"I crave you as if I've already had you before, that scares and excites me all at once"
« In which Adriana Narvaez, a mother
of two, finds herself falling deep
into the world of crime after an
innocent robbery turns into a money-laundering bus...
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"That's 13." Annie muttered, holding up the stack of money as proof. Adriana let out a heavy sigh, leaning back into the seat further than she already was. Annie glanced back sympathetically back at Adriana, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"So-" "You know what? This is some bull right here!" The door slammed behind Ruby, she angered and determined words interrupting Adriana's. She sat up straighter, turning to face Ruby. Adriana's eyes darted to Beth's, her brows twisted in question.
"Them coming at us with guns? Dropping by my job? Uh-uh." Adriana tilted her head to the side, her lip stuck between her teeth. "We have families. We have children. We have lives and we gotta end this now."
Adriana's eyes stayed glued to Ruby's along with Beth's and Annie's with the one question they all had in mind. "Great. How?" Beth inquired, seeming slightly annoyed. Adriana took a sip of her liquor, turning away from three and sinking once again into the seat.
"The way I see it, we got two issues we need to take care of." She held up her two fingers, glancing at the sisters. Ruby and Adriana's minds were more alike than they thought, and though she hadn't thought of it before, Adriana could quickly understand what she was thinking.
"One is your boy up in that treehouse." Adriana placed a finger down, taking another sip as Annie swatted her leg in annoyance. "Excuse me. He's not 'my boy'." Annie corrected, her finger pointed at Ruby.
"And money." Adriana finished for Ruby, sensing that Annie would've turned it into a full-blown argument. "Yeah. So, two birds, one stone."
Adriana immediately sat up, turning to face Ruby. "No-" She let out a little sigh at the sister's clueless faces, glancing at me once. "Y'all are already getting charged for kidnapping. We might as well ransom his ass, too."
Annie let out a little gasp, gripping her hand tightly onto Adriana's shoulder.
$$
"His grandma's loaded."
Beth walked around the couch, placing a cup of coffee in Adriana's hand. Adriana sent her an appreciative smile, leaning against the arm of the couch to listen to what the sisters gathered.
"And she doesn't trust banks, so she keeps all of her cash at home like Scrooge McDuck," Annie added. Adriana let out a small snort, noticing Annie's growing pride in her little joke. "Where should we have her bring it?" Beth questioned, placing the remaining cups on the table.
"Well, they always do the drop in a park in Law & Order. So how about Beeman?" Ruby suggested. Adriana shook my head, taking a sip of the piping hot coffee. "Alright. Check out this app I downloaded onto his phone." Annie scooted up in her seat, placing her phone on the coffee table.
A male voice with a Scottish accent came from the phone, echoing into the room. "We have your grandson. Deliver 60,000 dollars to Beeman Park by 5:00 p.m. or he's dead." Adriana placed her hand on her lap, leaning forward. "Is that Sean Connery?"
"No, it's just 'Scottish man' here."
"Sounds hot."
She shrugged leaning back against her seat. "Too specific." Ruby glanced at me nodding. "What about-" Annie trailed off, pressing a few buttons on her phone. A squeaky voice came through the phone repeating the same words. It just didn't sound right to her.
"No."
"She wouldn't get that."
"Needs to be more intimidating," Adriana commented, lightly trailing her finger on the mug's rim. Annie glanced up at her once, nodding lightly. "Okay uh, let's see here." She pressed another button on her phone before a robotic voice echoed through the speaker repeating the same thing. Despite Ruby's and Beth's approval, Adriana shook her head.
"I think that's good." "Yeah."
Adriana set her cup on the coffee table, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Nowhere in that does it say not to go to the police. Let's say she does, what will happen then. Also the use of the pronoun we could show that we have a personal connection or that she either knows us or that boomer knows us, which he does." Adriana let out a deep sigh, feeling the stares of my companions on her.
"Maybe we should try 'Your grandson has been taken, you will not contact the police nor anyone in the force. Should you try to do so, your grandson is dead. You will drop 60,000 dollars at Beeman park by 5:00 pm or he's dead.'" Adriana leaned back in her seat, motioning to the phone. "Go on."
"How the hell do you know all this?" Annie questioned, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Adriana tensed slightly, lacing her fingers in between her cardigan. "Criminal Minds." She opted for the easier answer, choosing not to delve deep into her past.
"Right. Well, don't you think this simpler. I'm sure the police in our area wouldn't look that deep into the note if she goes to the police that is." Beth suggested, lightly shrugging her shoulders.
Adriana hesitantly nodded, avoiding Ruby's eyes. "Then I guess we should call her, right?" Annie nodded taking a deep breath "Okay." She swiped on her phone a few times before she pressed Marion's name, dialing her number.
"You've reached Marion Peterson. I'm not home right now. Please leave a message."
