Chapter 10
I gasped awake. Heavy breathing filled my room. I blinked slowly, trying to calm my anxiety. I groaned, sitting up properly. I just had the worst nightmare. Honestly, I don't remember it. All I do remember was darkness and overpowering uneasiness and fear rocked me to my core. What it meant, I have no idea. It was so strange. I've had nightmares before – each of them I remember and could picture clearly, but this one, I have no clue.
I tossed my legs to the side. Sunlight peeked through the blinds, hitting me straight in the eyes. That's one way to wake up. I got ready and left my room, off to make breakfast. As I prepared the food, I took one glance at the clock. It was 9 in the morning. The guys should be up soon, from what I remember.
Not ten minutes later, I heard the guest room door bust open. One sprinting pair of footsteps came bounding toward me. I saw a blur rush past me and into the bathroom. A second later, two more pairs came running over.
"No, James! Don't do this!" Logan cried as he pounded on the bathroom door. "You don't even have your hair care products in there!"
"And this is Carlos' house, don't destroy his bathroom, dude!" Kendall exclaimed.
"I won't," James answered through the door. "And Carlos won't mind."
Kendall and Logan sent me pleading looks, but I only shrugged and refocused on my chorizo con huevo. "Hey, if James wants to use all my hot water, he could go for it. He'll just have to pay for it."
James grumbled something we couldn't hear, being drowned out by the running shower. Kendall and Logan rolled their eyes before sitting down on the couch and turning on the television. As the tortillas warmed up, I went over to one of the closets and pulled out sets of clothes.
"Here," I tossed them their clothes, leaving the last set near the bathroom door. "You'll need these."
"How'd you get our clothes?" Logan raised an eyebrow as he and Kendall inspected the clothing they usually wear. I chuckled when I went back to flip the tortillas.
"Well, you didn't actually think that I wouldn't find out that you left for the academy, right?" I smirked. The room grew quiet as they stared at me with wide eyes. "Mrs. Knight and Katie told me what you guys did."
"Yikes," Logan mumbled, looking away.
"Sorry, man, for having you worried since the beginning," Kendall apologized.
"It's okay, now that I figured out why you really did it," I smiled. I placed the food on the table the moment James got out of the restroom. "Breakfast is served."
"I didn't know you could cook," Kendall's eyebrows shot up as they all sat around the table. I shrugged, seating myself right after.
"I picked up a thing or two while I was living here."
"Dude, Carlos, why do you have my entire hair product routine in your bathroom?" James suddenly asked.
"Cause I knew you would need it," I chuckled. As we ate, I listened to the stories my friends told about the things they did at boot camp. I laughed at certain things they said, them doing the same when I said some things.
But the moment we finished our food, got ready and left the house, fear and anxiety washed over me. My hands began shaking as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel in my car. What is happening? Why do I feel like this? (You know why) No, I don't! (They're here with you. Anything and everything could go wrong.) It won't! (Are you sure this is a good plan? What if they die? It'll be your fault.) SHUT UP!
"Hey, Carlos?" I flinched violently. I snapped my gaze toward Kendall, who sat next to me, watching me with a concerned expression. "You okay? You seemed worried."
Before I could think of an answer, my phone rang. I checked the road before reading the caller ID on my phone. I shushed everyone down, even though they weren't talking, and picked up.
"Hello?" I spoke.
"Carlos, I have another job for you," El Curso answered straight away. The guys silently heard the conversation, which I put on speaker. "One of my men, by the name of Jesus 'Locks' Sanchez, is missing. Haven't seen him for a few days and he needed to report a trade for me. I fear that the customer got to him first. I need you to track him down. If this was sabotage, find the one responsible and eliminate them."
"Yes, sir," I nodded. "Where was Locks last seen?"
"Last I heard, he was living in Suizzee, that fancy expensive apartment building downtown. Check there and report back to me," he ordered. "I expect to hear another success, mijo."
"And you'll never hear a failure from me. I'm on it."
"Good to hear. I'll also be leaving for a few days. One of my groups down at the docks was having trouble getting production back up and running after the Suckers attacked a few days back," El Curso notified. At the mention of the other gang, my anger spiked.
"The Suckers? Why didn't you tell me?!" I barked. "I could have taken care of them!"
"Hey, I got it under control. You focus on Locks, that's an order." I bit back a retort. I'm always being bossed around. (You never stand up to yourself. Why?) "I'm putting Maria in charge of the main operation until I get back so don't take advantage. I know how you are, Carlos, and I'll find out if you do something that you shouldn't. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," I gritted out. Once we hung up, I growled. Oh, sure boss, I'll go on a wild goose chase and freaking murder someone while I could be taking care of the main issue. Sure, whatever, don't mind me while I try to get myself killed while all you have to do is avoid the public. Nope, gotta chase down drug addicts and psychopaths while you eat cake or investigate the hell you want.
"Is everything okay?" James asked from the back seat. I nearly forgot they were there. I sighed, feeling the stress piling up on my shoulders again.
"Define 'okay'." I huffed out a breath of air. "As you heard, I have to look for Jesus Sanchez, or also goes by Locks, at Suizzee apartments. If I find him alive, then I interrogate him to make him spill why he hasn't been returning to El Curso. If he's dead, then I need to find who killed him."
"And where do we come in?" Logan pointed out.
"You are going to be tagging along with me until we reach someone who I recognize, then you disappear. But you guys will call in the police to arrest Locks if he's alive or the corner office to pick up the body. If he's dead then you'll help me track down who killed him," I instructed, with them listening intently. "Once we wrap everything up, I'll report back to El Curso after dropping you guys off at the Palm Woods. I'll give more specifics when we find Locks, got it?"
"Got it," they repeated with firm nods.
"And what did El Curso mean by he knows how you are?" Kendall asked. I scoffed quietly before shaking my head.
"Nothing important," I frowned. The car fell into silence. They don't need to know what he means. (Why not?) Because it's my business! They don't need to know everything about my life. (Why are you so scared?) I'm not scared! Never have been! So will you leave me alone?! I've had enough of you! (Enough of what? Your doubts? Insecurities? Your fears? That's what I am, that's what you made me be. But what are you? You are no longer who you used to be-) Shut it. (You are not the same person your friends used to see you as.) I'm warning you.
(And what will you do? Hit me? Yell at me? I'm your mind, there's nothing in this world that could harm me.) Is that a challenge? (You'll see who you really are in time. And we both have a feeling that the time is nearing. Growing closer with every second. You will find out who you really are… just wait.)
I waited for a moment, but no more voices spoke. I exhaled shakily, wanting nothing more than for that little irritating voice to quiet down.
It was only by the tap on my shoulder that I had then realized that we made it to the fancy apartment building, all without my knowledge. I got out of the parked car and made my way inside.
"Nice place," James commented, looking around the modern look. We walked up to the front desk, where a woman in formal clothing sat.
"Good morning, welcome to the Suizzee, how can I help you?" The woman, by the name of Chloe according to the name tag, greeted us with a smile. I, along with the other guys, took out our badges and showed them to her briefly.
"I'm Detective Garcia, behind me are Officers Diamond, Knight, and Mitchell. We're looking for Jesus Sanchez, a resident that is booked here in this building," I explained in a straightforward tone. Her smile dropped instantly. "If you could be so kind as to hand over his room number, that'll be greatly appreciated."
"Oh, that's fine, I suppose," she nodded uneasily. She turned to her computer and began typing away. "I can't help but be curious, what happened to Mr. Sanchez?"
"He's been reported missing for a few days. We just want to find him and make sure he's safe," Kendall spoke up. I sent him a sharp look, making him shrug and stand down. Once again, Chloe nodded. A few seconds later, she hummed.
"What is it?" James raised an eyebrow.
"It looks like… Mr. Sanchez hasn't been paying his rent. He's a month overdue," she noted. "Strange. But his room is 246, take the elevator on the right."
We nodded before going off in the direction of the elevator. As the doors shut the moment we went in, I dug into my pocket and pulled out four masks – each of them was different colored skulls.
"Put these on. We can't have Locks recognizing you," I instructed. They put them on without protest. Once I put mine on, the elevator doors opened. We filed out and walked down the narrower hallway. Eventually, we made it to apartment 246. I pulled out my pistol, which allowed the rest to do the same. Thankfully, we put silencers on them, so if things got ugly, no one would hear. Kendall and Logan backed against one side of the door while James took the other. I stood in front of the door. I nodded my head toward the guys, to which I was returned, before kicking in the door.
We rushed inside, pointing our guns to every inch of the living room.
"Clear," Logan curtly spoke from the kitchen and living room. I went off to the bedroom, my eye-catching Kendall and James looking through a separate room.
"Clear," they reported simultaneously. I stalked my way to the master bedroom, coming shortly to a closed door. I grasped the doorknob and slowly turned it. The door silently opened and I walked inside. I pointed my gun around, checking every place I could. Just as I was about to say "clear" to the rest of my team, there was movement coming from the closet.
I slowly walked forward, feeling my heart beat faster than ever before. Once I reached the closet, I slid open the door and pointed my gun at Jesus Sanchez. I glared at him while he held his hands up in fright.
"Get out of the closet," I ordered. He did what he was told, still holding up his hands. I punched him down with my pistol, making him fall to the floor. My friends came rushing in, stopping short at the door. But I cared little about them. My focus was on my target. "Why are you avoiding El Curso?"
Jesus' eyes widened at the name. "H-How'd you know?"
"Answer the question!" I shouted. He flinched.
"I didn't want to work for him anymore!" He cried. Literal tears were leaking out of his eyes, but I feel like they were fake. "Por favor, please, believe me! Don't kill me, I have a family! A wife and two little girls."
My shoulders went rigid for a moment. I shook off the weird feeling by taking off my mask. He recognized me instantly.
"Aye Dios mio! Forgive me, Señior Garcia," he bent further and bowed down to me. I looked at him awkwardly. I glanced at my friends, but they only shrugged in confusion. Jesus looked back at me with a serious expression. "You have to get away from El Curso, chico. You can't work for him anymore, he's bad news."
"Yeah. He sells drugs and orders others to assassinate," I rolled my eyes. Locks shook his head frantically.
"No, no it's much worse," he shuddered. "Él ha estado orando, pidiéndole regalos. No puedes quedarte allí o te verás afectado al igual que él y el resto de la pandilla. La familia García se hundirá, se lo garantizo."
I looked at him in confusion, knowing what he meant but not knowing what he means, as confusing as it sounds. "What are you talking about?"
"Ask El Curso … what does he know about Santa Muerte?" His answer made my blood freeze. But that wasn't the worst of it. Not a second later, the window crashed and Jesus dropped dead to the floor, a newfound bullethole found in his head. I snapped my head toward the broken window. I saw a figure at the top of the roof of the next building holding a sniper.
"Logan, call the police. Kendall, get the security footage of this building, pointing to the neighboring ones. James, you're with me," I ordered quickly as I saw the shooter beginning to leave. James and I sprinted down the stairs and out of the building. A car sped out of the parking structure, most likely belonging to the suspect. We hopped into the car and followed the vehicle.
"Keep it steady! Keep it steady!" I yelled at James as I tried to focus on my aiming. I shot a bullet, but it only lodged itself between the metal frame. I shot another one, but it went completely off target just as James made a sharp turn. I noticed that we weren't following the car anymore. "James! What are you doing?!"
"The suspect turned down a one-way street. I can cut him off before he reaches the main street!" James explained as he roughly drove past other cars. I held on for dear life, feeling slightly sick with motion sickness. As James predicted, we caught up to the black sedan we were following. My tall friend drove to the side of the car, bumping into the back so that the driver would lose control. I stopped trying to shoot the driver since it began to prove useless. I looked ahead and my heart skipped a beat to see a ledge come into view, along with a large body of water.
"James, you have to pull over. The lake is coming close!" I exclaimed, worriedly watching said lake grow nearer.
"But we can catch him," James protested, still focused on hitting the other car.
"Dude, stop driving. We're going to crash!" I yelled. "Pull over, NOW!"
Only then did James listen. With a startled jump, he caught sight of the approaching bay. He quickly stepped on the brakes, making the car abruptly screech to a stop. The other car, however, wasn't so lucky. The black sedan went zooming past the ledge and straight into the water.
James and I jumped out of the car and ran over to the water, but the only evidence that there was any disturbance was the rippling water.
"I'm going in," James decided as he began taking off his mask and jacket. I held up my hand, stopping him. "What is it? I have to go in before they drown-"
"Look!" I interrupted. I pointed to the water. No air bubbles, the ripples were gone along with the dark silhouette of the car. "The suspect is dead. They would have come out by now."
My taller friend sighed dejectedly as he readjusted his jacket. I understood the expression he had – it was sad and we wished it could have gone differently – but this isn't our problem anymore. We turned around to go back to our car, where Kendall and Logan met us up.
"Poor fella," Kendall shook his head disapprovingly.
"Did you get the footage?" I asked, but he shook his head. I huffed. So much for an easy report. But I guess since the suspect is dead, the case will get to an easy close, considering that the suspect might have the murder weapon still in their car. I turned to Logan. "What about the body?"
"Already done. The police should be here any minute actually," he explained. I nodded. Funny how the police get to the crime scene in an instant when someone else calls them. I buried the bitter feeling as we entered the car. As I drove, Logan spoke up again. "So, what did Locks say to you? He was speaking Spanish, right?"
"Yeah," I mumbled. What he told me sent a shiver down my back. "He said… he said that El Curso had been praying for gifts to Santa Muerte. He warned me not to stay in the family any longer, or I'll be affected just like him and the rest of the gang. 'The Garcia family will go down, I can guarantee it' he said."
The guys shuddered around me, all of them creeped out. It was a weird message indeed.
"Wait, but who is Santa Muerte?" Kendall asked. His question made me tense. I picked up the speed in my driving, hoping to get to the hotel so I could avoid having to answer the question. I've heard about Santa Muerte before, my mom used to tell me tales about her. Even though Santa Muerte takes souls to the afterlife, she should always be respected. She is a powerful being and if disrespected… I don't even want to think about it.
"Hey, I'm going to see you guys tomorrow. I have to report back to El Curso, remember?" I smiled nervously as we finally made it to the Palm Woods. Before anyone could object, Logan nodded.
"Sure thing, buddy. We get it," he smiled, patting me on my chest. Weird. But I nodded and returned the smile. At least they didn't interrogate me with questions. "Come on, guys. See ya soon, Carlitos."
"Bye, Logie." Once they were out of my car, I drove off to El Curso's base. I am not looking forward to my confrontation with him.
TBC…