Page 97 of Alonzo

“Sure,” one man says, walking over to the door. He points in a direction I vaguely calculate as northwest. “Just past dock three, on the other side of that trimaran. That’s where Lonz keeps the Precious Cargo. But he’s got an office and you’ll likely find him in there this time of the morning. Just look for the gray door that says ‘Dumas Deep Sea Charters’ on it.”

I smile, thank the sailor, and head towards his office. The office is easy to find, but when I pull open the door and go inside, it’s empty. I look back at the boats, wondering if I should go look for him out on the docks. But there’s not just one dock. There are dozens of them. And the helpful sailor didn’t tell me which one was home to Lonnie’s boat.

I’m deciding if I should stay in the office or go looking when I see Alonzo come walking down the dock. He’s looking over his shoulder, talking to another man, but then he stops and a third man appears.

My heart thuds inside my chest before I can even come to terms with what I’m actually seeing.

That… can’t be him.

It can’t be!

But the third man is shirtless, his t-shirt haphazardly tucked into the waistband of his jeans, and there’s no way to miss the ink on his chest and arms.

Devils. Demons. Scenes of hell, and fire, and damnation.

Diablo.

It’s him. He’s followed me here. He found Alonzo and he’s probably threatening him. Probably planning on killing him if he doesn’t tell him where I am!

I’m just about to make a run for it, go back the way I came, gather up Belinda, and Vann, and get the hell out of here to keep Alonzo and his family safe from the retribution that is surely coming if this devil man figures out I’m staying with him.

But they turn in my direction and I quickly duck back inside the office and brace myself against the door.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Now what? What if they’re coming in here? I inch over to the side and peek out the window.

Holy fuck! They’re like a few feet away. I search the office for a place to hide, spy a door, sprint over to it, pull it open, and slip into a locker room. Just barely closing the door quietly behind me before all three men walk through the office door.

My heart is racing inside my chest. This isn’t possible. Why is he here? How did he find me? We were careful with my phone. I threw it away. Got a new one. Only three people have the number. So… how did he find me?

Talking in the other room snaps my attention back to the current dangerous situation.

Is that… laughing? Are they laughing?

I press my face into the door seal, then slowly, carefully, open it a crack so I can peek through.

Lonnie is sitting in a chair with his back to me, his feet kicked up on an old metal desk. The other guy is sitting at another old metal desk that faces Lonnie’s. But he’s got his chair swiveled to the side.

Both of them are smiling at Diablo, who is standing in the middle of the room, telling them… a fishing story?

All three men laugh.

What the fuck is happening?

Lonnie shuffles through some papers on his desk. “OK, Diablo. Let’s get down to business. Here’s the manifest for the package. Ten boys and nine girls under the age of twelve and one teen boy, age fourteen. The main route is highlighted in green, the alternate in red, and—”

Lonnie’s cell rings, cutting him off. He holds up a finger to Diablo, gets up from his chair, and accepts the call as he turns in my direction.

I close the crack in the door and hurry off to the side, looking around for a place to hide. I dart into a shower room, hoping for a shower curtain, but all I find is one open shower stall.

But Lonnie is already inside the locker room, talking. So I just crouch in the corner and try not to breathe so I can hear his conversation.

“What? No, I told you, Tony. He’s already here. Tell Dad it’s fine. We’ll be fine.” He pauses, listening on the other ends. “Look, Tara isn’t going to be a problem. She has no idea we’re connected to Diablo. And Belinda—fine, Rosalie—just throw her in a fucking truck, drive her up there, and dump her off. Problem solved.” He pauses. “Vann is a dumb kid, Tony. He’s only here because he has a thing for Bel—Rosalie. We’re smugglers, for fuck’s sake. Just smuggle him in with Rosalie and dump him off at the same place. I’ll take care of his truck. Don’t worry about the fucking Coast Guard. Quint’s buddy is working that sector tonight. Just… do what I tell you and everyone will be fine. I gotta go. I’ve got to go over the paperwork with Diablo so he knows which kid goes to which client.” Alonzo sighs. Like he’s stressed. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem. But I’ll come by your office as soon as I finish up with Diablo. Later.”

I wait, listening as the locker room door opens and closes. The voices in the other room rise and fall.

I should get up and go spy. Gather as much information as I can so I can take it to… to who? The FBI? The police? What if they’re all in on it, just like the Coast Guard?

But I can’t move. I’m not even sure how long I stay crouched in the shower stall. Long enough to make my legs cramp and my hope die.