Authors Note: Much love to my reviewers! I know Sands has been a bad boy as of late...
Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this and keeping me on this project. I'd have quiet by now if it wasn't for you girl!
Cerise sat back at the table in the motel room, a cup of coffee in front of her. "You want to go after El Marichi?"
She looked at Sands who was standing by the window. "Didn't that plan of using him LAST time backfire on you?"
"How do you know about that?" Sands asked, turning slightly in her direction, raising his own cup of coffee to his lips.
"I was privy to the knowledge, Slick," she replied. "Sarah was feeding it to me as I worked on my own operation. Thank you though, for riding certain...barriers on your end," she replied with a grin.
Sands shot her a dark frown for the use of the nickname. "It'll work this time," Sands stated confidently.
"How can you be sure?"
"I'll have him in a cock hold this time." Sands grinned brazenly.
Cerise sighed and shook her head. "We'll see," she muttered.
"Sure will," Sands replied. "Now, let's grab that little worm and get on the road!" he said all too cheerfully.
Sarah shivered, despite the sun. "CanNOT get used to the dramatic change in weather!" she stated, as she and Sammy walked towards the rental car.
Sammy chuckled, fingering the key. "Where do you suppose they are?" he asked Sarah.
"I traced Cerise's cell," Sarah said, handing Sammy a slip of paper with the address of a motel.
"We'll try there first, hopefully they haven't already checked out." Sammy replied.
"Hopefully," Sarah muttered, as she got in the car. "There's something else," Sammy said. He reached into his bag and took out a folder, handing it to Sarah. "This was found in Sands' apartment last night."
Sarah opened the file and gasped. "Oh God, these are the missing pages!"
"The what?"
"The missing pages from Sands' file. From Cerise, and mine as well..." She suddenly fell quiet. "It's about the Paris operation..."
Sammy looked at her, shocked. "Who... why would someone take information on that!?"
"We don't know yet...but the next question is why was it in Sands' apartment?" Sarah muttered.
Sammy shook his head, then shoved the car into gear. They left the rental lot, driving into Culiacan.
As they drove towards the motel, Sammy stopped at an intersection. Sarah had her eyes on the world outside her window, taking in the streets she'd just been in walking less than a month ago. They had stopped next to a restaurant, and Sarah watched as two women came out. The two women chatted; one was tall, slender, with medium brown hair with honey highlights. It was the gun on her waist that made Sarah sit up straighter and take extra notice. The woman turned, as if to look at the car, and her eyes met Sarah's.
Sarah gasped deeply, hands flying to her mouth. It couldn't possibly be her! She was supposed to be dead! But Sarah was staring back at the face of Agent Adjerez, as if the woman had never ceased to live. "Oh my fucking god..." Sarah swore in a breathless tone.
"What?" Sammy asked, glancing at her. He looked past Sarah and out her window in time to see the woman turn and walk away.
Sarah turned to Sammy, pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. "Tell me you saw that woman."
"Yeah...?" Sammy answered slowly. "What about her?"
"She's supposed to be dead!!" Sarah shrieked. "Jeff shot her! POINT BLANK!"
Sammy just stared at Sarah.
They approached Guitar Town at a snail's pace. Sands realized, with a lot of irritation, this kid could not fucking drive well! "Cerise, you're driving us out of here." Sands said from the front seat. He heard Cerise snicker from behind her paperback and turned his face over his shoulder so she could see he was serious.
"Yes, yes, Sands,"she replied with mock exasperation. Sands turned back to the front, his fingers switching on and off the safety of his gun, the motion only made Charlie even more frightened, his hands clasped tightly on the wheel. Cerise watched as she read. Sands was irritated, it was the only reason for him to intimidate the kid.
Finally they stopped, and Cerise got her first clear view of the so called Guitar Town, and understood why it was duly called such.
"Here's the low down, Tiger," Sands said to Charlie, the nuzzle of the gun coming to rest in the kid's face. Charlie whimpered. "You just lead, you don't open your fucking mouth. Say a word, I'll shoot you in the balls, savvy?"
"Yes..." Charlie squeaked.
"Stop scaring the kid, Sands!" Cerise said from the back seat, trying not to laugh. She really did feel sorry for the boy.
"I'm not scaring him, I'm laying down the law," Sands replied with the utmost seriousness. "And another thing, Chuck. You don't make any indication towards my... problem." Sands gestured slightly towards the sunglasses.
"Yes sir..." Charlie said meekly.
"Now salga."
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Out, you twit!" He heard Charlie fumble with his seatbelt, then throw the door open. "Staying or coming, Cherry?" Sands asked, a hand on his own door handle.
"I want to see what you're up to, before I make up my mind," Cerise said, glancing back at the large empty fort. "Suit yourself, praeclarus." Cerise smiled slightly at the Latin word.
Sands got out of the car and turned to Charlie. "Get the case out of the back."
"You mean the guitar case?"
"What else is in the back seat? And didn't I tell you not to talk!?"
"Yes sir..." Charlie trudged to the back of the car and opened the door, grabbing the black guitar case. Cerise looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but Charlie shrugged. The boy slammed the door and turned, walking over to Sands.
"Take the guitar out and hand it to me," Sands said, thumbs in the loops of his belt.
Charlie sighed, but knelt down on the ground, undoing the locks on the case and opening it up. He looked at the black guitar a moment, then took it out of the case. Standing, he handed it to Sands.
Sands took the guitar and tweaked the strings a moment. It wasn't his, but it would work. Tuning it a moment, he began strumming. He walked a few paces, and stopped, waiting for Charlie to catch up. "Now where?" Charlie asked with a gulp.
"To the fort," Sands replied, strumming away at the guitar. Charlie opened his mouth, but Sands started walking. While he played, Charlie sprinted to get ahead of him as was his job.
Cerise frowned from the car. What the hell was Sands playing at?! She turned and looked at the fort and got out of the car. She heard Sands playing a Latin beat that she did not know he knew. She stood there a long moment, watching him walk towards the fort, as he played, undaunted as always in his movements, as if he'd never lost his eyes. She admired him at that moment, more than she ever had. He'd shoved back all that had happened to him and fought to regain his life.
Sands heard her shut the car door as she got out, but he kept walking, knowing she'd follow at her own pace, and if his plan worked out, she'd be out of harms way if things got ugly. Charlie on the other hand...
He continued walking, feeling the shadows on his skin as he passed under the arch, feet leaving stone as he stepped onto grass. "Stairs," He directed the boy, never once did he stop playing. He felt a pair of eyes from above on him, and kept his face blank, the music picking up a more lively beat as he strummed away.
He climbed the stairs behind Charlie, making their way up. He never felt the eyes leaving him, and he knew exactly who they belonged to.
'Come out and play, El.'
"This is it," Charlie said softly as they walked into the sun again. Sands had seen the fort before. He knew there was a railing a few steps ahead of him, and walked cautiously, but calmly towards it. His hip brushed the railing and he turned, sitting partly on it, playing away. He heard light footsteps climbing the stairs, and knew they belonged to Cerise.
But it was the presence in the tower to his left, that he kept his concentration on. Cerise stopped in the doorway of the stairs and sank down on the top step, leaning against the wall to watch Sands. She didn't want to venture too far, aware of what he was up to now.
Sands continued to play, even when he heard the clink of the chains, and the clang of the spurs. He heard Charlie gasp and knew El had made his appearance.
"You play?" That deep, soft voice spoke.
"Oh yes. I play," Sands replied, never raising his head. "Much like you, El, music is my life." He heard El snort. "Tut tut, El," Sands chided
"What do you want Sands?" El asked, looking up at the sky.
"Well," Sands said slowly, finally lifting his head, shifting to the tune he played for Cerise. "That's up for debate," Sands said simply, playing the tune, mostly for Cerise who he knew was still sitting in her spot. He also knew that El hadn't spotted her yet.
"Leave," El commanded.
"Can't do that," Sands replied.
"Why?"
"Because, I've come to employ you and well, you see my associate there. He doesn't take no for an answer. Chances are, he'll shoot you if you say no."
El looked behind him and raised an eye brow at the kid. The boy was looking at him wide eyed, and El knew he'd do no such thing. But there was a shadow dwelling on the stairs, the small woman who'd gotten out of the car.
"Why me?" El asked, turning back to Sands.
"I'm obsessed with all those myths of yours," Sands answered flatly.
"What do you want me to do, shoot someone?" El asked sarcastically.
"Well, it might come to that... but we'll see. Actually.." Sands stopped playing all at once, dropping the guitar to his side. "I..." He seemed to growl. "Need your assistance in a rescue operation."
"A rescue operation. Another insane agent such as yourself?" El asked scathingly.
"Actually, a three year old girl," Sands retorted evenly.
El stopped. He'd been walking towards the man. "And you want to save this girl, why?" El questioned, unsure what the man was playing.
"Ah El, too many fucking questions," Sands said with a sigh, getting up from the railing. He moved towards El, coming within feet of him. "Have I ever given you reason, NOT to trust me?" Sands asked, tilting his head to the side.
El glared. "Too many."
"Well that wasn't the answer I was hoping for, really..." Sands said with a frown. "All right, I'm willing to give you a BIT more information. The little girl was kidnapped from her... loving family."
"Why?"
"Doesn't matter WHY. Just is," Sands snapped, tired of the questions.
El sighed, frustrated. "I've had enough of this. If you don't leave this village, I'll kill you," El said, a slight tone of regret in his voice.
Sands lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in El's face. "I'm not leaving until you agree to this," Sands replied.
El frowned deeply. He was going to have to resort to physical means to drive this mad man from his home, and he didn't really like the idea.
"What do you say, El, do we have an accord?" Sands asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.
He should have expected El's move, but it still caught him off guard. El grabbed his wrist, taking a side step and jerking his arm behind his back. Sands dropped the cigarette, other hand moving for his gun in reflex, but El grabbed his other wrist as well, jerking it behind his back.
"You're leaving," El hissed.
"I see you don't see it my way," Sands said flatly. His foot slid out, tripping El. El stumbled forward, dead weight into Sands, sending them both forward, which was not Sands' plan. He hit the wall of the tower hard, knocking his glasses askew. Shoving his shoulder back into El, he knocked the other man away from him, giving him a chance to right his sunglasses. Then he drove his other shoulder into the man.
El stumbled back into the railing, but lunged before Sands could draw his gun. He grabbed his wrists, struggling with the man. They stumbled closer to the railing again and El overpowered Sands, pulling the same trick Sands had used, knocking his feet from under him and shoved himinto the railing. One hand holding both the man's wrists behind his back as he shoved the American over the railing, on his stomach, . El pulled Sands' own gun from his holster, switching off the safety and pushing it into the man's temple. "Amigo arrepentido," El muttered, finger on the trigger.
"NO!" Cerise shouted, coming out into the opening. El turned his head slightly, but kept his eyes on the agent. "Listen, please. We really do need your assistance," Cerise said, holding up her hands, palm out.
"Who are you?" El demanded.
"Cerise Stone. The little girl... I'm her mother."
El frowned, looking at Cerise. This was Sands' opportunity. He shoved away from the railing, throwing himself into El. The gun went off. Charlie screamed. Cerise didn't move, watching as the two men fell to the ground. El released the gun, which skidded across the stone to hit her feet. She leaned down and picked it up, sticking it in the back waist band of her jeans.
Sands rolled, perching himself on top of El, at the same time, pulling his snub nose and jamming it under El's chin. "I'll pull the fucking trigger, and I know if I don't, she will!" Sands hissed. El glared. "Now will you help!?" Sands demanded, cocking the gun.
El gave in, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he looked at Cerise. There was a desperation in her eyes that only a mother could have. "Fine," he said simply.
Sands got up off of him, moving over and picking up the guitar that had fallen over. He turned and walked towards the stairs, stopping at the first step to wait for the rest of them.
Translations:
praeclarus - Latin- Beautiful
Amigo arrepentido - Spanish- Sorry Friend