Page 68 of Tequila & Lace
He nodded. “Do you want my life story or what?”
“Does it pertain to the case?” Reigles asked. I wanted to reach over and cover her mouth with my hand. I wanted his entire life story. I wanted it all!
“I think most of it does.” He nodded. “It started when I was eight.” He looked me square in the eyes. He knew. This was it. This was the moment I’d been waiting for.
“And you’re willing to talk without a lawyer present?”
“Let the man talk!” I spat.Jesus!
Bryce laughed. “I’ve been waiting for the day I could take down my father.”
Me too!“I think we can remove the cuffs now. Get you some water.” I stood and started to remove the cuffs as Agent Reigles left the room to get the water. It was the first time I was trying to fight back tears. This was my brother. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and hug him. I didn’t carewhohe was and what he’d been doing for the last twelve years. I’d missed him.
Reigles returned with a bottle of water and Bryce took a few sips. “The night of my sister’s seventeenth birthday, all I wanted was cake. We never got treats. I was eight and thought that we’d at least have a cake. Instead, our mother sent her out with my dad. At the time, I didn’t know he was my dad. I don’t think she knew he was my father either because he wasn’t her dad. Anyway, she never came back. To this day, I don’t know what happened to her.”
I pulled everything from within me to show no emotions as he stared directly at me and told the story.
“That night, my dad came into our trailer and beat my mom. I’d thought that he’d beaten her to death, but I was too young to know for sure, so I left her in her room. The next day he returned and took us. She wasn’t dead, but we left and never returned. I thought for sure my sister was dead and I cried. I cried for days, but never in front of my mother and that man. I didn’t want him to beat me like he beat her, but I just wanted my sister because she was my best friend. But she never returned to get me.”
I stood, causing the metal chair to screech in the process. I was about to lose my shit and become a blubbering mess. I should of returned that night and taken him with me. I had enough money for two bus tickets. Seth could have taken us both in. Instead, my actions caused my brother to become a criminal.
“He filed some papers and changed my last name to Martinez. Growing up he forced me to do things that I never wanted to do. Steal this, beat him up, fuck her. It escalated each time. Eventually, we moved here from Miami and started picking up the prostitutes working the streets of Vegas, or the Weekend Warriors who fly in just on the weekends to have a good time. Those are the best ones because it’s harder to know they’re missing.”
“Anyway, my mother killed herself three years ago. She left a suicide note and confessed that Tony was my father, so it’s only fitting he has me running his business for him.”
“How did…”
“She overdosed on oxy. She said the pain of losing her daughter for selling her at seventeen was eating her alive and it was too much for her to take. She was tired of living under Tony and his orders.”
“And you still think it’s okay to sell women?”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Why not come to the police?”
“I’d still end up in prison.”
“But you’ll be doing the right thing. Think about your mother. Think about your sister.”
He stared at me. “Can I make a deal?”
I stared back. “What kind of deal?”
“I can’t save my mother, but in hopes that mysister’sstill alive I want to make a plea in exchange for Tony. I’ll work with you to bring him down.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Paul
Before I could speak to Andi—or Joselyn… whatever her name was, the police rushed in. It was a whirlwind. At first I was handcuffed until she explained the situation and then I was asked to go down to make a statement of what happened. Then I was told to not tell anyone because Andi… Joselyn… was still undercover.
I didn’t understand why. I thought she’d caught the guy. Why else would she pull her gun on him? Why would they shoot at her? And why did she reveal her real name?
Usually, I would go to Gabe and talk everything out with him, but I couldn’t tell him that I was just in a shootout with two thugs, a pimp, and my FBI girlfriend. I’d thought his situation with Major Dick was crazy, but I believed mine was the icing on the cake and I couldn’t even tell him.
Wasn’t that some shit?
So I went to the liquor store, bought a bottle of tequila and went home to wait for whatever the fuck her name was. I wasn’t sure why I was mad at her—but I was. I was questioning if it was all even real between us or if it was all an act. I half expected her shit to be packed and moved out by the time I arrived home. But when I pulled in and peeked in her room, everything was the same. I showered and changed into shorts and then broke open the bottle of agave goodness.
