scared to death but fine. I’ve gotten away from Luzaro so you’ve got to listen to me. Your life is in danger, they’ll be coming for you and they’ll try to use you to get to me. So get out of town and don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Not even me, do you understand?”
“I understand,” Julie sniffed miserably. “Isn’t there anything we can do? These bastards shouldn’t be able to dictate to us like this.”
“Enrique is a psychopath, Julie, do you hear me? A psychopath! I saw him kill a DEA agent in cold blood so there’s no way in hell he’s going to let me live now that I’ve left Luzaro’s protection. He’ll kill you too, Julie, just to spite me. He’s that kind of man!”
“I’m packing as we speak,” Julie said, resolution now evident in her voice. “How will I find you or know when it’s safe to come back home?”
Laurie thought hard for a moment or two then said, “You know that little newspaper with all the personal ads and that you’re always complaining about it littering your doorstep? I’ll send you a message when it’s safe through that newspaper. Look in the “personals” section. You’ll know my ad when you see it.”
“Okay, Laurie, whatever you say.” Laurie could hear Julie’s front door slam shut as Julie continued, “You be careful, you hear me, and stay in touch?”
“I will, Julie,” Laurie said with a catch in her throat. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I can get settled somewhere and think of what to do.”
“We could call the FBI . . .”
Laurie didn’t hear the rest of what Julie was saying. Her heart started beating a frantic tattoo in her chest when she saw a black Escalade turn the corner and head down the street toward where she stood in the phone booth. She hastily slammed the receiver back in its cradle and crouched as low as she could get in the restricted confines of the phone booth, and she prayed.
Please God, please don’t let it be them! Please!
Laurie breathed a sigh of relief, her prayers answered when the Escalade drove slowly past the phone booth, a cell phone plastered to the left ear of a woman with flaming red hair. Tears of reaction trickled down Laurie’s cheeks and she rested her head against the glass walls of the phone booth for a moment before squaring her shoulders and pulling open the phone booth door. She had to get out of Nogales as quickly as possible and resolved to call the FBI as soon as she got to Tucson where she would be able to purchase a prepaid cell phone. Luzaro had confiscated her phone as soon as they’d boarded his plane in New York. There would be no more phone booths for her. They were too exposed as the experience with the woman driving the Escalade had taught her.
Laurie walked resolutely toward the used car lot where she could see the car she’d purchased was ready and waiting for her. It wasn’t much of a car but it would have to do. The money Luzaro had given her was running dangerously low after paying for the car and having given Jenny several hundred dollars.
The man who had sold her the car stood beside the aging Sentra dangling the car keys in his right hand and smiling ear to ear as she walked up.
“It’s all ready for you, little lady.” Ben Johnson reluctantly handed her the keys when he noticed the tears that were staining her cheeks. “Are you okay, Miss?” He’d been hoping to take her to dinner that night but he could tell by the look on her face there wasn’t going to be a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening.
“I’ll be okay. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone that you’ve seen me,” Laurie attempted a soggy half-smile. “My boyfriend has hit me one time too
“I understand,” Julie sniffed miserably. “Isn’t there anything we can do? These bastards shouldn’t be able to dictate to us like this.”
“Enrique is a psychopath, Julie, do you hear me? A psychopath! I saw him kill a DEA agent in cold blood so there’s no way in hell he’s going to let me live now that I’ve left Luzaro’s protection. He’ll kill you too, Julie, just to spite me. He’s that kind of man!”
“I’m packing as we speak,” Julie said, resolution now evident in her voice. “How will I find you or know when it’s safe to come back home?”
Laurie thought hard for a moment or two then said, “You know that little newspaper with all the personal ads and that you’re always complaining about it littering your doorstep? I’ll send you a message when it’s safe through that newspaper. Look in the “personals” section. You’ll know my ad when you see it.”
“Okay, Laurie, whatever you say.” Laurie could hear Julie’s front door slam shut as Julie continued, “You be careful, you hear me, and stay in touch?”
“I will, Julie,” Laurie said with a catch in her throat. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I can get settled somewhere and think of what to do.”
“We could call the FBI . . .”
Laurie didn’t hear the rest of what Julie was saying. Her heart started beating a frantic tattoo in her chest when she saw a black Escalade turn the corner and head down the street toward where she stood in the phone booth. She hastily slammed the receiver back in its cradle and crouched as low as she could get in the restricted confines of the phone booth, and she prayed.
Please God, please don’t let it be them! Please!
Laurie breathed a sigh of relief, her prayers answered when the Escalade drove slowly past the phone booth, a cell phone plastered to the left ear of a woman with flaming red hair. Tears of reaction trickled down Laurie’s cheeks and she rested her head against the glass walls of the phone booth for a moment before squaring her shoulders and pulling open the phone booth door. She had to get out of Nogales as quickly as possible and resolved to call the FBI as soon as she got to Tucson where she would be able to purchase a prepaid cell phone. Luzaro had confiscated her phone as soon as they’d boarded his plane in New York. There would be no more phone booths for her. They were too exposed as the experience with the woman driving the Escalade had taught her.
Laurie walked resolutely toward the used car lot where she could see the car she’d purchased was ready and waiting for her. It wasn’t much of a car but it would have to do. The money Luzaro had given her was running dangerously low after paying for the car and having given Jenny several hundred dollars.
The man who had sold her the car stood beside the aging Sentra dangling the car keys in his right hand and smiling ear to ear as she walked up.
“It’s all ready for you, little lady.” Ben Johnson reluctantly handed her the keys when he noticed the tears that were staining her cheeks. “Are you okay, Miss?” He’d been hoping to take her to dinner that night but he could tell by the look on her face there wasn’t going to be a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening.
“I’ll be okay. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone that you’ve seen me,” Laurie attempted a soggy half-smile. “My boyfriend has hit me one time too
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