Page 74 of Love at First Ink

The driver’s door shut once Javi got in. “Know where to go?” she heard Lola ask.

“I got it, Preciosa. Buckle up. I’ll get us there soon,” he said.

Marisol didn’t know how Javi knew where to go, but she was glad he did. It gave her time to turn off her brain and self-loathe some more in her sister’s arms. Lola, to her credit, didn’t seem to care that Marisol was getting her shirt wet with her tears and messy with makeup smudges. As a mother, she was probably used to having weird stains on her clothes.

It felt like forever, but in actuality was probably onlyfifteen minutes before they reached the county jail. Javi parked right out front, but they were one of the only cars in the parking lot.

“Cisco is here?” Marisol asked.

“He should be.” Javi turned off the car.

Marisol wasted no time getting out of the car. “We’re coming with you!” Lola said as Marisol took off in a jog. There was no use in arguing with her sister. Besides, it felt better to not be alone.

Marisol took the stairs to the front entrance two at a time before bursting through the doors with Lola and Javi not far behind. The small blond man behind a plexiglass wall looked up. He seemed put off by being forced to do his job. “Can I help you?” he asked, looking at the three of them with mild curiosity.

She was sure they were a sight to see. All dressed up, but then she had makeup running and tear streaks down her cheeks. Marisol approached him, desperate for answers. “Do you have Francisco Ramos here?”

The cop sighed and turned to his ancient-looking computer, typing something in. Marisol tapped her fingers against the metal ledge outside his desk. The cop was taking his sweet time, nearly making her combust with anxiety.

“Francisco Ramos, you say?” he asked.

Doing everything in her power not to strangle this man, Marisol said, “Yes.” She hoped it didn’t come out as a hiss.

“He’s being processed. It’s going to be a while, miss. My advice? Come back in the morning. If he can be released, it’ll be then,” he said, oblivious to Marisol’s mounting anger.

Leave and let Cisco stay a night here? What if he thought she left him here and didn’t want to help him? The betrayal of having stuck up for her, only for her not to come and bail him out.

“Please,” she begged. “I can’t leave here without him. It was all a misunderstanding.”

“Be that as it may, miss, you can’t leave with him,” the cop said, showing little empathy. “Like I said, come back in the morning, and if he can be released, he’ll be released. Can’t change the system.”

“But—”

“Marisol,” Lola’s gentle voice came from behind her. Her hand rested on Marisol’s shoulder. “We’ll come back first thing in the morning. I promise.”

Marisol whirled around, panic-stricken and on the verge of breaking down once again. “I can’t leave him, Lola!”

“I know, but?—”

“What if it was Javi?” Marisol desperately needed someone else to understand how she was feeling. How unfair it all was. “You wouldn’t want to leave him either.”

She saw the hesitation on her sister’s face. “I know,” Lola sighed. “It’s unfair. If it were Javi, I wouldn’t want to go home either. But you need to, Marisol. You need to rest so we can get here first thing in the morning. You’ll be the first person he sees when he’s released.”

Helplessness settled deep within her. Helpless to help Cisco. Helpless to change the situation. Helpless to make it right. Her body grew tired, and all the fight went out of her. “I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered. Snowball was at home, but she needed another person with her.

“You won’t be alone. I promise,” her sister said.

Marisol wanted to believe her, simply because thinking and doing anything else was exhausting. In the end, there really wasn’t any other choice but to go home, so she nodded.

“Let’s go.” Lola wrapped an arm around her to lead her out.

Like a ghost, Marisol followed silently. Even though her entire heart remained behind. Even in her darkest moment, she still had to keep herself together enough to contact one more person and give them the news about Cisco.

As soon as she got into the car, she called her.

CHAPTER 33

Cisco

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