He had thumbed through the collection of CDs as he waited outside the prison gates, rain battering the windows and hood of the Jeep. Magali had a motley collection of music in a small case under the seat; some of them he knew-- they were Rap. The rest were all angry pieces of everything from Metallica to Tracy Chapman. He chose the Chapman CD; it was the mellowest of them all. It had been six long months since he had last seen his friend, speaking to her on only two occasions, and the last had been surprisingly brief. She hadn’t given him the chance to tell her about Casey, or Shy and Violet.
For weeks he had Nelson follow the woman who occupied a corner of Zero’s life; the news hadn’t been good. To top it all off, both Shy and Violet had been killed. He had an idea of who had shot them, but thought it best for Zero to handle it. It hurt him to think of how relieved he was at Magali’s release, moreso because the burden of ruling the unpredictable streets would once again fall on her shoulders. He would be free to go back to his family; they hadn’t seen enough of him.
Tracy’s low, dulcet voice sang out between the pattering of rain and the rumble of distant thunder. "Two weeks in a Virginia Jail…for my lover, for my lover. 20,000 dollar bail…for my lover, for my lover. Everyday I’m psychoanalyzed…for my lover, for my lover. They dope me up and I tell them lies…for my lover, for my lover. Everybody thinks I’m the fool…they don’t get…any love from you. Things we won’t do for love. Climb a mountain if I had to…risk my life so I could have you…you, you, you…" Eddie tried, throwing his head back, straining his vocal cords to match her notes, but his voice was best for yelling, not singing.
"Two weeks—", the door was swung open violently and his throat seized by a familiarly strong hand. Damn, was I that bad? "Hey, Zee," he choked out, "nice to—"
"How’d he find out, motherfucker? How’d Efrain find out about her?" Her voice was filled with panic and rage, her eyes wild as she pushed him out of the driver’s seat, and he landed on the Jeep’s floor, the gearshift painfully banging into his knee. She was above him, her hands squeezing, cutting off his air.
"Wh-o?" His fear grew. He knew from experience what being locked up did to Magali. If she was feral before, she would be brutal after, and she wasn’t showing any signs of playfulness.
"Alejandra! How does he know about her, Eddie?" She gave him a shove and let go of his neck, throwing her weight against the back of the driver’s seat as she sat.
"Alejandra? Shit, Zee. Nobody…knows about…her…you know that. Just me, Mariana and…Callie…" he said catching his breath and rubbing the red marks left by Magali’s hands.
She turned the music off and, with her voice lowering to a sad whisper, spoke. "Efrain knows…You gotta disappear with her, Eddie. Get you and your family out of New York. Go anywhere, and don’t tell anyone…not even me."
"But, Zee…" he protested, a ten year old once again. He had spent two decades being Magali’s shadow, running where she ran, playing what she played, watching her back when she fought. He had seen her at her worst, and at her best. She was as close to a sister as he had ever had. A sister who had saved his life more times than he could remember.
"No buts, Eddie. Don’t you get it, bro’?" She punched at the dashboard with every word. "Anyone…around…me…gets…fucked! You, Casey, Alejandra, Callie…Jorge."
"That’s what this is all about? Jorge? He was a junkie, Zee—" The force of the blow made his head swim, blood pouring from his lip.
"Shut up, Eddie. You’re not listening to me, goddamn it. Just get your wife, get your…kids, and leave me the fuck alone! Understand? I’m taking you home, Eddie, then I never want to see your fuckin’ face again. Got it? I do…and I’ll kill you myself."
He was covering his mouth with his hand, a red trickle dripping from his chin, his eyes wide. He swallowed and wiped at the blood with his forearm, cleared his face of emotion and nodded. "Whatever you say…boss." Who’s gonna watch your back? Who’s gonna be there to catch you before you slam right into the grim reaper on purpose? Who’s gonna drive you home cause you’re too fuckin’ stoned to walk and you haven’t slept in days? Not Casey, man, she’s playin’ games. Not your father, not Moreno…
She wanted to rip the world to shreds, stack it high into a pyre and set it aflame; maybe it would bring her some warmth. She skidded off, wanting with a fiery urgency to be away from the eclipse of the prison, and the resonance of Efrain’s words ringing in her ears. She peered down at her side, feeling a sudden tepidness crawling down her skin. The white T-shirt she had been given to leave in, along with the used jeans donated for released prisoners, were stained red. Another fucking stitch…fuck it. The rain came down in torrents, tapering off and then pouring in hard sheets. A fierce wind blew, first in one direction then another, causing the Jeep to swerve. Magali kept her mind on steering. If she focused hard enough, the reality of what she was doing faded. Deliberately, and with her heart torn in two, she was pushing away her dearest, closest friend. She had scarcely ever shown him any affection, unless the constant slapping of his neck could be considered fondness. She had only ever dragged him through the dark passages of her life, and he had followed without complaint. I won’t lose you too, bro’. And Alejandra will not be another me. I didn’t go through all of that shit for nothin’. She turned up the volume to an ear piercing level and blocked out the silhouette of Eddie, sitting quietly, his eyes straight ahead.
"Choose sides…run for your life…tonight the riots begin…in the back streets of America…they kill the dream of America." Tracy sang on.
**********************************************************
The screaming of brakes reached to the rooftops and shook the guards standing watch. They ran for the edge to peer over, the black, armored Jeep they had awaited erupting suddenly out of the mists. Drenched, they cheered an inaudible chant through the wailing wind. Bajo Zero was back. They watched her slam the door and stomp up the front steps, Callie would be waiting for her in the lobby. She had been there all day.
As threatened, she had left Eddie at his door and sped off without so much as a look back. It’s better this way; it is. In the lobby, Callie stood from her seat on the first step of the stairway, brushing the dust off her backside as she did.
"Welcome back, Zee," she said cheerily.
Magali grunted; walking past her, then stopping abruptly she grabbed her wrist and dragged her up the stairs with her. On the fourth flight up, the dark woman halted her ascent and looked her in the eyes. Her mouth opened to speak and then, just as suddenly, closed with a shake of her head.
"Get my books, Callie, and meet me upstairs," she commanded, dropping the girl’s wrist.
The smell of urine and burnt food greeted her-- the smells of home, stale, stinking, home. Some believed the world stood still in their absence; Magali knew it for a fact. Nothing changed; it was all as she had left it, waiting for her return. Eddie had left all the possessions she had cached with him in a plastic bag on his seat; jeweled and armed, Bajo Zero turned the knob of her ‘office’ door. It didn’t give way immediately, and she shoved at it with her shoulder. The bang of the door as it hit the wall made those inside scurry like rats abandoning ship.
"Who the fuck left the door unlocked?" she barked.
"It…it was locked, Zero," came a small voice from behind the dilapidated sofa.
She turned back to the door and inspected its edge, splintered and cracked where the lock had been. "There are three locks on this fuckin’ door. You idiots only had one locked? Somebody better fix that shit before I leave here." Scurry, scurry… She pulled the gun from her holster and slapped it onto the table, her hand resting on it. "Bring me all my money, here…now!" Scurry, scurry…boys went running in all directions, half glad she was back, but mostly scared to death. Anger rolled off her body in tangible waves, searing through anyone close to her.
"Zee, are you hurt?" Callie queried as meekly as she could, a stack of notebooks in her arms.
"What?" Magali had forgotten the stain of blood on her shirt, reddish-brown after drying. "If I needed you to play nurse, Callie, I’d tell you to. This shit is nothing…did you bring me my books?"
Callie nodded, afraid to say the wrong thing, or to even look into the chips of ice that were drilling into her. She hung her head and laid the stack of notebooks she carried on the couch. In one long stride Magali was inches from her, gripping the collar of her T-shirt and throwing her against the wall. Her back hit the surface with a resounding thud; such was the force that her head was flung back painfully. Magali took a deep breath, her lips inches away from Callie’s ear.
"I know what you’ve been doing," she hissed into the younger woman’s ear.
"No, Zee, I swear, I haven’t…it’s a lie, I wasn’t, please, Zee. I swear, I wasn’t getting high. I swear."
"Liar!" she screamed, throwing all her force into a backhanded slap across Callie’s face. "Get out of my sight, Callie. Never, ever…set foot in my presence again." Her voice was cold and seething, and she wiped the blood from the girl’s cheek on her pants, the ring she wore doing its damage. A troop filed in, some carrying small duffel bags. She reached into one and produced a fist-sized roll of money. For a brief moment she looked at it silently then, leering, threw it at a cowering Callie. Run, Callie. Just run as fast as you can, kid. "Take this and get out!"
Callie picked herself off of the floor and, crying, ran out through the broken door.
"Start counting, boys. Quickly…and it better be right."
Fumbling and with shaking hands, the boys began to pile the rolls of money onto the table. One, close to tears, clenched a tight blunt between his teeth. Magali snatched it away, re-lit the rolled weed in its skin of tobacco, and leaned against the window frame deeply inhaling the pungent smoke. She closed her eyes for an instant, feeling the gripping tear of steel talons ripping her insides apart, and exhaled.
*******************************************************
Casey sat by the computer playing one of the various games Magali owned, but never had the time to play. Her mind wandered, occasionally focusing on the fourth failed final she had discarded on the coffee table. Julia had called, repeatedly, and Casey was grateful for the answering machine that allowed her to screen the calls. Devi slept peacefully by the door, sometimes lifting and tilting her head; she was expecting her mistress. But then, she had expected her for every night since the woman had left. The phone rang. She made no move towards it but, leaning her head on her hand, listened.
Beep. "Zee, come on, man. Don’t do this…I know you’re there, you have to be there…Zee please…god-damn-it. Magali, please, you just can’t—"
She’s not with him? Almost tripping over the upturned corner of an area rug, Casey ran for the phone, picking it up just as Eddie issued another plea for Magali.
"Eddie, she’s not with you? Why isn’t she with you? Where—"
"Enough already, Casey…damn. No, she isn’t with me…alright? Not that you would fuckin’ care anyway—" he mumbled.
"What?" she cried, disbelieving what she was hearing. "What the hell’s wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? How can you say that?"
"Me? Me, lost my mind? I don’t think so…you’re the one who’s fuckin’ crazy! Goin’ out with that rich bitch who fuckin’ beats the shit out of you…and Zee getting’ her ass kicked in the pen ‘cause of a fuckin’ rosary you gave her—that shit’s cursed, man. I—"
Casey paced the room, clutching the phone in her hand hard against her ear. Shit, he knows about Julia, how the hell—Nelson, that little fuck. They don’t know what’s going on…Gali knows, shit, shit, I must look like… "Eddie, God…it’s not what you think it is. Please, just calm down. Tell me what happened," she implored.
"Why should I?"
His voice was bitter and angry, and Casey could imagine the tightened features of his face as he spoke.
"Because, Eddie, I love her and…meet me." The idea occurred to her that with someone like Eddie, things were best expressed in person.
"What?"
"Meet with me, right now, I’ll come to wherever you are…I’ll explain it all, and then if you don’t believe me…think what you want." Gali trusts him; she’s trusted him almost all her life.
After a moment of silence, Eddie’s voice, calmer but shaken spoke, "Fine, corner of one-fifty-six, twenty minutes," and then the line went dead.
She needed to know where Magali was. The plan had been for Eddie to pick her up in the morning, while Casey finished her shift at work and then bring her home. Apparently something had gone wrong, and with Eddie’s suspicions flaring out at her, it was critical that she found out what it was. She didn’t bother to change out of her shorts, but with the weather being as unpredictable as it had been, she grabbed a sweatshirt and headed out. Casey took the elevator down to the garage where her yellow Beetle was parked next to the now empty space where Magali kept her Jeep. Normally she wouldn’t drive anywhere in the city unless she was in a bind; the traffic made her nervous behind the wheel.
**********************************************************
Seven o’clock in the evening, and the sun was still out. It was summer, and although the suffocating heat of the city had not completely settled in yet, it threatened. Concrete made for a perfect oven, the humidity of the northern East Coast an added annoyance. Magali loved the light of the sun, it had a way of softening her life’s ordeals, much like Casey’s love did. When night floated in, soft and cooling, and the heat of the day still boiled in the blood, the streets would run red. Her world would snake out from the cracks in the sidewalk, the bends of alleyways, and the shadows of tenement building lobbies. Through it all, this time, Casey would remain, bringing the sunlight with her.
Magali turned the volume of the radio down as the Jeep rumbled into the underground garage. There was a subtle murmur coming from the engine that wasn’t there before she had left; only her ears would have picked it up, so familiar was she with the sounds of her iron stallion. She turned into her parking spot, something she could probably do blindfolded if she wanted to. Immediately she noticed the empty space where Casey’s beetle should have been. At first it gave her a start, memories of finding an empty apartment suddenly haunting her. She had gone looking for Casey, sneaking down the fire escape of the woman’s building to take a peek through her window. Instead of finding her asleep, she had found a broken window and evidence of a struggle. It had been then that Webster had gotten his grimy hands on her Saint, and the deal had begun. Her bargain with the Gauntlet— Webster’s life in exchange for unleashing hell on Brooklyn.
She rode the elevator up, its glide augmenting the lightheadedness left by smoking more weed then her body had been ready for after six months of abstinence. The mirrored wall gave her the first full view of herself she had had in months. She looked a fright; the meager clothing she had left the prison in was blood stained and disheveled-- her jewelry glimmering in sharp contrast. Impatient and anxious in the confining space of the elevator, she twirled her keys; they jangled like miniature chains.
Opening the door, she expected the massive push of muscles leaping up at her; nevertheless, the weight of Devi pouncing sent her a step back. She kicked the door closed and wrapped her arms around the frantic dog, who roughly squirmed to get at her face with a stream of slobbery licks. They ended up wrestling on the floor. Magali soon gave up and lying, on the floor, let Devi have a go at her.
"Hey, baby girl; yeah, I missed you, too," she said in between licks and playful nips. "How many of my shoes did you go through, huh? Have you been good? I’ll have to skin you if you haven’t been?"
"It was a joke, Devi!" she screamed as Devi ran off into the bedroom, coming back at a light canter, a rope hanging from her mouth.
"What’s this?" she asked, taking hold of one end of the new toy. "Casey’s been spoiling you I see…lucky girl." She chuckled as Devi jerked her body back in a display of gentle strength; the force pulled Magali a few inches along the smooth wood of the hallway floor before she let go of the rope. Devi’s body control prevented her from crashing backwards, and she lunged at Magali once again. Anticipating the jump, she sat up quickly, and Devi missed her by a few inches. Undaunted, Devi jumped again and, as Magali caught her in mid-air, the phone began its torturous ringing. She shrugged at Devi, whose face was inches away from Magali’s, panting, her tongue lolling from the side of her mouth. "Here we go, Devi. Same shit, different day."
Magali pushed herself up from the floor and went in search of the phone, finding it on the last ring before the answering machine would have picked up.
"Yeah?" she snapped, slumping into the couch.
"I see you made it out alright."
"Julia Winslow," she sung in mock surprise. "How the hell did you get my number?" The laughter coming from the other end was annoying her.
"How else did you expect for me to maintain contact with Casey?"
"I don’t," she deadpanned, drumming her fingers on the arm of the couch. "Stay away from her."
"My, my, aren’t we protective? You know, it isn’t me you should protect her from."
No? You’re just one on a long list, bitch. "Meaning?"
"You do far more damage than I ever could. Has she told you?"
She told me lots of things, and you’re treading on really thin ice. "Told me what?"
"Well, I was calling to find out how her classes had turned out. Do you even ask her? It’s her dream, you know…to be a doctor. Last I heard…she was failing them all. I guess she’s been a bit preoccupied…with you." Julia was being casual, a tactic she thought would annoy the dark woman; she thought correctly.
Magali’s eyes fell on the coffee table, a blue book she recognized as an exam glaring at her, its red marked "F" circled on its cover. "Like you haven’t been a nuisance yourself."
"Oh, you’re right. I’ve taken her__time__ on occasion. But…it was because of me that she got this far to begin with. Where are you taking her?"
"Wherever she wants to go." Magali flipped her a bird. "This conversation’s over. You want contact with Casey? I suggest you try telepathy." Magali pressed the call button on the phone and cut off the call; tempted to throw the thing across the room, she placed it gently on the table and picked up Casey’s exam. She leafed through it, the tight script showing anxiety in comparison to the loops on the letter she had received from the blonde. "Damn, Baby."
************************************************************
It was a long trip back from Coney Island on the D train; he knew that’s where Mariana had taken the kids, and it would be late when they returned. For hours he had sat in his Lazy Boy flipping through the hundred satellite channels that never seemed to have anything good on to watch, brooding. His jaw ached from the blow he had taken from Magali, but it was his chest that burned with sadness and betrayal. Years of struggle and friendship cast away in an unreasonable moment of fury, and he grappled with the cause of it. Three years of keeping her secret, three years of loving Alejandra. He had never found out who the father was, he didn’t care. It had been a small slip that had inadvertently allowed him to discover her condition, when he had given her a hug after winning a bet he had placed on the Knicks. A father himself, there had been no mistaking the swell of her abdomen under the large sweatshirt she wore. For reasons she had not fully explained to him, either, she had thought her stay in prison had rendered her sterile. Out of fear, she confessed her body’s deception to him in secret. For months before Alejandra’s birth, he silently watched Magali carefully hide her pregnancy, never changing her behavior, although the woman had stopped taking any drugs and drinking. When the day finally came for her delivery, he had been left alone to tend to her. In a panic, he called on the one person he could trust with Magali’s well-being—Callie. Together, on the dirty floor of a bathroom, they had delivered Alejandra, screaming, into the world.
After running through the scenario in his head numerous times, he decided he wouldn’t be able to figure out how Efrain had found out; and no matter how stubborn Magali was in her decision not to see him again, it was something they would have to reason out together. When Casey picked up the phone, he had to stop himself from immediately hanging up. He wasn’t happy with her; he knew what she was doing while Magali was away. Nelson had told him many things; the whip marks on her back had told him more. Magali goes and fucks women to kill whatever she’s feeling; you, you do it so you can feel, he had thought when Casey’s voice filtered in through the phone line. But when she offered to meet him, it had given him a moment’s pause. No better way to get to Zee than through her.
The door opened as he was about to leave, having just finished his yelling match with Casey. Marianna dragged in the odors of the beach, salt air, oil and sunshine. He was about to greet her when her wide eyes and her white knuckled clutching of their children’s hands warned him. Too late he reached for his gun.
"Don’t even think about it, you sonofabitch. You know better than anyone else how quick my trigger finger is," Callie growled, holding the barrel of a nickel-plated .22, a weapon of execution, inches from Mariana’s head.
Eddie held his hands up, away from the butt of the gun tucked into the front of his pants. "Let my family go, Callie. Please, they’re all I have."
Callie gave Mariana a push from behind, and leered. "Get you and your brats into the bedroom, this is between me and your fuck-up husband. You come out, and I won’t think twice about addin’ a few more orphans to my count."
Mariana swallowed; tears running down her face, she took a long look at Eddie and quickly walked into the bedroom. Enrique was shaking; Alejandra, her thumb in her mouth, calmly took in the scene with innocent, blue eyes.
"Why’d you tell her, Eddie? You knew what she would do if I got high again! Tell me why!" Callie yelled, her voice shaking.
Oh boy, psycho on the warpath. Think, dummy…"She threw you away too, didn’t she? Yeah, I know it hurts, like you just lost everything, right? Look at my face, Callie. She said she would kill me if she ever saw me again."
Reluctantly Callie lowered the gun she had been pointing at him. "She said that to you?"
Eddie nodded and took a step closer to her. "Efrain found out about Alejandra. I don’t know how, but I think she’s blaming us."
"Alejandra? But how? We’re the only ones who know, man." The spark of her insanity flashed in her eyes, and she brought the gun back up. "You didn’t tell her? You didn’t say shit about me—"
"No. She cares about you, Callie. Telling her how you kill yourself a little at a time drives her nuts. And the last thing I wanna do is hurt her. That’s what you don’t get, kid. What you do to yourself, destroys her. You think she doesn’t blame herself for what became of Jorge, what almost became of you? God damn, Callie, she sells drugs from here to Florida, and she beats the shit out of you if you take just a little! Why do you think that is?"
Finally, Callie’s gun dropped away into its hiding place, and the girl squatted on the floor, hugging herself. "I’m sorry, Eddie. The kids…God, I’m sorry—" The slap of his open hand, large enough to cover her face, threw her to the ground; it didn’t hurt half as much as the one she had received from Magali.
Eddie crouched down next to her, stroking her hair. "My family…is the most precious thing in my life, and as much as I can’t stand you…you’ve been a part of it. It’s the only thing keeping me from killing you right now. Both you and I…lost something we care about today. Work with me, and we get her back, or slink into some corner and shoot your veins with enough shit to end it all. But as much as we’re hurtin’ right now…it’s nothing compared to what Zee is goin’ through…I may not be that smart, but I know enough to be sure of that one thing."
Callie hid her face in her hands, rolling herself onto her stomach to lay flat on the floor. "What do we do?" she mumbled into her palms.
"I’m gonna go see the only person who can get through to her right now. Come with me…but I’m warning you, one stupid move and I’ll have your head, Callie."
When she nodded, he rose to his feet and, trembling, walked into the bedroom to calm his wife. She met him with a steely gaze and, without a word, slapped him across the cheek. Mariana crumpled against his chest as he grabbed onto her. "It’s alright, Mami. She’s just a little crazy right now—"
"We have to get out of here, Eddie. I can’t take this any more. Please, Honey."
He held her close, whispering "I know" into her ear, and then let go. "I’ll be back, then…we’ll talk about where to go from here, okay?"
**********************************************************
Casey waited in the air conditioning of her car on the corner of One-hundred-and-fifty-sixth Street. The heat of the day was fading, and in the growing shade, the street had grown busy with shoppers and stragglers; children rushed in and out of the corner bodega with bags of flavored ice sticks and candy. She saw his approach, a swaying saunter as he walked, with the all- too-- familiar presence of Callie at his side. Casey knew she could trust Eddie; Callie was another story. When he opened the door she leaned towards the passenger’s seat. "Not her, Eddie. This is for your ears only."
Eddie gave her a strange look of doubt and put his hand on Callie’s shoulder. "Wait out here." When the woman frowned he added, "Trust me," and slid in, closing the door after him.
"Alright…I just want ya to know, I don’t trust a hair on your head…so this better be good."
Casey pressed her lips together, a lance of sunlight shinning through the window and onto the hands with which she held the steering wheel. "Gali’s working with the government," she rushed out, waiting for his reaction of doubt.
"What? Yeah sure."
"Remember when she was shot, they had her for the murder of that cop?" Eddie’s nod gave her permission to continue. "This cop, at least I think he’s kinda like a cop, offered her a way out, Eddie. Proof that she was innocent. Without it, right now, she’d be on death row."
"You tryin’ to tell me she’s sellin’ out? I don’t believe that, not in a hundred years; she wouldn’t do that...I know Magali. She'd die first."
Casey could see his fingering of his gun--an unconscious reaction, she hoped. "No, she’s not selling you out. She’s just helping this guy get rid of an…organization."
"The Gauntlet?"
Casey turned to him, the smile in his eyes at her response evident. "How’d you—"
"I know everything about what Magali does. I may not have a lot of school or anythin’, but this…" he gestured to the street, "I know all about. I know she makes pay offs. We all know." And I was the one who took care of her when they tested her; they nearly killed her then. "Who they are?" he shrugged. "What they are," he pointed to his head, "I know."
"That’s what this guy is after, Eddie. Not anything else, just that."
"I still don’t see what this has to do with you…and what you—"
She clutched onto the steering wheel harder; it wasn’t something she was proud of. "This woman…the one…she’s a part of it all, at least her husband is. She’s an ex of mine…and…I was instructed to help Zee get in touch with her…and anything, and I do mean anything, that helps Zee, I’ll do."
"And you gave yourself to her? Knowing what it would do to Zee if she ever found out?" he spat angrily.
"I’d rather lose her and know that somewhere she’s breathing in the same air I do, than lose her entirely," she said in a low voice, knowing that the possibility was always there.
He bowed his head. Too many times he had known the fear of losing Magali to death. "What else do they have on her?"
"Other than the shooting, and her involvement in it all…nothing else that I know of. Why?"
"Alejandra." It seemed he was speaking more to himself than anyone else.
"Huh?"
"Is Efrain in it?" he replied, directing his stare at her.
"Who?" she questioned, arching her eyebrows.
"Her brother," he said, as if she should have known.
Casey knitted her brow. "I don’t know. Why?"
"This guy, the "kinda cop", does he watch you?" Eddie was ticking off his fingers compulsively.
It was her turn to shrug, "I don’t know. He always seems to know what I’m doing."
Maybe…he could have seen Alejandra that night I took her to Casey. If he likes setting shit up…maybe…he told Efrain? "Listen to me, you’ve got to get Zee to talk to me, it’s important."
Casey rubbed the back of her neck, the tension building in her shoulders. "She’s not talking to you?" What would make her…
"I can’t really explain it all right now, Casey. She…she threw me out, kicked both me and Callie to the curb."
It was then that Casey first noticed the darkening bruise around Eddie’s mouth, so wrapped up had she been in her own drama. "Please tell me it wasn’t Zee who did that," she groaned, pointing at his injury.
"Yeah, it was. Just get her to talk to me, alright?" He opened the door and swung one thick leg out, then leaning over, gave Casey a kiss on the cheek and smiled. "I’d do anything for her, too."
A blast of warm air gushed in through the open door, and Casey wondered how Callie could stand the heat in the leather pants she wore. Eddie was circling his big arm around her shoulders as they walked away. He spoke into her ear and Callie stiffened, pulled away and shot a look at the beetle, catching Casey’s eyes with a hint of respect. Casey drove away, hoping that, with the setting sun, she’d find her dark lover sitting at home.
********************************************************
Magali stared at the television, twisting, gyrating lines of gray and white static crossing the screen. In the dark, the set threw an eerie glow on its viewer; Devi was curled on the couch with her head lying on Magali’s lap. The dog’s head lifted, and her tail began to wag. She was the best alarm system in the city, and judging from her reaction, Magali knew that reaching for her gun was unnecessary.
Her Saint strolled in, the faint glow of the sun’s effects on her skin. The denim shorts she wore stopped at mid-thigh, the sleeves of the sweatshirt tied around her waist dangled at her pelvis, a taut T-shirt outlined the swell of her breasts; and Magali was speechless. Here there were no boundaries, no eyes to watch them, or watch her. Her Saint smiled, leaning on the edge of the living room entrance. Was that relief on her face? Magali rose, her long legs carrying her over to her Saint before the woman could get any closer.
"Gali—" she breathed as her Black Velvet’s body pressed against her, and she caught her fragrance.
"No words, Baby. I can say much more with this…"
Magali’s lips brushed her neck, taking small nips of the skin just under her jaw and ear. Her hands closing around Casey’s waist, pulling her closer as she pushed her Saint’s body harder into the wall, her thigh pushing Casey’s legs apart. Light hands trailed up Casey’s sides, thumbs stroking her breasts, circling in on nipples already hardened by the close contact and the intentions of her Black Velvet. They teased her, roaming her arms and cradling her fingers, searching her waist, untying the knot of the sweatshirt and pulling out the T-shirt tucked into her shorts.
Callused and strong, Magali’s hands touched Casey’s warm skin, and she took in a sharp breath as her Saint groaned. Tenderly she grazed her Saint’s skin, rubbing harder in some places as the heat in her built. She reveled in the feel of Casey-- the tightness of her midriff, the dip just under her ribs, the heaving in her chest as her fingers hooked under Casey’s bra and jerked it up over her breasts, Magali’s heart pounded. She bent, cupping one of the firm globes with a hand while the other caressed the back of her Saint’s neck, Magali captured a nipple with her mouth. She suckled it with loving lips and teasing tongue, pinching it gently between her teeth; Casey moaned, straining her hips forward to arch into her Black Velvet.
Magali’s hand left her breast and stroked its way downward to the waist of her shorts. The hand pushed itself under the fabric and over the silky material of her undergarment. Magali felt the wet heat emanating from her Saint’s core and began to rub at it. Casey’s hips bucked at the friction, and she bit into her lower lip. The sounds of Casey’s pleasure drew her in; it was all that mattered. Casey brought her hands to her Black Velvet’s shoulders, kneading and clawing them. Urgent hands grabbed onto her wrists and pulled her arms over her head. A forceful twist sent her reeling and Casey found her chest to the wall, an arm around her waist, her hands pinned above her.
"Stay," her lover commanded, as Magali’s hands closed on the back of the collar of her T-shirt and ripped the garment in two before pulling it up over her extended arms. Her bra discarded and flung away, she shivered. Deft fingers undid the button of her shorts and lowered the zipper.
Magali thrust her hand back to Casey’s silky nether lips, fondling her clit and lips tauntingly, as she pulled off the shorts and they slid to the floor.
She was naked, her Black Velvet driving her crazy; she was helpless before her strength. The hands that were driving her into a frenzy, left briefly, returning with the added ecstacy of her lover’s naked skin against her back. Demanding hands spread her legs and, as two fingers invaded her depths and a palm rubbed against her engorged nub, her Black Velvet’s wet center pushed against her ass. Magali’s cries came deep and wanting; shuddering, she let the feeling run its course, branching out in tingling fingers throughout her every limb, burning through her chest, her wail of deliverance ripping from her throat.
Magali wanted more, needed to satiate the hunger of months without her Saint, but she was unwilling to let go, to stop the writhing her touch was eliciting from Casey. She slid her fingers out of her, pressing them into the deep folds, delving into the natural curves of her laden with the satin of her arousal, her Saint’s clit growing harder under her attentions. She held onto Casey’s hands, and in a gentle movement mimicking dance turned her around. She tasted her lips with a searing kiss, their tongues touching and sliding against one another. Magali laid Casey’s arms on her shoulders and lifted her legs to encircle her waist, as she carried her into the living room, their lips never relinquishing their entanglement. Tenderly she sat her Saint down on the couch and knelt before her: Casey’s legs on her shoulders, her hands pressing the small of Casey’s back, arching her forward seductively. Magali inhaled the scent that had lingered in her dreams and brought her mouth down to kiss at the wet lips of her Saint. She tasted of heaven.
Her Black Velvet’s lips on her further enraged the inferno by which she was engulfed, and she contorted as she clutched at the fabric of the cushions she sat on. It was slow and agonizing, her devouring, intensified by the warm ball of metal driving into her most sensitive niche. Without warning, her Black Velvet filled her, leaving a hand behind her to urge her movements on, her thrusting unhurried and deep. She was close; so close that the delay was making her body tremble with effort, her lover’s satisfied grunts feeding her craving. "Yes," Magali murmured, and Casey let go. Her body exploded into convulsive shakes and piercing, moaning thrashes as the orgasm she had held onto was allowed release at last. Magali held on, continuing her adoration, and taking her Saint through a series of shattering aftershocks until the woman pleaded for mercy.
Casey settled down, too weak to move, too satisfied with the present to set a future in motion. Magali’s breath hotly brushed her inner-thigh, her arms hugged Casey’s waist in a death grip. Satiated the lovers spoke not a word but, instead, sojourned in the silent knowing of each other.
She was conserving their strength, wanting nothing more than to make her Saint scream her name over and over. Magali let Casey rest; she wanted their lovemaking to be filled with energized passion, and the delay in taking her again increased her want. She had carried Casey into the bedroom and, laying her supine, had straddled her Saint’s head. Thrusting and grinding her release into her lover’s mouth, while Casey performed for her with her own hand. A vision that had stayed with her since their phone conversation and one she requested in definite terms. Her Saint’s hand had stroked her thigh and wandered up her torso, feeling the puffy line of the wound at her side. Magali had felt her reaction to it, and squeezing Casey’s hand, had made it clear that it was to be ignored. Casey was sleeping soundly under her, as she listened, with her head on the woman’s belly, to her steady breathing. Her side throbbed from the pull of the stitches, and the sting of her sweat, as unpleasant as it was, wasn’t enough to distract her from the comfort of Casey’s body in her arms.
Devi began barking at the door, scratching at its wood, and a grumbling Magali arose from the bed, taking a sheet to cover her naked body with. She looked through the peephole at a fidgeting Nelson, obviously nervous about something, and thought it best to see what was the matter. The last thing she wanted was to have him in the apartment, but standing at the doorway naked and vulnerable was worse. No matter how much security she piled around herself, her habits were still those of self-guarding.
"Nelson, you just got me out of bed and away from a very warm and delicious body. This had better be real good."
The young man wrung his hands, craning his neck to look down the hall in suspicion. "Well, Zero, see that’s what I came to talk to you about."
Magali tightened the sheet around her, feeling a chill in his words. "About me in bed, or the body in it?"
"It’s about Casey," he whispered, watching the hall.
"What about her?"
"See, Eddie told me to follow her." He squinted, expecting an outburst.
Shit, he probably saw her with that bitch. "Why?"
"’Cause the night she was babysitting his kid…she kinda…you know…was fuckin’ someone else."
It was flaring; the monster that lived within her yawned and stretched. "What did you just say?" she whispered angrily, stepping close to him.
Nelson swallowed. Don’t kill the messenger, please, shit, don’t kill the messenger. "She fucked…someone else?" he said cringing.
"No, before that…what was that?" she spat out, grabbing his throat with one hand.
"What?" he choked, the pressure around his neck increasing.
"Whose kid?" she hissed at him.
"Eddie’s kid, the little one, the one that kinda looks like—"
"Get out, Nelson, just…get out. And for your sake, never repeat what you just told me, got it?"
The boy nodded as best he could with her hand around his neck, and then rubbing it when she let go at last, left as quickly as possible.
Alejandra, she was here and…she brought Julia here. In my room, on my bed. It was a nightmare come to life, her instincts screaming deception. Her legs, unfeeling, took her back into the bedroom, where Casey remained sleeping as she had left her-- her body bare and soaked in the passion of what had passed between them. Magali gazed at the wooden posts of her bed, a place no other woman had ever slept besides Casey. She took her whores to hotels. As she looked on, Casey’s body appeared draped in glistening oil, bound and chained, writhing under Julia’s touch. Her Saint’s arousal permeating the air, her screams echoing off the walls. Here, with Alejandra under the same roof. Julia could have seen her…Casey would figure it ou;, she could have told her. What was that about not trusting you, Casey?
Magali shook her head, scattering her thoughts and drowning in her rage. She paced back and forth, glancing at Casey and running her hands through her hair. It grew --the scorching torch of her anger-- and she stomped to where Casey lay. Infuriated, her mind going in all directions, she gripped Casey’s hair and brutishly jerked on it, waking Casey in a flash of terror.
"You did that here?" she seethed. "In my bed!"
Casey couldn’t breathe, her neck arched back so far she couldn’t look at the raving maniac that held onto her. Defensively she brought her hands up to push at her attacker. "Gali? What…are you…talking about?"
"You knew…didn’t you? That’s how Efrain found out! You betrayed me." Magali pulled her further up and, glaring at her, let go, pushing her onto her side.
Casey landed face down on the mattress and, turning in a rush, prepared to confront Magali once again, but the woman was gone from her side. She could hear her in the bathroom, slamming things around, the water running. Unsure of what to do, she sat still, listening to the rush of activity coming from whatever room her lover decided to stomp into. When Magali entered the bedroom, dressed completely in black, she tried to speak. The sudden clicking of a gun being loaded silenced her as Magali donned her holster and armed it.
"Gali, please, just talk to me." Casey pleaded. "We were fine just a little while ago, what the hell happened?"
"You told them about Alejandra. Efrain knows about her, and now they’ve got me by the balls."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about! Eddie’s kid? What’s she got to do with anything?" Casey yelled, punching at the mattress.
"Don’t fuckin’ play with me, goddamnit. You brought her here, into my fuckin’ house! Go back to her, Casey, since she’s so good for you…you like to get slapped around. When I come back…don’t be here."
Magali pushed her shades onto the bridge of her nose and slammed the bedroom door. Casey heard the fall of her footsteps as she left. Devi whined, and Casey was left with the humming of the central air conditioning. Her hands were trembling, and her neck throbbed from the sudden yanking. Magali was unreadable. She could tell when she was in for it with Julia, but this was another sort of creature. She was confused. Without any clue as to what had triggered her dark lover’s outburst and not knowing who could tell her, she dialed the first number that popped into her head. When the woman picked up, she couldn’t hold back her tears, and her words came out in long sobs.
"Jesse…help."
"What the fuck? Casey? Are you alright? Where the fuck are you?"
"Home…Jesse…she…she’s gone crazy…I don’t know what—"
"I’ll be right there, Casey. Hold on, Babe."
Casey had little desire to dress, and when Jesse arrived she met her at the door clad only in a T-shirt and panties. Her face red and tear stained, Casey turned from the open door and Jesse’s gaze. Jesse locked the door and gave Devi a rub, then putting a hand on Casey’s shoulder, turned the woman to face her and gave her a hug.
"I’m sorry, Babe. But I warned you a long time ago, my cousin’s nuts." When Casey stiffened in her arms, she pulled away and gave her an apologetic look. "Okay, that was stupid of me to say, but I just had to. Now, you wanna tell me what Her Craziness did?"
Casey nodded and, hugging herself, meandered into the living room and sat on the couch cross-legged.
"She woke me up. She was so…angry. I don’t know at what really. All she kept saying was that I brought her here, and that Efrain knew about Alejandra. I don’t get it.
Listening intently, Jesse began to piece together what she thought might have happened. It made sense to her that if Magali had a child she would have hidden that fact from everyone, especially her family. Why it would cause such uproar if her oldest brother found out she didn’t know, and why she would be angry with Casey for bringing the child into her home was another mystery. The crux was that Casey had no idea who the girl was or could be, and for a woman privy to Magali’s most intimate goings-on, it would be she who could best piece everything together. Casey hadn’t gotten a good enough look at the girl to put two and two together; Jesse had spent hours playing with the girl.
"She told me not to be here when she got back, and when I spoke to Eddie earlier he told me she had pretty much kicked him away…"
"Casey, I think there’s something you should know. I didn’t know myself until recently, and I thought Zee would tell you eventually. But we’re not seeing the whole picture, and maybe together we can figure it out."
The ring in Jesse’s voice set off alarm bells. As a paramedic she was well aware of the tone needed to handle dire news, and it was that tone Jesse was using, one meant to soothe and forewarn.
"What is it, Jesse? Don’t use that ‘prepare yourself’ tone with me, just come out and say it."
Jesse sat in the armchair and leaned her elbows on her knees. "Alejandra…is Zee’s daughter."
Casey took a deep breath, her mouth slightly opened in surprise. "Her daughter?" Suddenly it was clear what Callie had meant by what she said when Casey had first seen the toddler. "Don’t you know who she is? I thought Zero would have told you, seeing as you and her are so tight and shit." At the time she had been unwilling to let the obnoxious woman know that she didn’t know what she was talking about, now, it made sense. "But...how do you know?"
"Remember that night you were watching her, and I came over ‘cause you were going out? I took a good look at that kid, her eyes, the way she acts, there’s no way she isn’t. And when I asked Eddie about her, he kind of wobbled around it…I know when that guy’s lying. Shit, I’ve known him since we were kids." She indicated the height of a child as she finished.
"Why would it make her so angry though?"
"I don’t know, but maybe Eddie does."
"Yeah, he might. We’re calling him right now, and I know someone else who might know, too." Daly, that sonofabitch.
*******************************************************
The lobby to his building, where a few short flights up his family waited, was inviting. Not like the other buildings he was used to loitering around in. This building was clean and quiet, free from any illegal activity; he made sure of that. The door squealed open, and he stepped into the cool shade of the building’s interior. His beeper, firmly attached to his belt, went off with a strong, silent vibration. What now? he thought, looking down at the small monochrome screen. That’s Gali’s number. Yes, Casey, you did it! It was small, but it was there-- a spark of hope. He looked up the stairs, wanting to race to the phone and make his call, but he knew, one step into his house and he would be hard pressed to leave it again. Mariana had not been agreeable the last time he had seen her, and rightly so. He walked back out, grateful the sun was down and the heat was dissipating. Eddie remembered the public phone on the corner, always in use, and walked away from his home to seek it out. As always, a young man was whispering into its handset, but upon seeing him, nervously hung up and made way. Eddie nodded at him and took the young man’s place, effortlessly dialing the number.
"Hey, Zee—"
"Sorry, Eddie, but it’s me."
"Casey? What’s up?" he asked, twirling the metal wrapped phone cord around his meaty finger.
"Zee took off, I don’t know what happened…she just got real mad and…she told me to leave."
"Look, I’m on my way. Don’t go anywhere."
Eddie put the phone back hard enough to make the post it stood on shake, and motioned to the kid who had been using it. "Go ahead, call that girl back before she goes to some other guy," he joked, out of a need to have some respite from the hurricane of events plaguing him. He wasn’t far from Magali’s home. A ten-minute ride in his car, and he was double-parked, as was his custom, in front of the condominium complex. Nelson would watch it for him.
He rang the bell when he could have used his spare, and waited for Casey to open the door. The hallway was quiet, and he eyed the hidden camera he knew would be pointed at the door.
"Casey, it’s me, Eddie," he called out, and the door opened, but instead, Jesse was there giving him a wide grin.
"Hey, big guy. Nice lump."
"Yeah, thanks. Your cousin does a mean right-hand jab."
"Oh, shit. Sorry." She shrugged as she moved aside to let him in.
Casey was sitting on the couch, wearing a pair of baggy jeans at Jesse’s request. She watched him lumber in, his size taking away any grace he could have put into his swagger. The bruise on his face made him appear more dangerous than he really was, and the armchair squealed in protest as he threw himself into it, exaggerating his exhaustion.
"Okay, no secrets now. We put it all out on the table and get it straightened out. Now, tell me everything she said.
Casey sighed; she could recall it all in vivid clarity, the words, while confusing her, had burned with hurt. She left out, except for their lovemaking, not a single detail. Her voice cracked when she repeated Magali’s harsh words and the pulling of her hair.
"So?" Jesse asked impatiently when he remained quiet.
"No secrets, Eddie, that’s what you said." Casey repeated his conditions.
He grimaced, and letting his eyes fall, took in a defeated breath. "Fine. You’re right, Jesse, Alejandra’s hers…but she’s my kid. No, I’m not the ‘daddy’, I don’t know who is, but I raised her, alright? And Zee…she didn’t want anyone to know ‘cause…she might be a target with me, but…if anyone knew, she’d be more than a target. If Zee’s father found out…can you imagine? Her life would have been decided long ago, and that’s not what Zee wants."
Casey rubbed her neck and tilted her head to the side, trying to grasp all the new information that was being undeniably confirmed about her lover. "She said Efrain knows. Why is that so catastrophic?"
"Other than the obvious? I have no idea, but it’s what pissed her off with me, too. The only thing I can figure is that maybe that ‘cop guy’ found out when I brought her here, and he told Efrain. Don’t trust motherfuckers like that, Casey, they do more back-stabbing then all my thugs put together."
"She said they ‘had her by the balls’," Jesse laughed, finding the phrase funny and already content at having correctly guessed Alejandra’s parentage. "Who’re ‘they’?"
Both Casey and Eddie shrugged, as the shrill ringing of the phone pealed out from under the sofa’s cushions. Casey dug her hand into the crease, hoping it was Daly; she had beeped him while she waited for Eddie.
"Hello?" Casey smiled; it was who she had been waiting for. Her lover’s cousin and best friend silently looked on, their faces expectant as she spoke.
"What can I do for you, Casey?" Daly started.
"Tell me all you know about Efrain, Zee’s brother."
"Why?"
"Because I need to know, Daly. You want my help, I need this info." She wasn’t in the mood for his games, talented as he was at beating around the bush.
"Up until a couple of days ago, very little-- law school kid, straight shooter. Surprising, considering the family he’s in."
"And?"
After an ominous moment of silence, Daly brought it all home for her. "He’s working for Christopher Winslow. He’s the guy’s new aide. Should look good on his resume, too—"
"Thanks, Daly, that’s all I needed to know," and for the first time ever, Casey had the chance to hang up on him instead; she didn’t pass up the opportunity. Eddie gave her a palm up, in the very Hispanic gesture for ‘so?’ It was her turn to give out.
"Efrain’s working for Christopher," she said with deadly calm.
"Who the fuck’s Christopher," Eddie interrogated.
"Julia’s husband," Casey replied, lowering her head as Eddie slumped back knowingly in his seat.
"Hel-lo, who’s Julia?" Jesse was feeling out of place; she was suddenly out of the loop. But the look Eddie shot her told her everything. "Eddie? Did you tell Magali about that?"
"Nope, I didn’t get the chance."
Casey glared at them both, and mimicked her lover’s stare. "Tell her what?"
Eddie harumphed and fidgeted in his chair. "Umm. I kinda had you followed, Casey."
"Followed? That’s how you knew?" Things were becoming clearer, as Eddie nodded. She had thought, perhaps, Nelson had watched her through the cameras, but the plan, it seemed was more complicated than that. "Why? Why did you have me followed, Eddie?"
It was Jesse’s turn to fidget, and the movement earned her a glare from Casey. "Because that night you came home, with ummm…well you know…those marks on your back and stuff. I…called…him."
"You did what?" Casey yelled, getting up from her seat and walking across the room to the window, clutching at her hair. "Jesse, I told you I would take care of it!"
"Yeah, I know, but I got scared, shit…if something had happened to you and Zee found out I did nothing, she wouldn’t be talking to me either!"
Casey looked down at the street, the embarrassment of knowing Eddie had seen the aftermath of her session with Julia prevented her from looking him in the face. "Who’d you have follow me?"
Eddie’s face lit up in a twinkling of clarity. "Nelson, that little shit! He probably told her Alejandra was up here. That has to be it."
"Wait, Eddie, when she said that I ‘did it in her bed’, she wasn’t talking about Alejandra, she was talking about Julia. Zee thinks I…"
"Oh, shit." Jesse whispered, the thrill of untangling the messy web of miscommunications fading with the fear of the type of rage her cousin would be in.
"Yeah, and she probably thinks you told Julia about Alejandra, and she told…Christ whatever…and then Efrain…Damn, we’ll be lucky if she don’t set the whole city to burn, like that Roman guy." he said with apprehension.
"Nero?" Jess chimed in.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind."
"So what now?" It was too much to fathom; the thoughts were cutting and disarming. Casey sat back down, looking to, of all people, Eddie, for a plan.
He saw her eyes, and felt sad for her; he would have to work it all out, Casey was in no condition to face Bajo Zero, and he had done it almost all his life. "I know where she is. Let me go to her, we'll get this fixed up. I promise," he added with a small, cheering, smile.