I take one step when the passenger door of the car opens. In the moonlight, I can make out Scarlet’s form as she steps from the vehicle and moves to lean against the hood. Suddenly Dax flashes his lights three times. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when the soft rumbling of an approaching vehicle can be heard, coming from the mouth of the Arroz Strait.
“Hold tight,” Jay says under his breath, so quiet only I can hear, and I nod. A beat-up looking Jeep Cherokee soon is speeding up and heading right toward the car. The Jeep stops within a few feet. Scarlet pushes herself off the hood and approaches the driver side door. I see her reach her arm in the vehicle and pull out what looks like a black bag. Cash. She’s making her part of the transaction. Dax steps out next and she throws him the bag. He rounds the car and opens his trunk. Soon after, another engine, louder this time, cuts through the silence. Scarlet and Dax turn in the direction Jay and I are already facing. Three blacked-out vehicles are heading toward the group. The middle vehicle is a jacked-up Hummer. The thing looks bulletproof and bomb resistant.
“Has to be Bandara,” I say quietly, and Jay nods. He talks quickly and quietly into his radio, before signaling that it’s time to move in closer.
We get down from our perch just before all three approaching vehicles hit their lights. Adrenaline spikes in my veins and my concentration becomes clearer. I can now see Scarlet right in the middle of the action. I wish she could hear me. I wish there was a way I could send her a message to encourage her. We’re almost there. It’s almost over. I think over and over in my brain, hoping she can feel me.
Julio steps out and walks over to Scarlet, bending down to place his lips against her cheeks, and my hand flexes at my side. He must have said something funny, her head tilts slightly, and she laughs before ushering him to the waiting Jeep. A burly man, older in age, steps out and moves toward the trunk with them. The man and Bandara shake hands, and Scarlet motions for his guys to start moving product from the Jeep to one of Bandara’s rides.
“Hold,” Jay grits into the radio. My finger itches to pull the trigger on all these assholes, but I hold off. We need intent to distribute, and we can’t get that charge unless Bandara drives away.
It’s pure agony to wait until the last crate is loaded and Bandara stands in front of Scarlet again. They shake hands and she follows him to his vehicle. Every muscle in my body tenses when he reaches in his back pocket, only to pull out a separate envelope, which he hands to her, right as the splatter of a bullet hits the vehicle. Scarlet and Julio duck, while his men start shooting back in the direction the shot came from, blindly, because it’s too dark to see anything. Soon more bullets are being fired in all directions.
“What the fuck!” Jay calls out, running down the hill, and I follow, hot on his heels. Dax has taken refuge behind his car, and the other man is now shooting as well. Our men start moving forward, breaking the plan and setting this whole operation into panic. Fear catches in my throat, right when Julio grabs Scarlet, and holds her like a shield to his front, his own gun pointed at her. I freeze, her face holding a moment of shock while rage blazes in her eyes. He propels her into the vehicle and tosses his driver out to hop in after her. Sure enough, bullets ricochet off the Hummer. The tires squeal as he peels out, kicking up dust and dirt.
“They’re heading for the border!” Jay yells, his arm motioning for our team to follow. “There’s only five miles, if they cross it, we lose all of this!”
I glance back toward Dax’s car and sprint over. “Keys!” I yell and he tosses them into the air. I hop in and slam my foot on the gas. It’s a miracle I get as close as I do. Taking my gun from my hip, I stick my hand out of the window and start aiming at the tires. Julio manages to evade them and it sends us both off the road and into the rough part of the terrain. “Shit,” I mutter, before shifting into high gear, which causes my tail end to swivel while gaining the traction I need. I chase after them, while hearing Jay in my ear calling off how many miles I have left. Each time, it feels like a clock counting down an explosion. My heart races and sweat is gathering at my temples. I can’t lose her.
Cranking the wheel, I manage to get somewhat back on the road and the car pitches forward. I have enough room again to take a shot. This time, I manage to get the back tire, and the Hummer swerves from the impact of the tire going out. I pull the trigger again and manage to hit one more. The Hummer completely skids to a sideways stop. The motion causes a cloud of dust to hang thickly in the air. I hit my emergency brake and come to a stop near them, managing to get out of the car before Julio can shoot at me. I’m almost positive Dax’s windows are not bulletproof.
The car door slams and a smothered yell from Scarlet hits my ears. Squinting through the dust, I creep along the side of the car until I see him crouched, still holding her pinned to his chest.
“Let her go, Bandara!” I yell and his head swivels in my direction. “Let her go. She’s who we’re here for.” I lay down the lie. I don’t want to lose Julio, but I refuse to let him get Scarlet across that border. There is a good chance he may kill her. I can’t lose her.
I see her struggle against him. I have to give the man props, he at least contemplates his options. Probably sizing up how much he actually needs her. He pushes her to the ground and starts running for the border, shooting at me as he goes. I chase after him, firing. I feel a burning sensation in my arm, but keep going. My clip is almost empty. Dropping to one knee, I take a steady shot, breathing hard. This time, I don’t miss. Bandara falls to the ground, while blood blooms in a red patch over his back. Sirens are getting closer now. I’m sure we’ve finally alerted Border Patrol. Behind me, I can hear car tires skidding on the gravel. Helicopter blades swirl through the area and a white spotlight hits me. I drop my gun and raise my hands behind my head. My eyes never leave Bandara’s body, fearing if I blink, he’ll disappear and all of this will be for nothing. I hope he survives, but I don’t need him alive.
I’m eventually hauled to my feet, right as medical personnel are picking up Bandara. Jay orders one of our guys to stay with him, not trusting anyone around us. I’m walked over to Jay, who grimaces when he looks at me. “You fucking got shot?”
I look down and, sure enough, there is a tear in my skin. “Grazed.”
“That was almost really bad.” Jay sighs. His face looks tired and worn. “Now we have this to clean up.”
“Who fired?” I ask, waiting on needles.
His eyes catch mine as if he reads my mind and he shakes his head. “One of ours. He thought he knew better than me and took a shot before we were ready.”
Now it’s my turn to sigh in relief. “Is she okay?’
“Little banged up,” Jay answers, “Why do you care, though? You still don’t trust her. A second ago, you were ready to believe she ratted us out and blew our cover.”
My eyes close. I hate that he’s right. I lower my head, feeling like shit. How will I ever fix what’s broken with us? Scarlet proved today that she has been all in. Everything she’s shared was to help us get here, and I can’t move past what happened six years ago. I don’t know if I ever will.
Hesitantly, I move around Jay and head toward Scarlet. The EMT has her sitting in the back of an ambulance with a blanket around her shoulders. I take in the way her hair is blowing in the breeze, the tear streaks on her face, down to the ridiculous pair of black, sparkling high heels she’s wearing. When our eyes meet, I can see the sadness in the depths of her chocolatey orbs. For the first time since she walked back into my life, I can see the vulnerability she carries. A woman broken so young, who was forced to do unspeakable things to protect everyone, including me. When is a monster not a monster? A reel of memories plays in my mind. From the first night on the beach, to when Blake died, to the other morning when she bared her soul, her reason for carrying on was to keep our child alive. So, when is a monster not a monster…when you love her.