In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (29 page)

She
grabbed a dish towel and dried my plate. “I have an appointment at a hair salon
in San Fernando at ten. They’re doing my hair and makeup before we see the
photographer. The two businesses are located right across the street from one
another.”

“Are
you girls ready?” Isabel asked. “The sooner we leave the better.”

I
dried my hands. “I’m ready.”

“Me
too,” Cenia replied. She handed me my purse. “Do you have your passport?”

I
glanced inside my purse. “Yep! It’s right here.”

I
followed Isabel and Cenia out of the house. I was digging the cell phone out of
my purse when I ran into Cenia. She had stopped abruptly in front of me. “Did
you forget something?” I asked, looking up from the purse.

“Where
do you think you’re going?” Roger asked. His tone was anything but casual. My
eyes widened. Roger and Kadyn were leaning against Isabel’s car with their arms
folded across their chests.

“I…
I thought you were fishing,” Isabel stammered. She glanced down the street, looking
for Alejandro’s truck.

“Your
husband is siding with us,” Roger explained. “Alejandro dropped us off at the end
of the block so we could discuss your plans. I believe he’s gone to the butcher
to get the meat for the rehearsal dinner. He may be awhile.”

Kadyn’s
eyes captured and held mine. “Really, Kri? What were you thinking?”

Heat
flushed my cheeks. I was too embarrassed to respond. I glanced at Cenia and her
mom. They looked heartbroken. I suspected this was one of those situations
where the maid of honor was supposed to step up and advocate for the bride. I
took a deep breath, folded my arms across my chest, and steeled myself for
battle. “Look, guys, we appreciate your concern for our safety, but this is a family
tradition. With or without you, we’re driving to San Fernando to get Cenia’s
portrait made. She is not going to be the first woman in her family to break a
hundred year tradition.” I had no clue how old Cenia’s grandmother was, but I
figured my hundred year estimate was close enough. Arguably, I was just
rounding up.

Roger
and Kadyn exchanged glances.

I
stepped forward, purposely positioning myself between the two opposing camps. I
forced my arms and legs to relax as I softened my stance. I glanced pleadingly
at Roger. “I think we’d all feel better about this if you joined us. You can go
out to lunch or go sightseeing while we’re getting Cenia’s picture taken, so you
won’t see Cenia in her dress.”

“Kri...”
Cenia began. I knew she was about to object.

I
offered her an equally pleading look. “We’ll have them wrap the portrait up
really well, so Roger won’t see the picture. The dress is still concealed in the
garment bag, right?”

Cenia
and her mother exchanged glances. “Yes,” Isabel conceded.

“Good.
Then Roger won’t be able to see the dress. I want them to come. They’ll feel
better about the trip, we’ll feel better about the trip, and we’ll be much
safer with them around.” I glanced at Roger. “Please, Roger? This is really
important to Cenia and her mom.”

He
shot Kadyn a tortured look. “How am I supposed to respond to that?”

Kadyn
sighed. “I think it’s as good a compromise as we’re going to get.”

Cenia
and her mom sprinted toward the car.

Kadyn
snagged Cenia’s arm. “Hold up. We’re not driving to Mexico in this car.”

“Why
not? What’s wrong with my car?” Isabel exclaimed.

Kadyn
shook his head. “Your vehicle is too nice. Cars like that get targeted by the
cartels. We’ll drive your husband’s van.”

Cenia’s
eyes widened. “My father’s work van? You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t even
know if the air conditioning works in that thing.”

“We’re
taking the van, or we’re not going,” Roger announced decidedly.

Cenia
and I exchanged glances. “It’s better than not going at all,” I admitted,
shrugging my shoulders softly.

Cenia’s
mom pulled the garment bag from the car. “I’ll drive the van. The air
conditioning works just fine.”

I
grabbed the shopping bag with Cenia’s shoes, undergarments, and veil; and the
five of us piled into the van. Isabel claimed the steering wheel, Cenia sat in
the front seat next to her, and I climbed into the back with the two brooding
men. Lucky me.

My
thumbs flew over my phone as I shot Rafael a quick text. I didn’t know if my
phone would work in Mexico.
Heading into Mexico with Cenia, Kadyn, and
Roger. Will text when we cross back into the U.S. Should be no later than three
o-clock.

Be
safe,
Rafael promptly texted back.
Meeting with the
mayor didn’t go well.
Trying to win the homeowners over now.

I
tucked the phone into my purse with a small sigh of disappointment. The van was
quiet. Every single one of my friends was staring sullenly out the window.

There
was a long line of cars waiting to get through U.S. Customs, which was located
on the other side of the road. The line extended all the way across the bridge
into Reynosa. There were no cars waiting to get into Mexico. I glanced over my
shoulder. There wasn’t a single car behind us.

“I
need your passports,” Isabel said as she crossed over the bridge. We placed the
passports on the center console while she lowered her window. She greeted the
customs officer from Mexico in Spanish before offering him the passports. He
shook his head and waved us through. Isabel set the passports on the center
console and continued on into Reynosa.

“He
didn’t even look at the passports,” I noted incredulously.

“They’re
not trying to keep people out,” Cenia replied.

“Or
in,” Kadyn grumbled. He handed me my passport.

I
tucked it back inside my purse. A shiver ran through me when I began
scrutinizing the battered town. “So what’s the deal with the cartels? Are they
really fighting this close to the border?”

Kadyn
nodded. “There have been a number of gun fights between the cartels here in
Reynosa; one at a supermarket, one in the plaza, and another at a local
university. Those are just the ones I’m aware of. I’m sure there have been
others.”

I
glanced back outside the window. “Is San Fernando any better?”

“San
Fernando is worse,” Isabel replied. “We’re not staying any longer than we have
to.”

“I’m
just glad the photographer can develop the film and finish the portrait today,
so we don’t have to come back,” Cenia added.

I
lowered my voice as I leaned toward Kadyn. “About last night…”

“I
know,” he replied. “You’re in love with Rafael.” His disappointment was
tangible.

I
turned toward the window so he wouldn’t see the tears glistening in my eyes. I
still felt insanely guilty about the kiss. I had excused myself from the party
and crawled into bed shortly afterwards. I loved Kadyn. He was my best friend,
but that kiss made it clear his feelings for me ran deeper than that… more
along the lines of what I felt for Rafael. I was worried this discrepancy would
destroy our friendship.

I
tore my eyes from the window when the van came to an unexpected stop. We were
on the highway, on the outskirts of Reynosa. Isabel began speaking in Spanish
to some men dressed in khakis. There were six altogether, and every single one
of them was carrying a semi-automatic weapon. My blood ran cold.

Roger
was sitting in the third row. He leaned over my seat to see what was going on.
Kadyn reached over and squeezed my hand.

Isabel
handed one of the men her driver’s license. He said something that caused the
other men to snicker. He and Isabel promptly began arguing.

“They
claim we were speeding,” Cenia whispered from the front seat.

“Are
they police officers?” I asked.

“No,”
Cenia replied. She pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her wallet and handed it
to her mom.

Isabel’s
jaw clenched as she paid the man. He returned her driver’s license and waved us
forward with his gun. The rest of the men backed away from the van.

We
didn’t breathe another word until they faded from sight.

“Who
were they?” Roger finally asked.

“Who
knows?” Isabel replied. “They weren’t police or
Federales
. They didn’t
have any badges, and they refused to show me their IDs.”

“They
threatened to take the van if we didn’t pay the ‘fine,’” Cenia explained. She
put finger quotes around the word “fine.”

“They
were looking for a bribe,” Kadyn clarified. “Sounds like the cartel.”

“Or
the
sicarios
,” Isabel interjected.

 “The
sicarios
?” I asked. Goose bumps pricked at my spine.

“The
sicarios
are the enforcers. They used to work for the Gulf Cartel. They
did all their dirty work until they decided they could just as easily traffic the
drugs. All these bloody battles are between the cartel and the
sicarios
,”
Isabel explained.

“The
sicarios
worked as contract killers until they decided to form their own
drug cartel. They’re battling over territory,” Cenia added. “The
sicarios
are ruthless. The Gulf Cartel bribe politicians, they build schools, and try to
improve the communities where they operate so they can build loyalty among the
local townspeople. The
sicarios
don’t care about public relations. They
just kill anyone who doesn’t cooperate.”

“The
sicarios
are the ones targeting the buses. They demand the men on the
bus join their cartel and the women serve as prostitutes. They shoot anyone who
doesn’t comply,” Isabel remarked. “We are lucky those men back there were only
looking for a bribe.”

“That
explains the mass graves they found in San Fernando,” Kadyn gritted.

I
was trying really hard not to throw up. I knew we were helping the Mexican
government fight the war on drugs. A seemingly endless supply of drugs were
being smuggled over our border, but I didn’t know the situation had grown so
violent. “Why aren’t the news stations covering this?”

“Anyone
who leaks information on Twitter or to the media is killed,” Isabel replied.
“People won’t even speak the name of the cartel the
sicarios
have
formed. They fear they will be overheard, targeted, and killed. There should be
no discussion of this while we are in public.”

I
sank into my seat, thoroughly regretting the decision to cross over into
Mexico.

“We
tried to warn you,” Kadyn said with a sigh.

“If
you had informed me that thousands of people were being slaughtered, my feet
would have rooted to that sidewalk in front of Isabel’s house,” I rebutted
bitterly.

Cenia
turned around to look at me. Her eyes were filled with remorse. “I’m sorry, Kri.
I shouldn’t have dragged you along.”

The
conversation stalled when she turned back around. Everyone seemed to be
wallowing in his own thoughts until we neared San Fernando.

“What
kind of trees are those?” Kadyn asked. The trees appeared to be some sort of cross
between a weeping willow and a fern. I had noticed a few of them earlier, but
they grew much thicker here.

“Those
are mesquite,” Isabel responded. “We’re nearing San Fernando. Would you boys
mind picking up some supplies for the rehearsal dinner while Cenia gets her
hair done? The hair salon is right across the street from the photographer, and
the market is within walking distance of there.”

“I
don’t know,” Roger replied. “I think we should stick together.”

Isabel
sighed. “You’re right. We can go to the market together, while we’re waiting
for the photographer to develop the pictures.”

“I
don’t want you to see me with my makeup and hair styled,” Cenia pleaded. Her
eyes locked on Roger.

“I’ll
make sure he closes his eyes,” Kadyn replied.

“I’d
like to see you try,” Roger challenged.

“You
won’t
see
me do anything,” Kadyn noted with a chuckle. The tension eased
for the first time in hours.

San
Fernando was tucked inside a valley, beneath a heavily treed mountainside. I peered
at the yellow, blue, and red houses that were stacked on top of one another.
The city was much larger than I expected. The roads were well maintained, but
it was clear most of the citizens were struggling with poverty. If the cartel
was building schools, it was easy to see why these people would support them.

Isabel
found a parking space on a busy street in one of the nicer parts of town. Roger
and Kadyn stood outside the hair salon, visiting, while Cenia had her hair and
makeup styled. I popped my head outside when she was done. “Okay. Cenia’s done.
Roger needs to close his eyes so she can cross the street,” I announced.

“It’s
about time,” Roger groused.

Kadyn
slung his arm over Roger’s shoulders as he covered his eyes. “You had better
put a fire under her.”