Now Gus and his livelihood had paid a bitter price for not bowing down to those hoodlums. A shudder of fear, mingled with disgust, worked its way down her spine. Sooner or later, she would have to put a stop to the madness, even if she had to put her restaurant in jeopardy.
The small bell on the front door dinged, and Lena drew her attention away from the gutted storefront to Lupita, a middle-aged woman who owned the flower shop a few doors down from the bistro. Lupita often came in for a late afternoon sandwich.
At that moment, the florist looked stricken, and her hand shook as she handed Lena the money for her usual order. Lena gently took the other woman aside and into a corner of the restaurant.
“Are you paying them?” Lena asked, praying that the older woman wouldn’t play dumb.
“Yes. What other choice do I have?”
Lena nodded. “I’ve been paying too, but I went to the police. The sheriff and his deputies are going to be here the next time they come for the money. That’ll finally give them the proof they need to arrest them, and all of this will be over for us.”
A bitter laugh bubbled out of the older woman’s mouth as she frowned and crossed her arms.
“Are you for real?”
Lena was confused. “What do you mean?”
“To be so naïve that you don’t know the sheriff is in the MC’s pocket and on Fitzgerald’s payroll since the dawn of time. Fitzgerald wants us out, so he’s using the bikers to put the squeeze on us so we’ll leave. The greedy man wants this real estate so he can build condos and become richer. He’s the one paying the bikers to scare us.” She glanced toward the window. “You can see what happens if we don’t pay.”
Lena’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach. “Wait, so you’re telling me—”
“The sheriff won’t do a thing for you, so don’t hold your breath. Stay the strong, beautiful woman you are, and hopefully, we can nip this in the bud on our own or go down swinging.”
Lena didn’t mention that their very livelihoods were on the line, and now wasn’t exactly the time to play fast and loose with a bunch of thugs. Clearly the men had no issue taking anything from any one of them if they didn’t comply. She rubbed her arm, remembering the asshole who had grabbed her the last time. Lupita gave her a giant bear hug. For such a small woman, she was strong.
“You be careful tonight. We have to stick together, you hear me?”
“I’m sure we can find someone to help us. I can’t believe the entire town is corrupt.”
“The Fitzgerald name is powerful in Santa Teresita. The best we can do is watch out for each other.”
“Of course. Yes, you’re right.”
While Lupita took her usual sandwich, Lena couldn’t get her mind off the fact that everything she thought was safe, right, and truthful, was a downright lie. It was as if her whole world had been turned upside down in an instant. Had she become so naïve to come to a place that held happy and loving memories of the summers she’d spent with her parents that she’d seen every exchange in this town with rose-colored glasses?
Am I that clueless? She now knew the sheriff was paid, and that explained why nothing had happened on the case. I wonder if the DA is on Fitzgerald’s payroll. Then a thought she didn’t want to have pushed through her mind: was Tank in Fitzgerald’s pocket too? Maybe that was the connection he had to Quinn. Maybe Fitzgerald was funding Tank’s printing business? Stop! This is insane. One thing was certain, she wasn’t going to keep paying the thugs, even if that meant moving the restaurant to another location. Though it felt like that would be giving in to Fitzgerald and all the immoral things he stood for.
She glanced at Adalyn and Sarah. “Let’s close up early. I think we all need a break.” All she could think about was sitting on her balcony, sipping a glass of wine, and watching the blue expanse of the ocean. Of course, thoughts of Tank would pop into her mind—they did every time she was alone. It had been several days since she’d seen him, but her body still ached for him. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed him. A lot.
More than a week had gone by since Gus’s place had been torched. Lena had been wrestling with her thoughts on whether to stick it out in a corrupt town that now overshadowed the fond memories she’d once had, or sell the condo and start fresh in a new place. The answers eluded her.
As usual, Lena was the last one in the restaurant. As she was wiping down the counters in the kitchen, there was a familiar knock on the locked glass door. They were early, by at least three days. But now that she knew Sheriff Windsor was crooked, she wasn’t surprised. Her jaw set and her muscles tensed as she walked to the front of the bistro. Before she went around the corner, she hit the Record button on her phone and slipped it into her apron. The money they were there to collect was already in an envelope in her hand. She wanted the encounter to be quick.
“Back again early, I see. Couldn’t wait to get what you think is your cut, boys?” she asked as she opened the front door. She barely let them in before shoving the money into their hands. “I won’t fight you today. There’s fifteen percent of my profits.”
“You finally got the fuckin’ memo to cooperate, sweet cheeks.” Cougar reached out to cup her chin.
Lena took a quick step back, nearly losing her balance. “You’ll never touch me again. Do you understand?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t fuckin’ tell me what to do, bitch. Just because you were good in this hand off doesn’t mean shit. We got things to do, but next time, if you mouth off to me, I’ll make sure to enjoy those sweet curves you got under me.”
The asshole laughed, counting the blocks of money in the envelope while his accomplice guarded the door.
“How did you know to come here early?” Lena posed the question with an exaggerated feminine lilt to throw them off their game.
Cougar looked up. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Nothing. I’m just confused why you came sooner than you told me you would.”
“All you need to know is to have the money ready whenever we come by. And don’t be asking me any questions.”
“I was just curious, that’s all,” she whispered.
His intense, penetrating gaze moved over her face. “The bad thing about being curious is it can get you killed.”
A chill like death ran through her.
“We gotta go,” the other thug said.
Cougar pursed his lips and blew her a kiss. “Next time.” Turning around, the two men walked over to the business next to hers.
Lena secured the lock and swallowed hard, trying to rid her mouth of the sour taste the encounter with the bastard had given her. She hoped she had enough on the recording to send to the DA as evidence of the extortion. Someone needed to do something, and she had stepped up.
She only hoped it was enough.
Tank
The blue striped curtains were pinned back from the windows that looked out on the tall magnolia trees where Tank’s mother sat in a recliner on wheels, watching the squirrels. A handmade afghan covered her elevated legs, and a rose-colored shawl was draped around her thin shoulders.