BEAST
As a felon and still technically on work release, not just probation, Leo had to get special permission to visit his brother Felipe in jail. He was only grateful now that his brother was doing time in LA county; otherwise, with his travel restrictions, he never would’ve been able to do this. But he couldn’t just call and make an appointment, twenty-four hours in advance, like all the other inmate’s visitors. So, it’d been over a week since he’d found out about Scar telling his girl to use Leo’s name when she confronted Allison.
Of course, he’d be the first Allison would think of.
Of course, Scar expected her to ask Leo about it.
The asshole was counting on it. Only thing he hadn’t counted on was that while he may’ve thought Allison was Leo’s girl, she wasn’t. Obviously, Leo’s attempts to keep her at arm’s length—make sure no one mistook her as someone he cared for—had been all for naught. Even in the short time he’d stupidly allowed himself to indulge in the danger of being around her, he’d been too damn obvious. She wasn’t someone he was involved with and cared about. But apparently, it wasn’t the vibe he’d given out. It was why he’d forced himself to stay away.
Then talking to her again was proof of what he’d feared for good reason. Being that close to her again was a reminder of how much he did feel for her. Not cared about her, damn it. Those were too completely different things. He hardly knew her.
At least Allison had kept her promise. Just like few people knew Felipe was his brother to begin with, even fewer knew the power his brother possessed behind bars. He was in for murdering someone with his own hands, but the conviction was reckless manslaughter. The guy he’d killed had been in the underground ring willingly. Felipe liked it this way.
He still held the power in the cartel, but most assumed that like Leo, who disappeared from that life years ago, Felipe had too. He was in jail for something totally unrelated and was thought by many to have cut his ties with the cartel. Yet a couple of orders from him could start a war nobody wanted. It was why Leo was here today to see Felipe.
Leo glanced down at the text he’d gotten just days after he’d spoken to Ali at the gym. He read the short exchange because he’d needed to talk to her and stopped texting to call her. Still, the first text was the most significant.
You said if my gut questioned anything to share. So I’m sharing. Two guys lurking outside the gates of Sonny’s property were arrested earlier. You might’ve heard about it already. It’s not unheard of for overzealous fans to hang out outside or lurk in their cars, trying to get a photo. and it’s what these guys claimed they were doing. Except they both had warrants and it’s why they were arrested. But no harm no foul. They’re behind bars now and all is well. Just thought I’d mention it because I figured you might hear about it anyway.
Leo shook his head. He had no doubt this had everything to do with him or his brother. Someone had sent them, trying to bait Leo. Just like Scar using his name wasn’t sheer coincidence. He read his only response and then hers to his before he’d called her that night.
Do you have names? Descriptions? Warrants for what?
He remembered feeling like she’d taken forever to respond, and then she finally did and he had to call her.
No names but I could probably get them. Young Hispanics in their early twenties, I think. And I have no idea what the warrants were for. But don’t worry. It’s over. =)
This wasn’t over by a long shot, and Leo’s gut told him this would only get worse before it got better. He hadn’t talked to his brother in too long, and now he needed to ASAP. He needed confirmation of what his gut was telling him. Most importantly, he needed to know how to make it stop.
After calling her that night and then talking to her a few more times during the week, Leo had done enough homework on this. What he knew now was even more alarming than he’d thought. He put his phone away and locked it up in the storage compartment of his bike. They’d opened the gate for the eight o’clock visits.
Ten minutes later he was past the metal detectors and the guard who had to double check his special clearance. He sat there in the small room of windows with phones for his brother to be brought out. His brother would not be happy about Leo coming here. For years and for Leo’s own protection, Felipe had denied any relation to La Fiera. So for just as long, Leo had respected Felipe’s wish that Leo not visit him or tie himself in any way to Felipe. But this couldn’t wait.
The familiar sound of the heavy gate opening and closing from his own days behind bars had Leo shaking his knee impatiently and craning his neck for a glimpse of his brother. Felipe walked into view, and Leo immediately saw the wrap around his hand. He waited with the phone at his ear as his brother followed prompts on his side, punching in numbers on the keypad. When they were finally given the go-ahead, Leo spoke first. “What happened to your hand?”
“Why the fuck are you here? I told you—”
“I have to talk to you. It’s important.”
Felipe’s brows furrowed. “What’s going on? You in trouble again?”
“No, are you?” Leo motioned to his brother’s bandaged hand.
Felipe smirked, shaking his head. “You’ve got perfect timing. I just got out of max a few days ago.”
“Why? What happened?”
Felipe gave him a look reminding him he couldn’t possibly give him all the details over these monitored phones. “Scuffle. No biggie.” He lifted his bandaged hand to show Leo. “May have gotten a tad carried away. The guy’s still in the infirmary, but he’ll live.”
“So, did they add more time to your—?”
“Self-defense,” his brother said, shaking his head before Leo could finish. “You know how that works. He either drops any charges or we both get more time. He dropped them in a heartbeat. So why you here?”
If they had more time, Leo would’ve pressed for more about the scuffle, but he knew they only had so much time before they were cut off, and he needed answers. “Any beef going on between you and Chente?”
Felipe tilted his head. “Why? What have you heard?”
“Nothing, but his younger brother Scar was locked up this year, and as soon as he got out, he set up an attack.”
“On you?” His brother’s eyes were instantly ablaze.
“No.” Leo explained about Allison’s fight at the school, Lila’s confrontation on the video going viral, and how Scar was back in jail again.
Felipe was staring at him too seriously. “So, this is your chick he attacked?”
“No.” Leo shook his head a bit more adamantly this time. “But she is someone I’ve been seen with at the gym. Went to lunch with a few times.”
He explained about the interview and how persuasive this very young girl was about interviewing him more than once. He also explained his theory that someone could’ve gotten the idea that maybe something else was going on between them.
“But there’s not?” Felipe asked, peering at him.
“No. Not at all.”
“You and her tight?”
“No. I just hung out with her the few times, and we’ve gone back and forth, mostly about the interview texts and shit, but no, I hardly know her. She’s way too fucking young. But—”
“How young?” Felipe asked then mouthed the word “Legal?”
“Yeah, she’s legal,” Leo said, feeling the frustration mount. “She’s nineteen. Still, that’s too young, and I think she has a boyfriend.” He added the latter for good measure because, even after all this time of not seeing his brother, he already recognized the stupid twinkle in Felipe’s eyes, and the guy didn’t know the half of it. “But she’s a . . . sweet girl, you know. She’s already been in the ER for something I think has to do with me.”
He explained quickly about her sister and the whole extortion story. “But I’m not buying that shit. I mean maybe he decided to try and make a little money while he was at it, but that’s not all that attack was. And now there’s guys lurking around her place. Two guys were arrested this past week, and I looked into it, and they’re thugs, Flip. Drug-dealing thugs like Scar and Chente. I just need to know if she’s in any danger.” He glanced down at his fisting hand. “Is this some kind of message?”
His brother’s eyes were on Leo’s fist as well, and then their eyes met. He nodded, alarming Leo to no end but didn’t elaborate. Leo knew he couldn’t.
“You have to call them off,” Leo said, lowering his voice. “Whatever’s happening, she has nothing to do with it. Have those fuckers come after me if they want. I’ll deal with them, but if they touch her again . . .” Leo glanced away.
“You sure nothing’s going on between you and this . . . young girl, Fiera?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Leo looked Felipe square in the eyes because he knew what his brother was already implying by using that name. That if there was, this could be unleashing Leo’s past.
Felipe glanced down at Leo’s fisting hand again and then up into Leo’s eyes. “You got special permission to come here tonight to see me, even when you know this could out you, just so you can demand I help you with this. For a girl you have no feelings for and she’s just a friend?”
“She’s not even that,” Leo said through his teeth. “Allison’s just an innocent girl who doesn’t need to be involved in any of this shit. She’s not like any of the women in our world. And worst of all, she has no idea she’s even in danger. She really believes that whole Scar thing had everything to do with her sister and nothing to do with me. I just don’t want another Kit on my conscience.”
His brother’s expression went hard. “That was different and you know it. No one went after her. It was just bad luck. It wasn’t your fault, damn it.”
“I’m not here to talk about that, Flip. Just answer me this. Is Allison in danger?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out. I will say this though. I haven’t seen you in years. You’ve been here all of ten minutes, and already I know you’re full of shit about not having feelings for this girl.” Felipe shook his head with a frown. “I see it every time you say her name. That fucking vein on your head getting ready to bust over the possibility that she’s in danger scares the hell out of me. If you’re this transparent in here, no wonder they’re assuming there’s more going on, and if there is, be careful. We knew the possibility of who you are to me would get out eventually. If that’s the case, if that’s what’s happening and they’re trying to flush you out, you need to be real fucking careful. Think of your future, Leo. No girl is worth your going backwards now. You’re doing so good. Promise me you’ll keep your cool.”
“Just do whatever you have to get them called off,” Leo said because he wasn’t about to make any promises he knew he couldn’t keep.
If after only a few minutes his brother already knew what Leo wouldn’t even admit to himself yet, he knew it was futile to try and argue that part. So, he didn’t address any of the rest of his brother’s rant. Getting confirmation that his gut feeling had been spot on only pissed him off further.
“Done,” Felipe said. “But it may take a few days, so until then, you just need to warn her to be on high alert. That whole fight thing with Scar’s girl was creative, and you could be right—the greedy fuck might’ve just been trying to make an extra buck while he was at it—but you know how this works, Leo. He didn’t need to do all that, not when all he was probably asked to do was send a message, which I’m sure now that’s all this is. Anyone who knows anything about you, knows how little it’ll take to make you blow. They’re looking to hurt me, not her.” Felipe pointed at himself, leaning in closer to the window between them. “You remember that. They hurt me by getting to you, and if they do something that’ll get your ass thrown back in jail, then they win. So even if someone just spooks her from now until I can call them off, you keep your fucking cool, you hear me?”
Leo nodded, knowing the gesture would be far from convincing. Felipe sat back in his seat in defeat because he knew Leo all too well. “Just try, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
It was all Leo could give him. If anyone knew Leo, it was Felipe. He and his brother were one and the same when it came to their irrepressible fury. All Leo could promise was to try. But both knew how impossible it’d be to keep that promise if he ever witnessed Allison being hurt, or even spooked.
“I’ll try,” he said again after they were interrupted with the two-minute warning.
Leo warned Felipe he’d be back in a week to talk to him again if he didn’t call before then to update him on this. He needed to make sure his brother had been able to call this shit off.
The first thing he did once he got back to his phone was call Allison. Fuck the texting. He needed to warn her she might be in danger, and she needed to hear him say it so she’d know how serious this was.
“Leonardo?” she said after only one ring, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she sounded anxious.
“Yeah, what’s wrong?” he asked, already mounting his bike in anticipation.
“Nothing.” She sounded a bit breathless. “It’s just ironic that you’d call right now. I just pulled into a police station parking lot here in Boyle Heights.”
“Why?” Every muscle in his body went taut. “What happened?”
“I could be wrong, but I got the feeling someone was following me. They didn’t follow me in here, but I’d just parked and was trying to decide what to do.” She paused, laughing nervously. “I think I’m being paranoid. I’m just gonna keep going.”
“No, no, no,” he said quickly. “Wait for me. Which station is it?”
It took some persuading, but he was finally able to convince her to stay put until he got there. After getting the information, he put his helmet on, gripping the handlebars, and reminded himself not to speed. The last thing he needed was to get pulled over, but it was a damn challenge.
If they do something that’ll get your ass thrown back in jail, then they win.
Leo replayed his brother’s words over and over in his head to try and calm the adrenaline already pumping through his heating veins.