Don't Touch

-35-

"So you mean to tell me that this nigga has a whole wife and child? I knew I should've looked into him. I just assumed he was some boring punk ass accountant." Sean tapped his phone on the table anxiously as he suppressed his rage.

"Yeah. As if I couldn't feel any more like shit, he showed me just how much of a fool I was." Syd groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"You know if we just kill him, Luci would be safe, right?"

"Yeah, I know. If Hector is dead, Santi has no reason to target Luci. Even if Camila is still alive, she doesn't have anything else of much value to offer him, at least not anything worth going through the trouble of retrieving Luci."

"Then why not do that?" Sean said matter-of-factly.

Syd lifted her head to look Sean in the eyes. "Hector's dad lost his wife last year and his youngest son ran away from rehab and is still missing. Even if Hector is trash, I can't do that to his father. Plus, he's been missing since my party so we'd be the main suspects if he turns up dead."

"So, we pay people off and make shit disappear."

"Yeah, but his family would still know and that shit would hurt them. I can't do that."

"But they probably knew Hector had a wife and kid and lied to you about it while still smiling in your face like shit was sweet," Sean snapped.

"I mean, he did tell them that he left Camila... And with Luci... I don't know. His cousins in Jersey seem to think she's Miguel's also... And with his dad, I mean, who wouldn't lie for their child..." Syd's mind was still whirling with confusion as she processed everything Hector told her. "Whatever, there's no point in my ruminating on who lied to me about what from that family because I'm not planning to take revenge. Let's just go with my strategy and get this over with."

"I still don't think they deserve any mercy other than the girl," Sean huffed. "Besides, how are you so confident that this plan of yours will work?"

"Same logic as yours for killing him. Santi is an asshole, but he doesn't do shit unless he gets something out of it. If his plan is foiled and Hector is our prisoner, Santi wouldn't benefit from targeting Luci anymore, so he'd leave her be while he finds another way to get to us. And we'll put a protective detail on Luci just to be safe."

Sean shook his head. "I can't believe we're helping that piece of shit."

"It's just for the girl, Sean... None of this is for him. Trust me, even I was contemplating killing him until I got to the top of the steps and his family came to mind."

"You're only going to reinforce Santi's idea that you're soft."

"That's the other part of my plan." Syd looked down and began to massage the back of her neck. "I'm going to enhance my performance for Santi and blow a bit of steam off myself..."

"Oh?" Sean raised a curious brow. "Tell me more about that."

"You'll see... Let's get back down there and call Santi."

***

Syd and Sean stood Hector's chair back up and sat their seats across from him.

"Wha- What's going o-"

"Shut up, Hector," said an agitated Syd. "I need to make a call. Just keep your fucking mouth shut." She held a gun in one hand and Sean's phone in the other, calling Santiago.

"Quien eres tu?" Syd said when a voice that wasn't Santiago's answered the phone. "Ahhh, un lacayo de Santi... Dejame hablar con el... NO ME IMPORTA! Dale el puto telefono... Sabes quien soy? Yo soy Simone Davidson! No me ronques, cabron." [Who are you? ... Oh, one of Santi's lackeys... Let me speak with him... I DON'T CARE! Give him the fucking phone. Do you know who I am? I am Simone Davidson! Don't fuck with me, cabron.]