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I don’t need him to speak. I’ll heed his words. LL meant well, was trying to look out for the campaign and my political future, but I knew in the last meeting that Nat is no longer a good fit for our team.
She literally said that the Latino-Hispanic vote was a lost cause and waste of time. The implications she made and the disparaging tone she used were insulting to say the least.
“I’m Latino as well, Nat,” I reminded her.
“Yes, but—” she started before I cut her off.
“Not like those other dirty boys, though, right?”
It was over teleconference because I didn’t want to leave Nik’s side, but Nat leaned back as if I were towering over her. It was then that I knew I should have never agreed to bring her back.
Resolved to tell Nik my decision when I found her, I keep the search on for her.
Soon we’re joined by other members of the family; Angel brings Snake, Rocco, and Padre along, taking the east side of the park, which is more than ten acres, though we’re only using a small section for the barbecue. Santiago puts up his guitar, falling into step with me and Kiyoshi, taking the west.
“You lost my sister?” Kandie yells, running up to me, shoving me in the chest.
My arms pinwheeling, I turn to glare at her just in time to see Ulysses rush up and stand in front of her.
“What’s going on?”
“None of your business,” she yells at him, already spiraling. “I told you to keep that crazy bitch locked up, that she has some kind of weird fixation on my baby sister, but you let her go.”
“Who?” Cold dread drops over me like an avalanche.
“Joi, that’s who,” Kandie says, hugging herself as she shakes gut-wrenching sobs. “ I—I remember her getting me to drink and grilling me about Nikki’s business. I didn’t know anything about y’all, but she wanted to know all about how she grew up and who our mom was. Like she was writing a book or something. Then, when all that stuff was coming out, I caught her on going through my stuff and taking pictures. Then, when the thing about the birth certificate happened, she came back to steal it for evidence, she said, talking about how she was saving Nikki from you.” Shaking her head and looking defeated, she turns from us, heading in the opposite direction.
“We’ll take the south,” Ulysses says, his eyes following her with a troubled expression.
Another half hour passes with still no sign of her. Folks are taking a break, drinking water and trying to recall the last place they saw her.
“I thought I saw Joi lurking around, but I can’t be sure,” Mimi says, handing little Mateo a bottle of water. “I was too busy in the medical tent. But I could have sworn I saw her.”
“She was here.” Kandie pulls out a flask and takes a fortify sip before sliding it back into her jeans pocket. “I looked her dead in the eyes. If I didn’t have a double line, I would’ve walked her tail down.”
I listen to them chat as I text Nikki’s phone for what seems to be the thousandth time.
Me: I’M REALLY WORRIED HERE LITTLE WIFE.
YOU NEED TO HIT ME BACK ASAP. WHATEVER IT IS,
WE CAN WORK IT OUT. PROMISE.
I know evenas I press send I won’t receive an answer. Not three seconds later, Mateo points west, farther than I know Angel and his men are searching. “Pire, PIRE, Mommy.” We all look at the billowing black smoke coming through the trees.
Running like hell is on our heels, we all set out in the direction of the blaze. Ulysses is on his walkie, calling all available volunteers to the fire station. Soon alarms are sounding. We cut through the field before coming upon the burning barn. It’s old but obviously a working barn or at least used for storage of hay, which is highly incendiary. The whole building is a loss. My heart drops because I know that’s where she is. I know Nikki is trapped inside that building, which only increases the speed in which I approach.
“Mathias, no.” Kiyoshi tries to grab me, but I throw him off, continuing to barrel toward the barn.
Ignoring the screams of my name and the sweltering heat, I move like an unstoppable locomotive to get my wife. I don’t think of how much she means to me, what my life would be like without her. None of that crosses my mind as heat blasts me when I approach at full speed. All I can think is,No, this can’t happen to her. She’s been through, endured, and overcame so much. She deserves only good things now. She’s already lost so much. I won’t let her lose her life. Not like this.
Just as I’m stepping away from my likely death due to the heat radiating from the barred-from-the-outside doors, I’m knocked off my feet by what seems like an eighteen-wheeler.
The momentum causes us to tumble head over ass, then ass over head, until I am locked in the strong bands of arms I can’t fight my way out of.
“Let me go,” I scream at the only man I’ve ever called a friend.
“It’s too late,” he says, soothing me. The same way I soothed him the night his mom died.
