasant, but I keep up a quick pace so we can get as far away as possible from whoever was in the white truck. Night falls and I feel a sense of security under the cloak of darkness.
As if by some miracle, twinkling lights in the distance catch my eye. I grab Ryan’s arm and shake it as if I’ve just spotted a pot of gold. “Look! There’s a town up ahead,” I cry out. “See the lights?”
We’re both dehydrated and weak. With renewed energy, we rush toward the town. I’m not familiar with it, but then again these little towns in the mountains are so out of the way that it’s not unusual for them to go unnoticed.
But as we get closer, it’s clear that it’s not a small town in the middle of the desert. It’s a small, exclusive four-star hotel called Estrella.
“We can’t go in there,” I tell him.
“Call and ask if they have a room available for tonight,” he tells me. He pulls out Mateo’s phone and hands it to me. After a little searching, I get their number and book a room under the last name Reyes. We wait awhile in the parking lot, then walk into the hotel as if we belong here.
The teenage girl at the front desk hardly looks at us when we enter the lobby. She doesn’t even flinch when Ryan pays for the room with American dollars.
Ten minutes later we’re in a big, fancy hotel room with plush towels and a bed so soft I feel like I could sink into it. After making sure every door and window is locked and all curtains are closed, shielding us from the outside, Ryan calls room service and they deliver steaming-hot platters of carne and vegetables.
My mouth is watering just thinking about the spread in front of us.
“I should feel guilty,” I say as I savor every flavorful bite. “But I can’t.”
After downing four bottled waters and ordering another four, we scarf down our food as if we’re not going to eat another meal for a while. By the end, we’re both stuffed and fall onto the bed.
“We can’t be in this bed together, Ryan,” I tell him as I stare up at the ceiling fan above us. “Not like this.”
“Like what?”
“We’re both dirty.” I take his hand, because I don’t want to go anywhere without him. “Come shower with me.”