Saint Death by Devan Sagliani Page B

and an even bigger Cuban cigar sticking out of his clenched teeth. Around his wrist was a solid loop of silver.
    “And he won't mind us partying here?” Dave asked.
    “He lets me stay here whenever I want, Yesenia explained. “We have an arrangement.”
    Rosa laughed and Yesenia shot a dirty look at her.
    “Interesting,” Dave said, setting the photo back down.
    Rosa made her way into the open kitchen and pulled several bottles of alcohol from the cabinet, setting them on the counter. She filled the blender with ice from the freezer and set to work on making her concoction. Jamie watched with interest as Rosa carefully measured out several shots of tequila before dumping them over the shiny blades. A loud hiss pierced the air as she opened a bottle of ginger ale and dumped it in as well. For a final touch she slashed open three limes and squeezed their juicy pulps into the mix, discarding their sticky, desecrated hulks on the counter and absentmindedly sucking her fingers.
    “Go ahead and make mine a double sweetheart,” Jamie prodded. “I've got a strong tolerance.”
    Rosa simply smirked at Yesenia, as if they were sharing an inside joke, then went back to work. The blender roared to life, drowning out the sound of everything else. When she was satisfied with the results Rosa poured the drinks into blue-rimmed glasses. Yesenia rushed to the kitchen to help Rosa, blocking the others view as she dumped a healthy dose of white powder over the top of each and quickly stirred it in. Angel had told her all she would need was a small amount but she didn't want to take any chances. Rosa watched as Yesenia served up the tainted drinks to Jamie, Zack, and Dave, then poured two clean glasses for them. Jamie didn't waste any time taking a big gulp. From the look on her face Zack realized it was tarter than she'd expected.
    “What's in this thing?” Dave said with a puckered expression still on his face. “It's so sore.”
    Rosa just smiled in reply as she sipped her drink.
    “It's called an El Diablo,” Yesenia laughed, taking her glass from Rosa and finishing it in a single gulp. “Tequila, lime juice, and ginger ale. It's best when the limes are freshly squeezed.”
    “I putting in extra juices for you,” Rosa said in bad English, winking at Jamie.
    “I appreciate that,” Jamie slurred, swaying from side to side. Zack grabbed her and held her up as she let out a giggle.
    “It's her favorite drink,” Yesenia confided. “Go on. Tell her what you think.”
    Zack took a big swig and winced. The tartness of the lime juice faded leaving a strangely medicinal aftertaste. For a moment the distinct possibility that they were being drugged raced through his mind, but it seemed too far-fetched and he laughed it off. You're getting as bad as Dave , he thought, pushing his fears out of his head and finishing the frozen drink.
    “Do you like it?” Rosa asked, the shyness giving way as a devious smile crossed her face.
    Zack began to reply but found to his surprise that in addition to his lips and tongue not working his legs were giving out. He sat down comically on the floor, one finger pointing up in the air as he tried to speak. “Tsiiitspreeeeeetysssstrooooong,” he managed, his words slurring together into an incomprehensible garble.
    Jamie reached down to help him up but Zack pulled her down towards him. She came crashing down on him in a tumble, letting out a loud cackle as she did. Zack fought with his unresponsive arms and legs to roll her off of him and by the time she was laying on her back she was out cold snoring. The room lurched around his head without warning. Suddenly he couldn't keep his eyes open. He laid his face on the cold tile and tried to focus on his breath as the darkness came reaching up for him like a welcome stranger.
    “You guys are just pitiful,” Dave chided, slamming back the rest of his drink and setting the glass on the counter. He looked pleasantly lit up, his cheeks blazing red with