Stranger Danger (16 page)

Sara gawked like a tourist as they skirted around
downtown.
 
For a small city, Tulsa
vibrated with energy and she liked that. Santiago pointed out a few landmarks
as they made their way to Riverside Drive.
 
It ran beside the Arkansas River.
 
Along the route, she realized it was one huge park.
 
In some places, she spotted playground
equipment and a picnic pavilion.
 
There
were fishing access points and jogging or biking trails.
 
The green space had an appeal and she wished
they could enjoy it.
 
Instead, it would
become a crime scene, a site for violence.

“So how you do like the car?” Santiago asked,
cutting into her thoughts.

“It’s very nice.
 
It rides a lot smoother than the old truck.”

“
Si,
can
you drive it?”

“Of course I can.
 
Why? Is your shoulder giving you trouble again?”

“A little but no, that’s not why I asked.
 
I wanted to make sure because you’ll have to
drop me off at Mohawk Park,
then
drive back to the
hotel.
 
Enrique’s people will pick me up
there.
 
I don’t want them anywhere near
you or where we’ll stay.”

A quick flash of intuition flared into life and her
headache intensified. “You don’t totally trust him, do you?” She should’ve
known he wouldn’t.
 
Santiago possessed
too many street smarts for that.

“I trust him as much as I dare.
 
It should go down fine and be over.
 
I just want you to have wheels and a way out
if anything fucks up.”

She parted her lips to protest and he shook his
head. “Don’t.
Que sera,
sera
, Sarita.
 
I don’t want
you to worry.
 
I’ve seen what I need to
see.
 
Let’s go get a room somewhere and
enjoy the rest of the day.”

The way he said it, serious and quiet, she heard
what he meant – enjoy it, in case today is all we have left.
 
Hot words bubbled into her mouth, but she bit
down and swallowed them.
 
He’d made up
his mind, she thought, and he planned to see this through, no matter what
happened.
 
Sara hadn’t set foot in church
for a long time, but she craved the quiet peace of the sanctuary.
 
She shut her eyes and imagined the lingering
aroma of incense, the flickering shadows cast by candles before the statues of
saints.
 
If she could spend a short time
in a church, light a candle, and offer a prayer, she’d be less frightened.
 
“Santiago?”

“What is it?”

“Do you know where there’s a church?”

With him, she didn’t need to explain what kind.
 
For Santiago, like her, church meant
Catholic.
 
“
Si
, I do. Why?”

“I need to light a candle.”

“For me.”
It wasn’t a question
but she nodded.

“Yes.”

He sighed.
 
“Holy Family Cathedral’s not far. I’ll take you there.”

The lovely church with three tall spires stretching
toward the sky pleased Sara.
 
She knew
the interior must be just as beautiful and it didn’t disappoint.
 
As they entered, both dipped their fingers
into the holy water font,
then
made the sign of the
Cross.
 
Sara genuflected,
then
walked down the aisle to gaze at the traditional,
ornate altar, rare in the 21
^st
century, with wonder.
 
She dug into her purse for money,
then
lit a candle, kneeling before a statue of the Virgin in
prayer.
 
Please, please, intercede for me and keep Santiago safe.
 
That’s all I ask, all I want, all I need.
 
Sara said several Hail Mary prayers before
she rose.
 

Near the rear of the impressive space, Santiago was
on his knees in a pew, head bowed in prayer.
 
Sara joined him but remained silent until he finished.
 
They walked hand in hand to the car without
speaking.
 
Her headache had all but
vanished.

As promised, Santiago took her to lunch in a small
but crowded Mexican café downtown.
 
The
delectable food was as good as he’d said, and she ate with the first real
appetite she’d had in days.
 
Neither
hurried and by the time they finished the meal, it was mid-afternoon.
 

At a chain hotel in Owasso, they checked into a
standard room.
 
Although attractive and
comfortable enough, the walls appeared too close and Sara wondered how she’d
survive the endless hours ahead.
 
Somehow, they must fill the remainder of today then endure another night
and most of Saturday before the event.
 
Then, she would drop Santiago off and return here, to wait in anxious silence.
I’ll never make it.
 
I’ll be a mess.
 
For his sake, she put on a forced smile and
said, “So what now?”

Santiago attempted a grin, but it didn’t quite form.
“There’s an indoor swimming pool downstairs and a hot tub.
 
I thought we could go down in a little
while.”

“I don’t have a swimsuit.”

“There’s a discount store not far.
 
We can buy one if you want.” He paused and
shrugged. “Otherwise, we can watch movies on television, make love, or stare at
the walls.
 
Waiting isn’t easy for me,
either,
querida.”

The raw honesty in his tone slammed into her
consciousness.
 
In her angst, she hadn’t
bothered to consider how he must feel.
 
Now she did. “I know.
 
Do you
really want to go swimming?”

“It beats staring at the four walls.” He dug into
his pants and pulled out his fat wallet. “Take some money and go get the
suits.
 
The store is about a half mile
west from the intersection.”

Confused, she stared at him. “You want me to go
shopping?”

“Si,
I thought you could so
we can swim and relax in the hot tub.”

“Aren’t you going with me?”

He shook his head. “Not this time.”

“Why not?”

Santiago met her gaze without flinching, but his
expression shifted into a hard mask.
 
He
scrutinized her for a long moment and then, as if he made up his mind, he
sighed. “I want to make a few calls,
la
muñequita.”

Fear coiled tight in her belly the way a rattlesnake
prepared to strike. “I thought everything was set with Enrique.”

“It is.”

“Then who did you need to call?”
And without me here and why.

“
Mami,”
he
said, using the name she knew dated to childhood.
 
By the time they were dating, he’d called his
mother Mom most of the time. His use of it now was significant. “And I wanted
to talk to Luis and maybe Gabi.”

Despite his casual tone, icy fear formed around her
heart and climbed up into her throat.
 
“Why, Santiago? Do you think something bad will happen?”

Sara couldn’t speak any of the possibilities aloud,
but they had to be dire.
 
He’d already
been shot and never called his family.
 
 
He sat down on the end of the bed and
indicated she should join him.
  
After
she had, he put his arm around her, his face turned to look into her eyes.

“Sara, I don’t.
 
I think it will all be the way it’s planned, but no one ever knows.
 
I haven’t talked to them for a very long time
so I’d like to call.
 
That’s all.
 
I don’t want you to be upset or scared.”

“Too late for that,” she said.
 
“You’re calling to say good-bye, just in
case.”

“No, no.
 
That’s not it.
 
I just need to
draw a little strength from my
familia.”

She called his bluff. “Then can I call Catie, my
employee and my parents?”

Santiago shook his head. “It’s not a good idea, not
yet.
 
On Sunday, you can.”

“Are you using the same phone you bought?”

“No, I bought a second one.”

His words knifed into her mind. “You planned it,
then.” Sara managed to be calm although inside, her emotions raged.

“
Si
.”

“But you weren’t planning to tell me?”

“I was, afterward.”

Although she had no real reason to, Sara believed
him.
 
His eyes, always windows to his
soul, were bright with inner pain.
 
Making the calls meant a great deal to him and so did his family.
 
They always had. “Your mother will be glad to
hear from you,” she said.
 
“Tell her I
said
hola,
would you?”

“I will,” he said. “
Gracias, la muñequita, mi corazon.”

Sara swallowed tears, sharp as broken glass.
“For what?”

“For loving me, for understanding, for letting me do
what I must.
 
Be careful,
chica,
and see how you like the car.”

“I will.” She held out her hand for the keys and he
gave them to her with a fistful of bills. “I’ll be back soon.”

“
Tener cuidado
,
Sara.”

“Always,” she told him.
“Always.”

The Lincoln handled well in the
minimal traffic.
 
On any other occasion,
she would’ve obsessed over selecting a swimsuit, but for the first time in her
life, Sara bought one off the rack without trying it on.
 
She chose a pair of swim trunks for Santiago
and headed back to the hotel.
 
When she
let herself in the room, she heard the soft rumble of his voice on the
phone.
 
Sara couldn’t determine how, but
she knew he was talking to Luis, his older brother.
 
To give him a few more moments of privacy,
she ducked into the bathroom and emerged only when she didn’t hear his voice
any more.

He stood with his back to the room,
gazing out the window at a vacant field.
 
His stance suggested he was troubled.
 
Sara put her hand on the small of his back.
“Everything okay?”

“
Si,
Mami
was happy to hear from me and very happy to hear that you’re with me.”

“You told her?”

Santiago nodded. “I did but not why or
how.”

“Did you talk to your sister and
brother?”

“Yes.
 
Gabi was glad I called, too.” His curt answers revealed his conversation
with Luis hadn’t gone as well.

“Was Luis?”

“
Si,
at first but now he’s angry with me.”

The Luis Ruiz she remembered had a hot
temper, but he seldom directed it at his younger brother.
 
If he was mad, he must have a valid reason.
“Why?”

“He doesn’t approve of the plan.”
Santiago’s voice said the words in a low, flat tone. “He thinks I’m
loco
to trust Enrique or any of
them.
 
But I told him I’m in, there’s no
other way out.”

“What did he say?”

Santiago cracked a faint smile. “Do my
ears look blistered?”

Sara winced. “It was that bad?”

“
Si.
 
I’d rather not talk about it.
 
Did you get the swim clothes?”

Damn Luis.
 
He’d managed to shake Santiago’s confidence,
about the last thing he needed.
 
Santiago
valued his brother’s opinion and he’d let Luis’ theories haunt him.
 
If possible, Sara would erase the
conversation but since she couldn’t, she’d do her best to be cheerful. “Yes.”

“Good.
 
Let’s change and go downstairs, okay?”

“Sure.”

He wrapped his arms around her and
kissed her. “And Sara, would you do something for me?”

“You know I’ll do anything for you,
any time.
 
What is it?”

“Let’s pretend there’s no trouble and
enjoy tonight.
 
Let’s unwind and have
fun.
 
I don’t want to talk about M13 or
tomorrow night or anything.
 
Will you?”

She held him tight in her embrace for
a long moment. “Yes, of course.
 
Let’s
change and go.”