Ride or Die

As I get out of the car, I hear him mumble something but I brush it off and jog across the street and down the sidewalk until I see the cop from earlier standing on the corner. I take a deep breath, hoping it isn’t a set up as I walk towards him, my hands shoved into my pockets.

“Alright so how much cash are we talking exactly?” He asks me as he looks at the ground.

“How does a grand sound?”

He laughs softly and nods his head, “sounds feasible.”

“Let’s do this then,” I say, pulling my hands out of my pockets and my hood over my head.

“We’re going to go in around the back,” he states, leading the way down the street towards an alley, “and I’m going to drop the key and walk away. I’ll go down to the café two blocks down, drop the money in this bag,” he explains, handing me a small camera bag, “when you drive by, if the cops haven’t caught on to you then pull off to the curb, drop the bag by the door, and go.”

I nod my head, “simple enough.”

He nods his head and as we come to the locked up gate of the back entrance, he drops the key on the ground and walks down the alley in the opposite way we had come. After he disappears around the corner, I pick up the key and unlock the gate, sliding the chain out and opening both doors. It doesn’t take me long to spot my car, so I pull the spare key out of my pocket and unlock the door, getting in and checking under the seat for my money. With a sigh of relief, I pull it out and count off a thousand dollars, dropping it into the bag and zipping it up. The rest I stick into the glove box before hotwiring my car and pulling out of the spot.

I curse when I notice a few cops sitting at the front gate, and it’s easy to tell that I’ve caught their attention. I slam it into gear and drift around the corner, sliding out of the gate and tossing the key out the window. The less I have on me, the better. I turn into the alley and speed off in the direction of the café, which I reach in less than three minutes. Hopping up onto the curb, I put it in neutral, hop out, drop the bag at the door and get back into my car, taking off before I have my door fully shut.
I can hear the sirens as I speed through traffic lights and stop signs, causing plenty of near misses as I head for the outskirts of town. Flipping my cell phone open, I dial Jesse’s number, putting the phone to my ear as I start to see blue lights in my rearview and the sirens get just a bit louder.

“How’s it go… what is that noise? Em, what’s going on?” Jesse rushes out.

“I got my car back, but here’s the problem,” I state, checking my rearview and not liking what I see, “I have to disappear.”

“Emilia!” Jesse yells out, hearing the sirens getting louder through the phone.

I swallow the lump in my throat, “Just tell Mia and Dom I love them. I love you too kid, I’ll be back. Be smart.”

Before he can say anything, I hang the phone up and flip it over in my hands as I speed down the road towards I-10. Without being too careful, I pull the SIM card out and chuck the rest of the phone out the window, watching in my rear view briefly as it smashes on the pavement. With my eyes set firmly on the road now, I speed up and quickly start to lose the large trail of cops behind me. With a quick prayer, I look out at the open road and take a deep breath, “no turning back now,” I mutter to myself.

~~CANCUN~~1 Year Later~~

“Gracias, Senor.”

“De nada, Senorita.”

I smile at the shopkeeper and take my small bag of groceries back to the small apartment I’m currently staying in, a smile on my face as the bright sun warms it. I take a deep breathe in and stop on the stairs into my apartment, turning around and watching the bustling of tourists and locals alike; the shopkeeper’s bartering with the tourists, and the local kids playing ball in the street. I turn back to my door and walk in, almost dropping my groceries when I see Vince standing in the living room.

“Mateo! ¿Quién eres tú para que alguien en mi casa?” (Mateo! Who are you to let someone into my home?) I shout as I kick the door shut behind me and move towards the kitchen, ignoring Vince completely.

“No es como que me dio mucha opción, Emilia.” (It’s not like he gave me much choice.)

“Are you ready to talk?” Vince asks me, turning around and following me into the kitchen.

Continuing to ignore him, I start putting away the groceries, looking through the window over the sink once I’m finished and take a deep, but shaky breath.

“Mateo, dar un paseo. Te llamaré.” (take a walk. I’ll call you.)

He huffs, but does as I ask and leaves the apartment, probably unhappy at the thought of being kicked out for a random man that forces himself into the apartment.

“Boyfriend?” Vince asks.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, ignoring his question without turning around.

“Dom is in jail.”

I close my eyes, trying to remind myself that it’s better than him being dead and give a slight nod to show that I’ve heard him.

“Not enough? Jesse is dead.”

I feel my knees buckle as I shut my eyes against the onslaught of tears caused by the ripping pain in my chest; Vince is quick to grab ahold of me, helping me to a chair at the small table and pulling a chair up close to me as I lean against him, silent tears running down my face.

“Letty’s gone too.”

Suddenly my lunch seems to be wanting to make an entrance as I push away from the table and rush to the sink, turning it on as I begin to heave into it. Vince is behind me in an instant, my hair in his hand and his other hand rubbing small circles on my back, “breathe,” he mumbles.
After a few minutes of losing my lunch, I lean down on my elbows and run my hands under the water before splashing some on my face and finally standing up and breathing deeply. Vince pulls me into his arms and against his chest, wrapping his arms around me tightly before pulling away, his hands moving to my shoulders.

“So, are you going to answer my question now?”

“Mateo and I have been living together since I first moved here about six months ago. There’s no spoken agreement that we’re together, if there was, well,” I chuckle and shake my head, “let’s not go there.”

Vince grunts and shakes his head, “Mia needs you. She’s lost Jesse, Letty, and she lost Dom to prison.”

“If I go back there, I’ll be arrested and thrown in with Dom,” I state, shaking my head.

“She thinks she’s lost you too Emilia. Are you really going to let your sister think that the only family she has left is dead?”

“And why aren’t you there Vince? Why aren’t you with her?”

“Brian seems to be taking care of her pretty damn well,” he mutters.

“Get out! Fuera. ¡Fuera de mi casa y no volver nunca!” (Get out of my house and never come back!)

“You were gone! Jesse made it sound like you were never coming back!” Vince yells, standing up.

“So you just think it’s okay to move on to my twin sister?! What is wrong with you? Were they all lies? That night?” I ask him, standing up and shoving him.

“Don’t start this now Emilia!”

“Get the fuck out Vince, I mean it.”

“Or what? You’ll call the cops?”

“She doesn’t have to. Policía. Teniente Mateo Morales, and I believe my esposa has asked you kindly to leave.”

I look up and notice Mateo standing in the living room, his arms crossed and his badge hanging off the belt of his jeans and his gun hanging next to his chest on his shoulder holster. I shake my head slightly, a small smile on my face as Vince looks between Mateo and myself.

“Esposa… did he just say esposa?” Vince asks me.

I feel the flush in my cheeks as I look over at Vince and nod my head slightly.

“You’re married?” The crack in his voice makes my heart ache a little more as I nod my head again.

He looks down at my hand that I had kept crossed under my other arm, and his eyes immediately find the gold band and the diamond ring.

“You lied to me, and now I find out you’re actually married? You’re married and he’s a cop?!”

“How else do you think I have my own apartment, my freedom? Vince, did you think I would openly wander the streets of Mexico so shortly after running from the cops and illegally crossing a border?”

“So you married a cop?” He asks me, looking angry and bewildered while turning to Mateo, “you know she’s a fugitive, right? Fugitivo?”

“I know who she is and what she has done, but that does not change the fact that she is el amor de mi vida, the love of my life.”

Vince looks back at me, his expression a mixture of anger, hurt, betrayal, and astonishment. He walks towards me and pulls me into a hug, startling me as he presses his lips to my ear, “I still love you.”

I look at him in shock as he backs away and then turns to Mateo, “keep her safe.”

I watch as he leaves the apartment and then turn to Mateo, “my brother is locked up, and two of my closest friends are dead. Tengo que volver.” (I have to go back.)

He nods his head and crosses the living room into the dining room, pulling me into his arms in a tight hug, “Lo sé. Ten cuidado.” (I know. Be safe.)

I nod my head as he pulls away and puts his hand on my growing stomach that’s hidden under my baggy sweatshirt, “mantenga a salvo.” (Keep her safe.)

I nod my head again and kiss him lightly on the cheek before going to the bedroom to pack a small bag of clothes. The stash of money under my bed reminds me of why I left, but I shake the feelings of regret out of my head as I stuff the money into the bag. I hear the door close and know that Mateo has left the house to help arrange my travel into the country.