Page 39 of Queen of Ruin

The bags under my eyes have faded a little after a proper night’s sleep, but the bruising around my throat is blooming to life. That man almost killed me. This entire nightmare has been a close call on my life, but somehow, that man was scarier than the car crash and the assholes with the gun.

Scary, I guess, because he almost succeeded if not for Valentina.

Swallowing feels tight but I ignore it as I wash my mouth with a few handfuls of water, dress, and then head back out into the room.

“I won’t be long, but don’t open the door for anyone.”

“I won’t.” She smiles warmly at me from her nest of pillows but the pain fogging her eyes is clear. Whatever window we have before her pain overwhelms her is rapidly closing.

I have to act fast.

Snatching up my phone, I kiss her forehead and leave the motel room, stepping out onto the walkway where the somewhat familiar stench of cigarette smoke and piss fills the air. With only a handful of dollars left, I head down to the ground where a couple of scarcely filled vending machines gleam in the bright sunlight. Variety is a thing of the past, it seems, as one machine is filled with cigarettes, a couple of condoms, and the same brand and flavor of chips all the way down.

The second one has a couple of candy bags, more of the same chips, and two bottles of neon blue drink. They’ll have to do. I feed my dollars into the machine and press the keys, then turn on my phone while I wait for my highly nutritious snacks.

[Mindy] You’re dead meat, you hear me?

[Mindy] I need more money and you owe me.

[Mindy] Seriously, Diego. I need more. You know what it’s like. I’m going to claw myself apart if you don’t help me get what I need.

[Mindy] Do you want my death on your conscience, huh? Do you really care that little?

[Mindy] Fucking cunt. I hope you and your whore die.

[Mindy] I’m sorry. Didn’t mean it. Was the come-down talking.

[Mindy] You gotta help me.

[Mindy] Answer your phone, you fucker.

[Mindy] Or I’ll come to your house.

[Mindy] I’m gonna come and slit my wrists on your doorstep. Least I’ll get high at the hospital.

[Mindy] Fuck you, I hope you die!

All her messages pour through in bulk, as well as numerous missed calls to the point that my phone lags trying to load them all. Staring down at them, my heart jolts slightly and my stomach twists with guilt. The only reason she’s suffering a come-down is that I gave her money to go away. I knew what she would do with it, but it still pains me to be the cause, even if without me, she would have gotten what she needed some other way.

Buried beneath those messages is a voicemail from an unknown number. I hit play while gathering the snacks from the machine.

“Diego,” comes a painfully familiar voice. The cop from the bar. Clark. “You left me with quite the mess, you and your little bitch. I’ll keep things short and sweet. You can’t run forever. You might think you can. Hell, she might tell you that you can evade me, but let me make one thing crystal clear. I always get what I want. Time is running out for you. Do the right thing and hand her over. Maybe I’ll even let you walk away. Call me.”

I need to get rid of this phone, but buying another is way out of my budget. Maybe Valentina will know what to do. With my snacks under one arm, I scroll past a few last tempting messages from Tech who’s overly determined to get me to sell for him. He keeps talking it up in terms of the money I’ll make and the trust he has in me.

It’s painfully tempting.

“Mr. Diego?” An unfamiliar voice catches me as I’m two steps up the stairs to the walkway. Turning on my heel, I’m braced to throw the snacks and run, but it’s not the cop standing there. It’s the motel manager.

He looks just as shitty as he did last night and quickly runs one hand over his bald head, then points at me with fingers stained yellow. “You.”

“Me?” I glance around. “What about me?”

“You owe me.”

“For what?”

“Your second payment declined for the room,” he snaps with a wet snort. “So you and your guest? You gotta leave, you hear me? I want you out.”