Page 102 of Ruthless Beast

I want to ask Maria who we’re with and where we’re going, but I promised to keep my mouth shut, so that’s what I do. We race past other cars, past street parties and fireworks, past dilapidated apartment buildings, into the darkness.

I have no idea where we’re going, but I trust Maria. She has as much to lose here as I have. She and I are ducking down behind the driver and passenger seats like kids playing hide and seek. I’m holding onto her hand so tightly that I’m probably cutting off her circulation.

The man in the front seat starts talking to Maria. He’s talking pretty fast, but I manage to catch every few words. He’s saying something about a fee. Maria reaches into her hoodie pocket and hands him a wad of notes. They look like they’ve seen better days, so I guess she’s been squireling them away for a while now.

The man hands the money over to his co driver who counts the notes and then nods. I look at Maria, who places her finger over her lips, reinforcing her previous command for me to keep quiet. I nod.

It’s been at least half an hour, and my legs are cramping in the small space on the floor behind the passenger seat. But my discomfort is a small price compared to the freedom I’m racing toward.

The car slows down and comes to a stop. The driver speaks to Maria, who gets up. She pulls me from my compact hiding spot.

“Come,” she whispers.

She doesn’t have to tell me twice. The car doors open, and we get out. Where are we?

The car speeds off as soon as we’re out. Maria takes me by the hand again and leads me toward a motel.

“You can talk now.”

“Oh, thank God. Where are we?”

“On the outskirts of Tijuana. We’ll be safe here.”

“Why did you tell me not to talk?”

“If those guys knew you were American, they would have charged me double the price to get us out of there.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

Maria takes out a key.

“Where did you get that?”

“The driver booked us a room. I told him not to tell the owner who the room is for. It’s better if we stay out of sight.”

“Maria, you’re a lifesaver! I can’t believe we made it.”

“We’re not out of the woods yet. You’d better get hold of your friends as soon as possible so we can leave this place altogether.”

“Of course.”

Maria and I stop outside room number fourteen. The place is run down and smells like it’s seen its fair share of travelers. But it’s not the strip club and it’s in better shape than the rooms we are used to staying in.

I make a beeline for the phone. Thank God, I know Dannie’s number by heart. I don’t care that it’s the middle of the night. I reach for the receiver and place it a short distance from my ear. Who knows what kind of germs and grime have attached themselves to the piece of plastic? Yuk!

“Oh, fuck! The phone’s dead.”

I fiddle with the phone a few times without any success. There’s no dial tone.

“What are we going to do now?” I say in exasperation and plonk myself down on the bed.

“I think I spotted a payphone down the block. Come, let’s go,” Maria says.

We leave the room and lock the door behind us.

“There,” she says, heading for the phone booth.

"Well, this is just fucking fantastic,” I gasp when we get closer. “The receiver is lying on top of the call box, severed from the wire.

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